Mirrors of Awareness: Conjunction and Opposition
Dear Friend and Reader:
Last week's astrology was dominated by three unusual oppositions, or 180-degree meetings, between the planets -- Mercury opposite Chiron, Mars opposite Neptune and Jupiter opposite Uranus. And, suitably, it was quite a week of contention and controversy; though lately that hardly seems to let up for a moment. If you had any breakthroughs, or made any important discoveries, remember them well, so they don't get lost in the swirl of your life.
This week, we have an unusual synchronicity of an opposition -- the Full Moon -- combined with a relatively rare conjunction of Venus and Mars. Of the two, the Full Moon, which takes place in Aries, is the one you're most likely to notice directly; for example, as heightened emotion, unusual dream activity, or wanting to push things to a head.
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Venus and Mars as billiard balls, shown in a conjunction on the cover of Paul McCartney & Wings' 1975 album. The cover art is by Hipgnosis, which did many of the album covers of that era, including Obscured by Clouds, Dark Side of the Moon and Animals by Pink Floyd. Here's a complete list. |
Full Moons distinguish between the energies of the signs involved, in this case Aries and Libra. They pull the picture into high contrast.
Conjunctions guide us to blend, morph and merge the energies involved; in this case Mars, which rules Aries, and Venus, which rules Libra. The two events are related by their astrological symbols, and by the fact that they happen within two hours of one another, on Thursday afternoon Eastern time. When you see that kind of synch, it's a reminder to pay attention.
The Full Moon is a rare moment of connection to the natural world that's available even for people living in cities. There's something primal about the Full Moon, something evocative of ancient memory and patterns of behavior: hunting, for example.
The tides are exaggerated, as are people's feeling-bodies. Be conscious of this process. Don't let your disagreements get out of control; keep a handle on your feelings, which first means feeling them and then choosing how to respond.
Remember that Aries and Libra are action-oriented signs of the cardinal cross. There's something dramatic about this Full Moon, which happens close to the midpoint of the cardinal signs. And the Full Moon is square Pluto, which intensifies the effect.
Then there's the Venus-Mars conjunction, which is about integration or merging of opposites. This takes place in Virgo, which is encouraging a more detached and mental experience of events, and also of our physical bodies. Virgo is also about technology, so there's some information here about how we experience ourselves through all these electronic filters we live within.
I'll quote Eric McLuhan again: "The body is everywhere assaulted by all of our new media, a state which has resulted in deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world. In the age of disembodied communication, the meaning and significance and experience of the body is utterly transformed and distorted."
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Detail of photo capturing a conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Mars over Louisa, Virginia, in 2015. Photo by David Murr. |
So you might ask yourself: what is the purpose of your body? In what ways do you direct your desire for direct experience, intimacy, emotion, contact and sex through the digital sphere, and how does that leave you feeling?
The last time we experienced the Venus-Mars conjunction was during a series of three, all in Aries, in February, September and November 2015. This was associated with Venus retrograde in Aries. What was going on for you then?
One of the prevailing themes of our time is gender identity, and these two combined events speak directly to this subject.
Contrary to what many of us are taught from the cradle, we each contain both male and female qualities within ourselves. This is clearly shown in astrology by the fact that everyone's natal chart is a mini universe: each contains all of the planets, and all of the signs.
The qualities we prefer not to see as part of ourselves are often those we tend to project onto others, including intimate partners. For example, if you see yourself as dispassionate, you might be both drawn to and frustrated by others who present themselves as emotionally open. Being conscious of that possibility can in turn help shine a spotlight on you as a complete being and heal your relationships, both within and without.
Virgo represents a living, active process of conscious integration, in this case, of two of the energies most vital to human awareness. Don't be distracted by any potential drama.
With love,
-- with Amy Elliott
Astrology Impacting the World is Influencing You
"The truth is I rely on what Eric says. I have always been a follower of astrology, but listening to Eric has been a learning, growing, enlightening experience."
-- Annie Parisella
Dear Friend and Reader:
News events the past month have demonstrated that the Great American Eclipse has had a global effect, and a profound impact on the United States -- and that's apparently not over. This same astrology is having many personal effects as well, shaping your life and presenting you with challenges and options.
We have an easy-to-use tool that will help you suss out what those influences are about: this includes both the eclipse and forthcoming transits extending well past 2018.
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Eric sharing his wisdom in the Capricorn Midyear reading. |
Astrology happens.
