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This is a rich moment astrologically and socially. Feel the changes that the world is going through. Feel the struggle to wake up. Feel the potential. Feel the truth coming to light.
Dear Friend and Reader:
As we covered Monday, today Jupiter is conjunct Pluto for the third and final time in this 13-year cycle. Friday, Mars stations direct in Aries for the first time since 1988. These occur on adjoining days, Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13.
This is a rich moment astrologically and socially. Feel the changes that the world is going through. Feel the struggle to wake up. Feel the potential. Feel the truth coming to light. Though an inner-planet station or a conjunction are not rare events on their own, they are surrounded by so much other highly unusual astrology, that they are serving as vectors for much larger situations.
That is to say, these aspects, I reckon, will have a bigger influence than they ordinarily might. A whole lot of energy is loosening up right now, and much that was stuck or jammed will start to move. Together, these aspects seem like a moment of awakening. Yet they also confront us with the choice between the great and the small: what truly matters on a collective level, and what is a matter of only personal investment or attachment.
The Conjunction of Two Mini Solar Systems
The conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto is exciting and interesting on many accounts. Jupiter is by far the largest planet, a miniature solar system with 79 known natural satellites. It’s so large that the Sun wobbles as Jupiter makes its 12-year orbit around it. One of the classical planets, Jupiter can be seen even through the light pollution of a big city.
Pluto, discovered in 1930, is an anti-planet at the edge of the solar system. Located in the Kuiper Belt, it’s a binary object with Charon, which is not a moon because both objects orbit a common point in space, called a barycenter. Those in turn are orbited by Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra‚ the most recent of which was discovered in 2012. This whole system orbits the Sun in 248 years.
With the discovery and naming of Eris in 2005-2006, Pluto was reclassified as a “dwarf planet,” along with Ceres (the first asteroid) and Eris (a distant object out in the Kuiper belt). You can read my coverage from the time that happened if you like. It was an interesting time in the history of both astrology and astronomy. I even got in The Wall Street Journal.
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From Astronomy to Astrology
I have said nothing about what these planets represent. That of course is open for discussion, though there are common delineations that work well, and in astrology context is everything.
Jupiter is the expansive force. It magnifies and makes things larger. Its influence makes books longer, and houses bigger, and it magnifies the presence of whatever it contacts. Jupiter is also about the collected knowledge and wisdom of humanity. It is the ambassador to foreign lands. In classical and Vedic astrology, it is associated with Cancer, Sagittarius and Pisces.
Imagine living in such a way where every experience is connected to your growth, and you like it that way.
Pluto is the unstoppable force. Associated with the shadowy depths of the underworld, Pluto is a deep presence in the psyche that drives growth forward when nothing else will. It often works on an “unconscious” level, meaning that people often try to tune it out.
It represents a particular kind of irresistible eros, as well as thanatos (the psychic elements rather than the deities). In a word, Pluto is intense. It is not the classical ruler of any sign, as it was discovered only 90 years ago. Therefore, no formal rules apply. It is associated by many astrologers with Scorpio and by some with Pisces. Here is my take on Pluto through the signs.
Put them together and you can get a great wave of deep impulse, potentially connected with the drive to expand one’s spiritual life into all of one’s life. Imagine living in such a way where every experience is connected to your growth, and you like it that way.
Knowing When You Don’t Know
Here is the potential peril. As I wrote in today’s birthday reading:
“Know the difference between truly understanding something and thinking that you do. Know the difference between knowledge and presumption. It’s easy to spot: if you have a position, try to explain yourself, and then account for where you gathered each factual element. If you can explain something to (for example) a teenager, and also account for your sources, you know something. You know even more when you can argue both sides of an issue competently.”
We are living in times when people think a little knowledge is expertise. We are living in times when “science” is a brand, a religion and an appeal to authority, rather than a method of arriving at a conclusion — subject to critique and verification.
Pluto can represent primal fear, and Jupiter can represent false knowledge, and a whole lot of puff, bluster and confetti. Keep that in mind please.
Jupiter-Pluto in Capricorn could be the very sigil of right livelihood and responsible corporate conduct. Imagine what government could be if those who participated on the highest levels were motivated only by the collective good.
