“Today I don’t want to live for, I want to live.”
— Hugh Prather, Notes to Myself: My Struggle to Become a Person
Dear Friend and Reader:
These days I have Mars on my mind: Mars retrograde, coming up in a little over a week; the impressive astrology in Aries (now featuring Venus); and where the two meet. This is exciting astrology because Mars and Aries so beautifully describe the quest for selfhood and what I call personhood that motivates a well-lived life.
The mandala of the zodiac is revealing many interesting patterns, including a study in fire and water (Aries and Pisces are working together, as are Sagittarius and Scorpio), all woven together through the movements of Mars, the planet of desire and initiative.
Without the many things that Mars represents, nothing goes anywhere. With too much Mars, there’s nothing but conflict. The idea is to find a balance, which in contemporary terms you might describe as consciously wielded intention.
I’ve also been working on your Aries birthday reading and your Mars retrograde reading (the Planet Waves spring report). It’s often said that proper astrology requires the natal chart and birth time. Learning from the very best Sun sign astrologers (including Patric Walker and Linda Goodman), I’ve figured out how to go fully into the matrix of astrology using just transits.
Astrology is a creative art, and it’s also holographic. To do astrology well takes having something to say, as well as imagination. Yet if you’re really doing astrology, once you’re into its inner matrix, you’re in — and much of the same information is available.
The beauty of working this way is that the results are both excellent and affordable. Now that you’ve been reading about all of these astrological elements, you will get a lot from these readings.
Into the World of Video
With these projects, I’m expanding into video astrology. I resisted doing this, until I discovered how well it works. Video is visual, and video allows eye contact. The Aries birthday reading will be the first of this six-year series to incorporate video, blending the old-format audio and music with the new format of informally-presented homemade TV.
The Aries reading is designed for those with the Sun in Aries (it’s a solar return reading) as well as Moon, rising sign, Saturn or Chiron in this sign.
Saturn was last in Aries: 1996-1999, 1966-1969 and 1937-1940. Chiron was last in Aries from 1969 to 1977, and from 1919 to 1927.
This reading includes interpretation of the astrology I’ve been writing about for many weeks: the rare, culture-bearing Uranus-Eris conjunction; the upcoming retrograde of Mars, which begins in Sagittarius and ends up in Mars’ other sign, Scorpio; the influence of Saturn in Sagittarius; and other factors that help tell the story of our lives. The Vision Quest ensemble has composed new music for this, which we’ll include with your reading (the full pieces, not just as intro music).
An Inner Quest of Fire and Water
As usual I speak in plain talk, with easy-to-follow visuals. I take an optimistic approach to the work, viewing Mars retrograde as a genuine inner quest for identity and personal mission, and I use the astrology to help you get to where you want to go.
This is an exciting reading, oriented on a kind of personal growth that many people reach for every day. I explore your astrology from many viewpoints. The project includes all the signs, so you may consider any of your chart elements — or those of loved ones.
One of the subtle points of this event is the blending of fire and water; of passion and emotion; of expression and feeling. Activity in the fire signs involved (Aries and Sagittarius) favors expression, while that in the water signs currently active favors receptivity (Scorpio and Pisces).
These various shades, feeling tones and colors provide plenty of creative fodder, ways to consider your life situation, and ideas for how to envision who you want to be. I have ideas, and I share them with you.
I recognize that I am entering your mind as an invited guest, and that I have an influence on your thoughts. My intention is to give you the information and ideas you need, as well as leave you feeling positive about yourself and your life.
One bottom line of Mars is how to assert yourself. I’m all about that and I share my secrets with you.
The Internet and Personhood
One of the issues I’ve been exploring lately, as part of this astrology, is the relationship between personhood and the Internet. The work of Marshall McLuhan described the ways that each new medium that grabs society comes with a redefinition of sense of self, or what I call personhood.
I’m here to ask you your thoughts about this. I am especially interested in hearing from parents about what they perceive as the impact of the devices on their children. This is an important conversation, based on what I’ve heard so far. Parents are concerned that they have to regulate the use of devices to keep kids grounded in the actual world.
I’m also interested in how you feel you’ve changed since you started on the Internet, and since you got a smart phone. It may be challenging to describe how your self-concept has evolved, but I would ask you to have a go at it.
What about your social relationships, and how you relate to close partners?
Have you read any books that address these issues? If so, what are your impressions of what you’ve read and learned?
