Mercury Direct, Mars Conjunct Chiron, Schedule Notes

Dear Friend and Reader:

We continue to burn astrology like firewood during a cold winter. The first few weeks of summer were impressive, with three eclipses, Mercury retrograde and Jupiter conjunct Pluto (square Eris). We have seen the results in the form of increasing levels of anxiety and panic throughout American society.

This is coupled by disinformation chaos to a degree that I have never seen in all the time I've been doing my form of journalism, which is always just adjacent to the mainstream media. This is unsettling for anyone. It's so challenging that it takes a room full of us studying every day to keep a grip on the developments, sort out the contradictions and figure out what is going on.

We are witnessing panic for the sake of panic. I know the numbers look horrendous, but you will get some perspective if you dismantle the statistics and see what is behind them. The facts as presented in the "news" these days are so devoid of context that it's as if yesterday is forgotten, last week never happened and there is no tomorrow. If you stick to today, you can learn something relevant. First, Publishing Schedule Upgrade

We have an interesting weekend and following week coming up, and I've got a short summary for you. First, a note about our publishing schedule.

I'm planning to move the Sunday night edition (a somewhat new thing, which has run the past 237 consecutive weeks) to Monday night. This is in service of me having some time off during the weekend. We actually began that last week by delaying a day for the July 4 holiday. It worked so well, I decided to call it an invention.

I am also planning to move Planet Waves FM back to Friday nights, as part of my 'clear the weekend' project. We've been running Sunday nights for more than two years, though it's not necessary. My long-format program is a weekend thing, and Friday night will suit just fine.

Finally, I am planning not to publish on Thursday, July 16. We will send out a reminder at the time. Also, Major Website Upgrade

Everyone knows that Planet Waves commerce technology is not Amazon.com. We use a system originally built in 2007 that is now at the end of its useful life. Fortunately, for the past 18 months we have been in the process of upgrading our primary website, sales system and customer database.

The main benefits of this include our customers having one account, instead of all products having their own account. All new articles and readings will be delivered to the appropriate customers in your own personal area.

That work is about 85% done and 100% paid for. We did this pay-as-you-go, without any fundraising. We've been at this now for about a year and a half. We are about two or three weeks from initiating the beta test. We will send out an invitation seeking people who want to participate in that.

Then we will need a few "community ambassadors" to help shepherd other customers over. Our little staff will benefit from your help. Please stand by for another letter with the subject header WEBSITE UPGRADE -- just like that, in all caps.

You can see the new website here, without the back-end connected. Please do something old fashioned and explore -- there are some excellent resources, articles and archives. We are aware that most of our clients rely on these emails for delivery of your services, and we are planning to keep sending them. I rarely see publications this beautiful in my inbox, and I am a bit attached to our presentation. However, the website is an important benefit of membership and also a public resource. Thank you for visiting.

And now for a little astrology. Mercury Stations Direct on Sunday Morning

Mercury has been retrograde in Cancer since June 18, during the long-forgotten solstice cluster. We are now in range of Mercury stationing direct, which occurs at 4:26 am EDT on Sunday, July 12.

This has been a relatively calm Mercury retrograde, compared with the previous one (in Pisces, Feb 16 through March 9), associated with events leading to the unprecedented global lockdown. The current retrograde in Cancer has come with the global unlockdown, which does not seem to be going well in the United States. Mercury has been retrograde in the 8th house of the U.S. chart (money, death, taxes).

Speaking of, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Pres. Trump has to turn over his financial records and tax returns to prosecutors in New York. This touches upon the taxes issue of the U.S. 8th house, as well as the "truth revealed" property of Mercury stationing direct. There is probably more to come. Anger Management, Family Business

You might think of this as the anger management Mercury direct. Mercury is in the process of making a series of tense aspects to Mars in Aries as the retrograde ends. The real issue with Mercury square Mars is taking your anger out on yourself, and therefore, not directing it appropriately. This is the basic equation of how abuse in early life results in pain and dysfunction later in life.

