Our Grow or Die Moment

Dear Friend and Reader:

This has been a weird few weeks, pushing all limits. Everyone is feeling it, as some form of stress, vertigo, overwhelm, depression or exhaustion. And some are feeling the calling to rise to the occasion. I trust you're one of them.

In tonight's letter, I'm offering an analysis of what is happening now, and something of a map to the future. I am evolving my orientation from a political focus to a personal one. This letter is a point of transition.

	Pluto as seen from New Horizons. We now know that Pluto is not just a binary, but a system of at least six points, with two at the core -- Pluto and Charon (pronounced ‘karen', the name of a male deity).

The U.S. and the U.K would appear to have a mostly political problem on their hands, as evidenced by a rogue presidency, a failed impeachment, and Brexit (which I don't think anyone understands). For those who missed the most recent story, Britain officially divorced Europe a week ago, giving the English Channel new meaning.

In astrology, the seemingly political theme of our moment is emphasized in our maximum-density astrology in Capricorn, including the Saturn-Pluto conjunction, still in full force.

However, I would make a proposal. Our actual situation -- the part that matters -- is not political. It is social. Many factors, top among them the internet, confront us with a social problem. We are losing the ability to trust one another, and to communicate. We have all but lost any sense of cohesion in our lives.

All the noise and static about "identity" is just evidence that many people don't know who they are, and are in extreme reaction. This reaction is not about self-discovery, it's about being tribal. The tribal quality of our moment is being driven by the internet. At other times, it was radio and television.

Two Kinds of Tribal

When I say tribal, I don't mean a bunch of aborigines having a goat for dinner. That's the natural kind of tribal, a zone of consciousness from which we all emerge. I mean faux tribal as induced by electrical technology.

Being tribal works brilliantly for the political right, which is much better at the hive mentality and rallying around whatever -- the flag, the dear leader, banning abortion, packing the courts, ripping apart Europe.

On the left, we have countless small tribes, warring factions and endless arguments over whose lives matter.

Here's a lesson from history: the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s succeeded because leaders learned how to link the issues. Power in numbers meant finding common ground. After the war, the unified movement fell apart, disintegrating into the environmental movement and the black rights movement and the new age movement and many others that saw themselves as having separate interests.

How does this look today? Those to the conservative side of the spectrum are enjoying and exercising their rights and privileges. On the left, they are hiring people to tell them how racist they are -- over a privileged, sumptuous meal. The United States Pluto Return

The United States is now fully engaged in its Pluto return -- Pluto returning to the position it where was in its natal chart. This has been building for a while (I believe since Sept. 11, 2001), though it's now front and center. If you are hearing any discussion of the empire crumbling (and there is plenty), this is the astrology driving the thought form and the conversation.

There are several dominant Pluto theories, though it's crucial to remember that Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld, and commander of death, and is about the end of things. Sometimes those things transform, and sometimes they die.

	Photo of the Pluto system, showing all six known points. Charon is not a moon of Pluto but rather its binary pair. The barycenter (center of gravity) is external to either point. By contrast, the Moon-Earth barycenter is inside the Earth.

From a psychological perspective, the feeling of Pluto is grow or die. There is an emotional and spiritual urgency that pushes, pulls, drives, attracts, or compels the person having the transit to act on it.

Though the Pluto return is focused on the United States chart, we -- you and me and all our friends -- are not an empire. We are people, and to some minimal extent, participants in the vast society. So we are experiencing this event in the U.S. chart indirectly. There will be fallout on us as individuals. Yet there's only so much we can do in terms of the big picture.

What we do as individuals matters, mostly in terms of how we relate to one another. One of the problems of our time is the crumbling not of empire but of social bonds, largely driven by the chaotic, sudden, total immersion in the digital environment.

The "wind of madness sweeping the Earth" described this week by the Secretary General of the United Nations is, in my understanding, predominantly the effect of our merging our minds, bodies and relationships with the digital environment.

It has many properties: the escalation of tensions that he talks about; the destabilization of society; the breakdown of systems; and on the human level, the rise of fear, and fear as a way of life.

While there are many theories of Pluto, ultimately they are all driven by mortality. We are confronted by the impermanence of everything: ourselves, the patterns of our lives, our greatest accomplishments and those of our society.

The feeling of a Pluto transit is like being pushed, pulled or driven by an 'unconscious' force. My friend Martha Lang-Wescott pointed out in one of her talks that while we may curse Pluto while under its influence, we miss it when it's gone. So, now is the time to tune in and take advantage of this; to take the opportunity. A Planetary Return

For those not familiar with the concept of a "planetary return," that's when any orbiting body returns to the position where it started. Most astrology fans have heard of (and experienced) the Saturn return, which happens at ages 29 and 58. Many have heard of (and experienced) the Chiron return at age 51.

Any return (including solar and lunar) is the completion and beginning of a new cycle. They always come with challenges, which almost always fall under the general heading of growing up.

Most things in our version of the world don't live to 248 years old. That includes critters, governments and companies. We have no notes from ancient astrology on Pluto, the planet; it was discovered long after the toga era, in 1930. So we don't know much about this cycle as a natural event. But in the 90 short years since Pluto's discovery, we have learned a little about it, from studying many personal transits and news events.

