Venus enters the cardinal earth sign Capricorn this weekend, closely followed by the Moon. As weather permits, many of us will be able to see the two of them together in the western twilight. That tableau will serve to illustrate the astrology as Venus and Luna cross a threshold together, leaving Sun and Sagittarius behind. In your life, the corresponding events will be located on the horizon of your awareness, sparkling indications from intuition and attraction. Paying attention to those indications over the next several days could come in handy as you approach a threshold or two of your own next month and next year.
Luna does not linger more than a few days in any sign. The typical Venusian stay is over three weeks. That’s two very different paths diverging from a conjunction in the first degree of Capricorn. What Moon and Venus bring to the conjunction, however, is a similar pair of archetypes, each most easily known by its compliment.
The lunar archetype complements the solar. Most of us can relate to daytime, sunlight and consciousness because that’s the venue we commonly associate with the events of our lives. By the same token, Moon’s connection with nighttime, darkness and unconsciousness seems less familiar because we often sleep through it. Nearly half of our existence is spent under the Moon, but its insights seek us more often than they are sought.
The Venus archetype likewise complements that of Mars. Most of us are capable of expressing who we are and what we want, acting with Martian energy to make and take, go and get. It is less common to practice the Venusian art of attraction without action, receiving change rather than wreaking it, even if both strategies often lead to the same result.
Just in case you think that all this nonsense with the cops is something new, Arlo Guthrie has left us with irrefutable evidence that we’re very nearly running in circles. Let’s go back in time to that fateful Thanksgiving of 1965 when 18-year old Guthrie and his friend Richard Robbins, 19 of Poughkeepsie (a short drive from where I am now) took out the trash and ended up in jail.
Since then, Arlo has succeeded in conflating Thanksgiving with ending the draft, ending the war (whatever war might need to be ended) and reminding us that Lt. John Pike comes in many forms. This is one of the quainter among them.
Before the official lyrics begin, Arlo introduces us to the song’s most important quality: its powder-dry logic that sticks to you and never comes off. Then this subtle fact seeps through, which is that Arlo’s life is lived in four-part harmony. It’s just who he is.
This song is called “Alice’s Restaurant.” It’s about Alice, and the restaurant, but “Alice’s Restaurant” is not the name of the restaurant, that’s just the name of the song. That’s why I call the song “Alice’s Restaurant.”
And then there is…
I filled out the Massacree with the four-part harmony. Wrote it down there just like it was and everything was fine. And I put down my pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there . . . on the other side . . . in the middle of the other side . . . away from everything else on the other side . . . in parentheses . . . capital letters . . . quotated . . . read the following words: “Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?”
I went over to the sergeant. Said, “Sergeant, you got a lot of god-damned gall to ask me if I’ve rehabilitated myself! I mean . . . I mean . . . I mean that you send . . . I’m sittin’ here on the bench . . . I mean I’m sittin’ here on the Group W bench, ’cause you want to know if I’m moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein’ a litterbug.”
He looked at me and said, “Kid, we don’t like your kind! We’re gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington”!
Here is an archival news story telling what happened that day. Enjoy your visit to the Group W bench.
Buster Keaton, lacking glasses, all dressed up for the Sacred and Profane festival, Peaks Island, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.
Today is Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The waning Moon is in Scorpio today, but the main event is that Mercury stations (or stationed) retrograde in Sagittarius at 2:19 am EST. We’ve been anticipating this event for weeks; hopefully you have made any important electronic purchases already, have left yourself extra travel time if you have to go anywhere today, and are mentally prepared to take communication snafus with a grain of salt.
At the basic level, your typical Mercury retrograde advice applies for the next three weeks or so. Don’t assume you’re getting snubbed if you don’t hear back from someone; try them again, and perhaps try a different method of communication, such as phone instead of email. Make sure you check your gas gauge, your directions and the weather forecast before you head off anywhere. If something seems broken, see if you can work around it until Mercury stations direct, and then see if it still needs to be replaced or repaired. And despite the fact that ‘Black Friday’ — the biggest shopping day of the year — is the day after this Mercury station, be aware that something isn’t a ‘bargain’ if it never gets used; be selective about any purchases you make tomorrow if you do go shopping.
