Night Train

Dear Friend and Reader:

I am entertaining myself writing horoscopes on an all-night train ride from Zaporizhzhia to Kyiv. This is a USSR model railway car, and the trip is 12 hours, alternately crawling, chugging and cruising through the eastern European countryside, making every stop.

We are currently passing through Kryvyi Rih, the town where Volodomyr Zelenskyy was born. According to my chief of research, Mike Pompeo, secretary of l'etat c'est moi, just arrived in the capital and is meeting with Zelenskyy this morning. Then there's a press conference at noon, which I would crash except that I have to be at the airport. (I still carry valid British and international press credentials, souvenirs of my last European tour.)

	In transit from Zaporizhzhia to Kyiv the night of Jan. 30 to 31, aboard a 60-year-old train made during the USSR era. The blue cloth and witch hazel are to keep my hands clean.

We have a little cabin that Anatoly says is about the size of his quarters when he was on a submarine crew in the Soviet Navy, only there was one extra deck of bunks then and the food now is much better because his wife Iren prepared it today.

People are of differing opinions whether the heat system on the train is powered by wood, by coal or both. I'm not going to bother sorting that one out. They are equally hilarious. This is a little like an overnight camping trip, and there is even a fire, somewhere.

A Russian lady delivers hot tea for about 50 cents a cup, which is a glass and metal thing that Anatoly says is vintage USSR. The same lady who serves tea also keeps the wood and/or coal stove stoked.

I'm in one of those "Am I really doing this?" travel moments. In fact I am, and I even have a date for breakfast in Kyiv.

Despite my wildly middle-of-nowhere situation, I have periodic internet by toggling my laptop off of Anatoly's phone, so I'm watching email come through in response to my various queries I made with the February monthly horoscope, which just went out. Here it is again on the off chance you have not heard about it three times.

We Are Arriving at the Cross Quarter

The chart I used for the horoscope below is for the Sun's midpoint in Aquarius, known in some traditions as Imbolc. Here's an old article about it called In the Belly of the Stars from StarIQ.com, from way back around the time this train was built.

Imbolc is one of the tipping points of the year. For those unfamiliar with the Celtic calendar, there are four seasonal points situated midway between an equinox and a solstice, of which this is one. They are called the cross-quarter days. My chart is cast for 11:03 am on Feb. 4, 2020, Ukraine time.

One reason the cross-quarters are meaningful is that they are taps into the Aries Point and therefore run a lot of voltage. They are "power points" in that there is concentrated energy and momentum available. Decisions and events count for more. However, this can be subtle and requires some practice tuning in and making oneself available to natural forces. It is not magic.

	A glimpse of Kyiv by night. Photo by Eric Francis.

Here is what stands out of the chart.

Mercury is now in Pisces (it enters on Monday), where it will turn retrograde on the 16th.

Saturn and Pluto are still within two degrees. It looks like a close conjunction; it will not be for long.

Jupiter is working its way across Capricorn and is now close to the midpoint. Its next big event is the first of three conjunctions to Pluto, which I have neglected to mention much but I'm very excited about. This is a big, bold call to soul.

The Venus-Mars-Neptune arrangement that defined the second week of the impeachment trial (still unresolved as I write early Friday morning) has dissipated some, though it's still recognizable. Venus is in Pisces square the Galactic Core, and Mars is in Sagittarius, approaching a conjunction to the Galactic Core.

Jupiter and Neptune are in a sextile (60-degree aspect), connecting Capricorn and Pisces in perfect harmony. The world may be spinning off its axis and the United States government is convincingly on a one-way ride to hell, though there is a hint of order to the cosmos.

Please, accept my personal invitation to step up to the challenge of our moment. There is no time like this particular present to collect all of your spiritual training (or perhaps leave it behind) and show up for the need for all of us to be aware, together, right now.

There is a conversation that needs to be had, and since nobody else is ringing the bell or the cast iron bar summoning everyone to meeting, I'm picking up the sledgehammer and clanging that metal chime loudly enough to hear it echo off the hills.

