Welcome to Planet Waves.

An Albatross, Eating from the Hand of a Sailor

We have arrived at the last weekly edition of Planet Waves in this, our 26th year of publication. The Awakening, the annual edition, will officially be published Monday, the day of the Capricorn New Moon.

The New Moon is conjunct a centaur planet, Pholus (discovered in 1992; coincidentally its orbit is just under 92 years). It crosses the orbits of three planets — Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — which is what makes it a centaur. They are all orbit-crossers. Chiron is the most familiar in this group of minor planets. They all point the way to where we may retrieve what feel like elements of lost soul; they are keys to seeing in the dark.

Each has a specific emphasis or theme. Pholus describes the small cause with the big effect. This can be a “one thing leading to another” kind of situation; it can represent an action taken with the consequences unforeseen. Were they predictable? Maybe not — but there are usually warning signs that things are not going to end well.

Pholus encompasses unheeded cautions, betrayals of commitments made in the past, the release of ancestral karma, and — from its mythology — being starstruck by celebrities who often get us to do whatever they want.

For Monday’s lunation, Moon, Sun and Pholus occupy the same degree, and the luminaries align with Pholus to about 14 arc minutes. There is a lot of emphasis behind this lunation, which commences the lunar month wherein Donald Trump will be inaugurated the 47th president.

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Planet Waves Monthly for January 2025 by Eric Francis

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The Sun enters your sign this year with the reminder that you are truly at a turning point. Everything you’ve ever thought was true about yourself is up for reconsideration. You have made significant progress on several matters related to your family over the past year, and now the lights will come on and you’ll get to evaluate what you’ve learned. Yet more than ever, an evaluation will remind you that you’re at a point of decision. This may seem like the choice to go one way or the other — however that manifests for you. Seen another way, you are choosing between several options that it would be helpful if you articulated. One is to take developments as a matter of fate. Another is to imagine that your life is a quest for survival. A third is to consider that your existence is a creative adventure, and one of the most important ingredients is an element of uncertainty and even a touch of chaos. If you cling to certainty, you will contract your awareness. If you allow for the uncertainty factor and make friends with it, you will feel better and open yourself up to greater possibilities. You will see possibilities that you might otherwise have missed, because you’re perceiving your reality with a broader spectrum of thought and perception. Be glad when you get to a point where you know that a decision is both imminent and necessary. That’s the place to stop and ask yourself: on what basis do I want to make this choice? What would help, and what would hinder?

Capricorn Astrology Studio 2024-25 is now available for pre order.

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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Many factors suggest that you have the freedom to express yourself more than ever. The world has a problem now, which is if anyone speaks freely for more than five minutes, they will invariably say something that offends everyone in the room. (Hence, people tend to do their talking in podcasts, where everyone comes to be offended.) I would propose as a personal goal completely dumping the notion of “offended” and not recognizing it as a valid thought or feeling in everyone. Rather, it’s a big game, which would better be called “justified in being judgmental.” And as with most things, this is described by the very unusual digital problem faced by humanity. We now all live inside a robot, as our humanity is gradually being depleted day-by-day and year-by-year. In 2025, a very large pile of chips is being put on the gambling table, with some of them as bets on the success and survival of humans, and the rest on the success (and supremacy) of artificial intelligence. Yes, many people feel that humans have outgrown our use, so they have taught something else to think for them. I would assure you of this: if a human did not think it, it’s not thought. Your ideas and creative expression are far better than anything a robot could ever do. Yet you’re under constant pressure to concede this may not be true, and that you are replaceable and nobody will know the difference. This is a final attempt to extinguish the human soul, and you know better than to fall for it. But it will take strength and passion to hold your course.

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High Anxiety

Dear Friend and Reader:

Don’t worry, everything’s fine.

Drones have not only been spotted over the New Jersey suburbs but also over two military bases — one in New York (which also serves as a civil airfield), and one in California — and the government claims to have no idea where they are coming from.

California has declared a “bird flu” emergency related to cattle, an example of abusing the wholly fictitious, allegedly molecule-finding PCR (of ‘covid’ test fame) — which is really a thinly disguised assault on the beef and dairy industries. Somebody high up must be reading Diet for a Small Planet. Word is we will all be living on soybeans in a few years. Hey they’re good for you; we can all use the estrogen.

