Inside, Outside: A New Moon in Many Layers

Dear Friend and Reader:

The Pisces New Moon, which was exact Sunday morning, is a chart whose message comes in several main layers. One is the presentation, which you might think of as the press release. The other is what's really going on with you.

One is the crust; the other is the deeper substance, which may seem a bit unfathomable, like a vast undersea world.

The surface layer is related to Venus in Aries square Jupiter in Capricorn. This is a kind of public relations position, very common in our era (we might think of "social media" as a PR campaign, where everyone serves as their own representative).

This is an aspect that speaks loudly. Jupiter is involved, and Venus in Aries wants to be seen and noticed.

The deeper layer is what you're really feeling, which is much more ambiguous. This involves Mercury retrograde aligning with the New Moon in Pisces. This is bubbling with questions, and with a sense of inner contradiction. You may be experiencing emotions that you don't understand, or that seem to drag you back into the past.

Past material may be trying to surface, only to be censored by the Venus-Jupiter public affairs department. The questions and insecurities you may be feeling don't lend themselves to being revealed.

The theme of the week may seem to be "what do I reveal to others about my real feelings?" Yet the actual theme is about what you admit to yourself. It's one thing to put on a face for the world; it's another to put on a face in the mirror.

Retrograde Mercury has been conjunct Nessus, a deeply influential centaur (Chiron-like planet), all weekend. This may have arrived with questions about how you feel about certain past transgressions and mistreatment.

You may have discovered some unresolved feelings, and potentially some anger. Rather than pushing this back down, let it come to the surface. Alternately, you may be figuring out what you want, only to discover that there is something blocking you. Now is the time to carefully address those blockages. They may not be made of what you think they are made of.
And Then There's Mars

In Thursday's edition (A Proper Introduction to Salacia), I described the pattern early in the cardinal signs. This involves Chiron and Salacia in Aries, and Pholus and Quaoar in Capricorn. While this has enough material for a weekend astrology seminar, I will do my best to relate it in a couple of paragraphs.

The grand summary is the relationship between family matters — hangups, substance abuse patterns, lies told to children, and the many injuries inflicted on sexuality — and what we are witnessing in our wider society. You might say society is a "big family" and that it's based on what happened in all of our little families.

That, as Alice Miller has cautioned, is worse than we may imagine, because small indignities go such a long way toward eroding self-confidence, self-respect, and the ability to trust.

Write that on the mirror, or the wall: self-confidence, self-respect, and the ability to trust.

Note that the issues are likely to arise when you feel desire. Slowly, you can learn how to separate desire from anxiety. In many ways, this is a question of honesty.

Mars is hovering around the lunar South Node, in Capricorn, close to this whole scenario.

This is asking a question: is what you thought you wanted in the past still true for you today? This is an important review to conduct every now and then, preferably often. Update your files. Wanting is the primary factor driving existence on the material plane.

Make sure what you think you want is really what you want, and if it's not, stop, and ask yourself what is true for you today. Ask yourself every day, many times a day.

What do I really want?

With love,
Planet Waves TV is Back!

With so much happening, I'm having fun doing short editions of Planet Waves TV. There are several new ones — the latest being one on Mercury retrograde.

These little clips are a good way to get acquainted with me and my work, and to refer Planet Waves to others. Please click on "subscribe" so we get a little more ranking on YouTube, which has recently tightened its grip on the little guys.

You can reach our channel via the direct shortcut PlanetWaves.TV.