The first contact of transiting (real-life) Pluto with the natal position in the U.S. chart happens two years from now, on Feb. 20, 2022. That's quite close given Pluto's 248-year orbit. The next two contacts are July 11, 2022, and then finally Dec. 28, 2022. So 2022 is the big year. We don't have long to get our act together.

The Acquittal Chart

For the past three weeks, there's been something unusual happening -- a trial of the president of the United States, before the Senate. That ended Wednesday at 4:33 pm.

	Simplified version of the chart for Trump's acquittal. Note that the Moon is opposite the Capricorn stellium. Over the next two years, the Moon will progress into an opposition with Pluto-Saturn and a square with Eris. That is when events involving Trump are likely to come to a head. This is not a prediction; we don't know what is going to happen in this highly unusual situation. The one thing we know for sure about this chart is that the acquittal describes a developing situation -- not the end of anything.

This is a not just a world horoscope, but also one we can take as a personal guide and timeframe. Note that the acquittal chart is directly related to the U.S. Pluto return, both in theme and in timing -- though they are not the same thing. They are related because most of the important action involves Pluto in Capricorn in both charts; and because the U.S. chart has so much in Cancer, and the acquittal chart has the Moon in early Cancer.

In this article, I will focus on the acquittal chart, which I've also described in a video from earlier Thursday. If you're feeling lost, just watch the video. It's short and sweet.

When reading the chart of an event, you're not looking just at something that stays in place. All charts develop, and their story is told partly in the moment of the event, and partly in how the chart progresses.

Progression is not something external happening to the chart; this is the chart itself developing from inside (your natal chart does this as well).

The Personal and the Public

The highlight of this chart is the Moon, which is early in the sign Cancer. This relates to the Aries Point, which is connected to a very wide public, and also to the private feelings of an individual. We know we have a high-impact event becasue the Moon is early in a cardinal sign.

The Moon is making a pattern. The pattern currently includes everything with a number value of about five or less, but ultimately brings in everything in Capricorn and Aries.

	A somber and emotional Mitt Romney, former Republican presidential nominee, former governor of Massachusetts, and currently senator from Utah, explains why he is voting to convict President Trump of abuse of power. Consistent with the Moon-Chiron-Pholus theme, Romney admitted that this was a painful decision that would unleash retaliation against him -- from his own party.

Most significantly, it is square Chiron and opposite Pholus (aspects drawn in marker). These are centaurs, not asteroids (centaurs have long orbits, and are more influential by a few orders of magnitude). The Moon's contact with Chiron and Pholus ramps up the energy, and is what gives this chart (and our moment) its edgy quality.

Chiron (the orange key) in Aries talks about identity politics (which currently affect everything) and a sense of personal injury which could be on the infantile emotional level, and also to the public trust (Cancer Moon topic). If you want to understand the concept of identity politics, translate it to victim politics.

Cancer Moon square Chiron is intense emotion, and triggers the need or impulse to act -- but most people will stuff it, or take it out on themselves, out of insecurity. Chiron in Aries is exactly conjunct another point -- Salacia -- that relates to the underlying sexual (salacious or otherwise) nature of this situation. Salacia has a way of turning everything into porno, even the State of the Union Address.

But it's also about sexual maturity. Part of the sex story here is that pent-up energy makes people feel, think and do weird things. It leads to internal emotional meltdowns and also pushes people out of body, which is why the public is having such a hard time responding. Most people view the world as a virtual reality event. Were events perceived as physical and relevant, people would care more.

The Pressurized Release

Moon opposite Pholus (the green key) means the lid is coming off of something. It is a trigger. This also describes how the underlying issue is family. If you are wondering about the passionate attachment to Trump, think: DADDY.

	This feature, known as Wright Mons, was informally named by the New Horizons team in honor of the Wright brothers. At about 90 miles (150 kilometers) across and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) high, this feature is enormous. If it is in fact an ice volcano, as suspected, it would be the largest such feature discovered in the outer solar system. Photo: New Horizons.

We live in a society with serious and deep parental issues, and people tend to cling to whatever symbol seems to fill the void. Currently, Trump is the big stand-in for daddy, Nancy Pelosi for mommy, Adam Schiff for the friendly, reasonable uncle, and so on. Ask any competent therapist or astrologer: even into their 60s and 70s, many people are still dealing with mommy and daddy issues.

Unresolved family material is paralyzing.

What is Pholus going to do here? What of all the unresolved pain that's being held down? Well, it's not helping anything to hold it down. And it does not help to project it onto the political arena (or mirage, as you wish).

If we need to take anything personally, we should be taking our personal lives personally. This is not about marching in the street. It's about reading the right books (you can start with A General Theory of Love), finding good therapy, and learning how to be honest with the people around you. Families teach us how to lie, to preserve our place in the social order.

Note: personal and family drama is not a sign of working out family material. It is a sign of indulging it. Drama is one of the most distracting things in the world: distracting from growth, from creativity, and from meaningful involvement with the world. When you start to eschew drama, and decide you've had enough, and move on from the people who seem to cause it, you're probably making progress.

Following the Moon to 2022

Now for the Moon's movement, by progression -- slow movement of a chart, not something happening from the outside. Here is where we get into predictive astrology, using the chart for an event. I am not going to predict outcomes, but I can tell you that this intense, early-degree Moon says that this story has just begun. It is not over.

