Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for January 2019 (#1232)
At this stage of your life, the focus of your growth is on your agreements. This includes the agreements you’ve already made, the ones you are about to make, and the legacy of those that existed in the distant past. You are also subject to the agreements that others make on your behalf, such as through various arrangements in marriage, business partnership and trusts. I suggest you develop your skill in contracts. Start by reading the ones you’re presented with, no matter how boring they may be. You might also read something in the genre of Contract Law for Dummies. Find someone in your life who has a knack for the topic, and work with a collaborator or two — someone who has no interest whatsoever in the outcome of the arrangement. That part is essential. Contract law is a cold art. There is one principle I suggest you hold above all others, which is knowing what is asked of you, and entering no agreement that you are not 100% confident you can fulfill. This applies to business arrangements, intimate situations and family business, with a special emphasis on the agreed time of delivery. And one other: every agreement you sign must have a reasonable exit clause. There will be times when, despite all of your precautions, you find yourself in over your head. And in those situations, you will need to be something of a ninja, keep your cool and make decisions. One thing to keep in mind is that this is all a group enterprise. You’re not in anything alone, though it’s also essential that you allow nobody to make your decisions for you. Hold people to the fire, especially where the facts and figures are concerned.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for February 2019 (#1236)
Keep a close watch on a deeply personal situation — and keep it in a private space, where it belongs. It’s not public business; it’s not a suitable topic of discussion among your friends and associates, or at least not at this point. Even if it started there, do what you can to get out of any public discourse and focus the discussion on the specific people involved: what looks like you, and an intimate partner whose identity may not be known to others. All personal material, whether it involves money, sex, pillow talk, family business or any equivalent matter, needs to be handled with the utmost sensitivity over the next few weeks. That means focusing on one-on-one discussions, and taking things as slowly as possible. There is a wider context involved, which goes back further in time than may be apparent, including the potential for this to be a multigenerational issue. When you encounter one of those, it’s necessary to be aware of the fact that bursts of energy, fear, pain, judgment, confusion and chaos can come pulsing down the genetic line. It is, therefore, essential to recognize that when it’s happening, and to be mindful of the present context: what is relevant now; what today’s customs are; and how lives were different 100 years ago. If a sexual matter is concerned, it’s essential (though not always easy) to stand away from moralism, and to allow personal truth to come forth. Nobody is your judge and jury. Not even you.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2019 (#1237)
One of the themes of Chiron in Aries is where the individual meets the group. This comes with the temptation to align yourself with a cause, a movement, or an organization; even a clique will do, in a pinch. There’s another direction of travel, which is that of self-discovery. It’s by far the more challenging journey. In truth, most identification with collectives of any kind is directly at the expense of seeking and finding oneself. It’s a little like giving all your money to a cult, when you would be much better off having your own modest apartment, and doing your own thing. For you, Chiron in Aries is a challenge to distinguish yourself: to stand out, and to stand apart. You have abilities you have not developed; you have a language gift that is like gold ore still buried underground. Yet with each passing day, the world is dragged deeper and deeper into a weird kind of conformist cool, nearly all based on marketing programs. The rest is based on the impact of digital, which has been particularly hard on your natural tendencies to be social. I suggest you resurrect those. Spend time in places where the internet is not a factor. Leave your phone home as many times a day as you can. Talk to people in person, and listen to what they have to say. You might ban all forms of online dating, and compel yourself to get among people and remember how to communicate with them. You will have fun, and will be doing your part to save the world.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for April 2019 (#1240)
During the next month or so, Mars in your birth sign is going to be pushing against many planets in Pisces. Because Pisces represents your sense of mission, your reputation, and what you’re responsible for, you will want to go gently on people, and on yourself. You have that side of your nature that’s not afraid to get in people’s face. The thing is, at the moment, you could come off as more confrontational than you want to be, or really are. You will have fun for a while but ultimately you’ll be eating away at the goodwill you share with people — and right now, that’s a commodity as precious as fresh water. Therefore, during the next few weeks, make every effort to relate to people in a way that demonstrates you’re worthy of their trust — and remember that trust is built over time and on the basis of experience. Seek to understand where they are coming from and what they need. In other words, go out of your way to evade the selfish tendencies that might come with Mars in your own sign. It’s also essential to work for some consistency. Be aware that you might be projecting two different personalities or agendas, which could lead to confusion in others (and, again, have a way of eroding confidence). This will take extra self-awareness. If you know you like to be a different person every day (understandable enough for Gemini), especially under the influence of Mars, be open about that fact, and make sure you honor certain bottom lines of truth and fidelity to your purpose. And then you’ll get a heck of a lot done.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for May 2019 (#1244)
