O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
Ainda nos lembramos, nós que habitam
Nesta terra distante debaixo das árvoresf
Tua luz das estrelas sobre os mares ocidentais
Dear Friend and Reader:
As Jupiter and Saturn make their way through the last degrees of Capricorn — a tense, edgy and uncertain process — we get an infusion of energy from the Sun’s newborn passage through Sagittarius. The two largest planets enter Aquarius just before the solstice, and form their once-per-20-year conjunction on the solstice.
As that happens, the Sun is moving through Sagittarius. This sign is the home of two centers of our local universe: the core of the Milky Way Galaxy and its supermassive black hole, and the center of our galactic cluster, called the Great Attractor and sometimes called Laniakea or the Great Heaven. I cover both of these in a new video. Thanks to these deep-space placements, Sagittarius is unlike any other sign.
Sagittarius represents all things distant, exotic and spiritual. It is at once astonishing and not surprising that the ancient lore-masters knew this millennia before they understood that these deep-space points were located there. Still, we get the benefit in the form of the potential for an expanded vision and sense of quest so often associated with this sign.
This is a fitting send-off for the delivery of Jupiter and Saturn into the Aquarian Era, which spans from 2020 through 2044. (Pluto arrives in Aquarius in 2023, and spans into 2044.)
A Pair of Eclipses
While the Sun is passing by these two deep-space points, we get two local events: a pair of eclipses. There will be a penumbral eclipse of the Moon on Nov. 30, at the time of the Gemini Full Moon. Then there will be a total eclipse of the Sun on Dec. 14.
Eclipses function as watershed moments, which can define a whole new landscape of time. A watershed is a feature in the Earth toward which streams and aquifers flow in that region, sometimes very large ones. This is almost always a noticeable property of eclipses. They come with the acceleration of events, the sense that events are “predestined” or “karmic,” and the feeling of a point of no return. On the other side of eclipses, we can feel like we are in a new time.
Based on other factors, we have clues that this is a significant new reality, in that the two largest planets change signs close to the time of the solar eclipse. Saturn re-enters Aquarius to stay at 12:04 am EST Dec. 17. Jupiter enters Aquarius on Dec. 19. Then the two form a conjunction just a few hours after the Sun enters Capricorn on the day of the solstice.
In this article, I will focus on the properties of these eclipses, and then next week, bring the focus around to Aquarius.
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of the Moon on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020
The Gemini Full Moon passes through the edge of the Earth’s shadow, or penumbra. This is called a penumbral eclipse of the Moon. It’s a close-to-exact alignment of the Moon, the Earth and the Sun, with the Earth standing between the two luminaries.
The aspect pattern of this event brings in Chiron, Uranus and Nessus — three high-energy points. Most significant in my opinion is Nessus, as the Full Moon will be square this centaur planet associated with abuse legacy. Here is my best article about Nessus.
We are currently living through a condition of mass abuse, including the abuse of the public trust. Nessus in my experience also embraces the discussion of disease vectors, including sexually transmitted infections. There is almost always a guilt factor where Nessus is concerned.
Eclipses can serve as a lifting of the veil — that is, getting a look behind the scenes of something.
With Nessus square the lunar eclipse, we are getting the message to stop and examine these factors, which are all relevant now, particularly the abuse of trust where a medical condition is concerned. Nessus also brings in the hazy themes of consent and non-consent, particularly where an exchange of some kind is involved, where deception is involved, and where betrayal is a factor. Hardly anyone likes to look at these matters, for fear what they will find.
Eclipses can serve as a lifting of the veil — that is, getting a look behind the scenes of something. The projection quality of the Moon is temporarily suspended and it’s a little easier to look right at something and see it for what it is, or to feel it for what it is. What I suggest that you tune into, in the spirit of Nessus, is all the ways that, first, your trust is being abused, and that, second, you or others have a tendency to return to a situation where you know this is going to happen. Right now our whole society is being dragged through this drama.
The New Moon eclipse is, first, close to the Galactic Core, which I consider a spiritual homing signal.
The Total Solar Eclipse of Monday, Dec. 14, 2020
The next eclipse is at the Sagittarius New Moon. Notably, this is surrounded by two eclipses of planets by the Moon, called occultations: of Venus in Scorpio on Dec. 12, and of Mercury in Sagittarius soon after the solar eclipse. This just adds to the sense of momentousness and the associated momentum.
The New Moon eclipse is, first, close to the Galactic Core, which I consider a spiritual homing signal.