The Moon is at the beginning of Cancer, powerful in its own sign. The program begins with the Moon square Chiron/Salacia and opposite Pholus. Just in that setup is all kinds of family material.

Imagine the Moon moves slowly, about one degree per month. As it does, aspects come into focus. This chart is telling a story that will unfold over about two and a half years, making a series of aspects to all those planets in Capricorn and finally Eris in Aries. Currently, the most significant mutual aspect (an event happening in the sky) is Pluto square Eris, which is illustrated in this chart.

Follow the story: the Moon will first align in an exact square to Chiron. This is the wake-the-fuck-up call. Whether one's drug is sugar, cynicism, ignorance, rage, or alcohol, this is the stab of pain that is the call to attention.

	This composite of enhanced color images of Pluto (lower right) and Charon (upper left), was taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft as it passed through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015. This image highlights the striking differences between Pluto and Charon. The color and brightness of both have been processed identically to allow direct comparison of their surface properties, and to highlight the similarity between Charon's polar red terrain and Pluto's equatorial red terrain. Pluto and Charon are shown with approximately correct relative sizes, but their true separation is not to scale. Photo: New Horizons / JPL.

Then the Moon completes its opposition to Pholus, which starts to vent the pressure. Then it crosses the North Node and opposes Pallas on the South Node (a comment about politics as usual falling apart, and also a reminder to reclaim our most important traditions).

Next the Moon opposes Jupiter and things get BIG. There is more call to justice (also encoded into Chiron). Then the Moon opposes the Saturn-Pluto conjunction. And at the same time, it squares Eris.

The timing on this chart takes us out to early 2022. When we look back, just about everything up to the first impeachment will seem like obvious pointers along the way, amazing that anyone missed them. Don't expect everyone to wake up, because you cannot awaken anyone who is pretending to be asleep.

The Moon Is What Changes

The Moon is what goes through a transformational process here. Remember, I am speaking about the chart for an event (the acquittal) as it develops. The Moon is us as individuals, as small groups, as society itself. It will seem like we are going through a political process, though to a real degree, politics is the distraction.

We need to focus there with discipline, remembering that the political chaos we are witnessing is a function of the social pain, alienation and chaos beneath it. We have much more influence over how we conduct ourselves socially. The reality in which we are living is about being conditioned to act like robots: to treat one another not only impersonally, but with cruelty (whether subtle or overt, passive or active) that does not need to be, and which is not helping anyone. Not you, not the other person.

We are not going to claim back "society" until we claim back the integrity of our social relationships. We cannot work together until we trust one another. We cannot solve large problems until we are interested in solving small ones.

This is good news, if we take it to heart.

We can always stick to our separate interests. That's an easy game to play. We can keep ourselves busy arguing about who is more politically correct, who is more privileged, who is a bigger victim. But why?

Be grateful for your dry roof, and do what you can. Chances are it's more than you're doing now. So today, I leave you with a question: what’s it gonna be? Grow, or die?

With love,

---

"I want to repeat this, because it is vital that you hear this. Once before on your planet, the technology you developed was far greater than your ability to use it responsibly. You are approaching the same point in human history again. It is vitally important that you understand this. Your present technology is threatening to outstrip your ability to use it wisely. Your society is on the verge of becoming a product of your technology rather than your technology being a product of your society. When a society becomes a product of its own technology, it destroys itself."
-- Conversations with God

Mitt Romney's Statement on Conviction of Trump

"Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mitt Romney received the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He was the sole Republican who voted to convict President. Trump. See the video here. The full text follows.

The Constitution is at the foundation of our Republic's success, and we each strive not to lose sight of our promise to defend it. The Constitution established the vehicle of impeachment that has occupied both houses of Congress for these many days. We have labored to faithfully execute our responsibilities to it. We have arrived at different judgments, but I hope we respect each other's good faith.

The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a Senator-juror, I swore an oath, before God, to exercise "impartial justice.” I am a profoundly religious person. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong.

The House managers presented evidence supporting their case; the White House counsel disputed that case. In addition, the president's team presented three defences: first, that there can be no impeachment without a statutory crime; second, that the Bidens' conduct justified the president's actions; and third that the judgment of the president's actions should be left to the voters. Let me first address each of those defences.

The historic meaning of the words "high crimes and misdemeanours,” the writings of the Founders, and my own reasoned judgment convince me that a president can indeed commit acts against the public trust that are so egregious that while they are not statutory crimes, they would demand removal from office. To maintain that the lack of a codified and comprehensive list of all the outrageous acts that a president might conceivably commit renders Congress powerless to remove a president defies reason.

The president's counsel noted that Vice President Biden appeared to have a conflict of interest when he undertook an effort to remove the Ukrainian prosecutor general. If he knew of the exorbitant compensation his son was receiving from a company actually under investigation, the vice president should have recused himself. While ignoring a conflict of interest is not a crime, it is surely very wrong.

With regards to Hunter Biden, taking excessive advantage of his father's name is unsavoury but also not a crime. Given that in neither the case of the father nor the son was any evidence presented by the president's counsel that a crime had been committed, the president's insistence that they be investigated by the Ukrainians is hard to explain other than as a political pursuit. There is no question in my mind that were their names not Biden, the president would never have done what he did.