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Planet Waves Weekly for Dec. 19, 2024

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The past few weeks have come with a series of revelations or discoveries about who you are. It will be easy — too easy — to forget these, and to exist like you never learned such meaningful things. You may have already done so. However, take a moment and track back over the past three to four weeks and make a note of what happened. What did you say to other people that surprised you? What came to you in your dreams? Have you felt the presence of any spiritual guardians or experienced an unseen hand guiding you — subtle as it may have been? Or maybe just this: are you asking questions you’ve never asked before? Those are your most important tools; questions are more powerful than answers. Curiosity is more powerful than being told something about yourself. It will lead you further, perhaps further into the unknown. In a world of false certainty, that is progress.

Capricorn Astrology Studio 2024-25 is now available for pre order.

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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The Sun’s entry into Capricorn is often a deep and mysterious time for you, even if you live down in the Southern Hemisphere where it’s bright and sunny. However, I suspect the feeling is intensified for those in the Northern Hemisphere, with the days ending in the late afternoon followed by long nights. If you’re being called inward, I suggest you follow. Aquarius is usually recognized for its extroverted and social qualities, though deep down you may be an introvert. And if not, you do well when you create solitude and time to reflect. Meanwhile, you might notice that others have similar needs, even if they don’t say so. I do recognize that the holidays are rapidly approaching and this may take some planning or maneuvering. Even if you want to be out and about, make sure you have time alone to get your emotional bearings.

 

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Gemini Full Moon, Mercury Direct in Sagittarius

Dear Friend and Reader:

Most of what I have to say will be in STARCAST, though for the next few days we’re in an exciting interchange of the Full Moon in Gemini at 4:01 am EST on Sunday, Dec. 15, and Mercury direct just shy of 12 hours later, at 3:56 pm EST the same day. By the time Mercury moves to direct motion, the Moon has entered Cancer.

One defining feature of the Full Moon is that the Moon and Sun meet Neptune at 90-degrees, in what’s called a T-square. In case you’re looking for such a nifty thing, this is the perfect setup for being absolutely certain and totally wrong.

You would be wise to walk away from any arguments Saturday into overnight, and when we get into squares to Neptune I always flag an alcohol warning. Beware of any rationalization grounded in survival needs; at the moment those are a distraction from a more relevant question, which I reckon is spiritual.

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Mercury stations direct in your sign in a few days. The usual caution to not take action or rush decisions with Mercury still retrograde translates to a potential situation of missing or concealed information. Therefore my suggestion is to grouse around and think about what you may not know, and consider where you lack data. It should not be that difficult to figure out. Consider a few things you think you know for sure, and ask yourself how exactly you know them. Once you do the audit, you are likely to come up with gaps in knowledge or understanding, which I suggest you formulate into questions. Of course, what you discover over the next few days is unlikely to have come up on your initial list. This is a good reason to pause and reflect on your situation — and keep your eyes and ears open.

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There are things about yourself that you don’t know, and it’s a good thing, too. Why else would you need to be on the planet? The thing is, most humans get rather uncomfortable entering any space of the unknown or the uncertain within themselves. Yet this is your destination at the moment, as you are standing right in front of the door to a hidden room that’s about to pop open. Information may come to you through your dreams, through intuition, or through a discovery about yourself that you make in the physical world. It will help if you’re open to learning about what exists beneath the surface of your personality and your motives. But this goes deeper than psychology: you may be inspired to think about what humans rarely do (thanks to massive obfuscation by this thing called ‘the ego’) which is to learn something about your relationship to existence. Note, these discoveries are subtle; please don’t juice it like an orange.

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Mars retrograde begins imminently, and this is an important opportunity to reassess what you want. Yet there is something here about checking in with a “higher authority,” which means going deeper within yourself to evaluate your intentions. In response to desire, one might dive in; one might hesitate for some reason they don’t understand; and many count themselves out. For you the necessity is to be aligned with yourself. That means acting in accord with your own ethics, and with your priorities — inconvenient, I know. As the retrograde progresses into next year, the questions of desire enter the context of your relationships and how your choices influence others, and how they are shaped by others. You will have to find a point of resolution between “this is my life” and “I have these commitments to someone else.” That’s a wholesome meditation, which you might begin now — the outcome will be far better than if you throw down.

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The yoni on Mars, from one of those robotic craft designed by JPL.

Caution: Mars Retrograde Opposite Pluto

Dear Friend and Reader:

If you’re noticing a little unusual tension in the air, consider that Mars is about to be retrograde. And not only that, it will be retrograde opposite Pluto, which is extremely rare.

