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April 30 — The Day of the Dutiful Overload by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Be aware that people who have original thoughts are not always accepted or treated well. Intelligent ideas are rarely recognized in their time. Yet your solar return chart describes you as someone who may come up with something original or even revolutionary. Even if this is not about some great invention or writing the next mega-selling app, you are a person of your own bold ideas. This says you need to give yourself the freedom to think for yourself; let this be the encouragement to pursue your original ideas. Be bold about proving yourself wrong, because that is how you get to what is right.
Daily Planets: Today Mercury and Uranus form a conjunction in Taurus. This is a bold and brilliant aspect, to the degree where few would know what to do with it, and some would find it annoying. It is however an aspect describing an actual breakthrough.
It will be interesting to see how this manifests in the world. The aspect has a revolutionary feeling. In Taurus, this could represent an approach to resources, though it could also indicate some form of market volatility (thought this would hardly be news).
It has the look and feel of mass insanity.
Astrology is meaningful in context, and this aspect is happening in the context of a world where ideas and discussion are being censored, and where presumably intelligent people are chiding others for asking questions, or for challenging consensus beliefs.
The freedom to do so is an exceedingly important part of why we even have a “free” society. That is the whole point. Encourage discussion of what you disagree with. If it’s such lame notion, that should be obvious and your incisive argument can devastate it.
You may not like what someone has to say, and that is one thing. Considering it is another; granting that they have the freedom to express their views is yet another. Venus square Neptune suggests that an idea does not have to be “right” to be useful or relevant. And we can only figure out what is right through a process of trial and error, trial and breakthrough.
April 29 — The Day of the Heavy Image by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Easy does it; if you find yourself exerting too much effort, or meeting resistance, back away from your goal and take a different approach. Instead of effort, open up a tap of energy and let it flow. If you are in a situation calling for a group strategy of some kind, take the lead: design the strategy to come up with the plan.
Daily Planets: Pallas Athena enters Aquarius today, joining Saturn. This is another power to the people moment. Pallas, the second-discovered asteroid (sighted in 1802), is an alternate name for Athena, goddess of wisdom, strategy, warfare and handcraft.
Mythological associations often translate into unusual expressions when they show up in astrology, though Pallas in a chart represents wisdom, intelligence and strategic thinking. There is a dispassionate quality to this asteroid; for example, it can mute or cool off sexual desire.
In Aquarius, we have the idea of productive group thought, led by an idea and a plan. This is rare enough to find, though we are in a moment when it would be particularly valuable. This is an invitation to take leadership.
Today the Moon is in Cancer, about to oppose Pluto and Jupiter. This is anything but dispassionate; it could represent overreaction, uncontrolled emoting and a feeling of victimhood and danger. therefore, take the lead of Pallas Athena, cool yourself down, get a grip, and think in logical steps.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 — The Day of Steadfastness by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You are being called to service in a way that is rare to find and difficult to describe. You may doubt the information you’re getting, about what your true role is. You might miss the message; for your own sake, tune in and listen. There is a gift you have, which involves helping others face their fears and their blocks. Develop this skill and use it well.
Daily Planets: Way back in 1992, astronomers found the first planet beyond Pluto in our solar system. Pluto was considered the last thing out, and anyone who thought there might be other things in that region of space was a bit of a weirdo. Take that as a lesson.
In fact there was something, and there are now known to be many, many objects with orbits just beyond that of Pluto. This first new bit was called 1992 QB1, now known as Albion. Today the Sun aligns with it. Though I don’t mention it in the two paragraphs below, it has a lot to do with a humane view of sex.
In my article on the 20th anniversary of Albion/QB1, I wrote, “There’s a lot here about letting go of fear, which is part of every healing process. QB1 shows us that there’s something on the other side of what we’re afraid of, and of the fear itself. Our prior model of the solar system seemed to be saying that there was nothing on the other side of Pluto, of death; last stop, game over.”
And: “This new discovery whispered that there was more, and that it was worth letting go of the fear, and I think that QB1 shows a way of doing that. In the chart, think of it as pointing the way beyond your perceived limits about death, which remains a thought so terrifying to most people that they cannot even consider it. Now in the metaphor of the solar system, we have something in the model that says there is more; that there exists something beyond this perceived edge, which we can access if we want.”
Monday, April 27, 2020 — The Day of Self-Sufficiency by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Vow to be your own authority. This is a real challenge, and it requires being mindful every moment, every time you make a decision. There is a test, which is to subvert the will of those you think of as authority figures. This includes anyone you think might disapprove of you, such as internalized parental influences. Whenever you start to be slowed down by the nagging thought, “What would ______ think?” then stop and think for yourself. Your life is about your choices.
Daily Planets: Today the Moon is working with Mercury to offer some helpful rationality and clarity amidst much confusion and chaos. For its part, Mercury is leaning into an exact square with Pallas Athene, calling for both an honest reasoning process, and also thinking for oneself. Be mindful of the thought, “What would daddy think?” and then maybe answer that, and decide if you like it. Then come up with an alternative.
The kind of thought process the planets describe is one that has gone on for a while. It’s getting on time to make a decision about something. You may feel the inspiration to do so today.
You also have the option to wait, until Mercury changes signs to Taurus, and makes a square to Saturn early this week. This is more deliberative thinking, and working within limitations of time, space and budget. This is a good exercise. Working within structure is almost always helpful, and can lead to the breakthrough you’re looking for.
Our prior world of “infinite” resources and “buy a new one” was not helping ingenuity or innovation. The chances are, if you need something, you already have it. Or you can borrow one. The chances are, if you have a problem, you’ve already solved it. Just think back to the last three times you figured it out.
Sunday, April 26, 2020 — The Day of the Cultivator by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Expect the unexpected, which I know is saying a lot in the context of our current world. I do mean it. The Sun conjunct Uranus on your birthday and throughout your solar year, so the best things in life will emerge spontaneously. Venus conjunct the Moon in Gemini says that all the other great things will come from ongoing intimate conversations with both friends and loved ones — so open up and start the conversation.
Daily Planets: Today the Sun is conjunct Uranus in Taurus. This is not the time to struggle with change; it’s the time to put it to work for you.
You don’t need to jump into new, new, new. Rather, all you need to do is not resist when something unusual presents itself. Or someone. This is a form of freedom that few people afford themselves, being content with what is familiar. A little of that is a good thing, such as keeping contact with old traditions, though reinventing them as you go.
The newborn Moon is in beautiful form today, in Gemini, conjunct Venus and Vesta. Gemini is all about speaking, language and words. Vesta will cool off the temperature so it’s possible to have an intimate discussion in an easygoing atmosphere. The Moon and her Gemini goddess friends are also trine Mars in Aquarius, so the conversation should flow easily, and be balanced. Make sure that you express yourself from several different points of view, not just one.
There’s a new edition of Planet Waves FM. Hang out for a while in a calm, commercial free, laidback space, with some fantastic music from Rage Against the Machine.
And your extended monthly horoscope for May is also ready.
Saturn’s Day, April 25, 2020 — The Day of the Physical Presence by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You are your own person with your own thoughts. This is the key to your power. There seems to be some critical decision you’re making, which may feel daunting today. But really, it’s simple. It’s so obvious, there’s nothing to it. The only thing that can ever hold you back is your own mind, and it looks as if you’re about to discover what to do about that. Just remember: your life is yours. Your pussy is yours. Your cock is yours. Your freedom to choose your pleasure is your own.
Daily Planets: Today Mercury is square Pluto. This is a potent and concentrated reminder of your independence, which may come in the form of a decision you have to make.
Do not hesitate. Take your opportunity to connect what you recognize about yourself and your reality with the actual decisions based on that reality. People may be trying to hold you back, but they have nothing compared to your own power to resist changes, hold yourself back, or stay a prisoner of your past ideas.
You can condition yourself to do something fairly simple: every time you think someone else is holding you back, remind yourself that only you can do so, and only you can give yourself permission to live your life as you want.
Listen to a free sample of your Taurus reading here.
Get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here, standard price of $44 or sliding scale. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration. Listen to a free sample here.
Friday, April 24, 2020 — The Day of the Protective Chronicler by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Deep psychological forces are moving within you. They may be so deep you don’t notice them, only the sensation of mental stress that you cannot identify. When you feel that, stop and check in with yourself. A little attention to your inner life will go a long way. You are growing in ways you cannot imagine, though you must do what you can to be aware of the process even if you cannot control it.
Daily Planets: We are still in the new phase of the Moon. (See full coverage here.)
