Planet Waves by Eric Francis | The Last Days of Pisces, March 14, 2005

Dear Friend and Reader:

We are now in the last days of Pisces -- which are the very end of the one-year journey of the "tropical zodiac." This is a time of completion, closure, and resolving of any outstanding matters, perhaps of a worldly nature, and perhaps of karmic.

The cycle begins again when the Sun goes into the sign Aries in about six days, called the Vernal Equinox -- the commencement of the astrological year. But before that happens, the Sun in late Pisces squares (or forms an exact 90-degree angle) to Pluto, in late Sagittarius. This is a real turning point. And it happens with many other factors strong and supportive, so that decisions we make now are likely to be carried to fulfillment in a meaningful way. Sun-Pluto in such a tense aspect has a feeling of finality to it, or of what Patric used to call 'enforced changes'.

Those changes are happening within each person, and are generally the result of what you might call the development of strength of character and discovering the necessity and urgency to choose what we need to choose. This is, for sure, a point of no return. It's a moment of challenge. And it's a meaningful, serious opportunity to move yourself a little further from what you don't want and a lot closer to what you want and need. Let the planets do their work while you do yours.

As with any truly intense aspect, there are going to be people who experience the turning point mainly as destabilization. The first question is whether they can recognize that they are changing. The second is whether they can put the words around the experience and give it a name. Another -- true for everyone -- is whether they can set an agenda and use the energy in the most remotely productive way. It's possible, it's necessary, and that is the whole point, if you ask me.

The Sun-Pluto square is exact early March 15 in CET, and late March 14 in GMT, EST and PST. It happens at around noon on the 15th in Oz.

For the moment, about the next six hours, beware of Moon square Neptune, which is likely to feel like meaningful chaos and the inability to get a grip on much of anything.

More at http://PlanetWavesWeekly/

Read reader comments here: http://planetwavesweekly.com/feedback.html

Paris, Saturday, March 12,  2005

I've been a "bad blogger" lately -- it's been a heck of a busy time behind the scenes, and my birthday was Thursday. That was also the New Moon in Pisces, a kind of peak of intensity of what was for sure a rather unique week of emotional and psychic changes, developments and stirrings of the pot.

The Planet Waves Weekly subscriber area has been redesigned, along with the cover page of the weekly site. Have a look over at:

http://PlanetWavesWeekly.com/

Many new features have been added: a daily blog that will give a short weather report of the day's astrology, for five weekdays and the weekend; search facilities [my personal favorite, so I can easily research my own clippings] that utilize a specially-created index of the subscriber-only archives, that works better than Google, because it's more thorough (Google can't access the subscriber areas -- so now you can search Planet Waves Weekly for things like the names of minor planets that have been mentioned); normal Google search features for the entire Planet Waves network of sites; an international clock that gives the time in London, Paris, New York, California and Sydney; a much more comprehensive world clock; and a cleaner, more organized look and feel.

There is also a printable, monthly astrocalendar. And there are links to all the different features to which I contribute. And we have other ideas brewing, but I did not have to tell you that. Please do have a look. Here's the link again:

http://PlanetWavesWeekly.com/


Mercurially Yours

The recent spell of Mercury in Pisces had a feeling of crossed wires and odd phenomena. For example, a number of readers, intending to forward this publication to their friends, instead replied and sent the note to me (this had never happened before; it just started one day about two weeks ago). In all instances, I let them know what happened. Oh, Judy, your brother says he's fine and is going on vacation in May. He needs you to watch the dogs again.

Ever-continuing to make things interesting, Mercury is now in its shadow phase, meaning that it has entered the degrees of Aries that it will be moving in retrograde motion between March 20 and April 12.

Mercury will cover between 14 Aries 06, backtracking to 1 Aries 44, during this retrograde. The timing is interesting, as it includes the Aries Equinox (March 20, the day of the station) and an eclipse of the Sun (April 8). All of this involves Aries, the most accurate keyword for which is beginnings. We can add initiative, identity, and a pioneering spirit of innovation.

