The Saturn-Pluto Initiation

Dear Friend and Reader:

We have now passed through, or perhaps directly into, the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, which was exact a few minutes before noon Eastern Time on Sunday. This is a turning point in all of our lives. It is time for a check-in and a review.

Using a bit of data from the Human Design system as a time template, you have an approximately one-week window to come to closure on important pending matters related to your personal history. This goes through Jan. 21 or so. You have leverage now. That means your efforts will be aided by larger natural forces.

	The notion of a family eating dinner together has become either a speciality item or an object of nostalgia. Photo: Parenting Magazine.

After more than a decade of extreme emphasis on Capricorn and what it represents, we now enter a transitional time where Aquarius will gradually come into focus.

Pluto in Capricorn has had a way of gutting tradition and protocol. It has had a way of eliminating many facets of the past. This transit has left a lot of room for something else to happen — something big.

My years of studying the media environment, under the guidance of the McLuhan family, have me feeling nervous about this.

I now have a sense of what digital technology has done to consciousness and to society. One effect is amnesia about the way things were done in the past, so these changes are concealing themselves. I think that as part of our recovery project, we need to honor elements of the past and how we lived there. We need to practice some tradition for its own sake, not as an obsession but as a point of contact.

The Meaning and Significance of the Body

Have you seriously considered these words of Eric McLuhan? I keep publishing them, hoping someone will notice.

"The body is everywhere assaulted by all of our new media, a state which has resulted in deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world. In the age of disembodied communication, the meaning and significance and experience of the body is utterly transformed and distorted."

	This will be the first child born with Pluto in Aquarius.

In exchange for all of this fantastic digital technology, we get a totally inchoate, incoherent and unstable society where people struggle to rub two brain cells together. We strain to remember what happened last week, much less understand its relevance. If you're feeling scattered, rest assured, you have had a lot of help getting there.

There are a few people, devoted to literacy and a balanced worldview, who can see what is happening — to themselves and to others. If you value your inner reference points, and your sense of self, you can get to keep it if you want.

I think most of the rest are riding the digital flume.

There is one other thing. Underneath all this worldly stuff we see is the Dharma: the purpose; the choice to act as if to hold the world together. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche has written, "It is important to understand that as bad as times are, the Dharma is not affected in any way. We do indeed live in an age of decadence, but the dharma is not decadent. The Dharma is the same as it has always been."

And in the end, the Dharma is all that matters. It is always your option; you may always choose it as your purpose, even if you have 10 seconds to live. Choose to honor Dharma and your life takes on an underlying purpose. You connect to everything and everyone in a new way.

New Environments Replace Old Environments

We cannot go back to the old environment. What happens with each wave of technology is that a new environment is created — indeed, many new environments, which have an aggregate effect.

The digital environment is intensifying, and it is growing on the ruins of the previously literate environment, which facilitated individuality. Literacy promotes inner awareness and a coherent perception of the world. Electrical technology eviscerates individuality, eliminates privacy and turns people into mindless tribesmen.

	We are accustomed to physical environments transforming and being replaced by new ones. Few would recognize this old scene from Hell's Kitchen as being just north of what is now Penn Plaza in Manhattan. Mental environments work the same way. The old ones are erased and replaced with nary a trace remaining.

The current breakdown began, so far as I can tell, with radio one Uranus cycle ago — about 85 years or so.

Saturn, Jupiter and finally Pluto entering Aquarius indicate that digital is going into overdrive. (Saturn makes its first ingress in March, followed by Jupiter in December and Pluto in 2023.)

We are already at the point where we may be recognized anywhere we go. It is now only meekly possible to take a walk or a ride on the subway and still be anonymous, which means having any privacy.

G5 technology, Facebook's mindreading bracelet (now being shipped, according to the Zuckerbot), virtual and augmented reality, and many other factors of artificial 'intelligence' and robotics are all pointing to a world that emulates the Netflix series Black Mirror. If you have not seen this, one episode is all you'll need; any one will do. It is frightening, particularly because it's illustrating where our lives seem to be going.

While people are still analyzing the effects and the abuses of Facebook, we need to be asking how we are going to conduct ourselves in a world where there is absolutely no privacy, including the contents of your mind.