More specifically, and personally, every Mercury retrograde has a slightly different flavor and focus; some are less challenging than others, or in different ways. The location of this event is 21 Sagittarius, a degree symbolized by a boy and a dog wearing borrowed eyeglasses. This would seem an utterly bizarre image. Eyeglasses are symbols of intellectual development. Dane Rudhyar in his commentary on the degree symbols describes a tribe where the chiefs wore eyeglasses without lenses to evoke the feeling of a race of ‘superior’ beings. As ridiculous as this seems, there is the message that we need someone to look up to, or at least something to aspire to. This image may imply is the importance of choosing that object of aspiration carefully — though of even greater importance may be how fully we use our imaginations to envision ourselves as what we can become. Play is an act of creation.
Today’s Oracle takes us to the Scorpio weekly for August 12, 2005.
Play your cards slowly one at a time where a developing professional situation is concerned. You may have no sense that you will ever live up to your potential or that you will ever receive the recognition that you’ve obviously earned but don’t let that distract you from keeping your mind on each development as it unfolds. I can tell you that you’re working with too much of one kind of information and not enough of another. Also a recent encounter that seems to have riled you up emotionally has taken its toll on your objectivity and you need to see things in balance for what they are — and see them that way now.
Note, The Oracle is a random selection from the Eric Francis horoscope archives. Each day we publish one entry from among the 10,000 in our database. It’s a little slice of horoscope history — but chosen by our Oracle program, which always speaks to the present moment. New horoscopes are published each Friday plus twice a month in Planet Waves subscriber editionand Planet Waves Light. And for your annual reading, check out Light Bridge.
There are many ways to use Planet Waves horoscopes, written by Eric Francis, but only one way to read them: become a subscriber. You’re invited to try them out free for one month by clicking here. If you appreciate what they show you, continue subscribing for as long as you like. Subscriptions include horoscopes on Fridays and articles by Eric on Tuesdays and Fridays, plus access to full-issue archives and the Oracle divinatory tool. Stop by the Planet Waves Store to see the full range of written and audio astrology offerings.
We thought given the powerful position of the planets in Sagittarius — the sign of telling it like it is — and Mercury going retrograde Thanksgiving Day, that a little help was in order, in case you’re a part of a number of American families whose political views may run fully to the right of vegan.
Multibillionaire on stilts, Occupy Seattle, Photo by Genevieve Hathaway.
Ministry of Truth, aka Jesse La Greca, is from New York and is a regularly featured blogger at Daily Kos. His outstanding responses to the mainstream media’s serious and often non-serious questions about the OWS Movement have earned him national attention. Here are his recommendations if and when your family engages in a dinner table debate about current-day politics. – fb.
I thought this would help us keep the conversation about Occupy Wall Street from veering off into nonsense when we have to discuss it in the media. These are also useful when you are talking with your friends and family, whether it is on Facebook or in the real world, or just at your thanksgiving dinner table.
If someone makes the following statements, here are my suggested responses
Statement: ”Occupy Wall Street protesters are dirty and need a bath.”
Answer : “Don’t change the subject, we are talking about reforming the banks and our government. We need to clean up Wall Street and Washington DC. That is more important than what you are talking about.”
Remember that it is important NOT to let a conversation about Occupy Wall Street become a discussion of petty side issues. Immediately shift away from side issues and get back to the BIG issues of bank accountability and the corporate lobbyist influence over our democracy.
Editor’s note: Sarah will not be writing her tarot column today, so we thought we’d spotlight a feature our friend James Wanless, creator of the Voyager Tarot, has on his site voyagertarot.com. It’s a Card-A-Day random card generator. You just click the words “Card-A-Day” and a new card will be generated. Below is The Seeker, the first card I happened upon when I clicked today, and it struck me as apropos for the beginning of our journey though Sagittarius. It’s one of James’ cards, with his own interpretation below it. Have fun! – amanda
Stream-of-consciousness writing in tree shapes on velum hanging in the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, as part of the 2011 biennial exhibit. Photo taken by Amanda Painter between the June eclipses.
