Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for January 2019 (#1232)
Over the next year, your primary job is to bring to a close every matter of your life that is ready to end. This end phase of what must conclude goes back a year, though certain matters have been on your agenda for up to a decade, and now is the time to write the final act. Part of what’s distracted you is your need for security; however, you may be in that situation where you’re struggling to make decisions, and that gets worse as the pressure builds. For this reason, I suggest you begin taking steps sooner rather than later. You may have a mistaken idea of what it means to make a decision, or what readiness is, and are likely to figure out that you were ready and decided long ago. You will not know that, however, until you actually move, which for you is the last stage of making a decision: to actually enter the territory, and then you recognize you complete your decision-making process by taking action. Said another way, taking action is how you finalize your decisions, and no amount of contemplation can get you there: only movement itself. Therefore, make a punch list of that which you know must end. That could mean personal arrangements, business arrangements, living arrangements, the storage unit: the things that influence your life every day and that you’ve said anywhere from 10 to 1000 times are done. Let them be done. Meditate on the phrase, "the end of the matter." Write it on the wall, or tape it to your computer, and make it a way of life. Once you get started, you will want to keep going, and going, and going.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for February 2019 (#1236)
Take the chance and express yourself in a way you’re sure nobody will understand and that you think might even be offensive. The idea is not to push others, but rather to push yourself. The fear of “what others might think” is one of the most pervasive and pernicious excuses for not doing what you want. My proposal is that we think of this as challenging a boundary within you, rather than to what is socially acceptable. In every way, you’re being challenged to test what you think makes you feel safe and secure. As the coming weeks and months unfold, this will reach into every area of your life, though the common root they all share involves your family of origin. Children recognize the power of adults in a way that adults almost always fail to recognize, or to remember. And much of that power is waged in the threat of non-acceptance. This keeps kids (and later, adults) bound up in what seems like fear, but which is more accurately described as guilt and shame. The question you now face is not about what you do; in truth, it’s about who you are, and who you allow yourself to be. The greatest challenge you face is to let go of a certain kind of inner rigidity that has a way of ruling your life and obstructing your ability to feel joy, pleasure and love. It will be time for this to end when you say it’s time for it to end, though I promise, this will feel dangerous, at first.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2019 (#1237)
Pay attention to who you meet in these first few weeks of Chiron in Aries. Beginnings are important times, and you are in one now. Last year’s brief visit of Chiron to your opposite sign (associated with relationships) was a warm-up phase, a test run to acclimatize you to your new environment. Now it’s arrived to stay, and you can count it as a new feature in your landscape. The first thing to do is tune in to the people in your life and what they mean to you. This will of necessity require you to set aside your prejudices and go to a deeper level of human experience — with everyone. It’s true that in our era of history, people have never been more expendable. They seem to be easily blocked or deleted; you never know who anyone really is anyway. Part of your yoga in this realm might include never using a fake name on the internet. Consider that if you have to do something under cover of anonymity, it’s either the wrong thing to be doing, or you’re misrepresenting yourself. The notion of "privacy" (the usual reason for using fake names) is an excuse, and a toxic one. Every time you fragment yourself, you lose a little energy, and you have to maintain the split-off portion of your being. As part of this, you will expect others to be less real. The theme of Chiron in Aries is being real with everyone, and holding them to the standard of being real with you. Here in the Neighborhood of Make Believe, that’s a radical notion.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for April 2019 (#1240)
Whether you know it or not, you have a knack for both understanding and discussing sex. Nobody is giving out awards these days. There’s not a big budget for this, but you don’t need one. What will help is if you sidestep any lingering embarrassment or reluctance you may feel, and have every conversation you want to have, or that others need to have. Most of them will not be about you (though some will). Rather, you’re in the position of facilitator, translator, and pioneer. These days, that counts as healer and, to some degree, caretaker. At the moment, you have the unusual gift of being able to set aside your own needs, and to open up a space where anyone can feel safe, whoever it might be: a friend, a partner, your kids, their friends, or even someone you barely know. This is an exceedingly rare asset, what I would call a privilege (as is any opportunity to serve). Within your own intimate relationships, this may put you in what at first seems like an odd position of making sure someone’s need for healing and clearing is attended to, irrespective of your own desires or idea of the relationship. Go with this fully when you have a chance to do so. Exercise your capacity to handle another person’s priorities and the most intimate details of their private and erotic lives as if they are all that matters. This is a crucial missing element in many relationships, and you have the ability to manifest it.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for May 2019 (#1244)
You may feel like you’re in an exceedingly complicated situation where you have no control over your circumstances, or of major decisions. Yet the exercise would seem to be discerning just where your influence is, and how to access it. In these matters, astrology offers you a few clues. One basic matter is to pay attention, and to study the situation. There seem to be quite a few people involved, and there’s a lot of jockeying for power going on. How did things get to be this way? How long have they been so, and when did you first notice? The "noticing" aspect is an important element of its own, perhaps the most significant of all. You can only see with your eyes open; you can only drive at night with your headlights on. So your awareness level, and where you direct your attention, is the single most meaningful variable you are working with. Rather than addressing the specific circumstances that seem to be in front of you, the time has arrived to address the deeper questions, ones you may have pondered for a long time. One goes right to the purpose that relationships serve in your life. How much is about love? How much is about companionship? How much is about sex? How much is about money? How much is about conforming to your parents’ notion of what is right, or right for you? If you spend some time with those questions, and develop your responses sincerely, you will find yourself feeling like you have a lot more power in your situation. We can add one more factor: are you expected to be a good boy or a good girl? By whom, for what purpose, and at what cost — to you?