By Saturday night, the Moon should appear in a conjunction with Venus, if all the satellites don’t get in the way. Look with powerful binoculars and you may be able to see Vesta, which is about three degrees away from Venus. I’ve never actually seen Vesta, which is said to be visible with the bare eye if the sky is dark enough. This makes me wonder why it wasn’t discovered earlier than 1807, using a telescope.
I once ran this past famed discoverer Mike Brown (Eris, Quaoar, Sedna, etc.). I said, “It’s supposed to be visible with the naked eye.” He replied, “Right, but do you know anyone who has actually seen it?” That’s a scientist for you.
I replied, “Well, it was darker back in antiquity, and people had more time on the their hands. They weren’t watching Netflix all night.” (I’m more of a philosopher, but it’s a good question.) I think that the answer is, not to sound too much like Barbara Hand Clow, people were not ready. But who knows. I may upgrade my binoculars and find a dark place Saturday night. Heck why wait? What exactly does Vesta look like?
OK now for some actual astrology. I see two things happening. One is that Mercury is applying in a square to Pluto. This is a reminder not to be too set in your ways. Get help when you need it. You don’t have to go it alone like a movie character walking off into the sunset in his old boots. Sit down and have a cup of coffee. Tell us what’s going on.
Then the Sun is about to make a conjunction to Uranus. That takes place Sunday at 5 am ET. My instinct with an aspect like that on Saturday night is to break out the paints, the electric guitar or the camera and spark up a joint. See what comes out. It might be surprising.
Listen to a free sample of your Taurus reading here.
Get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here, standard price of $44 or sliding scale. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration. Listen to a free sample here.
Thursday, April 23, 2020 — The Day of Adopted Security by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: It’s essential that you seek an understanding of your anger. We have a lot to be pissed off about in our society, though there are certain matters from childhood that you’re still carrying with you, and that cloud your mind and your emotions as an adult. You tend to take these things for granted, or hide them, as if they are unbecoming of you. Yet if you open up to yourself about this, you will gain a deeper understanding
Daily Planets: Today is the first day of the new lunar cycle; the Moon reached new phase overnight, at about 10:25 pm EDT Wednesday. (See full coverage here.)
Today the Moon in Taurus is square Mars in Aquarius. That can be tense and frustrating, and prone to some anger. Much of the difficulty of this aspect comes from not expressing yourself, or having difficulty doing so.
One way to get past that is to notice the way you take things out on yourself. This is a difficult state of being, and is the result of early conditioning. It will help to notice any form of self-blame, including guilt — that’s the big one.
Here is how I put it in an article once (this section is cowritten with Joseph Trusso):
Fritz and Laura Perls, early pioneers of Gestalt Therapy, taught that guilt is resentment turned against itself. Generally speaking, children, being the powerful yet powerless little critters they are, take upon themselves the notion of “fault and blame.” They cannot imagine adults (who are personifications of the gods and goddesses) making an error. If they do, it’s still the “fault” of the child. “If only I would’ve done this or that, daddy wouldn’t hit me.” “If I was more quiet, mommy wouldn’t drink.” And so on. Since they are at “fault,” they are “guilty,” and since they cannot rage against the adults very successfully or have a real impact on the direction of events, they turn the resentment at being pruned, modified, corrected, disciplined, strongly directed, or dictated to, back at themselves.
That is guilt. It’s fair to say that our lives, so often filled with the idea that we cannot influence the direction of events, so often caught in the web of control, of bosses, of taxes, of children, and yes, of our sexual relationships, are often holographic copies of these original crushing relationships with parents and teachers. Yet as adults, the programming, the patterns, are contained within us. They are internalized. Check it out: do we have especially creative jobs? Dare we say what we feel, go where we want, be who we are, or have sex with who we desire? Or are we pruned, modified, dictated to, and denied out of existence by our own self-control?
Listen to a free sample of your Taurus reading here.
Get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here, standard price of $44 or sliding scale. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration. Listen to a free sample here.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 — The Day of Established Presence | Earth Day | Taurus New Moon | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You are coming into your own. Let nothing stop you, which is to say, keep your faith in yourself — for if you have that, you have everything. You are becoming a person of influence, which has nothing to do with the words you speak. It’s how people feel around you. Make sure you feel good, keep your connection to the Earth strong, and be yourself, every day, all the time.
Daily Planets: Today is the Taurus New Moon. This is a big day for Taurus people, and a day of radical awakening. The New Moon is aligned with a cosmic vortex of Earth awareness. This happens to be on Earth Day — this year, right now, not every year.
Whatever one may think of the “novel” coronavirus, today is the one Earth Day when there will be less pollution than any other. Less fuel burned. Less carbon dioxide dumped into the atmosphere and the ocean.
An opportunity to feel what it feels like to live on a planet that has finally slowed down. Proof that it is possible to slow down.
All this time, anyone with a shred of awareness has known that the economy is what has been strangling our ability to have a planet that can sustain us. The Earth itself will be fine; it’s taken a lot worse than us. But WE cannot survive on a planet that we’re poisoning. Nor can millions of other species who came here to have their experience of being a spiritual entity in physical form.
And decade after decade, it’s seemed like the corporate agenda — driven by the petrochemical industry — would not let up, and that there was no way to get out of it. Our whole lives are propelled by oil. It’s assumed not only that we can live no other way, but that we could not even reduce enough to have an impact.
I remember when Sen. John McCain as a presidential candidate in 2008 suggested that making sure your tires were properly filled would give you better gas mileage. He was brutally ridiculed, as some kind of un-American commie, going against our lifestyle of gratuitous waste for its own sake. Better gas mileage? Who could possibly have an issue with that?
Well, now everyone is getting fantastic mileage, with their car siting in the driveway. There is so much oil they don’t know where to put it. And it’s a perishable product. They should just leave it in the ground, where it belongs.
At 2:08 pm EST Monday, the price of oil sank below zero. Negative value. I think minus $30 a barrel. This happened on the 10th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and fire that dumped crude into the Gulf of Mexico for 120 days. Millions of barrels, and it only takes a few drops to render seawater unlivable by fish. You wonder how anything is still alive.
And on THAT anniversary — so nobody would miss the point, but lots of people did — oil was rendered worthless. Maybe not forever, but one more occasion in this very unusual time in our lives.
Listen to a free sample of your Taurus reading here.
Get instant access to your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here, standard price of $44 or sliding scale. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration. Listen to a free sample here.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 — The Day of Professional Commitment | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You may need to start something new before you’ve properly completed something you want to wrap up. This happens from time to time, and your commitment is strong enough to devote yourself to the new while you work out the endgame on a legacy project or potential relationship. Make sure you complete your outstanding business before the year is over, preferably sooner.
Daily Planets: Today the Aries Moon makes a conjunction to Mercury. Be bold about speaking your true feelings. If you are not yourself, how can you expect people to treat you sincerely?
Moon-Mercury in Aries is the essence of dauntless originality. Think in broad strokes, in concepts, and in terms of your angle of approach. You don’t need to come up with the whole idea today. Just get the fire started, and document as much of your original idea as you can. Nothing like all that Aries, accented by Mercury, to remind you that you are the message.
If you have to get naked and dance on the coffee table to make your point, today is the day.
We’re one day ahead of the Taurus New Moon, which happens at 10:25 pm EST Wednesday. This is the ‘wrap up business’ signal; take the day and drive projects to completion, even as you spark up the seeds of the new. This is the perfect day for passing the baton to your future self.
Listen to a free sample of your Taurus reading here.
Extra audio of the Coxing Creek in High Falls, NY
Monday, April 20, 2020 — The Day of Worldly Challenge | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: This will be a year of major beginnings, though you still have a little time before that gets underway. You would do well, however, to prepare the ground. Wrap up old business before taking on new commitments. Make a point of this. And then remember there is no rush. Yes, you may experiment, in the form of figuring out who you are by the actions that you take. Just leave yourself available to take on some major assignment much later in the year.
Daily Planets: The Moon entered Aries overnight Sunday to Monday, making its ingress at exactly 3 am EDT. Moon conjunct the Aries point may get a little rumble in the public realm, though the conjunction to Chiron Monday night is a reminder to see our worldly healing crisis for what it is.
There is something we all need to remember, and are no doubt being reminded of: on this planet, it’s necessary to take care of yourself. We have a lot of discussions about medical services being a right, and how to provide them to everyone and all of that.
Yet there is something far more important, which is the simple necessity to look after one’s wellbeing. In our current version of the world that extols victims, it’s possible to be accused of “victim blaming” for saying: your health is your business. What you put into your body is your responsibility. What drugs you take or allow to be injected into you are something that you will have to face the consequences of.
