How to Surf Like a Goat

Dear Friend and Reader:

As you likely know, yesterday (Saturday night) we experienced the Capricorn New Moon, which was also a partial solar eclipse. So that puts us into 'the eclipse zone': the two weeks between eclipses that can be especially useful for releasing that which is no longer needed, and for initiating new patterns that support your growth, goals and desires. Sometimes the eclipse zone can feel a little like a parallel universe, where life takes unusual turns.

Surfer at Blockhouse Beach, Florida; photo by Rusty Clark / CC BY 2.0.

At the end of the two weeks, we get the second eclipse in this pair (they usually come in twos; sometimes we'll get a trio). That will be the Leo Full Moon (with the Sun in Aquarius) and total lunar eclipse on Jan. 20-21, depending on time zone.

Eclipses are currently in the process of moving from the Leo-Aquarius axis (where they were last summer) to the Cancer-Capricorn axis. You may notice a corresponding shift in the areas of your life where change beckons, where opportunities emerge, or where your most pressing questions crop up.

The standard Planet Waves approach to eclipses has long been to 'look where you want to be' -- a slogan Eric and I once spotted on a surfer's T-shirt. It's not just a key principle in surfing; it also sums up perfectly a great way to handle eclipses -- whether you feel like a giant wave is crashing around you, or like you're paddling along a calm lakeshore.

The idea is that when you're in motion, you'll tend to steer yourself where your vision and attention is focused. And looking ahead to your desired location is key to ending up there, rather than somewhere else. It's true whether walking, driving, surfing or making decisions about what to do next in your career, relationship, emotional healing, and so on. We live in the present; retrogrades tend to help us review the past; eclipses can be tools for orienting on the future while still in contact with the reality of what is.

Looking where you want to be is not a guarantee that you'll get there, thanks to the many unforeseeable factors in life. But it's an important tool for setting up favorable conditions.

With Saturday's eclipse nestled between Saturn and Pluto -- two dependable agents of change -- it's possible you're getting a message even more clearly than usual about needed adjustments and transformations you're on the cusp of enacting. Yet, that doesn't mean it'll all happen between now and Jan. 21. Sure, you might experience dramatic changes, depending on the individual circumstances of your life; but it's just as likely that developments will unfold gradually and even subtly for the next six to twelve months (or longer).

A different kind of Cap: El Capitan (the rock monolith to the left) in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Amanda Painter.

As you steer yourself into the processes of releasing and reorienting, we have some astrology this week that may help you along. First up is Uranus stationing direct in Aries earlier today (Sunday).

Right now, we have ALL of the sign-ruling planets in direct motion for a time (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto -- the Sun and Moon are always direct). We even have the first four goddess asteroids (Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta) and the three most-often used centaurs (Chiron, Pholus and Nessus) in direct motion.

This looks like a big green light from the cosmos to move your life forward toward your goals. If that sounds intimidating, remember: we're in a phase of time when small, simple moves toward what you love, or toward unexpected opportunities, can count for a lot. If you think back to all that you learned and reviewed last year, chances are you'll feel how ready you really are.

Tomorrow, Monday, Venus leaves Scorpio and enters Sagittarius. Though Venus has been out of its post-retrograde echo (or shadow) phase since Dec. 17, this is the first new sign it will have entered since its retrograde -- the final note of 2018's inner-planet retrograde sonata. Venus in Sagittarius should offer some breezy, affectionate directness to relating, which sounds like a perfect foil to all the serious Capricorn emphasis in the sky currently.

We also have Mercury in Capricorn squaring Mars in Aries on Tuesday (watch your irritability, and figure out how to address any frustration without taking it out on others). And on Friday, the Sun makes its annual conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn. Chances are that will be a day when you feel the need to really get under the surface of something, and it could lend power to whatever eclipse-zone shifts you're aiming to enact.