The defence argues that the Senate should leave the impeachment decision to the voters. While that logic is appealing to our democratic instincts, it is inconsistent with the Constitution's requirement that the Senate, not the voters, try the president. Hamilton explained that the Founders' decision to invest senators with this obligation rather than leave it to voters was intended to minimise – to the extent possible – the partisan sentiments of the public.

This verdict is ours to render. The people will judge us for how well and faithfully we fulfilled our duty. The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a "high crime and misdemeanour.”

Yes, he did.

The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival.

The president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so.

The president delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders.

The president's purpose was personal and political.

Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust.

What he did was not "perfect” – no, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine.

In the last several weeks, I have received numerous calls and texts. Many demand that, in their words, "I stand with the team.” I can assure you that that thought has been very much on my mind. I support a great deal of what the president has done. I have voted with him 80% of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented, and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history's rebuke and the censure of my own conscience.

I am aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters, I will be vehemently denounced. I am sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?

I sought to hear testimony from John Bolton not only because I believed he could add context to the charges, but also because I hoped that what he said might raise reasonable doubt and thus remove from me the awful obligation to vote for impeachment.

Like each member of this deliberative body, I love our country. I believe that our Constitution was inspired by Providence. I am convinced that freedom itself is dependent on the strength and vitality of our national character. As it is with each senator, my vote is an act of conviction. We have come to different conclusions, fellow senators, but I trust we have all followed the dictates of our conscience.

I acknowledge that my verdict will not remove the president from office. The results of this Senate Court will in fact be appealed to a higher court: the judgment of the American people. Voters will make the final decision, just as the president's lawyers have implored. My vote will likely be in the minority in the Senate. But irrespective of these things, with my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. I will only be one name among many, no more or less, to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial. They will note merely that I was among the senators who determined that what the president did was wrong, grievously wrong.

We're all footnotes at best in the annals of history. But in the most powerful nation on earth, the nation conceived in liberty and justice, that is distinction enough for any citizen.

---

Friends, Benefits, and the Leo Full Moon

By Amanda Painter

We're heading toward a Full Moon on Feb. 9, and Mercury stations retrograde one week later (on Feb. 16). That would be more than enough provocative energy on its own, but there are additional elements of the sky that will be sparking up the weekend.

	Disco lion's mane or crystallized moonlight? Photo by Amanda Painter.

One of those elements gets cooking tomorrow: Venus enters Aries at 3:02 pm EST (20:02:17 UTC) Feb. 7. Venus in Aries (the sign of Self ruled by Mars) tends to be lusty and assertive, idealistic yet impulsive, charming but sometimes inconsiderate without realizing it.

So remember your empathy, especially if any interpersonal situations get confrontational or intense as the Full Moon builds.

Yet it's the conjunction of Venus to Chiron and the object Salacia that really focuses the qualities of Venus in Aries. Salacia appears to relate to sexual maturity (particularly the lack thereof) and to the kinds of sexual activity that get people all flustered.

In the U.S. media at least, that seems to be anything taboo or 'scandalous'. In your personal life, it might mean the same things -- or simply your perception that certain facets of your desire and sexual activity could be seen that way. But aren't those always the hottest fantasies?

Chiron describes the potential for old sexual or emotional pain to percolate into awareness as part of this mix. For example, you get all geared up for an exciting encounter (real or imagined, though Aries is a sign of action), only to be reminded of doubts, fears or past experiences that carry the message, "This part of you is wrong."

Can you notice those thoughts and feelings without letting them take over? Can you trace their origins and give them the space to show themselves for what they are: a story about you, but not the truth or the entirety of who you are?

Healing this sort of thing takes all of that: the awareness; the space; compassion for your desires and experiences; the ability to detach just enough from the story to see it for what it is, without compartmentalizing or repressing it. There’s also the phase of sexual healing that’s about allowing yourself all the juicy fun, freedom and intimacy without overthinking it -- depending on where you are in the process.

Continue reading... Way More Useful Than Space Force

By Amanda Painter

Launched in 2003, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was retired from service on Jan. 30, 2020. GulfNews.com has compiled a particularly stunning set of images released by NASA that were made possible by the telescope.

Formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), NASA opened its traditional post-demonstration naming process to the general public via a contest.

Unlike the U.K. ship-naming contest that resulted in the infamous "Boaty McBoatface," the winning entry for NASA named the telescope after astronomer Lyman Spitzer, who had promoted the concept of space telescopes in the 1940s.

The Spitzer Space Telescope utilized infrared light to unveil otherwise invisible features of the universe. Its data and images often get combined with data from other observatories and space telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the European Space Agency's Herschel mission, among others. Spitzer's data has been involved in several of astronomy's "first sightings."

"Spitzer has taught us about entirely new aspects of the cosmos and taken us many steps further in understanding how the universe works, addressing questions about our origins, and whether or not are we alone," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

"This Great Observatory has also identified some important and new questions and tantalizing objects for further study, mapping a path for future investigations to follow. Its immense impact on science certainly will last well beyond the end of its mission."