Chiron offers access from either side of the equation. Those willing to figure out why they are in pain, whether physical or psychic, can tap into its wisdom. Those wishing to take control of their situation and participate in their healing are invited to do just that.
Where Chiron is concerned, two elements are essential: one is, do not be afraid to stand out. This makes the second element possible: let your curiosity drive you. You cannot have enough. If you don’t know something, admit that — and then embark on your quest. You are responsible for what you know and don’t know — and for using what you know.
Sunday, April 19, 2020 — The Day of Solid Control | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: It is essential that you concentrate your energy on specific goals, and also on the quality of your presence making those things happen. In other words, it’s not what you do, or what you accomplish, but how you feel doing so. This thing called “discipline” ultimately must be liberating, and allow you the ability to direct your mind toward specific objectives. The feeling of attending to important matters will set you free. Being an adult is a rare privilege.
Daily Planets: Today the Sun enters Taurus at 10:45 am EDT. It does so toward the end of the lunar cycle; the Taurus New Moon is Earth Day — Wednesday, April 22. I’ll come back to that in a moment and develop the story over the next few days.
Today, let’s talk about Taurus itself, and the position of the sky at the time of the Taurus ingress. Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac. It is an earthy sign, along with Virgo and Capricorn. And it is a fixed sign, along with Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Every sign has something important in common with five other signs of the zodiac!
Taurus has its reputation for stubbornness and a certain kind of stability. For example, nearly all of the Taurus Sun people I know still live in the same place they did when I met them, even if it was 25 years ago.
Yet there is a fire burning inside the sign Taurus; Alice Bailey proposed that it is ruled not by Venus but by Vulcan, the god of fire. She describes Taurus as “the blacksmith shop of the soul.”
When the Sun enters Taurus today, the first thing it does is make a square to Saturn in Aquarius. This is Saturn at its best: responsible, even-handed and fair-minded, if other factors support it. The square from the Sun to Saturn is about focus, and applying yourself to whatever you do. This square has the feeling of prioritizing. First things first. Take care of what matters, and make sure you save some time for what is the most fun.
April 18, 2020 — The Day of Vigorous Defense | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You are born with the Sun in very late Aries. Depending on the year, it could be in the next-to-last degree, or the last. This puts you into a position where you’re constantly in a state of transformation. It’s never a dull moment. This is handy, because people have a hard time with change; for you, it’s natural. Just make sure that you make your changes on your own terms. Not those of your mother or your father, not those of society, not those of any inner disciplinarian. Yours and yours alone.
Daily Planets: The Sun is changing signs. I’ve always thought this was an interesting time reference: when the Sun is done making aspects to well-known planets and points, and is in transition to the new and the next.
I’ve observed that it’s a time when unusual things are possible. It’s as if a doorway between the dimensions is open, and information and experience can pass back and forth. Technically, the Sun is “void of course.”
Like the Moon, that means it’s done making aspects before it changes signs. Void of course Moons happen a couple of times a week. They too can indicate interesting openings. Speaking of the Moon, it’s in Pisces through the weekend, which is perfect if you want to dial it back and be a little more sensual than usual.
I would also propose this is a good time to experiment, in a gentle way. Test a limit, test a possibility, say something you might not ordinarily say. Come up with something new. Do something you’ve wanted to do. To me it feels like the normal rules are off when the Sun or Moon is void of course. It can work this way while planets are changing signs, but there’s nothing like one of the luminaries doing so for an immediate result
If we go to the esoteric level of the unusual planets, we see that the Sun is about to be conjunct asteroid Hopi, which has an element of surprise, and also describes contact with the indigenous realm (particularly Native American). You can work with this; you can tune into the sky and see what information is skipping through the cosmos.
Last is a square to Chariklo, consort of Chiron. This is about abiding love: the love that abides.
April 17, 2020 — The Day of Serious Purpose | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Pay attention and you will learn something. This an active and alert state, like when you’re playing checkers. Don’t drift off. Remind yourself to keep your awareness tuned to whatever you’re doing, and then practice. The nature of your chart is all about how you direct your attention, and what you gain when your ears are on.
Daily Planets: We’re down to the last couple of days of the Sun’s run through Aries. The Sun makes two more aspects to well-known points, both of them asteroids in the “first four” group. The Sun is sextile Ceres, and then square Pallas Athene.
These are very different kinds of goddesses. One is all about Earth mama. Ceres is the “Gaia Principle” — representing Earth as conscious being associated with the cosmic mother.
She’s who you feel when you’re at summer camp and you tune into the Earth as an alive being. When we offer our thanks to the Earth for what she offers us, we’re talking to Ceres.
Then in the same gesture comes the square to Pallas, just a few hours later. Pallas Athene represents the feminine in relationship to the daddy principle. It’s interesting that the Ceres myth is so much about her daughter Persephone, and the Athena myth is so much about her relationship to her father.
So today we get a look at mommy issues, and a look at daddy issues! That should take a few years. One thing I can tell you from working as an astrologer for a while is that most people have addressed the material of neither parent. Some lean one way or the other, though with both mommy and daddy, most of the human race are therapy fodder.
Often it does take sane, clear-headed and observant therapist to help a person work out this material, which they might not ordinarily be able to name or identify. Then, the issues play out in their relationships with peers and partners. This is worth getting a handle on. It will take some work. There are benefits.
April 16, 2020 — The Day of Cosmic Comedy | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: The question is, what’s underneath what you think you’re feeling? Often strong emotions have an underlying reality that only meekly resembles what you’re presenting outwardly. Stick to the inner reality of your life, rather than the outer appearance. That will save you much energy, and help you keep your friends. How you feel matters, and it must first matter to you. Therefore, be curious.
Daily Planets: Overnight the Moon is conjunct Mars in Aquarius, exact at about 1:30 am EDT.
The Sun is approaching its last aspect to a well-known point whilst in Aries — that would be a sextile to Ceres, exact Friday. When an aspect is exact in a day or so (sometimes much longer), it’s happening now. And this is basically the end of the story for the Sun in Aries, pending its ingress into Taurus on April 19.
Ceres is a tricky planet. (Technically a dwarf planet, (1) Ceres was the first discovered asteroid, and takes up one-third of the mass of the main belt.)
As a goddess in ancient Roman times, Ceres meant something different to everyone, and tended to change meaning and application over time. For sure, she was always regarded as the goddess who fed everyone.
Most astrology-related interpretations will say that the dwarf planet represents mothers and daughters; the connection of food and emotions; and nature-as-Gaia. All of that shows up when you see the planet in action in natal charts.
There is another theme, which is liminality. That is, something lurking on the event horizon of consciousness, sometimes coming above the line of awareness, and sometimes dipping below, out of awareness. Ceres is in Aquarius right now, so you might apply this notion to the public. Is the public on the cusp of being aware of something?
The Sun’s approach from Aries describes the “day side” of awareness, not the veiled night side. Watch for something to arise out of yet another interesting blend of Aries and Aquarius (a theme of our times).
Your 2020 Inner Planet Retrograde Schedule
April 15, 2020 — The Day of Human Definition | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: The power of individuality is strong for you now. This is something to be, rather than to act out. You don’t have to prove to anyone that you are who you are; you merely need to live in a way that is true to yourself. You know when you’re verging on a compromise of some core element of yourself, or an important value. That is your cue to be exactly who you are.
Daily Planets: Early Thursday, Mercury aligns with Chiron in Aries. Venus and Vesta remain within one degree in Gemini. The two aspects are working together, bonded by Mercury’s rulership from Aries.
For clarity of study: Venus and Vesta are conjunct in Gemini. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, and at the same time, we find Mercury conjunct Chiron.
This is a basic formula for seeing how planetary aspects work together as part of the same idea.
And this idea has something or maybe everything to do with words and their relationship to the most intimate details of healing.
Imagine how many times things would have gone better had you said something. This is the astrology of learning how to do so. Make the effort now for maximum return. Take the chance; don’t worry about precision — just get it out.
The emphasis is on the mental rather than physical level. Emotional is where mental and physical meet, and with Venus involved, you might say this is about emotional intelligence. That’s a fancy-sounding term for being an attentive and sensitive person, who observes reality with your feelings as well as your mind.
What I would propose about this pattern is that you look where you feel like you’re being asked to give something up, and find the gift that is there waiting for you.
Endnote. One distinct attribute of Vesta is knowing how to have it not be about you. This would apply to any form of service. Most love is reflexive; it comes back to oneself. Vesta’s gift is to hold the light on the person you’re assisting, supporting, or offering yourself to.
