Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for January 2019 (#1232)
You can trust that whatever just happened will never happen again. You’ve released an enormous amount of pressure that was clouding your whole environment, and bending your reality — and now you can get down to what you really need to do. That involves ongoing inner work, though few people have a sense of what that means. Here’s a clue: it’s not about rehashing the past, and it’s not about denying the past. And it’s too complex to sum up in a tweet or two. Yet history is very much a factor, by which I mean the history of your family going back many generations. It’s no easy task claiming back your life from what seemed to have an invisible grip on you. Yet you’ve had a good 10 years in the process, and now the pace of changes is accelerating. I suggest you make peace with one basic fact, which is that much of what you’re dealing with is not really about you. You’re still responsible for it on some level, because it’s been passed down to you as some kind of inheritance, like an old house you’re not sure you want but suddenly you’re paying taxes on it and you have to fix the roof and all of that. There’s a plus side to all of this, which is you have material to work with, if only you will take a creative approach to the questions you face. Yet now, that facing will be inward, not into your thoughts or into your feelings, but directly at the cosmos from which you emerged, as strange and as turbulent as it may be. Borrowing a line from the eternal professor, Bob Dylan: "I have a brother or two and a whole lot of karma to burn… Isis and the Moon shine on me."
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for February 2019 (#1236)
Try to notice when you’re being reactive. You tend to see yourself as a cool, calm and focused person, which is true enough, most of the time. It’s not true all the time, however, and you will be well served by tracking your inner barometer. Notice when you’re feeling under pressure. Notice when you have something you need to say. Notice when your libido is going through the roof and you don’t understand why. In general, pay attention to yourself, by doing things like tuning in every morning, drinking a big glass of water and contemplating what you remember of your dreams. They will be offering you plenty of useful information this month, and it will reveal how you truly feel about your existence. It’s vital that you take one day at a time, because this month in particular, every day will be different from the next. This may stretch your need for consistency and self-control. Yet you’re going through a phase of your development when you’re letting go of a false kind of influence in exchange for something more useful. And that more useful thing begins and ends with knowing how you feel, and also staying a few steps ahead of yourself. If you notice yourself going into denial — of anything at all — gently wake yourself up and look into the truth of the situation. If you remain awake and alert, you will be a lot happier, you will get more done, and you will catch a glimpse of a greatly improved future life that awaits you.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2019 (#1237)
You have a strong altruistic streak, though at the moment, you must guard this facet of your nature. Kindness is almost always a virtue, though it takes many forms. It’s different from being naïve. It’s different from making an assessment of the world based on an assessment of yourself. A diversity of factors, including the pending Mercury retrograde, are recommending that you focus on getting the facts, and then studying the patterns. This is particularly true where matters of finance are concerned, as well as your personal value as an asset to yourself or in any situation. There are many facets to what I’ll call the "personal asset value" equation. For you, the final result must be solid, rather than a matter of speculation or feeling valuable or worthwhile. At this stage of your life, you need to work with tangible elements: skill sets, specific knowledge, reliability, problem-solving ability, and your positive financial impact. All of this extends further than your immediate personal sphere and reaches into the world around you; that is the essential nature of Aquarius. You are here to be of service, which is measured not in intentions but in results that you can see and evaluate. If you can do this for the next month or so, you will make significant strides in both your value to the world, and to your own income potential — two elements that by all rights are directly linked. But the link is not a given; do not take it for granted. This will take study and practice.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for April 2019 (#1240)
Though Mercury has returned to direct motion as of March 28, you must continue to be cautious with your money, with investments, and with contracts of any kind, for several weeks to come. This is a good policy overall with Neptune transiting your 2nd house of available cash and resources; there is an increased chance that your estimation of your situation will be off, one way or the other. Pay particular attention to the numbers, and err on the side of caution. Where possible, let other people take some of the risks, or at least make sure that everyone is doing their part. Increasing emphasis on Aries, your solar 3rd house, is all about you becoming more assertive: saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and making sure you speak up exactly when your intuition says it’s time. This does not necessarily mean that people will roll over and yield to your ideas, which is all the more incentive to craft intelligent, informed reasoning processes. As you do this, you may get the feeling you’re not up to the task — that your thinking or writing is not as focused or adept as it could be. This is an effect of Chiron, which fortunately also assures that as you practice, you will grow, and as you grow, what some call "talent" will emerge. Where Chiron is present, you want to stay close to the edge of what you’re capable of, and keep pushing into the unknown and unfamiliar. Do your best and keep doing it.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for May 2019 (#1244)