True, we are in an unusual Mercury retrograde pattern at the same time, which I suggest is a time for cleaning up and wrapping up old tasks. Clear your desk. Get the filing done. Stay up all night if you have to, or get a teenager to help. You will feel better, and you will make discoveries. There’s often treasure in those unfiled stacks of paper. (More about the peak of the current Mercury retrograde in the new STARCAST.)

Mars retrograde is a different kind of critter, and requires special handling. Mars is a sharp, hot object. Its range spans from desire to motivation to attack to self-attack (guilt, resentment, etc.). The retrograde turns it inward, and to me that is primarily about a reassessment of desire.

Be gentle on yourself and be careful with what you want. It could end up producing a very different result than you intend. Aggression, ambition and overdone self-assertion need to be given a rest. Let things play out a little; if you have opponents or adversaries, just give them a little time to fuck up. Let them do the work for you.

If you want to work out issues or preserve sincere peace in your relationships, then be patient with people and with yourself. Give things time; there are many variables, and many unknowns. In total, Mars retrograde is fully over in early May. So, easy does it.

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Planet Waves Weekly for Nov. 27, 2024

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — With your ruling planet Jupiter hanging out in your opposite sign Gemini, you may be mistaking an inner need for an external one. Everyone needs companionship; though at the moment, your chart is making a strong case for needing introspective time. Turning your focus inward will help you sort out your priorities and expectations in all relationships: past, present and future. You might want to set a policy of needing less and focusing more on your experience with and of the other. Part of the modern relationship game is to think of them as entitlement programs, and this set of values needs to be burned and buried. Also, if love is a dance, consider whether you want to lead, or follow. You cannot meaningfully do both at the same time. This may come down to what aspect of life we’re talking about. Right now, your existence is more about what you have to offer than what you have to gain.

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Sagittarius Astrology Studio 2024-25 is releasing this week

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There are certain kinds of emotional disturbance that you can do without, and one of them involves relatives, and their phantom memories, dictating the course of your life. These come through as overt and covert signals that sometimes seem encrypted in your nervous system. However, though this may be coming through more loudly than you want right now, you do have a chance to see these messages for what they are. Note that they may come through as language, as feelings, or as both. If you pay attention, you can identify the characters. Who is the drunk? Who has the endless appetite for cruelty? Who wants to gather the family together, and overlook people’s toxic influence? Give these people names, and inquire what is motivating them. Part of what vexes you is their anonymity. Give these people names, and identify the specific messages they sent to you, or are sending. This will give you the upper hand.

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Capricorn Astrology Studio 2024-25 is now available for pre order.

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Pluto in Aquarius rising for ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

Dear Friend and Reader:

For those who may have doubted that Pluto entering Aquarius would come with some indication that we are in a different era, indictments and international arrest warrants were issued Thursday afternoon for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister.

They were charged with crimes against humanity, including attempting to starve the Palestinian people to death. As this has happened, the world has looked on in horror, though acting as if everyone is helpless to make a difference. The fear of calling out Isreal for its atrocities has been compounded by fears of being labeled antisemitic — a claim that Netanhayu wasted no time making on Thursday.

Now, it is accurate to say that Benjamin Netanyahu is an indicted war criminal. He can deny it all he wants; they all do. Meanwhile Sen. Lindsey Graham (R, SC) has tweeted that the ICC should be permanently sanctioned. Others in Congress have chimed in. Pres. Biden has condemned the ICC’s decision.

It is noteworthy that this comes within days of a major escalation of the United States’ proxy war against Russia, which has now expanded to the use of long-range missiles launched from Ukraine. The indictments, which will dominate the news cycle for the next few days, could serve as a scrim or smokescreen concealing the consequences of that escalation.

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Planet Waves Monthly for December 2024

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — My core theory of Sagittarius is that you’re a kind of extraterrestrial spirit visiting Earth, and for that reason, you must take special care to adapt to the conditions here. You need to know what is good for you and what is not, then avoid what harms and encourage what helps. However, there are two main things you must be cautious of. One is overreliance on ‘positive thinking’. Such can be helpful but it will only get you so far. Rather, it’s necessary to be circumspect in your approach, considering all possibilities, and making sure you’re prepared. There’s another situation, which is about where you seek your grounding. Here on Earth, people rely too heavily on their families. That worked well in times long past; it does not work well today. And there are some profound negative attachments that people have to the muggles who raised them. Often those bonds don’t seem what they are; despite many disappointments we might still expect people who should care for us to do so. Yet here’s the catch: often, what we get from them is being emotionally triggered. No wisdom; no needs fulfilled; only the shock of being thrown back to a helpless childhood state, but in an adult body with adult concerns. Please be cautious of this. If someone has hurt you in the past, you’re the only one who can call a stop to that. Even then it will take time. Here on Earth, hope is a dangerous substance.