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2019 (#1248)
Be mindful of your relationships with those who have authority over you. This might include anyone from your boss to the government to a relationship partner. Some facet of the corporate world could also count — an insurance company, for example. You will want to be at your diplomatic best at all times, and stay way ahead of any developing situations. In other words, where you see the potential for confrontation, work in advance to defuse the conflict. If you focus and listen, you will be able to unravel problems before they go out of control. And if you find yourself in the midst of a controversy, or some situation where you need to take charge, you will have plenty of intelligence to work with. The most vital issue you can consider is how you treat your adversaries. Public image is of the essence. Make sure you address them with the utmost respect, or at least the appearance of respect. Speak in understatements, and use inference. Let the facts speak for themselves, without needing to argue for them with too sharp of a point. In terms of the politics of the situation, it’s not clear who is on whose "side" at the moment, and it would be wise not to take anyone’s loyalty for granted. You will need to let people stand the tests of both time and stress, and remember that in all situations, actions speak louder than words. Demonstrated example speaks louder than theory.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2019 (#1252)
You are the person who frames your reality. That’s basically what you are: a walking, talking concept of existence, which you then experience. The spiritual books all drip with this idea, which can be annoying as all get out. However, Logos, a long-term visitor to your sign (a Kuiper object, part of the Logos-Zoe binary pair), says that you are the ground of consciousness you stand on. In order to demonstrate this, you will need to investigate your reality, and do some experiments. In particular, notice the way people, circumstances and events take on the significance you give them, which comes from you. Therefore, practice giving these things different meaning. You could start with the greatest purpose of all, an experience that offers you learning and the potential for growth. Most people you meet will be out to get ahead, or be out for themselves and themselves alone. Be vigilant against any trace of these things. Making progress in life is a good thing, though the kind of progress matters a lot. Your success must be meaningful. Your life is not your image or who you impress. I know this is a radical thing to say. It’s not about your bank balance or (borrowing from a Grateful Dead joke) whoever has the most tapes when he dies wins. You are a deeper person than your society and your social environment let you recognize. You are, at this time, being called into deeper relationship experiences, which are about going in, rather than up or over. When you are with someone you care about, turn your awareness inward. Feel, listen, share. Keep going.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2019 (#1254)
Proceed with care where your professional activities are concerned, especially when handing confidential or sensitive information. I am rarely one to encourage distrust, though I will say that you must pay attention to the agendas of people you’re working with, and to whom you give your confidence. For the foreseeable future, treat the whole world on a need to know basis. Keep your plans to yourself, and maintain boundaries around your personal and professional business. Your thought process is still in motion on many important issues, and you’re still involved in a renovation/rebuilding on the deepest level of your security, both emotional and financial. The most helpful thing you can do for yourself is spend time among people, and listen to them. Get them talking and evaluate where they’re coming from. Notice what people say unprompted. Notice how they answer simple questions. Pay attention to who and what they advocate for; you’re likely to hear quite a bit of this going on, and you want to know who is taking what position. This may not be easy to discern in the days surrounding Mercury direct, with the shifting and changing effect going well into the first week of the month. This pattern is associated with a “truth revealed” kind of effect, so I suggest you not only listen to others, but read carefully, and connect the dots. Part of this is a conscious act; part of it will require you to take in the world within and without in a relaxed, neutral stance. Then make the connections.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2019 (#1259)
Quite a lot is about to happen, though at the moment you might feel like you’re trapped in a bubble, or in a soundproof room where nobody can hear or see you. This is the “world apart” feeling of the 12th house, which for you is Virgo, where all of the personal planets are currently placed. You won’t be there for long, though time may seem to slow down while you are in this particular state of mind. I suggest you take advantage of your situation, and do just that: take a breath. Assess your life. It’s clear from your astrology that you feel as if your life is built on shifting foundations, or maybe in an earthquake zone. In the silence, you may be able to hear or feel where the rattling is coming from. The state of the world is affecting you particularly strongly, and directly. That means, in part, the mental and emotional condition of so many people who seem to be giving up, but who don’t know how to. From where you are, you have plenty of room to experiment. Few would even notice that’s what you’re doing. Test the boundaries of your commitments and your relationships. Experiment with how you present yourself to the world, and see how you feel — and observe whether anyone even notices. More than anything, admit to yourself how you feel and what you want. Remember those two elements, as often as you can: how you feel, and what you want. Write it on the mirror.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for October 2019 (#1262)
