Small Wheel Turns by the Fire and Rod,
Big Wheel Turns by the Grace of God

Dear Friend and Reader:

(And every time that wheel goes 'round, you're bound to cover just a little more ground.) Last month at this time, I introduced the idea that late 2017 through 2018 brings a new era astrologically. While things are constantly changing in the sky (no two days are alike, and one day to the next can be distinctly different), what happens over the next year or so happens only rarely. This is when a series of slow-moving planets change signs around the same time.

Refuge by Lucinda Abra.

The last time something similar to this happened was 2010 into 2012, when Chiron, Uranus and Neptune changed signs in fairly close sequence. We were also experiencing a meeting of Uranus and Pluto in a 90-degree aspect. Think back on those years. They include the BP oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico (which started the day Chiron entered Pisces), and the multiple meltdowns and nuclear plant explosions at Fukushima (which happened the day Uranus entered Aries).

These were two irrevocable incidents that changed the world, damaged the environment, and set the tone for the era that was to come. In those years, we also experienced Arab Spring, the Wisconsin labor protests (please let's never forget these), the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

These were eventful years. We are on notice that things do indeed change and they do indeed fall apart. We see the limits of protest as a mode of social expression; in particular, the way that Arab Spring descended into tyranny and war.

Note that UFOs did not land on the White House lawn. The world did not end. Humanity did not ascend to the 5th dimension; most of humanity, however, did transform into the astral world of the internet, and we're now sharing an out-of-body experience through our touch-screen phones.

In the Background: Uranus Conjunct Eris

In the background of all current astrology is a world-class conjunction: Uranus conjunct Eris. This is an approximately once-per-century event; it last occurred in 1927 and 1928. Uranus conjunct Eris is on the magnitude of events in 1891 (Neptune conjunct Pluto), 1927-28 (Uranus conjunct Eris), 1965-1966 (Uranus conjunct Pluto) and 1993 (Uranus conjunct Neptune). Note that the same names keep coming up.

In the Beginning by Lucinda Abra.

These are the slowest-moving planets recognized by mainstream astrology. (Eris, discovered in 2005, is still not getting the attention she deserves, which -- if you know mythology at all -- is not a good idea. It also demonstrates how astrologers tend to do their work looking into the rearview mirror of tradition.)

There have been many significant aspect patterns since 1891, though this series of conjunctions is in a class by itself. And we have one operating in the background right now. I say background because these aspects tend to color the environment in a way that's difficult to perceive. The background always is; we tend to notice the features dancing around on the stage, in the spotlight, or on TV.

I have covered many times in this space the relationship of Uranus conjunct Eris to electric media and, in the current era, the overwhelming digital environment. That would be more meaningful to those who have some clue as to our plight: the way that drowning in digital has restructured our minds and our society. We keep seeing little clues about this: digital devices shorten attention span, make people test lower on intelligence tests, create dangerous situations on the roads, cause depression in teenagers, infuse our minds with invisible light rays (which is exactly what microwave and wifi devices do, and why they interfere with sleep -- just like leaving a light on in the room), make the brain swell and cause cancer. But all of those are like little fragments of the problem floating around. There's a much bigger problem, bigger than most people can conceive of.

Again quoting Eric McLuhan, son of 20th century media philosopher Marshall McLuhan, "The body is everywhere assaulted by all of our new media, a state which has resulted in deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world. In the age of disembodied communication, the meaning and significance and experience of the body is utterly transformed and distorted."

The body includes all levels of identity on the physical plane. Meditate on the words, "deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world." Remember them when you're seeing all this chaos unfold on TV, whatever that chaos might be. When you look at the world and think, This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! say them softly to yourself.

Saturn Ingressing Capricorn on Dec. 19

Saturn was last in Capricorn from February 1988 through February 1991; its own momentous time in history, associated with the 1993 conjunction of Uranus and Neptune. It was a formative time for the world in which we are now living, including a similar phase of deconstruction and collapse prior to the "new world order" taking hold (borrowing a phrase from then-president, George Bush the elder).

Thought by Lucinda Abra.

Saturn will be joining Pluto in Capricorn, which began back in 2008 and ends in early 2024. This, too, is one of those vast, sweeping background transits that sets the color and tone of the era in which it happens. For example, soon after Pluto (a kind of unstoppable force) entered Capricorn (the sign of society's structures), we had the banking collapse and the beginning of the so-called Great Recession.