Whatever you’re doing, be sure to take care of your needs first, and then consider the needs of others. Often they are intertwined, though your present situation calls for you to unravel this. Mars remains a present force in your chart, which is giving you extra power to manifest what you want. Yet this same factor is putting you into contact with much larger situations: when you want something, other people seem to be impacted or influenced. It may also be difficult to sort out what you want from what others want. In such a situation, change the emphasis from desire to need. I recognize that there are various schools of thought that consider this kind of thinking selfish. And there are plenty of conceited people who blur the lines and make their own priorities out to be the only ones in their environment. If by any chance you have such tendencies, get a grip on them. I am primarily speaking to those who tend to be squashed out of the way, or to have their needs subverted to more assertive people. It’s necessary to act before you feel yourself revert to resentment or frustration, and if you are there, address that situation first, beginning with identifying your basic needs (rest, food, time to yourself, time outside, space to do your work, whatever). Then take an inventory of who around you is making what demands, and begin to sort things out and make decisions. Your partnerships must function as such: be assertive about asking for help and delegating responsibility. Pay attention to who is helpful. Notice who keeps their commitments, to you and to others.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2019 (#1248)
In several crucial ways this month, you will play a supporting role in the lives of others. This is rarely a situation that is in balance: a great many people are either hardcore givers or takers. I’m talking about something different: investing yourself in a situation or circumstance that is not exactly your own, and working for an outcome that you may not directly benefit from, but which you understand needs to happen. To my thinking, this is the ideal modality for helping another person: a combination of involvement and detachment that adds up to true commitment. The bottom line of any situation you’re in is taking control over your sense of purpose. There is something here about doing things for their own sake, even if you "have to" do them. Once you have taken over why you are doing something, you have claimed the most important element of your creative power. You can then convey this into your sense of mission for anything you do in life. You will have freedom from various trappings associated with money (issues around doing things only for pay, doing them for no pay, and many gradients in between). As for assisting others (or someone specific) in immediate and upcoming scenarios: your role is to do what you can. That means what you have the time and energy for, and what you make time and energy for, because you can. This is different from coming in and saving the day. It’s different from sacrificing yourself. Be mindful of your potential role recruiting the assistance of others, and serving as a positive example.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2019 (#1252)
One of the peculiarities of Gemini involves a lot of ebb and flood where your finances are concerned. There is constant fluctuation, and it’s not easy for you to create a stable situation for yourself. This is a matter associated with having the sign Cancer as your 2nd house or solar house, associated with your personal assets. But what is really fluctuating? An argument could be made that your perception of your value is what is rising and falling, and this drags your bank account along with it. Sometimes known as self-esteem, though I am partial to the term self-respect, since this is a matter of re + spect in the true sense of the word: to see again, and in this case, to see yourself "again" (meaning, maintain an awareness of who you are and what you have to offer). There is more, though: you need to work with the predictable elements of your life (in the spirit of a tide table), and know what is coming and when. Your cycles are not as unpredictable as they may seem, though you need to study the patterns. Here is the thing about commerce: it requires many other things that begin with the prefix "com" — community, communication (and mutual trust and friendship). If you are going to be competitive, you need to choose wisely and remember who your friends are. Yet there is one thing worth more than anything, which is your word. It must be your bond. It must be your gold standard, or else you have nothing.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2019 (#1254)
To some extent, everyone assesses their personal value in terms of what others think of them. Then, in the end, we have to come around to our own evaluation, which will be more or less honest, and more or less based in actual events. Or, looked at another way, more or less based in the desire to be social. Or better said, the need to be social; humans are gregarious and we tend to need one another, though we are not always real with ourselves about this. And, at other times, we put this necessity above all else, to the detriment of integrity, independence and honor. That said, events early in the month will leave you with few options other than to say exactly what you mean, or what you feel, and you might not be so diplomatic or sensitive about it. You might push some buttons, and risk the social status you have. If you dare, you will discover what it means to express some fundamental truth of who you are, which you might otherwise have concealed; in fact, which you are entirely likely to have concealed. Yet the discovery you are making is not something you can conceal, least not from your self, and not from the people close to you, the ones you care about. And in this process, you will find out who your friends are. They are the ones who stick with you when you are in your truth. Be not afraid of alienating anyone else.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2019 (#1259)
