Good Evening on Planet Waves:
I’m going to lay low this week and let my colleagues handle most writing duties today. I’m planning to prep our class on Saturday — It’s All in the Houses. We’ll email out another round of subscriber discount codes.
If you’re trying to read a chart, the houses provide the context and the setting for the narrative. That’s why, as Patric Walker said, “It’s all in the houses.”
I am planning to resume my election coverage on Tuesday on Planet Waves FM with some astonishing information I discovered this week about Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence.
More About Hillary Clinton’s Ambiguous Time of Birth
Below is a news item about the controversy over Hillary Clinton’s birth time, which was covered by The Wall Street Journal last week, and which then became a sensation in the astrology world. ISAR, the International Society for Astrological Research, could have handled this better by saying that they had a new clue about Clinton’s birth data rather than incorrectly claiming that they had “breaking news” double-accurate data.
As I mentioned in my recent piece about Hillary Clinton’s chart, she has multiple birth times (approximately six so far: 1:18 am, 2:08 am, 2:18 am, 8:02 am, 8 pm and 8:02 pm, plus a famous rectification for 7:58 pm). Yes, I think this is really weird. As in really, really weird.
That story gets its own item in this edition below Amanda’s article, reprinted from The Mountain Astrologer, a magazine I love that is part of the culture of American astrology. You can read that version here (with comments from TMA’s readers).
Your Zodiac Sign is Definitely Not Wrong
It seems like the “your sign is wrong” and “there is a 13th sign” hoax has resurfaced. This has been going on so long that I was making fun of it in 1998, but really it goes back about 20 years earlier. I’ve made a YouTube video about this, which I would encourage you to send to anyone who is staying up late nights worrying. I also covered this extensively in 2011 when it popped up and became a national news story.
Coverage of the Oct. 16 Full Moon
Coverage of the Oct. 16 Full Moon in Aries, conjunct Uranus-Eris, will continue in the Four Winds Report daily almanac. You might love this new publication we’re doing — it’s compact and practical, and has things like a quick daily astrology wrap-up.
OK — with that, I leave you in the capable hands of my colleagues.
Thanks for tuning in.
w/love
Short Monthly Horoscope for October 2016, #1120 | By Eric Francis
Aries (March 20-April 19) — Nothing is predictable, nor do you want it to be – especially relationships. Leave yourself room for adventure and for surprises, and set this tone with friends and partners. All the good that’s entering your life is doing so through spontaneity. So practice that as yoga. Change up your schedule any way you can. Take different routes to and from places. Meet people you might ordinarily pass by, and hear their story. All of this will feed into your current extravaganza of self-discovery, though one other thing is certain: there’s opportunity in the air, and to get access you must assert yourself.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You’re getting to know yourself through another person. The beautiful thing is that you seem to be discovering what you already knew, which is called confirmation. You might be concerned that you’re losing yourself in someone else. You may have moments when you fear that you’re overpowered by someone’s will. I suggest that you cast off those concerns and let this scenario play out, because it’s heading somewhere interesting and you are getting ready to open up wings you didn’t even know you had. You can afford to be bold and courageous. There’s nothing to avoid; dive into your feelings.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’re experiencing a creative burst like you’ve rarely ever felt. Celebrate, explore and give yourself some extra freedom to find out what you want to do. You have more potential than you think. It’s a matter of focus, and that is coming. You might feel you have to give up some things to focus on one or two priorities. Let this happen organically. Remember, you’re not really giving anything up. You will take every talent, passion and idea with you, and these will combine into new forms, new projects and new gigs. Have faith in this process, and in yourself.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This is potentially a brilliant time for you professionally. Yet you will need to be courageous in everything you do, every time you do something. Bring out some true element of spark, light or genius with each task. Ask yourself what’s the best, most inventive way to do whatever you’re doing. Burst through boredom with the vengeance it deserves. Remember that in any authentic career, exceedingly little follows the ‘established’ ways of doing things. You must break some rules in order to do things better or to succeed in innovative ways. Be smooth, persistent and as naughty as you please.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You must make a special effort to say what you mean and mean what you say. This is less about absolute truth and more about sincerity. Your words count for more than you know right now, so don’t waste them on gossip, on trivia or on negativity. Rather, use words and ideas like the valuable resources they are, and remember that for you honor counts. So too does presentation. Being well-spoken, presenting the written word with care and respect, and keeping things beautiful will be surprisingly helpful in whatever you’re doing or creating.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You may be inclined to focus on money; and if you do, you will get results. Yet you need to think bigger than that, in considering what resources you have available. There’s way too much emphasis placed on monetary value, and way too little on what people often have in abundance: creativity, passion, a sense of mission and the love of beauty. All of your talents count. All of your personal gifts count. And you bring to every situation something that transcends them all, which is that distinctive, beautiful personal quality only you have and only you can offer.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Those born under your sign often avoid controversy and confrontation. Yet you might consider the value they have. You will thrive on a little friction and polarity. That does not mean hostility or any form of negative vibes. Rather, you need the kind of contact that allows you to assert who you are in a sportsman-like way. You can trust saying what’s not included in the script, and say things you were not planning to say, and listen to what others say that pushes your buttons a little. From this, you’ll get ideas you never would have dreamed of otherwise.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — This has been an unusual year for you: many self-discoveries, many necessary changes, and discovering something about your deep personal strength. That seems to be rooted in what you want. Yet now, it’s coming from what you want to say. You actually have ideas and, more than that, you have the capacity to change your mind. And this you are seeing the beauty of. Simply put, the actual strength of the mind is its ability to adapt. For you this has gone from being a struggle to a blessing. A discovery that’s on the horizon will help you take your life to a new level.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — There is more to life than what you believe. What you have personally verified, and what has stood the test of time, are more important teachers. One gift of this phase of your life is the discovery of your authentic values. That means priorities, or core principles. They’re your rudder that goes deep into the water, or a foundation reaching into the earth. Yet from time to time, even those change and evolve in surprising ways; and that is what seems to be happening. Cooperate fully with this process. You are tapping into deep knowledge extending way beyond the usual scope.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — This month, you have the power to make any change you want. I don’t use the word ‘power’ lightly, but there really is no other. By change, I mean on a structural level: a deep rearranging of your mentality. It’s as if a force beyond normal desire or intention is working through you. It’s an evolutionary impulse combined with true need that’s moving you to make a decision you might never have predicted. You can trust this process, because it’s entirely natural and coming from within you. Though it might not have made sense a year ago, it makes perfect sense now.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — One of your great strengths is your ability to work with others, and this is gleaming out of your solar chart right now. You’ve had to go it alone for a while, or perhaps with less cooperation or resources than are ideal. Yet now your wisdom and leadership are becoming obvious to the people around you. You are stepping into your authority and embracing the knowledge you possess. You have one other gift, which is the ability to be undaunted by fear. That is the true essence of your leadership ability. And it’s rare to find.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Life is about an exchange. Trees absorb what humans exhale, and turn it into wood. Dogs and people have followed one another around for tens of thousands of years, to great mutual benefit. Cats protect our food supplies by eating the vermin that threaten our health. Your existence is now the very model of this quality, which is called symbiosis. Your relationships have the potential to be mutually profitable, more so than ever. Offer yourself fully to them, and accept and embrace the gifts that the people around you are offering. This is a rare moment that will nourish you for many years.