An Intriguing Week of Astrology

Dear Friend and Reader:

This week's astrology is an episode out of Twin Peaks -- full of intrigue, the whispering of secrets, and the dream plane blending with physical reality. There are extreme contrasts between dark and light, hope and fear, reality and fantasy; at the same time these things seem to blend in consciousness.

Before I get too deep into the details, first I'm here with a travel advisory.

Photo by Divine Reflections.

Astrology tonight and into tomorrow calls for the utmost care when driving. That means eliminating distractions, such as conversation in the car or on the phone.

Leave yourself plenty of time so that you're not rushing, which is a form of distraction. If you're using a maps-type program, name one of the passengers navigation officer so that the driver is not doing that job.

Honor precautions for public transport as well: have your paperwork (electronic or otherwise) verified and in order and check with all people in your traveling party long before you leave, and before you go through security. Double-check and leave all potential contraband behind, before you get to the airport.

And now for our week of intriguing, multidimensional astrology, starring Mercury retrograde.

We're looking at a whole new horizon with Mars now in Pisces (after the long retrograde in Aquarius) and Jupiter in Sagittarius (after a year in Scorpio). There are prominent aspects early in the week, as Mars and ultra-slow-moving centaur Nessus form a conjunction Sunday. I have not made a careful study of Mars conjunct Nessus in natal charts, though centaurs (such as Chiron) are sensitive to Mars energy. If nothing else, Mars-Nessus calls attention to the plight of male survivors of abuse and betrayal.

Within a few hours of that aspect (and therefore essentially at the same time), the Sun and Jupiter align in a conjunction Sunday and Monday.

We get just one Sun-Jupiter conjunction for each sign Jupiter passes through. This is because Jupiter takes a year to move through a sign, and the Earth goes around the Sun in a year. So if you have some reason to celebrate Jupiter in Sagittarius, now is a big moment to do that. Pay close attention to what happens and who you meet Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

At the same time, Mercury is moving retrograde in Sagittarius, which looks like doubt or hesitancy -- or if you're open-minded, a discovery or revelation. This may be especially noticeable as Mercury is about to retrograde into a square to Mars conjunct Nessus. Said another way, Mars and Nessus are in a conjunction, and retrograde Mercury is about to bump into them. If you're sensitive, you may pick up on some previously hidden information that shakes out of the universe due to the intensity of this aspect.

Photo by Earls37a.

There's also a caution to be aware of old anger. We get 'old' from the retrograde, we get 'old' from Nessus (ancestral, or childhood) and we get 'old' from Pisces -- what was denied in the past, and is now showing up in the form of a potential confrontation.

But the chances are this is an inner thing, and if you don't project it outward (such as blame someone) it will remain that way. This looks like some kind of personal reckoning with the past rather than with someone outside yourself.

However, if it does show up as an external thing, proceed gently and monitor your anger level. Keep track of your frustration. Back off before you even get close to losing control. This is one of those aspects where some people experiencing it may act like they have no responsibility for their feelings, or their words. Between Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius (original, if slippery) and Nessus in Pisces, there's an element of "anything goes, what the heck."

A few degrees away, Neptune in Pisces is taking a conjunction from two points. One is Arachne, which has a conspiratorial feeling. Arachne, a main-belt asteroid, is about interwoven scenarios, where "everything is connected to everything," or so it seems.

Then add a square from Altjira, a slow-moving object beyond Neptune named for the aboriginal creation god of the dreamtime. I think of Altjira as a portal into the next dimension, usually accessed through dreams. And it's in Gemini: is it a dream, or is it a reality?

When you add this factor, we're in the land of David Lynch. When in doubt, ask yourself: what year is it?

Safe travels.

With love,
Last year at this time, The New York Times did a piece focusing on my work as a newspaper astrologer, and news astrologer. The photo above was taken on John Street in Kingston, just a few steps from the Planet Waves office.

According to the writer, the article was inspired by my commentary on my 1,000th horoscope column, Cosmic Confidential: My Life as a Horoscope Writer (also great fun, describing how I got into the work). She was looking for a horoscope writer to profile, and I came up in the search.

The most recent article in the Times was about the seventh time I, or my work, was featured in the newspaper. They don't always give me credit, but several times I was the focus of their coverage. If you’re curious, an earlier one is Uphill Fight: Raking Muck On Campus, and another is from the "In School" series by the same writer, about how I won a federal lawsuit against the State University of New York.

Last Call for Combined Discount on 2019-2020 Annual

Dear Friend and Reader:

As you may know from scanning the astrology websites, 2020 promises to be quite a year -- and 2019 is preparation for those events. They include the Saturn-Pluto conjunction and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction -- two world-changing aspects in one year.

