Why you need to know how to take care of yourself

Dear Friend and Reader:

In early 2006, when I was living in Brussels, I attended my first event at the European Commission headquarters as a newly credentialed reporter. It was a symposium on a possible flu pandemic, potentially coming soon, that had press attention at the time. A bunch of public health experts were on the panel.

Held in a sleek, gleaming room fit for the set of Star Trek, encircled by translation booths, the press corps dutifully listened to the extremely boring 90-minute presentation. Reporters are trained to listen to a long meeting and come up with the lead — that is, some statement or development they can use to begin the article. I was glad nobody was paying me to be there.

	My first European Union press credential — presidential level, granting access to the Commission, the Council and the Parliament. The big smile is because 20 seconds earlier, I'd just seen that the card was issued in the name Planet Waves, not Chronogram.

I would have written, "BRUSSELS — World experts at an influenza symposium held today at European Commission headquarters say doctors can do no more for patients than was done during the 1918 influenza pandemic, which means absolutely nothing."

There were no preventions, no vaccine, and no cures, and little that could be done for a sick person except for perfunctory care. If a pandemic broke out, we would just have to deal with it, because there was (theoretically) nothing else to do.

The only medical care that could be offered was "looking after the patient," which often includes an analgesic to bring down fever. Then, as now, this is deadly. Millions of patients were prescribed 25 aspirin tablets a day during the 1918+ event, and died of hemorrhage.

Toward the end of the question and answer session, I raised my hand, and announced that I would be asking the tinfoil hat question of the day. Laughter rippled through the audience. I went on. "What about homeopathy? This got results during the 1918 pandemic." Nobody laughed this time; there was quiet in the room. The panelists did not comment. In Europe, many people depend on homeopathic remedies and they expect the doctor to prescribe them.

We Are in the Same Place Today as in 1918

Today, if you follow official advice, there is not much else you can do. Word from the experts on high is the same as in 1918: wash your hands, wear a mask, and socially distance (back then, that meant avoid crowds, which seems to have worked somewhat).

That is it. Medical science, despite all the trillions spent on drugs, advertising, insurance, research, advertising, development, lawsuits, testing, advertising, equipment and facilities, is no more advanced at handling this kind of problem than it was a century ago. That's special.

Today, most people who "have Covid19" don't actually get sick (well into the 90th percentile and many who allegedly have it don't). If someone gets sick and ends up in the hospital, they get an IV in their arm, and a cold, fluorescent lit, busy, contaminated place to lay their head.

	United States Navy medical hospital corpsmen ready to attend patients at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, in 1918.

If they're having trouble breathing, maybe they get a ventilator. Eighty-five percent of those people die, and this approach is being widely critiqued as doing more harm than good.

Covid19 is not "Spanish Flu." It's not nearly as virulent or pathogenic or deadly. We're just acting like it is. Sure, to every dead person it's just as deadly — but we have a very good idea who most of them will be. We also know that every Covid-declared patient gets the hospital a $13,000 payout from the federal government, and every vented patient gets a $39,000 payout.

Yes, it's true that there are many concentrated cases in places where there's a concentrated population in a toxic area, like Wuhan or New York City. This syndrome is particularly deadly in nursing homes, where the patients tend to be old, sick, poorly fed, immune compromised and on many different immune suppressing drugs. These represent the majority of deaths claimed to be caused by the supposedly novel coronavirus. This is occurring in a place where people go to die.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are supposed to sit in our houses and apartments (or the homeless shelter) for 18 months and wait for a vaccine to come along. If you go out, "social distance" and wear a "mask."

People who say they can help are often quickly shot down as quacks and frauds — mainly by people who know very little and have nothing else that they can do for themselves. Most of what they would call quackery I call basic self-care.

While I am rarely one to encourage my readers to become felons, self-care would include getting outside and breathing fresh air, visiting a tree or two, and getting near water. Your eyes, your skin and your soul need sunlight. You might also find a good reason to visit a friend, such as to drop off an urgently necessary salad you made for them.

