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Dear Friend and Reader:

Today is the Pisces New Moon. It's the last New Moon of the astrological year, Pisces being the last of the 12 signs. It's a brilliant aspect, but just the beginning. March 2009 will stand out as one of the most extraordinary months in the astrological history of our era. The choreography of the planets and the energy that is rippling out through our small dimension of reality are at once reminiscent of the 1960s, of many similar eras, and of a time we have yet to encounter, 2012.

Vermilion Rockfish. Photo by Bev Dulis.

There is energy in the air; we can all feel it, but you can be sure that many people won't know what to do with it; many will be intimidated. Don't fall for this. Now is the time to push your boundaries, stretch your limits and express what you've been holding back. You may need to push others as you do this, at least to the point where they give you space to be yourself. But don't wait, or struggle -- take your space, and use it well.

Though the Sun is now in Pisces, the core energy remains focused in that crystal known as Aquarius. We are in an Aquarius alignment the world has not seen the like of since 1962, back when John Glenn first orbited the Earth. So let this astrology send you into orbit, and take a good look at your life, and the planet and our time in history.

At the moment, the Aquarius alignment includes the Moon's North Node -- which points to the future, and recent eclipses across Leo/Aquarius. Jupiter is pushing us out of our intellectual boxes (they are usually pretty small) and reminding us of the need to emerge from our technological isolation (and mania with trivia). We love technology but we don't see how superficial it can make us. Jupiter is inspiring us think bigger and to exchange original ideas in community. If the people around you are boring, get some new people.

Nessus (a centaur planet) and Juno (an asteroid) are pointing out the problems with our obsession with the "special relationship." We dream and dream of one kind of relationship, barely noticing when it doesn't work; we usually do this to the exclusion of other forms of intimacy. There are many, and while something in your mind may say it's a sin to explore them, that is for you to decide, not some childhood programming to dictate.

On March 5, there are two conjunctions. The first is Mars conjunct Chiron, which is focusing warrior energy on the level of making the world safe to be individuals, together. And Mercury conjunct Neptune is reminding us that we already know what we need to know. Action is the fruit of knowledge.

March 6, Venus stations retrograde in Aries, and stations direct April 17 in the last degree of Pisces. I'll have more to say about this soon.

The Virgo Full Moon is March 10, which is very close to the Saturn-Uranus opposition and will certainly come with an interesting (to put it politely) cascade of news and other developments. So stay tuned, antennae up, eyes on the road (and the scenery).

Yours & truly,

Seeking Astrology Interns. To my readers - I am seeking astrology interns for a one-year commitment. I need people who are creative, dedicated to their astrological studies and fully committed to making Planet Waves a stunning success in the world. The requirements as stated are pretty stringent, but if you feel you might be qualified I would encourage you to apply. Find out more information here. Thank you. -- efc

Aries (March 20-April 19)
As people and situations disappear off the radar, you might ask where they are going. And while you are asking, I suggest you take their fading out as an opportunity to simplify your life. You have good reason to do so, namely that it will provide you with the opportunity to focus on one aspect of your personal goals that will lead you to the most satisfying and moreover authentic success. But herein reside the core issues, of which there are three. There is one dimension of accomplishment that is connected to what you feel you deserve; there is another with how high you set your goals; and another connected to how much discipline you can muster. You need to work on all three aspects of yourself at once. There is one additional challenge -- your most meaningful objective or goal may, at the moment, be mixed in with much other activity that obscures it. So the first thing you must focus on is discernment, and part of that is about knowing yourself. This is the thing that is given lots of chatter in our world, and many people claim to possess this pearl of great price. This month, I will leave you with a question: assuming you feel you possess deep self-knowledge, how would you know if you did not?

Read your 2008 annual for Aries. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Aries and Aries rising here.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
Your sign is renowned for its ability to resist, and to persist. Yet there are times you may find yourself resisting what you want the most, and persisting at what you want the least. Events of the next two months (and indeed the next two weeks) seem determined to teach you one thing, which is your true objective in life. Will you notice it when you finally have the information, or the gut feeling? This is a question of awareness, but also a question of how you deal with originality. Here is the Paradox of Originality, as I see it. When you finally figure out that you want to do something that's never been done, you reach a juncture. This is the place where you must decide if you're capable of doing something that has no preset plan; no precedent; no pre-approval by the world; and no guarantee of success. In a sense, one problem is solved and another few are created. Your commitment level is tested, and you can confront the moment of being in a place without a map -- and that includes rich inner territory without any prefabricated guide. The truth is most people would rather run. It's easier and generally works better, that is, if you don't care.

