True Mirror: Venus Stations Direct

Dear Friend and Reader:

Thursday, Venus stations direct in Gemini. It's been retrograde since May 13. Venus is retrograde the least of all the planets (about 8% of the time), so they are all meaningful, if not memorable.

First, a brief recap of the weekend's astrology, which included the northern solstice on Saturday and an eclipse of the Sun early Sunday morning. We are in one of those fulcrum moments, where tapping the telescope can shift the view by hundreds of light years. Pay attention to those moments where you can move on your pivot just a little, and alter the trajectory of your life.

These moments are not always easy to see, though it's fair to imagine that you're always in one; that every choice is relevant, and more significantly, every decision gives you practice in the basis by which you choose. Ultimately, each decision is a reflection of who you think you are, and what you think you are — so that is the thing to focus on and, in a real sense, the most significant decision you make.

Addressing the Problem of the Past

I say this knowing that this decision is rarely made consciously. Also, it's often experienced as the acceptance of one's mission and purpose, which is a choice. Yet this is often swayed and persuaded by past baggage and influences. The essence of the spiritual path is finding the present, and keeping both the past and the future in their appropriate context.

One of the processes I take all of my astrology clients through is journaling some moments in their lives that show up as similar to the current time. This presents an opportunity to frame one's personal history in a useful way rather than have it drive one's life "unconsciously." We have a lot of reevaluating to do.

Meanwhile, we are in a moment when your choices are amplified — and where it is possible to change the typical pattern you've lived with.

Remember that every time you choose, you affirm something that is true, or not true, about yourself. There is no great mystery here. It helps if you notice that seemingly outside influences can sway your sense of your own being and your own purpose. Keep an inventory of those people and situations, so you know them when they're up to their tricks.

Who you are and what you came here for have nothing whatsoever to do with the opinions of others. People who are supportive and informative are different from people who are merely opinionated.

Venus Direct in Gemini

One quality distinguishing the current Venus retrograde is that the past two times the retrograde happened in Gemini were both transits of Venus. Those were in 2004 and 2012. It seems everything that was being planned for 2012 ended up happening in 2020, though mostly in the form of emotional overreactions rather than New York City disappearing into the sea.

The more interesting implications of Venus retrograde are deeply personal. Venus is one of the most intimate planets, in terms of what it represents. Gemini is a sign close to the level of mundane human experience, and the first sign of the zodiac where humans appear.

Much of the human drama is driven by dualism — consciousness that creates perception of things being either one way or the other. There is truth to yin and yang, as long as you remember that each contains the other. They are not strictly opposites; they are complementary. That is not generally how we see or experience opposites in our society.

For various reasons, from religion to how the media portrays life to phony social Darwinism, we are pushed into perceiving opposites as clashing, and as being mutually incompatible. This tends to appear in the world, though it's a projection of thought. It could not seem true if people did not think it's true.

Venus stationing direct in Gemini illustrates the potential for inner reconciliation. This may be reconciliation from a conflict you were not aware would be happening. To the extent you have been guided by guilt, that is evidence of a struggle.

The Message of Our Times

It would seem that one message of our times is that we must be afraid of existence. It's not the only message — it depends on whether you're getting your information from the plants in your garden or from CNN.

Plants are an integration of air, earth, water and sunshine. Most of them love to cooperate with the human experience. You can gather mushrooms that serve 20 different purposes on one walk in the forest, and disrupt or disturb nothing.

CNN exists in competition with everyone and everything. They are broadcast by way of technology that divides everything into ones and zeros, and therefore amplifies and profits from that message. If you want to feel better, stop getting your "information" from television. Speaking as a professional news reporter, I assure you: no news is ever broadcast by way of a "news network."

Meanwhile, if you notice that you're afraid of existence, that is a spiritual issue, not a medical or scientific one. If you think that nature or society is a disease vector, that is a spiritual issue.

It's true that there are dangerous elements of existence, and that everything in physical form dies. Yet in our time, most danger is a thought form. Fear does not exist as an objective reality in the environment. It exists as a subjective state of mind. The purpose of life must be something other than dealing with, or hiding from, the supposed horrors of existence — though this is currently a popular philosophy that is being sold on every street corner.

If you can tune into who you really are, and therefore look at the world with fresh eyes, you may notice that there is suddenly a lot of space to move around and to explore your environment.

There is a new world to create, though that world will always be a reflection of who you are. So that is the most important choice you will ever make. It helps that though there are plenty of distractions, the underlying truth of your being does not change. You possess it in all of your strength and beauty.

