The Election, Saturn and the Great Attractor Dear Friend and Reader: It's political season in the U.S. of A. Unlike most countries, where they get in and out of the elections, here in the States we have an endless phase of quarter finals, semi-finals, demi-finals, playoffs, and finally, the final finals.. The presidential race goes on for two years, with many hundreds of millions of dollars changing hands.
That Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders came out on top of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday is worth comment; and last night, during the recording of Planet Waves FM, I figured out how it shows up in the astrology. Though I cannot stomach Donald Trump (it must be his particular shade of orange), I understand the anger and frustration that's driving his candidacy. People are pissed off. Rage is a crackling, burning undercurrent of American life. That explains the guns, the road rage, the misogyny, the racism and the Tea Party. On the Republican side, Trump is running against a field of, well, pallid, unoriginal liars. I can't believe anyone takes any of them seriously, so on one level it makes sense that Trump is appealing to the most people. I do get the chills every time I hear or read "Let's Make America Great Again" -- for fluorescent-tinted alleged billionaires like him. On the Democratic side, it seems like Hillary Clinton is getting the surprise of her life; after all, it was supposed to be her turn. The nomination was supposed to be a coronation. But it seems like people are not buying her whole shtick. For one thing, her voice is as grating as Trump's hue (well, and his voice -- they should do a duet for the Difficult Listening Hour).
While the outcome of the nomination process is obviously still uncertain -- we have 48 states left to go, and weird nominating rules (all those super-delegates) -- there is a clear polarization along the axis of Trump and Sanders. These are two men who could not be more different, or espouse more different philosophies of politics. American politics has long been polarized. North versus South, rich versus poor, urban versus rural -- we seem to live in two countries rather than 50 states. In one of those countries, people appreciate the freedom and opportunity they have. In the other, there's no opportunity block someone's fun that's too trivial to resist. Most presidential elections are decided by one or two percentage points of the popular vote. But in our age of Democrats acting like Republicans and Republicans acting like an alien species, it's difficult to sort things out. I say jokingly that I voted for Obama because I thought he would be a good Republican president -- and he's been just that. However, the current scenario, with a self-described socialist leading one party while a self-avowed self-serving, self-alleged billionaire capitalist leads the other party, sure is an interesting version of polarity. In a sense it shows you how divided things really are. There are many unexpected factors, such as younger women not supporting Hillary, and many young people (including women) gravitating to Sanders. We haven't seen young folk gravitate toward an old guy since Buckminster Fuller was the hottest ticket in town.
The daddy issue is the problem with American politics. It's a competition for who we want to answer our need for authority, protection, money, shelter and justice. American politics is all about Father Knows Best, which has been converted into a game show -- or perhaps a reality show. I am not sure when some plurality of people will take the step beyond expecting daddy to fix everything. Rather, politics seems to be a question of, who is the daddy that will save us from this mess? So as much as the election is a political process, I also consider it a kind of real-time psychology test. When I listen to Trump speak, I frequently hear the word, and the feeling tone, of disgust (particularly at Mexicans, Muslims, women and reporters, who are all 'bad people' in his mind). Disgust is the deep mystical yearning of conservatism. I covered this briefly several hundred editions of Planet Waves ago, under the general heading of moral psychology. One premise of moral psychology is that political values are predictable by many concepts seemingly unrelated to politics, including disgust. If you're curious about this, you can read about, and take, a diversity of moral psychology tests at this link. Trump was the guy who at a campaign rally was ordering his goons to throw people out in the cold and to "take away their coat" one cold night in Vermont. (By that, he meant to say steal their coat.) He threatens and bullies as a way of life. He gets off on firing people. Women, to him, are disgusting and bleed from their eyes. And a lot of people get off on him.