Thank you for your participation. I’ve learned a lot about life and about astrology from my readers and clients, and I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
Lovingly,
Moonshine Horoscope for April 7, 2016 #1095 | By Len Wallick
Aries (March 20-April 19) — Know what works for you. Filter all your options through that knowledge, and your decisions will be properly informed. Simple though the protocol may be, it will be easy to forget. That’s because your life looks as though it might gain considerable stimulation in the coming weeks. A lot of good things and interesting people are likely to be drawn to you. Your power to attract is very strong right now. Unless you exercise discretion and set some boundaries, however, the real gems may get lost in the sheer volume of people and things moving in your direction, through no apparent effort of your own. Be selective. Additionally, prioritize what you want to go after over what or who is coming after you. — By Len Wallick.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — It is as if you are a musician or actor who has finally mastered your art to the point where you can improvise with confidence whenever and wherever you see fit. This is especially true for situations where your personal needs are in actual or potential conflict with your personal obligations. Yet you are still a human being, neither omnipotent nor infallible. Fortunately for you there is one reliable guideline to keep you in clover and out of error at this time: You need to be clear about what you don’t know. Therefore, in any circumstance that finds you in possession of all the pertinent data, proceed to succeed. Where vital information is missing, simply remember to be a detective first, and an executive second. — By Len Wallick.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Time to update the reputation that precedes you. You know you are not the person you were five years ago. You are better. You are more. Fortunately, there is no rush to refresh your social profiles, or even to replace your publicly available photos. Take the time to develop a strategy before you employ any tactics. Get grounded in who you are now, and get clear on who you aim to become. Then, sort out all the ways in which what you see in yourself and envision of yourself differs from how you exist in the minds of others. Finally, think on how to most convincingly change the minds of those who think they know you, so that they can both see and support you in a new and more authentic way. — By Len Wallick.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — It’s very possible you don’t know your own strength when it comes to getting what you want from the world right now. Therefore, apply your efforts gently until you get a sense of how much they are being multiplied on the other end. It should go without saying that you will not need to knock any doors down. Instead, seek to persuade others to open up to you by showing you understand their needs. That way, their needs and your wants can both be fulfilled, so that the process of exchange you are seeking to consummate feels easy for everybody involved. Once you do get what you want, it would also be wise to follow up and establish a relationship that will last longer than the yield of any transaction. — By Len Wallick.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Make hay while the Sun shines. There are evidently some things that need your fullest attention now, because they will not wait. Other things can safely be put off. Discerning between the two will do more than just make you efficient and effective. People will notice how you combine diligence with discretion, and will support you in your aspirations to extend your horizons and expand your opportunities for advancement. This is no game. Part of the picture for every person who would like to be a future reference on your resume is their own reputation. Hence, be aware that every time you come through for yourself will also feather the cap of those who are cheering you on with enlightened self-interest. — By Len Wallick.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Your most cherished values have validity. You have proven and vindicated your core verities, especially over the last ten or eleven years — leaving you both justified and empowered to speak your personal truth. Others, however, have their own values and truths, which have also been justly earned and hard won. Hence your choice at this time: You could elect to circle the proverbial wagons and declare war on any beliefs not your own, but that would only leave you confined within a circumference of your own making. The other option is to be open and present to everybody’s most essential and authentic values, so as to find and integrate the common thread you follow to freedom. — By Len Wallick.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — While climbing a tree, it’s usually a good idea to stay close to the trunk where the footholds are strong and there is nearly always a way to pull yourself up further. Going out on a limb is usually understood to be the equivalent of taking a risk. You know from your own experience that the safest, surest way works best most of the time. Even so, there are times when a carefully calculated risk is your best bet. Look around and consider whether now might be one of those times to branch off. In order to evaluate whether that’s true for you, ask yourself two questions. First, is the metaphorical trunk solid or rotted at the core? Next, will the symbolic limb ultimately take you to somewhere besides thin air?. — By Len Wallick.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Love your feelings. Give your emotional qualities a hug. This is no time to deny or discredit your passionate and intuitive nature. While there is a proper time and place to be solid and objective, it would not become you to pretend that’s all there is to you. Your gut and heart are as much a part of you as your head; it is almost as if you have a team within you to manage and coach. The trick is to embrace every member of the team and bring them all with you all the time, while also being able to choose which of your multiple assets is most appropriate to apply in any given situation. If you can simply do that, you will always be giving yourself a chance to win. — By Len Wallick.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — If molecular biologists have it right, all the people on Earth are family. If musical anthropologists are correct, an integral part of your human family history is rock-and-roll. What distinguishes rock-and-roll at its best is that it’s fun. The main reason rock is fun evidently has to do with its correlation to one of the most gratifying and enjoyable activities of all: sex. That’s why the people who are at war with sex are nearly always the same folks who want to ban raucous music and dancing. It’s also how you can most safely and surely address anything cramping your style right now. One way or another, give yourself permission to rock with abandon even if it means dancing alone in a chair. It will bust you out and bring you back home. — By Len Wallick.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — If you haven’t recently moved from one abode to another, at least be open to a chance to improve your circumstances by doing so. If a change of residence simply is not in the cards for your foreseeable future, think about what you can do to make changes where you sleep. You know what simply opening a window can sometimes do to make an interior space suddenly more comfortable and restful. In your case, at this time, there are indications that a similarly easy addition or removal at what you call ‘home’ could yield something of the same results. If you need a clue regarding how to make it happen, look around where you live and either add something that says ‘you’, or purge something that doesn’t. Repeat as needed. — By Len Wallick.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Doing the right thing for others is an expression of love. So, however, is doing the right thing for yourself. It should currently be possible for you to love both yourself and others at the same time. To get started, review your life for any habits that do not seem to be doing you or those you care for any real good. Then take some actual written notes whenever you indulge those predilections. Note especially your motivations for continuing what (at least on the surface) seems to be an indulgence that costs more than it pays. That way, you will either discover a heretofore-unrealized benefit of these particular customs or gain insight into how to better know and practice what love can be. — By Len Wallick.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — In some way, you hold the key to the entire theater of your life — which means you have more power than nearly anybody (perhaps even you) can readily see. Yet all that influence will not make you happy by itself. One important factor that will determine whether your power will ultimately serve to please you is whether or not you can delegate when you need to. If you are currently expected to be both star and producer (or even if you think you need or desire to be both), you may need to decide whether you have a preference, or whether some of your tasks can be shifted. This will help you maintain a healthy workload, so that you can shine with your full brightness and beauty. — By Len Wallick.