I'll say it again: look where you want to be. It may seem odd to use a surfing metaphor for an eclipse period begun in an earth-sign, but remember, Capricorn is technically a sea-goat.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter


The Perfect Reading for This Eclipse

Attention Capricorn Sun, Rising and Moon Readers: You can get instant access to Part One of the Capricorn Astrology Studio reading when you order here. We'll let you know as soon as Part Two and the Tarot portion are ready (they're included in the purchase). The Jan. 5 partial solar eclipse and New Moon in your sign was a big one; start your year off right!

"Best astrologer I have ever followed!" -- Nancy G.

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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New Features and Holiday Discount! News About Our 2019 Galaxy Pass

Dear Friend and Reader:

We have some news about our Galaxy Pass, and news for former members. The Galaxy Pass is our "get everything" option -- all readings, newsletters, website access, discounts on classes, and, this year, something new.

First, we're still honoring the consulting credit for all past Galaxy Pass holders. If you are a current or past Galaxy Pass holder and did not claim your consulting credit, we will honor it in 2019.

Second, for 2019 Galaxy Pass holders (including those who have already signed up), we are including a brand new product: the Ultimate Astrology Set, a custom astrology notebook that includes two different custom readings -- a Chart Keys audio reading, about your natal chart; and my Chiron Transits Journal, based on your natal chart.

The Chart Keys reading is my take on the essential elements you must know about in your chart. I did 43 of these this fall, and I was amazed how much information I can get into such a reading (which is about 15 minutes). After all these years of reading charts, I can go right to the juicy spots, and the subtle points visible only by using the new discoveries.

The Chiron Transits Journal is something that I've developed for my clients, dating back to the mid-1990s. It covers your most significant transits of the new planet Chiron, as well as several other key life transits.

This journal will help you open up and understand your natal chart, and your life, in a whole new way. Chiron is the healing quest, and the search for wholeness. Chiron reveals itself more in transits than it does in the natal placement.

Your Ultimate Astrology Set comes in a D-ring binder and has everything you need, for beginner's or advanced study, including "Astrology Revealed," with many things I've learned about reading over the years. Plus there is a digital resources page, including two excellent monographs on classical astrology by Rob Hand.

The Ultimate Astrology Set includes many other features (check PDF for full list), among them a monograph (short book) on how to read your natal chart.

I've been working on this monograph in the background while doing the 2019 audio readings. This is the astrology book you've been waiting for. And we will send PDFs as the work is updated.

This is an amazing product that will save you years of effort, and help you focus either your understanding of your chart, or your astrological studies. Check the PDF!

The Galaxy Pass is usually $1,111 for one year (including the annual edition). If you purchase before the end of the year, we're offering it for $999, including the Ultimate Astrology Set AND a consulting credit.

We want to make sure you have all the astrology you want. Note, Galaxy Pass includes all past classes, and a discount on new ones. There are now 10 excellent classes in our archives, all recorded as live seminars from 2014-2017.

Please call us at (845) 481-5616 with any questions. You may speak directly to me if you would like.

Thank you for your business, and for trusting Planet Waves as your astrologers.

With love,
PS -- Ultimate Astrology Sets will be delivered in January, and the Chart Keys readings will be delivered by March (or sooner), after the INTELLIGENCE annual readings are done.

PPS -- if you already purchased INTELLIGENCE, your Galaxy Pass will include the 2020-2021 reading, or you can assign the current annual to someone else.


Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for January on Saturday, Dec. 29. Your extended monthly horoscopes for December were published on Thursday, Dec. 6. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) -- With your ruler Mars now back in your sign, you may well be more comfortable in your own skin. Be wary, however, of feeling under pressure to perform relentlessly or carry out impossible tasks. You're a human, not a machine, and quite apart from anything else you probably need time to process all you've learned recently. Things could get a little tense during the next week or two; you might be able to burn some of that as fuel, though be prepared to rein it in if you start to feel overloaded or stressed. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- Despite the rather spectacular New Moon and accompanying eclipse that's just taken place, you may be feeling as if the old year has been extended somewhat, and you're still waiting for the new one to materialize. Or perhaps the holiday mood is lingering, and you're in no mind to give it up just yet. Either way, your taking a slightly easier pace into 2019 should present no problems. The seed of change is there within you; it simply needs the room and the right type of soil for it to grow, branch out and finally blossom. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- At times we all find ourselves in situations, whether of our own making or due more to outside circumstances, that feel like being stuck, or unsure what our next move should be. If that sounds like you this week, remember first that you can likely figure something out if you keep at it. You also have the option of asking people around you for help, so long as you know where you need to be. The one approach that won't work well is simply waiting for someone else to take initiative and come to the rescue. You're more robust than that, anyway. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- You may be facing something of a challenge this week figuring out where others end and you begin, despite the famous outer shell of the Crab. It's worth it to remember that you are still a water sign after all, and then take steps to reinforce that boundary when necessary. This isn't about freezing people out; rather, it involves understanding clearly your identity, your views and your values, as apart from those outside you. If you then offer devotion or service, for example, you are doing so in full autonomy -- and that's a beautiful thing. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- By now, probably a significant proportion of people who've made virtually impossible New Year's resolutions have already broken them. To give up completely something you enjoy, absent any serious health issues, is like trying to wade through chest-deep psychological treacle, especially once the novelty wears off. That said, one thing you can definitely resolve on cutting out of your life this year -- however long it might take -- is any notion that you're somehow 'less than'. You are a rare and precious being, and deserve to feel good about yourself. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Trying to get on with constructive work or a creative project in the age of the internet is a little like trying to catch a specific melody in a room filled with cacophonous noise. It's all too easy to get lost or distracted amid the many websites clamoring for your attention and trying to keep you interested. This affects things like attention span in the long term as well. The allure isn't easy to resist, but it's decidedly worth trying if you want to make progress this week. As far as possible, give yourself the tools to shut out the noise and focus. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- It can be challenging sometimes to let go of the past; just now, in fact, you may be feeling a sense of frustration at certain aspects of your past apparently refusing to let go of you. There may be a delay, though it won't be forever, and this is likely about ensuring that when you eventually do move on, you can do so completely, with a clear mind. You'll probably benefit from setting aside any impatience and using the time to observe your emotional process as you review the relevant material. Let things happen at their own pace. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Keep an eye on your nervous system during the current eclipse season, and be ready to find a healthy outlet to release any tension. This could well include expressing yourself in writing, if only for your own reference: you might feel as if you have nothing to say, and yet once the words start flowing they can take on a pace and a life of their own. In addition, it might help you to set aside some personal time, preferably in a relatively quiet space. There, if need be, you can safely avoid whatever turbulence may be occurring elsewhere. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- You currently seem to possess an unusually clear understanding of where you're headed, and a strong sense of your motivation, including the ideals you hold most precious. While your energy remains this focused, take every possible opportunity to stride forward and to accomplish what needs to be done. You may, of course, have moments when you feel doubtful of your aims or your capabilities; yet in reality, underneath it all, you know the answers. Keep your eye on the destination, and stay determined. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- Hopefully you're feeling mainly comfortable in yourself, and aware of your current purpose and direction. Possibly you're still unsure at times, however; you may be concerned that something is lacking, or that you're striving for what may prove impossible to reach. You might also feel crowded or hindered by certain obligations. Yet your sense of self is more than powerful enough to do away with these doubts, even if it's located somewhere under the surface. Keep that strength within your sight, and use it as often as you need it. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Take it easy during the next week or two. By now you've become used to being out of your comfort zone in some way, and the experiences you're likely to have in the present eclipse season will probably feel somehow like a summing-up of recent developments in this area. You may also find that you're astoundingly well stocked in the intuition department. Keep tuned to your instincts, record your dreams, and look out for any hints the cosmos might be sending you. There could well be some useful information coming your way. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Lately you've had a chance to enjoy some of the fruits of recent labor, and there may well be more to come. You're still very much focused on your present mission, yet are aware that there's room for both work and play -- and certain forms of play are more enriching than others. The key is probably to get the most out of the time you spend, regardless of the activity you choose. Changing it up every now and then is one way to stay motivated, and to minimize the chances of distractions swallowing up your energy. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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