There are indeed hidden factors driving and in many ways dominating your life, though the truth is they were always there. What’s happening now is a struggle to bring them to full awareness and see them for what they are. One thing revealed by astrology is that a substantial portion of this material (what some would call karma) is not your own. It belongs to other people, and you have in a sense inherited it. When you feel yourself driven by forces outside of your control, pause and investigate. Look carefully for matter that is secretive or taboo. It may be related to sex, death or money. It will have the feeling of a trove of family secrets that are gumming up the works not only of your existence but some larger one as well. The days of these conditions running your life are numbered, though your full cooperation is required. When you encounter something that reminds you of this business, push the situation as far as you can, until some new information comes out. Do not be deterred by people keeping a poker face, making denials or telling you how wonderful they are. You will need to summon some extra courage to do this, since you’ll be exceeding a limit or cultural norm. You may risk offending or angering people who seem to wield power for its own sake. This is the whole point. Then notice what you dredge up. Part of the exercise is claiming what is yours. First and foremost, this means your personal truth.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2019 (#1248)
Be mindful of your health this month, which will be directly related to your state of mind, or more accurately, your emotional state. You seem to be holding a lot in; that may be related to feeling like you don’t have a suitable way to express yourself, or you’re not noticing one that is available. With Saturn, Pluto and the Moon’s south node lingering around the most sensitive angle of your chart, it would appear that you’re trying to process something difficult and somewhat dark from the distant past. This has you extra sensitive, and other factors have you feeling like you’re pushing the limits of your emotional capacity. The best approach to this scenario is to find people around whom you can be easily conversant about your feelings and your overall situation. I suggest this be people who do not have a vested interest in you, or vice versa, as that tends to complicate matters and remove the objectivity that is necessary for a clear conversation. Consider the possibility that you don’t really know what you’re dealing with here, though the state of your body will be an indicator. Look to any form of irritation, inflammation or heat as a metaphor. Notice when a problem is cyclical. The nature of the cycle holds the clue to what the physical issue represents on the mental or emotional level, and also holds the most useful clue to how to resolve the problem on every level. You want a gentle approach that helps you unravel things gently.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2019 (#1252)
Two issues are up this month; they’ve been up for a while, but now, the bell rings. One is how, and whether, you take care of yourself, meaning your health, your rest, your nutrition — and your emotional wellbeing. Second, closely associated, is your association with aggression. This has been an issue in recent weeks, through much of the spring and longer, and it’s taken a toll on you and potentially your work-based relationships. You may be thinking that none of this was necessary, and if so, you’re correct. You’re under a lot of pressure right now. There is energy moving in your direction. You get to decide what to do with it. Do you direct it where you want, like a martial artist, or do you let it slam into you? There is a similar issue with your use of language, which is the forum for nearly all controversy these days. It will be helpful if you set all use of language in any potentially controversial situation on a 24- to 48-hour delay. Sleep on things for a night or two, including what you hear. You may develop a tendency to hear the things people say to you in the worst possible light, when really, they meant something else, or intended a different inflection of meaning. Therefore, slow down and contemplate your moves. You need to have a clear set of strategies, which you follow in a focused, disciplined and intentional way. You may need support. Get some advisors you trust. You don’t need to do what they say; rather, you only need to take it under careful advisement.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2019 (#1254)
This is no ordinary time in your life. You may feel like you’re dealing with forces out of your control, yet ultimately, what you’re feeling are movements deep within you. Since you contain them, it’s not quite correct to say that you don’t control them, though the ‘power’ issue comes down to one of awareness, and in particular, self-awareness. This is not easy at the moment, as so much seems to be going on inside of a blind spot (known in astrology as the 12th house). If you want to take the message of this transit, the thing to do is get your home, and your mind, in order. That means clean closets and drawers. It means tackle the storage unit or the basement. And it means focus on the subject matter (sometimes called ‘issues’) that trouble you the most with someone who you both trust and consider wise. Do not take that particular assessment for granted. People claim to have all kinds of powers they don’t possess. Most of all, you want someone who can handle sexual subject matter with humor, grace and depth. The 12th, at its essence, contains our most intimate sexual secrets. They are the ones that seem to arise from the fire and disappear like smoke; the ones that get masked over the next morning; the ones you may not like to think about, or have avoided for years. There is no proof of anything in this house; yet the closest you will come is the sensation of stifling pressure coming off you, working through pain instead of being bogged down in it, and the gradual release of passion. The question is, in today’s world, do you feel safe being vulnerable and alive?