When you have Saturn and Pluto in the same sign it means you're close to a Saturn-Pluto conjunction, which is another way of saying Big Astrology. Saturn conjunct Pluto (which happens once every 35 years) is the peak of Pluto in Capricorn; in other words, expect another wave of changes you never imagined possible.

There will be, at first, an opportunity to start some cleanup and reconstruction of the damage done (or demolition begun) in the Pluto-in-Capricorn era. This will feel good. It would also seem to suggest a new set of limits and a deepening of our mini-era of accountability.

While we're busy holding powerful people accountable for what we hear they do in the news, we need to honor one of the main purviews of Capricorn, the family. I am aware that the sign Cancer is usually associated with the household and the family, though really, it's the Cancer-Capricorn axis. We have some work to do here.

Notably, the first degree of Capricorn (where Saturn will soon be) is connected to the Aries Point. That is the first degree of the zodiac, which is an energetic hot spot. The 90-degree contact between Aries and Capricorn plugs them into the same energy circuit, called cardinal points (also associated with the seasons changing).

In practice, it's an intersection where the individual realm meets the collective (or said another way, where we discover that the personal is political). It may seem like we are flooded with Aries Point experiences at the moment; that's true. It's getting difficult to see much else. We are in a seemingly endless personal-is-political hurricane, though we're reacting in ways more appropriate for a walk in the park on a summer day.

Chiron in Aries: The Quest for Identity Pulled into Focus

Speaking of the Aries Point, Chiron is about to spend nearly a year dancing around on that degree, as it transitions from Pisces to Aries.

Grace of Art by Lucinda Abra.

Chiron was last in Aries from mid-1968 through early 1976. Chiron arrives in Aries on April 17, 2018, and will begin its transition into Taurus in 2026. This transit in itself marks an era of history, as well as an entire sub-generation of births.

Aries is the primary sign of identity. Wherever you have it in your chart is where (among other key places) you're likely to seek your sense of self. There's been little other than chaos unfolding in this sign recently. Within a very short time, intellectual and cultural chaos has reached a new order of magnitude.

Chiron's primary role is raising awareness and providing the means for healing. Raising awareness will consist of many clues about the extent to which obsessive, uncreative use of the internet has ravaged our sense of self and our ability to relate to one another in whole ways.

We play out the identity drama many ways: chief among them is politicized sexual identity, and hyperbolically polarized political identity. We have become our own publicists and believe our own press releases. Our machines consume our time and mental bandwidth, and teach us to be robots like they are.

Chiron in Aries, in my view, will bring a reckoning on these matters. Much like other transits are calling attention to people in public life, Chiron in Aries represents a reckoning on the level of personal accountability to self.

Human identity by Lucinda Abra.

This is no small matter. It will represent whatever aspect of your existence you have neglected. Chiron functions as a holographic influence; its role is to promote wholeness, balance and integration -- this, in our era of fragmentation and radical imbalance.

Chiron's placement on the Aries Point also points to some radically raised awareness of the ways in which the public realm of things you read about on news websites makes itself known in our personal lives. The current political climate is all about personal attack. It's about government prying into the very most private aspects of our lives: abortion; and if that were not enough, trying to restrict birth control; curtailing access to medical insurance and medical care; mandatory "immunizations"; and a government policy that facilitates psychotics with machine guns opening fire on church congregations and music festivals.

I have to say, the extent to which the American public is a chump is truly impressive. At this rate, we will be quartering soldiers in our homes, even though the Constitution expressly forbids this. Chiron in Aries will push the truths of these issues onto us until we wake up, whether we slept through the point of no return or not. Chiron's action is gentle, at first. Then the calls to awaken become increasingly more shocking. This is why Chiron gets such a bad rap, and why it makes people nervous. Many astrologers are still acting like the jury is out, or think you can delineate the most complex of the modern planets with a few catch phrases.

We need to go deeper -- and Chiron in Aries will do its best to get our attention. The need for healing, now so evident on the individual and social levels, will do its best to get our attention. Responding is wholly optional.

Uranus in Taurus: The Body Electric and the Quest for Values

On May 15, moments after the New Moon in that sign, Uranus enters Taurus. Uranus takes 84 years to orbit the Sun. It's not in Taurus very often, and for just seven years, at that. For reference, Uranus was last in Taurus from 1934-1941. Prior to that, it was in Taurus from 1850-1858.