With love,
New Planet Waves FM: THE CRUX — Season Finale!

Dear Friend and Reader:

In this week's season finale, I cover all the current astrology here at the solstice crux. More astrology is on the Daily Planets tab. I discuss the latest in news where science meets spiritual growth, and a new edition of Vesta Studio covering the impact of Covid 19 on the social aspects of sex.

I also have the results of our listener-sponsored Roundup contamination analysis in corn and wheat products. I play a few minutes of audio by an attorney named Leigh Dundas [link to video].

I read this article by Dutch columnist Maurice de Hond.

New programs go up at about 11 pm ET on the new Planet Waves website. We do not always send an announcement at that time. Just remember, Saturdays at about 11 pm ET.

If you appreciate the work we are doing, please consider sponsoring Planet Waves FM via our nonprofit arm Chiron Return. One-time and monthly contributions are very helpful and are now covering the program's expenses. Thank you for your generous contributions in these unusual and challenging times.

We also publish Covid19 News on Planet Waves, the only daily roundup of ALL news sources that we know of, with the most interesting stuff that we find.

With love,

A Reading About Work and Creativity

Dear Friend and Reader:

Long before our current social and economic upheaval, I was designing a reading called THE DHARMA. Initially inspired by something I read in a book on Tibetan Buddhism last year, I wanted to focus a reading on connecting with purpose. The Sanskrit word "dharma" means acting as if to hold the world together.

	30th Street Guitars is one of my best examples of living dharma — acting as if to hold the world together. I describe the business in the Pisces reading.

There are not many cohesive ideas about this. Most are abstract. Therapy can sometimes help, but it's expensive, and most therapists are not creative or business consultants (a precious few are).

Then suddenly society went through all these changes, and my concept for a reading turned out to be right on time.

You may have been jolted out of your previous economic reality by the ongoing financial scenario. This has affected both salaried workers and the gig economy.

In my experience as an astrologer, I know that it often takes something like this to help people hear their calling.

THE DHARMA brings some exuberance to this process. I work with the astrology, describing the environment, looking for openings and opportunities, and offering ideas to connect you with your purpose. I am good at this because it's one of the true joys of my astrological journey. If I could do nothing but creative consulting, business planning and professional focus, I would.

This reading will help you go through the changes that are upon us, whatever their source. We are in a time of extreme flux, and so this potential is present. Society is making a big retreat, and that means there is space available for you to do what you do.

This moment will not last forever. Take advantage of it while you can.

THE DHARMA reading is available as single signs (starting at $44; $22 for each additional) and all 12 signs (for $111). Each reading is fresh and original, and complements the others. At least get your sign and rising sign. You may share with your household!

Personal consulting starts at $555.

Thank you for your trust and your business.

With love,

PS — If you need a sliding-scale option for THE DHARMA, please write to cs@planetwaves.net.


Here are free five-minute reading samples of THE DHARMA:

Aries		Taurus		Gemini	Cancer		Leo		Virgo
Libra		Scorpio		Sagittarius	Capricorn		Aquarius		Pisces

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for June was published on Thursday, May 21. We published your extended monthly horoscope for May on Saturday, April 25. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) — If there is a conversation you've been wanting to have with a close partner or loved one, now is the time — especially if you've been avoiding it. Once you get over the initial nervousness of broaching the topic, you will likely realize you have more in common than not. You might find some differences to iron out, though if you remember the intentions and desires you share, you will find that easier than you think. What you must rely upon, and cultivate, is the mutual desire to have an understanding. Keep in mind that due to Mars retrograde in your sign, which you will start to notice in July, you are undergoing a kind of life review process. If you do that honestly, you will set aside the potential implications of what you discover, and stick to what you notice about yourself. Therefore, in all discussions with others, keep it light, and consider avoiding making promises about how you will feel in the future. You do not know that.



The Journey of You and Chiron | A New Reading by Eric Francis

Anyone who has encountered it is curious about Chiron. Planet Waves provides one of the few dependable online sources of information on this unusual planet. For the 10th anniversary Astrology Studio reading, I will be covering Chiron in Aries — a momentous event for all those born under this sign, and of high interest to everyone else. Get instant access to this reading here.

