Parade at Dance New England Dance Camp. Photo by Eric Francis.

Catching the Last Rays of Summer

In the spirit of catching the last rays of summer and giving the whole Planet Waves team a little extra space to breathe, this will be a "horoscope only" Friday. I'll also be adjusting the schedule for next week, publishing one issue on Wednesday night -- the monthly horoscope and a special introduction that will cover the Sun entering Virgo, the Virgo New Moon and Mercury stationing direct.

Planet Waves Daily Astrology & Adventure, including Planet Waves FM, will be on a regular schedule. We will send a reminder next week.

Lovingly,

PS, Note to All the Signs: We're still offering the Mercury Retrograde Report (one of my favorite 12-sign reports ever; this one came in on a beam of light) and the Midyear Report also offers 12 signs of useful, in-depth astrology for one low price.


Planet Waves FM: a Conversation with C.T. Butler about Relationships, the Universe and Everything

This week's edition of Planet Waves FM is a conversation with my old friend C.T. Butler, the most famous person you've never heard of. Author of Food Not Bombs, co-creator of IndyMedia and a contributor to the field of consensus building and nonviolent communication, C.T. and I talk about his influences on the polyamory movement, the idea of compersion and how exactly society could benefit from a non-possessive model of relationships.

To listen to this week's edition of Planet Waves FM in the old player, or to view the archives going back more than a year, check this link. If you listen to Planet Waves FM in iTunes, please check this letter to iTunes listeners.




Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 19, 2011, #872 - BY ERIC FRANCIS