In the tradition of Aquarius, the Spitzer Space Telescope aided the discovery of the new and unusual in space -- information scientists are using to map out new cosmic patterns. At least, until the next round of new information disrupts them again. Planet Waves FM on the Power of Witness

Dear Friend and Listener:

The new Planet Waves FM is ready, recorded on Feb. 2 in New York.

I discuss the power of witness, and propose that the problem we face in the world right now is not a political problem but a social one.

Planet Waves FM is published by Chiron Return, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. We are an affiliate of the Pacifica Radio Network. Please consider becoming one of our monthly sponsors. If you cannot afford to, you are most welcome to share this page and tell people about Planet Waves FM. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.

I am open to connecting with a "major donor" who will help Chiron Return, the nonprofit that publishes the program, with seed funding to help us build our organization and increase our visibility.

With love,
Readings For Uncertain Times

Dear Friend and Reader:

Greetings at this memorable cross-quarter moment. We are living through unusual times -- an understatement, I know -- and many people are being pressured to catch up with themselves. That means making long-overdue decisions, fixing problems that have been lingering around, and finally getting on with those elements of your actual purpose.

I'm getting ready to begin An Aquarian Era, the written section of RESPECT, your 2020-21 annual edition. My readings, backed up by two decades of experience, are here to serve as an anchor amid the chaos of our age. The audio sessions (available for instant access) are proving popular for just this reason. You may listen to the introductory sample here.

	Still from today's Planet Waves TV.

I have worked as a personal consultant to thousands of people at just this kind of stage of their lives: the point where you figure out your choices matter. The place where you feel vulnerable. Where you understand that change must come.

Whether you're making your decisions preemptively or at the last minute, I have a pair of readings that can help you.

Part one is called INTELLIGENCE, a chapter-length essay for each sign and rising sign. These are my most comprehensive written readings ever.

Part two is called RESPECT, a consultation-length audio reading for each sign and rising sign. As my customers know, I am gifted with the ability to do a full-strength reading using transits and the solar chart. I read not a single sign but the whole chart, so the result is that you get a whole reading.

Astrology is not therapy, but my readings are designed to be therapeutic several different ways. First, I create a calm, introspective space to do the work. I remind you of your inner being; that is who I'm speaking to. The real you who it's easy to forget. (My audio readings come with gentle, alive, original music.)

My whole purpose as an astrologer is to remind you of your power of decision, and to help you see your options. And as an astrologer, I have a sacred duty to help you use time well. We are accustomed to seeing time as a kind of enemy; I am here to introduce you to time as your friend.

Particularly within the grind and madness of the current world, my readings are oxygen and sunshine and water. Here is one customer's comment on the RESPECT audio readings:

I would like to say how exceptional the report is; the depth, knowledge, compassion & understanding. So many levels. Which is so helpful in these incredibly intense times. This astrological information goes a long way to bring some light. Many thanks to you.

-- Carol Jay

Best of all, my readings are designed to be affordable -- a tiny fraction of a personal astrology reading, a fraction of the cost of a single therapy session, and yet providing you with thoughtful mental and emotional nutrition that will feed you for years. Even my very old readings speak to the moment.

They are designed for both Sun and rising sign. You may share them with close friends and loved ones. All 12 signs of RESPECT are available to order here, or you may choose your individual signs.

You may also get all 12 signs of both RESPECT and INTELLIGENCE. Why would you want that? It's excellent, interesting reading, and every sign is relevant. Listening to one sign's recording a week will help you expand and refresh your worldview. We are additionally offering combined RESPECT and INTELLIGENCE by individual sign.

If you would like some other option, please write to us, or call (845) 481-5616. You may also find more options here.

Thank you for your business, and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,

PS -- We love when you call and purchase by phone. We want to hear from you.

PPS -- You can also check on the status of your membership, and we offer a discount for early renewal. Just call (845) 481-5616. If you have to leave a message, we will get right back to you.
Weekend Ahead for Friday, Feb. 7 through Sunday, Feb. 9

Welcome to the Leo Full Moon weekend. The Moon-Sun opposition is exact Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2:33 am EST / 7:33 am GMT. So the aspect will be building between now and then, and still strong all day Sunday. To visualize this, imagine the Moon to one side of the Earth and the Sun exactly to the other. We are dangling between the two.

Full Moon time is a peak of energy. It is psychic and emotional high tide. This is an event that has fascinated humanity back to the dawn of time. It also has a practical value, as it provides light at night, which is good for both hunting and traveling. It is an aspect of expression, like most oppositions.

The Leo-Aquarius axis that it lights up describes the relationship between the individual and the group -- one of the biggest themes of our time. This is an opportunity to study how you relate to any of the groups in which you might share your energy.

Be aware that Mercury is getting ready to turn to retrograde motion. While the retrograde is from Feb. 16 to March 9, we are in the first stage called "shadow phase,” and the effect is noticeable. Remember that most of Mercury retrograde -- most, not all -- is in your mind. That means the best remedies are preparation, mindfulness and patience.

Read my February monthly horoscope at this link.

Daily Astrology for Saturday, Feb. 8

I've given a detailed reading of the Leo Full Moon in the Friday reading. This happens overnight tonight, and is exact Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2:33 am EST / 7:33 am GMT. One thing about the Full Moon is that it's a time for ritual and celebration.

