Dear Colleague or Contributor:
 
It's New Year's Eve and we have an eclipse of the Moon in Cancer -- the sign ruled by the Moon. Eclipses represent dependable transitions; this is fitting astrology for the end of a year, and even a decade. Yet by our calendar, this is not technically the end of the decade; that's a year from now. When we get wind of the astrology of 2010, we'll see that the coming year is the peak of something that has been building since before Dick and Junior went to Washington and committed treason. However, it's been 10 years today since Y2K; 10 years since another foiled terrorist attack -- the guy who was going to bomb Los Angeles airport (LAX) who was busted by a worker on the Washington State Ferries. Vigilance is indeed the price of liberty.
 
Eclipses come back to any pair of signs every nine years, and the signs where eclipses happen have a way of coloring the world. One of the themes of eclipses across Cancer and Capricorn is emotional dependency and its counterpart, the need to submit to authority. Back when people other than advertising writers thought about psychology, a few of us understood that giving away our power was an emotionally-driven process, fueled by fear and the refusal to take authority for our own lives. Erich Fromm called it the Escape from Freedom.
 
Here's a theory for you: humans rarely seem to grow out of the tendencies we develop in our early childhood relationships with authority figures -- such as our almighty parents; ministers who claim to personally wield the power of God; and teachers who can inflict torture and humiliation on us. Once instilled, these patterns dominate our emotional landscape; and take up residence in our relationships, our homes, our jobs, our creative experiences -- everywhere. Under such emotional conditions, the only acceptable way of life is to be stupid, fat and bored: nobody is threatened. We would in fact express ourselves, if not for the fear of threatening others; which is a ruse for refusing to grow up.
 
If the Western world is stuck on one issue, this is the one. We love to be told what to do; we love to have our decisions made for us; we love to be told what is right and wrong and who is honest and who is not and whether it’s okay that some golfer had a lot of girlfriends. We need to be told what is perfectly safe and how long we're going to live and to be angry about lead in Barbie dolls and that toxic dorms are safe; and as a result, this whole concept of becoming an adult is a little like reaching Valhalla. Where the heck is that? I think it’s in Connecticut.
 

Uptown Kingston, NY at the speed of light. Photo by Eric.

We Americans in particular tend to spend our lives acting like little children, and it's time we grow up and claim some accountability for our actions, our choices and our destiny -- personal and collective. Part of that is admitting that we do indeed make choices, which is to say that we don't need our internalized parents, teachers and ministers to run our lives. We can do a lot to take care of ourselves; all the 'health care' in the world will not substitute for throwing out your microwave oven. We don't need content filters to tell us what is 'safe' to read.

At the same time, I think that our particular society needs to take more responsibility for our children: our refusal to admit to having temporary authority over them, when they need it most, is the same thing as letting our own lives run wild. We can twist our knickers all we like about the 'sanctity of marriage', but that has nothing at all to do with cultivating devotion to honest relationships. Which will help us and help our kids and help build our society.

Humans tend to be creatures guided by our emotions rather than by reason or intellect; and as such we are easily led around and told what to believe, based on what we think will make us feel better or 'be safer'. An eclipse of the Moon in Cancer, particularly opposite many significant planets -- Venus, the Sun, Pluto and Mercury to name four -- is about setting ourselves free from those emotional patterns, crossing the great divide to all those Capricorn planets, and taking on the mantle of authority over our own lives.
 
Somebody has to; it may as well be you.

Come check out the Cosmic Confidential Diary.

Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, December 31, 2009, #799 - BY ERIC FRANCIS

