Reality Sandwich: Jupiter and Saturn

Dear Friend and Reader:

The astrology of April stars yet another rare event -- the opposition of the two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn. This has been developing for a while and it's in full effect right now, but an event in about a week lights up the aspect. Think of this as being like one of those huge barbells you used to see in cartoons, with enormous round weights on either end. Between them is a pea -- that would be the Earth. Jupiter and Saturn, the two outermost visible planets, have gradually been forming an opposition since they began separating from a conjunction in 2000. You could think of this as the 'full phase' of Jupiter and Saturn, with many things coming to full fruition of everything that started at the turn of the millennium. It certainly feels that way. We sure do feel like we're at the 'second turn of the millennium' -- the 2012 era.

From the series 'Ahau-Cosmos' by Carol McCloud.

The highlight event that lights up that Jupiter-Saturn aspect is a New Moon on April 3. This is a meeting of the Sun and the Moon. The thing is, it's thrown to one side of that barbell -- the Jupiter side. So what we get is a huge collection of planets in Aries, opposite Saturn in Libra. When I say a huge collection of planets in Aries -- the most fiery of the fire signs -- I really mean it. We have Mars and Uranus (two sparky, passionate planets in a conjunction), as well as the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Mercury and Eris. All of these are to one side of the solar system in individualistic Aries; and there is Saturn in Libra, all by itself on the other side of the Sun.

While this is perfect weather for all the madness we have been witnessing in the world (quite a lot has happened since the last monthly column, in fact it seems like 10 years of history has gone by), I am more interested in what's going on on the inner plane. All this Aries offers the potential for authentic self-awareness or superficial self-centeredness. For our purposes there is a difference. The difference is that authentic self-awareness has to acknowledge everything it comes in contact with. Often it's easy to dismiss most of the contents of consciousness, to deny or stuff them down. With most of the solar system taking up residence in Aries this month, it will be easier to fully embrace what is present within us; in fact it seems inevitable.

I will offer two examples based on aspects. First let's consider Mars conjunct Uranus. This is like a fiery creative impulse setting off an explosion of creative energy. I'm not sure who will glaze over wondering what the heck I'm talking about when I say this, since this experience is not usually on the normal buffet of consciousness. However, it's something we crave: intellectual and creative passion. The thing about this feeling is that it can start to blow around all of the neatly pre-arranged concepts of who we are (cautious person, discreet man, honest woman, good husband, responsible mother, nice guy, etc.). Authenticity can indeed be shocking in our current version of consciousness. There is a definite calling to embrace something unexpected when Mars and Uranus line up this way -- for the first time in Aries, incidentally, for more than 75 years. This is not a wake-up call -- it's about actually getting out of bed.

Notably, this act of waking up in the morning may involve leaving someone else sleeping in. Some people like to sleep late, and some like to sleep all day. If you are feeling a call to awakening, that's something for you to acknowledge and follow.

Another truly novel event this month is how Mercury (retrograde from March 30 through April 23) is making a series of conjunctions to Eris -- that planet that caused astronomers to 'demote Pluto'. Mercury represents mental consciousness, or, you could say, the messages we send to ourselves. Eris represents a fragmented sense of self, and on a good day the many-faceted ways we can think of ourselves. (Which of these possibilities you end up with is a matter of choice and to some extent the strength of your creative will.) Mercury conjunct Eris is about seeing the ways in which we are fragmented, and getting the different parts of who we are to pay attention to one another's existence. This is more challenging than it seems for most people, because there seem to be so many internal voices, each with a different opinion of who we are.

I suggest you listen to the conversation, even if it sounds like chatter (kind of like when you're meditating) -- but remember that there are much bigger energies moving, and something significant is likely to get your attention. The only thing is, you'll have to make some room for it, and there is definitely a risk involved.

In the horoscopes that follow, I do my best to map out the psychology for each of the signs, and lure you into your next adventure.

Yours & truly,

Check this audio announcement for information about Eric's
new e-book, Light Bridge: The 25-Year Span.

