Planet Waves Weekly for Dec. 7, 2023 by Eric Francis

There can be a gap between the elimination of a past priority and the introduction of a new one. Bide your time on such important matters.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — If the story of your life is “everything, all at once,” take that as an opportunity. Remember that we live in a time of obsession with externals and appearances, and I’m here to remind you how little those matter. That others may exalt image to the level of a deity makes it all the more suspect as a valid way of life. It’s merely a diversion; a trip through the hall of mirrors, not knowing what it is. There is a direct relationship between what you might call your spiritual growth and the process of establishing your priorities. You will know you’re invested in developing yourself when every step comes back to the question, “Based on that discovery, what is really important?” Next would be some reprioritization; the determination that someone or something is not worthy of your attention; and perhaps that someone or something else is. There can be a gap between the elimination of a past priority and the introduction of a new one. Bide your time on such important matters.

You can afford to be more flexible. You can afford to show people that you care about them and are responsive to what they think, and feel, and how they see the world.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Take any opportunity to see the world from the perspective of those close to you. This is really an exercise in not believing that anything has to change, or like you must become someone, if you consider where they are coming from. Yet sometimes you’re so attached to your point of view that you don’t dare consider any other. That is what makes you seem uncompromising — as if you have your mind made up before you take any other ideas into account. You can afford to be more flexible. You can afford to show people that you care about them and are responsive to what they think, and feel, and how they see the world. If you count this as a threat, you may be working through some deeper insecurity. That too is a matter of flexibility and adapting a little bit every day to a world that will never meet your expectations. But in some ways it may exceed them, if you let it.

The past is useful, but only for the wisdom that it may confer. If you feel entangled in guilt or self-judgment, go deeper. There is a gift waiting for you.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Be aware of image in all forms: that is, appearances for their own sake. This includes how you present yourself online, or in person, especially in social settings. Your existence looks a certain way from the outside, probably by design; and it feels another way from the inside, though you may not understand why. Regarding the view from outside, take note of how your associations with certain friends, colleagues, or a partner, provide a social passport and an image that you are more ‘acceptable’. You don’t need this in any form, and you never did. As for your interior view, you may sense some confusion, which seems to involve living out certain elements of the past as if they are happening right now. The past is useful, but only for the wisdom that it may confer. If you feel entangled in guilt or self-judgment, go deeper. There is a gift waiting for you.

Have you ever turned something down because it seemed too easy, or too elementary? Those are your best clues that something really is the thing to do.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — How many invitations do you let slip by? Have you ever turned something down because it seemed too easy, or too elementary? Those are your best clues that something really is the thing to do. One of the reasons that Cancer is such a highly productive sign is that you have fire signs Aries and Sagittarius covering the two houses in your chart associated with work. This describes abundant energy, initiative and a sense of adventure. Yet there are two qualifications: one is that you honor your need for personal self-expression. The second is that you do things that you’re aligned with spiritually. More than most people, you succeed when something is “the thing to do” rather than “the thing you’re supposed to do.” If you are paying attention, you will notice many invitations to just those kinds of experiences. While they may not seem challenging at first, they will develop in interesting and unexpected ways.

Once again you have the choice between doing something fresh and original, or doing what you and others before you have done many times. What may make you nervous about the ‘original’ part is that your ideas have impact.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Once again you have the choice between doing something fresh and original, or doing what you and others before you have done many times. What may make you nervous about the ‘original’ part is that your ideas have impact. This is not appealing to everyone, and I wonder how many songs, books, poems, paintings and photographs were not made because their potential creator was afraid that they might actually change the world in some way. The usual excuse is that art in whatever form never gets anything done. However, I would offer this: the actual thing changed when you allow your ideas to flow is not external to you, or rather, that’s secondary. You are the one who changes when you engage in the the risk of expressing yourself. And to the extent that you may grow, become, evolve or change your views, only then may there be sincere influence on the wider world. None of this is about them; it’s all about you.

One might think that having a connection to ‘deep space’ and the cosmic mystery don’t matter much, though for you they offer well-needed inspiration and a tap into healing something deep within you.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Your sign is famously associated with the most mundane experiences of organizing life and making things happen. This is a kind of false floor that conceals your deeper orientation as the servant of a purpose that is best described as the Dharma. You’re aware of very large purposes and understand the scale of space and time. You may feel that it’s best to stick to a limited frame of awareness and to what you can do something about — taking care of your immediate world. Yet your true home is the cosmos itself, and it comes with a sense of relief when you open up to your wider sense of existence. Such may be calling on you to open up your awareness now. One might think that having a connection to ‘deep space’ and the cosmic mystery don’t matter much, though for you they offer well-needed inspiration and a tap into healing something deep within you. Please leave that door open.

