Dear Friend and Reader:

Wednesday morning I woke up early and thought I would drive north toward an obscure state road called 23A, which winds through the Catskills. My not-so-firm plan was to visit the Schoharie Reservoir and write the rest of the horoscope in the Prattsville Diner nearby.

These are ordinary places, nothing special; it just seemed like the thing to do. My sleep schedule is all over the place since returning from Thailand on Saturday, so I’m taking advantage of being awake near daybreak, and doing something different when I am.

On the way, I drove right past the entrance to the North-South Lake camping area, a state park with an astounding view of the entire Hudson Valley. I turned around and went back the 100 feet to the little road leading there. It was a few miles to the entry booth, where I paid my $10. Another mile or so to the very end, and I parked at a shady spot on a cul-de-sac at the edge of nowhere.


The Unusual Sensation of Peace and Silence

On the cliff where I was headed once stood the Catskill Mountain House, the hotel that began tourism in this region when it was near-wilderness back in 1824. The Mountain House was a big deal, offering a stunning view that inspired the Hudson River Valley school of painters.

In that era, visitors would take a steam ship up the Hudson from New York City, then a train across the valley, then a five-hour stagecoach ride, and at times, a special elevator. The hills were so steep on the 2,200 foot climb from the valley floor, the well-heeled passengers in tuxedos and gowns would have to get out and walk so the horses could pull their coach up the incredibly steep hills.

My trip was much easier. The place is about 45 minutes from my door. With some practice, I learned how to get there last summer (first, to the campground, the correct parking area near the trailhead and then out to the cliff, with my gear, in the dark) all to photograph sunrise.

Hardly anyone was there on a late August weekday morning. At the top, I was treated to about 45 minutes of having the place to myself — the utter silence and solitude of being in the sky, but on the ground.

Gone was the din of society and of the ubiquitous fear that infuses it. The enveloping peace came with an odd but lovely sense of relief, like the experience of a machine suddenly being turned off, and a drop of pressure, realizing it was dominating your mind from the background.

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Dear Friend and Reader:

The Sun has entered Virgo, the last sign of Northern Hemisphere summer. Virgo is the sign of the harvest and of the Threefold Goddess, whose primary role is to sustain humanity. In this season, summer disseminates into autumn. That is the role of mutable signs; they each end their respective seasons.

For a while, the energy will be trickling back into the Earth. We are in a busy moment, based on my reading of the charts. Mercury stationed retrograde on Wednesday. At the same time, Venus is retrograde; that ends Sept. 3, and Mercury will station direct on Sept. 15.

This week we experienced a difficult aspect: Mars opposite Neptune. This has put a lot of people through an emotional upheaval. I account for this aspect in the readings below.



News from the Moon and the Sun

As for lunar cycles: At the moment, we are near the first quarter. The Moon will be full in the sign Pisces on Wednesday, Aug. 30 (on Aug 31 in Europe). The next New Moon is right ahead of Mercury direct, on Sept. 14.

The Libra ingress of the Sun takes place Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 2:49:49 am. On that day, the Sun’s path forms a right angle to the equator; that is the autumnal equinox in the north and the spring equinox in the south.

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Astrology Studio; Chart Keys

I plan to have Astrology Studio for Virgo on Monday night. This is an extended reading — about 80 minutes — that is genuine, in-depth astrology. It’s currently on sale for $33. I offer a personal 30-minute reading for $333, called an Astrology Chart Key reading. At 1/10th the price, you get a lot of astrology in an Astrology Studio reading; when the reading is personalized (such as a Chart Key), I can address specific questions and subject matter for you. To pre-order, click or tap the green image below.

Note, with this reading, I plan to resume tarot card readings. The Virgo tarot reading will follow a week behind the astrology reading. Astrology Studios are available for all of the signs and are included in the Backstage Pass.

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Weekly Horoscope Excerpts — Full Reading Below

ARIES — The pressure you may feel is the necessity to be yourself. I mean this in the most ordinary sense, not as some metaphysical concept: basic sincerity, and consistency of your character from situation to situation.