Uranus is one of the original revolutionaries of the zodiac. Its motto is "expect the unexpected," which is fairly well impossible. You can say it, but you cannot really do it. Still it's worth saying, as it makes a fantastic generic prediction for astrologers seeking a book deal. See! The unexpected happened! I told you! The thing is, due to the Taurus association with wealth, value and, to some degree, currency, there are likely to be some financial shocks (activity in Capricorn will facilitate that).

Surrender by Lucinda Abra.

Taurus is one of those profoundly important signs relating to personal identity. It's almost as vital as Aries, only the identity factors are less conceptual and more tangibly physical. That is, identity in the style of Taurus is related to the body, to one's home, and to one's values and priorities.

This transit may represent a reawakening of physical consciousness: that is, bringing awareness back to the body, even if that happens as a result of being struck by lightning.

The Big Wheel Turns

When so many outer planets change signs around the same time, society changes. The emphasis of our lives changes. History takes major turns, if only we would notice them. Well, it will be difficult not to notice, and perhaps more difficult to care. But that's what our lives are about now: the quest and the struggle to care, to really care.

These will also be some of the most exciting, interesting and creative years of our lives. If you want to sleep through them, it will be like pressing the snooze button with the hottest rave or rock concert going on in the next room, to which you have tickets. You will be happy you wake up, and will wonder what you were thinking if you don't. I say this knowing that humans are famous for just going back to sleep. They are famous, or should be famous across the galaxy, for their fairly consistent refusal to look at their problems until the roof caves in. You don't have to wait that long. You just don't. But waking up is an adventure, no matter how you may look at it.

As the Grateful Dead taught us, the wheel is turning and you can't slow down. You can't let go, and you can't hold on. You can't go back and you can't stand still. If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will.