You can now pre-order your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $33. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration.
April 14, 2020 — The Day of Tradition | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: In any situation, you will have two basic options: to use force, or to direct the circumstance toward healing. You can find this dilemma described in many traditions, though it’s essential that you see it for what it is, and recognize your options. Only you have the power to do this in your life. It’s not up to someone else. Yet be aware that the choice to force a matter conceals from you the truth. The choice to guide any scenario toward healing reveals the truth and the whole truth, and also requires your most sincere vulnerability.
Daily Planets: Today there are two landmark aspects, which I’ve been describing in installments and in layers in the posts below. If you’re curious, scan down through the past few days and you’ll fill in any gaps you may have.
The first is the Sun square Pluto. This is part of a larger pattern, though that’s where the needle is threaded. This is an aspect of raw power, determination and confrontation. Often it is internal conflict projected outward — squares often work that way. It’s also a lonely aspect, in the spirit of “lonely at the top” or of a “lone wolf” (wolves are pack animals).
Sun square Pluto can have a ruthless quality, which tends to cover deep insecurity or inferiority. All the overconfidence in the world will not cover up the underlying pain or struggle. And it is true enough that nearly everyone on the planet feels that their life is in some way a power struggle, or can devolve into one.
There is an option, which is illustrated in the conjunction of Venus and Vesta in Gemini. This represents the Sacred Space of Self. It is a space that you hold open in your interior life — a thing that has come difficult to discern in recent decades. (The now-separating Sun conjunct Eris tells us a lot about the problem, of over-involvement with digital seemingly erasing the experience of inner space.)
Venus-Vesta is here to guide you to the sacred hearth of your inner being. Yet you must go there; it does not come to you. There is a fire pit, and you must tend the fire yourself, which is in truth an around-the-clock activity, in wakefulness and in sleep.
The corresponding conjunction of Mercury and Chiron describes the vulnerability necessary to get there. It’s about speaking your truth and your whole truth, and not just that: living it as an act of daily devotion.
You can now pre-order your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $33. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration.
April 13, 2020 — The Day of the Iconoclast | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Over the past two decades (which may mean much of your life, most of it, or all of it) we have had deep elements of our humanity taken away from us. This has come from total immersion in the digital realm. The most important element strip-mined has been our humanity; our ability to feel; our ability to exist in the world, as a person of the world — not the fantasy world of the internet. Claim back your life. Seek within yourself for who you are, not in the wild winter winds of the fiber optic system.
Daily Planets: Today the Sun aligns exactly with Eris, and the Sun leans into a conjunction with Pluto exact tomorrow morning. This is deep “meaning of life” kind of astrology. It’s also high pressure, meltdown style astrology.
This is from my article last night:
As the Sun and Eris align today, most of the world is under stay-at-home orders, quarantine or some form of martial law. Here in New York, I can be fined $1000 for speaking to someone on the street. This has forced us to retreat even further into the digital sphere, and our digital “identity” that is shorn of physical reality. One message of the “novel coronavirus” is that physical reality is not safe; the only place you’re really safe is the internet — where you don’t really exist. Surf safely!
While we’re doing it, we might ask ourselves whether this is a sacrifice we want to make, and do some experimenting with how we might turn back toward actual human existence. The problem, as with most things these days, is one of trust. Now just about everyone is convinced that everyone else is a potential vector of a deadly disease. And oh by the way, you might be killing everyone you meet as well. This thought form has nothing to do with the virus being called SARS-CoV-2. It exists independently of the virus, with a life of its own.
The matrix: is there a way out?
April 12, 2020 — The Day of Societal Awareness | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You will respond to life one way if you know who you are, and are confident in your awareness; and another way if you are confused and in chaos. Therefore, center yourself inwardly. Seek to understand yourself, and the nature of your relationships. If you find yourself going for control, back off immediately — it’s not going to work, and will not help you feel better. But self-awareness will. So seek to remember who you are, and why you are here.
Daily Planets: Today the Sun is conjunct Eris. Eris was discovered in 2005 and named in 2006, and became the basis for reorganizing the categories of “planet” in the solar system; it was at that time that Pluto was “demoted” to a minor planet, (134340) Pluto.
Twelve years ago at this time, I commented on the conjunction of the Sun and Eris:
Eris is in Aries and I think that in many respects, Aries in our era is about Eris. Aries is the sense of self and the right to exist. We do a lot of experimenting with identity these days, but most of it is virtual. It is fast arriving at the point that anything that occurs in the physical world is perceived as, or sold to us as, a kind of threat — unless it involves spending money.
Eris is here to teach us to return to the roots of our identity. I do not mean identity as an abstract concept; I mean identity as the direct experience of self and of existence. We may be so far from this that it sounds like an abstraction (end of quote).
In recent years, I’ve evolved this theory. My overall sense of Eris is that involves the impact of the internet on identity. Eris is about who we have become under digital conditions, and who we think we are. Our total immersion in digital technology — now made worse by social isolation, and nearly all of our contacts coming through devices — is disorienting. By that I mean that it dislodges us from reality, and induces out-of-body experiences: total detachment from what we used to think of as reality, our bodies, and our purpose on Earth.
As of this conjunction today, most of the world is under stay-at-home order, quarantine or some form of martial law. Here in New York, I can be fined $1000 for speaking to someone on the street. This has forced us to retreat even further into the digital sphere, and our digital “identity” that is shorn of physical reality.
We might ask ourselves whether this is a sacrifice we want to make, and do some experimenting with how we might turn back toward actual human existence. There is more astrology than this happening; if you’re curious, I give an extended, very mellow and actually relaxing discussion on the new Planet Waves FM, my program on Pacifica Radio. Anyone curious about either astrology or the science behind the pandemic situation will find this program enlightening. I do the science first, and the astrology second.
April 11, 2020 — The Day of the Policy Makers | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Stay close to your spiritual center. In other words, value your principles that are guided by love, understanding and the desire for peace above all else. This will provide an alternative to other elements in your astrology that could lead you to take a more self-centered approach. Your brethren and your neighbors are the most important people in your life. Take care of them.
Daily Planets: Today Mercury has entered Aries. Two lines of approach are appropriate. One is that Mercury is on the Aries Point, which is like an echo chamber. It’s like this mysterious node that connects statements made to public attention.
Second is that Mercury is entering the aspect pattern consisting of Chiron, Pholus and the lunar nodes, which I discussed extensively at the Aries New Moon.
This aspect pattern includes touchy subject matter relating to personal history, and also family history. The presence of Mercury says one thing (well, two in one): it’s time to think consciously about this stuff, and to talk about it.
We are entering a high-intensity aspect pattern this weekend, and it’s in full force right now. The Sun is in Aries, and is approaching a conjunction to ultra-slow-moving Eris (making a 130-year run through Aries). Eris, in turn, is being met at a 90-degree angle by Pluto and Jupiter. So there is a standing wave pattern that is described by astrologers as “Jupiter and Pluto square Eris.”
Now the Sun is about to jump in, making aspects to all of them at once. This has never happened before; it is in actual truth the first time an event is happening in astrology, so we have no idea what it will represent — though the current state of the world is a clue and is offering some ideas. Eris brings the chaos factor, much of it drive-by “who am I?” kind of struggles; Pluto brings the power factor (many people’s solutions to everything); Pluto also provides the emphasis on death (watch cable TV for 20 seconds to see that); and Jupiter brings the global factor.
Well, that about sums it up! Remember that people (and countries) resort to aggression when they feel like they don’t know who they are. So this is the time to search inwardly, rather than act out on others. The Sagittarius Moon cautions to bring your optimism but remember your pain.
Read more about Eris, if you’re curious. It has a lot to do with the impact of the internet.
You can now pre-order your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $33. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration.
April 10, 2020 — The Day of Daring | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You are born on The Day of Daring, and this year, the most daring thing you can do is to tell the truth. Your astrology could also have you take advantage of a marvelous ability to have anyone believe whatever you say. That would represent the “easy way” and also you would be making a lot of karma rather than resolving it. Telling the truth may seem risky, yet really, it’s daring and for a good reason: it challenges you to grow.
Daily Planets: Today the Scorpio Moon is trine Neptune and Mercury in Pisces. It’s also making aspects to everything in late Capricorn. So this is a busy Moon, though more in the sense of having many people to talk to, rather than a lot to do.
Take control of communication, which also means verifying the truth of what you hear, if you’re going to do anything with the information.
Reveal only as much of your agenda as you have to, though when you do, make sure you’re understood. Confirm that a couple of different ways rather than taking it for granted. Mercury in late Pisces is slippery. So keep a little pouch of sand, and throw some on the floor if it feels wet or greasy. Do not slip! Be careful of believing lies.