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Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope -- April 2011

Eric's Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- Two questions for you: what do you really want to be doing, and what do you think is stopping you from doing it? This is a two-part question. The first involves your volition, your sense of potential and whether you feel like you can make a decision about it. The other involves what you perceive as an obstacle in your way. Let's handle them one at a time. It looks like you know what you want, and you feel like you're in a position to create it. Your willpower and sense of drive seem to be at an all-time high. You may even mistrust your own impulses, but you know what you want and it's true that you've waited long enough. Yet you seem to have an idea that some external circumstance is holding you back. It looks like a relationship. Indeed it looks like the usual human paradox of having two different things, a relationship and a life. This comes with the idea that you may not be able to reconcile the two. Yet at a certain point you have to be yourself no matter what you think someone else's expectations may be; that's another way of saying you are free not to use that as an excuse. Anyone who loves you loves you as you are. On the deepest level this is not about a relationship at all; it's about you having the self-respect to live honestly. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aries, please go to this link.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- You're coming under a significant bit of psychic pressure, which you may just be feeling as a sense of being pushed, overwhelmed or confused. The astrology says this whole situation is brewing from the inside out; your psychic state, which may involve a good bit of fear and a sense that you're carrying a lot of baggage, is manifesting as disturbances in the world around you. But you may not be able to parachute directly into all of that. It may be easier to use the external world as a frame of reference for what issues, themes or circumstances to address. Your circumstances present a useful map, and as you give attention to what is calling for healing or evoking fear, you will be able to follow those situations into what I will call root ideas that will help you get an understanding of yourself. One thing you can study is the nature of fear. Note that you may be prone to spikes of anxiety or even panic attacks over the next few weeks. They may seem to have 'no cause' or you may attach them to certain individuals in your life. Be mindful about noticing what you project onto whom (i.e., assuming someone dislikes you or is untrustworthy) -- and then notice what the truth turns out to be. Then go deeper and figure out why you perceived what you did in the first place. There is a reason, and you can work it out. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Taurus, please go to this link.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- You may seem to be moving against the current of so much that's happening around you, but you can trust that this is your role in the great journey of life. I suggest you not worry if you're being contrary, or if you think people perceive you as being so. Part of what you must do is lay an energetic foundation for your own individual will, and for your perception of the world, regardless of what others think. This is not done merely by making up your mind about it; there is an experience factor that's necessary. And there is a confidence factor. They are all related. As you go through this journey you may encounter pockets of self-doubt, despite your considerable knowledge and awareness. One not-so-small issue is that we are rarely taught how to actually handle peer pressure, a force that is responsible for all kinds of sorrow. We see examples of this all over the place, from the most trivial issues to some of the most important global issues to who refuses to get in a car with a drunk driver because of what others might think. Therefore if you find yourself learning how to be autonomous of mind, if you find yourself engaged in a struggle to honor your own ideas, you can trust that this is one of the most significant growth experiences that we can have on Earth. Whether you turn out to be right or wrong, you will get the same benefits. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Gemini, please go to this link.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- There is no stopping you -- unless you have some idea that something is wrong. This is the time in your life to discern fear from an actual practical concern. Remember that, and remember that what you want is what you're most likely to get. It's true that you often live with a seeming conflict between the ambitious aspect of your nature and your more laid-back, compassionate quality. Now is the time to go into active mode and set out to achieve what you know it's time for you to do. Allow your empathy to become passion. Allow your doubt to inform you how confident you really are. Notice the indiscriminate nature of fear and how it rarely seems to offer you anything vaguely useful. Keep listening and you will hear plenty of information that you're 'not supposed to know' or that 'was there all along'. The reason you're getting this information is to use it, not to worry about it. Meanwhile, your primary mission is to know what you want, and to connect that desire to decisions. If you ever get to the point where you think you're acting 'too fast', pause and reflect how long you've actually been plotting and scheming. Consider how much experience you have. You may be in new circumstances but you're actually not new at any of this. The value of experience is applying established knowledge in a creative way to new creative challenges. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Cancer, please go to this link.