Seeking Stability in the Time of Madness

Dear Friend and Reader:

The current eclipse of the Moon in Leo is another reminder that we need some grounding and stability in our lives. Yet it seems like every new development in society, whether social or political or technological, threatens to up-end everything.

I would note, again, that we are having to go through this without the usual social resources that make being human bearable. The majority of our social contact (all of it, for some people) is through the robot. No dog could tolerate this; humans are not made to. It would be nice to say that at this rate, we will go insane; however, it's already happening.

Total lunar eclipse in July 2018 over Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Photo by Eddie Yip/Flickr.

Look at the world. Consider what people are going through. Glance at a news website and imagine that every one of those "news stories" affects many, many people; and events are spiraling out of control.

In the 1960s, Marshall McLuhan said we were living in a maelstrom of information. Today, one week's news would have kept a newspaper busy for a year. Everything blurs by and we are left dizzy and disoriented and in disbelief. The lies, the developments, the sense of the bottom falling out, seem to increase exponentially.

And there is that constant, lingering feeling of some missing nutrient: like you're eating all the right foods, but still hungry, as if there's one trace mineral that you're not getting, one vitamin that you're overlooking. A craving but you're not sure what it's for.

I'll tell you: it's social contact. And not just any, but contact in an environment where people are willing, at least to some degree, to let their guard down and be sincere. I'm not trying to say that there was some golden age of peace-and-love good vibes; what I am suggesting, though, is that I think the social environment is become more hostile, standoffish and even aggressive.

To some degree, you've always met someone's publicist when they introduce themselves to you. Now, however, we are "interacting" with all the tools of the public relations industry going at full strength: the press photos (selfies) and the news releases and the branding and the posturing and the updates. This is all a gloss sprayed over (so far as I can tell) people having the inclination neither to be sincere, nor to trust. Today, you have to seem sincere -- that's enough for most, but not enough to provide that missing nutrient.

Underneath the gloss seems to be a level of hostility, or what seems like righteous anger. Any woman can (for example) express anger at any man merely for being polite. I know exactly what's going on in these transactions, though I cannot see how this serves any purpose except for alienation. However, if alienation is the goal -- because vulnerability and human contact are too scary -- then it's working perfectly. And we all get to live in a colder, angrier world, in a time when we need one another the most.

The more we learn to live without the oxygen of social contact, the more we will become like the anaerobic robots that surround us. In order to have social contact, we will need to do the thing that seems the most counterintuitive at this time in history: to trust one another, and to let one another in.

Tonight's eclipse of the Moon takes place in the first degree of Leo, meeting the newborn Aquarius Sun. The Leo-Aquarius axis is where the individual (Leo) meets the group (Aquarius). The two signs, like all sign pairs, condition one another. Aquarius -- associated with electricity, science and technology -- represents the energetic qualities embodied in digital consciousness.

An eclipse in Leo pulls back the veil, and reveals something deeper on the personal side of the equation. Think of the eclipse in Leo as peering behind the typical ego structures that we're used to; a look behind the gloss and the posturing. A glimpse at something human about us.

With love,

Aquarius Birthdays 2019-20 Start Your Year off Right This Eclipse Season

Attention Aquarius Sun, Rising and Moon Readers:

Tonight's eclipse (the second one in the current pair) is in your 'relationship sign' Leo. It's a total lunar eclipse with the Leo Full Moon.

This could prove an interesting follow-up event to this past summer's eclipses -- which, I realize, were pretty rough for many Aquarians. How are you doing now that you've had a few months to re-orient yourself?

To assist with that process, you can pre-order your 2019 Aquarius Astrology Studio for just $33, and we'll let you know as soon as each of the three parts are ready: the two astrology sections, and the Tarot reading. As full publication nears, the price increases.

"Absolutely amazing. Beyond words how pertinent this reading is for my life right now. Even more powerful the second time."
-- Ronny Khalil, previous reading customer

Your solar year begins with a significant astrological event -- one that will continue to reverberate for another six to twelve months or so. How will you make the most of it?

Wishing you all the best this eclipse season,

Amanda Painter

P.S. If you have any questions, please email us at cs@planetwaves.net -- or call (845) 481-5616 and someone will get back to you soon.

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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.



