Planet Waves Radio is back, mercifully one hour earlier. We will broadcast on Blog Talk Radio. at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT tonight, Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Either of these links will get you there.

Achilles was one of the great Greek heroes of myth and legend. One of many students of Chiron who went on to deeds we talk about even today, the stories of his conquests, his leadership and most of all his handsomeness are legion. Therefore it would seem to be an odd planet to associate with issues of confidence, but if you factor in the Achilles heel — the vulnerable spot on the great warrior — you get a clue.

The delineation of Achilles, the Trojan asteroid, is not as straightforward as simply that; many minor planets have delineations that push and stretch the mythology, or which seem to bear no resemblance to it. Achilles orbits our Sun locked into an orbit with Jupiter. Jupiter is accompanied on either side, at about 60 degrees distance, by two clouds of asteroids called the Trojans. Achilles and Jupiter take just under 12 years to orbit the Sun once. Properly called (588) Achilles, it was discovered in 1906. It was the first of the Trojan asteroids to be discovered, by a German astronomer named Max Wolf.

I was first tipped off to the idea behind the asteroid Achilles about seven years ago by a reader on one of the minor planet lists, who said, “just check out this delineation and see if it works.” And that was: false confidence or false lack of confidence in women. She was specific: check the charts of women.

So, I started casting Achilles into nearly every client’s chart, and sure enough, I could spot something interesting about how the client handled their confidence. Whether they denied themselves confidence they deserved or had confidence that seemed to have no basis, Achilles was providing useful information about where to look for the source of the feeling. That is the point of working with the minor planets: and their delineations are good only as far as they provide information that can be applied in counseling or in reading historical charts.

Let’s skip the part about this planet applying primarily to women and look at Mr. False Confidence himself, George W. Bush. Let’s see if we can find the source of his bravado. Wouldn’t you know it — Achilles is one degree from his South Node, in Sagittarius. This guy is a professional; he is the embodiment of the archetype of false self confidence that emerges from that very Sagittarian theme of religion. I really don’t think he has any false lack of confidence, but you never know what’s going on deeper. I would imagine that if he lacks confidence, it’s the real thing.

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Planet Waves Radio is back, mercifully one hour earlier. We will broadcast on Blog Talk Radio. at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT tonight, Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today we’re offering the Inner Space horoscope to all readers, welcoming many new people to Planet Waves from around the world. For those new to the site, you can find out more about what we’re doing at the various “About” links on the tab above — or reading our Ten Year Anniversary link.

And don’t forget our radio edition is most Tuesday nights, including tonight at 10 Eastern, on Blog Talk Radio (that link is above in this post).

Check back for more fun premium content in this space today. If you like what you’re reading, you’re invited to sign up for a subscription to our premium magazine, Planet Waves Astrology News. We know you’ll love it, and it’s satisfaction guaranteed.

Yours & truly,

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You seem committed enough to moving forward, though in the background you appear to have your doubts. This is annoying, because you want to get things done; but the resistance you’re feeling has a purpose. The question really comes down to how you feel about yourself, and on a deeper level, how you conceive of yourself as being a self. Let the delay guide you to a deeper level — there is a purpose to what you’re experiencing. I can tell you that something that appears to be going slowly is moving a lot further ahead than you think; but you can’t measure that progress on a linear scale. Events of the next few weeks will give you an alternative.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
Rare is it that we get a glimpse of the future, much less an opportunity to experience who we might be in the future. This is what I see in your charts now: a window into witnessing your own potential. You may get a look at this portal at the expense of frustration, self-inquiry and some backpedaling. You may go through substantial doubt before you arrive at a place of witnessing yourself. And you may need to burn through the floor of what you consider a self or an identity before you decide that what you are looking at involves a different concept of existence than something you choose with a “lifestyle.” I am talking about a discovery that will change the course of your life forever.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
If you’re experiencing confusion between your image and the role you feel called to serve, part of what you’re experiencing is a journey toward reconciling the two. You may have invested a bit too much faith in linear thought and logical decision-making for the astrology you are under now, which is moving in several directions at once. It’s like you now know something on one level that you’re reluctant to accept as your purpose on another. That may be because you cannot “see yourself that way.” You will soon have all the basics in place; what I suggest you work on is the visioning part. Image is one thing; role is another; purpose is another yet. Work toward purpose: that is the template for your vision.

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

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Dear Friend and Reader:

It seems like every therapy path and spiritual modality and even diet books are designed to help us do one thing, which is be self aware. And it seems like nearly all foods, mood altering drugs, television programs, alcohol and numerous other products are designed to shut that awareness down.

Today’s astrology is wake-up astrology, on an individual level; but it’s also saying “wake up and figure out you’re not here alone.” The main events all take place in Aries, though two doors down in Aquarius we have similar activity but going in the opposite direction.

Let me explain. In early Aries, where today’s conjunction of Mercury and the Sun takes place, an individual wakes up to the reality that he or she is part of something bigger. That is this odd property that seems to dominate the first 10 or so degrees of Aries.