Be aware that the Sun, now at 21 Aries, is gradually making its way into a conjunction with Eris and a square to Pluto, then Jupiter. This will all firm up over the weekend, and may take on a larger-than-life quality. Be cautious about getting yourself into anything that could become obsessive, unless that is the thing you want.
You may read the new subscriber edition of Planet Waves. I talk about taking a holistic and environmental health approach to our current, very strange planetary situation.
You can now pre-order your 2020-21 Taurus Astrology Studio here for just $33. In this reading, Eric will guide you through the next phase of Uranus in your sign, now joined by Saturn in your house of career and aspiration.
April 9, 2020 — The Day of Excess | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Be conscious of your anger, or it may take over your life. Awareness not only precludes that possibility; you will be able to learn where you need healing, and then connect with what motivates you. And motivation is the thing that matters: what drives you, what inspires you, where you connect with your desire. If you seek sincere understanding, you will be much happier.
Daily Planets: We are once again in “natives are restless” territory, as the Scorpio Moon makes aspects overnight to Uranus (an opposition) and Mars (a square).
That’s a setup for waking up on the wrong side of the bed. If this happens, stop for a few minutes and ask yourself what’s on your mind, what you’re worried about, and what you may be angry about.
If you feel like you’re being made to sacrifice something, I suggest you do your best to claim back that very thing. But you will need to figure out what it is first. For that to happen, you might try one of the useful the Course in Miracles mantras: “I am never upset for the reason that I think.” Then you can figure out what may be troubling you.
Venus enters shadow phase this morning, which is the first stage of Venus retrograde (May 13-June 25). Between now and May 13 is the warmup phase. Read more about Venus retrograde toward the end of this article.
April 8, 2020 — The Day of Conscience | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Whatever you say in a private setting must pass as acceptable in a public setting. For you, there is no such thing as private. This is an honesty standard: something spoken is either true or not; harmless or not. Being real means being consistent.
Daily Planets: The Moon has just passed exact opposition to the Sun and is still at full phase. The Moon enters Scorpio at 4:17 pm EDT.
Mars in Aquarius is now trine Venus and Vesta in Gemini, which has the feeling of harmonious discourse. At the same time, Mars is in a square aspect to Uranus (which was exact Tuesday). The feeling of the square of these planets is brash, spontaneous and bold.
The idea of the two aspects combined is that you can handle any discussion that you need to have, about any subject — and that communication is the only answer to whatever may arise. Yet you are the one choosing how to handle it.
Doing so peacefully is not the usual way of the planet. Generally, those seeking power push most matters into a power struggle. Without the will-to-power there could be no power struggles. Aggressors almost always conceal their agendas, so we can therefore consider hiding one’s agenda to imply aggression. Deflect lies or concealment with truth: initially, awareness of it rather than stating it outright.
State your knowledge in the appropriate moment. There is no absolute truth on the level of discourse. Perception is a matter of context. Therefore, be conscious about your mindset and your setting.
The Journey of You and Chiron | A new reading for Aries and Aries rising by Eric Francis (other signs below)
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. Now available for instant access
April 7, 2020 — The Day of Enthusiastic Belief | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Large forces are at work in your life — much larger than you can control. That means energy is moving, and the flow is likely to be a lot faster than you can even keep track of. Therefore, focus on one or two high priorities. Whatever may propel you, pay attention and you’ll be able to land on your feet. In all you do, maintain a dialog. No matter what is happening or how you feel about it, continuous and ongoing communication with people you care about will make a positive difference — perhaps all the difference. (Note, some April 6 and April 8 birthdays will have a similar feeling. This is all a metaphor.)
Daily Planets: As if the Libra Full Moon were not quite enough, Mars is square Uranus today. Full Moons are a crest of energy, no matter what might be coming to a peak. They also move stuck patterns and people. So with nothing else going on, there is a swift psychic current, and a beautiful Moon in the sky.
There’s also a major aspect: Mars in Aquarius (the natives are restless) forms a square to Uranus in Taurus. This is like a blasting cap setting off dynamite. Or maybe a fire in the fireworks shed.
Neither sign likes to change its patterns (they are fixed signs, each in ways that are interesting to study). Both planets involved are all about rapid and radical change, sometimes assertive or aggressive, especially when working together — and especially in a high-potency square. The result of whatever comes from this pairing will be unpredictable. Then the Full Moon happens. I’ve written a lot about that in an article called Peace, Love, Intuition.
We can expect some kind of surprise tomorrow and Wednesday, on the cultural level. I know it’s been the Chanukah of something new and exciting every day for the past six weeks, though Mars square Uranus plus Full Moon is special. You can use it for some radical or creative purpose, like you can suddenly weld with your fingertips.
That said, it’s a terrible day to pick fights. It’s an even more terrible time to make snap decisions, such as with investments. Rather, keep cool and observe what happens; notice how the game board is rearranged. Think big thoughts and remember to write down the cool ones. This energy is fleeting. It is lightning — not in a bottle.
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Cross-post from the Covid19 News blog: a few of my personal protocols | Added April 7
As you may know, I’m in the flow of a lot of information, both scientific and holistic, about the coronavirus issue. I’ve been reading and interviewing practitioners for months, to figure out the best protocol. I highly recommend staying in contact with herbalists, naturopaths and homeopaths in your area (or network to them outside your area) for coherent information. Make sure you ask questions and understand what you’re told.
I can’t share these practices as “recommendations” though here are a few of the things I’m doing, in the event that that the virus theory turns out to be true. Besides basic hygiene, and wearing a mask as a protest against Trump, who won’t wear one:
— I’ve been taking elderberry in some form twice daily (usually syrup or tincture). I agree with Susan Weed that this plant must call you. That can include getting some and keeping it in your kitchen; trying it and see how you agree with it; or some form of feeling a pull or friendly invitation. Elderberry called me. Someone told me about it and immediately its diva was living in my apartment.
— Next, I learned from an early coronavirus researcher that these viruses hate zinc. It kills them dead. So I have some zinc tincture that I gargle with, along with warm salt water, twice a day. Labcoat contingent says that the virus colonizes the throat before it gets to the lungs. Keep it out of the throat and you keep it out of the lungs. Get zinc tincture at any health food store or decent drug store. Lozenges also work; I prefer tincture plus warm salt water.
— Next, I have learned from studying the 5G/EMF side of the issue that part of the problem is the depletion of melatonin. That’s also true for people with lots of screen time. So I’m taking a high dose of melatonin (5mg) every night.
— Next, I use the homeopathic remedy Gelsemium 30 to treat anxiety related to this issue. This was the “Spanish Flu” remedy that saved many lives from 1918-1921. One can pick this up in many health food stores or a homeopathic lab like Hahnemann Labs in San Rafel (though there’s currently a run on it, I imagine Hahnemann is cranking it out; it’s not hard to make). I’m not experiencing much anxiety but it’s happened a few times. Also useful for thinking “oh I feel like I’m getting this.” Homeopaths have also recommended Aconitum 200 and Bryonia Alba 30, in the event of the onset of symptoms.
I’ll be writing more about this. When a health situation is weird, nondescript, murky and has a deceptive or elusive feeling, homeopathy is your friend. When you get stung by a bee or bump your head, homeopathy is your friend.
Read more on our Covid19 News blog. Friendly vibes, interesting mix of articles, a large team of us are doing the research, and you will see what you’re missing if you’re trying to get “information” from TV. You’re invited to be a contributor. This is a great time to get involved with Planet Waves, such as if you’re a serious astrology student or aspire to being a news reporter.
April 6, 2020 — The Day of the Experimenter | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Make a list of every situation in your life that is at some form of loggerheads, impasse or state of stuck. You’re doing this so you know what they are. Pick the most important one, or two. Then focus on the issue. Push a little, get your information together, and let the universe move. Apply this liberally as a life lesson. Take the initiative and persist.
Daily Planets: We are approaching the Libra Full Moon.
That’s exact Tuesday, April 7 at 10:35 pm EDT. Basically this happens overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday where most of our readers are. In Perth, the Full Moon is 10:35 am Wednesday, April 8, AWST, and in Sydney, the Full Moon is 12:35 pm Wednesday AEST.
The days and hours leading into the Full Moon are a useful time for moving energy, clearing clutter and putting a foot in front of another. This is not the time to initiate new things, but rather to ride the momentum of what is already developed and in motion. Full Moons have a useful way of assisting in the breaking of deadlocks.