One exciting aspect in the chart is Venus conjunct Chiron, which is itself exactly aligned with the minor planet Salacia. This is some juicy sexual energy, which might find expression combined with the Full Moon. At the same time, Venus-Chiron can bring up old emotional and sexual pain. Chiron says: go through the pain consciously to take advantage of the healing qualities that are available.

Get outside if you can, get together with some people you care about, make some noise, eat some food, dance around, make some love. If you're the kind of person who likes to cast divination, this is a good time to do it. However, leave the reading out on your altar and let it develop; let it stand and represent a divination for the rest of the season.

This is the lunar event associated with the Midwinter holiday -- the tipping point between the Capricorn solstice and the Aries equinox. So this is the moment that the season shifts, and the new season begins to take hold.

I'll have more to say on Planet Waves FM, which I'm posting early, in time for the Full Moon. The last two programs are up; look for the new one Saturday evening.

Week Ahead Astrology for Week of Sunday, Feb. 9

This morning's Full Moon, which was exact at 2:33 am EST / 7:33 am GMT, is still vibrating. Notice how any of the circumstances of your life have shifted over the past 24 hours. The Venus-Chirion-Salacia conjunction is still focused.

That alignment has a theme that is relevant to the times we are living in, when there is so much sexual pain, confusion and alienation. Yet many people are also feeling the strong drive to discover themselves and get into their feelings.

Here is the potential conflict: currently, our "culture” is making a lot of rules for what is right, wrong, correct, appropriate and legitimate where sexuality is concerned. Where personal evolution is involved, that is something that must come entirely from inside of you. You must explore and set your boundaries. You decide who you are -- nobody else can do that.

The options that are put out for you -- that whole alphabet soup -- just might be irrelevant to yourself and your feelings. No matter who you are, no matter how old you are, no matter who you love or how you love them, your primary task is to make peace with yourself. This allows something else -- the freedom to explore your relationships and your feelings, on your own terms.

That will change as you get to know yourself, and figure out who and what interests you. Just remember, nobody is your judge and jury. You determine what is right and wrong for yourself, and you set your own definition of honesty.

I've said much more about Venus conjunct Chiron and Salacia on the new Planet Waves FM. Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

Your extended monthly horoscope for February was published on Thursday, Jan. 30, and is repeated below in this issue. We published your extended monthly horoscope for January on Friday, Dec. 27. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign.

Editors' note: This week we're giving you a second look at the February monthly horoscopes. Above we've included some forthcoming daily astrology written by Eric. We'll have more for you in the Monday Morning edition.

You were right about the stars. Each one is a setting sun.
-- J.T.