Is this something that you want? We are facing a question of how to remain in contact with our humanity, with our senses, with our basic needs for companionship.

Where To From Here

While there is no turning back, there is the possibility of turning forward and considering the world that we want. While new environments transform us, they also transport ideas that can be useful, very useful, in maintaining self-awareness and a measure of freedom.

	Another Sri Yantra — an illustration of the nature of being and existence, and an important tool in tantric practice.

Electrical media extend the central nervous system. The usual response is to cut off. You also have the potential to extend and to stay aware. It is not an oversimplification to say that the antidote to any condition that robs you of your consciousness and self-awareness is to stay awake and alert. Or to wake up in the first place.

The three years of Saturn in Aquarius (spanning from 2020-2023), joined by Jupiter in 2021, represent a time to stake out your possibilities. We have a very brief interval where we can expand into some new potential, establish some order, set some boundaries and conduct focused creative experiments.

Most of these will be social: that is the primary realm of Aquarius. But now social has been almost entirely supplanted by its digital clone. While individual consciousness is being dismantled, so too are the social bonds that keep us strong, healthy and sane.

The relationship of the individual to the group is crucial here, and that is about knowing who you are. It's about knowing when you're thinking for yourself, and when you are not.

This essay might help. It is the Aries 2020 INTELLIGENCE reading. I am offering this as a published product, and I also think it will benefit everyone to read it, so here it is, without the need for a password.

Onward into the unknown.

With love,

Get a Load of This Alignment

This is what we're living through now. For many reasons I don't think I'm overstating the case to call this the most significant alignment since the 1960s. Saturn and Pluto are only making one contact (that was today, at about noon ET), this is an aspect with a long, long warmup and which will take some time to cool down.

This snapshot is from the time of the lunar eclipse Friday. For the next 48 hours, it came into focus and is now at its peak. Many planets are surrounding Saturn and Pluto. From bottom to top, they are:

1. Asteroid Pallas in Sagittarius (oops, Mars is also down there, and then the Part of Fortune, so all three Sagittarius points get the number one, which I imagine they appreciate.)

Then in Capricorn:

2. Pholus, the second centaur, discovered 1992, dealing with the most recent four generations of family. That extra point outside the wheel is Cupido, a hypothetical planet which also describes family, and which brings people together.

3. Quaoar, an important minor planet in the Kuiper belt, discovered 2002, addressing the origins of the tribe, the family or humanity

4. South lunar node, a classical point from antiquity, a point of release, protection, and recall of old information

5. Jupiter, a classical planet from antiquity, an uncle-figure, bearer of wisdom, expander, and the largest planet. The extra thing right near Jupiter is the asteroid Child, which fits the family-related theme of this whole alignment.

6. The Sun, a luminary, accompanied by asteroid Kassandra (outside the wheel)

7. Mercury, a classical planet from antiquity, which represents the child-self and also tells us to get the message

8. Ceres, the first asteroid, discovered 1801, which brings in a maternal role, emotional attachment, the grief of mothers, and the connection between food and emotions

9. Saturn, a classical planet from antiquity, which is the lord of chronological time, of structure, and that which is resistant to change

10. Pluto, a modern planet discovered 1930, the prime mover, the force of the soul, the unstoppable force, the evolutionary engine

11. Chariklo, a centaur, consort of Chiron, discovered 1997, the witness, the assistant, one who holds space (in the spirit of Vesta and 1992 QB1).

This is all taking place in the sign Capricorn, a sign which brings together the themes of family, corporate structure and the government. So this whole setup is about rethinking, reconsidering, and experiencing some transformation in the connection between the family and society. This works on a deep inner level, with effects in the outer world. I give a detailed reading of this alignment in tonight's Planet Waves FM.

— by Eric Francis
Respect 2020-2021 Readings Are Published

Dear Friend and Reader:

We're delighted to announce that the audio segments of our brand new annual edition, RESPECT 2020-2021, are now available for instant access. You may listen to the introductory recording on our website.

Each reading includes a high-quality audio recording of approximately 90 minutes by Eric Francis, plus a PDF of all the charts used, along with other resources. You'll also have access to An Aquarian Age, Eric's written reading focusing on 2021, which is due out in the spring.