The Mask Debate — and Social Distancing Tape

We all know that the purpose of wearing a mask is to theoretically protect other people in case you're infected. For that, many people think they deserve the 2020 Omaha Virtuous Citizen Citation. They are allegedly being considerate of others. What passes for a mask is not an N95. It's an old bandanna their boyfriend gave them in 1990, since washed and dried 168 times. Or a converted antique bra cup. Anything will do.

	Police officers of the Seattle Police Department wearing masks made by the Red Cross, in December 1918.

Here is where I stand on that, personally, in case you were wondering.

If I believe or meekly suspect that someone in my proximity may be infected with a potentially deadly respiratory infection, and that they may be actively shedding virus, I'm not even vaguely encouraged by their stupid bandanna. Don't do me any favors. I will take care of myself. If you're sick, please stay home. And let's stop calling it a mask. That is a lie. End of opinion.

There are virtue signalers who will immediately inform me that by writing that paragraph, I will cause the next eruption in the Bronx, where of course I have lots of readers who treat my column like a game of Simon Says.

The reason for the raging debate over antique bandannas is because there is nothing else the government can tell us to do to help ourselves — except to sit in the dark with the windows closed, since the stuff is very clever and could blow in. Any advice based on nutrition or natural supplements has long since been banned by the FDA.

When you're out, make sure you stay six feet apart from other people, act a little smug, and bravely back off as they walk by.

Let's consider how ridiculous this is. Not for long. Just for a sec.

All local big box drug stores are now equipped these little stalls with specially approved social-distancing tape on the floor that you're supposed to stand within, for the safety and civic honor of all. This is to protect us from catching it from a sick person, or prevent you from spreading your potential cooties. There are lots of sick people in drug stores. That is why they exist. The only sick people who go into them should be the healthy ones.

Meeting the Human Red Bag

Now for instance, let's say the guy in the stall ahead of you is actively shedding virus. I mean spewing it like one of those July 4 sparkler cones, illuminating the world with invisible coronas, just like you heard was possible on CNN. And let's say that whoever is being waited on at the counter has a complicated situation, such as her insurance won't process.

	Not taking any chances at Kingston Farmers' Market. Photo by Eric.

During the delay, Mr. Coronabro is standing in his stall next to you for 11 and a half minutes, during which time he breathes approximately 20 times per minute (he's a mouth breather).

Therefore, he exhales 210 or so times, give or take a few, occasionally coughing and snorting, standing safely in his little imaginary stall and/or with his feet planted on the official sticker, wearing a bandanna he originally bought for Halloween 2001 as part of a cops and robbers ensemble.

On average, someone exhales about half a liter of air per breath, so that means Mr. Coronabro has expelled approximately 110 liters (about 27 U.S. gallons) of biohazard-contaminated air in just over 11 minutes, fresh from his festering lungs, which is now all suspended in midair, right there in his little stall. All those little nanoparticles, just waiting to be captured and put into a polymerase chain reaction machine.

Then his turn comes. He walks up to the register, and, following social distancing protocols impeccably, and feeling like you're really doing something to prevent all of this, you step right into his plume. And then you get your turn to breathe 46 or 89 or 165 times, your head immersed in his supposedly pathogenic invisible fog (which, unlike Pigpen's, does not follow him). You're dutifully wearing your modified medical bra cup mask from three sizes ago, which still smells like fabric softener and a hint of furniture polish from your dresser. But that's OK, as long as you feel good about protecting everyone else.

You might think, I'm glad that guy coughing is wearing his bandanna, which may not help much, but every little bit counts! How about try this on: were there a contagion going around that was so virulent and so deadly it required us to wear respiratory protection and not come near one another even outside, we would all already be sick or dead.

Or worse. The new study from South Korea says it can kill you three times.

So What Does Protect You?

Fortunately, there are very few people actively shedding virus, and for most people who are exposed, it's not that harmful. A kind of luck is the first thing protecting you, if you attend to basic hygiene and stay away from people you know are sick. That is, unless of course you're taking care of someone you love, which does not necessarily mean you'll get sick, particularly if you attend to basic hygiene. People take care of infectious people all the time and are just fine. Amazing, innit.

	Everything and everyone is suspect. Photo by Eric.

What protects you is you: your immune system.