Placing Mercury retrograde in this sign, and having it go back nearly to the Aries point, as a 'back to the beginning' kind of feeling. I see a lot of potential for self-discovery, for the rearrangement of and sorting out of relationships based on 'who I really am',

However, in the collective sense, Aries involves lots of people. The Aries Point, or the first degree of Aries (also called the Sidereal Vernal Point or SVP -- the place that the Western horoscope is reckoned against the Eastern horoscope) -- is a deeply sensitive spot. This retrograde will make news, and it's likely to make big news. I am not thrilled that generally big means bad, but we have set ourselves up for that, as a society. Shock is the only thing that gets a response from most media punters, which is partly a result of being desensitized and partly a result of so much going on that there is not time to care.

Anyway -- there are revelations ahead, but you might not notice then in all the fuss; so I suggest we get on our knees and pray that we don't get fooled again.

Catch you soon.

Paris, March 7, 2005


Dear Eric:

Thank you for the information about "9 Songs" [article to be posted here shortly].  I keep up with movies, yet had not heard about this one.  
 
I thought I would e-mail to gently let you know that the main character, Carrie Bradshaw played by Sarah Jessica Parker, was not stated as having married Mr. Big.  In fact, she did finally end up with him, but only after she claimed herself.  Let me see if I can explain this.  
 
By the end of the TV series, Carrie had become a well-known writer.  She became involved with an extremely famous and rich painter, Aleksandr played by Mikhal Baryshnikov.  She gave up the life she knew in New York, her friends, her newspaper column, to go to live in Paris with Aleksandr.  So she was giving up her freedom, her boundaries, to have a life of security with a man she thought treated her very well.  While there she discovered he was extremely occupied with his art and not with her.  She attempted to be there for him but he was not there for her.  She realized she had lost what mattered to her, her writing, what made her an individual, so she left him.  
 
It was interesting to listen to the director's commentary for the last episode (I saw it on DVD).  He talks about how important it was to show that it was Carrie's choice to leave, and her choice to get a room on her own, to show that she was now strong enough to rely on herself.  He did have her run into Mr. Big, but only after it was shown that Carrie was in charge of her life.  At the end she is back with Big, not shown as being married, but on her own terms, as herself.  She keeps her own apartment, and returns to her own style, which had somewhat become muted during her relationship with Aleksandr.
 
I also wanted to mention that Sex and the City may have shown negative sides of relationships and sex, but often to point out what made the characters unhappy, that life is not perfect.  The show also had the character of Samantha, played by Kim Cattrell, a woman very much in charge of her sex life and enjoying it.  The show was revolutionary in that it focused on women having sex, as opposed to everything else that focuses on men having sex, if that makes sense.  I will agree the show had its flaws, such as an obsessive focus on fashion, shopping and that happiness only occurs when you find Mr. Right.  But they did show life from a different perspective, which may be why it was so popular.  It helped women become a bit more comfortable with discussing their lives and sexuality, and also helps point out cultural flaws and biases that our media is so steeped in.

The show did have an interesting take on things, and at times did comment on the same issues you brought up in the 3/4/05 horoscope.  I found your commentary especially interesting in reflection that US Senator Ted Stevens is trying to push regulations that would put cable under the same censorship as broadcast TV.  I have noticed a lot more attention lately to how sex is shown in the media and to women's rights.  I would like to think that it is a good thing, sort of a kick in the pants to get people aware how repressed society really is.  We have such a funny media double standard here; Janet's nipple is too bad to show on TV yet they cannot stop talking about it on the news.  Seems sex is only okay in the media when it is used to sell something.
 
Once again, thank you for all your good works and keeping it real,
 
Julie H.

Paris, March 5, 2005, about 9:30 pm

Is anyone else feeling like hamburger, or perhaps sushi? As in, you, personally? Or perhaps on top of the world, but hyper-emotional?

There is some intense astrology cooking tonight: the Moon is setting off a grand cross aspect in the cardinal signs. A grand cross is when planets gather at 90-degrees to one another, at four points of the sky.

Quite honestly with all the action in Pisces, this one kind of snuck up on me. I saw the parts -- not the whole thing. It consists of: Vesta on the Moon's North Node in Aries; this is opposite Jupiter in Libra on the Moon's South Node. Then there is the Mars-Saturn opposition that is nearly exact across Cancer-Capricorn. Those are the slow movers. Those make up the main structure of the cross, in the cardinal signs -- the action-oriented ones; the hot ones.