What the Shadow Knows
The shadow side of this aspect, in 2020 anyway, has been a global death frenzy that has taken hold largely through bureaucracy and corporatism — a collective filter of Capricorn. The fear we are experiencing right now is not natural. It’s being driven by people who say it must be so.
Jupiter-Pluto in Capricorn could be the very sigil of right livelihood and responsible corporate conduct. Imagine what government could be if those who participated on the highest levels were motivated only by the collective good.
Much of what we are witnessing in the world is the result of things not being that way at the moment. Nowhere is it decreed that this is how we must live. We people on our planet in our lifetimes have the power to change this, if we decide that is what we want. I would invite you to entertain that possibility.
The world seems to be going through a regression at the moment, though the Lord works in mysterious ways.
In the style of anything involving Pluto, even holding the thought evokes change, though to make it real we will need to go through a collective evolutionary process. If this happens in some kind of discernible way, it will be a little difficult to pick out from the events of history.
Churchill could have been speaking for a lot of cultures when he said that Americans will always do the right thing after they have tried everything else. And I’m not sure how true that is today. The world seems to be going through a regression at the moment, though the Lord works in mysterious ways.
Mars Direct: When the Leaf Blower Stops
Have you ever been in your living room minding your business, and then suddenly that horrendous sound of a leaf blower stops, to your sudden and great relief? And you realize you hadn’t even noticed it was happening? You might think, how long was I enduring that annoying sound for? If you’re really observant, you might wonder what else you’re not noticing, even though it’s grating on your nerves.
That’s how Mars stationing direct can feel. Some of the sounds are coming from the environment, from conflict that reflects the astrological event. Some are internal and internalized: frustration, anger, guilt, depression, fear, desire.
These are emotions and feelings that need careful attention, and understanding developed in the long run. For example, depression is often anger. Frustration can be a shadow form of desire, as can fear, as can guilt. To sort this out requires the kind of self-observation that used to be taught in good therapy. So I relate these ideas to you, with faith that you will be curious enough to investigate.
In any case, Mars retrograde ends Friday. This is a turning of the tide. Mars is one of the most palpable, noticeable, obvious energies of them all. But our society has Mars issues. Those issues are all of the substitutions of feelings, for example, a guilt response related to desire.
Mars is the factor that describes aggression and conflict. Often, people who don’t know who they are, or who are struggling to find out, resort to conflict as a means of learning about themselves.
A Process of Self Actualization
Back at the beginning of this scenario, I described Mars retrograde as a process of self actualization. You may read about that in this article from August, and this one from September.
Mars is the factor that describes aggression and conflict. Often, people who don’t know who they are, or who are struggling to find out, resort to conflict as a means of learning about themselves.
That is much of the aggression we are seeing in society right now. Everyone to some greater or lesser degree has been pushed out of body by overexposure to digital technology. This creates a sense of not knowing, of not understanding, of loss of identity. This can even feel like loss of self.
Mars also represents the affairs of the ego — of small, personal matters that can create serious hang-ups. Mars direct and Jupiter-Pluto are urging us to look beyond personal experience, and to seek an understanding of the big picture — true collectivism rather than the noise and static of individual demands, and personal leaf blowers.
This matters now more than ever. We have more in common than not, if only we would be open to seeing that.
With love,
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Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Monday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, Planet Waves, Inc. Core Community membership: $197/year. Editor & Publisher: Eric F. Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. News Editor: Spencer Stevens. Assistant Editors: Anna K. Ball, Joshua Halinen. Client Services: Amy Elliott and Victoria Emory. Illustrator: Lanvi Nguyen. Senior Finance Minister, First Cavalry of the Local Economy: Andrew Slater. Archivist: Morgan Francis. Video Editor: Cate Ryzhenko. Technical Consultants: Forest Hitchcock, Joseph Villari. Media Consultant: Andrew McLuhan. Bass and Drums: Daniel Grimsland. Additional Music: Zeljko. Bodyman, Canine Handler: Kortni Binns. Additional Research, Writing and Opinions: Rachel Chaput, Loreen Costa, Robin Dann, Yuko Katori, Kirsti Melto, Cindy Tice Ragusa, Abby Rohrer, and Carol van Strum.
All Of Us Here – Astrology for Our Moment
In honor of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius, the 2021 Planet Waves annual readings are called ALL OF US HERE. These are audio readings for all 12 Sun signs and rising signs.
