New York, Aug. 13, 2017 | View as Webpage | Order Your Midyear Reading
What Makes You Think You Can't Drive Your Life?
Dear Friend and Reader:
Given all that's happened in recent days, many people are feeling as if there's no future. You might be wondering whether there's any point in trying to strive for the kind of growth, personal fulfillment or community involvement we often encourage in these pages. I'd like to start this week by saying firmly that there is a future, there is a point, and there is plenty of room for you on this beautiful planet. I strongly suggest you refuse to allow fear or apathy to prevail; and that you instead redouble your efforts to infuse your life, and those of the people you love, with joy and meaning.
So, you might want to ask yourself: what are you doing with your life? Have you identified any goals, or tried to firm up your vision for the future? Do you feel like you're in a constant defensive state of just trying to react to what comes flying at you? Are you afraid to make any big steps, lest you get it 'wrong'?
Plenty of people are feeling a lot of pressure with the current astrology. Particularly if you tend to take a passive approach to life -- seeing what the universe plops into your lap and then responding, but rarely trying to steer things preemptively -- it's easy to get panicky around eclipses. Knowing that retrograde Mercury could be scrambling things tends not to boost confidence; but it need not obliterate it, either.
Remember, the idea is not to make the 'perfect' choice. Yes, what you do during the two weeks between eclipses tends to set a tone or trajectory for many months to follow. But 'many months' is not the same as 'forever'. In any case, so-called 'mistakes' often teach us more than getting things 'right' the first time ever could. Sometimes what seems like a mistake at first turns out to be a stroke of great luck.
Really, what do you have to lose? (Assuming you're not about to gamble your house and life savings at a blackjack table in Vegas.) Sure, you might risk looking or feeling foolish; you might risk being disappointed; maybe pursuing your dream even puts your stability (financial, job, relationship, familial) at risk. Those are all things worth weighing, and not all risks weigh the same.
Yet, as Eric alludes to in one of the horoscopes below, most people will hang onto a pretty meager scrap of 'security' rather than offer it up to the universe in exchange for really taking the driver's seat in their own life. Lord knows I have at times.
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Art car crossing Burning Man in 2012; photo by Amanda Painter. |
Getting the hang of commanding one's life -- being willing to make decisions and take responsibility for both the successes and failures that follow -- can be very, very difficult and scary. Not everyone was empowered by their parents to do that; not every soul comes into this plane of existence with a clear memory of how it can work.
But it can work.
It doesn't work in a vacuum, however. And Venus in Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn (exact Tuesday) is a reminder to handle hidden or semi-conscious tensions in relationships as consciously as possible. The more you can do that, the more power you'll have for positive change. On Thursday, Venus squares Jupiter in Libra: enjoy others' company and, as much as possible, give yourself a break on what you 'have' to do and focus on what you love to do.
If you were completely free this week to pursue whatever lights you up the most, what would you do? Most importantly, what makes you think you can't do it -- or at least move toward it in some meaningful way? If you have not noticed just how much freedom you really have, it's time to see it and use it.
Yours & truly,
Amanda Painter
-- with Eric Francis and Amy Elliott
Don't forget to take advantage of this special gift: Eric's Daily Horoscope can arrive in your mailbox by 7 am ET, containing great astrological guidance for all 12 signs. You can sign up with our compliments, though we welcome donations.
Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes
Your extended monthly horoscopes for August were published on Thursday, July 27. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for July on Thursday, June 22. Your Moonshine Horoscopes for the Aquarius Full Moon were published on Thursday, Aug. 3. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.