Tonight, the Moon is blowing through Capricorn setting the whole business off. If you are feeling something, this may be a picture of it. Moon-Mars conjunct is exact at 6:46 am GMT, or 1:46 am EST or Saturday night at 10:46 pm in California. If you live in Australia, this occurs at 5:46 pm Sunday. Yes we all live on one planet, just a different space-time everywhere.

To make matters more interesting, the aforementioned Moon is closing in on the New Moon on the 10th and is now well into last quarter phase. It will make a shit-ton of conjunctions during the next five days, approaching Thursday's New Moon in Pisces, and this promises to make life interesting and, unless extreme care is taken to keep emotional balance, a bit difficult. So the key is to keep emotional balance; to know the potential difficult points, and to leave a wide margin of safety around yourself and your state of mind.

I would say that one of the best things you can do (metaphorically speaking) is get a hold of the Jupiter-Saturn square for some stability. This square is NOT exact. It will not be exact while Jupiter and Saturn are in their respective signs. Due to the retrograde patterns of both, the exact square, which occurs once every 14 years, will be from Jupiter in Scorpio to Saturn in Leo on Dec. 17 of this year. So to get hold of it, I would say try this imagery. There may be something in your life that is well on the way to coming to development, and you can trust how far that something has come; and when it finally meets, it will be a different color, but essentially the same thing at the right time.

So while we have a ways to go on such major developments, the current setup represents a pattern of preparation for what finally comes to fruition at or near the time of the square. Of course, two large planets will be changing signs right before, which will change the backdrop to much of life...and then the exact contact point of the square engages. Chiron-Nessus (now conjunct in Aquarius) are involved in the sign changes of Jupiter and Saturn; Jupiter will square this conjunction, and Saturn will oppose it. This is not a year of la-di-da. But I don't remember the last one of those.

Right now, this square is in 'almost' mode -- but almost is quite a lot of power at the moment, and it's in full force this evening. However, the most important almost you can be watching is how you feel. There is an edgy quality, and a lot of potential. Some people will be feeling quite strong and positive; the more emotional types may be just feeling a whole lot of something intense. There are a load of Pisces planets taking off the pressure, absorbing the energy in the cosmic ocean. By Thursday at New Moon, the whole scenario will be clear.

So be nice to Fish, and be nice to you!

Blessings and warmth,

    e

Paris, March 3, 2005

Sorry to bore you with more in-house news, but the horoscope page is now fixed, tuned up and has some new artwork, and we've added a direct link to the new Cosmic Child Horoscope, which will take you over to the new Kid site. (If you're reading this on the Weekly site, click over to http://PlanetWaves.net and you'll see the link).

My plan for the early afternoon (it's 12:30 here in Paris) is to have some breakfast (some would say lunch), and get back to you soon with an actual idea or two. Meanwhile, there is plenty to read, just check the links above. Many new articles have gone up on the site, and the contents page has been redone to make it easier and more accessible to you.

And lots of little surprises are in store.

Oh, while you're here, please scroll down and read my letter yesterday on the Planet Waves comp subscription policy.

Also, several people have inquired about acquiring high-resolution copies of my photographs. If you're still interested, please drop me a note at francis@planetwaves.net. They are available.

Hi everyone, I've noticed a problem with the monthly horoscope page. When we made a correction yesterday, at the same time the February and March horoscopes were deleted from the menu. We're working on that -- please be patient, it should be fixed shortly. Meanwhile, if you'd like to get Inner Space and Planet Waves Monthly for free, you can sign up for our Sample List in the form below the blog. This is not a subscription to the weekly -- but you will get the monthly.

Thank you!

e

Paris, March 2, 2005

Dear Friend and Reader:

A couple of times a week, I get a note from someone saying, "I know about your comp subscription policy, but I feel bad about taking advantage of it."

That policy is simple -- we run a business that does not discriminate for lack of funds. Since email takes no paper, postage or copying, the overhead for adding a new subscriber is pretty low, so it's not like it costs us much to do it; and we need to wake up in the morning and do the rest of what we do anyway.