You’ve heard of this thing. It exists. It is not a disease. It's your friend.

Your immune system is this marvelous aspect of your body and mind that interacts with the biosphere, including the human environment. It includes a wide diversity of bacteria, viruses and other microbes that inhabit you all the time, and which in reality you are made of. It also includes your kidney and liver function, your hormonal balance, your nutritional situation, and significantly, your state of mind. Fear and depression are very bad for the immune system. Such emotions can make dormant viruses (such as herpes, and others) spring into action. How you feel matters.

You can take better or worse care of your immune system: a lot better, or a lot worse. People who live toxic lives are consuming their immune resources rapidly. That means stuff like using household chemicals (Raid, Roundup, solvents and lawn fertilizer come to mind).

Many drugs are immune suppressing. These include blood pressure or cholesterol drugs, or Tylenol. Many are intentionally so — various "biologics," intentional immune suppressants, and anti-inflammatory drugs that are used to "treat" the inflammation caused by a toxic way of life.

(That is why the end of the typical drug commercial warns the potential customer to tell the doctor where they've been traveling in case there are odd pathogens there, and warns the potential customer they might get cancer from a drug used to treat a skin rash. In a way similar to using Tylenol to "treat" fever, this highlights the serious dangers of what is called suppression.)

Foods and Chemicals that Deplete

Many so-called foods deplete rather than nourish the body. For example, nearly all restaurant food, as well as packaged and premade food. Much of it contains chemical preservatives, chemically cooked up odors of delicious, slightly burnt cheese, dyes, stabilizers, hormones, oxidized oils, insecticides and numerous chemical and/or nuclear residues. Many people guzzle soda that is laced with Roundup, or alternately, with aspartame (both Monsanto originals).

	I learned doing photo research tonight that DDT was broadcast sprayed in an attempt to stop the spread of polio. It did no such thing, though it decimated ecosystems, and today is legacy material in the breast milk of nearly every woman on the planet, causing cancer, hormone disruption, immune suppression and other illnesses.

It helps to eat organic. Not everyone can afford to. It helps to get every cleaning chemical out of your home, especially so-called disinfectants. Anyone can afford to. Clean with water, soap, baking soda and vinegar.

Store your food in glass, not plastic. Nobody needs scented laundry detergent. The perfume is just one more chemical in the stew. Every little bit counts! You can slowly make 100 adjustments, one at a time, and thereby cut out many of the immune depleting chemicals and additives from your home and fridge.

This includes going through the bathroom and eliminating nearly every product you currently have. Most of it is low-quality toxic garbage.

Start over with a very few basic things: wholesome soap (I am an avid Bronner's fan), shaving soap (as in the kind with a mug and brush), some very basic shampoo, and lotion that is not based in petroleum. You will need to educate yourself. It will be an exciting experience. Then soon you will want to write an article like this one.

The Sum Total

Your immune system is the sum total of all that you put into your physical and emotional bodies. You are what you eat, inhale and absorb transdermally, and what you feel. Notably, many of the worst substances do not leave your body once they go in; they collect, or bioaccumulate.

There are lots of good foods you can nourish yourself with, but none are sold at a drive-thru or the gas station or Starbucks or even most supermarkets. Most are very old preparations. They are not "health food."

Rather, they are things like fresh, small batch ("artisanal," sorry) sauerkraut, kimchee, and miso. Unfiltered apple cider is great stuff, as are organic oils, eggs and dairy products. As much as you can get that's grown or made close to your home is preferable. Farmer's markets are a good place to start; in our contemporary times, I believe that they are the single best place to shop for food. You can get actual vegetables and fruits there, most of it minimally sprayed.

	Happy Beltane from the Grandmother Land. The stone circle was left by ancient migratory human campers from the 1960s.

You want to have this discussion with any farmer you're doing business with. Just ask outright: what is your spray policy? It does not matter that they're not necessarily "certified organic." Listen to the answer, ask for names of compounds, check with other farmers, and make up your mind whether you approve.

My opinion on certified organic is: in general, that it's probably better, if given a choice. There are weird details, though, that you may not have access to. Dr. David Carpenter, the world's foremost authority on PCBs in salmon, told me that farmed, organic salmon has the highest levels of those old, eternal pollutants called polychlorinated biphenyls. I'm not sure that's ever been written on the internet before. It came up in a conversation between two PCB experts.