The spark of self-awareness is also developing in Aquarius, the sign of groups: Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune are aligning for a conjunction that make a close alignment in May and will be in effect all year. Both of these alignments challenge one idea that Western society is soaked in: that we’re in this trip alone; this trip we call life.

There are a lot of people on the planet, and it seems that often, companionship is one of the most difficult things to find. We can look out at the world, and the world is indeed a mostly cold place and mostly concerned with things besides emotional contact; and psychic contact; and creating an actual sense of belonging. In fact sometimes it seems like the whole planet is designed to stop those things.

Not if the planets and the human impulse to grow and evolve get their way.

Dear Reader:

Here’s your April monthly horoscope. The main aspect that it covers is Venus stationing direct in Aries, which takes place in about 18 days. Venus has been retrograde since March, which is a relatively rare event, and she hasn’t been retrograde in Aries since 2001.

These reports also cover the vernal equinox and have an eye on the amazing activity that’s been brewing in Aquarius all year, and which comes to its peak in May. This particular horoscope is called Planet Waves Monthly. We offer four different monthly horoscopes to our subscribers to Astrology News — each with a different theme — as well as a weekly horoscope.

The page you’re on updates several times a day with different features.

Catch you later.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
At a certain point we all learn to stop judging ourselves. It could be sooner; it could be later; but in terms of saving time, emotional energy and conserving opportunities that only come once, the sooner the better. One thing you might have to get over is the notion that the kind of self-critique you’re accustomed to makes you a better person. I don’t think it does. I would say that the only possibility we have of being better people is awareness, and the gradual, repeated choice to surround ourselves with aware people. In the trapeze act of life, we need to work together and the main thing we need support in is consciousness. What you seem destined to learn over the next few weeks is that having a fixed concept of who you are, or who you’re supposed to be, is the basis of your overly critical opinion of yourself. Judgment requires criteria, and when those are unconscious, unreasonable or unrealistic, then the assessment is more of a mental or emotional trip than it is a growth process. You’re working toward an extraordinarily rare moment of being able to let go of the self-concept that is at the heart of this crisis. With it, you may find yourself letting go of certain ideas of why exactly you deserve so much attention. You do, but it’s for reasons other than you think.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
Visualization is one of the tests of what is possible in the world, or rather, what is possible for you. If you can imagine something, then you can assume it’s possible. One reason we stop ourselves doing this is because we assume that if we fear something, then it may happen; then we shut down the process of imagining, even of the things we want or worse yet, what we actually are. This is a way of letting fear rule your life. I want to propose two exercises that involve the theme of how you see yourself. The first involves observing yourself now: how you move through your day, and how your mind navigates the ocean of consciousness. Notice your moods and what affects them; how you respond to people and how they respond to you. Notice every time you make a decision, and observe the basis of each decision you make; that is, the information you’re working with that leads you to action. This is an exercise in mindfulness; that is, paying attention and staying awake. The second involves envisioning yourself in the future: not what you will look like or what you will be doing, but rather how you want your presence in the world to feel. This is subtle, but not so subtle as you may think.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
Every time you tell yourself how open-minded and flexible you are, I suggest that you question this assessment. I’m not saying you’re wrong; but you won’t know if you’re not asking. Every time you discover that you’re actually less progressive than you think is an opportunity to make a choice to open your mind to other influences. Part of the problem is that we currently have exceedingly few examples of what it means to actually be open. Our entire social climate is so guarded right now that the smallest modicum of depth or authenticity feels completely radical. This is a distortion. If you’re on a path of self-development, seeking your freedom and willing to explore, I suggest that you open yourself to the ideas of other cultures and other times in history. What is normal now is not what is or was normal at other points in space and time. We live in a unique moment, most notably because so many people feel so paralyzed and indeed passive, waiting for something to happen. You seem to be among those who have decided that you’ve waited long enough. One thing to look at closely is everything you avoid; check out what you pretend you don’t want; make a little note every time you decide something is impossible. Then, ask yourself how you came to be in this place.

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

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Mercury is the ruler of Aries — if you ask Alice A. Bailey, or at least make it to page 549 of Esoteric Astrology. Traditionally, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio and Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.

Bailey, in her mysterious looking book (published in 1951), proposes two additional sets of planetary rulers, one of which is known as the ‘esoteric rulers’. They do rearrange things a bit, but if you’re willing to consider how planets and signs work together, Bailey proposes some interesting possibilities. Oddly or not, they work. But to see them work it’s necessary to consider the theory and use them in practice for a while. Or, you can just believe me, but that’s not nearly as convincing.

Let’s consider the theory. The mind is the instrument of initiative and Mercury certainly offers us that; as does Aries. This is a good match. Aries and Mercury share that spontaneous excitement about an idea; only when you align them, the idea is more like consciousness itself; that is, borrowing from the Bhagavad Gita, “The mind of the senses, the consciousness of creatures.”

Today and tomorrow, Mercury is conjunct the Sun in Aries.