The Election of 2020: It's Showtime, Folks

Dear Friend and Reader:

Frank Zappa is reputed to have said, "Politics is the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex." This may seem cynical, and as a lifelong observer of politics (since the 1972 election, when I was 8), I have long pondered this idea.

What Frank really said in a 1987 interview with Keyboard magazine is, "I say politics is the entertainment branch of industry, and government is what we need. We have a diverse population in the United States, with all kinds of different needs that have to be taken care of. That is the righteous function of government."

The misquote and the real one amount to the same thing. Politics is a distraction from what is really happening in industry. The business of America is business. On his way out of office in 1960 and 1961, Pres. Dwight Eisenhower famously (and repeatedly, three times by my count) warned of the "military-industrial complex," as he called it, spreading its influence everywhere, down to every school board in the nation. He meant that the priorities of industry, driven by government contracts and a military mentality would, if not blocked, take over all of civilian life.

Remember that what ended the Great Depression was not the New Deal but rather World War II. And our economy has been based on militarization ever since. That is why the U.S. is always involved in a war, which is currently World War CV-19.

We are now in the final stretch of the 2020 election. Though this might not normally make interesting discussion fodder for those residing outside the U.S., this year might be the exception.

In this article, I'll give an overview of 2020 election astrology, which I will continue on Friday night's Planet Waves FM (usually posted by about 10 pm EDT). Sometimes it helps to read about something, then to hear it presented as audio, then to reread. I will also do a video, though not this week. 'There Will Be A Continuation'

Here is the news: asked by a reporter Wednesday whether he would "commit here today for a peaceful transferral of power after the November election," Pres. Trump gave an unusual answer, though I guess one not so strange for him.

"We're going to have to see what happens," he told Brian Karem of Playboy during a news conference at the White House. "You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster."

Wait, since when does Playboy get a White House press pass? Who knew it was still in print? (Act now and you can get the official iconic covers face mask.) Was it a day-pass or a permanent credential? Anyway, Karem asked the right question.

"I understand that, but people are rioting," Karem responded, repeating the question.

"Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation," the president responded.

What exactly does he mean? Get rid of the ballots? South Park covered this one back in 2012, when Eric Cartman did just that (cleverly hiding them in a Hummer dealership, where nobody ever went anymore).

As for the "continuation," it could be one of two things: either he thinks he will be president regardless of the results of the election, or there will be a continuation of policy despite who is president. George H.W. Bush is reputed to have said something akin to that on election night 1992, when he lost to Bill Clinton. The Business of America is Pandemics

Now we can have visions of Special Forces troops entering the White House in January, on orders of newly inaugurated Pres. Biden, dragging out Trump and his men. This would make first-class reality television.

But the agenda of industry does not change. That is the real continuity. I know that Trump is being blamed for all things that have gone wrong with Covid. I am no fan or admirer, though I do not believe this is about him. Neither the National Institutes of Health (NIH) nor the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have changed their approach to viruses in decades. There was the false Swine Flu incident of 1976, with no cases and 40 million Americans injected with a botched vaccine. There was the equally absurd and atrocious false Swine Flu incident of 2009. Both of these were sold to the public as pandemics.

	Dr. David Sencer was director of the CDC. He devised and pushed the swine flu vaccine in 1976, knowing there was no outbreak — and also knowing that there were neurological side effects from the vaccine that was given to 40 million Americans, injuring many of them. He is shown here with Mike Wallace on the news program 60 Minutes.

Between them was the debacle of the NIH declaring in 1984 that AIDS was caused by HIV when not a single scientific paper had demonstrated that at the time, nor ever has. Nobody has been able to explain the phenomenon of a "gay virus," either.

Today, nobody would be able to get away with claiming there is such a thing.

AIDS exists; a proven connection to the virus (originally branded as a leukemia virus called HTLV-III) does not. I recognize that this still sounds fringey to some. But if you’re curious about the history of HIV, AIDS and virology, check out this book.

All of these events cost many billions of dollars and resulted in incalculable grief and injury. The Covid crisis has cost us trillions and much of the economy. But the real cost has been the public trust, and the needless loss of life in many, many people who could easily have been protected rather than endangered. It is my view that most of what we are calling Covid deaths could have been prevented — at least as far as the virus was concerned.

