This is my first foray into a two-month horoscope. In this set of essays, I mainly am factoring Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius, and Venus retrograde in Gemini. If you’re curious, I’ve written lots about those topics in articles available on our home page. These readings were done the second week of January 2020, and as such are an artifact of the pre-coronavirus world. — efc
Aries (March 20-April 19) — ‘Community’ is one of the most overused words in our era, and as such, about as interesting as table salt. Yet there is such a thing, and it is about being human on the most essential level. It’s about being together. Establishing and building community is becoming a central focus of your life. This is true leadership: the type that is not vested in authority. Rather, it is grounded in your ability to relate to people, and to find a common purpose with them. In recent years, you’ve grappled with various forms of official power or corporate motive (a Saturn in Capricorn thing). It is messy and it’s getting old. There’s only one other way for people to cooperate, which is because they want or need to. Yet this often takes someone serving as a catalyst or coordinator, and that would be you. Saturn entering Aquarius, the most public angle of your chart, describes a whole new level of social responsibility. And Venus is making an extended visit to Gemini this spring (with a six-week retrograde). Both offer you suggestions and strategies. The first is to know your purpose. This may arise from an external circumstance, or from an inner calling. It is up to you to hold the integrity of your mission. Venus retrograde in Gemini describes your ability to handle the small points of communication. You are the translator between and among seemingly different viewpoints. You are also the one capable of helping people discover where their values intersect. Venus is saying take a friendly, social approach. Stick to in-person conversations. And most of all, remember that your assignment relates to something local. Local means within walking distance or within short travel: close to home, where it counts the most.
The Journey of You and Chiron | A new reading by Eric Francis, now available for instant access.
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 cover Chiron in Aries — a momentous event for all those born under this sign, and of high interest to everyone else. Get instant access to this reading here.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Uranus in your birth sign or rising sign has been igniting, agitating and inspiring you for two years now. This is challenging for someone who values stability and tranquility as much as you do. At the same time, though, clearly you needed the jolt. Uranus has shaken a few ideas out of you, and arrived with some restlessness of the kind that you don’t know what to do with. Saturn crossing the midheaven angle of your solar chart will help you focus. Not only that, it offers worldly power of a kind that is truly rare. There are few better placements in astrology than Saturn in Aquarius. And you are experiencing it from an angle that promises drive, determination and a sense of purpose. One of the problems of the mental environment in our time is a crazy, scattered instability. Whether it’s from being surrounded by 10 different devices, each featuring 20 different kinds of alerts, or whether it’s something in the air, focusing is difficult. And Uranus with its various surprises has not been making it any easier. Saturn in Aquarius all but assures that you will concentrate your efforts. It is the perfect accompaniment to the raw idea power of Uranus, and will provide a central organizing principle. Under these combined influences, you can accomplish pretty much whatever you want, even what you or others may have considered impossible in the past. There is just one catch: Saturn in Aquarius demands the highest order of responsibility and ethics. There is no room to slip and slide. You must take responsibility for yourself, and as it may turn out, for many others. Embrace the opportunity with passion. As you gradually align with this new phase of your life, you’re likely to decide you were born for this very moment.