As for supplements: my personal policy is the minimal necessary ones. Not all the stuff that's supposedly going to make you live forever. Only what is minimal and necessary.

One other thing. Figure out what foods you're allergic to or that irritate you, adjust and stick to the program. As Samuel Hahnemann wrote, if it aggravates, remove it. Aggravating includes immune disruption (bloating, diarrhea, etc.), and that is precisely what you don't want.

If you have any doubts that food is the best medicine, consider how James Lind in 1747 discovered how to "cure" a previously deadly disease that was for centuries killing droves of sailors (and others): eat oranges and lemons. Scurvy was not cured by a drug but rather with citrus fruit.

Are There Guarantees?

Someone might say, "You cannot prove that I won't get Covid-19 if I take better care of myself."

That's correct. You've got me there. I also cannot prove that the Earth won't be hit by an asteroid in 15 minutes. However, if you take care of yourself, you'll be a lot better off. This much has been proven over and over. That however is not how our society is structured. We're supposed to hide inside until the vaccine comes and saves us, or you might say till the arsonist puts out the fire.

	My Covid herbal supply cabinet. Not shown are the homeopathic remedies. The quart mason jar on the upper left is elderberry tincture, about ready to bottle up.

I do not need a double-blind study to "prove" that something works for me. I need to know, first, that it will not harm me, and then I educate myself and experiment. I compare notes for years with my fellow practitioners, and friends who are involved in the work.

For those seeking FDA approval or double-blind studies proving that herbal preparations or supplements are effective, remember that the medical establishment and the FDA have been at war with herbalism, chiropractic, homeopathy, energy medicine and the Wise Woman tradition for a century.

That is why you don't have clinical data on most preparations. This is about business competition. (Here is some news, though — a study associating Covid deaths with vitamin D deficiency; and people are staying inside, where they will tend to become deficient.)

It is possible to gradually learn how to take care of yourself, and these days, that's about the best you're going to get. And it's pretty good, because it will serve you many different ways — in every way, as a fundamental life skill, and survival skill.

In the credit card industry, they have a funny definition for "deadbeat": people who pay their balance off every month. They can't make any money on those people. For the pharmaceutical companies, deadbeats are the people who are educated and who take care of themselves, and therefore who don't need their products.

For the moment, you get to decide what side of that line you're going to be on.

With love,

PS — Gov. Cuomo said today he thinks it's "shocking" that people who are staying inside are now being admitted to the hospital with Covid. Hmm, maybe this has something to do with vitamin D deficiency and immune suppression caused by staying in.

CNBC writes, "It shows that 66% of new admissions were from people who had largely been sheltering at home. The next highest source of admissions was from nursing homes, 18%." Now for the question — what do they have in common? Add to that assisted living facilities and we now know that 88% of new hospital admissions in New York City are people who were staying inside.

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Update from Major League Baseball!

By Planet Waves Sports News

Major League Baseball will resume on June 1, under a new set of rules approved this morning by the MLB commissioner and unions for both leagues.

Only two fans will be allowed into each game — one on the 1st base line and one on the 3rd base line.

The catcher, batter and homeplate ump will need to stand six feet apart; therefore, a seven-foot bat will be used.

The pitcher will have to take DMT and social distance from himself. Either that or he can refrain from breathing during the game.

Batters will now get 6 strikes and 8 balls.

Batters will need to sing "Happy Birthday" twice while tapping their cleats with the bat.

The distance from homeplate to second base will increase from 127' 3 3/8", to a much safer distance of 127' 3 5/8"

Runners must skip 3rd base entirely.

"Tagging" will now he reduced to shouting, "I got you!"

A new baseball will have to be used with each pitch. No spitballs allowed.

When the pitcher and catcher confer at the mound, they will need to stand back to back.

Every team member will have his own dugout.

Bats will need to sit in their own special section and refrain from fluttering about.

Cheering will not be allowed. Instead, text "Hooray!" To 600606 and "Huzzah!" to 600607. Please do not confuse the two.