It's still too early to know exactly what has happened with Covid, but we have many of the same people involved as in prior incidents, including CDC lifer Robert Redfield and NIH lifer Anthony Fauci. And it's difficult to miss that the issue is being driven into a frenzy by electoral politics. The only issue that the Democrats have is how bad of a job Trump has done handling Covid. You would think they would have more, but I am not hearing about anything else.

One thing we can say about Covid is that all countries had the same approximate experience, whether they locked down or not, shut down or not, mandated masks or not. I know this goes contrary to the narrative. The problem with the narrative is that it goes contrary to the data. With all my daily work, reading, research and interviews the past seven months, I cannot tell you exactly what happened. But I am confident about what did not happen, and which claims are absolutely false.

And I am confident that whatever is being repeated every five minutes on CNN, by the numbers, Covid is not an issue today nearly all places in the world. It is certainly not a pandemic today. But you might think it is if you don’t understand the PCR and what it is being used to "prove." This video uses official data and breaks down the issues coherently country by country.

I am not saying “be careless.” My message has always been be careful. Part of being careful means being well-informed, and figuring out when you’re being lied to, and figuring out the truth for yourself. This is a big responsibility, though ultimately, you are responsible for your life, your health choices, and for what you do with your precious mind. When Things Going Wrong is the Plan

Either way, or some other way, we are being poised and prepared for a shit-show. You don 't need astrology to tell you this. We are in one of those situations where if anything can go wrong, it will — except that the "going wrong" seems to be part of a careful plan, as the president has personally indicated.

With every cable channel beating the war drums for a second lockdown, Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, is already promising as much in the UK (a country of more than 55 million, where claimed Covid deaths are now in single digits many days, and under 20 most days). Does he or anyone really think you can stop a virus? I thought we were "flattening the curve" to avoid overwhelming the health care system. (This is when the alarm was sounded that 1 to 2 million healthy Americans would die from this virus. Is anyone at all grateful that no such thing has happened, or is the glass always half-empty?)

	Meep Meep!

This is turning into a global-scale episode of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Especially when the Road Runner is the eminently unreliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is proven to be able to create an outbreak out of no cases at all.

If that is true, it can certainly enlarge the seeming scale of any actual outbreak. This is a digital device, run through computers connected to the internet.

The PCR test is part of the digital mirage we are living in. It has nothing to do with sickness or wellness. It is not a diagnostic tool in any sense of the idea. It is subject to all of the properties of digital. Even The New York Times finally acknowledged the PCR problem. [I corresponded with the writer of that article this week, and tomorrow on PWFM will tell you what I learned. The discussion centered on why the Times reported the same thing in 2007 but never acknowledged that fact.]

Whatever happened in the spring, we are now at a stage where all that is increasing is the false "case" count created by the PCR, which — according to the Times and every other informed source — can get a Covid-positive result from any sample put into the machine merely by increasing the number of cycles.

The Covid situation is already a setup for an election disaster. Yet it would likely be one without it: both seeming sides in this struggle are sure that the end of the world will ensue if the opposing candidate wins. The problems of our nation go much deeper than politics. The Election Day 2000 and 2020 Charts

First, there is really no longer an "election day" in the United States except in name only. There is also no way to time the first ballot. So the chart for Election Day is a symbolic one. Usually I use the chart for a minute past midnight in Dixville Notch, NH, though this symbolic "first place that reports results" is just that.

This year, conveniently, we have a major astrological event on Election Day: Mercury stations direct right in mid-afternoon. Though "I seek a future different from the past," it turns out that understanding the past is one of the best ways to figure out what's going to happen in the future.

	Mercury (in green) stations direct on Election Day 2000, in the very last few arc minutes of Libra. It is conjunct Pallas, the asteroid of politics to one minute of arc. Mercury and Pallas both have the number 29 next to them.

Mercury stations retrograde in about two weeks, on the evening of Oct. 13. The retrograde starts in Scorpio and ends in Libra, with the station direct occurring at 12:50 pm EST on Tuesday, Nov. 3 — right in the middle of Election Day. Those who follow Mercury retrograde know that the days around the station can be a bit tumultuous.