When you have an understanding of its meaning, you're at a distinct advantage.
When you don't know, information that could help you is not available. That's why Eric works so diligently to make astrology clear, easy to follow and easy to apply to your life.
If you have not yet purchased Eric's Midyear Reading for 2017 -- In the Shadow of the Moon -- you may find that it's exactly what you're looking for. It may even be just the thing you had no idea you needed -- especially if you thought this set of readings for the 12 signs was only about the recent eclipse. It is not.
Yes, Eric uses the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse as a starting point. But the 2017 Midyear Reading looks into the next few months and even into 2018 -- outlining the major planetary sign changes coming up and what that means for you.
Chiron will be exiting Pisces and entering Aries; Saturn bids adieu to Sagittarius and comes 'home' to Capricorn; and Uranus will leave Aries behind and light up Taurus for a few years. No matter what your Sun, Moon or rising sign might be, these shifts to the astrological landscape will have a specific impact in your life.
So what are you waiting for? Louis Pasteur wrote that fortune favors the prepared mind; when you prepare your heart and soul at the same time with the 2017 Midyear Reading by Eric Francis, the door of opportunity tends to open that much wider.
"I purchased the midyear reading for my sign, and it is right on point, especially with both eclipses in August."
-- Gayook Wong
And if things have been rocky for you lately -- or if you still feel upended by whatever the recent pair of eclipses brought -- a little spiritual centering and grounding and perspective-shifting a la Planet Waves could very well help you to make sense of it all. I hope you'll give it a try; individual signs are available here -- or, you can still order all 12 as a complete package here.
Yours & truly, 
Amanda Painter
Planet Waves Astrology Editor
We published your extended monthly horoscopes for October on Thursday, Sept. 21. Your extended monthly horoscopes for September were published on Thursday, Aug. 24. 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 Oct. 2, 2017 | By Eric Francis Coppolino
Aries (March 20-April 19) -- Amidst much other exciting astrology, including the Full Moon in your birth sign, Venus and Mars form a conjunction in Virgo, the house in your solar chart addressing healing, work and wellbeing. One easy-to-spot theme here is that your intimate relationships are finding their way to a useful place: the improvement of your life. The 6th is the house that describes the process of mindfulness. The image, therefore, is of being fully conscious in your encounters with the other, particularly of the other sex. Notice when you're projecting your ideas and your values onto the people close to you, and call those projections back in. They don't help you. Stay in the moment, rather than letting your mind run into the future. Whether you're in an intimate partnership or not, the completion attribute of the conjunction is about understanding that you contain male, female and everything in between.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- This week's Full Moon in the most sensitive angle of your solar chart is a setup for feeling like you're under pressure that you don't understand, and cannot identify the source of. It's an inner pressure, and it's ultimately about self-discovery. Yet it might not feel that way, until you experience the breakthrough and the dust settles. That's all likely to develop between Tuesday and early Friday evening, at which point the Moon enters your birth sign (or your rising sign) and suddenly everything makes perfect sense. Until then, you will need to monitor the reactive side of your nature. It takes a lot to get a Taurus fired up, though it's possible; and this is the kind of astrology that can symbolize such feelings. Make a conscious choice to direct your energy creatively.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- Much of what we call love is described and indeed predicted by early childhood patterns. Some authors describe this as the "love map." Others describe it as the childhood constellation or family pattern. We see this come up repeatedly in our relationships, which often take the form of parent-child encounters. It's possible to outgrow this, though it takes considerable mindfulness. The good thing for you is that perhaps more than any other sign, you can actually integrate your emotions using your mind, and that's what you have the opportunity to do. It helps that the Aries Full Moon (which, incredibly, occurs within moments of Venus conjunct Mars) is across the most expressive axis of your solar chart. If you have any mode of creative expression -- and everyone needs at least one -- that will feed your spiritual and psychological process. Put your work where others can see it.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- One of those things you don't read in astrology textbooks is how career-oriented the sign Cancer is. This is not just about personal aspiration, but also about taking the initiative to change the world with the work you do. That might mean innovating new dimensions in the field you work in: for example, not just becoming a programmer, but inventing a programming language; not just being a director but opening a theater. Cancer is one of the signs we count on for its natives to change the world, so that everyone else can experience the new dimension of reality that you open up. This week's Aries New Moon describes you at your most original and energetic. You are already doing something with an influence and potentially even an impact. The thing about Aries is that it's great at turning the ignition and getting things started. You're the one who brings them to completion.