If responsibility for past events is not investigated and resolved, it's likely to be experienced as self-blame, guilt and resentment. These emotions make it difficult or impossible to relate to others in a trusting way. So if you're wondering where all this rage and mistrust comes from, there is a theory.

We see this in the current chart as Mercury stationing direct right in the mix of the ultra-slow moving Pholus, Quaoar, Salacia, Logos pattern early in the cardinal signs. This is about sexual behavior within the family pattern, which is the root of all trauma, transgression and harmful impulse. Yet the pattern goes back generations -- you can tell from the presence of Pholus and Quaoar.

Pholus points to matters that go back three generations, and are compounded by alcohol abuse. Quaoar takes us all the way back to the origins of the tribe. We are dealing with very old stuff here.

It would be nice to make some progress resolving this, though people tend to be so freaked out about sex they cannot have a rational conversation about it. Even the discussion can be considered "re-traumatizing," so the most common thing that happens is suppression of the discussion, followed by the eruption of controversy and violence.

I'll have more to say about this during the Vesta Studio portion of Planet Waves FM this weekend, where I can be a little bolder about my approach to healing these kinds of issues than I can in writing. Meet me there to continue the conversation. Mars Conjunct Chiron: The Initiation

We are about to experience the first Mars conjunction to Chiron in Aries. The most recent conjunction of Mars to Chiron occurred in late Pisces on Dec. 29, 2018, during Chiron's transition from Pisces to Aries. Mars and Chiron are conjunct about every two years, following the cycle of Mars.

I could say a lot about this aspect -- it's one of my favorites of the lot, inviting the full activation of Chiron by Mars. However, in Aries, this aspect has special meaning. That's because I consider Aries to be the scene of the crime where electrical technology has turned people into a swarm of tribal robots.

This aspect, exact July 14, can have a few possible manifestations. Under the best circumstances (balanced person, communicative environment), it's about the healthy and bold expression of individuality. Chiron's mission is to turn injuries and wounds into healing gifts. This happens over time, with experience and maturity.

Under less ideal circumstances, this aspect could provoke a deep feeling of injury, related to the sensation of loss of identity. As the McLuhans have noted, violence is an attempt to find one's identity. Total immersion in electrical technology, particularly digital technology, has gone a long way to deplete people's sense of being.

So this could also result in the eruption of aggression and conflict as associated with being clueless about one's actual reality -- which would be a misplaced attempt to "find oneself." I guess we have to resort to desperate measures after living online for 20 years -- that makes anything and everything in the physical world too dangerous to even consider.

In the end, that is what we're experiencing with this whole virus thingie: the reason it's the result of digital consciousness is not just that it's been amplified and distorted by social media and 24-hour news feeds, which make it impossible to tell which way is up, unless you work with a research team.

The real crisis is that from the cool, clean, and most of all disembodied standpoint of the digital universe, anything pertaining to the body is diseased and disgusting. And that has taken us a long way from home.

With love,

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Your spiritual orientation on doing the work that's right for you: a video reading by Eric Francis

Dear Friend and Reader:

Long before our current social and economic upheaval, I was designing a reading called THE DHARMA. Initially inspired by something I read in a book on Tibetan Buddhism last year, I wanted to focus a reading on connecting with purpose. The Sanskrit word "dharma" means acting as if to hold the world together.

	30th Street Guitars is one of my best examples of living dharma — acting as if to hold the world together. I describe the business in the Pisces reading.

There are not many cohesive ideas about this. Most are abstract. Therapy can sometimes help, but it's expensive, and most therapists are not creative or business consultants (a precious few are).

Then suddenly society went through all these changes, and my concept for a reading turned out to be right on time.

You may have been jolted out of your previous economic reality by the ongoing financial scenario. This has affected both salaried workers and the gig economy.

In my experience as an astrologer, I know that it often takes something like this to help people hear their calling.