We know this as "Mercury storm," and the person who popularized that phrase — he did not make it up, and he told me he forgot where he first read it — is Jim Shawvan. In 2000, Jim was asked what he thought would happen with the election. He was a good person to ask, because Mercury would station direct just as the polls closed in New York. This happened in the very last degree of Libra — indeed the very last few arc minutes. Incredibly, this was in a one arc minute conjunction to Pallas, the asteroid of politics.

Shawvan said that the election would hang in the balance (Libra, in the last few arc minutes), and that the results would not be known for a while. He said it could go to a legal battle, which it did, in the form of Bush v. Gore, which was litigating the Florida recount. Florida was within a few votes (remember "dimple chads" and so on). The Supreme Court's decision on Dec. 12, 2000, gave Bush Florida, which in turn gave him the election with 271 electoral votes, one more than the 270 required to win.

Though this was not at issue, a study by major news organizations found that Gore probably won Florida by a range of 42 to 171 votes out of 6 million cast. Gore also won the popular vote by about 500,000 votes. But thanks to the wonders of the Electoral College, Bush took office, and the results were not pretty: the Sept. 11 incident happened soon after, followed by two wars which have yet to end, and the rise of the national security state swallowing everything and everyone.

Now we have Mercury stationing direct on Election Day for the first time since 2000. It does so in mid-Libra, not in such dramatic fashion as the last few arc minutes, dangling by a few threads of paper like a hanging chad. But the station direct occurring on Election Day assures confusion, indecision, misinformation, disinformation, and just about everything else you can do to information except have it be accurate. Other Factors in the 2020 Chart

One difference between then and now is that in 2000, most people still got their news from television. These were still the days of AOL; most people did not have broadband. The psychological effects of digital were not fully overwhelming us; it was still possible to be shocked by the theft of an election.

We are now living under full digital conditions. Everything is digital, including TV. Today, I don 't believe anything is shocking. There is no context in which to be surprised. Anything that can go wrong already has — or so we think. One exciting feature of the 2020 chart is the Gemini Moon square Neptune. In a mundane chart, the Moon represents the public. In Gemini, the public is divided. Square Neptune, this "division" is what supports the political ruse.

	Mercury (upper right, in green) in the chart of the 2020 election, at the moment it stations direct. Note that it is square Pallas, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. It is most closely square Saturn. It is also opposite Eris. Mercury is wrapped up in all of the most chaotic astrology of our era.

We see the effects of digital in the chart as Mercury stationing direct opposite Eris, which also happened (with greater precision) on the equinox earlier this week. Mercury, as it is now, mixed up the Saturn-Pluto-Eris square pattern that has so shaken things up this year.

We have already experienced a total collapse of customs, norms and respect for the law in U.S. society. We can account that to Trump doing his thing, and we can account that to a broad, national response to a disease situation mostly led by Democratic governors.

Under full digital conditions, we have no political norms. Many feel the Constitution is a stuffed bird in a museum. But this chaos is not coming from the political realm. It is going to the political realm, which is itself fully subsumed in digital.

As you watch the election antics unfold, remember what we learned from Eric McLuhan:

"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."

It is difficult to see this distortion from within the phenomenon, because it bends all of reality around it. Digital technology is so powerful, presenting so much data, that most people simply zone out rather than hold their attention on an issue.

I can't say that I blame anyone for this, though we must wake up and stay awake. And I think it's crucial that we not see the issues we now face as being political in nature, but rather digital in nature. And that is leading to many other conditions of society that we will need to understand before we can address them.

With love,

PS — I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, though it is my studied understanding that the seasonal flu shot is the least necessary, the least effective and the most dangerous of all of the "vaccines." It is being pushed hard now by the captains of industry and titans of the CDC. I would urge my readers to take extreme caution about getting this or any other irreversible injection of viral materials, metals and chemical compounds.
Planet Waves TV on Venus Conjunct Vesta in the Equinox Chart

The new Planet Waves TV focuses on one of the two most distinct aspects in the Libra equinox chart, Venus conjunct Vesta. This is an invitation to and opportunity for sexual healing, guided by the exploration of embarrassment and shame. In the prior edition on Sept. 18 , I took a more comprehensive look at the equinox chart. This edition is more specifically focused.

