Planet Waves Weekly for July 11, 2024 by Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19) — At a certain point you just have to jolt yourself free from all you believed that was not true, all you valued that was not valuable, and all you desired but didn’t really want. I speak as if these things are in the past; they mostly are, waiting for you to act on prior decisions to free yourself from attachments that are not working for you. You seem to be facing one last decision, which may be a final revolt against your own ideas about life that have been holding you back from experiencing your freedom to choose. The paradox is that invoking this freedom is a decision; if you make it, then you were always free to do so. It’s just that right now, your chart is packing the extra thrust you need to reach escape velocity. This is no longer a matter of incremental change. There are no more increments.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Any emotional test or seemingly degrading incident will help you find your confidence. The best way to do that is to notice when someone wants you to give it up. Right in that moment, you have a choice. In order to notice it, slow down a little, and size up the situation. This can be done inside of 10 seconds. It’s likely that someone, or some situation, seems to be presenting an insult or injury to your pride. Now, it will help if you recognize that pride is something you don’t need; it’s a substitute for something else, which is heart-felt sentiment, commitment, and a sense of belonging. The old joke, “I’ve been thrown out of better places than this” might be fitting, though in fact you belong where you are, and someone else is claiming a little too much power for anyone’s good. You do not need to salute anyone’s flag, or pledge your loyalty to their drama. Shake it off.

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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Beware of sudden outbursts of anger; this could go on for a week or so. The problem is you may not have much warning and you might not understand what you’re feeling. So you will have to monitor yourself carefully, and above all, resolve to not take out any upset on yourself. Another trap is that you may feel justified in being pissed off, and that will require you to translate your intense feelings into words that you or someone you associate with will understand. However, if you look closely, you may figure out that what seems to be disturbing you now has its roots in the very distant past, and might even belong to someone else. It can take significant depths of self-awareness to grasp that. You may also feel like you’re doing some kind of dream analysis or past-life regression. However, you can start from the theory that most of our problems land in our lives from past generations. That calls for a different approach than usual.

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — If you’re hurting emotionally, it’s likely that something from the distant past has bubbled to the surface. It may involve your relationship to your father, or some other male authority figure. These individuals — for whom various surrogates may be making cameo appearances — will be described by their wounded creativity, which manifests as trying to control everyone and everything. On the other side of what is commonly called ‘toxic masculinity’ is a sense of injury, suffering and compromise. Maybe offer a shoulder massage; everyone will feel better. The mirror lesson is to honor your own need to express who you are without compromise. You may fear that others are going to lunge at you if you do so, and this is precisely what you might want to outgrow: compromising yourself so that you don’t make others insecure. Their insecurity has nothing to do with you; your confidence is not about them.