Outfield will be sanitized between innings.

Seventh inning stretch will consist of snapping the elastic on your mask while quietly humming "Don't Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Saturdays will be "Fever Night," where anyone running 102 or higher gets in free.

Radio announcer will need to speak in Sign Language, taking care not to spit on the microphone when excited.

Hot dogs will be served separately from the bun.

All employees must wear a helmet and parachute at all times.

Corona beer will definitely not be sold. Daily Astrology & Adventure with the daily birthday report updates every day by about midnight Eastern Time. This feature is better than ever. Check in for astrology ideas and insights.

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"Your words have served as a sort of daily affirmation — yes, I can be bold. Yes, I can be assertive. Yes, I can do what I need to do for me. So many of the things that I doubt and struggle with at the core of my being have been addressed through the reading."

— Stacey Katz, Tunjunga, CA

Friendly motivation. Excellent ideas. Brilliant astrology. The Dharma by Eric Francis.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Despite all the chaos in the world, we released your readings Monday evening. This is a series of 12 sign readings and an orientation talk, on the level of the best astrological counseling. They are in-depth, vibrant, exciting and deeply personal astrology experiences. Most of all, my work is motivational, uplifting, positive and USEFUL.

You can call these astrology readings, or you can call them a comprehensive spring training program in personal development. I offer depth, compassion and grounded thinking, and present the keys to a holistic concept of healing and wellness.

	Eric Francis.

This work is now available for instant access. You can get all 12 signs for $99, or choose your individual signs, starting at $44.

Once you experience one, you will want to keep going. They will stand up to many rewatchings, and make for fun binge-watching that will leave you feeling better about yourself and your circumstances. I am pointing the way out of these woods we are in.

Best of all, you will learn basic astrology principles you can apply to your own life even if you're not an astrologer. I teach the elementals and how to think astrologically, by example.

The 38-minute introductory video is posted on our main website.

Many times I have quoted Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche: "We do indeed live in an age of decadence, but the dharma is not decadent. The dharma is the same as it always has been." We need this now more than ever.

Despite the challenges of our time, you can focus on your purpose, which is related to the World Purpose. You can step into your calling as one who came to our planet to make a positive difference. This is integral to your healing path, your personal mission and the necessities of the world. In this new video reading, about work and relationships, we will use the astrological markers of our moment to point the way, and clear the way. You may order all 12 signs here.

With love,

"Thank you for your LITERALLY life-changing work. I cannot put into words how much I appreciate what you do. I went from a homeless veteran (with 2 children) to a first-time homeowner over the last 3-1/2 years. Eric's words guided me to a place my family now calls home. I have followed him for years (since his NY Daily News days) and I am stunned by his accuracy. The Art of Becoming [reading] was so on topic that I used it as a guide for the whole year. In fact, I most likely would NOT have had the courage to buy a home if it wasn't specifically mentioned in that reading. I had slept on inflatable furniture, cots and couches for so many years that I was mostly focused on having my own room. Just the thought of buying a home seemed too overwhelming for me. However, thanks to Eric and the rest of the team, I now have my own space."

— Casey O.

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for May was published on Saturday, April 25. We published your extended monthly horoscope for April on Saturday, March 28. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) — You may feel like you're in a dangerous spot, though you don't understand why. This feeling might increase over the next few days. One thing to be cautious of is taking on responsibilities that are not really your own, or putting yourself in the place where you could be held accountable, incorrectly. If someone actually holds responsibility for something, allow them to have it. That does not mean counting yourself out of the flow of information, or in any way dimming your awareness. Just know which shoes it's your place to fill, and be glad you're not a monarch. It's a difficult job and you can never really get it right. Yet there are many ways you can help; you have considerable talent and assets to offer any situation where you identify they may be helpful or even valuable. Be aware that your spiritual guidance and protection are with you. You can, if you want, have your bearings — or rather, consciously keep your sense of direction and pay attention to which way you're headed. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.



The Journey of You and Chiron | A New Reading by Eric Francis

Anyone who has encountered it is curious about Chiron. Planet Waves provides one of the few dependable online sources of information on this unusual planet. For the 10th anniversary Astrology Studio reading, I will be covering Chiron in Aries — a momentous event for all those born under this sign, and of high interest to everyone else. Get instant access to this reading here.