You don’t need to be aggressive, only suitably assertive and make your intentions known. For most people, “suitably assertive” will feel like being a little pushy, so bring your chutzpa. Mars in Aquarius also suggests this a good time not to believe what everyone else believes.
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From the Venus and Vesta in Gemini Files:
A Teaching for Women on the Erotic Power of No, from Aditi Amrita
April 5, 2020 — The Day of Consequence | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: What is true and what is not? Do you really think about it much? Now would be a good time to take over as chief of your own personal fact-checking department, and make sure you have some firm guidelines for deciding what you accept as real. You have every option open, every tool available — though you must use your tools and exercise your options. You have the final say.
Daily Planets: Today the Moon is in Virgo, which means opposite Neptune. This will help add a little fog to the overall smog that’s surrounding society and many of its thoughts.
The thing is, you don’t have to get lost in mist. You don’t have to fall asleep at the wheel of your own mind. How do you know you’re doing this? Well, your fear level will be a good indication.
Where fear departs, imagination may enter. You may see the possibilities and have the energy to envision them. Seeing with the mind’s eye is a direct step into manifestation of an idea. Neptune can help melt your preconceptions and offer you some substance with which to imagine.
Also, remember that false certainty (or clarity) can be misleading. It’s important to know when you don’t know — and admit that you don’t know and be there. This is a position for gathering power. You will feel better for not being burdened by certainty, which includes belief.
Jupiter is still very much conjunct Pluto. There are a number of interesting takes on this aspect, one of which is this international death drama we’re witnessing. Yet there are also some more loving, spiritually grounded possibilities or probabilities. The moment of this aspect included a 20-minute worldwide meditation late Saturday night.
More astrology on the new edition of Planet Waves FM.
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April 4, 2020 — The Day of Initiative | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You will need to combine your passion with your drive to getting things done and done well. For you they are closely related, which will help. Work with the chaos factor to tap into your deepest creative instincts. Creating or expressing beauty is not usually a neat and tidy process, though it’s one that you will feel better for mixing it up with. Make a mess! Make noise!
Daily Planets: The Moon makes its way through Leo until it ingresses Virgo at 5:18 pm. It’s waxing toward full phase, which happens overnight Tuesday to Wednesday.
Today is the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, exact at a nifty 10:44:55 pm EDT. This is a descriptive way to describe worldwide events, as they certainly are plutonic and they certainly are global and expansive. This is the first of three Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions in Capricorn; the next two are in June and November. This is one of the standout events of 2020.
Traditionally, Jupiter-Pluto emphasizes what all of us have in common. It’s highly unusual for so many people on the planet to have any one factor that they all share, besides something like breathing. So we’re certainly doing the “one world” thing. Let’s see how that goes.
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Read your extended April-May horoscope by Eric Francis
April 3, 2020 — The Day of the Fulcrum | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Focus on building positive momentum, as things will tend to go the way you get them going. Focus your energy on gently guiding yourself in a positive direction, and investing your energy in what nourishes you. Work for harmony with others, and learn to speak their language. Your life may not go the way you were planning, though there are many constructive and loving directions that you may take.
Daily Planets: Today Venus enters Gemini. Venus will do something unusual, which is stay in one sign for more than three months. That’s because between May 13 and June 25, Venus will be retrograde.
So it’s moving slowly, it will spend some time seeming to go backward, then it has to work its way back through the sign. This adds up to an abundance of Venus in Gemini.
This is a placement that works well for both of the factors involved. There’s an invitation to honesty, and to speak your truth. This will intensify as Venus makes squares to Nessus, the last of these being on July 16 (which seems like a long time from now, though the astrology is taking effect as soon as you know about it).
Apart from whatever else may be going on, this is going to be an important spring and summer for sexual healing. We are at the stage where most of what happens needs to happen in words. This means through the process of sharing your feelings and developing trust.
That is most of any sexual healing process. Yes, there are physical attributes, though they tend to be simpler; the spiritual element is the more challenging one. It’s all about trust.
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Read your extended April-May horoscope by Eric Francis
April 2, 2020 — The Day of the Idealist | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You must decide what you want to guide you: your feelings, or your passion. The difference is that between “I want to do something that helps people” and “I am an artist.” This is not a subtle distinction. In the example of choosing to do art, you might also consider how that in fact meets the first qualification as well. To be motivated by your passion, you must be bold, and willing to make mistakes. That will get you far in life, kid!
Daily Planets: As of this writing, the Moon in late Cancer has cleared its opposition to the Pallas-Jupiter-Pluto conjunction that is (among other things) setting the political theme of the day.
The Moon completes a sextile to Venus at 12:49 pm EDT, then after a brief void of course, enters Leo at 2:26 pm EDT. That Moon void would be a good time to take a time out, your schedule permitting.
While Capricorn (home of the triple conjunction) includes the theme of government, the specifically political theme is being emphasized by asteroid Pallas Athene; that is one of her specialties. She brings ideas of law, government and politics into any aspect pattern where she is present. Jupiter adds the global theme and Pluto is about how “death gets the job done.”
We are now right in the first peak of the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, which occurs in April, June and November. Pallas Athene is within one degree for each of those three events. So this will drive a political theme to all of the events of 2020.
This might seem typical because we are so used to everything being made into a partisan football game. Really, it’s totally inappropriate.
Note that in virus news, the main issue involves politicians discussing power plays to get their hands on resources for hospitals in their regions. This will only become a more pronounced situation as the months unfold. Bob Dylan takes us to school on this issue.
This will become a more serious issue as the Democratic National Convention is supposed to take place; it’s likely to be canceled for the first time in the history of the Democratic Party. And you may expect calls from the administration to cancel the U.S. election as well.
We need to keep asking ourselves just how much we’re willing to give up, and how much we’re willing to risk.
Read your extended April-May horoscope by Eric Francis
April 1, 2020 — The Day of Dignity | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Ultimately, everyone must feel out their own relationship with authority. This counts for external rules and rulers, and the internally absorbed ones. Most of the time, it’s the ones that live within our minds that restrict us the most. And fortunately, those are the ones we can do something about. It is clear that you yearn for your freedom. To have some requires an act of rebellion — or a lifetime of it.
Daily Planets: The Moon remains in Cancer, and it will soon oppose a cluster of planets in Capricorn — especially Jupiter and Pluto. At the same time it will square Eris — this is some tension and emotional un-ease. It’s a bit confrontational as well, again on the emotional level. It certainly fits the mood of the moment.
The sky is a medley of conjunctions these days. Today, we experienced Mars conjunct Saturn — still close and influential, though now on the new side of the cycle. Mars will traverse Aquarius over the next six weeks or so, and that is likely to stir up a restlessness in people feeling the restrictions of Saturn in Aquarius. Saturn in Aquarius (this first spell, from March 21 through July 1) describes the social rearrangement we are experiencing.
Currently, Jupiter, Pallas Athene and Pluto are approaching a triple conjunction that is exact April 4. It is now within one degree (as of today, all three points are at 24+ Capricorn). Jupiter and Pluto in combination talk about a worldwide event of some kind; Capricorn and Pallas describe it as political. The medical news of our day is getting all the attention, though the thing we need to be watching is the conduct of those in power.
One more conjunction: Mercury is approaching Neptune. This is exact April 3, at 19+ Pisces. A close friend asked me what I thought it meant. I said, TUNE IN. Within one day, we have conjunctions involving the two ruling planets of Pisces (classical and modern), one of them in Pisces. Pay attention to what your vibes are whispering to you. Whatever that might be, the information is coming through now.
This pandemic situation would threaten to take away all joy and pleasure from life, including for many that of having food and paying the rent. All this Jupiter, Neptune and Pisces is saying remember the beauty of life; if you want to live, remember what you want to live for.
Your April Monthly Horoscope is Available | By Eric Francis
March 31, 2020 — The Day of Tenacity | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Choose your battles. Choose your friends. Choose your enemies and choose them wisely. You should really have very few of any of these things, though your birthday chart is a bit combative, and reveals your emotional sensitivity. You need a longer fuse, and to learn how to be less reactive. Keep everything on a one day, one week, or one month delay, and practice kindness as karma yoga.
Daily Planets: Today is the Mars-Saturn conjunction, the first major Saturn aspect event since Saturn entered Aquarius on the 21st. This is likely to stir the pot in some way, as if it was not stirred up enough already. There is a rebellious quality to this aspect, fueled by anger and even some rage.
Whatever may be going on in the world of virology and the healthcare system, many people who are otherwise doing fine have had much of what they have taken away.