Somebody make coffee and chaga tea. We got some things to talk about.

With love from the actual middle of nowhere,

Your faithful astrologer,

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News Analysis The Potential Impact of a Trial Without Witnesses

by Samuel Dean

I think Republicans blocking all impeachment witnesses is probably in the Democrats' best interest for several reasons:

1. It makes re-election more difficult for vulnerable Senate Republicans. Shamelessly blocking witnesses from testifying in one of the most important trials in history is a striking and irrefutable demonstration of Republicans' corruption and servility. It would be much easier for vulnerable Republicans like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to defend their eventual votes to acquit if the proceeding at least had the appearance of a fair trial. Since it's a given that the trial will not result in Trump's removal, its only remaining tactical purpose is to damage the re-election chances of Trump and Republican senators as much as possible, and a blatantly rigged trial is more damaging than one that appears fair.

2. It provides better optics and simpler messaging for Democrats. Facts don't matter; only optics matter. Even the most unsophisticated voter understands that fair trials have witnesses. When you make lengthy factual recitations, the public tends to lose interest and the Republicans counter with their alternative facts (e.g. the Mueller report). Simple messages are most effective; that's why Trump supporters love his 3-word chants. Which message is more powerful?

— "President Trump illegally withheld military aid to Ukraine to assist in their fight against Russian aggression after Congress required that it be disbursed, in order to coerce Ukrainian President Zelensky into announcing investigations into the Bidens' corruption when the Bidens didn't actually do anything corrupt, so Trump could improve his chances of winning reelection."
or
— "Republicans blocked witnesses at Trump's impeachment trial because they know he's guilty."

3. It denies Republicans a platform to promote their conspiracy theories. If Democrats call John Bolton, Republicans will call Hunter Biden, and they will use the impeachment trial itself to perpetuate the smear against the Bidens. Better not to help the Republicans spread lies that could hurt democrats in the election. If they howl about it loud enough, the media will dutifully report it, and the average voter who isn't paying attention may conclude there's something to the allegations after all.

4. The information will come out anyway. Since a conviction is off the table, the main benefit to calling witnesses would be to inform voters of the story they have to tell. It's already certain that Bolton will tell his story because he's publishing it in a book this March (two months closer to the election than the trial). And anyone who thinks Bolton is lying in his book would think the same about his testimony. The rest of the story and anything else that might have been stated in the trial will undoubtedly come out, drip by drip, between now and November, which will prevent it from being forgotten and overshadowed by whatever scandal is next.

5. It undermines any claim that Trump was exonerated. The trial is going to be rigged and unfair, no matter if witnesses are called or not. Openly cheating by blocking the witnesses strips all legitimacy from the proceedings and makes the eventual acquittal meaningless. When Trump crows about his exoneration, people will rightfully jeer about his fake, rigged trial where he was too cowardly to allow testimony. If the trial had all the trappings of fairness, Republicans could claim that it was fair and that his acquittal meant he did nothing wrong. An acquittal in kangaroo court won't convince anyone whose mind could be changed that Trump is innocent. If we must have a rigged trial, then Republicans' cheating should be obvious and undeniable.

Samuel Dean is one of Eric's co-writers and a legal analyst who assists Planet Waves.
A Note About 2020 and Personal Astrology

Dear Friend and Reader:

It's been a few short weeks since I finished RESPECT, part two of your 2020 reading. I felt the astrology of this year was so significant I needed to cover it twice.

We are living through unusual times — an understatement, I know — and many people are being pressured to catch up with themselves. That means making long-overdue decisions, fixing problems that have been lingering around, and finally getting on with those elements of your actual purpose.

	MacBook selfie — traveling somewhere, probably New York City.

I have worked as a personal consultant to thousands of people at just this kind of stage of their lives: the point where you figure out your choices matter. The place where you feel vulnerable. Where you understand that change must come.

Whether you're making your decisions preemptively or at the last minute, I have a pair of readings that can help you.