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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Though the economy and society may be in tatters, keep working for the kind of success you want. You need a strategy, and its first element needs to be a clear and concise goal, or at least a point of arrival from which you can explore. Everything — tapping your vitality, your momentum, your knowledge, your reputation — involves delineating a very basic series of steps you will likely take to get to another place. I mean general steps, such as, "I want to be involved in independent cinema, which I hear is happening in [city where you know it's going on] so I will go there and stay for two months." Or, "I want to be in green investment, so I will meet people in this profession." How you actually effect that goal will change from day to day, and you would be wise to leave plenty of space and time for the unexpected to manifest. At the moment, I suggest you benefit from current aspects and refine your communication style. Speak and write to be understood, and respectful, and respected. Your words matter. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

You can now get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $44. This reading focuses on a professional breakthrough toward the end of the year, and preparing you for this development. Venus retrograde in the spring is preparation. Mars retrograde in the autumn is preparation.

Ultimately this is a spiritual development, yet in reality we are talking about aligning your purpose with action, with a calling, and with an opportunity. Elements of the reading go out to a series of power steps in 2021. Read more.

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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — As your twin soul Bob Dylan wrote, you give up something for everything you gain. Therefore, make a list of what you want to divest yourself of, or would be willing to. Know what you don't want, what you don't need, and what is not serving you. When it comes time to give things up, that's the place to start your selection process. This can include problems you don't need or want, which takes away most of the power they seem to hold over you. At other times you will find the thing asked of you only seems like something you were attached to, and then turns out to be a relief when it's gone. In all things, be conscious of the exchange process. Be aware that there are many sides to an issue or a situation, and to every specific condition of your life. Pay special attention to those places where something you think does not work for you serves a purpose, which keeps you attached to it. This calls for true maturity. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Your 2020-21 Gemini Astrology Studio, The Sacred Space of Self, is now available for pre-order at just $33. The reading covers Venus retrograde in your sign, Vesta in your sign, Saturn in Aquarius, and the momentous astrology at the end of the year. Get the best price by pre-ordering today. Thank you for your business and your trust.