Read your 2008 annual for Taurus. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Taurus and Taurus rising here.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
The angle of your chart that is pumping megavolts of power is the one where you meet the wider world of ideas and of possibilities. It's the house of going past your mental limits. To get there, you need to do at least two things. One, throw away, dissolve or step out of the contracts in relationships that do little other than create those limitations. Your life in that case consciously would become about something more than hooking up with that one special person. This supposed goal takes the place of every other goal, which keeps you locked in your past and terrified of the future. The second thing, as far as I can see, is figuring out the extent to which you allow yourself to take action on ideas you suspect other people won't approve of. As in most matters, you will be coming at this from two distinct viewpoints: for example, one that wants to blaze out and be absolutely yourself; and another that will want no part of anything like that. Please don't make the mistake of spending more time fighting yourself than you do expressing yourself. Remember that just because something is acceptable to others does not mean it's not worth your time. Just because part of you rejects an idea does not mean it's wrong for you.

Read your 2008 annual for Gemini. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Gemini and Gemini rising here.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)
If I am not mistaken, the whole concept of making deals probably revolts you. It's not that you don't like success; it's that you don't like thinking of it in terms of a hustle or a game where one person wins and another person loses. And it's likely to be even more irritating that so many people walk around with such an idea of success -- that it implies failure by someone else, or anything other than a situation where everyone benefits. A lot of people do in fact lose in these situations, and plenty more cheat to get a piece of the action, and this does in fact hurt people. And most of it is simply an addiction not to wealth or excess, but rather to the feeling of greed. Therefore, your primary objective this month needs to be thinking some other way. There are in truth many other ways available to us. What you may discover, as you experiment with them, is not so much a distrust of win/lose situations, but rather a distrust of situations where you come out ahead at all -- and the time has come to leave this particular worldview in the recycling heap of your psychic history. To accomplish this, note that you don't have to do things a lot differently, only a little differently. And this is not about being different -- it's about being who you are.

Read your 2008 annual for Cancer. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Cancer and Cancer rising here.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)
Clearly this is an unusual time in your life, though the universe has yet to reveal its true colors. You may not understand the motives of someone close to you, or why they need to be so zealous about what they are trying to accomplish. Remember that not so long ago they had that moment when their ideas seemed like sage wisdom; but you may be having your doubts. This is understandable enough. Most of us would rather live in a laid-back world where things just happen. In the human realm, nothing just happens; everything is connected to intention and volition. Even the choice to be unconscious is an option. The situation you are looking at is rapidly driving itself in the direction where awareness is the only option, and that awareness would be very useful coming from you. You will feel more in control of your vehicle the more you apply your own intention and energy to the situation -- gently, dancing with the flow, but consciously. There is an incomprehensible amount of energy moving, but the thing to remember is that it is beginning to focus like a laser. That calls for all the more care in how you handle it; all the more refinement; and with Mercury and Neptune together in the picture, the east-facing, forehead-to-the-ground honoring of your intuition above all else.

Read your 2008 annual for Leo. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Leo and Leo rising here.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
The myth is that you are taking your time, needing to think the situation through left, right and in reverse; and that others are provoking you to immediate action. This story has been going on so long they are starting to etch it into the side of the Great Sphinx, right where they hid the water damage with new masonry. There is at least one deeper layer to this psychology (with psychology there always is). Your caution and indeed your reticence to act is a veil thrown over your fear that your impetuosity will not lead to a flood, but rather a fire. Beneath your stoic exterior, your mind is on burning up. You seem to get into these cycles of thought, and I am sure there have been moments recently when you doubted your sanity. You may also be wondering whether some of your ideas are as brilliant as you think they are; as brilliant as they seem when they burst out like a solar flare or push you as you walk, like a firm gust of wind. I don't think your mind is damaged; not in the sense of broken. What you have experienced has revealed elements of weakness and imbalance, but you've also experienced this sense of an interior opening where something truly different is escaping into your awareness. I suggest you feel, and think, and take notes; you will not burst into flames.

Read your 2008 annual for Virgo. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Virgo and Virgo rising here.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
Creative power quickly turns destructive if it's not focused with the utmost intention. In truth (at least in my spiritual view), all toxic energy or matter, and all destructive or self-destructive actions, are composed of misdirected creativity. It is easy to see this fact if you look closely enough and compassionately enough at any situation. However, there is another side to this. Any true (at least true in my opinion) artist will tell you that they draw enormous strength from their shadow material; from the places inside themselves that are filled with the things most people avoid vehemently: their pain, fear, regret, shame and their sense of the past. Creativity is about ideas, yes, but it's also about burning all this shadow stuff as fuel. There are spiritual traditions that call this burning off karma, which is a close enough approximation. It's not surprising how much of this stuff gathers around sex and relationships where sex is a factor. This dark erotic matter is some of the most potent source material for the creative process. There is just one thing: to go there, you have to get your hands dirty. The kind of art you are making is not airbrush or Adobe Illustrator. It's more like finger-painting or sculpting with hot, wet clay -- which would be you.