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- As preparation for your new life ahead, start working with language. Listen to how you speak, and study how you write. This includes what you say, though how you say it is the more significant factor. Both matter and both are essential. You need to do this like you're going to an unfamiliar country where you know you'll need to speak the language as a matter of necessity. You know that the language will open up possibilities that would not otherwise be there, because you would not hear about them or understand them if you did. However, at the moment, you don't know what country that is going to be, or how things are necessarily said. So what you want to work on, therefore, is your ability to put your ideas and feelings into words. Work on this process deeply enough to reach the point where you have a shift in your ideas as you refine their expression. This aligns with how the writing process is often a thinking process; but when you have a tangible thought, it has a way of writing itself. Work both sides of this equation, and make sure this happens in actual writing. The closer you get to pen and paper the better. Begin as if you're sketching something you cannot see but know exists. This is intuitively educated guess work that you can practice and practice until you slip your hand into the feeling and know the glove fits. Keep at this, somewhat relentlessly, and trust that it will all make sense soon enough -- but not too soon to get real preparation. Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- In a very general sense, here is the shape of your life. For a good long time, you struggled to rethink, transcend or escape from ideas that guided you for a while, though at a certain point they clearly no longer served you. Part of doing that was figuring out how, specifically and in fact, they were useless. Then all of a sudden a jolt ran through your being, and you knew you had to shake it all loose. I mean really loose, like diving into the water naked for the first time. Wow, what a transformation. Now, Saturn is about to take up residency in your life in a new way. You are likely to feel the instinct to contain, constrain and shape your reality. You may give that a little taste, just to see how it feels in the context of your new fiery restlessness. However, before you get too cozy, I am here to tell you that you've still got some shaking and some loosening to do. And if that is going well, it's definitely too soon to determine what form it, meaning your daily life and central mission, will take. Here is some news for you: forget the form, for now. Stick to the content, your ideas, your exploration and even your confusion, and let it do its thing, without the notion of what to do with or about it. Losing or loosening your tendency to pull focus will be helpful, because ultimately you will be dropping a self-limiting tendency. That is the thing you've been after, though it's been a little like the trap where the monkey gets his hand caught only because he won't let go of something. Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- It's time to rethink the career question, on the basis of what you would do if your commitments to others were not hemming you in. You've invested yourself in several different relationship situations that have proven difficult to get a handle on. The question, "Where did my power go?" might be easier to answer if you understood where it came from in the first place. Ultimately it is your ability to change and adapt, though in some situations, this has had the effect of wedging you into a corner. One of the walls that constrained you is about to move, and reveal an exit. At the same time, possibilities for what you might do with your power (meaning your creativity, and your ability to make decisions about how to use it) are opening up. You may notice some option or possibility and ask yourself boldly: do I want to do that, or be there? If you feel your reality expand with just the question, don't be too surprised. You might even wonder if you've been caught in a conceptual trap all this time, which you could have shifted with your thoughts. Well, you could have, but you would not have experienced the feeling of being pushed so hard in directions you might never have gone. Having liberty is never so obvious as when you have some prior constraints fresh in your memory. And you encountered a certain kind of closeness that you might never have experienced otherwise. You can still have something akin to that, though without the pins, the barbs and the emphasis on power. Remember, there are some things you should never have to negotiate for. And at least you know. Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- For a person who appreciates stability as much as you do, it's been difficult to go through so many years of living on shifting ground. Yet one of your approaches to handling this has been to cling to grounding in small ways that may not work for you anymore. Be aware of what those are. Your opposite sign Capricorn is involved, so this could relate to anything in your environment or the universe of your relationships. It could relate to how you perceive the world. It could relate to where you are physically located. There may be some nexus where all of the above meet, and this, in turn, will invariably affect your professional calling. Speaking of, the bold sigil in your chart is Chiron in Aries, and it's not possible to say too much about that. This placement is a compelling calling and an urgent inner need. It is your drive to be yourself in all that you do, and to be your own guide. You have taken authority from the usual set of responsibilities and self-imposed limitations to something much better: you must be your own best example. The thing you can no longer seek from outside yourself is how to be who you are. Exemplars have gotten you so far. You have learned some important methods, and taken in some key ideas that all got you where you are. Now you must aspire to be who you are inside, in truth and in the future: the actual, real you that you know you must become. Much has shifted and is shifting that will move you there. Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- A particular struggle has persisted for some years, and you are now gradually coming out of it. This will happen in degrees rather than all at once. There is plenty of talk in the world about setting boundaries and limits, though rarely do we apply this idea to difficulty or effort. Rarely does it apply to wasted time. Maybe you've experienced something like this before. You have a lot of little problems that have persisted for a long time, and a couple of big ones. Then you face a new challenge that you embrace wholeheartedly. In the process, you transcend all those problems and suddenly they no longer exist. It's almost as if they never did, and you wonder where they went. This is the power of engaging yourself with a greater purpose. Your charts describe a similar scenario over the next season. You're about to enter a test phase of what is really a new paradigm. That is a framework, both conceptual and physical. One bad example of this from history is how the automobile solved the rapidly growing problem of horse manure in cities. Yet as time went on, it caused a whole new assortment of even bigger problems. You must choose the options that resolve issues rather than create them. During Saturn's initial three-month visit to Aquarius, study the law of unintended consequences. Note the solutions that cause other problems, and the ones that do not. There will be obvious distinctions between the two, if you slow down and notice them. You must be observant, and organize your observations. Work with them ongoing. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Being creative and having lots of ideas is one thing. Yet you're rapidly approaching the time when you must put your own brilliance to work for a whole new purpose. This is likely to involve transposing your personal and creative breakthroughs into a collective or group situation of some kind. This has always been a calling for you, though you had some territory to cross before you could actually do it, and you've reached a borderland. That is the one between individual creativity and creative leadership. You have been through one heck of an initiation the past few years. You have been pushed, pulled or dragged into learning how to open up, take a chance and express something bold. You may have done so reluctantly, or resisted with everything you had, though you probably shifted your attitude at a certain point and decided that the risk was worth it. You may not have full faith in your ideas, or confidence in your abilities, though you might review where you were at three or four years ago for some contrast. You are now starting to get the message that people don't accomplish that much working alone. However, it takes special talent to coordinate individuals with their own tendencies and approaches into a synergistic effect. That's the thing we all know about how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This is easier said than done, due to various ego issues, struggles with authority, and a general state of immaturity that pervades so much of human existence. You are on the wave front of progress. Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- Your personal history is starting to loosen its grip on you. Or maybe you are loosening your grip on it. As you do that, here is something to consider. To what extent do you make decisions with a need to please others, before you are true to yourself? If so, and this could be subtle, the question is whom are you attempting to make happy? Way in the back of your mind, or in the crevices of your emotions? Ask yourself and observe what comes back in reply. Whatever that may be, you are ready to let it go. You have been attempting this for a while; maybe for months, maybe for years, maybe in some cycle you've noticed and then forgotten about. One result of whatever this may be is an indirect approach to relationships and also to your whole existence. That in turn is the result of your attempts to form a compromise between your purpose and what you perceive to be some other purpose, as if you are trying to serve two masters. Every now and then, a confrontation with a different reality gets your attention. Someone might throw you into crisis. A spiritual teacher, mentor or exemplar may enter your life, from whom you know you want to learn. Then it becomes especially difficult to stretch yourself across the contradiction. What if you worked with the idea that it's impossible to be in two worlds at once? What if you dared to involve yourself with something that, for you, represents a new reality? That will feel like moving in one direction without being pulled in another. That would be your direction rather than that of someone else. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- It is time to carefully re-evaluate your emotional attachments to your family. Matters such as your sense of belonging among them, and by extension, any other group you are associated with, are front and center. This comes down to the squishy issue of whether you feel secure without them. Keep your finger on the pulse of how much approval you need from outside yourself. There are those people who always have to go somewhere with someone (whether it is out to dinner, or getting on an airplane). Others are portrayed standing next to someone in every photo. Where do you fall along those spectrums? One of the themes of your forthcoming extended phase of your life will be greater emotional independence. This does not mean facing existence entirely on your own, but rather the growing desire to liberate yourself from habits that bind you to others in limiting ways. This includes your family, to the extent that you have one. It includes your rituals and traditions associated with the past, whether we are talking about putting up Christmas decorations, where you live and why, or why certain people are your friends. Where do you stand, when you set yourself apart from all of this? What do you do specifically to feel secure? Dredge all of this up to full awareness. Make a map of your comfort zones. Shift or outright bust your routines and your persistent habits, just to see what happens when you do. One major reassessment is soon to involve your work. Is what you do actually representative of you? Were your life to end tomorrow, would you be satisfied with what you have accomplished? Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- Mars in your birth sign has been provoking your desire nature. Yet rather than certainty about what you want, an experiment is called for, ongoing. Your chart poses a question that is easy to state and more difficult to answer. To what extent do your desires and impulses align with your principles? Or said another way, do your actions align with your intentions as you state them? I suggest you consider that for a while, and perhaps score yourself on your past activities as well as your current efforts. The experience of time wasted, of goals not met, or of making decisions that ultimately serve to work against your interest represent one set of criteria. The feeling and actual experience of evolution into who you are inside is another. Your quotient of frustration versus a sense of accomplishment counts for a lot. Statements such as, "I'm doing this, but I really wish I could be doing that," are worth keeping track of, for both their content and their frequency. Relationships are calling for a similar set of tests. Are you in any relationship just because you are, are you growing and learning and having fun, or are you feeling the itch to do something else? You may not have ready answers to these questions. They may bring up some uncertainty and anxiety, because certain responses to any one of them could lead you to recognize the need to make big changes that you don't feel ready for. The placement of the eminently Sagittarian planet Chiron in Aries is saying that none of these matters are theoretical. The experiment is testing them through direct contact, and noting carefully the results. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- You are in the last few weeks before Saturn leaves your birth sign for a test run into Aquarius. Let's contemplate the Saturn principle. Were someone to know only one thing from all of astrology, this would be the one. The idea is that you take responsibility for yourself, such that nobody has to tell you what to do, or why to do it. This involves being aware of your environment and its boundaries and regulations, and adapting yours to work with them. You understand your commitments, and you keep them without being told to. You become your own parents, your own boss, and your own police department, so that you don't need things nagging you from the outside. Drive safely and you won't get pulled over. Pay your parking tickets and you won't get booted. Pay your taxes and the revenue department won't come after you. Honor your responsibilities and they become privileges and opportunities. Those who do not do these things are the ones whose lives either become a rolling disaster, or who never seem to reach their potential due to seemingly external factors. There is always some obstacle. What most well-seasoned therapists would tell you is that this is a game: refusing to internalize your authority structure is the perfect way to block yourself, and not embrace the responsibilities that would lead to the greater possibilities. Given the state of society and of so many people's lives today, this leads us to a question: are you done with that? If you want to be, the timing is perfect.