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) -- Our society has come to the point where it's impossible to do much of anything without imagining how it might be perceived by some vast public, or one's idea of the public. Yet it's essential now that you conduct your creative or sexual experiments in the sanctity of your inner space. While in one sense that means not broadcasting everything you think and do, there's a deeper level to this challenge: setting aside your notions of what others might think or how they might perceive you. I don't mean to present a "don't think about chocolate cake" kind of Zen koan. Rather, I'm here to encourage you to stay within yourself, and to go as deep as you can without coming up for the air of social approval. This is not the kind of thing you can do all at once. It is in part a growth process, though it's also about the cultivation of a working method that allows you to work with your inner alchemy, and to inhabit a space within where you're unfamiliar even to yourself. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- You're discovering that you're more confident than you thought -- if you can get past the occasional panic attacks. The two are related. Tapping into your inner power can stir up your deepest insecurities. When I say confident, I am not talking about being brassy, cocky or foolhardy. I'm talking about the willingness to dare, and a sense of urgency that you connect to the need to be sincere. This is not about impressing anyone; rather, it's about connecting to a biological-level need to be vulnerable. Today's eclipse in Leo may bring you right to that zone, where it might seem you have no choice but to take some kind of chance you don't necessarily want to take, or which you're not sure will succeed. That is the point: confidence means proceeding in the face of no external assurances, and perhaps without any precedent for having succeeded at such a thing. You're being called to accomplish what you never have before, and it will help if you stay close to your edge. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- It's essential that you step fully into honesty being not just the best policy, but the only one. Your words have meaning, they have impact on others, and they will either strengthen or weaken you. If you could see how this looks energetically, you would be impressed: how the essence of your words lingers around you, and either nourishes or depletes your integrity. This is entirely dependent upon your sincerity, which means more than good intentions. Consider the words you say. Consider the promises you make, no matter how seemingly small or casual. Going forward, a wholesome guide would be to commit to nothing to which you're not fully devoted. Don't sign any contract you're not able and willing to comply with; make sure you understand entirely what you're committing to. And if you need to be released from an agreement, make sure that a negotiated settlement -- or at least a sincere conversation -- is involved. You are well past the point where it's appropriate merely to walk away. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Pay special attention to your finances, and don't be distracted by people who are not fully invested in whatever mutual cause or project you may share. The world is in a hyperbolic state of drama right now; you can find it around every turn. Take conscious steps to eliminate from your life those who are inclined to make scenes or cause distractions, which these days will be nearly everyone. Your business is your business; your success is about you and how you express your talent and your value to the world. Stay connected to your sense of mission, to your purpose and to your highest priorities. If you can do this, I suggest that at the same time you honor how rare this is, and how delicate. While on the one hand you must remain vigilant of people and their agendas, that only gets you part of the way home. You must be vigilant about holding to your sense of direction, to your choices, and to what you know to be right or true. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- Don't let your personality get in the way of being who you really are. Your true being is not a collection of tendencies or traits, of likes and dislikes, or of your personal style. Rather, your deeper and innermost self is connected to what you're doing on Earth. A series of eclipses in your sign (or rising sign) in the past two years has pushed this issue and stretched you in many new directions. Yet there remains the simple matter of getting out of your own way, and today's eclipse of the Moon in your birth sign will help reveal how easy this can be. Let someone emerge from within you: someone perhaps unfamiliar, though one whom you will recognize when you feel their presence. Look at your relationships through fresh eyes, releasing what you believed yesterday about the people in your life. Invite new people into your world, to explore unfamiliar facts of yourself. This will challenge you to call forth the warmth and loyalty that are so close to the essence of your being. Yet there is one other thing you must summon and cultivate: courage. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- If you're filled with an ominous feeling of some kind, it's just an eclipse in your 12th house. This is an invitation to pay attention to yourself, to your needs, to your innermost thoughts. The sense of the ominous is your own presence. One of your skills is the ability to keep secrets from yourself, and this is a moment where you will benefit from being totally open. For example, you want to know what you are dreaming, even if it's weird. In truth, it's the most direct method your inner mind uses to communicate with you. Integrating your dream life and all that it's saying will help you be a whole person. There's no need to blot it out or handle it with gloves and tongs. The same is true of your erotic reality. Go past any sense of embarrassment you may feel about your desires; brush it aside like a veil, and go right to your desires. You don't need any barriers between you and yourself. And you don't need to be who anyone expects you to be. Make peace with being in flux. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- You probably feel like you live in an earthquake zone, where nothing stays the same for even a day -- particularly your feelings. You may feel insecure, and with that, feel like the appropriate response is to barricade yourself somewhere you feel safe. However, in earthquake zones, people tend to live in light structures that won't hurt them if they fall down. Following that metaphor, a tent may provide a better place to retreat than a fortress -- I mean this spiritually, and in some sense, physically. Experiment with being outside, even if it's chilly where you live. This tends to be a time of year when people hunker down and go out unwillingly. Make sure you get outside every day, and if you already do, explore someplace new. That might mean getting off at a different subway stop, or driving home by a different route, or going into a store you've never been in. Stop unfamiliar places, get out and look around. And for the next few weeks, make a point of encountering people you've never met before. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- You may need to make an important professional decision today, something that snuck up on you or that you had previously ruled out as impossible. Meet the confrontation with optimism and a sense of taking hold of your destiny. You have your options open. You have the freedom to choose new objectives for your life and, moreover, to choose who you want to be. This is not so easy for you, as one born under a fixed sign; so much seems so permanent, so intractable. Yet this is more about your ideas than anything else; in particular, your ideas about yourself. You might want to retreat to some place where you can hold onto some of those, because so much seems to be changing so fast. Yet that is the beauty of the moment, which you will perceive if you can step back from the over-loud discussions about nothing, and listen to what your inner voice is telling you. It's not so complicated as it may seem. And you will know you want something because you keep coming back to wanting it over and over -- then you must find out if you're right. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- The imminent eclipse of the Moon takes place in a region of your chart associated with your long-term plans, and your beliefs about existence. You can think of those as being the same thing: you will project into the future based on what you believe is possible. What happens over the next few days will represent actual learning, which is about discovering something is possible rather than thinking it is so. And with that information in hand and in mind, you are free to adjust your trajectory, honoring your revelation of some deeper truth about yourself and about the world. To the extent that you reassess your plans, and act on your new ideas, you are investing faith in what you have learned. What I am suggesting here is that faith is an investment. It's not a thing or a thought -- it's a long process of integrating yourself with existence, in a fully aware way. You are being called to do this, as a gesture in support of yourself; in support of what you want to be real. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- Now and for the long foreseeable future, your astrology describes you as being under considerable pressure. You may be living with the experience, coming from deep within your cells, that time is running out. Of course, this is true: for all living creatures, time is finite. The question is what to do with the time that you have, whether you choose to measure in hours, in days or in years. Recent events have focused you on using your time wisely and well -- or at least you've been called to do so. At this stage of your life, it's essential to draw some distinctions: such as between being busy and being productive; between agreeing to do something and being committed to it; between the appearance of being appropriate, and doing the right thing. The one clear direction your astrology is pointing you is toward your personal constitution, the code that you live by. Here in the age of image, you must understand what is truly right and wrong for you: what you do, and what you accept. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- You've had more than enough changes in your life the past few years, and are no doubt ready for some stability. We could well ask whether this is even possible in the world right now, with everything seeming to be in flux, and worse, so many people seemingly committed to their antisocial ways. Well, they can all do their thing. If you want consistency in your life, focus on the people who are already doing that, and take them as your mentors and as your guides. Learn from those who don't need to be ‘made' to do anything, persuaded or pushed. People act of their own accord, and that's what you're interested in: those whose accord is in accord with your accord. You cannot motivate anyone; you cannot change anyone's mind; it's questionable whether it's even possible to teach except by example. Even then it can take ten years for someone to ‘get' the lesson. The forthcoming eclipse in your relationship house is advising you to observe your environment carefully. Notice any new openings. Notice who comes toward you and who moves away. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Amidst all the turbulence of the world, and the over-abundance of aspects and the second of two eclipses happening overnight Sunday to Monday, you are under some distinct astrology: Jupiter square Neptune. This particular aspect occurs every six years, though this one stands out as Neptune is in your sign (the modern ‘ruling' planet) and Jupiter is in Sagittarius (classical ruling sign, though Jupiter also rules Pisces). Both are well placed, meaning strong, effective and available (this all translates to resources). Sally Brompton, my colleague at the New York Post, called the tune on this aspect in a recent daily column for Pisces. She said simply: you're making important decisions right now, and you must stick to them. There's no way to say this better. Delineations of this aspect that you might read elsewhere may not be especially keen on it, as it can have a nebulous quality; but this is your territory. Pisces is connected to the Earth just as much as to the ethers. Your job is to give form to your ideas -- and for certain, to stick to your decisions. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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