You are in a time of renewal. Currently this means concluding matters that must come to an end before it’s possible for you to begin anything new. Start with the easy stuff: wrap up any nearly complete project, or divest yourself of it. This is a skill that needs to be learned, taught and practiced. I can go as far as telling you that there is such a thing as closure, and it’s not about pretending. Mostly, it’s about making a decision and sticking with it. There is also the element of understanding the nature of your commitments, and knowing when a promise is kept, a job is done, or a goal is unattainable. Then, everything that follows is based on that knowledge. There is no “going back.” This involves a conscious relationship with the passage of time, and that implies death. The current state of society and of many individual minds is to hold everything in a state of limbo, where there is neither closure nor completion. In that state of being, the vital force — the life force in any form — slowly drips away. This is the state of being when the future never seems to arrive. You can help yourself by beginning with endings. Go through your physical space and remove everything that has expired, or that is useless, in the way, or otherwise gathering dust. Continue by resolving a few matters with friends, relatives or associates that are keeping you perpetually on hold. The feeling connected with these projects will be edgy, a little daring, slightly unfamiliar.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for October 2019 (#1262)
October ends with Mercury stationing retrograde in Scorpio, so let’s focus on that first. Along with much other activity, this takes place in your house of work and wellbeing. This is a well of strength and resources for you, and you’re about to have full access. Yet it represents an inner reality and not an outer one; it is something you are being invited to experience, though not necessarily to express. In essence, you are on a journey of self-discovery. This may involve making your way along a fine line where sexual expression meets your unexpressed inner sexual reality. In our society at the moment, we have a serious question regarding what to do when you have amorous feelings for coworkers. This calls for a delicate balance of sensitivity and awareness. Our robot-driven world has put us out of touch with how the social realm is the way into the deeper emotional aspects of life. Most of our social skills are deteriorating (if they ever existed in the first place). Where there are professional and political considerations, the thing you don’t want is for your hormones to take over. Rather, start with maintaining basic respect for the humanity of anyone you may care about. Ask them how they’re doing and perhaps how their day is going, with no expectation of any special response. Notice if you are seeking their approval in some way — investigate what that is about. If someone likes you, they might signal that to you and the conversation will develop. During the retrograde, don’t make any guesses. Meanwhile, your astrology indicates that you would be wise to wrap up old business this month. Clear the way for the future.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November 2019 (#1266)
Mercury retrograde (Oct. 31-Nov. 20) describes your process of discovering the right work to do. I don’t mean the right job; rather, the activity that involves you fully and also works out to be of service to others — in that order. Much discussion of work activity these days involves monetizing something. I’m suggesting a different approach: noticing what you lose yourself in, which also happens to connect with others in some relevant way. Where that happens, there will almost always be some financial opportunity. This month’s planetary movements, which are focused in Scorpio, describe you exploring this zone, which is your 6th house of work and service. The retrograde of Mercury in this area involves seeking some form of mutual benefit; that’s the underlying layer of Scorpio. And in this style, your investment must be passionate and committed; nothing boring will do. That said, there are always the elements of every task or project that are less appealing, and your point of view and mental attitude will make the difference there. Remember that this is all a process of discovery, including getting a feel for a strategy that works for you. Mind your politics and your social customs; key people will be involved in helping you get from one place to the next. They will be judging you based on your fair-mindedness, your ability to follow through, and your ability to stick to your plans long enough to see if they are viable. It all starts with you, investing yourself in something you love.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2019 (#1270)
There is now a rather massive collection of planets gathering in Capricorn, including (among others) both Jupiter and Saturn — which have more mass than the rest of the solar system combined. Capricorn is your 8th solar house, “the crowded house” because of its complicated collection of intertwined themes. They include all the places where human nature haunts, stalks or otherwise engages us. The major themes of the 8th are where sex meets money, where relationships meet commitment, and where death meets transformation. Needless to say, this is a significant time in your life and in your relationships, and you may be feeling overwhelmed by the kinds of potentially wrenching changes you are having to negotiate. Change can also mean exchange, which is an essential theme of the 8th: there is often a transaction going on, a contract being entered or terminated, or some circumstance forcing you to stand up for your values. This relates to the power theme: who has power over you, who do you have power over, and how did things come to be this way? The pitfall of the 8th is that it covers all the material most people make excuses for avoiding. You could say that means avoiding the truth, first and foremost, which is barely possible at the moment, and which will become impossible over the next two months. It is fair to say that in a very short time, everything will be revealed. Make peace with who you are and what you’re dealing with in life. Take a more transparent approach, so you can get the help you need. The result will be a better life, where you are free from the fetters of the past.