Part one is called INTELLIGENCE, a chapter-length essay for each sign and rising sign. These are my most comprehensive written readings ever.

Part two is called RESPECT, a consultation-length audio reading for each sign and rising sign. As my customers know, I am gifted with the ability to do a full-strength reading using transits and the solar chart. I read not a single sign but the whole chart, so the result is that you get a whole reading.

Astrology is not therapy, but my readings are designed to be therapeutic several different ways. First, I create a calm, introspective space to do the work. I remind you of your inner being; that is who I'm speaking to. The real you who it's easy to forget. (My audio readings come with gentle, alive, original music.)

My whole purpose as an astrologer is to remind you of your power of decision, and to help you see your options. And as an astrologer, I have a sacred duty to help you use time well. We are accustomed to seeing time as a kind of enemy; I am here to introduce you to time as your friend.

Particularly within the grind and madness of the current world, my readings are oxygen and sunshine and water.

The other day, I got an email from a customer about my recent Capricorn Studio reading, the first project I did after finishing RESPECT. She wrote:

Eric I wanted to compliment you on the excellent articulation you did in a straight forth, informative manner, in the Capricorn Astrology Studio reading. I am a Capricorn Sun and ascendant with my Moon in Aquarius, so this was like a personal reading for me. So I extend my deep heart felt gratitude for this gift. I also love the way you include prior times when we may have experienced the astrology, for it gives me a further historical insight into the mastery of who I am and why I am here. Thus validating my own intuitive process that values my uniqueness and allows more awareness and clarity towards freedom of choice. All the very best to you. Kindest regards, Janet

Best of all, my readings are designed to be affordable — a tiny fraction of a personal astrology reading, a fraction of the cost of a single therapy session, and yet providing you with thoughtful mental and emotional nutrition that will feed you for years. Even my very old readings speak to the moment.

They are designed for both Sun and rising sign. You may share them with close friends and loved ones.

We are offering a new option — combined RESPECT and INTELLIGENCE by individual sign.

You may also get all 12 signs of both RESPECT and INTELLIGENCE. Why would you want that? It's excellent, interesting reading, and every sign is relevant. Listening to one sign's recording a week will help you expand and refresh your worldview.

If you would like some other option, please write to us, or call (845) 481-5616. You may also find more options here.

Thank you for your business, and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,

PS — We love when you call and purchase by phone. We want to hear from you.

PPS — You can also check on the status of your membership, and we offer a discount for early renewal. Just call (845) 481-5616. If you have to leave a message, we will get right back to you. Daily Birthday Readings from Planet Waves