Thanks for tuning in!
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. 23, 2020 (The Day of the Viable Candidate) The New Moon on your birthday is a heads up to seize opportunities to make a fresh start — or more likely, to complete what you have already begun and invested yourself in. You need some structure in your life. You must also reassess your goals, and do the things you want and need to do — not what others expect of you, or what you might think is popular. In fact, your best opportunities may come in the form of things others might not approve of. Monday, Feb. 24, 2020 (The Day of Sacrifice) Take the time to dream, play and open to your muse. You will need to lighten your load in life in order to do this. Plenty that you're obsessed with accomplishing is simply not necessary. Success for you this year is more a matter of what you don't do rather than what you aspire to. When you find yourself dedicating time and effort to something, check carefully whether it's the best use of your energy. From there, you will see your best options much more clearly. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020 (The Day of the Higher Cause) If you need support or motivation, look to friends or colleagues for just the energetic nudge you require to strengthen your resolve. If you want assistance, ask directly rather than dropping hints. People value you for who you are, which includes your tendency to go against the grain. Make peace with challenging personal history that might get stirred, especially if it either affects self-esteem or triggers resentment. Let the past be dust in the wind, which is now at your back. Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 (The Day of Arousal) Make a concentrated effort to understand your motives, at all times. What is pushing you forward? What is influencing you to make the choices you make? Assuming that you have good intentions is not enough. Something is driving you and you want to know what it is. Be especially conscious within your romantic partnerships and any sexual encounters. Listen to the words you say, and evaluate them carefully. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 (The Day of the Reality Masters) How would you conduct yourself, if you were far more confident? What would that look like? What kinds of decisions would you make differently? What would you say to others that you're not currently saying? What choices would you make? Take this year as an experiment in self-respect. Start from the result and work backward to the ingredients that you need. All the places you currently hold back are the place to start. Pause when you feel you need the approval of others; you don't, or not as much as you think. Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 (The Day of Zest) Do you feel understood? Do you understand yourself? Your birthday chart is suggesting you be much bolder about your experiments, whether in art, in words, or in your social reality. Cast off any anxiety you might have about being weird; this is like static that interferes with both your thought process, and the messages you relate to others. You are in fact different from many people around you, and becoming more so. Embrace that lovingly, and have fun with the adventure. Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 (The Day of Eternal Youth) For the past year, you've been trying to work out an event that may have occurred in the distant past. Now is the time to devote your full attention to this situation. The usual ways our society teaches are not going to work. You have too much dignity to play the victim. And while others should be held accountable for their actions, you must take full responsibility for your healing process. Be thankful for this gift, which will turn out to be gratitude for the privilege of life. Sunday, March 1, 2020 (The Day of Artistic Sensibilities) Take care of your finances. Work all three sides of the equation: maintain what you have. Be careful what you spend. And work consciously with the ways you've discovered you have something special to offer. This will require self-awareness and also the discipline of focusing every small decision as if it adds up to the greater whole. In fact, it does. Every choice you make gets you further toward your needs and your chosen goals, or sets you back. You can afford to do less, and spend less. Be vigilant about maintaining your true priorities.

— By Victoria Emory and Eric Francis
An Aquarian Era Update on RESPECT 2021+ Written Readings

Dear Friend and Reader:

The written RESPECT readings — called An Aquarian Era — covering 2021-2023 are underway.

This letter is for current customers of the annual, for new customers, and for people who have invested in the past. It includes a delivery notice, and also a price increase notice.

As you know, the Planet Waves annual is a truly unusual astrology offering, providing detailed, soulful, relevant readings.

I have done these every year since 1999. Each edition builds on the prior ones. Every year, I re-learn and re-explain astrology.

On the typically vapid, superstitious astrology internet, these readings stand out as works of literature, directly relevant to you.

There is nothing else available even vaguely resembling this series of readings.

Most internet astrology readings are assembled by robots. They have no cohesion, and offer exceedingly little sense of the person creating them. Many are uncredited; you have no idea what you're getting. Yet many people take them on board unfiltered, allowing them to influence their perceptions and choices.

I am offering something VERY different

My annual readings are crafted with the care of the very best personal nonfiction writing, with the ethics and the training of competent, responsible therapy, and the alive, fresh immediacy of journalism. They are carefully researched, edited and fact-checked. I take full responsibility for my work.

I am not writing for "true believers" in astrology. I am writing for some who value astrology, and for those who will be engaged by the quality of the work. I am writing for thinkers, for healers, and for spiritual seekers. I am writing for people who respect both shamanic tradition and science.

Moreover, you get much of the value of a personal reading. Not all — but most. You learn a lot about current astrology and how it influences you, in clear, concise language.

Most significantly, you get something respectful of your intelligence and your individuality.

From INTELLIGENCE to RESPECT

Your 2020 reading is in two parts — an extended written reading as part of the INTELLIGENCE package, and an extended audio reading as part of the RESPECT package.

I am now well into part 2 of RESPECT, the written part — called An Aquarian Era. Though I have promised a reading that covers up through 2021, I am taking this one out to 2023-2024, covering Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius, and introducing Pluto in Aquarius.

You will get additional information about Neptune in Pisces, and Chiron in Aries.

I have promised these for late March, and by some miracle, I seem to be on schedule. We will begin publishing the written pieces over the weekend, and will likely have three published by Sunday night — Aries, Aquarius and probably Pisces.

If you are already a customer waiting for this work, please review the INTELLIGENCE written reading. Please make a point of reading Aries, which is included for everyone.

Your 2020 audio RESPECT reading, which covers many excellent topics, is worth a second listen.

If you have not encountered this work, or encountered my annuals, I am very excited for you. You will not hear me say this often, but I am proud of what I have achieved, in each individual annual project, and the entire body of work.