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P.P.S. You can read for your Sun, Moon and rising signs, and may share these readings with your household. Anyone interested in how astrology works will benefit from getting all 12 signs. If you need assistance, have questions or would like alternative options, please write to cs@planetwaves.net. Planet Waves FM At the Epicenter

Dear Friend and Listener:

As we pass through the epicenter of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, I'm a little pensive and reflective in today's Planet Waves FM.

You may listen to the new edition on the show's tab.

Archived shows are on the Planet Waves FM website.

Thanks for tuning in, and for your continued support.

With love,
Daily Birthday Readings from Planet Waves

Here are the next week's Birthday Readings; if it's your birthday this week, many happy returns to you. Please note you can also read these entries as daily posts on our main website. Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020 (The Day of the Wild Call) Today's exact conjunction of the epoch-shifting Saturn-Pluto conjunction underscores your need to transform old forms and structures that have become a hindrance to growth. Your birthday chart describes intense mental activity; direct this toward practical solutions and communications that support them, rather than obsessing on perceived limitations. Strategic, long-term thinking is your friend this year. That includes diplomacy regarding power dynamics with others, especially where finances are concerned. In the background to all your efforts is a creative, forward-looking urge for liberation. Let that be your guiding light. Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 (The Day of Upward Mobility) You're at a momentous turning point in your life, and how you focus your energy this year makes all the difference. To successfully transform what has become unsupportable, channel your intense ambition within a specific, narrow framework. The goal is to dismantle and move past old structures: to clear the ground, in order to rebuild and emerge anew. Endurance is called for. Focus on what you need to generate physical and emotional strength. You're well positioned to see the big picture, and draw all the inspiration you need to go the distance. Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020 (The Day of the Integrator) Your beliefs determine how much of your abilities you effectively utilize. Remember that. You have a vision for where you know your life must go. Cleave to the essence of that vision. Greet self-doubt with the calm assurance that you've got what it takes to realize your goals. Liberate vital forces you need to move forward by unpacking what feels like a conflict between fear and desire, or relationship tensions you're not fully acknowledging. You can accomplish a tremendous amount this year, but don't take on more than you can handle. Pace yourself, be good to your body, and proceed with measured intention. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020 (The Day of Heroic Inevitability) Your birthday chart encourages you to follow your highest excitement: to honor what genuinely piques your interest and passion. That's how to line up with the liberating, creative potential available now. Even small steps taken to act on innovative ideas can lead to greater satisfying developments than you suppose. You've been under extreme pressure for a long time, and self-care is essential. Consider responsible nutrition, and emotional nurturance, part of your life's work. Relationships and self-expression are highlighted this year, and you want to bring all of yourself to the game. Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 (The Day of Fulfillment) Epic changes you've been dealing with, or need to, call for honest assessment of how you choose to show up in the world. Attention to career-related issues, and how to navigate options or priorities, is a signature theme this year. Ultimately, this comes down to a question of values. Responsibility about material resources is woven into your DNA, and finances factor in to necessary professional decisions, no doubt. When approached with maturity, this stage of your transformation has immense creative potential. Pace yourself, and formulate strategies with that in mind. Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 (The Day of the Heavyweight) Your birthday chart describes a need to resolve friction between your professional standing and evolving identity. Worldly aspirations, ideals and your approach to security all factor in to profound changes you're navigating this year. This is a necessary stage of your journey, and requires bringing outstanding matters to conclusion. Clear the ground for what's to come. There's real potential for healing in this process. The work you do this year can positively impact your self-worth as it ties in to personal history, or to resources necessary to create a healthier living environment. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 (The Day of Childlike Fancy) Draw on the enhanced capacity for strategic thinking available to you this year, when faced with necessary finance-related decisions. Navigating tension between security on the one hand, and creative freedom on the other, may factor in here. Innovative breakthroughs are possible, but prepare for contingencies. Keep an even keel, and you should be able to make satisfying progress on projects tied to your highest ideals. Your community and supportive allies can play an important role now. So don't hesitate to reach out to those who share your core values. Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020 (The Day of Dreams and Visions) Support from confidantes and from professional allies is an important resource to take advantage of this year. You are traversing a cycle of immense personal transformation. Channels are open, but you must make use of them, so don't let yourself become isolated. Connect with those you love, who uplift and strengthen you. Seek out appropriate guidance, when necessary. Opportunities for deep healing are at hand. Now is the time to consciously work through old imprints, suppressed rage, or self-concepts that no longer serve who you're becoming. Trust the process.