Leo, Virgo Birthday Readings Complete
Dear Friend of Planet Waves:
If what we're seeing in the wake of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse is any indication of how influential it was, astrology is alive and kicking in your personal world. I want you to know that the Leo and Virgo birthday readings are available for immediate access.
They are also somewhat late, though this has been a work ethic issue: I don't do this kind of sensitive reading when I'm in any way stressed, unrested, or distracted. That time finally arrived Friday and Saturday, and these readings are now available.
We are in the midst of extraordinary astrology: we're living in the wake of so much that's happened, so much that is happening now, and so much coming up. You need all the information you can get.
Having access to sensitive and accurate astrological keys is a direct advantage. You know the psychic weather when you know the astrology. I work in both the personal and the transpersonal, describing certain inner developments in your life, as well as developments in the world around you -- and then I describe where the two meet.
I work in human language, using astro-lingo only as necessary. My message is designed to be both positive and informative: while I'm a pretty good astrologer, I am an even better motivational speaker. I believe in your potential, and I am honored and happy to offer you the keys to realizing your personal gifts.
We are, as well, living through extraordinarily trying times. It's not easy to be alive right now, but if you can keep your awareness up, and stay a little bit above the fray, and look toward the future, these are indeed brilliant and challenging and amazing times to engage fully with life.
You may get your Leo reading here, or your Virgo reading here. These are especially poignant for your rising sign, as my emphasis is on the houses.
Both include original new music by Vision Quest. You may listen to our live stream here.
Speaking of, I mention in Virgo that I've recently published an article in The Mountain Astrologer called It's All in the Houses. This is an informative, easy-to-follow article that will open up your astrological thinking. The way that I can do these readings for you so accurately is that I understand the houses, or at least I sincerely strive to. I explain how that works in the article, which is free to anyone. If you want to take this deeper, we do offer a class by the same name.
Thank you for being a customer of Planet Waves, and for doing your part to make the world a friendlier, warmer and more intelligent place.
With love, your astrologer,
P.S. If you missed In the Shadow of the Moon, you may access all 12 signs here, or single serving signs here.
 Your 2017-18 Leo Birthday Reading by Eric is now complete and available for instant access. This is a seminal year for Leo Sun, rising and Moon, especially with the recent powerful solar eclipse in your sign. Make this dynamic energy work for you -- order your reading today.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Venus and Mars, the planets that represent sexual and emotional polarities, are about to form a conjunction in your birth sign, which is a relatively rare event. This happens within moments of a Full Moon across the angle of your solar chart that addresses the kinds of commitments that emerge in intimate relationships, which often involve money, and others of which involve commitments associated with sex. There are two things going on in this pattern. One is the self-completion attribute of Venus and Mars getting together in your sign. The other is the potential tension, controversy or mirroring that happens when we form deep bonds with other people. This is all a reminder that whoever you relate to, and however you relate to them, your inner experience of yourself is what sets the tone. If you feel whole, you're more likely to have whole relationships.
Turn Up the Flame with Your Libra Birthday Reading
Awesome, so uplifting and so 'IT' -- a wonderful birthday message. Eric, thank you. Your service has reached farther and deeper than you know. Turn up the flame on the human blow-torch, baby.
-- Eryca Willinger
Dear Friend and Reader:
Your birthday season is underway, and this year it's extra special. As the Sun made its way through the early degrees of your sign, it formed a conjunction with the asteroid Vesta, which symbolizes devotion, the sacred flame and the hearth.
This distinctive conjunction offers you the opportunity to lend your energies to what you're passionate about -- what matters to you the very most.
Your 2017-18 Libra Birthday Reading by Eric Francis will give you on-point and accurate guidance to help you optimize your power and direct it where you need it to go.
Your forthcoming solar year will also see Saturn entering your fellow cardinal sign Capricorn; and Chiron entering your relationship sign Aries. Eric will discuss all this and more, in a friendly, accessible recording you can come back and listen to as often as you need.
The Libra birthday reading will contain two 30-minute segments of audio astrology, plus a tarot reading for your year (and an extended written description of your sign).
As always, your reading is spot on and validates what I am experiencing in life at this time. The sheer acknowledgment that as a Libra I need balance, beauty and aesthetics in my life to make me tick on, balanced, in my day-to-day endeavors and consequently some very huge endeavors for the year was just what I needed to keep going.