This did not have to happen. It happened because the government and the corporations that run hospitals were all poorly prepared for an eventuality all of their studies and reports assured them was inevitable.
If no one else has done so, let me be the first to give you permission to be angry about what is happening, and what has been taken away from so many people, especially the ones who were already struggling and on the edge.
Today the Moon enters Cancer at 7:41 am EDT. It immediately picks up Mars/Saturn by quincunx (150-degree angle), which may be irritating. Then it’s working its way across the Chiron-Pholus-nodes configuration that has been very much at the heart of the coronavirus situation. Remember last week how the Aries New Moon conjunct Chiron squared the lunar nodes? Now the Moon is back onto the cardinal axis and we may have a very emotional day.
You may need to really work consciously to keep a grip with Pholus in the picture. If you’re in any kind of scenario that seems like it might go out of control, stop the movie. Moon square Chiron is about making the emotional-spiritual connection. Emotions tend to run wild and often seem immune from spiritual intervention. The Moon-Chiron square is not an easy aspect, but it builds the bridge.
By the way, here is a link to the April monthly horoscope.
March 30, 2020 — The Day of Uncompromising Vision | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: It is time for you to stand up to the pressure and influence of groups, and assert your individuality. You may think you have done this in the past, though too often you have tried to strike a compromise that was not true to your values. Chiron is in your sign and Mars is entering Aquarius. Be yourself, no matter what they say.
Daily Planets: Mars ingresses Aquarius at 3:43 pm EDT today. This brings the Mars-Saturn conjunction in Aquarius, right when it looked like everyone had acquiesced to yet another consensus reality. It’s time to wake up and smell the French press being made in your kitchen and not the local espresso place.
There will be many benefits to the hiatus much of our society is on, though we still have a lot of unanswered questions relating to just how we got here. The Mars-Saturn conjunction on Tuesday is a social jolt, calling for attention and maybe action.
Mars in Aquarius puts a new spin on Chiron in Aries. The ruling planet of Aries changing signs sends its vibrations back to home base, where Chiron is on a long trek.
This is the self-actualization aspect, still in a close conjunction to Salacia. This is saying remember the essential sexual component to self-actualization. Remember the need for fully activated curiosity. The coming 48 hours is transitional.
Your April Monthly Horoscope is Available | By Eric Francis
March 29, 2020 — The Day of the Observer | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Be impeccable with money, and your ideas about it, and where it comes from and what it’s for. Focus on your highest priorities and what is of lasting value. You will need to go against certain social trends (including fear and futility) in order to make this happen, including any idea that there is no tomorrow. Take your time, conserve your resources and you’ll be in an excellent position to make current circumstances work for you.
Daily Planets: Mars is in the process of changing signs. Today it’s in the last degree of Capricorn (a degree with a conspiratorial feeling, in case that vibe is in the air), and it ingresses Aquarius at 3:43 pm EDT on Monday.
This is significant because the first thing it does is make a conjunction to Saturn, still in the first degree of Aquarius as well. The Mars-Saturn conjunction is exact at 2:31 pm on Tuesday, so the tension is building now; and it will change tone and continue to build into the conjunction — which is likely to come with a social jolt of some kind.
Mars + Saturn + Aquarius has a ‘power to the people’ feeling, if people feel like having any power, unless we’re talking about electricity. As of now, within the space of a few weeks, we have been put in a position of being glad that we have food and heat. Let’s see what effect this combination of energies yields.
Meanwhile all day Sunday the Moon is in Gemini. Through the early part of the day, it’s applying to the Sun in Aries, exact at 4:32 pm EDT. Then into the evening and overnight, the Moon makes a square to centaur Nessus (beware of victim trips in any form), followed by a square to Neptune, which also dominates the day Monday.
Neptune squares, especially from the Moon, are anesthesia. And this one is happening during a sensitive sign-change of Mars, when you really need to be paying attention. Fortunately, today is the Day of the Observer. Keep your eyes and ears on.
Your April Monthly Horoscope is Available | By Eric Francis
March 28, 2020 — The Day of Innocence | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Rely only on yourself for your sense of direction. You must find your own inner bearings, which are giving you plenty of information. Resist, as well, your seeming need to lead others where you would have them follow. Not all who wander are lost, and not all who are lost want to be found. You have your calling and your quest, which are yours alone.
Daily Planets: Today the trine from Venus to the Capricorn grouping remains strong, and the Moon gets into the act, making a conjunction to Venus in the morning (Eastern time). While yesterday’s emphasis on creature comforts still stands, Mercury’s conjunction to Nessus has a special message: get the discussion of your healing needs going.
It may be daunting to reveal sensitive information from your past, even to an intimate partner. Yet today there is a rare opportunity to put words to feelings and experiences, no matter how dark or murky. So if you have something you need to say, muster up the courage to begin the conversation. Listen to yourself carefully and make sure all the words you are sharing are true. Now is the time to get it right and not leave anything for the future.
You need an analysis where you see yourself as something other than the victim, however. That is the trap; that is the lure. Account for your part in whatever happened. Even if you were victimized in some way, it’s necessary that you see yourself in some other role, such as the person whose primary identification is to help yourself, to commit to your wellness, and to help others.
I have an article from a few years ago that develops the themes of Nessus in the context of Mercury.
Your April Monthly Horoscope is Available | By Eric Francis
The Journey of You and Chiron | A new Aries reading by Eric Francis, now available for instant access.
Anyone who has encountered it is curious about Chiron, which is the most influential planet in the lives of Aries these days. I also cover Saturn in Taurus, and the other world-changing astrology influencing your life. For students and astrology fans: Planet Waves provides one of the few dependable online sources of information on this unusual planet.
For the 10th anniversary Astrology Studio reading, I offer a new perspective on Chiron as an influence — for Aries, and also in its current pattern, of high interest to everyone else curious about what the fuck is going on in the world. This reading is available now for instant access.
March 27, 2020 — The Day of the Originator | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Draw equally on your emotional strength and your intellect. Strive for balance in this one respect, and you will feel balanced. There are many sources of tension in your life at the moment, and yet they can all be sources of stability and integrity as well. Where you sense tension, bring your words, your feelings and your capacity to listen. Whatever may be happening, you are bigger than it.
Daily Planets: Today the Moon is moving through mid-Taurus, approaching Venus and making a trine to All That Capricorn, particularly to Pallas, Jupiter and Pluto. There is a message here about doing what you can do to feel good. I recognize that we’re all under incredible stress at the moment. Even if your needs are taken care of, you’re likely to be worried about someone, somewhere, or the world itself.
And what Venus is saying is: take some time and do something that feels good. Venus can stand in for a diversity of matters, from emotional intelligence to sexual attractiveness (best if kept in the same place), from valuable material objects to to things you love and treasure. But mostly, it’s about feeling better. So, take a moment, stop this wild movie, and do something that feels good.
You might put on your favorite Bach or Radiohead record. You might make your favorite hot cereal. You might smoke pot and masturbate. You might open up that bottle of wine at the back of the cabinet. You might want to combine that with a bath. You might want to run around the block chanting your favorite mantra. You might want to snuggle up with a canine or a feline and whisper secrets in its ear. Whatever. It’s up to you. Pleasure is personal. Venus trine All That Capricorn is saying ease back on the fear, the tension and the stress, and nourish your bodily sensations.
Okay?
Your April Monthly Horoscope is Available | By Eric Francis
March 26, 2020 — The Day of Integrity | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Today’s Moon-Uranus conjunction on your birthday may have you feeling spontaneous and certain that anything you dive into or invent will work brilliantly — and it just may. Yet there is a caution in your anniversary chart against being disconnected from the guidance systems that inform your decisions. To sum up, your astrology is saying you must know what you want before you act on it. You are free to imagine and fill all the notebooks you want. When the time comes to take action, you must be solid and ready.
Daily Planets: The Moon ingresses Taurus today at about 9:36 am EDT, where it will pick up on all of the energy pulsing through earthy sign Capricorn.
Then the Moon forms a conjunction to Uranus at about 7:29 pm EDT, which will have been brewing all day, conveying that sense of everything a little on edge, what the heck is next. Which is a reasonable question these days.
It will be an exciting Thursday night for the hundred million Americans destined to spend the evening at home playing parcheesi or reading a book.
Meanwhile, Mars is in the process of changing signs from Capricorn to Aquarius, which takes place Monday, March 30. To me this seems like Mars is lacking in direction, but thinking one has lots of the stuff. Mars is exalted in Capricorn, so it makes a convincing case no matter what it might have to say. I suggest keeping a handle on your impulses, which should be fairly easy given that everything except groceries, liquor and car repair has been banned.