I'm getting ready to record and write the 21st annual edition of Planet Waves. I will be setting aside all but the most essential other work to write and record what amounts to an astrological radio serial and an astrological adventure novel.

The 2019-2020 annual reading is called INTELLIGENCE. That's the one thing we need to make it through the global crisis, and for many, their individual crisis. It's the one thing we need to make the most of our lives.

In that edition, I'll be looking at the astrology up to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of Dec. 21, 2020. In this edition I am returning to the format of audio and written, which I have not done for a couple of years.

For the first time that I know of, I'm planning to have the audio format, called RESET 2019, ready by Dec. 31, in time for New Year's Day listening. Then the written portion, looking at 2019 and 2020, will be out some time in February.

This is the last call for the combined 2019-2020 annual edition, including both years at one price, which is now $111. The audio readings include original music by Vision Quest.

Soon, I will be splitting the two projects, and offering each separately for $88 or combined for $144. Individual sign sales for each year will begin at $44. So this offer is a significant discount on what promises to be a beautiful, helpful and reassuring astrology resource.

Continue reading here ...



Sagittarius Birthdays and Rising 2018-19 Time to Shine Full-Force, Sagittarius!

"As always, Eric is extremely encouraging, not just in the energy he brings to the reading, but because of his way of making your life and experiences make sense to you without even needing to speak to you. I find his readings very calming. Planet Waves entered my life at just right time, and I'm so glad it did. I eagerly await all the great work you all put out!"

-- Josh

Dear Friend and Reader:

Now that the Sun has joined Jupiter in your sign, the essence of Sagittarius will be shining out full-force. If you'd like to harness, focus, direct and enjoy this energy -- no matter what questions, challenges, obstacles, opportunities, excitement, crises or confusion you might be facing -- I hope you'll pre-order the 2018 Sagittarius Astrology Studio.

Eric Francis Coppolino

For only $33, you'll receive two segments of audio astrology (at least 30 minutes each) and a tarot reading for your next 12 months and beyond. We used to call this the Sagittarius Birthday Reading, and it's still some of the most accessible, empowering and useful astrology available online.

"I'm 'addicted' and these recordings make great educational options on a 17-hour flight!"

-- P. Hoback

It's also ideal for anyone with Sagittarius rising or a Sadge Moon. But don't wait until the reading publishes, because that's when the price increases.

Chiron (the planet of healing) is associated with Sagittarius, and will be active in your chart this year -- making its entry into your fellow fire sign Aries. This transit is about finding your identity through creative experiences, and actively developing your ideas. It's time for the true artist in you to emerge, and Eric's reading will support you in this.

Jupiter in your sign for the next year means that you're entering a phase of new experience, greater understanding of who you are, and inspiring growth -- all of which you can use to mutually benefit others, in your classic humanitarian style. This may be especially true after Saturn's recent two-year trip through your sign.

"Eric's last Sag birthday reading is absolutely astounding; we shall see if Saturn truly gives back more than it takes. I hope I've done my part to make that happen."

-- Steve Guettermann

Maximize your year of Jupiter: pre-order your reading at the lowest price, or give it to a Sagittarian you love.

Many blessings,

Amanda Painter

P.S. Are you new to Eric's audio readings? Listen to last year's Sagittarius reading, as a gift, to hear what he does. Check his accuracy, review your last 12 months, and get yourself ready for the year to come. Listen to Vision Quest on Live Stream

Planet Waves has an in-house music ensemble, called Vision Quest. We have a 38-hour loop of our music, which you can listen to any time. Included are finished pieces, rehearsals, live concerts, drum grooves, and spoken word recordings. I consider it a kind of musical divination. Click in randomly at different times of day and see what you discover.

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Our Gifts to You: A Little Something Extra

Dear Friend and Reader:

It took me a long time to figure out what kind of gift to offer for new and returning subscribers. Tee shirts seemed too complicated; you need at least six sizes to get started, and not everyone wants a shirt. Tote bags are useful but kind of boring.

So I thought: journals. I love notebooks, and just about everything I write starts scribbled down on paper. I know my readers are a little old-fashioned, so this seemed like the perfect thing.

Black smaller, pink larger, embossed with the Planet Waves logo. There are a few hand-painted sketchbooks left, with heavy, acid-free paper.

Then...I researched embossed journals for about six months. That's how long it took. I requested or purchased samples of the best that suppliers had, and all kinds of stuff came floating in the door. It was more challenging than I imagined to find a nice one, though finally I did.

Everything had to be right: the paper, the lines, and how the book feels in your hands.

