Author Archives: Eric Francis

I always wonder about the astrological influence of solar storms. There are a lot of them these days, and we have a friend who tracks the issue so I’m constantly getting updates. She’s aware that if one of these things hits the power grid just right, we could have a rather large blackout. This must influence our gadgets somehow — and our brains.

Space News reported: “Solar protons accelerated by this morning’s M9-class solar flare are streaming past Earth. On the NOAA scale of radiation storms, this one ranks S3, which means it could, e.g., cause isolated reboots of computers onboard Earth-orbiting satellites and interfere with polar radio communications. An example of satellite effects: The ‘snow’ in this SOHO coronagraph movie is caused by protons hitting the observatory’s onboard camera.”

Gee, I was wondering what all that stuff flying around the frame was. I didn’t think it was UFOs and that’s way too many bits to be comets. I have a buddy who is a hardcore deep space photographer, who has to deal with those bits of energy all the time because of the kind of work he does. His name is Anthony Ayiomamitis (and you will love his website). I asked him what influence he thinks solar ejections (CMEs) might have on consciousness. Here is what he said.

“CME’s are something very serious and powerful. You are literally seeing the Sun eject its mass and which helps seed the solar system with particles which lead to the ionization of elements in our atmosphere and, hence, for auroral activity.”

He added, “If something gets really out of hand in relation to CME’s, there are some very serious consequences in relation to satellites in orbit and/or electrical grids around the world. There was a nasty incident in Quebec (Canada) where the entire province had a black-out due to a massive CME about ten years ago. With satellites, it can literally wipe out their electronics.”

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I was watching a PBS special last night that morphed a profile of Hong Kong with an exploration of the Dragon as a symbol. As you may know, the Year of the Dragon starts Monday with the Aquarius New Moon (additional coverage here). I have long been a fan of dragons and of being born in a Dragon year, though I didn’t look in detail at the symbolism. The program, which I’m not finding easily but I’m sure it’s available, made the point I’ve always noticed — of the 12 Chinese animals he’s the one who “doesn’t really exist.”

The segment described how the Dragon is composed of a morph of the whiskers of a catfish, the claws of a bear, the body of a serpent (though with scales), and a diversity of other best attributes that give him a fearsome strength. The Dragon is a blend of Yin and Yang energies — the scales are evenly distributed with these energies.

In the East, he’s considered the benefactor, the one who stands guard over good fortune. In the Western world he’s been reduced to a shadow of fear, with our terms like “slaying dragons” meaning to get rid of deep issues. Even in The Hobbit, the dragon is presumed to be evil and is killed. The Dragon appears throughout Chinese culture in his role as proector and guardian. I was vaguely aware that people in Asia would plan to have their children during Dragon years, which says a lot about how much respect this supposedly imaginary critter has.

My desk in Paris in early 2006, a little while after I finished the Parallel Worlds annual edition. Photo by Eric.

Every annual edition of Planet Waves has a distinct feeling. I’ve spent every late autumn and early winter doing the project since 1998. It entirely dominates this time of year for me, I love doing it, and it’s a real challenge to do that many readings in that short of a time. Eventually in the course of every project a world opens up, and in that world your interpretations are created, and the articles are gathered.

In the spirit of Planet Waves, the annual edition is a bridge between our most personal subject matter — the nuances of psychology, healing, growth, relationships — and the events of the world. The annuals are designed to be reference points, reminding us of where we are and, as we look back, where we’ve been. For me each of these editions is connected to a place — early ones in the New York area, then the West Coast, then two in Paris and one in Brussels (with some parts done in the north of France) — and then the past five in upstate New York.

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New edition of Planet Waves by Eric Francis

The same company that publishes Reality Check (your 2012 annual reading) also publishes a weekly astrology magazine called Planet Waves. This week’s edition covers the Mars retrograde, which begins Monday. I look at how this might influence us personally — especially people born in the 1960s. Planet Waves is a truly spectacular astrology publication, offering excellent personal astrology as well as a look at the kinds of cultural news you wish you could find on TV or in other magazines. We really have it — and Planet Waves also publishes my weekly horoscope.

I interpret this for all of the signs personally in the annual readings that are posted to this website. Mars retrograde influences everyone a little differently, depending on how your chart is oriented, and this is what I explain in your annual reading.

To read today’s subscriber issue as a single purchase, please use this link. The issue includes a second article outlining the themes of the last several Mars retrogrades, a wealth of astro/current events briefs, and Eric’s unparalleled horoscopes for this week — which interpret the weekend’s rich astrology for each sign, including Mars stationing retrograde and the Aquarius New Moon. If you’re ready to commit to the inner investigation and healing Mars retrograde implies, consider signing up for our weekly subscriber service for three months here, and you’ll be covered for the whole retrograde.

Today is Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The Sun enters Aquarius today at 11:10 am. It joins three other points currently in that sign: Nessus, Pallas and the last moments of Neptune in Aquarius. Neptune joins Pisces on Feb. 3 after 14 years in Aquarius, so these are our parting and perhaps most conscious intervals of Neptune. However, there’s more immediate news on the event horizon.

Janapese dragon from a Chinese school, wood carving, 19th century.

Monday is a big day in both Western astrology and Eastern. For those of us who are fascinated by planets buzzing around the Sun, Mars turns retrograde in Virgo. You don’t hear the term “Mars retrograde” very often, but it happens. Virgo is already a sign known for its intensity and even obsession, though those who try to express masculine energy through Virgo can be a little insecure doing so. Imagine how Virgo herself feels, taking up Mars as a guest for longer than the average vacation, eight months. The peak of that time involves Mars making apparent retrograde motion between Monday and April 13.

Between April 13 and late June promises to be an interesting time in the story of the world, and Mr. Cock and Balls treading backwards through the sign of the Virgin sounds like she becomes a woman in the process. Retrogrades are often recovery missions, about claiming lost energy, forgotten personal assets, and aspects of ourselves that threatened others when we were little. Every kid does this — to some extent figure out how not to piss off the adults, however meek the insults.

Children thus embark on a self-pruning process that can leave them feeling neutered as adults. Then come retrogrades, which send us on a soul retrieval scavenger hunt. Mars in Virgo will be useful this way, helping us come to terms with what we think of as aggression (and might feel as self-aggression). I suggest being mindful of the pattern establishment quality of retrogrades. The last time anything like this happened was in early 1965, when the script was cast for the thing called The Sixties that ensued.

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