Planet Waves Monthly for March by Eric Francis

Mina Smith protesting the loss of one-third of Philadelphia’s bus lines, while manager of the mass transit system is paid $450,000 a year. Photo by Eric Francis.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — This is a big time in your life — perhaps one of the most significant in many years. Do you feel it yet? You will by the time the Sun arrives in your birth sign on the 19th, and the April 8 total solar eclipse in your sign comes into focus. And this is no ordinary eclipse: it’s conjunct Chiron, which has been provoking changes going back to 2018. Planets in Pisces before then may act as a kind of diversion, lulling you into a dreamy state. Don’t fall for it; you want to be standing at the helm of your existence from this moment forward. Eclipses have three main properties. One is that there is an acceleration of events. Second is that there is a karmic or fated quality (which may or may not be true, but it’s there). Third is that you will seem to reach a point of no return. You can prepare for these things now by reducing your commitments, and lightening your load generally. That’s not easy in the world as it currently is — everything seems to be set in cement, even though most of what we experience is written in computer code. Speaking of, this whole business of virtual reality is most of what you’re claiming yourself back from over the next few weeks as the eclipse comes to a head. You can safely scrub all of your alternate identities, avatars, and other seemingly normal habits that aid in the fragmentation of our times. Claim yourself for who you are, using your actual name, city, state and zip code. Practice the truth that you have nothing to hide.


Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You know that new and different things are coming, though their scale depends on how you think of yourself. Your self-perception is the mediating factor of what is possible. You struggle with this sometimes, in a way that is not readily apparent to others, even those close to you. It’s way too easy for you to decide your worth or estimate your potential on the basis of what others think. Yet other people — your friends included — are not the world’s best method of evaluating your potential. People tend to be either cynical or overly idealistic; and many are jealous. Your inner relationship is the only thing that can actually teach you who you are. You must, however, be willing to learn, and to let go of old self-concepts that held you back. You don’t want any of them; what you want is a real understanding of your mission and your purpose. Here is the catch: This reality is very likely to defy your view of the world, and your chance at a well-ordered life. And more than anything, the kinds of choices you would make – if you were tuned into your core reality – would certainly challenge how you think people see you. Your “public image” cannot be a factor in living your life your way. It’s nothing more than a trap, and you would be deceiving yourself if you believed that anyone really cared anyway. For better or worse, I don’t think they do; you’re none of their business; but you’re for sure the first order of your own business.


Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Success requires focus, discipline and effort. Older people know that; younger people may think that billions of dollars are randomly delivered to people’s doorsteps. Then they find out that this thing between them and what they want is: focus, discipline and effort. You have the advantage of those very things being easily available to you now. You may feel like you have to sacrifice leisure or pleasure. If you do, it would be one kind for another. There is tremendous pleasure possible in living with purpose, and devoting your energy to what you know must happen. So, theme one of your chart this month is taking action. The second is recognizing the powerful example you set by the actions that you take. The two are closely related, since a great deal of the value of action is its teaching role. Let yourself be inspired by your sense of adventure and your thirst for freedom. This will help you reach for greater things than you might ordinarily. Give yourself the space to want what others are not interested in. The endorsement of others is not what you need; rather, your choices are an affirmation for others who might otherwise hesitate. You have more influence than you may imagine. People are desperate for just the kind of guidance that you can offer through little more than living your life your way — and being more conversant about the details than usual. This is no time to be taciturn or to conceal your perceptions. Please, speak up.


Chess set in the Philadelphia Free Library used bookshop. Photo by Eric.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — One theme of the moment is understanding the power of belief. You want to be the master rather than the slave in this relationship. Belief is a psychic force that gives momentum to ideas. Invest it in valid concepts and you get a constructive result. Invest in what’s deceptive and you can find yourself trapped in a world that seems not of your own creation. Over the next few weeks, notice when you’re acting on anything other than a documented fact. You’ll have help making these discernments. As you peel back the layers, some things will make you happy (such as when a belief helped you transcend a limit) and others will make you angry (such as when a belief placed a limit in your path). What they have in common is the need for careful filtration. We’re living through a time of intellectual anarchy, when anything can be subjected to instantaneous doubt that people graft onto. Gravity isn’t real, the Beatles never wrote a song, the world is flat, there were never any nuclear bombs, there’s no such thing as a molecule, and so on — it’s a real smorgasbord these days. Yet there is such a thing as truth, and for you, this orientation matters. Truth tends to be steady and unwavering, rather than redefining itself every day. Think of it as a direction in which you are pulled rather than an object or a set of facts; a disciplined orientation of the mind; and the constant quest for understanding. That will guide you and feed you.


Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The garden of worldly chaos is a comfortable resting place for many people — though it’s not for you. But it works for so many because it absolves them of the need to observe, to reason, and to relate to others in a coherent way. If nothing is true, why do all that work? It’s much easier to disappear into a haze of ambiguity. Except not for you. Your astrology describes you looking at life through a polarized lens, and seeing contrasts clearly. One of those is the contrast between what you believe and what everyone else seems to believe. This is not about the content of the belief — rather, the real information is from the psychic posture of the belief. Possibilities are active vs. passive; creative vs. consuming; expressed desire vs. acquiescence — and others. Your whole social and relational world is being rearranged, and the thing to watch is the factor doing the rearranging. What is driving the changes you’re seeing, from behind the scenes? This means looking beyond the obvious and the ordinary. You may notice that the impulse to concentrate power is increasing steadily. This is often disguised as altruism, and the chances are, you’ve had enough of this. Keep looking for something deeper. Pay attention to the people who want to connect with one another because that is the thing to do. Get yourself to gatherings where financial transactions (tickets, souvenirs, etc.) are not the main property of the event. Notice the magnetism that is drawing some individuals out of the psychic chaos, and toward a state of cooperation.


Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — The fog continues to clear, if you want to see clearly. Part of that clearing will come in the form of slowing down the movie, and even examining single frames and studying exactly who and what is contained in them. The direction of your life trajectory is toward your individuality: the separate, private person that you have been at other times. This is a necessary response to being so overwhelmed for so long by everything coming at you all at once. Developments over the coming few months will guide your awareness inwardly and take hold of what is yours, and only yours. Yet this is not about being alone, or lonely — rather, what’s changing are the terms on which you connect to others. You are not, inherently, a tribal being. These days, most people think that they are, and that is understandable enough; there doesn’t seem to be an option. But you have, and need, an alternative, and that’s about stoking and maintaining contact with your core being. From there, you’ll connect to others who are doing something similar. One way to spot such people is that they often like to read books. They will be present in (physical) community spaces, but may not say much. Another clue is people who embrace making decisions rather than avoiding them. People who present themselves as contrarian — as being rebellious for its own sake, and confusing that with being an individual — are unlikely to make fulfilling friends.


Fiction section in the Philadelphia Free Library used bookshop. Photo by Eric.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Much depends on your concept of where power meets responsibility. You may not think your life is teetering on the balance of how you handle this issue. Yet if you find yourself in a tight spot, it will be helpful to open up that blade on your Swiss Army knife. There is a mystery involved, and that centers on the matter of what it means “to be important.” Why might someone respect you, or not? And what do you do with that respect when you have it? How do you handle yourself when you’re in the presence of people you consider more powerful or influential than you are? Two themes emerge from your chart over the next month or so. One of them is privilege, which has become a nasty word — and the concept is misunderstood. At its roots, this idea is about some authority or favor granted to an individual or a group. I suggest making an inventory of what actual privileges you have, how you got them, and what you do with them (which matters most of all). Then, there is the matter of service. The Pisces angle of your chart is thriving right now, and this is calling you into the humble servitude of taking on tasks for their own sake. There may be nothing in it for you except the satisfaction of having contributed and offered your energy to some positive purpose just because that’s the thing to do. What is not often recognized is that to offer your service is itself a privilege — one that few people take advantage of.


Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Constraint and limitation have a way of helping the creative process. If you have a canvas, you must work within its confines to create a painting. If you want to build something, you may only have so much space. If you want to complete a project, you might only have so much money — and you discover that your creativity can compensate for most of what you seem to be lacking. Let this be your guiding principle. Time constraints can also be helpful; most of the best creative work you see in the world was done under not only deadline pressure but also financial stress and with multiple people performing on time to get to the same goal. There is also potentially a scenario in a romantic situation where a limit of some kind has been reached, though where the problem can be resolved by a series of honest conversations. The thing to look for are ungrounded expectations, and a 1970s encounter-style discussion of completing the sentence, “I expect….” could be revealing and helpful. Be aware that events of the spring are going to proceed quickly, and there will be little time or energy for needless burdens or unresolved emotional tensions. Partners and loved ones will need to make peace with the fact that you are on a mission that you cannot refuse, because it so intimately involves your growth and the claiming of your life. There will be room for others, though there must also be room for you and your most cherished goals.


Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — If you’re feeling lonely, you have the option to come out of your shell. But do you really want to? You have social opportunities available, though, you seem to need a retreat. It’s interesting how impulsive the drive to go out can be, and you might feel like you’re denying someone something by turning down the lights and making a series of homely evenings with your cat, your dog or a good book. We are all overexposed to others right now; we are all suffering from a rather outrageous lack of privacy. What used to be a dependable, sanctified inner temple is something many younger people have no concept of and many older ones have forgotten. Gather your strength and your personal resources. The next few months are going to come with an enormous amount of emotional and creative throughput. You simply must have your inner bearings in order to fully enjoy and experience the series of events that begins with the March 10 Full Moon, followed by a total eclipse, followed by a fantastic conjunction involving your patron planet Jupiter and high-energy Uranus. So if you have time to retreat and withdraw a little, and think things through, and figure out how you feel, by all means take it. Creativity proceeds from within, out to the world. This is contrary to the prevailing digital theory that everything is “out there” and must be grabbed or acquired. Therefore, refresh your inner resources, and take the time to ask yourself the questions you have not had time for in recent years. Please don’t rush the answers. They will come in their own time.

Astrology Studio for Sagittarius is now available.


Philadelphia alleyway. Photo by Eric.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Pisces time (through March 19) is usually one of the best seasons of the year for you. Yours is secretly a water sign (your pet goat has a big fin like a mermaid). Your social side emerges and you might want to do something like have some friends over. While the social world is a little weird right now, you are a point of attraction, and can help people forget the prevailing chilly hostility of the world. We are all drawn out thousands of miles in thousands of directions by the digital sphere, and have lost something profound in the process: each other. Even if you don’t know for sure that it’s the thing to do, please give getting together with others, in your home, a try. One of the boldest themes of the currently-unfolding season (whether you call it spring or autumn) is grounding in your sense of place. Who you are and where you are merge into one concept the next couple of months, and you have a discovery to make. This is a spiritual message about self-actualization: your home is your artwork. And ideally if you are in the flow of ideas and events, you will be creating something so beautiful that you simply must share it with others. The world is in rough shape, and often you bear the brunt of what others around you will not carry. So to take care of your inner space is not mere solipsism. You have many important roles to serve, and you’re aware of the dirty deal going down on the planet in our times. Feel good, be strong, and be available.

Astrology Studio for Capricorn is available for instant access.

The Solstice Point — 2024 Astrology Studio for Capricorn — is a special edition helping you put the pieces of Pluto in Capricorn together. I look forward, but this is mostly a review and debriefing of your experience since 2008. I will highlight key dates and take a close look at what this transit has meant. I will include a review of Chiron in Aries as well as new factors now in Capricorn that will be present well into the next decade. This is a distinct reading covering different material than Somewhere In Between for Capricorn.


Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You have ideas about who you are, and some of them are coming on strong, as if you’re discovering yourself for the first time. This could be big, though the weak spot in self-discovery is generally the matter of whether you translate principles you hold into the choices you make. ‘Who you are’ has a lot to do with ‘what you think you are’, and this is expressed through your actions. Major personal revelations and awakenings must match with ‘by their works you shall know them’ to be meekly relevant. Those works, in turn, are based on one’s guiding principles, or not. This is the bottom line on what you might call being real: acting in accord with your own personal law. In a way unlike the usual descriptions of fixed sign Aquarius, you need a flexible doctrine: the ability to adapt to your circumstances. The term ‘situational ethics’ is often used as a way to define someone as not having any at all — though in truth, ethics are adapted to the situation in which one finds oneself. You are the one who must moderate between your principles and your actions, and determine whether you’re being truthful with yourself. This is not easy; in fact most people find it so difficult that sooner or later, they betray their professed principles in some radical way. Yet this is a sign that something is off; or that what must be a wholly conscious process of evaluation has gone numb or zoned out. Step one, stay awake. Step two, grapple with seeming contradiction.

Astrology Studio for Aquarius is available for instant access.

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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Place your emphasis on your business and professional goals with greater gusto than ever. Saturn is blessing your sign, and is in grand form this month. This is exactly the support that will help you muster the discipline to meet your goals. Much of this involves the use of time. I know it’s your birthday season and you probably want to celebrate. Do some of that for sure, however, the supportive aspects that are approaching will never pass this way again. These are in your solar chart (my articles and especially STARCAST will cover them in more detail than I can here) and they describe the qualities and opportunities for a whole year. They also say get a running start now, and commit to yourself by acting on what matters to you the most. To this end, clear your schedule of all that does not support your goals; of anything you might trip over in two weeks when you’re running with a lot of momentum and don’t want any interruption. We all know how that goes — advance scheduling may work for planning sales conferences, but it does not work well if your workflow is unpredictable and you must move when the occasion to be productive is there. It’ll be helpful if you set up your projects in advance. Break large tasks down into smaller ones, and get them ready. Most of all, focus on clear communication with partners and collaborators. Make sure you know what you’re talking about, and what they are talking about.

Pisces Astrology Studio for 2024-25 is now available for presale.


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