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- Belief is a simpler matter than most people make it out to be, but in the grand illusion, it's fairly complex. It seems to work in layers, which can contain different beliefs, some of which seem to be 'hidden'. Those seemingly hidden beliefs can seem to work against our prevailing beliefs. I suggest paying attention to what I will call the 'but factor' in your inner dialog or decision process. That would go something like, 'this is true but', or 'I could live with that, except' and so on. Look for the exception to the rule that seems to negate what you know to be true. This is functioning like a kind of censor. In order to make basic progress, to be happy and to live in a direct way, it will help a lot if you are clear about what is true for you. Any exceptions that arise tend to be the kinds of elements that make you doubt yourself, which as you know is painful. I suggest you listen to those voices of doubt and self-questioning and see if you can identify them. Whose voice is speaking inside you? Also, I have a clue from your astrology that each whispering of doubt will contain a goal or idea that will be helpful to claim. The affirmative is right below the negative. If you listen to and acknowledge the question or diversion your mind throws to you, you will find it much easier to tap into the creative idea right below. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Leo, please go to this link.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Agreements and contracts are the obvious theme of your life right now, but the deeper question involves how you morph yourself to adapt to each of them. In other words, you tend to 'become a different person' depending on the commitment you've made or the expectation of the relationship. It's as if you customize yourself for the situation. But that's really one of the things that wears on your energy the most, and makes your relationships the most challenging. One thing I suggest you confront is your fear of upsetting the apple cart of a relationship or agreement by being who you are. This is a psychological level that's rooted in a deeper emotional level. You can also go through your current agreements and see if they contain any commitments to others that you won't be yourself. It may take some courage but you can inform people that it's well and good that you made that commitment, but it contains an unsustainable compromise that you'll need to adjust for everyone's wellbeing. And as you make new commitments and agreements, assess them all on the basis of whether you are able to fulfill them in integrity. This is another way of saying don't make any promises you don't think you can keep, or that would cause you to make unhealthy adjustments in your patterns of existence. What is good for you is good for everyone -- in that order. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Virgo, please go to this link. Check this audio announcement for information about Eric's new e-book, Light Bridge: The 25-Year Span.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- I suggest you politely sidestep any dramas that arise in your personal life, particularly if they don't directly involve you. Someone close to you appears to be going through some rapid changes, and instead of becoming overly invested in whatever is happening the whole situation would be better supported if you did something like keep hot food on the stove. That said, there may be something deeply personally relevant, such as a new meeting or a current relationship taking a kind of quantum leap. You may discover how you really feel about someone, which of course you already knew, but now seem like you might act on suddenly -- or that you might respond to in light of someone else making their feelings known to you. I suggest you put the whole situation in slow mode. By slow I don't mean years, I mean weeks or maybe a month. You're going to learn a lot about the people in your life in the coming season. You're getting this information so that you may use it and benefit from it. I suggest you really, truly listen to what people say to you. They might say things that they don't notice but which you really need to hear. That will clue you into the level beneath appearances. Listen to what people say about their plans and their intentions. Look at the choices they make. Then once you have all the data, make your own decisions. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Libra, please go to this link.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Easy does it, critter. You're feeling lots of ‘pick up and go’ right now but I suggest you pace yourself. Set concrete goals and be happy with making some progress toward them every day rather than achieving all of them simultaneously. This is a matter of health and sanity. Yes you have a lot of energy at the moment, however, you're also running the risk of burning out if you run your psychic engines too hot. What you're experiencing is the beginning of an extended phase marked by an increase of your mental energy level. Take some time and get accustomed to your new mental environment. Listen for ideas. If you direct your strength in the direction of mental focus and creativity, you will harness that energy a lot better than by overdoing the action piece. At the very least, a good bit of contemplation needs to precede action, and I suggest you do little test excursions to de-bug your plan. I suggest you be mindful of the opinions of others; don't take what they say so seriously, but listen just in case they're telling you something useful. Mainly, though, listen to yourself: to that quiet voice telling you everything you need to know. Pay attention when you get a signal that you're overdoing it. If you keep some mind-body balance, you will be at your most brilliant, and that is saying a lot. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Scorpio, please go to this link.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- An old friend named Marion once told me: there are no mistakes in drumming. He was a really fantastic drummer, and that gave his idea credibility. Not only are there no mistakes in your creative process, what you think of as a mistake is a kind of deviation that might guide you someplace truly interesting. At some moments this will seem like a straightforward process. At others it might seem circuitous. Where others come into the picture you have to be a little more careful, and it's pretty clear that someone is involved in your creative process, possibly as a lover or muse. There's an element of mischief -- such as someone knocking on your door when they know you're busy, seducing you at an inopportune moment (even if only to the movies) and generally provoking your child self to be fully present. If I had to call the theme of the next month, that would be it -- paying full attention to the little kid you know you are inside. Like all kids, yours needs some adult supervision, but you can do that in a way that is specifically not parental -- more like an uncle, aunt or older cousin. Listen to the brilliant things that little kid comes out with intuitively. Make sure you take some time and play. This child is someone you're always wanting to make contact with and now you have a chance to explore. Just remember, there are no mistakes in drumming. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Sagittarius, please go to this link.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- You may feel a need to simplify your life. The question is, what part do you work on first? Well, the one that feels the most complex, of course; any aspect of existence that overwhelms you even a little. You may have the sensation that there's something going on in a room next to the one your mind normally occupies. You've tried to get in through the secret entrance behind the bookshelf, but you can't find it. Who are the voices in that room? Listen carefully -- you might notice that they're the voices of your ancestors. It's like you've got a house full of them but they're off to the side in that space you cannot access. No, you're not going crazy -- but they might drive you nuts after a while. The question you may be facing is, how do you exorcise these ghosts of the past? And how do you know they're there if you can't perceive them? I suggest you look for some changes in your mental or emotional system, such as an energy drain, a symptom of some kind, or a challenge you cannot explain. Here is an analogy: Let's say you start to notice that the lights in your house are dimming, as if someone is turning on a big appliance. But it's the middle of the night, and nobody else is awake. Because you perceive an effect, you might then use logic and discern that there's a cause. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- I suggest you take some time and explore what you think is possible. I mean this in the biggest sense. What is actually possible? You might say 'anything' but that probably won't be such a helpful answer; be specific. Right now there seems to be some tension brewing between what you think is possible and what is possible. Now, since they both mean approximately the same thing, the distinction may be difficult to discern, but if you look you'll see what I'm hinting at. It's like there are these two worlds of potential, one where something can manifest and another where you fear that it cannot. This reveals something about your psychic structure, and how you process experience. In particular you're learning about how you go from potential to manifestation. You now have two things in sight. One is your own bursting creative potential. The other is a belief that there's some odd limit, as if external to yourself, that blocks that potential. I assure you that it does not; but the idea that it might could have a way of becoming a hindrance. So that idea is the thing to keep an eye on; see if you can figure out not just what it says, but who is saying it. This is a message from your past, and if you listen carefully it will be in a voice that you recognize. Then you get to consciously accept or reject that idea and that voice. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You're starting to figure out that your self-worth comes from you and you only -- that's why it's called what it is. I gather you're wrapping your mind and your emotions around the extent to which you've projected your lack of self-worth onto others, that is, into relationship environments. These are the situations where, for example, you decided that you were unworthy because you had the idea someone else thought you were. I tell you, I've noticed how mean and catty people can be, and it takes discernment to figure out that it's not about you, it's about them. This month, the contrast is going to be rather stark. You will get to discover what it's like to have something approaching authentic confidence and to have the insecurities of others be entirely transparent. This is your chance to claim back nearly all of the inner territory you lost in this push-and-pull struggle that has gone on since childhood. It is true that to brush off the insensitivity of another person you might need to be insensitive for a moment, and that is precisely the point: you actually feel it when people are even a little mean to you, even if it's inadvertent. Now you can consciously direct your sensitivity toward those who admit to feeling you. Show yourself to those who see you. Take conscious nourishment from the sentiments of those who respect you. All of these things are choices that, as you exercise them, will become ever stronger. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

Check this audio announcement for information about Eric's
new e-book, Light Bridge: The 25-Year Span.