Here are the next week's Birthday Readings; if it's your birthday this week, many happy returns to you. Please note you can also read these entries as daily posts on our main website. Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020 (The Day of Class) Take full advantage of the numerous opportunities that come your way this year. Emotionally fulfilling relationship connections are possible, likewise creative openings that enhance financial security and self-esteem. Stimulating, constructive potential abounds in your birthday chart, but it is up to you to recognize those channels and actively engage them. Let your unique blend of rational analysis and intuitive intelligence be your guide, and intentionally follow the signs. They might not flash neon lights, but wear earth tones and feel like home. Monday, Feb. 3, 2020 (The Day of Exacting Realism) Increased focus on financial planning stands out as a signature in your birthday chart. To map the most fulfilling route from where you are to where you want to go, assess conditions with as much clarity and foresight as possible. Innovative changes you have in mind, perhaps related to your home or domestic situation, may require several drafts before you're able to seal the deal. So think long-term, allow room for adjustment and take your time. Approach negotiations with open eyes as well as an open heart. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 (The Day of the Curveballer) Creative freedom is ultimately a gift you must give yourself. It requires courage and nurturance of your unique individuality. This is a year to encourage self-expression, including within personal relationships. You can't hide what you really feel, nor should you. A few notes of caution are worth remembering, however. Be honest with yourself: romantic fantasies do not a true love make, and escapism does not foster artistry. Know your real values, and keep your wits regarding material security. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 (The Day of Quiet Eloquence) Stay tuned for opportunities, or flashes of insight, regarding resources that support your need for greater freedom. You're in a transformational stage involving your roots, family, where you live or with whom; and that tends to cost money. Changes on the scale you have in mind require work and patience, but you're primed to receive important clues you need to move forward. Prioritizing self-care over the coming year may feel like a challenge, but will help pave the way for the liberation you seek. Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 (The Day of Popularity) Patterns in your birthday chart emphasize matters related to healing, nurturance, service and wisdom. The more you manage to genuinely put your own health first, the more you'll access the positive potential available to you in the coming year. Observe any tendency toward martyrdom that may arise, and the emotional repression that accompanies it. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first, before assisting others. You're poised for self-discoveries through such an approach that will, in turn, enhance your role as a teacher in the tribe. Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 (The Day of Utopia) You're turning the final pages of one chapter in your life story this year. It tells of certain outstanding relationship issues that hook into intense, unconscious forces you're ready to bring to the surface. The tale describes a potential for exciting breakthroughs, opening up a whole new phase of social engagement. To reach that turning point takes courage, however. And right on cue, a passionate flame springs up in the heart of our hero or heroine. That's you, of course. Prepare for adventure. Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 (The Day of Precognition) Prepare for the volume of activity in the coming year to be set on 'high'. Your birthday occurs on the verge of an extra fiery Full Moon, and the chart describes an emphasis on communication and relationships. You're well positioned to understand hot-button partnership issues from a higher perspective, if you can step back enough to tune in. You've an opportunity here to become more conscious of how you've approached emotionally loaded power dynamics, disappointment or jealousy in the past. It holds the potential for ah-ha moments that strengthen your spirit. Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020 (The Day of Vibrancy) High-octane fuel powers your Full Moon birthday chart. Supportive aspects between allies, partnerships and shared ideals stand out among the key signatures. With mindful intention and both hands on the wheel, you should be able to steer down fairly open roads toward long-term objectives. Openings are also available to heal old wounds in the relationship department. Deep communication that ventures into challenging territory has profound potential. Even writing about outstanding relationship histories can be therapeutic this year. Your voice is strong. Use it.

— By Victoria Emory

Capricorn and Aquarius — Readings Like No Others

Dear People of Saturn:

This letter is for you if you have Sun, Moon or rising sign in Capricorn or Aquarius. Astrology Studio for both signs is available now, still at the pre-sale price of $44 (final price is $55).

	Photo by Nastya Zuy.

As you know, Saturn is changing signs this spring from Capricorn to Aquarius. This is the precursor to Pluto making the same move in a few years, and I think for that reason, we need to focus on this transition zone. And that is what I do.

These readings are relaxed, easy to follow and focused on guiding your personal work. It's been a challenging time the past few years for both Cap and Aquarius, and I'm doing what I can to offer ideas that ease the stress and help you get maximum benefit.

While I use the solar chart (rather than your natal), I am able to offer much of what you get from a personal consultation. This is a whole-chart reading, which considers many facets of existence. I have a gift for listening to the astrology and relating it directly to you.

I think in our times, this work is as helpful as therapy. If you are doing personal growth or spiritual work, it will only support you.

If you've already subscribed to INTELLIGENCE and RESPECT, you will find that these readings go to a new place in a new way.

These readings are affordable, and will stand up to many playings. You can download them for any device, and they are yours; they do not expire. You may share them with friends or loved ones.

Here's how to purchase Capricorn.

Here's how to purchase Aquarius. Both are instant access.

Thank you for being a Planet Waves customer, and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love from Kyiv,


PS — You may purchase by phone, by calling (845) 481-5616. You can also check on the status of your membership.

PPS — These readings are included with the Backstage Pass. They also make excellent gifts.