Aries Confidential	You seem to be seeking security rather than actual emotional grounding. What's running out is your ability to identify with your role as partner -- that is, the notion that your identity depends on a relationship or a particular relationship style (such as marriage). Your concept seems to be running up against the reality of the situation; and that reality itself is in the process of change; and as a result you're clinging to an idea. You could save yourself a lot of time, effort and energy by understanding the situation as it is; noticing where the people involved are coming from, beginning with you; and making the necessary changes based on a notion not of what you would like to be true, but rather what is actually true.
Taurus Confidential	God is love, not a bunch of rules. Goddess is the Earth and her creatures, not a collection of rituals. You're moving past these things, toward what you might call your true faith. This comes with a vision of the person you want to be; the two are related because you find yourself through having faith in yourself: an active process, not a passive one. Yet mixed into the conversation are various preconditions that I suggest you account for and decide whether you're really interested in them. Another way to look at this is as tension between the past and the present. No matter what you do, you seem unable to build your foundations on what has been, which is a truly encouraging sign. It would take a lot for a Taurus to admit the past no longer has relevance -- and a lot is precisely what you have right now.
Gemini Confidential	While you're in a phase of time perfect for renegotiating old agreements, it would be wise of you to focus on what you want. I say this because while it appears you thought you knew, your objectives and values are changing. If you don't update your mental files and the conversation fairly soon, you will end up getting what you wanted in the past rather than what you want now. Two other bits of advice: one is don't undersell yourself, based on your expectations of what someone thinks -- you don't really know what they are thinking, in part because it's changing from day to day. There are indeed plenty of resources to go around. Second, please don't sign anything until after Jan. 15, and preferably until after the 20th.
Cancer Confidential	This week's lunar eclipse in your sign is the perfect emotional release point: you seem to be carrying as much tension as a water balloon on a string. You'll feel better when you let yourself burst, and equalize yourself with the environment around you. First you'll make peace with the fact that everything is in flux; then with a bit of awareness, you will figure out how good that is for you. Over the next few weeks there will be a series of exchanges and contact points from which you will profit significantly, if your emotional state is in balance. Here is one clue that might help: much that you think holds you back is doing nothing of the kind. Commitments, sentimental entanglements and various forms of dependency are dissolving like fog into sunlight.
Leo Confidential	You seem to be blowing off a lot of fear all at once. Good thing, too, because you figured out long ago that fear does nothing other than consume energy and block your ability to think clearly. One thing you want to devote yourself to during Mercury retrograde is being mindful of your health. Keep your hands clean. Pay attention to what you eat, and where you eat; stick to the diet that works for you rather than making any radical changes. Keep your work in balance as well: if you're straining or stressing, there is very likely an easier way to do things, and most of that will involve your mental approach. Numerous things that seem pressing can wait; certain things you're not noticing need attention now. Some issues that seem troubling are not issues at all, so it would be wise to not attempt to fix them.
Virgo Confidential	Many people say that Mercury retrograde is the most creative time for them, because their minds can think off the main streets and find their way to the back alleys. This may be true of you now; the artist in you wants to flourish, which means pushing and stretching your inner boundaries. There's something about sex here -- in fact, something really interesting about sex. The things you let yourself think in the last 10 seconds before orgasm want a full hour of fresh air right now. Set yourself free in that space. Break out of your squeamish tendencies and let yourself dive deep into the crevices of your existence. You can do this alone, or not -- you might want to try both. Any encounter with another person may have a fleeting quality, and will be all the better on account of that.
Libra Confidential	Check in whether a close partner is experiencing some frustration with you. Not that it matters, of course; but then, it just might. To you, that is. You seem to be hiding behind a shell lately, even as that shell cracks apart and reveals a new layer of your being. I know the emotional material coming up is deep and defies expression. I know you have no obligation to tell anyone how you really feel; but since the current theme of your charts is self-interest, you might want to do this in support of your own cause. It's true that you are adopting one method of growth while others around you have an entirely different approach. But if you want these relationships to have any integrity or last through the new year, eventually those approaches will need to be reconciled; and the sooner the better.
Scorpio Confidential	If you don't know whether you're coming or going, you might want to decide -- or consciously give yourself a few weeks to decide. There are certain professional matters on which you have some time to spare; however, certain deeply personal matters require more immediate focus and attention. It looks like you're prioritizing one issue while a close partner or love interest is prioritizing another. I suggest you focus on what is important to that person first, then decide whether it's important to you. At least then you will have that out of the way and be able to focus on your own situation without anything 'external' hanging over your head. The clearer you stay with others, the more they will be available when you actually need their emotional support or the clarity of their mind -- and you will.
Sagittarius Confidential	An old story is giving way to a new one. It's about time; you've been caught in a drama for many months that has eaten up way too much of your mental bandwidth. Granted, you learned a lot, and you had an opportunity to help someone. Mostly, you were lured by the prospect of spiritual growth: and that, too, paid off. But now it's time to move from theory to experience, and from an idea to something tangible that you can live in and with. One theme of 2010 will be creating a better environment for yourself, one that supports your emotional wellbeing and delicate creative process rather than consuming your energy with constant demands, distractions and shrill voices. The loudest thing in your life should be music. If you were a college student, I would say it's time to move off campus
Capricorn Confidential	You may feel like you and a partner or close associate are not seeing eye to eye, or thinking mind to mind. The distance is not as significant as it seems; you're both going through adjustments, and though you may seem to be growing apart, that is a temporary illusion. You're generally a patient person, though at the moment you're experiencing something that more resembles restless passion. Do your best not to push, pull or tug; rather, breathe and focus and pay attention to what you're thinking. Explore some of your own paradoxes before you dive into the apparent contradictions of the relationship. You have a lot to make up your mind about and someone you care about has a lot to consider in the way of feelings. Move gently toward the meeting point.
Aquarius Confidential	You're probably feeling more complicated than ever. That's okay -- count it as honesty. You really are this complex, though typically you can veil this fact behind a friendly exterior that you try to convince yourself is a valid image of who you are. Now you're getting to experience the mystery of your own existence. Perhaps you've noticed that for as forward-thinking and progressive as you strive to be, you have old-fashioned values at heart, and you're made uncomfortable by 'too many' questions, 'too much' change or even the idea of significant progress. I would ask you: what exactly does the past offer that is so precious? A big swath of your attachment is about fear rather than nostalgia. If you call it what it is, it's less likely to have power over you as you do your best to take positive steps.
Pisces Confidential	I know you live with the feeling that while time is rushing by like a river, you seem to be standing on the shore. Or are you clinging to the shore, refusing to let go into the swift current? How fast time is actually going may involve your willingness to take a chance on something; that something may have an emotional, sexual or creative theme, rather than, say, financial speculation. This is a personal risk and you will know you're there because it's long been a point of hesitation for you. Your desire to make a move comes and goes in a dependable cycle; but now you're at a jumping-off point: a place where embracing the risk feels more appealing than anxiety. And that is the theme of many days to come.