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This is the Season of Personal Growth

"Without knowing the issues I’ve been going through, you, Eric, have helped me to put it all into perspective. I can’t help myself, I am who I am! Your encouragement to BE ME is medicine to the heart, cos I lost that footing over the years. Thank you VERY much."

— S.C., on The Story of I AM midyear 2020 reading

Dear Friend and Reader:

Mars retrograde in Aries is an important season for personal growth.

In Aries, Mars retrograde is about self-realization. It's about building your confidence. It's about claiming your soul back from the internet.

	You may watch the free video preview to the whole series at this link.

We live in serious times. This is for social, political and economic reasons, which are precipitating changes we all have to experience or endure. Yet the astrology provoking these changes is about to become deeply personal, now that Mars retrograde is in the picture.

Mars is about the drive to be human: the human engine, as T.S. Eliot put it. It's about desire, and need, and also about anger and aggression. Each of us contains all of these emotions, and they are about to be stirred up as Mars makes retrograde aspects to Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn.

Capricorn is the well of family material, which is sure to come up — and rather than seeing this as a problem, I see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to resolve deep material, or to get a lot of the work out of the way. One rule of healing that I follow is if you have an opportunity to do a large portion of the work in one go, then do it.

I have created a series of astrology sessions for you, called The Story of I AM. You can think of these as video readings, or you can think of them as a series of processing sessions. Each is relevant to you. Your Sun and rising sign are the most helpful, though each and everyone has many gifts for you: ideas, strategies, discussion and analysis of deep personal material.

With warmth, gentleness and imparting the gifts I have gained through long experience, I take you through the material in clear, accessible language.

These days a single therapy session goes for up to $300 some places. For $111, you will have 12 astrology sessions and an introduction providing the background you need to understand what is happening in the planets. These readings will stand up to many playings, and can serve as a turning point in your life.

Please take advantage of this opportunity while you have the leverage to do the work in the most efficient way. We will never pass this way again — and where humanity is headed calls for your full preparation, availability and awareness.

You may purchase single signs here, or all 12 signs here. Free video samples are below!

Thank you for your business, and mostly, for your trust.

With love,

PS — This set of readings is included with the Backstage Pass. If you would like to purchase the Backstage Pass by phone, please call me at (845) 481-5616, up till 8 pm Eastern Time.

Listened to I Am last night. Extraordinary. Have been through Taurus, Leo, Cancer and Aquarius. The confirmatory understanding of the past cycle, the work it has taken to attend to and the nudges I am already feeling about the next phase, so helpful. Seriously, you continue to communicate in such a way that openings and accountability can be digested. I think your work just gets better.

— Customer from Australia

"Firstly I just wanted to say thank you. Listening to your Dharma reading earlier this summer was a real turning point during my lockdown. It gave me so much direction and trust, and acted quite literally like a galvaniser that has got to where I am now. Your weekly and monthly horoscopes are always very helpful for me."

Here are free five-minute reading samples for each sign:

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

Chiron Return, our nonprofit arm, publishes Covid19 News every day, in fact several times a day. We have updated about 740 times since we began publishing on March 3. This old-style news weblog takes a panoramic view of the virus situation. We offer news and viewpoints from a wide diversity of sources, science news, international reporting, videos and other resources to help you see the wide diversity of information not making it onto television or major websites. We are tracking the vaccine and testing issues carefully. Each Friday night, Chiron Return publishes Planet Waves FM. Running since 2010, with roots into Radio Woodstock in the 1990s, Planet Waves FM covers current events, current astrology, science history, personal growth and other themes. Includes music by Vision Quest, the in-house Planet Waves orchestra. Planet Waves publishes daily astrology and birthdays through the week. This feature includes a daily extended birthday reading and ongoing commentaries on developing astrology as it happens. Check in whenever you want — no password required. Going back to February, I've developed a portfolio of essays, investigative articles, videos and audio presentations on the Covid situation. These include articles about the astrology of the situation, hand sanitizer, holistic care, social critique and a wide diversity of other topics. We've recently added a selection of my satires, such as CDC guidance on blowing kisses. This is a truly comprehensive look at the issues, written from a worldly, nonpolitical standpoint. Here is the link. Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for September was published on Wednesday, Sept. 2. We published your extended monthly horoscope for August on Monday, August 3. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign.