It is also exactly opposite a centaur planet (to within half a degree), called Asbolus (the fourth centaur, after Chiron, Pholus, and Nessus, discovered in 1995). This is one of several defining features of the eclipse. Asbolus is a Greek word for carbon dust. In my delineation, Asbolus describes what all known forms of life have in common. In addition to carbon, all forms of life want to survive. Here are my early notes on Asbolus if you are interested.
I have noticed that Asbolus has this survivor quality to it, including in the face of extreme adversity, danger or the threat of danger. So this is an excellent centaur to have in such a pattern. Perhaps it will awaken people to what it really takes to survive on this planet, which is intelligence. The human mind is capable of such truly amazing feats, and yet for many, it seems to be its own worst enemy.
Eclipse in a Conjunction to Varda, the Supreme Goddess
In the 21st century, there has been an interesting trend of astronomers naming newly discovered planets for characters in science fiction and fantasy. This is partly a product of name-depletion in a solar system with some 750,000 known bodies orbiting our Sun. It has led to some creative and poignant name selections (the topic of another article).
The total solar eclipse of Dec. 14 is conjunct a body called Varda, discovered in 2003. Varda is a member of the Kuiper Belt named for the “star queen” in the legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
However, the deeper work, which encompasses the full history of the cosmos and of our world, is called The Silmarillion, and that is where we meet Varda.
Varda is the supreme goddess. If you are interested in a 15-minute reading from The Silmarillion that covers the nature of Varda, you may listen here or on the audio player above. It’s an impeccable reading by the British actor Martin Shaw (about 14 hours in total).
We know of Varda that she is at once the most revered deity of the immortal Elves, who called her Elbereth (queen of the stars). She is by Elves also called Tintallë (the kindler, as she was the bringer of all light). She is the spouse of Manwë, king of the gods in Tolkien’s universe (never mentioned in The Lord of The Rings).
Here is an article about Varda from a well-researched Tolkien wiki. In addition to being a cosmic figure, she is also associated with tree worship. She also established the courses of the Sun and the Moon, a particularly poignant symbol when she is in an eclipse of the two bodies.
What is most outstanding about Varda apart from being the feminine polarity of creation is that she was despised by the evilest entity of them all, Morgoth. Fans of The Lord of the Rings surely recall Sauron, who strove to rule over the Earth, and who wanted the One Ring more than anyone.
He had a superior, Morgoth (also known as Melkor) — the approximate equivalent of Satan, only much more powerful. After years of making trouble on Earth, Melkor was finally cast out of the universe. But he left behind his spawn, Sauron.
What is missing in the chaos of our times is the presence of feminine intelligence.
The Antidote to Evil; the Light in the Dark
Varda in the very earliest of days could see through the chaos and discord in Melkor, and as such, he was terrified of her and her light. In Varda, we have an antidote to evil; a light in the darkness, shining through the ignorance and the deception of our world.
Solar eclipses also serve to pull back the veil, and when that veil is pulled back, what we get is Varda, queen of the stars, standing in front of the Galactic Center.
What is missing in the chaos of our times is the presence of feminine intelligence. The disaster we are witnessing unfold is the product of warfare, of “heroic” medicine rather than the Wise Woman tradition, and of the attempt to make humans into artificial beings by rewriting their genetic code. We could say that the whole crisis we are in is being driven by — gasp — toxic masculinity, in a near-total void of women’s wisdom.
I can think of no more welcome presence than the Queen of the Stars at this time.
I will leave you with a song to her, sung by a company of elves led by Gildor as they passed through the Shire in a dark time, similar to the one we are in now. Here are a few words from the song, which was overheard by Frodo as he embarked on his perilous journey.
May the Great Goddess be revealed in all her glory and might.
Stars that in the Sunless Year
With shining hand by her were sown,
In windy fields now bright and clear
We see your silver blossom blown!
O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees,
Thy starlight on the Western Seas.
With love,
Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Monday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, Planet Waves, Inc. Core Community membership: $197/year. Editor & Publisher: Eric F. Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. News Editor: Spencer Stevens. Assistant Editors: Anna K. Ball, Joshua Halinen. Client Services: Amy Elliott and Victoria Emory. Illustrator: Lanvi Nguyen. Senior Finance Minister, First Cavalry of the Local Economy: Andrew Slater. Archivist: Morgan Francis. Video Editor: Cate Ryzhenko. Technical Consultants: Forest Hitchcock, Joseph Villari. Media Consultant: Andrew McLuhan. Bass and Drums: Daniel Grimsland. Additional Music: Zeljko. Bodyman, Canine Handler: Kortni Binns. Additional Research, Writing and Opinions: Rachel Chaput, Loreen Costa, Robin Dann, Yuko Katori, Kirsti Melto, Cindy Tice Ragusa, Abby Rohrer, and Carol van Strum.