TAURUS — There is something truly unusual and even brilliant in the offing, though you must be ready. That will take some time, and the ongoing Venus retrograde is part of your preparation. Venus is fertilizing the ground of family for you.

GEMINI — You are a witness; what matters the most is what you see and what you observe. This way, you can formulate your own views. Beware of what others think, or tell you is true. They may not have any clue whatsoever, and they certainly don’t know what is relevant to you.

CANCER — This is the time to be in strategy mode. Your mind is at its most original right now, and you can draw useful wisdom from past experiences. Yet place your focus on what you’re doing today, and where you want to be.

LEO — Venus retrograde is working its way through your sign. This journey is about re-thinking what you do, and how you relate to what is called “career” or “vocation.” Suddenly, nearly everyone has been thrust into the anarchy of the gig economy, and there are no tidy professional trajectories.

VIRGO — Though few ever write about it, the theme of nobility runs through your birth sign. This has many inferences, though one of them is that your life and what you offer bring something forward from the distant past. This is more about a spiritual inheritance than it is about royalty.

LIBRA — Our minds are so over-burdened at the moment, most people cannot tell if they are thirsty, tired or need some fresh air. The human form was designed to absorb information through the senses, such as touching, feeling and sound. Now we are overwhelmed through the day by mental input: reading thousands of words and seeing countless images does not qualify for “seeing.”

SCORPIO — If you’re feeling socially over-exposed, you may be right. This could be electronic; it could be in the physical world. Either way, you’re being called to some solitude. Its essential quality is that you won’t be able to easily share what you feel; you’re the only one who can have the experience.

SAGITTARIUS — Is there any relationship between why you came here, and what you want to be known for? So far as I can tell, everyone wants to be known for something. Yet some people are more retreating, and some really let you know what they think their life is about.

CAPRICORN — You seem to be aware of a special destiny, something calling you to pay attention, and honor it. There is a process involved — you might say, a journey. It’s a path that has been set forth for your steps alone. It may be lonely to think that others are not involved; yet this is about your life, and your purpose.

AQUARIUS — There have been way too many negotiations and too few agreements; too much cash out and not enough cash in. This is a message that you need to focus on your goals, and act on them. In order, that would be focus first, and act second.

PISCES — The recent opposition between Mars and Neptune may have you wondering which way is up — and that’s a good question. You are in a phase of reorientation, affecting nearly every aspect of your life.

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This Week’s Horoscopes for Leo and Virgo are below.

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Planet Waves horoscopes by Eric Francis are a subscriber service, published five times a month. Subscribe, revive or renew here.

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LEO (July 22-Aug. 23) — Venus retrograde is working its way through your sign. This journey is about re-thinking what you do, and how you relate to what is called “career” or “vocation.” Suddenly, nearly everyone has been thrust into the anarchy of the gig economy, and there are no tidy professional trajectories. There is hardly such a thing as a job, and even people who have one often have three or four other things going on. The important underlying question is your purpose or motivation for doing anything. You’re in a stage of growth when your actions must be directed by something very close to the core of who you are. In our time, nearly everything is driven by appearances, fast profits or getting a lot of clicks. Most people expect nothing to be real, or to have any value. Your purpose is in some other direction than all of these things: toward your core truth, and your soul’s calling. Therefore, lead the way.

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Though few ever write about it, the theme of nobility runs through your birth sign. This has many inferences, though one of them is that your life and what you offer bring something forward from the distant past. This is more about a spiritual inheritance than it is about royalty. And what you may possess and what you may know only has value in its expression, rather than being held for some future time or special purpose. That time and that purpose are now. Everything you’ve been through has led you to this moment. Everything you brought into this life has its relevance in the life you’re living, and the world you see. You’re being guided to give forth, not to hold back; to share, and not to keep; to speak, and not to be silent. The only way to determine whether you have the value you suspect you have is to conduct what seem like bold experiments. Looking back, they will seem like they were the thing to do.

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