However, the one I selected was being discontinued. I ordered as many as we could reasonably afford. We now have two main options: small black ones, and larger pink ones (these are new).

Together, they are the approximate color of Good & Plenty candy. I am one of these people who loves anything pink (sweatshirts, nail polish, headbands, a hot pink Squier guitar that I gave to Zosha a few years ago). We also have a few hand-painted notebooks left, which are acid-free sketchbooks.

You can get an embossed notebook with any monthly, quarterly or yearly membership to Planet Waves. If, by the way, there's a calling for hand-painted ones, I will make one more-or-less to your preferences (for those who sign up for a full-year Backstage Pass).

Continue reading this letter here.
Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for November on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Your extended monthly horoscopes for October were published on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) -- It's time to see the connections that exist between problems and their causes, and between people who facilitate them. Your participation in creating solutions begins with seeing your personal involvement in any situation that you might want to improve or resolve. Set aside any excuse about "victim blaming," and get busy understanding your circumstances, using an honest assessment of the facts. This will begin with analysis though it will ultimately come down to understanding your state of mind and how it influences your personal affairs and your relationships. Note the distinction between blame and responsibility -- one that is lost almost entirely at the moment, in nearly all public and many private discussions. Even if someone else is "to blame," you may have 100% of the responsibility for solving the problem. The person who is blamed rarely does the work of rectification, and trying to make them do so can feel like hitting your head against a hard object. You are where the buck stops. Admit that, and focus on tangible solutions. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- You may feel like you're in an odd situation, confronted by forces outside of your control, or larger than you can deal with. Yet you have an understanding of what you may be facing, because you have enough in common with the people involved to see through them. You already know who they are and how they think. In fact, you know more about them than they know about you (which is part of the original issue). Nobody is going to hand you a key that magically frees you from the constraints of your past. Rather, this is about you self-actualizing, which is another way of saying becoming self-aware enough to know that your life is your business and that of nobody else. Too often this is seen as some kind of privilege or luxury ("if only I could be free to live my own way!"). Yet it's really the bottom line, physically and metaphysically. It's not an option, no matter who may pretend that it is. No matter what the weather or the psychic conditions, you still make the decisions. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- If you're angry with anyone or anything, the chances are it's not about what you think. All indications point to something from the distant past bubbling up to the surface, disguised as something immediate. Therefore, pause before you express concerns with present partners or friends. Do so long enough to detach yourself from your immediate circumstances and start to investigate lines back into the past, primarily through your own feelings and memories. If you experience anger coming from your environment, do your best not to take it personally, but rather size up potential sources. This may prove to be difficult, especially if someone tries to make it personal in your direction, or involve you in something that's not really yours. So no matter how you look at it, you will need to take some arm's-length distance on your immediate situation, and contemplate matters long enough to get a sense of what is going on. That may take a few days. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- All spiritual matters come back to love and respect. There is no such thing as theology, despite the vast sections of libraries that house many books on the subject; that's all speculation. Where love is concerned, there are just two kinds: grandmother love (unconditional at all costs) and telling the truth. Be aware of anyone who offers you any proposition where one person lies and the other swears to it, or where you look the other way when you see something that troubles you. It may not be advisable to take up the role of moral authority. Rather, know your own limits, know your own values, and abide within them. This especially applies to your own decisions and conduct. However, within your personal sphere, you have the ability to transcend your frustrations and actually work through the problems you see. Don't get hung up on the past. Understand what you need to happen, and why -- and then take action. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- Creative approaches are almost always the result of addressing something that has already gone wrong. There's another (less functional) approach, which is to collect problems like precious things, and sit on them like eggs, hoping they will hatch solutions (that's more likely to be about holding onto the past). However, for best results in life, it helps to see issues before they arise, and address them preventatively. Therefore, if something seems to go wrong or get snagged, don't just solve that particular problem. First, make sure it really is a problem. Then look at the potential implications and address everything in the environment that could cause a similar issue. Think of this as the "while you're here" approach. If you fix a leak under the sink, clean out the cabinet at the same time, and then check all the other sinks in your home or apartment. If something is wired poorly (such as your desk), tidy up everything in the vicinity as you address the primary issue. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Your situation is not as complicated as you might think, though you may have the notion that there is nothing but complexity. How you see things will shape how you respond to them. The actual underlying reality is somewhat less important in this case. It matters, but less than your prejudices and your judgments. Make an inventory of those, so you can see what's blocking your view of what you really need to address. Look at your ideas about the "right way" the world should be, since those, too, obscure your view of the real issue. This will take some detachment, particularly emotional, and also some optimism. This may seem to be a stretch, since you have a tendency to get so absorbed, and to take a worst-case scenario approach to challenging situations. You will feel better when you make peace with what you cannot change. That, in turn, will help you to see what adjustments you can make. And for now, most of them involve your attitude or state of mind. The important decisions will follow soon after. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- Allow any confrontations over the next few days to awaken you to your complacency. Said simpler, don't take anything for granted -- and notice when you're doing so. You just don't have that luxury now; the world is too uncertain, too much is changing, and you personally have a need to be alert and aware. Ideally, you would be a few steps ahead of yourself and of the people around you, anticipating what you need to do in the medium and long run, and setting things up for those moves to go as smoothly as possible. Yet there's no way to do this without some form of envisioning the future, and not just that, but the future that you want. Even if you define the future as something different from the past, you must do your part to remove obstacles, particularly any mental blocks you may possess (and one of those distinctly involves looking ahead). It's true that you've been disrupted so many times the past 10 years that you may believe nothing constructive is really possible to sustain. But now that is up to you. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- There's a reason people are so risk-averse these days, though only in their personal lives. At the moment it's rather vogue to take risks for others, which means indulging in collective dangers (climate change, surrendering political power, and others). When you consciously take a personal risk, you also embrace the possibility of personal failure, though this is really a scrim. Looking behind that veil is something about the creative process, and any encounter involving honest sexuality -- and that is a confrontation with your limits. That's not exactly failure; rather, it's an encounter with whatever stands (or lurks) between you and what you want to accomplish. That 'whatever' could include any form of insecurity or self-doubt; secrets that you fear might be revealed; or the idea that what some call creative really means exposing your deepest personal truth. You're very likely to be presented with an opportunity to express yourself in some unusually deep way this week, and if you're hesitating, now you have some notion as to why. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- Monday's Sun-Jupiter conjunction is the only one in Sagittarius for this 12-year Jupiter cycle, so it's an exciting day for you. It points to the substantial potential that is your personal resource for the future. Yet to tap that potential, you will need to look beyond any complications in your life stemming from the past. This calls for making a commitment to yourself not to perpetuate or entrench those situations, which is an act of daily devotion. That alone would be enough, if you could really do it. You have tremendous potential, and if you're committed to being your own best friend, you will do everything in your power to remove the stumbling blocks from your path. It matters less who put them there, or what their intentions were. We're talking about your life journey -- your very existence. A development, discussion or situation may emerge this week that offers you a direct look at what stands in your way. Be bold about taking on the challenge, not of going around it, but of removing the obstacle entirely. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- You have protection around you, and substantial opportunities available, if you can keep your anxiety under control. This is a significant challenge for many people in our times. I wish there was more discussion about it, so I'm doing what I can here. Many people are living their lives along a kind of survival brink (little to no savings, for example). Others have kept secrets they're afraid might come out, and which could have real consequences. And others yet experience bursts of fear that seem to have no connection to anything tangible, except the fact that the world itself is coasting along a brink that few people are acknowledging. When we ask the question, "what gives?" the answer is often: fear. There's plenty to go around, and we're vulnerable to it. At the moment, your astrology is pointing you inward, toward the source of all of your thoughts, emotions and ideas. You might feel like that's the last place you want to direct your attention, though you will feel better if you fly into the storm. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- If there's something in your past that you don't feel good about, now would be a good time to address it. By 'now', I mean today, this week and this month. Don't let the opportunity for healing slip away. True, there will be others, though you're in a particularly deep moment, where you can take personal responsibility for something, and also see the ways that your family environment contributed to the issue. Yet no matter what may have happened in the past, your own actions and choices are what will determine how you feel about yourself. It's exhausting to skip over important details of your own life, to live with concealed truths, or to be running an agenda that you are embarrassed to talk about. Start with a commitment to be honest with yourself about how you feel and what you want. Then, no matter how challenging it may be, you will need to open your heart and open your mouth and speak honestly to others about your one reality. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You have some bold plans and, if such is possible, many assurances of success. But this week, keep your plans to yourself, and sidestep any controversies that may emerge. If you're in a leadership role, take it lightly, and make direct orders seem like you're asking for a personal favor. If you're dealing with those in a position of authority, be sure to gently press them for clarity about what they want and when they want it, and make sure those demands are realistic before you agree to them. Should any matters involving ethics come up, you're the guardrail in the equation; you are the one responsible for being your own conscience, and that of the people around you. Too often people go into child mode and do whatever they feel like, regardless of the consequences. That cannot be you; you must be the one pondering the effects of your actions, and any that you take part in. This will leave you plenty of room to have fun and be creative. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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