THE DHARMA brings some exuberance to this process. I work with the astrology, describing the environment, looking for openings and opportunities, and offering ideas to connect you with your purpose. I am good at this because it's one of the true joys of my astrological journey. If I could do nothing but creative consulting, business planning and professional focus, I would.

This reading will help you go through the changes that are upon us, whatever their source. We are in a time of extreme flux, and so this potential is present. Society is making a big retreat, and that means there is space available for you to do what you do.

This moment will not last forever. Take advantage of it while you can.

THE DHARMA reading is available as single signs (starting at $44; $22 for each additional) and all 12 signs (for $111). Each reading is fresh and original, and complements the others. At least get your sign and rising sign. You may share with your household!

Personal consulting starts at $555.

Thank you for your trust and your business.

With love,

PS — If you need a sliding-scale option for THE DHARMA, please write to cs@planetwaves.net.

Here are free five-minute reading samples of THE DHARMA:

Aries		Taurus		Gemini	Cancer		Leo		Virgo
Libra		Scorpio		Sagittarius	Capricorn		Aquarius		Pisces

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for July was published on Thursday, July 2. We published your extended monthly horoscope for June on Thursday, May 21. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) — Life is a cooperative venture. This is often imagined and rarely practiced, though it is a fact. Even if you grow your own onions, someone else makes your frying pan. Yet the skill of organizing cooperation, and the basic political acumen to facilitate people actually working together, is rare. You must develop that skill and you're in a good position to do so. This is a long-range project. Whatever may seem worthwhile today will be far exceeded by the necessities of the next year and the years following. Learn to build trust. Learn to be wholly dependable, and to recognize who else has that value. Those are the people you want to stick with; it's easier to tap into as a resource than it is to cultivate in people, though sometimes that is worth a modest effort to see if people are capable of picking up the tune. Everyone knows what teamwork is, but not everyone cares.



The Journey of You and Chiron | A New Reading by Eric Francis

Anyone who has encountered it is curious about Chiron. Planet Waves provides one of the few dependable online sources of information on this unusual planet. For the 10th anniversary Astrology Studio reading, I will be covering Chiron in Aries — a momentous event for all those born under this sign, and of high interest to everyone else. Get instant access to this reading here.

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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Consider the possibility that someone close to you has especially relevant insight into your thinking and what you may be feeling. You might not like this idea. You prefer to be the best expert on yourself. You try to make your own decisions. But someone may know something you do not. And that something will not be designed to make you paranoid. Any orientation on fear, worry or potential negative outcomes is not helpful and it is not healing, and it's unlikely to be true. A trustworthy approach is a gentle one, and a balanced one. Also, pay attention to the known self-interest of others. In any transaction where you are the beneficiary, the self-interest of others must be either minimal, or honestly declared — preferably both. That aside, this is a time when you may have unusually deep self-awareness, particularly of what causes you pain. There is an element of this comprehensible only to you — and you alone hold the key to resolving it.

You can now get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $44. This reading focuses on a professional breakthrough toward the end of the year, and preparing you for this development. Venus retrograde in the spring is preparation. Mars retrograde in the autumn is preparation.

Ultimately this is a spiritual development, yet in reality we are talking about aligning your purpose with action, with a calling, and with an opportunity. Elements of the reading go out to a series of power steps in 2021. Read more.

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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — With Venus moving direct in your birth sign, you may have the feeling that you've seen, and felt, all of this before. In many respects that is true. Yet your primary growth task is to reinterpret your feelings and results such that you can actually resolve what may trouble you. If you are feeling insecure in your influence with others, or in the stability of your relationships, consider some misinformation that came from your mother, based on her unresolved difficulties. The vast majority of what troubles people is their parents' material. Yet for a diversity of reasons, it's difficult for people to accept this. The primary issue is false loyalty. That's the notion that 'if I actually am honest about how I feel about what you told me or did to me, you won't love me anymore'. This kind of thought loop can keep people trapped in their own emotional loops (and depleting personal relationships) for years.