Sagittarius Astrology Studio 2024-25 is now available for pre order.

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — These days it’s difficult to consider what you’ve learned over a 16-year period. However, I would propose that this is an excellent time to ponder that. In digital time, we are leaping forward in dog years. But in physical time, in real experiences, in time spent outside, and with friends, we are moving a lot slower than real time. Pluto has now made its way completely through your sign or rising sign. The beginning was January 2008, when so much changed so fast. Pluto finally left your sign on November 19, mere days ago. So: what was your story arc? Do you recognize the person you were at the beginning of this transit, and could you possibly fit into the shoes you wore then? Another way to consider these years is that Pluto was a sculptor, removing much of the stone from the original block. What can you now see that you did not see or know about then? The you who you’ve become was contained in that original material. Were you aware of that shape concealed within something larger? The next epoch of Pluto lasts 20 years — a long time, by any measure. The message of this new phase is to use what you learned in the last one, specifically about your core values and principles. These foundational personal laws must then match your priorities, your choices and your actions. Yet this all depends on your having learned something tangible about who you are and what resides at the essence of your being.

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Where are we headed?

Dear Friend and Reader:

On the last night of working on The AWA, my eBook accompanying your 2025 The Awakening readings, I took up the matter of Uranus entering Gemini. Typical of Uranus, this took me by surprise. I didn’t think it was so close at hand.

The book is available now, with any purchase of The Awakening.

The transition begins over the summer and extends into the spring of 2026 — though the way these things work, we are already under its influence. As with technological advances, attitudes and values change ahead of major transits.

The illustration above is alternative cover art for The Awakening. I wondered what I was getting at in this image, and I would now say: Uranus in Gemini. That is the convergence point we are rapidly approaching.

Astrology is the study of how humans interrelate with their rapidly changing environments. And we are about to get a lot of change, faster than ever. Gemini is the study of how we think and how we talk to one another. It is the sign of the idioglossia, the secret language of twins. And with Uranus, there’s a big one blowin’ in.

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Planet Waves Weekly for Nov. 14, 2024 by Eric Francis

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — There is no such thing as tough love. Or perhaps better said, as tough as it gets is being sincere and speaking your truth to those who matter. You may be mired in some concept of love or relating that was natural to your family of origin and that you may have decided was normal. Yet love does not contain a trace of meanness, of the fear of consequences, or of laws and rules imposed on one person by another. You will find all the information you need in the speech patterns of your early family. The words they used and how they used them will reveal the feelings involved. If you find that some or all of this is unacceptable to you, that’s a wholesome first step on what is in truth a fairly long journey to reconciliation. However, gentleness, forgiveness and sincerity go a long way in the spirit of healing.

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Yours is the most cosmic and mystical sign. I don’t mean that to play favorites in any way. Your patch of sky is home to the core of our galaxy, and an energy vortex that groups together 100,000 galaxies, including our own. If you’re wondering why you feel so strange sometimes, or like your life is so intense, this is your metaphor. What you need the very most is grounding. That means direct involvement with the needs of your body, the food that you eat, and your earthly priorities. This takes special focus. You’re a little like an extraterrestrial from another star system. You have the intelligence to do quite well here, but you need to follow certain rules that exist on the physical plane. And to this end, your solar chart gives you many advantages. You have to know when to err on the side of caution, and when to take a risk. That is the question.

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The View from Physical Plane

Thank you to everyone who particpated in Tuesday’s live election coverage. That was fantastic and I’ll be doing more of it. — efc

Dear Friend and Reader:

What happened this week — a decisive victory for Donald Trump, who could not prevail in any age but digital — was a comment on the astrology of 2025-2026, and the electronic world in which we live. They are closely related.

The New York Times headline Wednesday read, “Trump’s America: Victory Changes Nation’s Sense of Itself.” But they got that backwards. It should have read, “Nation’s Changing Sense of Self Leads to Trump victory.”

The reversal of cause and effect is revealing of our relationship to the problem. Shawn McCreesh, reporting from West Palm Beach for the Times, summed up Trump’s performance. “Mr. Trump was a ferociously effective campaigner. To watch him up close on this third run for president was to see him blend comedy, fury, optimism, darkness and cynicism like never before.”

In the digital age, that’s what feels good. That’s what feels trustworthy because it feels real. Anything not infused with anger seems to lack authenticity.

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