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Aries (March 20-April 19) — The birthing process can be stressful, exhausting, violent and dangerous. It can also be peaceful, humbling, beautiful and transformative. You are in a rebirth right now, with the contractions close together and movement through the birth canal imminent. How you prepare, and how you think of yourself and your situation, will make most of the difference. You are facing a diversity of challenges, though they are not new, and you are now in a position to review how you did things in the past. This is for the purpose of doing things differently in the present. Give yourself options. You don't need to do the same thing you did before, the same way you did it. Someone may be offering you an option in the form of a new approach. The question is, are you even in a position to perceive it? Or are you so engaged in your situation that you are not open to new ideas, or to communication? See if you can get out of your head long enough to engage with others about what you're experiencing. This will save you energy, grief and much precious time.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Aries preview video

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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Make sure that your idea of a relationship agrees with that of a person who may be interested in you. While it's not usually possible to have 100% alignment, there may be a significant divergence in what someone wants, contrasted with what you are in a position to offer. Healthy mutual respect is important, though this will begin with you understanding your needs and your truth at this time in your life. The most important metric on the situation is jealousy. This emotion, usually taken for granted as one of those normal, expected things about life, is complex and contains many different expectations; to be jealous is to come from a certain worldview. That's unlikely to fit your plans; you do not need the weight and gravity of expectations weighing on you. And what you need the very least is someone who defines themselves through their relationship to you. You're learning how not to define yourself through a relationship to another person — and you're making progress. Therefore, hold your own space and set your own terms. And remember, you cannot control anyone. It is equally true that they cannot control you. Everything is voluntary, despite the illusion.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Taurus preview video

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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury, the Gemini planet, will be making a series of high-potency aspects, beginning Monday with its square to Pluto — a potential source of power dramas Sunday or Monday. Then come Mercury's square to Saturn and opposition to retrograde Mars. This is likely to seem chaotic, though it is fertile chaos, or it can be if you allow it to. How you experience these aspects depends on your angle of approach, and your mental posture. You will need all of your flexibility and adaptability. You will need to do as little clinging as you can possibly muster. These aspects describe events that you will need to move and flow with. You might, in the process, be confronted by aspects of your thinking that often get in your way, though you may rarely notice this. On the Libra equinox Tuesday, Mercury stands face to face with Eris, a planet named for the goddess of chaos and discord. This is a bold reminder to stay in contact with yourself. It's a reminder that you are not your internet persona(s). Gather yourself into one place. Focus inwardly, and respond to your inner calling. It will speak as loudly as your willingness to listen.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Gemini preview video

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — While the world is going half or wholly mad, focus on your home and your immediate surroundings. That is the beauty of Libra time for you, that it takes you inward. While much has been said about the domestic qualities of the sign Cancer, few have noted why that is: you have Libra on the 4th house of your solar chart, which describes your affinity for beauty and balance in your surroundings. You absolutely need this, for your peace of mind and as a matter of preference, though also for rooting and grounding. You are someone with a crucial mission in the world right now, as described by all the activity in Aries (Mars retrograde, Chiron, etc.). So balance is crucial for you. Keeping your home just the way you like it is vital. So, too, is the approach that it's not a fortress but a garden, an environment, a space where the windows and the curtains can be open. You will find safety in beauty and calm rather than in buttressing and defensive postures. If you live with someone, make sure that you address directly what needs to be said, and do what needs to be done. Put nothing off for the future.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Cancer preview video

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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — For many, the spiritual and the practical are at odds. Dharma and work struggle and compete with one another, or so it seems. Immediate practical needs block out the long-range vision. For you, none of this can continue or be an acceptable part of life. Work must foster your spiritual needs to find practical expression, and a definition that lends itself to some good use. Work must be dharma; invest your soul into whatever you do, so you get the hang of it — then take this feeling with you into your next endeavor. Meanwhile, in the coming days, retrograde Mars will be pushing you to align your spiritual quest with what you do every day. If you take the opportunity to stay fully present, you will make interesting and even exciting discoveries. The struggle between "the everyday" and "the cosmic" often seems to be like oil and water, though if you are conscious about what you're doing, and you make a modest effort for every decision to count, you can make progress. Your focused efforts and faith in yourself are worth triple right now, as these two closely related facets of life are currently joined together as one.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Leo preview video