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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Venus stations direct this week. This is happening in Gemini, your house of priorities and re-evaluation. If you are wondering why you so often live as if opposite possibilities are true, this is described by the placement of the sign of dualism in your solar chart. While Libra often thinks of itself as being challenged in the realm of decisions, the influence of Gemini on your sign does not make this easy for you. You can use the developments of this week, both inner and outer, to teach you some new ways to guide your life. Ultimately, for you, it comes down to going deeper than your mind. The place where there is no split is how you feel, physically. The mental plane is full of shiny objects and distracting language. One thing may seem equal to another, if all things are equal — though they are not. The way to make decisions is seeing how possibilities settle into your stomach like food. They agree with you, or not.

You can now get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $44. This reading focuses on a professional breakthrough toward the end of the year, and preparing you for this development. Venus retrograde in the spring is preparation. Mars retrograde in the autumn is preparation.

Ultimately this is a spiritual development, yet in reality we are talking about aligning your purpose with action, with a calling, and with an opportunity. Elements of the reading go out to a series of power steps in 2021. Read more.

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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Between the Mercury retrograde that began this past Thursday and the Venus retrograde that ends in your sign this coming Thursday, you may not know whether you're coming or going. You do have a destination, though you also have some work to do before you get there. I suggest you evaluate how you know you've had the same thing go wrong repeatedly, that is, the particular ways you've identified where you find it difficult to learn. To the extent this is true for you, there is an underlying cause generating that effect. The chances are you accepted something incorrect that you were told or taught about yourself. It may have been one comment by one early caregiver that you internalized and accepted as the truth, when actually, it was entirely mistaken. If you pay attention you might discover a diversity of incorrect "facts" about yourself and your life. However, you will need the courage to challenge them, which in essence means standing up to whoever misinformed you.

Your 2020-21 Gemini Astrology Studio, The Sacred Space of Self, is now available for instant access. The reading covers Venus retrograde in your sign, Vesta in your sign, Saturn in Aquarius, and the momentous astrology at the end of the year.Thank you for your business and your trust.

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — One benefit of Mercury retrograde in your sign is that it will give you some emotional distance on deep personal matters where this will be helpful. It is difficult to have perspective or objectivity on one's own life, particularly in the realm of feelings. Now, though, you may have a reasonable conversation with yourself about topics you may have avoided, or that you've never discovered. The thing to track is your tendency to make decisions you don't understand, which seem to get the same negative results. The question is, how do you relate to what you learn from experiences? Or said in fewer words, how do you learn about yourself? A little reflection on this matter will go a long way. Usually in therapy one would break the learning process down into steps. The essence is being able to see yourself just slightly removed (which is what a therapist would help with). Anyone observant and honest can assist, though you need this life skill. Regarding the recent solar eclipse in your sign, this will help with one facet of your observations: the enhanced ability to tell the past from the present. That is a valuable tool in any circumstances.

You may pre-order your 2020-21 Cancer Astrology Studio here. This year, the time of Cancer begins with an eclipse on the solstice, as well as Mercury retrograde in your sign. This is astrology that points to you in a personal way, describing a transition you may not feel ready to make but have been preparing for over long years. Chiron in Aries is also a prominent factor, pointing to some pioneering developments in your professional life. I will cover these aspects, and much more.

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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — There are facets of yourself and your experience that you don't talk about, and it may be time. There are also elements of your thoughts, feelings and experiences that you don't admit to yourself, and for this, too, it may be time. You will see what you're looking for out of the corners of your eyes, and the edges of your feelings, rather than going directly at them. One dream, or even one image from a dream, can be revealing of an essential clue. The thing about whatever your chart is describing is that it's easy to bypass, overlook or avoid. There may seem to be no urgency or logical purpose. Yet self-understanding is its own reward. People tend to be happier, more successful and easier to get along with when they have a sense of their inner territory — and you are being drawn into that region in a way that is unusual and can serve you well. The astrological conditions creating this will not last long — a few weeks at most. At the moment, you have a way to remember who you were before so much else seemed to obscure it.

Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — This thing about people deciding who they are based on what they think everyone else thinks about them has long been a problem — though in our era, the issue has gone over the top. You may be figuring this out all of a sudden, perhaps with a sense of shock that you're not a digital mirage. You still exist without your phone. You can be seen and heard in the physical world, with no connection to electricity. I suggest you take this all the way, and see if you can retrieve the person you were prior to the overload of electrical devices were injected into your self-concept. You're likely to have several experiences that clue you into the extent of the issue, and that lead you to want to retrieve who you were — and who in truth you still are. Doing things offline will help, such as reading from an actual book, writing on paper, digging in your garden or at least repotting plants. Yet the deeper experiences that realign you with yourself may take you by surprise, such as when drinking a glass of water or listening to your cat purr.

Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Your sign is ruled by the sign Venus, which stations direct Thursday after a six-week retrograde. The theme of inner planet retrogrades sometimes involves a retrieval of something valuable from the past. Here's my theory. As a child or young adult, you had one vision for your future, which competed with other people's ideas about what you 'should' do with your life. One way or another, those ideas influenced you. They may have shifted your life path, or in some way affected your confidence in your ultimate choices. You may have tried to live both realities, attempting a compromise between them. As Venus stations direct this week, you have a doorway open to a space where you can correct this. Be honest about what you wanted in the past, and what you want today, to the point where you can articulate those things to yourself clearly. While it's true that you have new desires for experience, resolving this underlying conflict will help you find the present.

Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — This is a sensitive moment in a personal relationship, as a close partner seems to be making up their mind about how they feel. Yet this is not about you. The nature of their inquiry is deeply personal, and as far removed from you as is possible. You are correct to consider how this may influence your life, though as they go through this process, do everything you can to step back and not take matters personally. That is challenging when a relationship is so close that your identity seems to be built on it, though this is an opportunity for you to review that notion, if it's something that affects you. If you feel any form of alienation, even as mild as someone else seeming distracted or preoccupied, this is the time to inquire into matters of dependency. Many factors in your astrology are pushing, pulling and encouraging you to connect with who you are as an individual rather than as a participant in any specific relationship, or all of them together.

Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — By the end of the year, you're going to ask yourself what you were so obsessed over. You might, therefore, want to try a method other than obsession to create what you want, and to get what you need. On our particular planet, a little focus and concentrated effort go a long way. You can definitely handle that. Taking the lead on communication, and the overall concept of holding the world together, would also be excellent approaches. The ultimate spiritual task is finding common ground. Where a relationship is concerned, that is particularly relevant, as you want the relationship to either work on every level, or be expressed differently if it's not. That is going to come from actual bona fide mutual understanding, which is a conscious thing and not an accident. You are resourceful and, when you want to be, you're flexible. Flexible includes open to the possibilities rather than predicting them, which is a form of setting limits.

Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — A door has opened for you. This may have come in the form of a veil seeming to be lifted that changed your perception of the world. You can imagine it as some external curtain opening and giving you a glimpse of a new reality. Yet the changes you're going through are so profound, it's better to imagine any change in perception as something originating entirely within yourself, even if you can see and feel it with your senses. This includes relationships. Any movement within a partnership situation, or a potential one, is the result of something that has moved within you. Whatever that is, it's still in motion. And where it stops will be far from where it is today. Of course the "it" is you — you are in a deep transformational process of a kind that it's fair to say involves your spiritual life. Yet this is not spiritual in the form of something separate or a part of your world, but rather your relationship to existence. You no longer live in a small world. Yet to make that real, your boot heels must go wandering.

Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — This is a good time for a health review, particularly in the zone where emotional wellbeing meets physical. For you, they are one and the same thing. Your state of wellbeing runs in cycles, and it will help if you understand more about them. In fact, anything cyclical in your life can be considered under the general topic of being well. One meaningful place to make an inquiry are your work patterns. It is an understatement to say you need daily activity that is emotionally meaningful to you. You need a place to work that supports your body and is pleasing to your senses. Any office you work in must feel like home, with the basic amenities of home. Many people are accustomed to working under fluorescent light with a fridge and microwave and public bathroom. You need sunlight, an actual kitchen, and a place to rest when you want to. In many ways, for you, work is your home, so it needs to feel that way.

Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

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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. Get instant access to this reading here.

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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The Sun is finally back in a water sign (for the first time since your birthday), which is so essential to you that it should always be true. Suddenly there is emphasis on the sign Cancer, your 5th house of art, recreation and playful sex. Sunday's solar eclipse right at the gateway to this house is offering you an opening to what you might think of as your true home. So take this time and do your creative, recreational and playful thing. Move a little heaven and earth to make it so, which might be as simple as slowing down, making sure your basic responsibilities are met early so they're not hanging over your head, and live from the inside out. If you can do that, you'll be exploring new space, and an unusual way of living for people in our time (where we tend to live from the outside in, or said another way, oriented on appearances and glamor). Forget the results, or the product, or what anyone might think, and just do your thing.

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