For the next few days, we will be offering all 12 signs of ALL OF US HERE for $88.These extended audio readings will synchronize you with the astrology of the forthcoming year.
They include a video introduction wherein I describe the charts — done by Dec. 21, the day of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.
There is also a separate written reading called AN AQUARIAN ERA for $88, which covers Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Aquarius from 2021-2024 – this is available for pre-order for all 12 signs. It is your best introduction to Pluto in Aquarius (2023-2044).
Chiron Return, our nonprofit arm, publishes Covid19 News every day, in fact several times a day. We have updated about 1,000 times since we began daily publishing on March 3. This old-style news weblog takes a panoramic view of the virus situation. We offer news and viewpoints from a wide diversity of sources, science news, international reporting, videos and other resources to help you see the wide diversity of information not making it onto television or major websites. We are tracking the vaccine and testing issues carefully.
Each Friday night, Chiron Return publishes Planet Waves FM. Running since 2010, with roots into Radio Woodstock in the 1990s, Planet Waves FM covers current events, current astrology, science history, personal growth and other themes. Includes music by Vision Quest, the in-house Planet Waves orchestra.
Planet Waves publishes daily astrology and birthdays through the week. This feature includes a daily extended birthday reading and ongoing commentaries on developing astrology as it happens. Check in whenever you want — no password required.
Every week or so, I do a new edition of Planet Waves TV. Usually these focus an astrological topic or chart in detail. After initially being resistant to video, I now love doing these. The more people click on them the more I will do — and I am interested in your suggestions. The link to PlanetWaves.TV redirects to our YouTube channel for easy access. We also post to Facebook, to our front page, and include one with the weekly newsletter.
Going back to February, I’ve developed a portfolio of essays, investigative articles, videos and audio presentations on the Covid situation. These include articles about the astrology of the situation, hand sanitizer, holistic care, social critique and a wide diversity of other topics. We’ve recently added a selection of my satires, such as CDC guidance on blowing kisses. This is a truly comprehensive look at the issues, written from a worldly, nonpolitical standpoint. Here is the link.
Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes
Your extended monthly horoscope for November was published on Thursday, Oct. 29. We published your extended monthly horoscope for October on Thursday, Oct. 1. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign.
Monday Evening Horoscope #252 for November 9, 2020
By Eric Francis Coppolino
Aries (March 20-April 19) — If ever there was a time when you were reborn, this is it. This is a real thing; it happens at times in life, though it’s more often mocked. You are not pretending; what is happening to you is real. The full effects do not happen overnight. They tend to build gradually, and sometimes there are breakthroughs. However, there is a turning point — the moment when the tide changes directions, an unforeseen event that shifts your trajectory, a person you meet, or a decision you make. That’s where you stand right now, on one of the most important frontiers of your life: the most significant of them being who you are. The necessary orientation is acceptance without judgment. I know this can get twisted, as there’s always an argument to be made for what someone is not supposed to tolerate in themselves. Yet even what you want to change begins with accepting your situation for what it is. What you think of as your flaws can become your greatest gifts. This is why self-acceptance is so important. Everything you have is a resource that can serve you and the greater good.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — The confounding behavior of partners or close colleagues may not seem so strange if you suddenly realize that you understand it. Think back to childhood, when the incomprehensible quality of the world made everything seem opaque and out of reach. Simple things like lighting the stove, using a washing machine, reading a long book, or driving a car in traffic could seem confounding or impossible. We don’t think this feeling translates into adulthood, though it does, in a veiled form that usually shows up as conflict, frustration, resistance, anger, or resentment. These are often variations on simply not understanding. Sometimes they can represent the lack of common ground, or common language. It’s worth working for these things. It’s worth crossing some of the distance and doing some of the work to gain your own understanding, particularly if you care about someone. Yet ultimately, this does not end up being about someone else. They are only a kind of facilitator, of what you might think of as a forum to resolve something residing primarily within your own consciousness.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You may be sick of people seeming to have so much power over you, though you would be wise to ask yourself how things got that way. Who are these people who seem to hold so much influence? What is your history with them? And what are the common connections between and among these relationships? When looking for a solution to this kind of situation, the first action to take is to stop giving away what power you have. Stop saying yes. Stop saying no. Let the answer be maybe for a while. Take your time. Train yourself not to be pressured by the thoughts or influences of others, which you do by pausing. Then you can consider all of your options, with time to think about them carefully. You need to determine how you really feel, and moreover, what you want. Your own desire has to drive the course of your life. Yes, you must live in harmony with others, but this does not mean surrendering your individuality or power of choice. Others must accommodate your will just as much as you accommodate theirs. There is room in this world for you and what you want.