And people are responding. But they are responding to more than his ideas -- they are responding to someone who for all appearances is close to his humanity and his real values. Finally, there is a discernible difference between two leading candidates. Yes, Gore was definitely different from Dubya, though not with this kind of contrast. Perhaps that's because Gore was holding back emotionally. Neither Trump nor Sanders are holding back. And as a result we can see some actual differentiation. Both are outsider candidates, making their respective political parties nervous. That's because they are exposing something closer to the core than ordinary politics as usual. I was pondering the Aquarius New Moon chart from Monday, wondering where we might see that distinction show up. Last night -- practically mid-sentence, describing the chart on Planet Waves FM -- it occurred to me. Saturn in Sagittarius is conjunct something called The Great Attractor (located hundreds of millions of light years away). I've mentioned this point many times, though it's difficult to describe. It's definitely what the name implies -- the Milky Way is part of a massive group of galaxies being drawn in the direction of mid-Sagittarius. The Great Attractor is a node, where many galaxy clusters converge. Just how massive our cluster is has emerged in recent years; you can read about it here, and don't miss the fantastic four-minute video about halfway down the page. It's really quite eye-opening, and the first cohesive description of how galaxies are organized that I've ever seen.
It's often helpful for people who have this point emphasized in their chart to hear that to hear that this reaction is a known, typical effect of the Great Attractor. I've commented many times about how the Great Attractor and the relatively nearby core of our own galaxy are both in Sagittarius. To me this really ramps up the cosmic themes of this sign. And now Saturn is right there -- conjunct the Great Attractor as we speak. It will be hanging around that point all year, and will be just one degree away on Election Day -- a close alignment. Saturn represents many expressions of form and structure, but nothing says parental quite like this planet. Only now it's parental in the style of the God-complex that can come with strong Sagittarian placements. So in a sense, this is an election about who we will choose as our representation of father-God. Will it be the guy who throws people out into the cold without their coat, will it be the guy who wants everyone to get an education, or will it be our mother who is in bed with Goldman Sachs, and who favors the death penalty? Notably, on Election Day, Venus is conjunct the core of our own galaxy, and also conjunct a centaur called Pholus. This is an election that is describing broad, potent cosmic forces at work. Seen one way, it's not an election at all; it's a kind of spiritual initiation. With love, 
Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, by Planet Waves, Inc. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Designer: Lizanne Webb. Office Manager: Lauren Gdovin. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Client Services: Amy Elliott. Media Consultant: Andrew Marshall McLuhan. Eric's Assistant: Whitney Beecroft. Research, Writing and Editing: In addition to those listed above, Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick.
 Mercury Breaks Free, and So Can You Dear Friend and Reader: This weekend brings the moment you've (possibly) been waiting for. No, I'm not talking about Valentine's Day (though you might be excited about that, too -- or not). Rather, this weekend Mercury finally breaks free, and maybe in some metaphorical way you can, too.
I know; sometimes it feels like the only thing that happens in astrology is Mercury retrograde. Technically its last retrograde ended Jan. 25. But I've heard from a number of people for whom this post-retrograde 'shadow' or 'echo' phase has been tougher than the main event. If that sounds like you, take heart. I suspect there's something about Capricorn's orientation to the past (thanks to Saturn) that made it easier to review insights from your personal history as you perceived them within the container (Saturn again) of the official retrograde weeks. Now that you're trying to implement those insights and initiate something new, your ideas about 'where you could go' might still be bumping up against the old walls of 'how things used to be'. At least, that's one possibility. Or maybe teasing out the solutions to problems you encountered is taking more ingenuity than you feel like you have at your fingertips. That could change soon. The charts for Mercury's ingress of Aquarius and the end of the shadow/echo phase both suggest to me a little extra freedom -- or, at least, an unusual absence of intensely direct mental influences. A brief breather, perhaps, since Mercury does not make any major aspects to classical planets immediately upon entering Aquarius. That's not to say that nothing else is happening in the sky; the Moon will be traveling through impulsive, go-getter Aries from Thursday morning through Saturday morning, and then it will be in persistent-yet-leisurely Taurus until Monday morning. In each of those signs, the Moon will make a variety of aspects to many planets -- so you can expect a constantly shifting inner landscape, rather than camping out in any particular emotion.