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Tailored for Virgo Sun and rising, this new audio reading by Eric Francis introduces you to your astrology through the autumn of 2021. We will take maximum advantage of the power you are drawing from the Earth signs at the time of your solar return: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, as well as Uranus in Taurus. This is a grand earth trine, and the thing to do is gather momentum in the direction you want to go, and then point yourself there. Eric describes the influence of Jupiter and Saturn ingressing Aquarius later this year. The reading looks closely at Chiron in Aries, accompanied by Mars retrograde in Aries — your most important relationship house. Now with full transcript. Order now for instant access. This reading is included with the Backstage Pass.

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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Your soul is on a quest to discover the true meaning of sex for you: in the past, in the present, and in ways that will lead to the future. The retrograde of Mars may be taking you on a grand tour of all the ways that your sexual choices have affected you, throughout your life. This is a topic that rarely gets any honest discussion, since sexuality is a non-topic. It is a thing many feel entirely uncomfortable focusing on, reflecting on, or even learning about — until they make a discovery that changes their life. Then suddenly it all means something. I am not merely describing "identity" or "relationship status" but rather the actual nitty and gritty and warm and slippery of eroticism. One challenge here is that there tend to be few people with whom you can be direct about these topics. You may have the idea it will get you in trouble, which is exactly the problem. You need to be able to speak your mind, your heart and your soul with no fear of repercussions or judgment. The place to start is with yourself, and then find one person — probably not a partner or lover — with whom you can have an ongoing, entirely frank, reality-based conversation. This will feel like finding yourself.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Virgo preview video

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Notes to Myself is Ready | Astrology Studio for Libra

Dear Friend and Reader:

Your reading is done, and in true Libra fashion, it is beautiful.

The reading all moves toward the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius, your 5th house of curiosity, art, pleasure and passion.

Before we get there, I review the Pluto in Capricorn era that began in 2008, and bring that up to the present. I look at the aftershocks of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction back in January, all of which is about your drive to be secure and stable in a rapidly changing world.

	Eric Francis.

Aries, your 7th house of relationships, figures prominently, beginning with a discussion of Chiron in Aries and what that represents: healing in relationships, and also the presence of teachers and mentors.

And I look at Mars retrograde in Aries and describe how it is necessary to take an arm's length approach to the affairs of others, even if it impacts you directly. You may listen to a sample of your reading here.

Exciting Extras Included — Including my Millennials Reading

Special features include a full transcript coming in about a week, articles related to the topics I discuss (such as the Aries written reading for INTELLIGENCE), and free access to the Understanding Millennials reading I did a few years back. This reading looks closely at the Capricorn events of the early 1990s.

Understanding Millennials is an exciting look at the astrology of its era, and also will help you understand either yourself or young people you may know.

All of this is yours for the pre-order price of $33. Due to forgetting to offer a pre-order, I'm holding pre-order level through Friday night. The reading will be available for instant access.

This reading is available with the Backstage Pass, without a personal reading, or with a 20-minute custom look at your chart.

Also until Friday night, we will include this reading free for anyone who subscribes to a one-year Core Community membership.

Thank you for your business and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,

PS — You may subscribe to Core Community or Backstage Pass by phone, by calling (845) 481-5616.

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Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — The Sun enters your Sun or rising sign Tuesday, which will likely come as a relief. The Sun's transit through Virgo (your 12th house) can be a bit itchy and scratchy. It's as if you want to think through everything, and never get there because there's always something new. This will be an exciting birthday season for you, as the Sun makes many interesting transits as it moves along the cardinal cross, which is where the action is these days. It's like you'll get a grand tour of everything happening in society at the moment, and be able to see it from a personal perspective where you actually question your assumptions. The Sun can take any transit, or make any transit, with relative ease. It is, after all, the Sun. Yet to make contact with Chiron, Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, Eris and Mars -- along with many other small planets too numerous to name -- will be provocative. You will be challenged to think for yourself, and to stretch your perception. Chiron in particular will give you little choice but to see the world from the perspective of other people, something we could all use a little more of these days.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Libra preview video