Read your 2008 annual for Libra. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Libra and libra rising here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
Family of choice is rapidly becoming a more important influence in the world than family of origin. This makes sense to me, because the nuclear family is basically a creation of marketing culture, and humans are inherently tribal. It is this aspect of your life that is coming into focus now. The implication of your charts is that you are discovering, perhaps once again, that you are profoundly different than most of the people you know. By my reading you may feel you're so different in the context of your values around home, family and tribe that you have long feared that you would never fit in. Everyone reaches this point at some time in their life; you have been here so many times that it's starting to perplex you as to why. There are really two ways you can go, at this juncture. One is to try to conform; to seem normal; to set aside some of the things you might count as frivolous in exchange for something perhaps more necessary -- such as a relationship as society defines it. The other way to go is to plunge all the way into what about you is absolutely different, and vow to be that person. As with so many simple things that it took Bob Dylan to remind us, "If you try to be anyone but yourself, you will fail."

Read your 2008 annual for Scorpio. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Scorpio and Scorpio rising here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself on this subject of your ideas, your ability to work with them and their influence in your life. Remember our society's profound phobia of being different, of thinking differently, and even of having an original thought. It is a phobia (generally with its origins sometime around kindergarten) that borders on manic, though in appearance it is often subdued. Be aware of this as you pursue a concept that you know is profoundly important to you. You don't need anyone's permission for what you are thinking or doing, and indeed this is an opportunity to step outside the notion that you do. This may be the easy part, anyway. The real struggle we face is what to do with freedom. Like many commentators on human potential before me, I am of the view that freedom is the most terrifying state of mind for "civilized" people -- in part because it implies a) the necessity to take responsibility and b) being wrong, or a potential lack of civility. Freedom must, by its nature, embrace every possibility. Mars conjunct Chiron this month reminds us that what has the power to heal will also have the power to do harm, and this is why consciously directed intention, connected to conscious action, is the safest, most productive place you can put the focus of your mind right now. No other will ever suffice.

Read your 2008 annual for Sagittarius. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Sagittarius and Sagittarius rising here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
With the world in the throes of money problems and the media delivering daily promises that the economy will seize like an engine without oil, this is your time to be resourceful. You do have resources; it's a question of whether you know it or not, and whether you are willing to take a chance putting them to work for you. These resources will come in two forms, people and ideas. Despite its reputation for high achievement, your sign is one of the more retreating ones in the zodiac. But Pluto is pushing you to come out of your shell and express your passion. This would include focusing on aspects of your life that have deeper personal meaning than most Westerners are accustomed to ever experiencing. There may be many important values, goals or needs that are surfacing, and have been over the last couple of months, and the prevailing question is: where do you start? How do you do it all? It will not be long before one of them can be seen to be more important in its own right, and hold a key to the rest. This will take discernment and focus, which may be in short supply right now. That is the place to start. If you know what is important to you and moreover why it is important, you will see the obvious choices for what they are.

Read your 2008 annual for Capricorn. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Capricorn and Capricorn rising here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
For a decade of your life, that is, dating back to approximately 1998, the prevailing influence on your personality was one that created a sense of obscurity about who you are. At best, this often came with a sense of being lost; at its worst, the feeling that you were living a lie. Yet the doubt and fog served a purpose, which was to melt away psychic patterns that, had they persisted, might have created a toxic mentality from which it would have been extremely difficult to escape. The process has started to change over the past few years, and very recently something seems to have thrown itself into a whole new direction. And I do mean thrown: the current astrology has come at you like a gale-force wind, with many changes, rapid inner and outer developments and perhaps a good splash of chaos for seasoning. In the midst of this, something is coming into high-resolution focus. I could write a book describing this one particular aspect, but in the simplest terms it is about mastering the ability to direct your willpower, your intention and your sense of presence in the world -- all as one entity. Feel that. Let this become who you are. The fog has cleared, the past is over, and you are sailing on the high seas.

Read your 2008 annual for Aquarius. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Aquarius and Aquarius rising here.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)
You have no idea -- or maybe you do. The upsurge of energy that has been building behind the scenes of your life has now given way to one of the most interesting and high-energy performances on the cosmic stage. This is an extremely chaotic time for many, and no doubt you are feeling the pressure. Yet this is a cosmic moment that was made for a Pisces, because so much of it involves vast developments that transpose between the hidden world and the manifest one. You are gifted with a kind of psychic radar that few people around you have, or understand. Over the next few weeks it's going to be providing you with extremely precise information; with keys to solving long-standing problems; and with a perspective on life that will reveal opportunities that are directly relevant to your talents and mission. You need to be an extraordinarily careful observer of yourself, of the people around you, and of the flow of events. You are as protected as you may be overwhelmed, so you can afford to trust the flow of events, and your perception of them. You can trust that the people you need, and who need you, are the ones who are now coming into your life. Most of all, you can trust your intentions. This is a rare, glorious and dangerous time to be alive. Let's do it well.

Read your 2008 annual for Pisces. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Pisces and Pisces rising here.