Your 2020-21 Gemini Astrology Studio, The Sacred Space of Self, is now available for instant access. The reading covers Venus retrograde in your sign, Vesta in your sign, Saturn in Aquarius, and the momentous astrology at the end of the year.Thank you for your business and your trust.

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The Moon has just finished an eclipse in your opposite sign Capricorn, which may feel like the pressure is suddenly off. If you have that sense of not quite knowing what to do, you're in a good place. However, you have a few important goals you must focus on, without relying on anyone else to bring them to closure. You probably know what they are; if you have not registered that consciously, make a list of three, and adjust it till you've got the right items. These would be actual matters of mostly professional urgency, where your leadership is the only kind that will suffice. That's because you are the one who is ultimately responsible, and the one who knows the most. Therefore, you're the most qualified and whose care and power of decision will have the most influence. Raise your awareness to the point where you can identify one issue that deserves your attention, devotion and will.

Your 2020-21 Cancer Astrology Studio is available for instant access. This year, the time of Cancer began with an eclipse on the solstice, as well as Mercury retrograde in your sign. This is astrology that points to you in a personal way, describing a transition you may not feel ready to make but have been preparing for over long years. Chiron in Aries is also a prominent factor, pointing to some pioneering developments in your professional life. I cover these aspects, and much more.

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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Some of the pressure is off of a personal situation, though I suggest you keep your focus on it, and don't let it drop below the surface. You have a rare window of opportunity to devote yourself to several matters of personal healing, and to make progress in a way that is unusual for this world. You have done better than you expected through a diversity of challenges, though that's an indication to keep your expectations low, and your actions focused, relevant and oriented on tangible goals. At the moment, most of this involves coming to closure on matters that have dragged on for years. It seems to be an intractable part of human nature to not finish what is begun, no matter how personally relevant. I suggest you do everything in your power to get over this habit, to the extent that you have it. Brilliant things are in store for you, though only if you are not dragged down, distracted and delayed by unresolved matters from the past.

You can now pre-order your 2020-21 Leo Astrology Studio, Notes on Love and Courage. The two giants of the solar system meet up at the end of this year in your opposite sign Aquarius. Eric will explore what this seminal conjunction means for you, and much more. Get your copy here for just $33.

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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You are under some extraordinary influences, which seem determined to teach you that you are your own person. Yet this is not about rebelling, revolting or being a contrarian. It's about understanding that the nature of your reality requires not being so invested in another person that you lose track of who you are. There are great benefits to having others in your life; you almost always use your relationships to find yourself. Yet at a certain point, it's essential that you get onto equal ground with others, which means a balance of respect and self-respect. There is something similar going on where you see yourself reflected in any form of collective or public life. You are more susceptible to what is considered acceptable and normal than you may recognize. While everyone does this, you often consider yourself exempt, which would in effect blind you to the issue. It takes patience and work to meet people on level ground and to have complete and honest exchanges.

Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Mercury is now slowing to the end of its retrograde, in a house connected to your professional affairs. You may have put much more emphasis on other areas of your life the past couple of months, though I would propose that they are the same thing. All of your goals must align and be in harmony with one another. You can only live with one set of ethics. You are one person, not many people. The astrology of the next six months could easily have you in a position where reacting seems like the only thing you can do. It will be helpful if you're way ahead of that, and are considering the moving parts of your world in total, with each influencing the rest. When you seem to be overly influenced by realities external to yourself, you know you're lagging behind your own awareness. At this stage, very little should take you by surprise. You know what you need, and what you need to do.

Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

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Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your ruling planet Mars conjunct Chiron is developing in your house of healing and wellbeing. Please make this the primary focus of your life for the next six months. It is not easy to make changes to one's established self-care routines. We all know that. Yet you have some excellent leverage right now. You probably have your own motivations for evaluating your life and making adjustments, which is what you will be relying on mostly. However, as an astrologer I can tell you that the timing to make several big changes is working in your favor now. One key to success is taking action before you actually need to. Make your changes voluntarily. Take an inventory of all that you've learned, and all that you suspect, and organize yourself into approximately three topic areas that relate to commitments to yourself. If you are seeking expert guidance, make sure it's holistic by the dictionary definition of that word, rather than by branding.