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.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Years of trials and tribulations in the most intimate areas of your existence have likely lowered your expectations, though it’s time to let that go. Two glorious events this spring are offering you a new outlook and approach to existence, and renewed faith in yourself. One is Saturn transiting from Capricorn to Aquarius — your solar 8th to 9th houses. Your past challenges have likely arisen from partnership situations that became rather entangled and complex. People seemed to leverage power over you on a regular basis, as you gradually learned how to stand up for yourself. You are now entering a new continent; a whole different slice of the orange, as my old friend Ani Black would say. You may still have residual cleanup work to do, and pending situations that you need closure on. Yet you are entering new spiritual, emotional and physical territory much more rapidly than you may imagine. Once you pick up momentum and the future begins to reveal itself, you’re going to want to go there and be there. So make sure you’re not leaving any pockets of the past behind to cause you trouble. Sever the ties that you need to sever. Pay the bills you need to pay. Establish yourself as your own individual: a whole person. Never again make the mistake of being half of a relationship. Then there is Venus retrograde in your birth sign or rising sign. This is an opportunity to tap into your emotional intelligence; you can make friends with facets of your being that sometimes get left behind in the brisk pace of life and thought. People from the past may come back into your life. If they do, meet them as they are today, and as you are today, not the people you were in the past. That is progress.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — For much of your life, you’ve depended upon an idea of commitment that is stable, solid and grounded in responsibility. That has been challenged repeatedly, as you were confronted by situations that shook the Earth and threw you back on yourself. The result was that you became your own foundation, you own container, which has grown to be strong enough to stand strong on moving ground. You now have an extended opportunity to regain your trust in existence and in relationships. Yet the truth is, they will be a less dominant aspect of your life. Rather than being a defining feature, or something larger than you, they will have a role more suited to fulfill the kind of independence you have cultivated for yourself. You have gained something that you did not have before: faith in your ability to stand on your own, and relate to others on your own terms. You have learned what it means to have boundaries, which extend not only into emotional space but also to physical space, the nature of time, and having modest expectations of others. The coming seasons and years of your life are not a time for total investment in relationship, but rather an appropriate degree of involvement and mutual collaboration. This kind of moderation is unbeknownst to many, but then so too is the type of self-knowledge that would lead to it. The bottom line is, your relationships must support your larger mission and purpose and not detract from it. Your relationships must support your process of self-actualization. The two are related. Chiron’s extended visit to Aries is a constant reminder that you must be guided by wholeness, and be true to the example that you set. As is written in A Course in Miracles, “Everyone teaches, and teaches all the time.”
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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Saturn now in your opposite sign Aquarius is sending you a bold message to take your partnerships seriously. This applies to your personal relationships as well as to your work. Leo often expresses a certain kind of self-focused independence, which at this time must give way to a new kind of collaboration. There are moments when you will be in a leadership role. Yet there will be other circumstances when your most important role will be full participation under the guidance of someone more knowledgeable than yourself. You will need to bring your full intelligence to the equation and work appropriately within every specific situation. As you do this, you will notice changes in the nature of your group collaborations. Currently society is deeply confused about the nature of collective thinking. There is this notion that groups of people all think the same way. That may be true for tribes, for cults and for certain kinds of political thinking, and it is dangerous. Where you are heading is into that rarified state of affirming true individuality, and coordinating people who think as individuals. Apply these same ideas to yourself as well. Many factors in our society at this time are disrupting the essential human process of self-actualization. Yet it has never been more urgently needed. One early skill to gain is knowing when you don’t know. Right along with that, you must be able to assess the knowledge level of others. If you focus this, you will get some interesting results. Meanwhile, in the most intimate areas of your life, you will have a series of opportunities to clear some space. Doing so will give yourself and those close to you more room to breathe. Any changes your relationships may go through will be eased and assisted by accepting the inherent truth that everyone is their own person with their own destiny.