The whole world and your experience of life may seem like one endless test of your confidence and sense of safety. Yet while this may be true, there is something else going on, which is about your emotional independence. That applies both in personal, intimate relationships, and how you interact with family and those you may live with. One of the primary sources of insecurity and instability comes directly through your contacts with others to whom you feel some sense of obligation. You also tend to use your partnerships to stabilize your sense of who you are, which seems natural enough — though that is part of your situation. Other people are rarely a good way to orient yourself; or, better said: you need inner reference points. The challenge is that you don’t usually find those moorings until you detach yourself from dependency on others. And the further challenge is that when you start to do this, others can rebel, because you’re likely to affect their sense of confidence and orientation as well. This is the problem with relationships that are based on maintaining the status quo, emotional security or one’s sense of identity. The good news is that certain key people around you are beginning to question this for themselves as well. So you may find common cause with them, and consciously expand your agreements to include more introspection, time apart, and the cultivation of new friendships outside of your shared emotional sphere. You are going through a kind of revolution, though you don’t need to revolt. You need to practice noticing how you feel, and honoring that all the time.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November 2019 (#1266)
As you do your best to sort out your finances, remember that, usually, just one thing leads to monetary success. That one thing is determination. You can pick through your values and your priorities. You can assess your virtues and your faults, your credits and your debits. In nearly any financial matter, what wins the game is drive, motivation and desire. Therefore, don’t get too distracted by the small details. For sure, get the help of a bookkeeper if you need to sort out your paperwork. Definitely know where you stand — how much you have, how much you owe, how much you bring in and how much you spend. All of that matters and will be helpful. Yet nothing matters as much as wanting to succeed. I suggest you get out of your mind any hesitancy along the lines that there is something wrong with financial success. I also suggest you do your best to be true to your values, so you can sleep at night and appreciate the rewards of your efforts with a clear conscience. Then go about doing what must be done. Your solar chart indicates you will have some breakthroughs on the level of financial strategy that will be helpful and may last a lifetime. There’s no such thing as a "strong foundation" that cannot also withstand the fact that the ground shifts. In order to have true security, you will need to be comfortable (and draw strength from) being insecure, at least for certain special occasions. And on a planet where nothing much is certain.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2019 (#1270)
Just in time for the holidays, the family angle of your chart is lit up like the decorating department at Lowe’s. This looks like a kind of last tango when it comes to certain ways that family of origin relationships influence you. You tend to be heavily dependent upon bonds with close relatives for your sense of stability, which has not exactly been working out in recent years. Very little has been stable, and whatever benefits you get appear to come at way too high a cost, in terms of your peace of mind. What seems to happen is that when you get around these people who knew you way back when, all of your growth and hard work on yourself can be disappeared with a single dismissive insult. Now, there may be an exaggeration effect, and you will see all you’ve been missing, and much that you have not been missing. Here is the thing: it may seem like this is about them. Really, the topic is resolving what happened to you at the hands of others, and under their emotional influence. If you are experiencing conflict, you can be sure that you are the one who is not stuck and who does not want to be so. Being stuck means that nothing seems to change, when you know that in fact, everything has changed, or needs to. You’re not going to take them along; nobody is going to finally announce that they approve of you. You’re the one who needs to make the adjustments and changes, first by finding an element of emotional independence, and then approving of yourself. If others up-end you, then spending time with them constitutes a conflict of interest.