Please take advantage of the pre-publication price. You may order single signs here or get all 12 signs here. Alternatively, you can order the full RESPECT readings together with INTELLIGENCE as one package: get the complete readings, or choose your individual signs.

Thank you for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,

PS — Some ask why they would want all 12 signs, or more than one. There are several reasons. One, you may share your annual package with your household. Two, you will definitely want to read for your Sun, Moon and rising signs. Plus, each sign is designed to offer excellent material and a touch of wisdom for everyone.

PPS — Here is a letter about how my readings work. The explanation is too long. The readings work because I not only can do them — I put in the time, the effort, the thought and the research. And I work very carefully at the writing and audio presentations. It's not an accident of nature. 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) — There are times along the way to learning how to be yourself that you have to exaggerate a little. That might mean speaking a little more loudly, dressing in bright colors, or seeking more attention for something you've done or are doing. It might mean shifting the emphasis of a relationship to your agenda. This is not a 'permanent' state but rather a test run, like trying something on. Then you might reflect and make some adjustments. This seems to be happening on a deep level for you: both the trying on, and soon, the adjustment process. You are likely to be discovering a kind of inner power you were only dimly aware of previously. Over the next week or so, this goes from an external experience (something you share) to a deeply internal one (what you feel, how you are challenged to grow, and letting go of who you no longer want to be). Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You can put yourself out there — announce your existence, make a statement, take a position — though there are no assurances of how your message will be received. Particularly now, with the world so polarized and everyone so confused, anything could be taken as meaning anything. That said, you seem determined to get your message out, or to make your presence known. While Mercury is retrograde in the public angle of your chart, I suggest you conduct little tests. Float ideas both on social media and during in-person conversations, then see the results you get. Do your best to state your idea in as neutral a way as possible just to explore the ensuing discussion. You're likely to hear things you never would have expected. I suggest you start on a small scale, and carefully study the results. You may apply this approach to any communication puzzle you may be facing in your life, whether personal or professional. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Proceed with caution and patience on any moves related to your career. There is way too much room for error, illusion and misunderstanding at the moment, which pretty much assures you're likely to get it wrong, for now. Let's prevent that. Therefore, place yourself in research and fact-finding mode. Do a lot of listening. Track multiple sources of data, and figure out what is actually going on. This will help you build a strategy that you can begin to put to work some time after Mercury stations direct on March 9. If, meanwhile, you are doing something related to a career change, a new job, or some role where you must take authority, tune in like an owl watching a forest at night. Take your time and don't make any sudden moves! Information will come to you by way of unusual, invisible or seemingly impossible means. When in doubt, break out the three-column method for the assessment of a situation or fact pattern: 1. What you know for sure; 2. What you don't know; 3. What you suspect. Work on that for a while and see what happens. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Your best new plan may be a dusted-off old one. So take a little while, and retrieve and review a number of possibilities you considered high priorities in the past. Ruminate on them a bit and see what you come up with. No doubt they will need a little modernization, though it's the central idea that counts. Meanwhile, whatever you're involved in at the moment has the potential to be done in an interesting way. First of all that means interesting to you: exciting and engaging of your curiosity. This is especially true of any communication-related venture, such as writing or broadcast or even music. You're also in a brilliant moment to turn supposedly spiritual teachings on their ear, and set yourself free from ideas that you have found vexing in the past. You have some extra penetrating vision to see past lies, deception and disinformation in any form. Use your talent well. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Now is the time to focus on any sexual healing projects you've had on the back burner. You may make a discovery or connection over the next few days to a week, which will seem like a veil being dropped off of the hidden truth. Take this gently. You have no need to act at this point, only to be aware of your feelings and how you're responding to them. If you're inclined to discuss this topic with an intimate partner, make sure that you have a sense of where you're coming from before you do. Sit with your impressions until you get some clarity. Now is not, however, the best time to take action within major partnerships, be they sexual or financial. It is, though, a more appropriate moment to carry on a conversation at a low simmer. Expand your awareness to where those with whom you have commitments are coming from: how they feel, about themselves, about you and about your shared circumstances. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mars making its way across Capricorn, your solar 5th house, is heating up your creative/experimental zone. This transit is inviting you to indulge your needs, desires and talents. You may feel if you do that, you will go out of control, though in a sense that is the idea. You tend to be a bit compressed and over-cautious where your self-expression is concerned. Even small gestures can seem like a big deal, though now you're being fired up by Mars, in its sign of exaltation. This is about the love you make as much as it is about anything else you might design, draw, sculpt, fabricate or scribble onto a napkin. Stay in territory that feels a little dangerous, and where you're not sure the outcome. Draw on the past at least a little — to do something new is often seeded with a bit of the old yeast. What you're going for is the feeling of connecting your ideas to physical expression. Let it happen. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It would seem that the only way to let go of the past is to immerse yourself in whatever you're feeling. You seem to be working to resolve old anger and insecurity. Mercury retrograde may throw a fog over that basic fact, making it seem like something else is worrying you — one of your usual health complaints, for example. Yet these always tie into what you're feeling on the most elemental level: hungry, thirsty, confident, insecure or others in that realm. So keep it basic and notice what your body is telling you, rather than what you think it's telling you. Down at the root level, you are doing two things in one: you are claiming something, and you're letting something go. There is an exchange involved. Identify what you don't want, feel it deeply, and choose to release your attachment. Then feel what you want the most, and claim it as your own. This involves what motivates you. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Humans seem to have a hard time changing their minds, even in the face of overwhelming information. You've been confronted with many reasons, both urgent and subtle, to rethink several vital matters in your life. They may pertain to family, they may pertain to business, they may pertain to where you live. You probably know what they are: the topics that come up persistently. You now have a new burst of energy that will help you not only to think things through but also to engage the previously missing step, which is taking action. What we are losing track of in our era is that choices must often be enforced by sustained and disciplined movements: actual things you do, and then make sure you did right, and re-do if you need to, until you get yourself to a new level of stability. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your finances are not the only priority that you need to drive at the moment, though they are a meaningful one. Your life right now is a study in what you value the most; what you hold dear; what you actually live for. Some people know this, and others have to figure it out. Don't assume you know. The world (and the astrology) is too confused for easy answers, which rarely tell us anything anyway. It is often extreme events that teach us what matters. People tend to learn the most by loss or threat. I would encourage you to take a gentler approach, and make a true inquiry. Here is a clue. There were certain things that really, really mattered to you, which no longer hold so much energy. There are new ideas you have and want to pursue, though the ultimate test is whether you act on them. And there is one thing from the past that is reminding you it still matters — a lot. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Mars in your own sign is encouraging you to confront your fears. They certainly have their way with you often enough, to the point where you can barely move or make a decision. I suggest you be more curious about this. What happens when you strive to choose something for yourself? How long can you sustain your motivation? Then what typically happens when you act on your decision? By this, I mean when you decide on something that actually matters. Have you noticed a pattern, whether related to your feelings or to what manifests in your environment? Be particularly vigilant about feelings of guilt, and notice where they are coming from. Take note when it seems others move to dissuade or block your movement. This can take the form of anyone or anything appearing to be in the role of an authority figure. Guilt is a sure sign you think someone is trying to run your life. I suggest you be more curious about this. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — For many moons, the past has seemed as real as, or more real than, the present. This must be annoying, though it has the advantage of being familiar. After a while it ceases to be a comfort zone and is more like living a film loop that gradually deteriorates but keeps repeating. The question you might ask is, is there some element of your personal history that is trying to get your attention? Do you mistake it for something else? It's unlikely to be the thing you keep assuming it is. What is hemming you in is something other than you believe. So, start with a list of what you think your limitations are, and then cross them all off and look for the things you have not thought of. And remember that sometimes when you feel corralled, you have to break the fence. Even donkeys know this. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Astrology Studio for Pisces | A New Reading by Eric Francis

This is a momentous time in collective history, and a turning point in your life. As the year develops, most of the movement — including Pisces' ruling planet Jupiter, and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction — will be pointing into Aquarius, the most sensitive and innermost angle of your chart. I will also cover the retrogrades of Venus and Mars, and the forthcoming Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in your friendship sign Capricorn. Mostly, I will help you orient on your profound journey, and offer guidance how to harmonize with the world at this unusual time. Pre-order this reading here.

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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Your assignment the next few weeks is to make your mark on the world. You will know you're doing this when you feel the friction. There is energy involved, and some adventure, and a sense of quest. Basically, your chart describes a time of doing the ground work and the one-to-one retail sales of getting your idea going. Mars is moving through the social angle of your chart, which is Capricorn (this alone suggests that for you, social and professional have a strong affinity for one another). Now is the time to work this angle. But remember, with Mars, you need to be persistent, and have a thicker skin than usual. You might come across to someone as annoying, to someone else as pushy, and to others as determined. Keep going and form bonds with those with whom you feel an affinity, though you must ensure it's productive and collaborative. This is not a time to compromise on your goals and aspirations. Rather, it's the time to be originally and exclusively you. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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