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Even the leading TV astronomer would have to agree that Virgo’s ability to get things done is evidence for the validity of astrology. You are the glorious taskmaster of the zodiac. Much of this draws from your ability to set up a system, method or workflow, and stick to it. You also have an ability to coordinate others and can (when you want to or need to) get your ego out of the way and withstand all kinds of challenges. You are now going into overdrive on your elemental talent, and can pretty much accomplish anything. With Saturn working its way into Aquarius, you might consider a few additional factors. Be cautious about automating tasks, particularly the ones that require making ongoing decisions. There are, as well, some things better left to humans merely as a matter of preference: because humans like to do them, or appreciate when they’re being done by their fellow warm-blooded, thinking, feeling critters. Saturn moving through the work angle of your chart is summoning you to take a particularly humble approach when managing others. This transit calls for a consultative leadership style, where you do your best to work for a consensus. That is not always possible, but when people feel heard, and agree on the underlying goals, they are much easier to work with. Be vigilant about “honesty is the best policy.” If you are in some kind of a coordinating or leadership role, I recommend a zero-tolerance policy for any form of intentional deception. Your reputation rides on that of everyone else. Speaking more personally, you will need to set limits on the outflow of your time, energy and thought. Refresh your spirit in a calm setting, using water as your most important healing element, whether a bath, a beach, or a walk in the rain.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Have you noticed you’re doing quite a bit of explaining to people what other people mean when they say something? You have always had a knack for this, though now your talent is coming into focus. This might mean translating from scientific language into human language. You might find yourself bringing ideas up to date, or fact-checking them for their validity against traditional methods. Your personal relationships require a little extra care when it comes to interpreting words and concepts, and you may at times have a blind spot here. Ask people to state your ideas back to you so you’re sure they understand what you mean; do the same when someone expresses an idea that requires precise (or even on the same page) comprehension by all parties. Be certain you understand the particular struggles of those around you, so you can be better responsive to their needs. There are two potentially competing aspects influencing you. One is Chiron in Aries, which is likely to point out the ways you need to establish trust in your fellow humans. There is also that out-of-the-ordinary facet of Chiron, and you would be a wise seeker to treat everyone you meet as a potential Buddha, lest they turn out to be one. At the same time, Saturn entering your 5th house has you seeking stability and commitment in your relationships. The more you lean into it, the more likely people are to assert their independence and originality. So stick with that part, and let the stability piece take care of itself, as part of the grand experiment of your life. Notice the peculiar and beautiful nature of every being you encounter. That will take you one step closer to your dream of a common language.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Venus, the planet that rules your relationship sign Taurus, will begin its retrograde dance in Gemini this spring. This may leave you feeling as if partners are fickle and cannot make up their mind. If you give them the benefit of the doubt, you may notice what they’re striving to do is precisely that. Remember, any honest decision-making process requires considering alternatives. Be generous with people as they explore their possibilities, and bear in mind that later this year, Mars will be retrograde and you, too, will go through a similar experience. May there be no double standards in your life. A respectful approach to relationships and existence (which are closely related) calls for honoring the free will of all the sentient beings who surround you. This is a tall order in a time when so much seems to be rooted in control drama or power trip. Scorpio often seems to have this in its DNA, and now is the time to work yourself free from this condition in all of its forms. Take advantage of your own drive toward emotional independence. Anything someone is experiencing gives you the opportunity to explore the same kinds of changes in yourself that have been long in the making. Multiple factors suggest you need some freedom from the mental and emotional grip of your family. You will benefit profoundly from getting a handle on the notion that you must be wholly acceptable to them in order to be accepted at all. Especially with your tribe of origin, you need to take an “accept me the way I am” approach to the relationships. This, in turn, will help you be much more empathetic to those who need the freedom to feel whatever it is they feel.
Many times I have quoted Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche: “We do indeed live in an age of decadence, but the dharma is not decadent. The dharma is the same as it always has been.” Despite the challenges of our time, you can focus on your purpose, which is related to the World Purpose. You can step into your calling as one who came to our planet to make a positive difference. This is integral to your healing path, your personal mission and the necessities of the world. In this new video reading, about work and relationships, we will use the astrological markers of our moment to point the way, and clear the way. Pre-order all 12 signs of THE DHARMA here.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You now have a much better sense of what you want than you did a year ago. The question is, are you willing to let yourself have it? Or do you feel trapped in a situation you cannot get out of? The thing is, you know so much. You have all the information you need. You know that you’re not really dependent upon others for your emotional wellbeing. You’ve reached a time in your life when you must see eye to eye with the people closest to you, and that has to go both ways. Too often, you’re the person who has to make the adjustments and compensate for what is lacking or for what is not working in a relationship situation. Now, however, you’re becoming less mutable in your thinking, and more resolved to live the way you need to live. When Venus changes to retrograde motion in your opposite sign in May, one or more important people in your intimate circle are likely to show their true colors. This will open up the space for a conversation. If someone tries to offer you some form of, “I can do anything I want, and you must do anything I want,” that has to be unacceptable. Yet it can only be so if you’re feeling good about yourself. Everything hinges on that one thing. You want to; you’ve done much work to clear the way. The challenge you may face is standing up to conditioning from the distant past which misinformed you about your true worth. It can take a long time to understand, in your blood and bones, that nobody else is the arbiter of your inner truth. Once you get there, the next step is to give yourself permission to have the kinds of experiences you want — in reality and not just in your mind.