— By Victoria Emory Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for January was published on Friday, Dec. 27. We published your extended monthly horoscope for December on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign. Aries (March 20-April 19) — You need some new goals. Use your imagination. Anything that does not require you to be the hereditary heir to the throne of Fiji will do. You are a bold and ambitious person when you're not too busy nursing your insecurities. One thing I suggest is that your aspirations include reaching people, and communing with them, rather than being a hermit. You may not be feeling this now, though you want to do something that is social. Your true leadership capacity comes not from your authority but rather from your gift for relating to people. Train your ability to be receptive: to take all viewpoints onboard. People trust those who listen to them, and who care what they say. The beauty of it is, you can, and you do. Put this to work and take a fresh approach to establishing your social networks, preferably far away from the internet. You want as much face-to-face as possible. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Much of the world is in a trap right now, and it goes like this. "If I believe it, then it's true." You are in a crisis of belief, and seem to be doubting much that you took for granted in the past. That is a wholesome place to be. The idea is not to be a skeptic, believing that the truth cannot be known. You don't want to be a cynic, thinking that the truth is useless and does not matter. Rather, you are firmly on your quest for your personal understanding of yourself and of reality. Since you're unlikely to come up with this formula on the first go or even the 10th, you want to keep a moving perspective. This means that if you're curious about a tree, walk around it a few times. Look up at the leaves and down at the roots. Feel the trunk and pick up the vibes. Avoid the trap of clarity: of thinking you know something you don't understand. Do not "believe." Rather, find out. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — In any situation where your interests are at stake, keep negotiating. Do not give up. Do not sell the store. Do not sell your car or your guitar. Do not sell your soul; it is not for sale or lease. You must drive a hard bargain, and make sure others give to you what is your due. The pattern of counting yourself out, and for feeling guilty when you stand up for yourself, is very, very old. It definitely goes back to childhood and it may go back lifetimes. There are approaches for getting out of this situation. They all begin with stopping the process in the moment, with any new agreements, and in any situation where any of the terms are still pending. Then you go through a process of cleaning up all current agreements. Know your terms. Know which points are negotiable and which are not. This is not about business. This is about profound self-discovery. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — A new cycle of your relationships has begun, by which I mean, there was everything up to this point, and now there will be everything after it. This counts no matter what your situation, or what arrangements you may have: the ground has shifted. You are living in a different world, under different social laws and rules and properties. It's about time. The world has been growing colder and more paranoid through many of the best years of your life, and you've been a direct witness to these changes. Yet you are also going to be the first beneficiary of the new attitudes and values that are taking shape. You are likely to be a forerunner, because you not only can sense what has been developing; you are also in contact with your emotional needs and desires in a way that many people are not. You have felt the absurd limitations of our time in history more keenly than others. And you truly need the change that is about to enter your life. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are a taskmaster, and it's time to focus your power. Do not think about the long-term rewards, or even the immediate ones. Rather, focus on doing what you do as excellently as you can, for its own sake. Get into the work, and stay late at the office if you have to. Honor the schedule as much as you do the quality of your efforts. It's time to move into 100% adult territory where your professional activities are concerned. That means doing more than you're paid for, as long as you have enough to live. There must not be a modicum of greed or the quest for power in what you're doing. It is absolutely about service and learning, in perfect tandem, with most of your learning devoted to your current tasks. There is nothing you cannot do, if you set your mind to it. The world is falling apart at the moment and you are on the team who will not only hold it together but also birth the new environment and the new ethic. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — People claim they are not creative. I hear that all the time, and I refuse to believe it. I concede that many do not access their creativity, or apply it when it's needed the most. And I notice many people fail to experience the pleasure of their creative process, and instead focus on consuming the results of the creativity of others. I suggest you reverse that process and make your own fun. Here is the thing, and a thing I have noticed can get in the way. When you tap into your vital force of ideas, what comes through can shake you. When you become the vehicle for something new, it can be as exciting as the first time you have sex. This does not sit well with dullards or those (like most of us) who are conditioned to be dim bulbs. When you turn up the juice, you turn up the light and the heat, and this can feel risky. In that case, live dangerously. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It is one thing to desire security, and another thing to cocoon yourself, and insulate yourself from experience. Security, such as it exists, is a means and not an end. You will feel better if you accept that you are currently situated on rapidly shifting ground. This is both psychological ground, and also something involving your somewhat tense relationship to your family. Most of what we call being secure means acting in a way where we believe we will not be rejected. It's based on the illusion of being acceptable. This is a trap. Once someone falls for that (and many do), there is neither safety nor access to one's potential. You are not acceptable for conforming to your notion of what others expect of you. Simply put, you must personally affirm your whole being. Then you must push some limits. If you don't get in some trouble, you're unlikely to be doing that. So allow yourself to be confrontational, and challenge the nearly invisible thing called the status quo. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — One would think that the least dense thing in the world is consciousness, subject as it is to change. Yet it turns out that it's often easier to blast through solid stone than to change one's own mind, much less that of someone else. What is this about? I'm not sure; it differs for everyone, but these reality bubbles so many people now inhabit are threatening the planet and society, and are not making your life any easier. One place you can start is to be sincere in all of your communication. Sincere means "without error," and in common speech, it means being real. You know when you're compromising your truth, whether it's to be polite, for convenience, or to give you a power advantage. It's time we all accept that this is a compromise in integrity that is gradually and steadily eating our souls. You are bigger than this, and better than it. Be honest at all costs. Pay the price. Reap the rewards. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Be grateful if your insecurities are triggered; this way you know what they are. The thing not to do is take them too seriously. They do not own you and are not your master. Be especially vigilant about guilt, as this is the most toxic of the control devices. It is also the subtlest form of fear. Be aware that there are potentially dishonest emotional influences in your life. There are people who are in a position to take advantage of a certain weakness that you have, and this is likely to be triggered when you assert yourself or your desire. You cannot push this down, however. You've likely done that many times. Let it come up and out, and confront it. If you are having any trouble with this, read a book called Radical Honesty by Brad Blanton (the original, by that exact title). As for guilt, I can tell you this. It is something that was done to all of us before we remember. Seek to understand its dynamics and you will take away the power it seems to hold over you. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Beginnings are challenging in part because we humans don't do endings well. You are now most decidedly approaching a beginning, and yet you may have important past material to resolve. If you are up-front about this with yourself and with others, it will be much easier. You probably have an idea what this is; you may be intimately familiar with it. Ending implies completion, and completion requires being forthright with yourself and with others. You may have something to say, you may have demands. What you say may not be received; your demands may not be met. That does not matter. What matters is that you get all of it out on the table, and acknowledge the response. This is a reality check. You will know where you actually stand, and then that is that. It is then up to you and nobody else to move your life forward. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You want desperately to feel free within yourself. That can happen if you want it, though it will help if you acknowledge just what it is that is holding you down. The chances are it has much less of a grip on you than you may think; you are the one who has a grip on it. Also, if you're feeling anxiety around your situation, it's probably because you are keeping certain aspects of your feelings in a dark closet rather than unpacking them on the kitchen table. Due to the planets involved, I suggest you do an inventory of unresolved family situations. You don't need to hold onto these, and you need an honest self-assessment about what your actual obligations to others really are. Work this out, with wise, objective (and possibly professional) help if you need it. This is a situation where understanding will lead to a lessening of your worries and an increase in your ability to make tangible decisions. That, ultimately, is what you must do. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You are currently living with two versions of yourself — one that is old and outmoded; and a new one that might feel a bit untested. You have, however, been some similar places before, and you're currently at a tremendous advantage. You have all of the benefits of experience, which will serve you brilliantly if you use it as an information source rather than a law you must follow. At the same time, you are getting to explore the territory in a whole new way, as if you're arrived somewhere you've been many times and are seeing it entirely differently. You have the benefits of both familiarity and beginner's mind at the same time. Now you may use this dual perspective to far exceed what you've done in the past, meaning to do something beautiful and useful here in our benighted world. As a Pisces, your spiritual connection runs strong and deep. That is your gift. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.

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