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2019 (#1259)
You may feel like your circumstances are over your head, beyond your abilities or outside your control. Now you get to test any such theories, and test your mettle as well. It is true that we seem to live in times of wrenching change, and to be experiencing events that make no sense and that we do not understand. Yet you are what is changing more than anything else. Your psychic and emotional structure is experiencing much greater tectonic forces than is society. You are being forced to confront your fears, your hidden dimension, and what may feel like your past karma (it remains to be seen whose it is, in actual fact). Within the sphere of your own consciousness, what’s happening to you counts for more than what is happening around you. Growth is rarely easy, and it tends to be experienced in the face of what feels like the inevitable. Often there must be a confrontation, if only because change is so inconvenient. Yet it is now up to you to make the most of it. Even though you may feel pushed and confronted, it is your destiny to discover your true strength, your deepest abilities and what I will reluctantly call your power. Far from some form of magic or titanic strength, that would be the power of decision. In just over a year’s time, the mighty planet Saturn returns to your birth sign (and its other sign of rulership). Lay hold of every opportunity to take charge of your affairs, know when you must accept that you cannot and (as is often misattributed to St. Francis) have the wisdom to know the difference.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for October 2019 (#1262)
“Unconscious” is a strange term. It has a number of meanings in psychology, and others in pop spirituality. Generally, it means what is within the realm of denial, or what is subliminal to one’s own awareness, such as an unconscious motive. I am from a therapy tradition where the thing you don’t do is to deny consciousness. “What does he know? He’s just a kid/dog/houseplant/rock” is a question that deserves an answer. If one does not have an answer, what does one assume? That a kid or tree does not know what is going on? Right now, most of the activity in your chart is in a region that most astrologers would say describes the “unconscious.” That might include your relationship to your own motives and your own psychological workings. Can any of that really be unconscious, or just unacknowledged? The thing to do now and for the foreseeable future is to pay attention to this whole realm of what might lurk below the surface of your thinking. To do this, the main thing you need is to want to. If you are feeling restless, or angry or even just miffed, or feeling pushed, or wondering why you are making strange decisions, gently look inside of yourself to figure out what is going on. Notice what is coming through your dreams, and pay attention to how you feel when you wake up. It’s true that your mind is something of a cryptical envelopment these days, though it is your mind; we’re talking about you, not a thing apart from you.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November 2019 (#1266)
You will be making some important career decisions this month, though I suggest you not act on them immediately. This is crucial, because on March 21, Saturn enters your sign. That may seem like a while, though you have some work to do, cleaning up some past situations, getting your shop in order, and making peace with certain facets of your consciousness. By that, I mean making peace with yourself, as you go through some deep inner changes, on the way to being reborn in a new form. The rebirth part is associated with Saturn in your sign, which transition happens between March and December of 2020. So the kind of planning I’m talking about is medium- to long-range. This will involve a few levels of thinking, including a sense of your trajectory: knowing the next major destination you want to get to. It will help if you set aside plans that are no longer valid, and which no longer serve. This is an exercise not undertaken often enough: purging your agenda, and closing down old projects and files that burn energy and distract your attention. Your mind needs a central organizing principle, and that is recognizing what you want and what you do not want. Meanwhile, you must be impeccable in your business dealings and be aware of the layer of politics underlying everything. Rather than thinking of the political dimension as a place you can "win" or "have an impact," try regarding it as a set of protocols that facilitate your involvement in society, where skilled interaction can help you get things done.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2019 (#1270)
The prevailing astrology of our moment has had a way of drawing you into yourself, though this has not always been pleasant. Jung once remarked about how people will do anything, no matter now ridiculous, to avoid facing their soul. Soul is not a thing; it is the process of integrating your consciousness into your existence: calling yourself fully aware and present for your own life. This has certain properties, such as commitment to truth. Seeing someone else’s interests as equal to your own is right up there, which implies generosity of spirit. Then there’s the part about facing your fears rather than denying them. If you don’t do these things, you’re likely to project your issues outward, and see them manifest as figments in the world. Of course, the world really does have problems, and is often mean and unfair. But at the moment, that is not your responsibility and it’s unlikely to be your situation. Striving for your own sanity and peace of mind is your situation, and this is going to require shifting or transcending certain mental and emotional patterns that have been running your life for years. You’ve circled around these issues many times. You’ve burrowed in on a few occasions, though this is not necessarily appealing. You are reaching the point where something must shift, or you are going to crack. I suggest you opt for the shift option. It is easy to invite necessary changes into your life. Start by questioning what you have denied or taken for granted. That is step one in focusing your commitment to truth.