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Not much seems to be happening in Sagittarius at the moment, but there is plenty going on elsewhere that is influencing your experience of life. One of them involves forming a relationship with your priorities. This is a project that has long been evolving, though it's been working more as a process of elimination. Now you've arrived at the point of building, acknowledging and accumulating. This may seem like an odd thing to consider, though your most valuable asset is your agenda. However you think of it, as something you make up, as something you were born with, or as something that you develop over time, your priorities are your gold standard. They are your orientation points. They are how you know you're doing the right thing. You might first consider whether you have violated any deeply held principles which has, in turn, led you astray of your needs and desires. This could involve putting up with a persistent, long-term situation very close to you.

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You have just experienced a lunar eclipse in your sign, and I trust you're feeling better, and under less pressure. There is an immediacy to eclipses that can feel pushy and urgent and then when the bubble pops, everything is quiet and back to normal. Saturn has re-entered your sign for one last very brief visit for this 29-year cycle. This grants what you might think of as a temporary superpower: the ability to define your reality on your own terms. Most likely this will be about a seeming small correction in course rather than a major reassessment. It's something you can consider and make some decisions about in a relatively calm state. It's likely to be connected to a matter that needs resolution but has long resisted it. You may decide you were holding onto a little thread, and the resistance was that you would not let go. So take a look at this thread and see what it connects to, on both ends. Even though you're only holding one end, that's enough to make a change.

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Your 2020-21 Aquarius Astrology Studio is available for instant access. This coming winter, your sign hosts a major conjunction: Jupiter conjunct Saturn, the traditional ruler of Aquarius. That event is exact on Dec. 21, 2020. Eric also covers Saturn moving into your sign from Capricorn during the year, in this not-to-be-missed reading. Order your copy here.

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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The past few days have been a real trip. That's how activity in your 12th house feels. This would be Capricorn, which has been the scene of a triple conjunction (Pallas, Jupiter, Pluto) as well as an eclipse of the Moon and other factors (such as Saturn backing out of your sign for a while). This has all served as a pressure equalizer between your inner being and the environment around you. You might think of it as burping a Tupperware that really, really needed it, or a kind of psychic orgasm that released pent up need or urgency of some kind. Now you can be a lot calmer in your approach to life, and take things as they come just a bit more easily. Free from all that internal pressure, it's easier to get along with people. It's easier to make your basic needs known, and to figure out where you have a mutual point of contact. Meanwhile, you have important priorities on your agenda, and you will need help. Those points of contact are about to take on a whole new meaning.

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Astrology Studio for Pisces | A New Reading by Eric Francis

This is a momentous time in collective history, and a turning point in your life. As the year develops, most of the movement — including Pisces' ruling planet Jupiter, and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction — will be pointing into Aquarius, the most sensitive and innermost angle of your chart. I will also cover the retrogrades of Venus and Mars, and the forthcoming Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in your friendship sign Capricorn. Mostly, I will help you orient on your profound journey, and offer guidance how to harmonize with the world at this unusual time. Get instant access to this reading here.

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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — It's been an exciting few days for you. Nearly all of the action has been in Capricorn, one of the signs most important to Pisces, due to its position as the 11th place from yours — the best one of the lot. Your ruling planet Jupiter is involved, which makes it especially personal, and in certain esoteric traditions, Pluto has a deep connection to your sign. If you're not already on top of your game, you can easily get there, with a little planning and some cooperation. That is the great thing your life is running on now: the power of human connection, which in essence means appreciation, trust and respect. Here's something to consider. Those connections are diluted when they exist only in digital form. In fact, if only in digital form, they barely exist at all. While the world is busy having a paranoia orgy about anything and everything "social," I suggest you turn that on its ear, and emphasize the only kind of contact that counts, and the thing that makes us distinctly human.

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