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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Saturn entering your birth sign or rising sign is an event to prepare for. The date of arrival is March 21, just past the forthcoming equinox. So you have a little time, which I would suggest you use consciously. One question you might ask yourself is the nature of the internal struggle you've been through during the past few years of Saturn in your 12th house (which began in late 2017). What, exactly, have you been working through? Were you even aware of the depth of the material you were processing, or did you plod along attempting to maintain your life as usual? Some deep questions have been nagging, and at times, dragging you into situations you may not understand. Superficial explanations will be of no help, despite their immense popularity. You need to be honest with yourself about the ways the past has held you down, and the role of denial in this scenario. You may have some completions to do with people from your past, or who are in your life now. The central question is what it means to be honest with yourself, and how you know whether and when you are doing it. Then there is the matter of connecting with your actual creativity, and your desire to do something that is more fun. When you have tried that previously, what has held you back? That is something to get real about, and upon which to focus your intelligence and your desire for healing. Said another way, you must have no secrets from yourself. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You are establishing yourself in new social and professional territory, in a process that will take some surprising directions this spring. Those, in turn, will emerge from deeply personal discoveries that you are making currently. For now, you want to resolve the past rather than do anything that will bind you to it. Most people know very little about resolving anything, and tend to drag their personal history behind them in ways that are not useful. This prevents them from making any actual progress, which is another typical condition on the planet. I suggest you establish a relationship with your future and with your potential, and take your mission seriously. This will require you to do something beyond what most of your peers are up to, and to have a different approach and attitude. Devotion to your purpose sets you apart. It makes you visible, and just that will carry an aura of success. You must maintain your public relations position in a sincere way, and at the same time attend to the details of your friendships and your work. Relationships matter a lot now, which means honor your commitments, and pay attention to who does and does not honor theirs. People you do not know are observing you, so assume that, potentially, any of your actions are visible. This can and must work for you. For several long and possibly difficult years, you have been establishing yourself and making a place for yourself. Now it's time to move in on your own territory. As Sir Paul said, when you got a job to do, you gotta do it well.

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