-- Ginger Aarons
Pre-order your Libra birthday reading here for the earliest price of just $33. Note that once the reading is published, the price will increase -- so you'll want to get your copy very soon.
Thank you for your business. May the light of your hearth shine bright.
With best wishes,
Amy Elliott
P.S. This reading makes an excellent and lasting gift for the Libra you know and love -- and is also incredibly well-suited for anyone with Libra rising or a Libra Moon.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- If a relationship seems to be manifesting in some exaggerated form, it's probable that the seeming issue has nothing to do with what's actually going on. It will certainly be convincing that what you think you see, or think you feel, is the real thing. There will be clues that something else is going on, including the projection of gender roles. You might hear yourself describe the way that women act generally, or that men act; you might in some other way see these qualities as being outside of yourself. What you are being called to do is experience them as inside yourself, and own your own perceptions, ideas and judgments as interior realities, and not project them onto anyone or anything. This may be one of the greatest challenges of consciousness, since so much seems to exist outside of ourselves. As A Course in Miracles suggests, projection makes perception.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- What people reveal about themselves to their peers, or how they present themselves, is different from what they imagine that they are, particularly in their erotic lives. Have you ever considered this little disparity? It's often chalked up to there being a difference between fantasy and reality; or, 'I would think that but I would never do that'. Yet these seeming fantasies are often more than just that, especially if people secretly identify with their unspoken desires. The question of the week is, what about yourself do you know privately, and what do you reveal openly? To whom do you reveal it? You might start with those closest to you, who you know would take an interest in the real you, rather than the official presentation. There is a matter of integrity involved. You will feel better when you treat your whole self as a whole person.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- It's probably been an interesting week or two. Your official planet, Jupiter, and Uranus, are still in their rare 180-degree face-off. This is awakening you to your potential, and prompting certain long-overdue changes in your life. In a word, Jupiter-Uranus is about progress. The key to Jupiter and indeed to Sagittarius is about going beyond optimism. Uranus is squeezing the potential out of Jupiter like the new, improved electric orange-juice machine. That jolt of current coming from Uranus is updating your brain and reminding you to actually do something with all the skills and resources you've accumulated or developed. You may find yourself making fast decisions this week as the Moon and Sun approach their opposition aspect, in the form of the Aries Full Moon, which is Wednesday. Whoever you are and whatever you may do, your creative prowess is at an all-time high. Indulge your talent, your passion, or your pleasure, as you will.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- The Sun and several helpful planets are now in Libra, your house of career. This will feel good to any Capricorn who wants to rise up and make their way in the world. Yet to make the most of this astrology, you must be decisive. Two aspects involving Libra -- the opposition of Jupiter in Libra to Uranus in Aries, and the Aries Full Moon -- are granting you the confidence to make the kinds of professional decisions you need to make. If there's any extra hint of hesitation, it may be coming from the idea that there's some kind of sacrifice involved: that to succeed, you must give something up. Yes, it's true that professional writers get used to spending many beautiful, sunny days indoors, completing their work. To master one musical instrument, you may need to give up learning another. Everything comes at a price. The question to ask is: is it worth it?
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- It can take a long time to get the details of a relationship right. It's easier, though, when you come from a spirit of generosity, and when you don't keep score. Everything does not have to be even-steven, and as a person who has a lot (you do), you can afford to be gracious and forgiving. You can afford to set aside your expectations and observe who a person really is, and how you feel about them. It helps to receive what is offered to you and, as a gift to someone you care about, help them feel like they are a generous and abundant person. Let this be especially true in the most local aspects of your life. Rather than thinking about what's going on at a distance, or what might happen far in the future, focus on your immediate environment, the people who surround you, and the needs that they have.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- The theme of finances, and of being true to your values, persists at full strength this week. Let's take the second one first. You are someone who must live your truth. It seems optional for many people you know; for Pisces, it's a specific life calling. There would seem to be an issue in that so much of what you hold dear does not seem to be in demand, or to sell for a high price. Yet that's true of almost anything that is, today, considered precious and is in demand. You must use your intelligence, your creativity and your charm to make sure that you do what you value, and that others value what you do. This may be the second most important skill of any artist or talented person, after the primary work itself. You must have fuel to burn, a roof over your head, and a sandwich in your hand.
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