All Of Us Here – Astrology for Our Moment
In honor of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius, the 2021 Planet Waves annual readings are called ALL OF US HERE. These are audio readings for all 12 Sun signs and rising signs.
For the next few days, we will be offering all 12 signs of ALL OF US HERE for $88.These extended audio readings will synchronize you with the astrology of the forthcoming year.
They include a video introduction wherein I describe the charts — done by Dec. 21, the day of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.
There is also a separate written reading called AN AQUARIAN ERA for $88, which covers Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Aquarius from 2021-2024 – this is available for pre-order for all 12 signs. It is your best introduction to Pluto in Aquarius (2023-2044).
Now Playing on Planet Waves FM: Full-Day Workshop with Dr. Tom Cowan and Dr. Andy Kaufman
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Every week or so, I do a new edition of Planet Waves TV. Usually these focus an astrological topic or chart in detail. After initially being resistant to video, I now love doing these. The more people click on them the more I will do — and I am interested in your suggestions. The link to PlanetWaves.TV redirects to our YouTube channel for easy access. We also post to Facebook, to our front page, and include one with the weekly newsletter.
Going back to February, I’ve developed a portfolio of essays, investigative articles, videos and audio presentations on the Covid situation. These include articles about the astrology of the situation, hand sanitizer, holistic care, social critique and a wide diversity of other topics. We’ve recently added a selection of my satires, such as CDC guidance on blowing kisses. This is a truly comprehensive look at the issues, written from a worldly, nonpolitical standpoint. Here is the link.
Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes
Your extended monthly horoscope for November was published on Thursday, Oct. 29. We published your extended monthly horoscope for October on Thursday, Oct. 1. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign.
Monday Evening Horoscope #254 for November 23, 2020
By Eric Francis Coppolino
Aries (March 20-April 19) — It must come with tremendous relief that the Sun has taken up its journey through your fellow fire sign Sagittarius. You are one of those with access to the most visionary qualities of this sign, which can reach you in a direct way. Be aware, though, that matters of Sagittarius and the 9th house, where it falls in your chart, can get caught in the realm of belief. Once someone is involved with belief, that is a block to knowledge and understanding. The thing to observe in yourself is the difference between belief and knowledge. As the month progresses, you are likely to have some of your ideas challenged by what you learn, witness or otherwise encounter. The question is, will you be flexible about that? Learning changes you. Learning changes everything. It is for this reason that it is so unpopular. Direct confrontation with the truth is another kind of challenge. Most people will deny any encounter that they cannot explain based on their previous references. However, if you can get past that, great things are in store for you.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — One of the most poignant qualities of Taurus is its inherently spiritual concept of sex and sexuality. Yes, Taurus is often cast as the most physical sign, invested in appearances and also in having nice stuff. Not necessarily expensive, but things that feel good and are useful. However, there are other dimensions to you, and one of them is how you access your connection to the divine and the ineffable through your physical being. In truth, divine is the divine erotic. Nothing is merely physical; your body is the intersection of the cosmic and the mundane. This dimension is opening up for you now. You will have, in the coming weeks, many points of access to experiences that teach you who you are, and what relationships are about, and what it means to connect to another person. One beautiful thing here is that you don’t need physical contact to have an erotic connection. Neither do you need to consecrate anything as spiritual to have it be so. You merely need to allow what is true to be true.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You live in a very, very large world — larger than you may know. Your sign is, however, the source of the concept “think globally, act locally.” Yet you can see and feel a world so vast that you’re likely to want to lean in on the local, skimming the power of the global or the cosmic. Now, however, the flow is about to open up. Or said another way, you may feel like you’ve been transported to a world with different properties from the one you knew yesterday or last year. Yes, there is an overwhelming amount of inflow at the moment. The Earth seems to be in complete chaos. Yet beauty and mystery abound. This is the time to remain open, despite any pressure you may feel to shut down, hide away, or avoid witnessing what you see. There are people in your life who will help you with this, by providing a stabilizing force. Connect with them, as such points of contact are the vehicle through which many of the best things in your life will flow. Rather than striving for any form of perfection in your relationships, appreciate the moments of contact that you have.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — One of the ways you connect with life is through the purpose you find in your work. Your solar chart — the astrological mandala — places Sagittarius on your 6th house. That is where you do your everyday work, and where you seek your wellbeing. This is where you can “let the power flow through you.” You don’t need to aspire to much, though you do have that gene. And if you choose to exercise it, if you elect to do great things, do so under the influence of Chiron, who is content to be known for his tradecraft and his contribution rather than being known for his own sake. You simply don’t have to go there, nor do you have time. But mostly, the activity you’re involved in is proving to be so rich with possibilities that it’s all you need to focus on. Stay in the moment. Be present for the task at hand, and also be present to its connection to your wider mission. If you experience a blockage or frustration, do not invest yourself in the negativity. It would be better to put something on the back burner than to encounter static as you work for a solution. Stay with the positive flow at all times.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You are a person of boundless creativity. Yet it’s possible you were convinced otherwise. Most adults don’t think there’s anything practical about what they think “creative” means, though perhaps I can clarify. There are three primary qualities of energy on this plane of existence: creative, destructive, and stuck. This is not about art, music, painting, theater, or synchronized swimming. Rather, it’s about being open to the universal source of all ideas, so that you may design and enrich your life; so that you may solve problems; so that you may have fun; and so that you may correspond with all that is beyond what you currently know. If this feels risky, that’s because it is — to the aspect of consciousness that feels limited, afraid or smaller than you truly are. So yes, to actually feel your potential takes guts. I suggest you muster up all the courage you can get, so that you can become this person you want to be and in truth, know you are. Your life is not about being right or being perfect. It’s about the grand experiment known as going for it.