Venus in Taurus is all about sensuality. You can lie back on your desires and let them find you.
Your April Monthly Horoscope is Available | By Eric Francis
March 25, 2020 — The Day of Dynamism | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You may choose whether to act as if you’re in charge of your life, or simply to be that way. I suggest you skip trying to challenge anyone or convince anyone, and be who you are. Do not ask permission. If you step on someone’s toes or they think that you do, let them do the complaining. You do not need anyone’s consent to exist: not your parents, and not any of their many surrogates. Yet plenty of time, energy and gumption is wasted in trying to get approval. Therefore, be resolutely who you are.
Daily Planets: Today the Moon is applying in a square to concentrated energy in Capricorn: Mars, Pallas, Jupiter and Pluto. This is like the personality shell of a child in an adult body thrashing and lashing out against authority.
The Sun is doing something much more interesting: it is conjunct Chiron. This is the actual quest for existence by the autonomous self. No external authority is involved, or none needs to be. This is an individual who dares to do his or her thing in the world, who dares to stand out, and who is committed to being their own inner authority.
Yes, there might be some struggle or crisis, though that’s often necessary in any exploration of self-actualization. At least it’s clear this is a personal and inner struggle rather than an external drama of some kind. If you find yourself getting drawn into one of those, remember, only you can give yourself permission to be who you are.
March 24, 2020 — The Day of Beguiling Simplicity | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: You are witnessing and directly experiencing what it will take to shift the momentum of your distant past, particularly your family background. You might have thought this was impossible, yet an intervention is happening, and the more boldly you claim your moment, the better. An element of this involves taking a mature and entirely honest approach to your sexuality, where you determine that you will present yourself as the same person with whomever you may meet.
Daily Planets: Today is an astonishing Aries New Moon. Reading astrology is always a matter of context. Meaning finds its resonance within the reality where the astrology exists — not the other way around. Said another way, it is events that give astrology their meaning, though astrology can hold a mirror to the world. We are in just such a moment now, when a New Moon pattern that is of itself eye-popping is happening in a moment that rivals any of the science fiction I’ve read.
We are at a tipping point, or a turning point. This New Moon is conjunct Chiron and the slow-moving Salacia, and it’s square two other similar bodies, Pholus and Quaoar. There is no way to sum this up in a nutshell and express the beauty of it. The framing of the New Moon involves the lunar nodes (the New Moon meets them at a right angle, which is the turning/tipping point).
The other planets involved describe the theme. Perhaps you might take my word for it when I say that we citizens of this vastly complicated society now have our opportunity to declare our independence from the family/government/corporate structure that has driven society for so long, and become independent and autonomous people. This is much, much easier said than done. It can take lifetimes, which is how long many people have struggled, and continue to do so. Many pretend, and go back to following the same pattern as their ancestors. Many are just not interested. Self-affirming existence, which is the only way to have genuine relationships, is a tremendous responsibility.
Right now all of our liberties — literally, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — are on the line. There is a reason the author of the Declaration placed “life” first, because without it, we have nothing. At the very core of this is the question of who and what you are as a sexual being. Not what letter or color on the flag you identify with. Rather, your actual being; the truth of what you feel, what you want, what you do, and who you do it with. This relates to family patterns because there is so much shame and wounding inflicted from the past, recent, distant and ancient. The primary burden that both family and religion heap on people directly involves sexuality, a fact that is concealed by the guilt and shame itself.
Sunday, I prepared a Core Community edition that addresses the aspect pattern of the Aries New Moon. The New Moon is exactly conjunct Salacia. Here is a new article about that, if you’re feeling curious and contemplative.
March 23, 2020 — The Day of Curiosity | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: It’s essential that you choose from where you draw your power. This is the essence of personal development and self awareness. To choose to allow your life to be informed by spirit is a big step. It involves listening, and it involves a form of surrender that is a direct threat to this thing called the ego. The dark side gets its power when we give in to guilt and fear. In order to do that, you must have something else to draw upon.
Daily Planets: Today’s exact alignment of Mars and Pluto is, in one sense, about the expression of raw power. There’s a potential for death-obsession when you align these two planets in Capricorn. And there is the potential for the thoughtless obsession with authority, and for authority running wrangle. We have to keep an eye on this amidst all the “virus” fears — that the whole thing is not capitalized on as an advantage to do the things that autocrats love to do. Therefore, when you give up your rights, know that you’re doing so.
Meanwhile, Tuesday morning is the Aries New Moon. I’ve just prepared a Core Community edition that addresses this aspect pattern.
March 22, 2020 – The Day of Direct Current | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Today’s Moon-Neptune conjunction on your birth anniversary is calling you into a deep place in the dreamtime. Though so much is happening in the world around you, your inner world is where you will find your source of water and of nourishment. Yes, you will experience bold and courageous callings over the next 12 months, though you must never be guided by ambition or a conquering spirit. Come in peace, and offer peace.
Daily Planets: Mars is in the midst of an alignment with Jupiter and Pluto, all of them in Capricorn. To save this from being the expression of raw power, it must be informed by a spiritual influence. That’s not easy for many people to dial in. The concept of “spiritual” is wildly misinformed, to the point of being meaningless. For most people, the notion would feel like total sacrifice of their goals, their ego, their identity and their power. Hence, so few people are interested. We have to do better.
March 21, 2020 – The Day of Clarity | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Saturn changing signs on your birthday is an invitation to step up to the challenges of our moment. You have a role greater than you might have imagined, though Saturn rules the knees, so there is an element of humility involved. You can think of this as participating in a more involved and conscious way, focusing on making meaningful connections rather than great achievements. What you accomplish will come through your connections to others, and that begins with saying what you honestly feel and perceive.
Daily Planets: Today is a true moment of astrology, as Saturn changes signs from Capricorn to Aquarius. This marks the transition out of an era that began in late 2017. Though most of it is a blur, think back on that time and feel the whiplash of events, leading right into their peak of madness with the presidential impeachment and the virus crisis.
These last days of Saturn in Capricorn (for now) have had a conspiratorial feeling; these first days of Saturn in Aquarius can have a power to the people feeling. Yet this demands a high degree of personal responsibility. The metaphor of “don’t get sick so you don’t get others sick” is a perfect image of the kind of discipline that this transit calls for.
Saturn’s initial foray into Aquarius is, in truth, a test for the whole world. Will we cooperate? Will we take individual responsibility for our part of the whole system? Can we see our interests as common with those around us? Time will tell.
Almanac: Saturn ingresses Aquarius today, stations retrograde May 11, re-enters Capricorn on July 1, goes direct on Sept. 29, and then enters Aquarius to stay on Dec. 17 — concurrently with Jupiter. The two form a conjunction in the first degree of Aquarius on the winter solstice, Dec. 21. That is the turning point. All of this is big astrology, as big as it gets, as if you could not tell. The scale of astrology is demonstrated by the scale of events in the world that it describes.
March 20, 2020 – The Day of the Labyrinth | by Eric Francis
If today is your birthday: Remember that you’re part of something much larger than yourself. It’s easy to forget this, as false individuality is one of the most vexing psychological conditions of our time. Yet humanity is a family, and you are in many ways in a maternal role. Take that gently, and express your compassion generously.
Daily Planets: Today is the vernal equinox. The Sun entered Aries overnight Thursday to Friday. This begins a one-season journey to the solar eclipse on June 21, though events of the next five days will be telling of where our world situation is headed. The Sun joins Chiron in Aries, makes contact with two minor planets and in early Capricorn (especially centaur Pholus), and (along with Chiron) squares the lunar nodes.
This combination of Sun, Chiron, Pholus and the nodal axis is going to get some kind of result: we will turn a corner, something will move, or the healing crisis will reach a peak. This is a high-tension cluster of aspects, to match our high-tension moment. This quality will build until the New Moon on Tuesday, March 24. More immediately, Saturn enters Aquarius on Saturday. I’ve written about that in the new Core Community edition of Planet Waves.
Almanac: The Moon is in Aquarius and enters Pisces on Saturday, March 21, at 8:33 am EDT.
The Moon enters Balsamic (waning crescent) phase today (Friday) at 2:57 am EDT.
Mars conjoins Jupiter today (Friday) at 7:35 am EDT.
Vesta enters Gemini tomorrow (Saturday, March 21) at 1:06 am EDT.
Saturn enters Aquarius tomorrow (Saturday, March 21) at 11:58 pm EDT. It will pay one more brief visit to Capricorn during the summer and fall, and finally returns to Aquarius in December, a few days prior to its conjunction with Jupiter.
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