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You must continue to bide your time where critical career matters are concerned. You may feel the impulse to make decisions, or to state your plans, or to assert your position in some way. Yet for this to work, you must have your timing right, and that means finding out what forthcoming aspects have to offer. These include news about a professional relationship likely to arrive with the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction of Nov. 12, and the lifting of some professional restriction soon after, when Mars stations direct in your 10th solar house. You need to proceed with full knowledge and confidence, and both of those points are likely to be met around that time. This will happen in ways that you cannot foresee right now, though you must be mindful of clues when you get them. You will be able to see some glimpse of the future if you read the tea leaves and listen to the wind. Ease back a little on your competitive nature, and engage the world in the most harmonious forms of collaboration you can muster.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You do not need to push or reach for an answer, or for understanding. It is gradually coming toward you. Your state of mind is shifting, and you’re experiencing knowledge that comes from within rather than asserted from outside of yourself. This is happening as surely as a comet that has reached its maximum distance from the Sun gradually makes its way back toward its source of heat and light. It’s not an immediately obvious change, though it’s real and observable. The ‘making its way back’ piece describes movement in your understanding and acceptance of who you are. Have the courage to make contact with the underlying perfection of your existence. Set aside your judgments and even your ambitions, and take a moment to feel the potential that you have. Notice the options that you have available to you. Notice who is in your life. If you set aside your anxiety, you may notice your vulnerability. That is nothing less than the feeling of being open to existence.
Tailored for Virgo Sun and rising, this new audio reading by Eric Francis introduces you to your astrology through the autumn of 2021. We will take maximum advantage of the power you are drawing from the Earth signs at the time of your solar return: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, as well as Uranus in Taurus. This is a grand earth trine, and the thing to do is gather momentum in the direction you want to go, and then point yourself there. Eric describes the influence of Jupiter and Saturn ingressing Aquarius later this year. The reading looks closely at Chiron in Aries, accompanied by Mars retrograde in Aries — your most important relationship house. Now with full transcript. Order now for instant access. This reading is included with the Backstage Pass.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — One of the fundamental struggles of your life likely involves the quest to be who you are when you’re in the midst of an intimate partnership of some kind. You allow your boundaries to dissolve not only to feel the other person but also to experience and discover yourself. This is a powerful tropism, like a plant reaching for light. Yet that can only go on for so long, if you lose contact with the core elements of your identity: of what makes you personally you. You are now at the part of the cycle where you wake up inside the intimate situation and remember or discover something about yourself. You don’t need to fight your way out of a situation to have that something about you be real. Rather, it would seem that the necessary part of the journey is existing as you are within the situation, and exploring the relationship from that perspective. Relationship is not about total merging or alternately, confrontation. Hold some tension in your awareness, long enough to relax into it.
Notes to Myself is Ready | Astrology Studio for Libra
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Late this week, Mars stations direct in your opposite sign Aries. This has presented some unusual challenges through the second half of the year. Yet you might notice that each and every one of them has taught you a little about how to handle yourself, how to negotiate, how to establish mutually beneficial relationships with people. If I may propose a takeaway from the many events of this year: people are only open to what they want. Even if someone says they don’t want something, observe the choices they make. If you can tap into the power of what others desire for themselves, you will have a lot easier time relating to them, and working with them. Listen for statements of affirmative desire. Observe their choices. Find the ways they are open to being supported, and to offering their support. This does not need to feel like a dental exam and cleaning. Take a step back and notice what is in the environment to notice. If someone likes to dance, you will go a long way together by dancing, even if it’s not necessarily your thing.
The Scorpio File: Astrology Studio 2020
What’s in the Scorpio file? Does anyone really know? This year for your solar return, Mercury is retrograde in your sign. Adding to the mystery, Mars, your classical ruling planet, is retrograde in Aries, about to station direct. Then Jupiter forms a conjunction with Pluto, which takes the story to the level of your soul’s mission on Earth. In this 76-minute astrology reading, Eric Francis unravels the secrets of your sign, and helps you guide yourself through this strange new time we are living in. Price is $44. Original music by Vision Quest. Get instant access here!