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for February was published on Thursday, Jan. 30. We published your extended monthly horoscope for January on Friday, Dec. 27. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) — Who's the boss? This is the question, now and forever. There may seem to be many answers for many different circumstances, though one by one, you are in a position to claim them back. Then after a while you will figure out they are all related, and that having authority over yourself is one project; one idea. Making the connections is vital, which is a matter of pattern recognition, and also coming back to your center over and over again. Part of the "authority problem," as it's sometimes known, is the desire to delegate. That means granting people authority in some conditions (notice which) and having it taken in others (notice those). One of the core struggles in claiming it back is not wanting to, though there is the problem of guilt. That would only be an issue were you claiming something that is not yours. This may seem like splitting a hair, though it's not, really. Not at all. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Your parents or their presence may be looming large for you these days, though this is interlaced with a growing need for independence. That, it turns out, usually comes down to one's relationship to mom and dad, and their associated concepts. I am aware this is not popular and it has a way of not being "conscious." However, to the extent that you actually want your liberty, or need it, this is where to place your attention. You are looking for little nagging hints and snags that bind you to them emotionally, thereby keeping you in the past. Mothers in particular have a way of exercising a kind of bondage over daughters, which I cannot imagine has gotten much better in these days of helicopter parenting. In our time, this has demonstrably extended into the lives of boys and young men. That all said, this is about you, though on the path to freedom, there is much setting others free. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — It will help if you think of every social or professional encounter as a contract. There is an agreement involved, even if it is implied interest, or so casual a promise as, "I'll give you a call." Sometimes something is demanded or expected of you; sometimes you make a claim to an aspect of someone else. Usually this is all so sly hardly anyone notices. It is time to become a keen observer of these interchanges. There is a lot to them — much more than you may think. There are even subtler levels, though this is a good place to home in. If you track yourself for a few weeks, you will make discoveries that help you see ever more clearly the dynamics of your relationships. This, in turn, will help you recognize something of your inner dynamics and the way that you experience the movement of time. Extracting yourself from attachments to the past will teach you a lot about why things were the way they were, way back then, yesterday and today. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The future is calling you, though not as clearly as you would like. It seems that more depends on you than on external factors. It's as if you're following something that is invisible, when you're accustomed to using your eyes. Now you need to use other senses: hearing and feeling will be useful. Listen to what's going on around you, and notice your physical and emotional responses to your changing environments as you move through the day. Notice the scent of everyone you are close enough to detect, and of every room or space you enter. This alone might not point you to an answer, though you will gradually tune into another kind of information. Practice this yoga for a while, and you will notice how you feel doing things, being with people, or experiencing something from the sidelines. Gradually a new guidance system will take over, and you will have different ideas about the course of your existence. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Early to mid-February is a tipping point for you, which is also an excellent time for reevaluation. And it would seem you have quite a bit to think through, and feel your way through. Important elements of your life, most likely your work and your health, have pushed you to some extremes the past few years, and you now have an opportunity to come back from the edge. You might do this with full awareness. Imagine you're standing next to a cliff, and you step away, and face toward solid land, till you're no longer worried about keeping your balance. You might ask what exactly you were doing out there, and how you felt, and what you could see so close to the precipice. Then do something nice and normal, like make yourself lunch. Slow down. Do something that turns out to be extremely rare, which is to take a break from scheduling or planning the future. Stick to today. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — There has been quite a wild scene in the mutable signs the past week (which include yours, and Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces, all of which are extensions of you). The fog is likely to be clearing, though it would still be wise to proceed with caution when it comes to any form of expectation or perception you may have about a relationship. You're not necessarily wrong regarding how you feel about someone, or how they feel about you. You are not necessarily correct. What you want to do, though, is map your ideas and presumptions against what you observe and experience. Then track the differences. You may notice how far off you sometimes are, punctuated by moments when you're spot on. It will help if you don't rate your abilities as being higher than they are. Rather, underestimate the accuracy of your perceptions, and give yourself time — a lot of time, such as weeks or months — for the truth to dawn on you. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You may feel like a chance encounter is going to manifest as one of the great relationships of your life, or be a turning point in an existing situation. The second is more likely to be true. It's not the relationship that is changing, but rather your experience of your role as partner. It would be difficult to overstate how crucial this is for you. How you cast yourself as lover, wife, or husband has everything to do with how you experience your relationships. I know it seems like you're responding to the other and like they have a profound effect on you. Yet borrowing a useful term from biochemistry, your relationships are receptor mediated. Let your circumstances and your emotions teach you how this works. At the same time, borrow a bit of the unusual power of Chiron in your opposite sign to see people as they really are. You will know you're doing this when relating to someone feels like learning a foreign language that you gradually acquire. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — What, exactly, happened the past week or so? What did you figure out? Did it involve some kind of huge miscalculation, or did you pass through a spell of confusion that you managed to get through unscathed? In any event, you're likely to have learned that you cannot just take a guess about what someone is feeling, toward you or themselves or anyone. There is the perception, and there is the truth of the matter. Both are subject to being discovered in layers, and known for revealing themselves in the manner of a dream. Which leads to an interesting therapy-styled metaphor: what if that all was a dream, and you were represented by everyone involved (and by any important "inanimate' objects)? What was the dream trying to tell you, or rather, what were you saying to yourself? Give each person, each place and each thing a voice of its own, and count it as yours. You will have your unexpected answer. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Every cell in your being is saying you need a new financial strategy, and a new approach to the whole notion of money. This means expanding your financial concept to every kind of resource you have access to, which I assure you is plenty. Much depends on how you conceive of your assets, whether material, spiritual, intellectual. Step back from those benefits that enter your life through others. This is about what you have, and what you have to offer. I say this knowing that most people are either clueless about what they possess, or are uncertain how to make the connection to usefulness to others. This is not an easy calculation, and a good few people go through the world feeling unworthy or worthless. So I suggest you begin your assessment or reassessment in modest ways. Be grateful any time something you have to give becomes valuable to you or to someone else, and remain impeccably modest as you see just how much you have to offer. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You have turned a corner, though you haven't quite reached the sweet spot after all this enforced growth you've been experiencing. You might be waiting for the payoff. I propose that the thing to do is notice what it's like not to be under so much stress. This may be subtle. It's a little like you climbed to a certain height and your ears popped, and in that moment you noticed the sense of air pressure that wasn't obvious till your body responded to it. Make a careful note of where you are now, and find some way to memorialize it: words and pictures, not posted to the internet but for your private use only (like an old-fashioned diary) would be good. You are approaching a time when the changes will accelerate, and you may forget this moment and all your concerns entirely. Yet you will want a kind of milepost. You will want a way to track your progress. You can call your project, "Where I'm at right now, and how I feel about it." Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — With the Sun now in your sign or rising sign, you may be a bit distracted from how much is moving in the background of your awareness. Please don't drift too far from the necessities of your inner life, no matter how much fun and adventure are calling you. You need your focus concentrated on your core being. That is not easy in our inside-out world. It's not easy in a time when so many people are doing everything in their ability to be accepted as part of one tribe or another. There will be time for that, if indeed you decide it's what you want. Presently something far more significant, and unusual, and challenging, is calling you, and as you know, it has been for some time. You are in the midst of a profound rebirth, and reorientation of your identity. This is not about other people. It's not about your relationships. Keep your awareness on yourself. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Maintain the slow and steady pace that is so helpful to those born under your sign. Feel the tides come in and go back out, and notice the weather each day. Both your choices and what you might call cosmic factors of circumstance have set you on a trajectory that will be transformational from what you've experienced in recent years. This will not occur all at once; you'll go through a series of progressions or developments and before too long, you'll notice that your life is in a different place — though this is more about your state of mind than anything. You are approaching the time when your self-image will have nothing at all to do with how others perceive you, or how you think they do. It's possible that this has never happened to you before, though if you think back over a good few years (1993 comes to mind, as does 2002), you may recognize the sensation. Wear your newfound confidence gently. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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