Monday Morning Horoscope for Aug. 14, 2017 | By Eric Francis Coppolino
Aries (March 20-April 19) -- So what are you doing with your freedom? I mean really doing, with your creative freedom, your relationship freedom, your ability to move around the planet and to associate with anyone you want? What's on your list that you hesitate to act upon, and what gives you pause? Finally, what's standing between you and your ability to choose? It might amaze you how little seeming security you trade for how much lost opportunity. Now it's time to trade some of your false confidence for some actual curiosity and adventure. What are you waiting for? You're being called over and over again, and you're jumping in place. If you're even vaguely deterred by what others might think, forget it. The opinions of others matter less than ever, as they should. This applies to any fear of others judging how uninhibited you are, how sexual, how strange, how talented or not -- just forget it.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- You're in an excellent negotiating position, as long as you don't get obsessed with being a good boy or a good girl. At a certain point you must exceed the perceived expectations of parent-figures, particularly (in the instance of your current circumstances) any father figures. Give them a new job. Shift the relationship. Let yourself out: let them see how beautiful and intense you are, and get that out of the way. Once you can live without feeling like you have to hide your beauty, you'll have more energy and far more self-assurance. You don't need to hide your passion, your longing for life or your need to make your own decisions. It's the hiding that burns up your energy. It's your negative expectation that prevents you from coming into yourself and living fully. At a certain point, all father figures must know exactly who you are.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- It's time to dig into the corners of your home and clear out the clutter, the old vibes, the dust and the dust bunnies. Wash the curtains, clean the rugs and organize the closets one at a time. Mercury is retrograde in your 4th house -- your living space -- and Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, is involved. That means your efforts at refreshing your home space will be met with divine blessing and, if you persist, will be rewarded by creative breakthroughs. However, if you can avoid it, don't think of the goal; get into the process of vacuuming and using as much Dr. Bronner's soap for as many purposes as you can (skip the cleaning chemicals -- soap and hot water is the best exorcist of the past). Know that you are taking part in a divine ritual that will turn your home or studio into an ashram devoted to your talents and creative ambitions.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- This is the time to assess your resources: all of them, beginning with the fact that you're alive at this distinctly strange time in history. Then consider every talent, every idea, the space you live in or have access to, the tools of your trade and, most significantly, your friends and supporters. Do a total inventory. It's time to take full ownership of who you are, what you've developed within yourself, and what you have available to use. The astrological occasion is unusual activity in your 2nd solar house, Leo. The 2nd house is resources; Leo is the gold standard. You have quite a bit available to you, and the question is, are you aware of it all, and have you connected it to your aspirations and intentions? Now is the time to get these things into alignment and make efficient use of them; or, said another way, to use what you have and what you know.
To the Leo Eclipse and Beyond!
In just one week, on Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse in Leo signals the second stage of whatever life-shifting process you're engaged with.
This is a unique year for you, Leo. In addition to the current eclipses (and the double New Moons in your sign), your birthday reading will cover such astrological heavyweights as Chiron finishing up its journey through your 8th house; ever-surprising Uranus; and Saturn leaving your fellow fire sign, Sagittarius -- plus more.
Are you navigating changes in your relationships or family paradigm? Do you find yourself at a career crossroads? Are you seeking clarity, encouragement and new perspectives on your creativity, self-esteem, sexuality or healing process? You'll find ideas and reassurance in this reading.
"I have just listened to your Part 1 and Part 2 readings and I am amazed at how accurate it has been. Like you have a telescope watching me shed a skin and transform into a totally changed person in the last 10 years."
