Planet Waves FM : Waking Up from the 10-Year Snooze

Here is the edition of Planet Waves FM for Wednesday, March 14. The top file is the podcast itself, lasting about 35 minutes. It covers the conjunction of Mercury and Uranus as a highlight of the current Mercury retrograde.

Below is my reading of The Burning of Paper Instead of Children, by Adrienne Rich. The poem is a reference to an incident during the Vietnam War protests when nine Catholics were arrested for burning draft records in Cantonsville, Maryland.

The group used homemade napalm, or jellied gasoline, to burn the files, which were made of paper. Napalm was being used at the time in Vietnam, dropped from airplanes to burn entire villages, including children. Here is your audio file:

As promised, here is the link to purchase the 2012 Spring Report — I’ll leave it at $19.95 for the rest of the day, till midnight EDT. If you’re looking for the Pisces, Aquarius or Capricorn birthday readings — about one hour each and getting excellent reviews from our customers — here is a link to purchase those.

Here is your program in the old player, where you’ll find the full archives and a downloadable zip file.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Note to readers — there are many more podcasts, the full archives, recordings and interviews from astrology conferences and much more at the Planet Waves FM homepage.

Did you know that Planet Waves offers you a variety of astrological readings for every sign in audio format including birthday reports? You’re invited to check them out in our audio store. If you’d like access to Eric’s weekly and monthly horoscopes, visit this link to access your free trial to our premium twice-weekly astrology service.

7 thoughts on “Planet Waves FM : Waking Up from the 10-Year Snooze”

  1. ,) Quest (for) it is indeed, Jann. Thanks for clarifying that point!

    (It: the essence of which is in me through me with me beyond me.)

    LOL on the collar and the head — I don’t know a PK anywhere that wouldn’t agree.

    I don’t suppose I’ve ever been “churched” (just explorative – and why not jump into the eye of the hurricane? that is, why study from an outsider’s perspective? but then jumping into cold water seems to be my life’s MO for everything.)

    Perhaps growing up spending more time in church buildings than any other had a positive effect after all.

    xo!!

  2. Aword, Judaism and the RC, with Islam, share the same origins in Abrahamic tradition. Me? Twenty years RC, a hiatus, and then twenty-five years Episcopalian (a/k/a “Catholic Lite”). The Pissypalian tenure included four years in theology school. From that experience I came to two conclusions. First, the celluloid collar cuts off oxygen to the brain, but I haven’t figured out if the swelled head is a cause or an effect. Second, was learned the quote that “religion is for those who are scared to death of hell; spirituality is for those who have been there.” In my case, it was religion that made me spiritual.

    Joseph Campbell and myth – good stuff. His point is similar to that of Richard Tarnas, and the current purposeless universe that we have “created.” The meaning and mystical aspects are lacking, as is the spirituality.

    Ah yes, the search. When we finally figure out that it is more a quest than a search, one realizes how much the dogma and rote ritual have no real meaning. And, so, now I am gleefully unchurched, on the quest. Somewhere Eric has written something about astrology and religion, and I really should read the whole article. Time to dig in my “Erichives” – printed copies of PW articles that I want to read.

    Thanks for the comments.

    JannKinz

  3. Hi Zero/Jann,

    Interesting — I went through RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults) a few years back. Raised Presbyterian by two Seminary graduates, one a minister (dad) one a “christian educator” (mom). Both very active in Synod, local church etc. Family heritage includes the creation of many Presbyterian churches across the USA – many ministers in family – protestant way way way back including leaving England for Holland etc etc.

    Anyway we all go on our own search, yes? Prior to RCIA, I went through “conversion” to Judiasm. Equally fascinating (as Catholicism).

    So where does my heart lie? With Joseph Campbell, of course! Those interview/s are on DVD, grateful to have them in local library. Yes — I agree wholeheartedly — the priest with his back to people was in fact One With the People. Maybe this is not how we perceive it, nor how it was presented by the church – but in fact this is the truth of it.

    Now the Catholic Mass is so much like “regular church” (that is sans anything visceral, emotional, mystic) that, while I was pleased to become educated — that crucial element (that was the fruit of my search) isn’t there.

    xo

  4. A “Mercury Retrograde Mini Ritual” posted by Leah Whitehorse at http://www.leahwhitehorse.com/2012/03/08/mercury-retrograde-march-2012-between-two-worlds/ :
    . . .
    “As we walk a fine line balancing our personal and public lives, the material and spiritual worlds sometimes seem a long way apart. Mercury retrograding back through Aries into Pisces and back again says that to be truly ourselves (Aries), we must remember our soul (Pisces). It’s time to build a sanctuary, maybe even develop a spiritual discipline that we can put into practice on a daily basis. We are of two worlds, the spiritual and the material.
    A Mercury Retrograde Mini Ritual
    On the 21st March the Sun and Mercury meet in a conjunction. The Sun is illumination and purpose, Mercury communication and understanding. To draw upon the teachings of this retrograde period find a quiet moment to light a candle and clear your mind.
    Spend a few minutes just in stillness. When you feel calm and centred, write down what you wish to learn or understand during this retrograde period. Once you have captured what you want to say, burn the paper in the candle flame and cast the ashes into running water. Keep a notepad by your bed to write down any dreams and watch for synchronicities.”

    JannKinz

  5. A week or so ago, I caught a rebroadcast of a Bill Moyers’ interview with Joseph Campbell, “The First Storytellers.” Eric’s comments about Vatican 2, and the priest facing the wall and saying the mass in Latin brought back to mind comments of Campbell’s in that interview (quoted from “The Power of Myth”):
    Campbell: “There’s been a reduction of ritual. Even in the Roman Catholic Church , my God — they’ve translated the Mass out of ritual language and into a language that has a lot of domestic associations. The Latin of the Mass was a language that threw you out of the field of domesticity. The altar was turned so that the priest’s back was to you, and with him, you addressed yourself outward. Now they’ve turned the altar around — it looks like Julia Child giving a demonstration — all homey and cozy.”

    Moyers: And the ritual of the marriage ceremony pitches you out to the other.
    Campbell: It certainly does. But the rituals that once conveyed an inner reality are now merely form. That’s true in the rituals of society as well as the personal rituals of mariage.”

    Interesting correlation between the comments and the Mercury-Chiron opposition, and the inner preparation for the outward expression. Mind you, as a fully recovered Roman Catholic (I no longer attend “meetings”), I’m not espousing anything Catholic. I’m merely appreciating Campbell’s observations about ritual and connecting that with Len’s admonition on Monday to take a few mintutes, to breathe with purpose, be present to what is attracting me, and then take the first step.

    Great podcast. Thank you, Eric.

    JannKinz

  6. Thanks, as always, for your fm reports. As you cover the virulence of this attack on women’s sovereignty over our own bodies I kept getting flashbacks to my having read ages ago about the reality of the Chastity Belt that was put on wives of the men who left them to go to the Crusades. Of course, the men took the key. Reading about the reality of that as young women, my horror was complete. As far as Mercury-Uranus flash backs of what I once knew and forgot and now remember–in its way, that is my personal flash back today. The term chastity belt had been used “jokingly” when I was younger, and as a young girl I had a general idea that it was a general joke about my pussy being controlled by a male dominant future. But to read about the real-life, metal contraption changed my soul when it came to knowing horror. The virulence of the men and women who are involved in their need to control women’s sexual sovereignty today might right now be heating up the forge. And planning to make a lot of money from their new invention.
    +-+

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