Tailored for Virgo Sun and rising, this new audio reading by Eric Francis introduces you to your astrology through the autumn of 2021. We will take maximum advantage of the power you are drawing from the Earth signs at the time of your solar return: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, as well as Uranus in Taurus. This is a grand earth trine, and the thing to do is gather momentum in the direction you want to go, and then point yourself there. Eric describes the influence of Jupiter and Saturn ingressing Aquarius later this year. The reading looks closely at Chiron in Aries, accompanied by Mars retrograde in Aries — your most important relationship house. Now with full transcript. Order now for instant access. This reading is included with the Backstage Pass.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Does it ever feel like if you move the coffee table and peel back the carpet, you would be looking out the window of a spacecraft? That’s how your chart describes your psychic makeup. You “ground” yourself in universal truth, or what you may think of as the mystery of existence. Yet you might not be aware of this all the time. You have the kind of mind that likes to keep busy, even if you’re not sure why you are doing so. Yet you can feel the vast opening below, like some people can feel both the planet they stand on, and how the cosmos is beneath it. This is your actual source. This is your point of contact with existence. Yours is the sign of the Goddess, and though we may think of her as one who helps make the harvest fruitful, an expanded concept is that the universe itself is made of Her: of mater, matter, mother, which is another way of saying energy. Events during the Sun’s transit through Sagittarius will make this more real to you than ever. Though I do suggest you move the table and roll up the rug, because the view is truly inspirational — as are you.
Notes to Myself is Ready | Astrology Studio for Libra
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You have lived in an earthquake zone for the past decade or more, a time comparable only to 1993 when something similar but much more modest occurred. You have become so accustomed to instability it’s all you can do not to live out of a tent and a backpack. That, of course, is not your style, so these years have been challenging. However, you are getting ready to stabilize in a new place. Before that happens, you may feel like someone has turned up the Richter scale by a few degrees, or that the tremors just keep coming, even if they are small. They’re a constant reminder of this old instability that you have endured so long. Stabilizing on a new level means harmonizing with your own mind. You rely too much on your emotions for your sense of being. You may also underestimate your intelligence, on this basis: the things I think are so real and so vast, how could they possibly be true? Well, that is the nature of true learning: discovering that something is possible. However, you are given to take it one additional step. You make your ideas real by expressing them. Practice, practice, practice.
The Scorpio File: Astrology Studio 2020
What’s in the Scorpio file? Does anyone really know? This year for your solar return, Mercury is retrograde in your sign. Adding to the mystery, Mars, your classical ruling planet, is retrograde in Aries, about to station direct. Then Jupiter forms a conjunction with Pluto, which takes the story to the level of your soul’s mission on Earth. In this 76-minute astrology reading, Eric Francis unravels the secrets of your sign, and helps you guide yourself through this strange new time we are living in. Price is $44. Original music by Vision Quest. Get instant access here!
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Sometimes you go out of your way to seem superficial, which is funny. It does not work. We all know how much you possess, in the way of understanding that comes from beyond you. However, because of this, you struggle to take ownership of all that wealth. Like any inheritance, you must claim it, so that it will be your own. As you may know from any association you have with people who have large trust funds, they can wreak havoc if they are not taken possession of. Yet the challenge is the notion that “it’s not really mine.” So what exactly makes something yours? At best you’re a steward of your mind, your life, your possessions. Possession is more about responsibility than it is about having, and therein may lie the central matter. For you to take possession of what you know implies your duty to use that knowledge for the betterment of humanity, starting with your own. Once you know something, you cannot unknow it. There is a way to resolve this tension. It’s easier than you think.