With love,
Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscopes for December are published below in this issue. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for November on Thursday, Oct. 26. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) -- Saturn enters your house of professional advancement this month, which is the thing you need if you want to succeed at something meaningful. This is in the top tier of transits that can advance your cause, or that of the world. Saturn, which tends to describe worldly affairs, enters Capricorn, the solar 10th house of Aries, typically associated with fame, notoriety and success. Yet this never happens by itself. One must do the 10th-house work of developing a solid reputation, especially where Capricorn is concerned. You will need more traditional means than the website, app and Instagram feed. It will be essential to understand the difference between a solid achievement and a little flash of success. You've likely done plenty the past 10 years that qualifies, though in any event now is the time to get moving. The emphasis must indeed be on building: relationships, organization, work habits, and -- most significantly -- purpose. Saturn says work with time, including the past. You're likely to have abandoned many past accomplishments, perhaps deeming them unrelated to what you currently want. However, you must work with all your skills, particularly now. There's one last ingredient that will come up, one way or another: the whole issue of authority. You must be your own self-regulated individual, and also know your place in every pecking order. From there, you can move around. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- Your need to understand and fully embody your relationships is at a peak. I can see this from planets gathering in your opposite sign Scorpio, which is one place to gather such information (for Taurus). You're in a position to benefit from your encounters with others; there would seem to be plenty of mutual desire in your environment; there may be more than one relationship or suitor that has your attention. And the presence of Vesta, an unusual, meaningful asteroid, is saying: nothing is quite normal, as if events and your relationship plane exist on different levels of reality. The question of service is essential: how you and partners serve one another, and more significantly, how you serve something larger. Your relationships are not romances. They are experiences that call for grounding in purpose, which means going beyond fulfillment, fun times and self-improvement. Those are a basic foundation, on the level of rest and good food. You are beginning to rise above your foundations when your encounters with others are devoted to a greater purpose. That might mean working to provide a resource, a place of refuge, or a reservoir of wisdom and meaning -- whether for your immediate community of friends or the wider world. Wisdom and meaning are the kinds of things people tend to run from. You take your life more seriously than that. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- It's time to slow down and be more meticulous. I suggest you do that right at the point where things fall apart or seem to go out of control, which may be an ongoing situation. That's the thing. Life is pushing nearly everyone beyond their limits, and there are few examples of what I would call personal restraint. It's too easy to delete anything we don't want to deal with; until, of course, it starts to add up as karma. It's easy to bob and weave around personal accountability, until you realize that you're lonely, and make the connection. It's really easy to avoid actually being vulnerable, and that always comes at a cost. So -- it's time to slow down the movie. It's time to think about everything in terms of the results that it's likely to yield, and to be ready to work with (or deal with) those results. This primarily involves two areas of your life: anywhere sex enters, and anywhere money enters. Both call for an internal audit, and for the creation of an ongoing paper trail so that you can look back, in the near future, and assess your progress. You will benefit from such concepts as a long-term approach, the making of incremental progress, and daily devotion. Where do you start? Pick the easiest thing, or the most difficult, and tackle that first. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- It's been strange having Pluto in your relationship house for nearly 10 years. In the astrological technique I use to write this column, one's opposite sign is the first place to look for information about relationships, and you have Capricorn looking right back at you. That leads to a somewhat formal and structured approach to relating; you're probably one of the people who think society is severely lacking something for the absence of courtship rituals. Pluto has run roughshod through Capricorn, dismantling your old concepts, presenting people in your life who might seem remote, or intense, or who cannot handle their own power. Saturn's presence in your relationship angle, beginning just before the solstice and lasting a bit under three years, will cool things off for you. You will have an ongoing opportunity to clear out old karma, make repairs and evaluate your real desires and needs. You might decide that current partners, or your way of relating to them, are not up to what you really need. At a certain point you will have to stop compromising. Start with establishing a level of communication that you need, and do everything in your power to hold your own standard. This will begin a process of coming to terms with this thing we call "the other," which is on one level an extension of yourself, and on another, a guest you invite to dinner. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- The whole concept of work is largely misunderstood, and it would be fair to say that upcoming transits will bring you to a deep level of understanding. Work is variously presented as a necessary evil; as a burden; as the conversion of time and labor into money (yours, or someone else's); as duty; and as mere activity (that, particularly lately; working is keeping busy no matter how unproductive). Work is rarely presented, or experienced, as something meaningful and relevant. It's rarely presented as something satisfying, and which makes a contribution. Powerful forces have been operating in your life, helping you dismantle your old ideas of work (meaning what was given to you by various ancestors and other authority figures). Now you get to start putting something together that you can live with, grow with, and develop into something beautiful. There's just one cost: to have meaningful work, you must give yourself to it. There's an element of submission to the task that must be completed, and to the larger purpose involved. This is about true commitment, which moves you from within. You must want it more than a good time, or being liked, or being social. Most of all, it's essential that you be following a calling of some kind. That might be about your own mission, or joining with someone in their mission: positive results require both approaches. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- One way to understand your sign is the metaphor of a child carrying the groceries. Virgos tend to be given too much responsibility too young; or maybe there's something about you that takes life seriously and has from a very young age, and knows that you must do your bit. The advantage of this is that you will tend to grow younger, particularly in your desire to have fun. You might spend your lifetime claiming elements of your childhood, and bringing them to your daily experience of life. What children understand better than adults is the idea of serious fun. Usually adults have to learn this, through developing their talents. Music, painting, drawing, building things, writing -- these are all serious fun, and they all require an investment. Playing guitar scales is not fun, at first. Writing is tedious and requires meticulous attention to detail. Then once you can do it, even a little, it's an amazing experience. Saturn entering your 5th house of fun, pleasure, play, playful sex and art, is an invitation for you to embark on a journey like this. You've probably got several partially developed skills that you still feel called to do. Or you may be a master at something and feel like you just want to have more fun doing it. If you play first violin for the New York Philharmonic, it's time to buy a fiddle and join a jug band. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- Self-esteem is among the most critical problems in our society. Once a person has enough to eat, a dry roof, and is not debilitated by illness, self-esteem is the usual issue. It manifests countless ways. For Libra, one place we look for information is the sign immediately after yours, Scorpio (this will work for any sign). Scorpio is the constantly simmering, sometimes seething, pot of transformation. Its work is never done, and there would seem to be no solid ground. It may be difficult to orient yourself on the matter of how to feel good about yourself; where, exactly, to place the locus of your self-respect. Your astrology has some suggestions. What makes you feel good? What do you want the most? What is interesting to you? Follow your inner attractions and navigate to your inner being who is turned on by existence. Some of the things you like might not be considered acceptable or appropriate by others. Some might seem excessive. You might revel in a kind of ambiguity that's essential to giving up one form and emerging as another. To really feel good about yourself, ride this process of dissolving and recreating yourself, and feel the pleasure of doing so. You're not a static entity. You have the power to be compatible with nearly anything or anyone -- almost at any time. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Every factor in your life is guiding you in the direction of what is tangible: what is physically real, what you can touch, what you can hold, where you can put your feet and what you can actually do. It's also true that big ideas are inspiring you, and though they always have, you're seeing bigger possibilities. Most people, however, let the possibilities dance around in their head like sugar plum fairies. It's time for you to take action making real the experiences and achievements that you want. We could identify numerous individual factors that all say the same thing: that it's time to bring your mind and your body to what you want to do, and what you want to become. This is not merely for the sake of activity. You are in a position where every cell in your body is calling out for you to find yourself. You have always craved meaningful activity, meaningful work, and a life where you bring yourself into what you do and want to be present all the time. Many will say there's more to life than work, yet you are unlikely to hear someone whose contributions you value the most ever make that statement. Your solar chart describes a person learning to focus their mind; to focus their language; and wanting to bring meaning and beauty into all that you do. Cheers to that. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- After nearly three years, Saturn is going to leave your sign this month. But not before it finishes its one contact to the Galactic Core in 30 years. We have with this image, or metaphor, one of the most tangible factors in all of astrology (Saturn, which builds, structures and regulates our perception of time) making contact with one of the most intangible (the Galactic Core, a spiritual homing signal). This is describing you bringing something into existence, based on what might feel like inspiration so subtle you cannot feel it. Alternately, you may feel cut off from your usual sense of inspiration and adventure: this depends on whether you consider Saturn a friend. You are a driven and inspired person. Your vision for life far exceeds what expectations others might offer you. You knew more than your guidance counselor and probably a lot more than your parents. Saturn in one's sign is always about fundamentally coming to terms with who you are. For you, that means the past few years have been about fully claiming your vision, your values and your right to be the person you are: the one who sees the world as different from how it currently is. Saturn will move on to Capricorn, lifting some pressure from you, and having given you something that nothing else can. Remember what you have learned, and who you are becoming. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- If you read astrology textbooks, you will not find many commentaries on signs where Saturn is supposed to have a positive expression. It is, however, the planet that rules your sign. You must cultivate a conscious and hopefully positive relationship with all that it represents. And while people do tend to have issues with authority (often a Saturn factor), you are at least aware that this is something you must address consciously. On Dec. 19, Saturn will enter your sign for the first time since the late 1980s. This begins an actual era of your life: a formative time; a time of transition, and of drawing out some of your deepest and most beautiful qualities. Get ready for that: what you contain, what is latent, what is lurking in potential, and what you simply must evolve into: you will be hearing from all of these things. There will be a peeling back and unearthing. Your life may at times feel like an archaeological dig. At other times you will feel like a potter in the studio, sculpting yourself as the wheel spins. While you're using one hand to hold that pot stable from the outside (discipline, structure, restraint, timing), notice that your other hand is on the inside pushing yourself wider. That inner hand represents your passion, your desire, your thirst for life and your craving for experience. May your hands work together. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Astrology has a place where all the missing socks can be found, and the Bic lighters and guitar picks; the missing people and misplaced ideas and lost dreams. This is the same place where we tend to carry our fears, and the baggage of our ancestors and of society itself. It's also where our deepest potential can be found: your actual desire for who you want to be. It's called the 12th house (by far the most mysterious and complex of the lot). Saturn, the planet that in traditional astrology rules your sign, is about to dive in. This will take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of your psyche. You'll be invited to make friends with all of who you are, and to reclaim what you've disowned or denied. Many would find this to be daunting, even frightening. You are made of stronger stuff than that, though to the degree that you face your fears, you will also encounter your most deeply held wants and needs. Embark on this journey with an open heart and a sense of adventure. You're being invited to do what so few people attempt, much less succeed at: to let go of your preconceptions and get to know yourself in an entirely new way. Do this willingly and you'll discover the keys to freedom. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Do not be deceived by the hostility, turmoil and confusion of the world. It's nothing new, and nothing special. There's a place for you, and your journey is leading you there. Saturn's entry into Capricorn later this month begins a major new phase of your professional and creative life, wherein you will have many opportunities to make contact with the wider world. First, though, let's consider these last moments of Saturn's journey across your 10th house of reputation and success, which for you is Sagittarius. In these three years, you've been in overdrive building your vision. You've done more than lay a solid foundation. You have discovered and demonstrated that you can go from feeling to idea to concept to actually developing something tangible. This is the essential skill here on the cosmic physical plane: in effect, manifestation; but really, transubstantiation. As you embark on the adventures ahead, remember that your mission is spiritual. You are teaching what is possible, in the face of the world's impossible situation. You will be demonstrating how to weave yourself into society, in a time of alienation. You are committed to doing something useful, when so much is so pointless. You're doing something real in a time of illusions. Have confidence that the structures of the world will part and make room for you. They are not as solid as they may seem. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.