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You’ve been through an unusually unstable time in your life, marked by enforced changes, a sense of urgency and internal pressure that has been difficult to understand. Yet the end result is that you’ve come to terms with yourself in a whole new way. You were backed into a corner where you had no choice but to accept who you are. This has involved learning how to forgive those who may have betrayed you in the past, or who tried to control you, or who somehow had undue authority in your life. There is only one way to set yourself free from this, which is to make peace with yourself and consciously choose to take hold of your own affairs. This is an important element of the Saturn principle. What has happened recently is that your need to grow, become and evolve finally exceeded the past limits that were put upon you. You may have been expecting a confrontation when the last steps turned out to be gentler and easier than you imagined. Now, the next step in the process is being true to yourself ongoing. This is a daily yoga. It takes commitment and staying in contact with the needs and positive motivations that got you to where you are now. If you can do that, you’ll be able to face any additional challenges with grace and self-affirmation. It’s essential you remember at all times that you do not need to conform to the ideas others have about you in order to be “acceptable” to them. In fact, this is a time in your life when your confidence and emotional health depend on distinguishing yourself from the beliefs and projections of others. If you rise to this challenge every day, you will find it easier and easier. Eventually your second nature will replace your first.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Saturn makes its first ingress into your sign or rising sign since it last departed way back in 1994. Saturn in Aquarius is one of the most encouraging and productive combinations in all of astrology, and for you represents a period of accomplishment and maturity. There are, of course, challenges. Though they are likely to have the same theme: that of taking over your own life. More than anything, this means making your own decisions, in ways that are not subconsciously hooked to the lurking prejudices and expectations of your ancestors. You may have been through a wrenching time the past few years, as Saturn made its way through Capricorn. This has served to help you clear out the residue of the distant past, and may have forced you to confront some of your worst fears. That is likely to have included experiencing many emotions you did not understand and found difficult to reckon with. You might say you’ve gotten to know the night side of your nature. Saturn in your sign will put you into contact with the day side of your being: the expressive, extroverted, and self-aware aspect of your nature. This will offer you more room to play and experiment. The forthcoming Venus retrograde in the most exciting, dynamic angle of your chart will help you drop your inhibitions and be the free spirit that you know you truly are. Beware of the impulse to go the other way — to get bossy, officious or presumptuous. You can skip that part and go directly to broad-minded, deliberative and fair. Listen to all sides of every issue, and take a light touch. Most of all, cultivate your sense of humor, which is an actual sense, just like hearing or touch. See the touch of humor in everything.
Astrology Studio for Pisces | A New Reading by Eric Francis
This is a momentous time in collective history, and a turning point in your life. As the year develops, most of the movement — including Pisces’ ruling planet Jupiter, and the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction — will be pointing into Aquarius, the most sensitive and innermost angle of your chart. I also cover the retrogrades of Venus and Mars, and the forthcoming Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in your friendship sign Capricorn. Mostly, I help you orient on your profound journey, and offer guidance how to harmonize with the world at this unusual time. Get instant access to this reading here.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Making the distinction between feeling and emoting will be helpful. Feeling is receptive. Emoting is expressing yourself in an undisciplined way. Take a calm and laid-back approach to what you encounter, and notice how you feel, which has a touch of the sublime. On this theme, make a special note: intuition has very little to do with fear. Even when it is cautionary, intuition will come as a gentle advisory or warning, with a suggestion what to do — not a panic attack. Remember all of those recent experiences, adventures and hard-won lessons that have taught you to temper your personality and stand up for yourself. You have finally come to the point where your perspective on yourself is far more meaningful than what anyone else might think or believe. And through these recent years of Saturn in Capricorn, you’ve carved out a niche for yourself where your professional activities are concerned. That is crucial these days when everyone is an expert and nobody seems to know anything. You have experience, and most significantly, you have experience with people. You have made many discoveries about who your friends are (and who they are not). Saturn in Aquarius will help you navigate the fraught kinds of social situations that our current lives so often put us into. Your foundation here is your ability to see the common ground that nearly all people share. There is such a thing as the human condition, and this has nothing to do with special interests or political viewpoints. You of all people have the gift for understanding what everyone, as in every person in the world, has in common, regardless of their seeming status. Peer through the static and the illusions and use your gift for noticing the distinct beauty in everyone you meet.