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. We’re in the days of the Mercury storm period, the Sun just arrived in Sagittarius yesterday, and the Moon is in Scorpio all day. Next stop: Mercury retrograde and that ‘surprise’ eclipse Thursday into Friday. How is this transition treating you so far? If you’ve encountered some miscommunication which you took very personally, and then rather reluctantly found yourself admitting that some faulty beliefs or perceptions were at play, well – you’re in tune with one level of the astrology. On the other hand, if you’re feeling lit up by a palpable, electric, totally connected and expressive sense of self – guess what? You’re still in tune with the sky.
Yeah – it’s one of those weeks, folks. It’s a bit of a grab bag, but rather than not knowing what astrology you’re grabbing hold of (or seems to be grabbing you), the question is more about how you choose to respond to it. How flexible can you be? Especially for those traveling or mixing it up with family this week, how loose can you hang when things start looking FUBAR? Some people are well practiced in quick self-reflection and changes of emotional course. Others of us… well, let’s just say that if you have a tendency to get defensive before you even know why and then want the satisfaction of knowing you were justified, this particular Mercury retrograde may ask you to stretch a little.
We’re being asked to peel back and perhaps discard certain old beliefs we have held for a long time. The thing is, it’s generally less like picking off a scab and more like peeling off a Band-Aid you don’t actually need anymore. Rather than re-opening a wound, it’s like those first moments after a bandage you’ve been wearing for days comes off. You know: the skin is pale and soft and feels very vulnerable – as though flesh could fear. All it needs is a little time in the air, however, and before you know it, you’ve forgotten that you ever felt like you needed to put on another Band-Aid. New beliefs are not actually what scare us so much – it’s that sense of vulnerability we feel in the moments of transition between old and new.
Today’s Oracle takes us to the Pisces monthly for Sept. 1, 2002.
You have no need to worry if the world seems like all promises and pretty faces lately, or all potential that does not meet you where you stand. With the Sun now at the beginning of a two month journey though the relationship and partnership angles of your chart, you’re likely to get what you need, if you know what it is, if you ask for it, and if you admit that you really want it. This is the time of year when you can see the world most clearly, and the world can see you. But this time around the Sun, we’re including hot peppers in the sauce: Mars, the planet of desire, is also crossing your relationship angle, and I remind you of the two most important words in the universe, to be used in approximately equal proportion: Yes and No. Similarly, you may need to work to find a balance between work and play, but I assure you that on both counts, it’ll be well worth the effort.
Note, The Oracle is a random selection from the Eric Francis horoscope archives. Each day we publish one entry from among the 10,000 in our database. It’s a little slice of horoscope history — but chosen by our Oracle program, which always speaks to the present moment. New horoscopes are published each Friday plus twice a month in Planet Waves subscriber editionand Planet Waves Light. And for your annual reading, check out Light Bridge.
Welcome to Planet Waves, the most complete astrology website on the Internet. We bring you astrology to use as an instrument of self-discovery.
We are alive at a most extraordinary time. This is the moment to treat your deepest longings as a reason to get up and manifest them because the cosmos is saying that you can, and that this is the moment.
When you understand it, astrology can propel your evolutionary process. We make the complexities of astrology usable to you in that way. You'll find resources to overcome your insecurities, live true to yourself and put your deepest creativity to work every day.
My horoscopes are really psychological and spiritual windows that are directly relevant to you. They often come with articles on relevant personal and global issues that will illuminate how you and the world are shaping each other.
Weekly, daily, monthly and annual readings are served up in written and audio formats so you have access is whatever media is best for you. Our astrology is tailored for the client who is intent upon being the person and living the life that they know is possible.
Sign up for my weekly and monthly horoscope service here, and here is where you can read more about my annual readings.
It's great to have you here as our guest. You're invited to write to me any time.
Eric's Newest Audio
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Search Planet Waves:
You are now on the 'free' side of the Planet Waves website. The Subscriber Area is separate. You may view our free content on our Publishing Schedule. To see your options for subscriptions and readings, visit the Online Store below.
This page shares recent issues of our subscriber magazine, which we assure you is one of the most interesting, diverse and high quality astrology publications on the Net -- or anywhere. Click to dive in.