-- Pauline Jones
Your reading is now priced at $44; so you'll want to order your 2017 Leo Reading very soon. This reading is designed to work for anyone with Leo Sun, Leo rising and even Leo Moon -- and makes an amazing gift.  The first astrology segment of your 2017-18 Leo Birthday Reading by Eric is now published. This is a seminal year for Leo Sun, rising and Moon, especially with the upcoming powerful solar eclipse in your sign. Make this dynamic energy work for you -- order your reading today.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Mercury is retrograde in your sign, which indicates that this is a time of review, repair and reorganization. Yet, you'll discover there's a lot more happening if you're willing to fully engage the process of dealing with the past, in whatever form it might be lingering in your life. That could include a relationship that needs to be resolved; it could involve some financial cleanup, or potentially a creative or career project. Whatever element of the past we may be hinting at, set about the process of working it through. Make it a priority and stick with it, prioritizing it over any social or recreational plans that you may have. Of course, get out and have fun; but make sure that you have the kind of fun, and company, that nourishes rather than depletes you -- and set that as a conscious priority. It's time for all the parts of your life to work together.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- Your public image is one thing; your social reality is another. Image is, by definition, a kind of illusion. The people you have contact with, share with, learn from and explore life with are the real thing. And that real thing is evolving rapidly right now: new people are coming into your life, and previous ones are departing. This is part of a much deeper revamp of your desire, your dreams and your sense of purpose. And on the deepest level, this is about you and nobody else: decisions that only you can make, because only you know what they are. The vital thing is that you respect your own desire to become whatever it is you want to become -- and that you not hesitate on decisions. I hear from Libras all the time about how they just cannot decide. What I'm here to tell you is that this is a skill you learn through practice, and that now is a particularly rich moment to engage your intentions.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- It's astonishing how many people are still worried what mommy and daddy think. That extends to all forms of surrogate parents, such as partners, the government, bosses and even children. There's a reason for this. To liberate yourself from all those influences is to take responsibility for your choices, and for your successes, and your failures. Once it matters not what power others seem to hold over you, you're on your own; that's the cost of living on your own terms. This may seem lonely at first, until you figure out that companionship is not about control or being controlled. In fact, neither is leadership. You're entering a time in your life when everything must be entirely voluntary, which means abandoning the charade that it's somehow not. You may think you have loyalty to people, though that is meaningless unless you have fidelity to your own purpose and reason for being.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- You're experiencing a series of openings, which will require you to be flexible and to exercise both your talents and your options. Decisions you make now will influence your life for years to come, and the most significant of those is how you feel about yourself. Your most important choice in this lifetime is to focus on your purpose. If you seem to be lacking information about what that purpose is, you need to pay closer attention to yourself. Personal meaning is not about being pulled by external forces, though they may seem to have an influence. It's about feeling your own inner movement as a source of guidance. The question is not what should you have faith in, but what do you already trust? If you're wondering where to go, ask yourself where you've always wanted to go. Remember that the 'external world' is symbolic. It represents things that already exist within you, and that get all of their meaning exclusively from you.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- It may seem impossible to get on the same page as someone close to you, even though the mutual desire is there. The thing that must happen is an objective conversation about where everyone is at, with no thought of money, jealousy, the in-laws or, for that matter, the outlaws. The discussion had best be cool, factual and held someplace besides the bedroom. It needs to be a private space, since sensitive subject matter will come up, though it should have a neutral feeling: a quiet or closed restaurant, a hotel room, or any space where there are relatively few past impressions. This conversation must be about what is important to everyone, now. Then once that's on the table, you discuss the potential points of agreement, and the points of departure. Once you know that, you will know exactly what to do. Remember: the future is unwritten, if you're not bogged in secrets.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Next week's eclipse in your opposite sign Leo describes a total reassessment of your relationships, and your ideas about them. Every wheel is in spin, every variable is in play; though, most of all, you get an opportunity to clear the stage of your life and create something new. There's enough energy in your environment that you'll see the possibilities before you engage with them. Doing so is not the full activation of destiny. You get to experiment; failure to notice this is a fallacy that has a lot of momentum right now; that is, the idea that every choice is permanent; that accepting a date to coffee is a lifetime commitment. The true state of the world is transient. Once you can dance with that, you can explore some exciting possibilities, and gauge whether and in what ways they affirm your existence and your pleasures. The world is opening up for you; greet it not with fear, but with love and respect.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Mercury retrograde in your house of relationships is like watching a movie of your entire past -- recognizing that it's an illusion of light. It has only the substance you grant to it. It's evident that, as you assess your history, you will see the possibilities for the choices you might make. Vesta's presence in this house is urging that you not worry about making final decisions, but rather that you hold open space for the possibilities. You have not lived out many of your most exciting potentials; you don't even know what they are at this point. Yet you're soon to find out, particularly if you live not for relationships but for the sake of existence itself. That always means existence now, which will flow into life as you want it to be. Notice the people who are obsessed with the past, with nostalgia, and other forms of "the way things once were." There are plenty of them, and you need influences other than those who would choose to live using the rearview mirror as their divining oracle. The frontier ahead is far more exciting.
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