However, that's not the heart of the business policy: the heart is that I do this work for the sake of doing it -- to learn and to share -- and not for the sake of making money.

I do happen to like money, and I need money to live and support the business. Many people who can subscribe do, and some give considerably more (our supporters and sustainers). However, my staff feel and I , unanimously, that it's a better way to live and do business if we make sure that everyone who wants to be included is. We feel more free and better about our work doing so. And it also recalls the days when every word of Planet Waves was free. We have left a door open to that original ideology of the site -- that we exclude no one.

Comps are the least we can offer in this nutty world. So if you get one, please feel good about it. And yes, we really think it would be a fine thing if more businesses operated this way. Gift economies really do work; they are an affirmation of life's actual abundance, which we generally don't discover till we share it.

And we find that people are responsible about the comp policy. Many of our comp subscribers one day sign up, because they can, and because they want to support the work they appreciate.

Regardless, if you feel like putting energy back into the Planet Waves project, there are many ways you can do that. It really helps when people spread the word about our work, or encourage their friends who like the site to subscribe. We do base about 90% of our revenue on subscriptions, and the way we get many of them is that people spread the word and share their enthusiasm.

There are other ways to help. You can send the horoscope to newspaper and magazine editors or Web sites for them to consider (very, very helpful, especially if you follow up with a call); you can talk us up on astrology discussion groups; you can contribute something to the site, such as an idea, a photograph, news articles you've read, or a piece of writing. You are always free to print our work and pass it on.

Many different kinds of energy make the Planet Waves world go round. And you get the benefits of all of it.

And if you're someone who benefits from our work and you happen to be in a position to subscribe, you will be doing a lot of good -- supporting astrology, helping out human-created, commercial-free media, and building a Web site that knows freedom begins with the freedom to think and feel what you truly need to.

If you already receive a comp and can afford to pay, and truly support, love and appreciate Planet Waves, please take a moment and subscribe. We have come a long way since we began offering paid subscriptions.

In a short time, a special daily area will be added for subscribers, giving you the astrological news of the day EVERY day, and we've got quite a few other excellent plans in the works. But you already knew that about us -- we're an industrious little crew, plotting and scheming to do better work, and keep the good vibes spreading.

Please pass it on.

Yours truly,

ERIC FRANCIS


PS, I want to make sure everyone knows about my page on Jonathan Cainer's excellent daily Web site. It's an in-depth weekly astrology Q & A page, now in its 40th edition, that you're welcome to explore, or to submit questions to. This is a free service that is made possible by subscriptions to Planet Waves Weekly. While you're there, have a look around the rest of the Web page -- it's an impressive site that takes an open-minded and compassionate view on astrology that I support whole-heartedly.

That link is here:
http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/eric.html

And the subscription link is here. It's friendly and easy, and there are lots of discount categories. Have a look!
http://planetwavesweekly.com/sales/home.html

Paris, March 1, 2005

Hello World,

Apologies for being out of touch for a few days. I got a bit lost in the adventure of running Planet Waves and have neglected the blog.

Local news for the day is that the monthly horoscopes for March have gone up - both Planet Waves and Inner Space. Here is the direct link.

http://planetwaves.net/astrology/horoscopes/

Also, the new Parent Waves has been updated at:

http://PlanetWavesParenting.net/

There is a new horoscope column there called Cosmic Child. Ignore the "subscriber area" stuff and just click on "Horoscope" and you're there. This is a monthly column that will be updated on the new site.

Also, you'll notice above that parts One and Two of the "astrology and career" series are now posted for everyone. So please dip in.

Back to you soon,

    e

Paris, Feb. 25, 2005

The world may be going mad, but Planet Waves has had a banner week. We have posted a full update to the new Parent Waves site at http://planetwavesparenting.com, done part two of the 'Book of Jobs' essay series (on finding the right livelihood) begun in December (called 'Love & Work'), which be published to the site shortly (check the excellent artwork), posted a new update to the Q&A site at http://cainer.com and issued several new horoscopes.