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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — An old emotional injury or blow to your pride may surface over the next few days, and this is your time to address the matter in a conscious way. If you’re aware of your feelings and your sense of hurt, you can also consider what healing or reconciliation with yourself looks like. The key to resolving the situation is keeping your awareness focused rather than fogging out. The thing missing in the equation is likely to be you. So you can ask yourself questions such as, “How would this be different if I felt like I actually existed?” And, “Where have I been all this time?” Or, “Why do I feel like nobody sees or acknowledges me?” If asked sincerely, these questions have answers, though they will not be the ones you expect. If you’re looking for sources of crisis in your family, for example, the usual myths and legends may blame the wrong person. Blaming anyone at all is the likely source of upset. This is a scenario calling for empathy and forgiveness.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — In order to communicate about something, you have to know what it is. If you don’t, the discussion will include a lot of ‘thinking out loud’, which means exploring words and ideas that you’re not ready to commit to. If your concerns are about an individual, it would take a highly trusting situation for you to be able to safely ‘think out loud’ — and that would imply mutual care. If you have something you need to get out in the open, I suggest you know what it is before you begin the conversation. It will also help if you’re ready to be wrong. Clamping onto something and not letting go is not a position from which you can negotiate your reality. In any relationship, there needs to be ground for a mutually understood viewpoint, and that requires flexibility. If you think of flexibility as a form of weakness and unfair compromise, you’re missing your most helpful tool.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You are blessed with natural gifts of persuasion and authority. These are running at a peak lately, though you may also be having the occasional crisis of insecurity. This is connected to feeling both visible and emotionally vulnerable at the same time. It will help if you stay open and keep a dialogue with anyone or anything in your environment that seems to test your boundaries or consume your energy — and you may need to react quickly if an unusual and unexpected situation presents itself. Remain in a negotiation process; nobody can just come along and take your power. They can startle you, and maybe shock you a little. They can try to intimidate you. But nobody can actually take away your power unless you hand it over to them. You might also accept the argument that you’re powerless, which requires your participation. They might try to induce your insecurity and that too requires your cooperation.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your astrology is complicated this week. There is a precipitating factor that may catch you by surprise, or some conflict that arises as if out of nowhere. You could let yourself be triggered, but then you would miss the opportunity to go deeper. What you’re grappling with is a clash between what your spirit is guiding you to do, and what you have to do every day. It looks like a chart about wanting more fulfillment from your daily work, and wanting your daily work to connect with your true calling and your deepest faith. Your faith is about taking care of people; your work may be more focused on yourself (such as working primarily for money). Do these have anything in common? Are you contemplating an actual career change, rather than just a job change? If so, get that going sooner rather than later.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — It’s essential that you know what’s important to you: what your priorities are, and why. A priority is what comes first. Others may try to influence you rather strongly about what should matter to you, and this may make you a little nervous, as if they are pushing an agenda. However, it seems as if you’re being driven by concerns and conflicts that belong to the distant past rather than the present moment, and others may be correct in their perceptions of you now. So you must be objective in thinking this through, and step aside from the sense of being pulled in multiple directions. And at least be honest with yourself about how much you depend on the opinions of others to make up your mind. There is something that is of high value to you and could be a strong influence for good. This choice seems to involve a sacrifice. But what you give up would offer a gain and not a loss.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Other people have problems, and those problems can seem to compel your involvement. I suggest you stop right before that happens. One potential lure is the idea, coming from someone else, that “this is about you.” It might be; it might not be; but the “this” should not directly pertain to someone else. They might be serving as a mirror, or in some way be dramatizing a personal issue that you’re facing. You would be wise to keep the focus on yourself and not get drawn into someone else’s situation. Depending on who this might be, you could learn a lot from listening — as long as you don’t take the bait and make someone else’s situation your own. You will learn a lot about yourself. And on the off chance that you’re talking to someone who is consciously aware of their situation and acting on their own behalf, a mutually satisfying encounter is possible.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may feel like you’re living in a burning building. As usual, be careful with open flames, stoves, smoking implements and the rest. Then, awaken your spirit to the fiery potential in that rare and beautiful thing known as not being stuck. Allow yourself to tap into the benefits of agitation and making unexpected decisions. Get out of the house, the office and away from your desk, and surf on the unplanned events that emerge. You know you need to be free by feeling free. This has the potential to unleash one of your most creative phases in many years. Yet the essence of true creativity is not knowing how something will develop. Weaving a basket is unlikely to take too many unexpected turns. That’s because it’s a craft. Your whole existence is an art, which is a head-on encounter with the unknown.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Moderate your effort level; dial it back rather than trying so hard. What you could gain with raw effort will be doubled with cooperation. Trust that there are a few people around you who are taking an interest in making sure your work and creative processes are as smooth and gentle as possible. Find out who they are, and think carefully with them about how they may be of assistance — and how that works for everyone. Print a little message and stick it to your monitor, or make it the home screen on your phone: PACE YOURSELF. That means slow down. It means take weekends and holidays to yourself. Rest and repair are vital not just to efficiency but to the quality of your work. The more even your pace, the more you will see and notice the business opportunities that bring in the material rewards for your uniquely creative efforts.