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Events this week will provide you with guidance and a bit of prescience associated with a solar eclipse in your birth sign in about six weeks. There is an alignment of Mercury and the Sun that points directly to the June 21 eclipse. This involves your public or most visible role in society, and the place where you seek your fulfillment through tangible connections to others. For you, these are related, especially under our current astrology and cultural conditions. Notice what develops, emerges, or speaks to you Monday (in particular) and consider its true nature. This includes the ideas you may have, the things you may do, and also what emerges spontaneously. You've been seeing this happen here and there, and you've probably figured out that your mode of involvement is gaining momentum, growing roots and sprouting branches and leaves. Let this process develop naturally. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Stay focused on your plan, and take each necessary step to get there. Work closely with partners and those who hold any authority in your life, and make it happen. Some of the most important strategy points may come from others, and you will need to depend on them to hold some structure for you, while you take care of more important personal matters. This will be an exercise in both trust and coordination. Keep your plans close to those who are directly involved. Take an approach that may seem a bit like the military — clear delegation of duties, clear accountability, and a genuine sense of order and organization. One or two people will be instrumental in making this happen, whom you will know from their clear thinking and sense of balance and fairness. Make sure the right things happen at the right time, as best you can, which mainly means following the order of operations. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — There is no rush to make a decision, especially if you're wondering "what to do with the rest of your life." That's a tall order, and you might want to shorten it a bit. You certainly are in a space of questioning not just what to do next, but why. Your motive and motivation for activity is the greater question. What actually moves and inspires you? When you see someone whose accomplishments you admire, do you understand why you feel that way? Meantime, you are probably having ideas for what is possible, and thoughts of wanting to reinvent yourself. You don't need to rush, though it would be helpful if you experimented. That means not just with activity but with your underlying need to express yourself, to change your environment, or to redesign some facet of the world you live in. I suggest you explore the possibilities actively, through direct experience, reading, and speaking with others about what they do and why. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — One thing after another seems to shake your confidence and security, and you keep getting back up and keepin' on. This week's astrology highlights questions about where you get your resources, how you use them, how you share them, and how to sustain and develop what works rather than what does not. This will be your most meaningful distinction. The thing you want to do more of is what is already succeeding. Do less or none of what is not serving a purpose, nor feeding you in some way. This is mostly a practical matter, though learning how to make the distinction of "works" versus "does not work" is one that can never be spoken about enough. You can replace all the things in the second category with new experiences (from which frustration invariably deflects). Venus retrograde between May 13 and June 25 will be a source of many questions on the deeper meaning of your existence. And in those matters as well, the discussion will come down to what works and what does not. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Thursday's Full Moon in your birth sign may test your limits on a relationship, though you want to encourage that. Whatever ways you may feel pushed are also inviting you to come out of your shell and step into your power and authority. Your life at this moment is one long exploration of what it means to be resolutely yourself rather than who others would have you be. Then as you master that, you will need to get to the place where you can still hold your own in the presence of any social pressure not to. This is perhaps subtle, and being susceptible to so much external influence does not fit your self-image. Yet it would help to think of it not as external influence, but rather what was programmed into you as self-control for the convenience of others. To outgrow this requires bona fide self-development. Study the dynamics of your early family life to understand the kinds of pressures you were subjected to. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your ideas about life strategy can only apply to you, not to others. This is a leap because of the extent to which you may identify with a certain relationship. The relationship will proceed as it does, and though it involves you, your plans must be about yourself alone. When you can do that, you will have something tangible and interesting to exchange with others. This defies the idea that "others give me a purpose," which is the thing you want to give yourself a break from. They may seem to, though that does not really get you to the level of your actual meaning, motivation and definition. Yet there are forces at work saying it's time for the real thing. You know you're changing, and that your inner movements will require you to make outer ones. If a relationship is involved, my thought here is that the relationship must be one thing, and you must be another. Don't mix up the two. You exist independently of it, which is what makes it a relationship at all. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The destructive expressions of our current astrological era are mostly behind you, if you bring yourself into the constructive phase. This must be a conscious act, in the spirit of taking an inventory of what you've learned. Also, you might take an inventory of what the destructive phase (which peaked in January and February) has removed, dismantled, or stopped. You cannot count everything as a loss. You know that, too: while some developments may have seemed inconvenient, that was more about your own resistance to change. Now, the planetary picture is calling on you to be more conscious about how you make changes in your life: in other words, making them for yourself, rather than having them made for you. This will come to the forefront of one particular relationship as the June 21 solstice eclipse approaches. Figure out where you stand with this relationship, and if you've already done that, then act according to your knowledge. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The creative life can be lonesome, and anyone devoted to developing their art (or their invention, or deep personal commitment) may need to proceed for years without any social benefits. Yet that is often what it takes to make progress on, well, anything genuinely demanding of your focus. There would appear to be such a thing in your life now, or you have something available to focus on that will benefit you. Take the opportunity, therefore, to keep your energy and thoughts focused inwardly — or continue to do so if this is the track you've been on. The truth you arrive at must be your own. You can engage the companionship of those who are committed to helping you go in your own direction. That means people with no special agenda for you, and who you are certain support who you are, and who you are becoming. If they treat you that way, regard it as a sign of affirmation and love. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This week's Full Moon in Scorpio is, among other things, a reminder of how integral your sexuality is to your spiritual path. Others may make a point of evading, eluding or denying this, or maybe they have not figured it out. It would seem to be a radical idea, though it's not really. As evidence I offer the obsession that so many religions have with dissing, dismissing and destroying sexuality and, in particular, that of women. Have you ever wondered what that's about? I'll offer a clue. If indeed you can find your way to the core of your creative force (what religion calls "god"), it would not help the cause (of religion) if people discovered this for themselves. The guilt trip of religion is all about not discovering the one thing that would lead you to not need religion; the aspect of your humanity that would put you in contact with your creative, self-creative and healing source. This week is a glorious time to celebrate yourself, and if you share yourself, to do so in the spirit of nature, love and abundance. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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