Revised and Updated! Click for Eric's Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- You have certainly been testing your comfort zone lately. Mainly, it looks like you've been showing a willingness to do what you never felt safe doing, and to test boundaries that you never dared to even go near. Even though you may be getting rattled from time to time, you will probably decide this was worth it. There really is no other way to know what your safe zone is until you reach the edge. Of course, there's likely to be some reaction as you surpass a limit that was set for you long ago, most likely by a parent who had an emotional need to get control over you. I would say that if you find yourself in reaction, or like your nerves are being tested, that's a sign that you're on the right path. The great benefit of this time in your life is learning that you don't have to do the right thing; you must do what is right for you. Aries, your birth sign or rising sign, is getting some of the most potent transits of them all right now. I've recorded an hour of astrology and a tarot card reading for you. Learn more by visiting this page.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- In a little while, the Sun and your ruling planet Venus will move into your sympathetic earth sign Virgo. This will allow you to cool off a little, and consider your life in a more rational way. When you do, you'll see that you cannot live for both security and freedom; when you want passion or inspiration, you cannot be obsessed with safety. It's not really possible to have total control and enjoy freedom. Ponder this a bit -- notice the extent to which trying to have supposed safety has compromised your ability to experience creativity and pleasure. You can afford to experiment, and to err on the side of being a little wild, because you can trust yourself. That is the real exercise, and you may at first find it strange that the more faith in your own choices you have, the better choices you make. I've recorded an hour of astrology and done a tarot reading especially for you. It's information that will help with your relationships, your professional life and your personal growth. Visit this page to find out more.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- We have just one more week before Mercury stations direct in fiery, passionate Leo. I advise you not to rush anything that you are doing, or creating, but rather to let your ideas flow at a natural pace. Once you get drawn into that flow, however, be aware that you may start to feel natural focusing your mind in a way you never have before. Take advantage of that. You've had many ideas and come to many revelations the past three weeks. You have discovered you're more creative than you thought. There are challenges involved in manifesting that creativity as something that's actually created -- and to get there, you may need to give up everything else for a while. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking this is a sacrifice. It's an indulgence that you will be grateful you gave yourself. Gemini is one of the most misunderstood signs -- and as someone born under this sign, part of your role is to hold a mirror to the world. I've recorded an hour of audio for you, plus a 20 minute tarot reading. You can get access to these by visiting this page.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Intelligence is a feeling sense, and by that, I don't mean emotional -- I mean that intelligence is receptive. Knowledge can be gained aggressively; you now have access to something subtler and more reflective. You can think of this as an extra sense, which is providing you feedback between yourself and your environment. These would be truly excellent weeks to develop a writing project of some kind, potentially one that you set aside in the past. Approach your ideas gently. Speak to them and let them speak to you. Try to experience them not as 'things' but as filters through which your perceptions flow. You're probing some kind of mystery, even though you may not be fully aware of this fact. It's not the kind of thing you can approach directly -- a circumspect method will work best, though you may have the feeling that you're sifting through many pieces that don't fit together. They do fit, and you will find the missing piece. I've recorded an hour of astrology and done a tarot reading especially for you. It's information that will help with your relationships, your professional life and your personal growth. Visit this page to find out more.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- It's another week before Mercury stations direct in your sign. The Sun will be here for a few more days. The combination may feel like some odd tension of a sense of potential and not quite knowing how to manifest it. I suggest that you focus on one idea. It may start as a general idea of some kind, and as the next few days pass, try to narrow your focus without limiting your imagination. This is what you might call the trick of art, which is applied creativity. This is not always about painting naked -- but sometimes it is. Sometimes there are problems to solve, mental equations to work out and practical matters of how something looks as opposed to how you intend for it to look. This description may apply to a financial question as well, including how you apply your resources. You definitely have enough of what you need -- you just need to figure out how to put it to work in precisely specific ways. Hello Leo! Your birthday report is now available. I've recorded 70 minutes of in-depth astrology plus a 20 minute tarot reading for you, exploring relationships, personal growth and your professional life. Visit this page for additional information.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- You possess a deep desire to be the perfect companion. You have not given up, even given the challenges you've faced in your relationships in recent years, and that you may face today. We live in a profoundly challenging time to relate to other people. Many social forces, from false individuation to rampant narcissism, drive people away from one another. It does not help that we are force-fed romanticized notions of relationship that simply do not work, and were never meant to do anything other than sell products. You are feeling the full strength of your capacity to love right now. I suggest you match that with two things: one is a clear and realistic notion of what relationships are for, and why you want to be in them. The other is the habit of maintaining your wholeness. The more whole you are as an individual, the more whole you will be as a relationship partner. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Virgo, please go to this link.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- You may be feeling that your sense of integrity in relationships is somehow coming under question. Be sure, however, that this is not a matter of maintaining your image. Integrity goes to the heart of the matter: your ideas of commitment, your desire for fulfillment, and your need to be known for who you are. Now would be a good time to initiate a no-illusions policy. Many people attempt to divide their character; they are one person 'in a relationship' and another 'out of a relationship', or tailor themselves to suit various social situations. I suggest you not attempt to split your character in any such way. Be who you truly are with everyone. The more you try to hide or conceal any aspect of yourself, the more likely you are to feel incomplete. The more you reveal yourself to others, the more likely you are to feel whole and strong. 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) -- Lately you've been through what seems like a spiritual endurance test. One event after the next has compelled you to be the bigger person, to be gentler, or to teach yourself that there is a more emotionally grounded way of relating to others. You may have been experiencing this primarily on the emotional level, but it would fall into the 'spiritual' file under the heading of development of compassion, or perhaps self-control. Yet there seems to be a deeper issue than how you treat others. I'm wondering -- is your current world really big enough, or flexible enough, to contain your vision for your life? Can you express yourself without the constant feeling of stepping on someone's toes? If the answer to either of those questions is either 'no' or 'it's difficult', then I suggest you make some adjustments. Don't wait till you're ready to behave yourself a little better and things settle down. That is not the point. 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) -- You seem ready to make a long-awaited professional move, yet you also seem to be hesitating on one point of your plan. You're not actually hesitating -- you're pausing in expectancy of some vital information. The astrology of this involves Mercury stationing direct, which happens about a week from now, on Aug 26. You don't need to actively seek out any missing information; rather, listen carefully, and pay attention to what you hear and observe. You're approaching a point where the past no longer matters, including the long path by which you've traveled to get where you are. So you can safely let go of using it as a reference point, and orient instead on your immediate goals. Remember what they are, and be sensitive to yourself if you want to adjust them. As for missing information -- if you keep your focus on the present, you will receive all the information you need. 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 encounter some kind of a challenge to your authority or to your ideas about what you've achieved. You can afford to look at this person and wonder what their real agenda is. They seem to be playing out a past drama that has nothing to do with you -- or, you may be getting some shadow material relating to a situation that you've outgrown. Still, you might want to sift the grains of what this person is saying to you and sort out anything useful. Even though he or she may be a bit combative, part of leadership is turning everything into a positive. The person you're dealing with may be someone whose energy you can harmonize with or harness for a productive purpose; and note the way he or she represents a younger version of yourself. Meanwhile, no matter how vehement or opinionated anyone may be, you're under no pressure to act until you want to. 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) -- This may seem like an interesting time for sex and a challenging time for relationships. I'm sure you would prefer if the two matched in some way that you felt had integrity. You may be in a moment where a sexual experiment is the way into a relationship, which will work as long as you remember it's an experiment. Alternately, you can hold your sexual energy until certain questions begin to work themselves out -- a process I suggest you not rush. Remember that people will tell you nearly anything about themselves that is relevant to you, and they will do so fairly early in the encounter. As long as you don't fill in your own information, or interpret it in a way that reverses the message, you will have what you need to make up your mind. Not every relationship is a great romance; good thing, too, because there are many better options. 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) -- When you're evaluating someone new that you've met, do you consider their dedication to their healing process? I suggest that you do so. What are their values on growth, on maintaining sanity in the whirlwind that is our planet right now, on therapy, on parents? Consider their idea of wellbeing. What is their idea of health and happiness? As you do so, you will invariably consider your own ideas about these things; that's only natural. Do you feel more advanced, or as if you have to live up to someone? Is there anything you cannot abide? Some of these facts take a little time to come out. People can have odd reversals, and you can discover things you truly admire. Give yourself time to make up your mind, and remember to consider both specific details, and your overall intuition. To order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.