My friends, we are on top of shit. And we do it all for you, to paraphrase Burger King or Delta Airlines or whoever did it all for you first. Why? Because we like you (m-o-u-s-e).*

Much of this is material available to everyone, some only to subscribers. We do provide our subscribers with a rich deal, offering the most comprehensive, intuitive and downright lavish astrological services on the Internet. I'd like to invite you to subscribe -- particularly if you've been a regular Planet Waves reader for a while -- and even if not. Our services are fully guaranteed, so you have nothing to worry about -- if you don't love our work, you'll get a refund of your remaining issues.

To subscribe, please go to this link, and take satisfaction in helping commercial free, idiotic stuff free, generally free media:

http://planetwavesweekly.com/sales/home.html

We are offering a combined subscription to Parenting and Planet Waves Weekly that's a great deal. And remember, we turn nobody away for lack of funds. If you would like a comp subscription, no questions asked, just write to me at francis@planetwaves.net and I'll take care of it personally.

Have a great weekend.

Yours,

ERIC FRANCIS

While you're here, check out our excellent new contents page, in the "Art of Web Design" tradition, at: http://planetwaves.net/WhatsNew/

*If you don't understand this joke, you must ask three people what it means.

Paris, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005, updated the 25th

CNN and other media have reported that the a tracheotomy has been performed on the Pope, who was taken to the hospital today. That occurred a little before 8 pm GMT. A tracheotomy is an operation that creates an airway that bypasses the mouth, penetrating the soft spot on the neck. This will open the airway in any case, it can be used by doctors to clean and suction fluid from the lungs, and can be used for a respirator is inserted directly into the neck.

In a statement yesterday, the Vatican said: "The flu syndrome which this morning made it necessary to hospitalize the Holy Father at the Polyclinic Gemelli became complicated over the past few days by the return of episodes of acute difficulty in breathing, caused by a pre-existing functional stenosis of the larynx.

"Such a clinical presentation called for an elective tracheotomy to assure adequate ventilation of the patient and to help resolve the pathology of the larynx."

The daily Vatican briefing is scheduled for noon CET Friday.

We will have the charts available soon. However, they point to a complicated situation that will likely develop quickly. Two aspects in particular stand out. The first is in the Holy Father's secondary progressed chart. The progressed Moon is the thing to watch, and it is currently making a close, applying conjunction to his progressed Pluto. This is a progressed event that happens just once every 27 years or so, and the fact that it's occurring now is not particularly encouraging. It suggests a major change, and when you are 84, sick with Parkinson's and beginning to come down with serious infections, there are not many changes available.

The second is that he is at the age when it's possible to have a Uranus return. Uranus has an 84 year orbit, and the Pope is in the middle of this transit right now. What is occurring, however, is that the Sun is in a direct conjunction to that aspect. In other words, there is a conjunction of the Sun and Uranus on his natal Uranus. This, too, is an aspect that points to imminent change -- Uranus is always about change and it tends to move quickly.

This transiting conjunction, which to some extent effects everyone, involves the asteroid (minor planet) Juno, the 'divine consort'. Juno represents that to which we are betrothed, and conjunct the Sun and Uranus, what is changing is the relationship. The Pope is literally married to God; priests wear a wedding band (though he wears the Papal ring).

We will continue to watch this story and the astrology, and invite anyone in the reading audience who follows Vatican history to please get in touch. You may drop me an email at francis@planetwaves.net. Thanks.

    e

Paris, February 22, 2005

e,
 
Here is my deep gratitude to Hunter: For Gonzo journalims which I believe made first person reportage acceptable (Hunter T. acceptable???)...and thrives with writers like yourself.
 
As a radical phenomenologist (see Merlau Ponty for some on phenomenology) I cannot see the self as separate from the environment. Somehow Hunter knew this and he included himself; he was subjective. Subjective is the way we see most of the time. Only in moments does something become "objective" truly. (See quantum physicist F. David Peat: Seven Lessons of Chaos Theory.)
 
This may seem such a little thing but what it does, when we look a little more deeply, is debate the existence of so called objectivity and absoulute truth that folks like Bush and Co. so value.
 