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your traditional ruling planet Mars stations direct this week, which represents a release point of some kind. It’s as if an energy well of some kind has been blocked, or perhaps you have turned things down so that you could take care of some personal maintenance. Now that flow is about to return, first slowly, then gradually, then finally up to full capacity. This is about many things: working well, taking care of yourself, and making sure that you have a wholesome environment for the part of the day devoted to business. As that happens, Jupiter makes a conjunction to your modern ruling planet Pluto. This is a reminder that the ideas of the past, and particularly of your childhood family, have served their purpose. You need a more creative approach to existence than those old folks ever had. You need more passion. And you will benefit from allowing curiosity to lead you rather than preconceived ideas. You will recognize curiosity by the delightful sense of not knowing, rather than the one that feels intimidating.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You have what you need. If the events of this week tell you nothing more, that is the gift, that is the lesson, that is the state of being that is available. Therefore, you don’t need to be driven by what you feel you don’t have, but rather by who you are and what you want to create. Ideally, for you, life is a journey from one creative experience to the next, that is, where you make yourself and make your world. Yet to do this requires a reservoir of energy and a modicum of stability. You have this now; you’ve been working toward this for a while. For comparison, think back two years and remember where you were at. It’s easy to forget about all the progress you’ve made as you strive for the next objective, or some new concept of perfection. However, I suggest you stop exactly where you are, and as you are, and hang out with how far you’ve come in the past 100 to 150 weeks or so. Remember some of what has happened. Mark that phase of time as one long transition. You are about to go through another, and the portal is right here, right now.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You’ve experienced a diversity of mental and emotional experiences this year, not all of which can properly be called wholesome. You’ve been down a few dark roads, and have experienced confrontations with facts that seem difficult to accept. Through this, have you felt your deeper connection to existence? The weather is only turbulent on the surface. When you turn inward toward yourself, you may notice that your experience is calmer and you feel more stable. Normally, it’s important to gather a lot of information from your environment. At the moment, however, the pearls of wisdom and understanding are scattered in your inner world, and that is the place to focus. You have plenty going on, and it will be too easy to project this into relationship situations or circumstances where it does not really exist. It’s important for you to learn the difference between fear and insecurity. Most of what you experience as fear is really uncertainty about yourself. That is pretty easy to resolve.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Over the next six weeks, there is much that will be revealed to you, though the events of this week in particular are crucial. The essence is being honest with yourself. To do that, you must tune in and pay attention to your full thoughts, feelings, emotions and the calm, quiet voice that is your inner authority. One of the huge dramas of 2020 is people by the millions surrendering any semblance of their power and handing it over to external circumstances. It is critical that you establish something coming from outside of you as true before you accept it as such. There is vast room for error here, and mistakes made now are more costly than usual, particularly if they are based on false information. Therefore, you must learn to listen to yourself, and trust yourself. This includes verifying the results of your observations against experience. This is the part that calls for the deepest honesty. Your life is not about what people think of you, or believe about you. Your life is what you discover to be true about you, through a long process of experimentation, discovery, and elimination.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You are a force for change in this world. That, if nothing else, is the revelation of your ruling planet Jupiter, and the deep and meaningful planet Pluto. Your change comes from influence rather than physical power or manipulation. That is to say, you draw your ability to affect your environment from a more sublime space than the usual lying, cheating, and brute force. Remember this, and be not envious of those who conquer. Your true power is radiance, which is an attractive force — like a beacon. The world has already changed in many ways that have made room for what you have to offer. There is space for what you know. It may feel like water flowing through cracks and crevices at first, though that is your specialty. Additionally, this week Mars stations direct in the financial angle of your solar chart, Aries. The key to this house is being true to your values, in pursuit of your financial goals. This is the place to center your intentions and your effort right now. You are about to make the connection.
I love that parting reference to personal leaf blowers. I’m giggly trying to see what the shape(s) that my personal leaves come in might be, and whether they can dance in the blast, maybe tame it into a waftable whoosh.
Thanks, Eric!