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Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The challenge of Mars retrograde in Aries is, for you, focused on your work, and to consider whether you're doing the right thing. I suggest you monitor one issue in particular: any sense of burden you may feel. This might register as futility, frustration, or depression. It might show up as the sensation that you have too much to do and cannot get it done. More than anything, monitor whether you feel you're fulfilling your sense of purpose, or if that is even possible. Check your pulse when you hear yourself make an excuse for why you must tolerate something, or why it's helpful when you suspect that it is not. Current aspects could also fill you with determination. Mars is walking backwards into a strong, high-integrity square to Saturn. You can flip frustration around into determination, a fighting spirit and a sense of justice. If you are feeling confined in some way, don't just resolve to do something about it: actually get that thing done. Experiment, check the results, and then try something else.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Scorpio preview video

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — This is all heading somewhere. You must tune into where, and make sure your choices reflect what your deepest inner knowledge is telling you. This is less about making a decision and more about tuning into what you already know and have discovered many times before. It's not about an inner debate but rather an innate understanding of your personal truth. Be mindful of the cautionary signs about what does not work, take heed, and return yourself to a receptive state of mind and feelings. That much is a choice: you have more influence over your state of mind than you may recognize. If I may propose a strategy: guide yourself in the direction you want to go between now and your birthday. You have a little while, and the planets are developing into a very exciting pattern right at that time. Mars will have just stationed direct, and meanwhile, your ruling planet Jupiter will form its third and final conjunction to Pluto. This is about you connecting to your soul in some new and deep way. It's about you discovering just how alive you are, and how meaningful your life is.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Sagittarius preview video

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — If you are wondering who is pushing you to pluck up some confidence in yourself, it is you. Be aware that this will involve going in other directions than what you thought gave you "security" in the past. Most of your ideas about security are concepts, not actual things that protect you. This is unwise for two obvious reasons, both of which relate to investing your confidence in the wrong place. It's not that ideas do not provide protection: they do, if they are truthful and accurately reflect reality. Here, I am talking about understanding that you are who you are, not who you were told you were, or are expected to be. In any situation where you feel like you have to change, or conceal some aspect of yourself, to be accepted, that is the dangerous idea. It is so for being incorrect, and for concealing your true strength and purpose. Others may try endlessly to engage you in debate or discussion, or talk you out of yourself. You might tell them that's impossible, or you can tell yourself this, because you are the one who needs to know.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Capricorn preview video

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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The Sun moving into air sign Libra this week will help you open up your horizons and see that you don't have to negotiate for everything, with everyone, all the time. That is complicated, though there are some important ways out of the maze that you need to become familiar with. The essence of Aquarius is that it forms patterns. By that, I mean that things go from a liquid state to a frozen state very rapidly, and then they stay stuck. In a frozen state, things are cold and brittle and subject to shattering. So you want to keep that water flowing rather than in any other form. Flowing means moving, swirling, stretching, and shifting the way you do things. Alter all of your routines, any time you can. Travel to and from places by different routes. Drive down roads you've never taken. If you ride public transportation, one day stay on your bus or train till the last stop and see where you end up. Really dig the sensation of unfamiliar, of strange, of a little weird, and notice your responses. Talk to anyone and everyone. Keep the kaleidoscope turning.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Aquarius preview video

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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The sign Libra is what drives Pisces' idea of relationships, much more than your opposite sign Virgo. Libra is one sign over, the 8th place rather than the 7th. Given the choice, Libra is the way to go, which is good because that's the way the sky is moving at the moment. Its placement on house eight of your chart describes the importance of sex and sexuality in your life. It describes the way for you that these matters are inherently relational, rather than something you can toss and then toss off. This is true even in the most fleeting and seemingly casual encounters: who someone is matters to you, and is interesting to you, and is therefore a dimension you want to explore. What you love is the experience of response: to respond and to be responded to; to notice how others feel and what their preferences are, sometimes having nothing special to do with you. It's the sensation of energy exchange that you love, and over the next few weeks you will have some exciting opportunities to explore. Trust that you are guided by love and immerse your senses wherever you feel good.

Story of I AM: All 12 signs | Choose your signs | Pisces preview video

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