Pause long enough to notice what is going on beneath and behind your feelings. See if you can spot what is really motivating you. One clue is that deep under your efforts is the desire or drive to repair something that happened in the past.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — A potentially painful recognition will lead to the revelation or discovery that you need. Pause long enough to notice what is going on beneath and behind your feelings. See if you can spot what is really motivating you. One clue is that deep under your efforts is the desire or drive to repair something that happened in the past. If that requires a miracle, then let a miracle do the work. It may seem like a kind of time travel, though what we call the genetic code is navigable, and the past and the present have a way of merging into one another, making both accessible. Regarding the process of correction, it’s better to spot the potential problem and then ask for help — by which I mean spiritual intervention — and then do your best to let it go. And where resolving matters is concerned, the point where you really learn what life is trying to teach you is often the moment you can move on.

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There is a wide opening for new possibilities in these weeks as the Sun moves through Sagittarius, making contact with Chiron and then with Eris. The message of the stars and planets is that you must be who you are, and that translates directly into being what you do.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — I’ve said in my Scorpio columns many times something I will repeat today: the work you do every day, by which I mean your job, must be something you identify with entirely. Your entire psychic structure is designed for you to be the true person you are in the course of what most people do grudgingly. It’s one of the things that is often the actual difference between you and anyone else. If you do not like going to work, and doing what you do every day there, and it’s some kind of a role you play, get busy creating new options. There is a wide opening for new possibilities in these weeks as the Sun moves through Sagittarius, making contact with Chiron and then with Eris. The message of the stars and planets is that you must be who you are, and that translates directly into being what you do.

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The door is unlocked, if you will turn the knob. You’re being offered something, if you will accept it. You have talent, if you will develop it. Healing is possible, if you want it.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The way is open, if you will go. The door is unlocked, if you will turn the knob. You’re being offered something, if you will accept it. You have talent, if you will develop it. Healing is possible, if you want it. Yet the creative impulse, that seed of fire, must come from within you. You may never receive a direct invitation; there’s a little test in there, which is you proving to yourself that you want something enough to take initiative. As has been written before, the stars in their courses may guide you, though you must row the boat. This is all the nature of a trine aspect — in this case, Sun in Sagittarius trine your honorary ruler Chiron in Aries. This is an aspect of opportunity, though it is not self-activating. You are the one who must stand up and step up. And above all, the trine insists that you be real with yourself.

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My sense is that releasing yourself from some of what happened in the distant past will feel like you get to stop wandering aimlessly in that aspect of your existence. There will also be a sense of relief that can only be described as healing.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You may be familiar with the Hindu term “moksha.” Think of it as the path of liberation, in particular, from one’s own past karma. For those whose reality framework includes reincarnation, moksha is a kind of exit ramp. The work of that exiting is, of course, done over many lifetimes. Events of the present moment indicate that you are freeing yourself from some of the ties that bind you to the karmic wheel, sometimes called “samsara.” My sense is that releasing yourself from some of what happened in the distant past will feel like you get to stop wandering aimlessly in that aspect of your existence. There will also be a sense of relief that can only be described as healing. And in one particular area of your experience, you may feel the itch to do something new, rather than something old. Freedom from the past implies the freedom to take a step forward. I suggest you pause and take a deep breath before you do. For as long as you remain part of this world, you are subject to the laws of karma.

You are an important conductor of energy within your social environment. Remind yourself and others that there are many possibilities.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — There are many who are trying to deal with the mysteries of existence by declaring all acquired knowledge to be false. You need a gentler approach. The tide of cynicism is rising all around us; you will thrive on a more loving approach. There are many who are either spreading or buying into ideas that are designed to divide people from one another. As an Aquarius, your prime directive is to bring people together in peace and harmony. However, the digital environment is inherently divisive; it promotes what is cold; and it devours earned and acquired knowledge like a black hole eats stars. You are an important conductor of energy within your social environment. Let your knowledge give way to the self-doubt that comes with wisdom. Remind yourself and others that there are many possibilities. Set yourself free from certainty and the truth will gently settle to Earth.

When you are well fed, you can take care of people around you. When you have shelter and resources to live meaningfully, this extends into your environment. Continue your devotion to feeling good and staying in balance.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — What Vedic astrologers call the Artha trine is gleaming in your chart right now, with the Sagittarius Sun trine Chiron in Aries. Artha is about productive activity in the physical world — in your scenario, guided by sublime divine wisdom. Artha (in particular, the connection from solar house 2 to solar house 10) is about accessing the resources to achieve comfort and basic necessities. This is not a selfish pursuit by any measure; you need to be in a state of equilibrium, in balance with the world. When you are well fed, you can take care of people around you. When you have shelter and resources to live meaningfully, this extends into your environment. Continue your devotion to feeling good and staying in balance. Look upon yourself and your accomplishments benevolently. More than anything, hold out the potential that the affairs of this world truly matter; it is genuine soulful participation that raises this world above and beyond its usual illusory state.

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