Additionally, the one co-existing aspect that jumped out at me in the chart for Mercury entering Aquarius is rather a pleasant one. Mars in Scorpio and retrograde Jupiter in Virgo will be exactly sextile each other Saturday. This is one of those aspects that generally speaks of positive opportunities, good physical energy levels, sincerity and a constructive approach to authority. That Jupiter is retrograde suggests you might take a more inward tack with the good mojo. What does that mean, exactly? Well, in Mercury-ruled Virgo, I could see it taking shape as a much-needed pep-talk with yourself, if you've been struggling -- the kind of pep-talk that is oriented on a tangible plan of action. With Mars in watery Scorpio, we get the potential to open the flow into some generosity, devotion and empathy toward yourself ('evolved' Scorpio traits), and to go deep with it. I like to think that an un-aspected Mercury in Aquarius is open-minded enough to 'get it' intellectually, in a way that sticks on some level. Aquarius allows Mercury (and therefore your mind, which it represents) to be steady, yet resourceful and intuitive. Like when you take a brisk walk on a crisp winter afternoon, and suddenly the angle of some tree branches in the sunlight, glimpsed through your frosty breath, suggest a workable solution to a problem you've been mulling over. If you've been struggling, and especially if you've been down on yourself about it (or if you're getting angsty about Valentine's Day, or beginning to pile it with expectations), what might a fresh, crisp Aquarian mind show you this weekend? Most problems have creative, productive solutions to them; sometimes it just takes some fresh air to notice them. Yours & truly,  Amanda Painter 
By Amanda Painter Shea Glover, a student at Chicago High School for the Arts, posted a video this past spring of what began as an independent project for her Integrated Arts class, but which became a social experiment. (Watch Glover's video here.) She writes, "I asked students and teachers to allow me to take their picture for a project. Some of them I knew. Most of them I did not. As I recorded them, I told them the purpose of my project." What Glover has captured is a wide range of completely spontaneous and sincere reactions in people as she tells them that she is filming beauty -- and that they are beautiful. Everything from surprise and delight and gratitude, to a mirroring back of the appreciation of beauty, to embarrassment and disbelief, to determination to keep a neutral mask of non-reaction -- and everything in between -- is visible. One young woman, whose beliefs about herself apparently run counter to Glover's statement, reacts with anger (but is there another layer to it?). Nobody escapes unaffected. Glover remarks on her YouTube page: "I want to clarify that my intentions were not to get a reaction out of people. I was simply filming beauty and this is the result." Where will you see beauty this Valentine's Day weekend? Do you see it in yourself?  This Week on Planet Waves FM Aquarius New Moon: Believe in Humanity Dear Friend and Listener:
I consider the astrology of the New Hampshire primary results, in which Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won decisive victories. To me this is about Saturn conjunct the Great Attractor -- which can have a polarizing influence. Now, American politics is polarized enough that you can actually see the difference between two major candidates. You can learn more about the primaries on Wednesday's Democracy Now! broadcast. I also read the chart of prolific and gifted singer-songwriter (and childhood friend of my mom) Carole King, whose birthday was Feb. 9. I look at her supremely Aquarius chart (posted to the edition's page) with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Ceres in Aquarius. This is a stunning chart, with both Mercury and Venus retrograde. My musical guest is the excellent Arc Iris, who are making their second visit to Planet Waves FM. Please visit their Bandcamp page. Every note is magnificent. With love, Your Aquarius Birthday Reading is Ready!
I've just finished the Aquarius birthday reading. My birthday readings are like a course in self-therapy, guided by astrology. The reading is designed to tune you into several levels of thought -- your "unconscious" level, your identity level, your values, and your point of exchange with others. The result is a truly helpful set of perspectives, priced to be affordable. You may play it in any format, and the reading is designed for busy people -- divided into three 30-minute segments. Listen to free samples here: Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3 Get your reading tonight for just $24.95 here.
Coming soon! Intro to Tarot and Divination class, taught by Eric Francis. Check your email or Facebook for an announcement this week.
 Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes We published your extended monthly horoscopes for February on Thursday, Jan. 21. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for January on Wednesday, Dec. 23. Your Moonshine horoscope for the Aquarius New Moon, by Len Wallick, is published below in this issue. Please note, we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.  Moonshine Horoscope for Feb. 11, 2016, #1087 | By Len Wallick
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 Your 2016-17 birthday reading has been published!
Listen to free samples here: Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3 Order your reading tonight for just $24.95 here The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
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