The most exuberant astrology reading ever.
Astrology Studio for Sagittarius, 2020-2021
Dear Friend and Sagittarius Sun, Moon, or Rising:
Without Sagittarius, we would all be lost. Home of the two centers of our local universe (the Galactic Core and the Great Attractor), Sagittarius is the homing signal in the zodiac. It reminds us of our cosmic origins, and this is a role you serve in the lives of many.
Sagittarius season is particularly exciting this year, with two eclipses involving your sign, including the Dec. 14 eclipse conjunct a planet named for the Goddess of the Stars.
The image above is as close of an image as we can get to the Galactic Core, which is packed with millions of whipping stars jammed so close that it’s light out all the time, in every direction.
And you are invited to view this new video on why I think that Sagittarius is the most interesting sign.
You may order here. This is a 70-minute audio reading featuring original music by Vision Quest. This reading is ready and available for instant access.
Thank you for your business and your trust.
With love,
PS — This reading is included with the Backstage Pass. If you have questions about that, please give us a ring at (845) 481-5616.
Here is a sample of your Sagittarius reading — Live from the Galactic Center
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The Sun is making an epic journey through your sign. Yet this is merely a fanfare for a nearly quarter-century phase of history that ends the day that the Sun enters Capricorn. You may be noticing a swirling sensation, or the feeling of walking alone, on the edge of a high cliff overlooking the sea and the stars. You are a vehicle for something happening now that you cannot control or influence. It’s happening to you, and the people around you, and to all of us. Your part is to be open to “the all that there is,” sometimes called the nagual. This word has a more commonly known meaning, which is: a human who has the power to shapeshift, and to work alchemical magic. It is this that you must be cautious of, because you do not personally know the whole plan. Keep this bit to yourself for now. You want to avoid applying the power to which you have access in a misdirected way, due to not having the whole picture in mind — even if you think that you do. Therefore, stick to mediating on all that there is, and celebrate knowing you can only perceive a small element of the picture. There is so much more.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You must have the confidence not to allow others to define who you are. We could also frame this in the positive: the confidence to be who you are. Both matter, in order. You are too easily imposed upon, particularly by your family, to imagine that you’re the person others think you are — or want you to think you are. That is the part that must stop, and it stops inside of you, not them. What’s happening is that people are acting out their insecurities on you. You are merely consumable, like a tire, or bottle of milk. And you make a convenient mark, as you have this rather strong tendency to both take personally and to take on what is pushed in your direction. Once you claim the territory of your I AM, the noise stops. You may be angry, but push past that quickly and get to the part where you can feel the pleasure of open inner space, of silent and spacious consciousness, and slip in. That is all you need, because it makes everything else possible.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You must be going through some unusual stuff now, with Jupiter and Saturn just on the edge of bursting into your sign. Tell me if you can relate. Maybe you’ve had a deep splinter or metal shard in your skin, which heals over and leaves the shard embedded. Then you forget about it, and over some months or a year, it slowly works its way to the surface, finally breaking the skin to come out. It hurts, but it also feels good, because your body is pushing out this thing that does not belong there. The metaphor holds only partly, though: Jupiter and Saturn belong in your sign, which is where they are headed in about three weeks. There will be much fanfare and energy moving on the way to their arrival (see the Sagittarius reading and the article connected to this horoscope for more clues). Take the ride. Let go of your mind, and allow your spirit to guide you. This is a moment that’s been approaching all of your life, and it’s soon to arrive. Notice what happens in these unusual weeks, and remember what you learn.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Everything is on the edge right now. How are you doing? Are you thriving on this energy, or is it wearing you down? If you’re feeling worn out, you can help yourself considerably by determining now that you’re done believing lies. Whose lies do not matter: whether it’s people around you or the government or yourself or anyone. Commit to the truth. Commit to understanding. Commit to learning, and then be open to doing so. Most of the friction and smoke is coming from resistance, and from what is sometimes known as cognitive dissonance: trying to hold two competing realities in your mind at once. It seems popular for people to say, “We will never know the truth,” or “The truth is different for everyone.” Well, no. Truth is knowable, and the difference is in perception, not the underlying ground of reality. You are an intelligent person, aided by forms of understanding not generally recognized by the world. To actually draw yourself closer to what is real and valid, put the two together, and then observe with your eyes, listen with your ears, and feel with your heart.