Thompson was, I believe, not a post-modernist who could deconstruct the world into meaninglessness, identifying the isms that were present. Passionate engagement was the name of the game.
 
Thompson was a participator with total gusto and fearlessness. He threw himself into the blender of life. He admitted he had a viewpoint. Journalism would be well served by examing the phenomena of so called objective truth.
 
Truth and beauty are not relative; they are relational. Hunter knew this and I am grateful for his passionate grabbing at and relating to life. I will miss him a whole lot.
 
He was a much more brilliant radical than we may ever know. Rest in piece, dear Duke. Maybe we will have the guts to continue wrestling with our mutual subjects as artists of our own lives, reporting out to our communities.
 
Nancy Peden

www.livedlearning.net <http://www.livedlearning.net>
www.albionmillworks.com <http://www.albionmillworks.com>

Coming Soon: Virgo Full Moon - CORRECTED!

I made an AM/PM error in my timing of the Full Moon. Please disregard the times I posted yesterday. They are all off by 12 hours. The Moon is at the exact full Wednesday night in the States and Thursday morning in the UK and Europe. Thursday afternoon in Oz. Here is the correct version:

Luna, Diana, the beloved Moon goddess, will be full in the earthy, mutable sign Virgo on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 4:53 am GMT (London time). That's 11:53 pm Wednesday night in New York, 8:53 pm in California and 3:53 pm on Thursday afternoon in Sydney. The next few days are the direct approach to the Full Moon with the Sun and Moon in ever-increasing polarity till the time above. This is an extraordinary and highly-charged moment, with the Virgo Moon sweeping past a fresh grouping of planets in Pisces, just after it's spent most of the week aspecting a series of planets in Aquarius: in other words, lots of oppositions from the Moon to planets occurs this week, which is likely to stir the pot of all things associated with oppositions -- specifically, relationships.

Sorry for the inconvenience! And thanks Nirvesha for pointing out the error!

The Full Moon has a way of breaking deadlocks and releasing tension, but until we get there, these things can seem to deepen. The idea is to do the least likely thing under Full Moon energy, which is be patient.

Full Moon is an exact opposition between the two lights, the Sun and Moon. If the Sun is in Pisces, the Moon is full in the opposite sign Virgo, which works for any sign the Sun is in. An opposition is a 180 degree aspect. In the chart for the exact moment of the opposition, the Sun is in a close conjunction to Juno and Uranus, another symbol of a shakeup in relationships -- but expressly for the purpose of independence, freedom and making room for actual love and compassion. Too often, our relationship patterns squeeze out our ability to actually relate, and leave little room for ourselves. And they can do an odd thing to our sense of individuality -- a human quality we truly need at this point in galactic history, and that most of us would hold precious in our personal lives, if we could access it in a dependable way.

To my thinking, the way this chart works, we get to reinvent ourselves; and then this is reflected in our partnerships -- the Moon being such a good reflector of light. More often than not, we attempt to change our relationships first and ourselves second; this chart says in pretty clear terms, work from the inner sense of self outward and see what happens. I say this because the Sun usually represents the individual at the center of the astrology, i.e., me when I'm wondering about me, you when you're wondering about you, and you when I'm wondering about you. It is generally the 'significator for the querrant' -- for example, the person reading the horoscope or essay.

This significator is conjunct Juno, a minor planet associated with marital relationships and relationships styled after marriage. Juno has a lot to do with clinging to past ideas about relating, the ideas about our primary partner that we picked up from parents and caregivers in childhood, and various other early influences. She is loyal, but it's an oppressive kind of loyalty; she is a scorekeeper; she does not (usually) forget. This could be any of us; Sun-Juno-Uranus in Pisces translates approximately to hang loose and use your imagination.

When we mix the with the Sun and then with the revolutionary properties of Uranus, we get a fine moment to reinvent who we are within our relationships -- that is, to redefine the partner we see ourselves as being, as well as our expectations for who we want others to be.

That process is, in turn, is reflected in the Moon, significator in this chart for the 'other', partner -- relying on the fairly well-established idea that relationships have a tendency to present us with our own inner conditions. Because Pisces has a quality of being a hall of mirrors of its own (but those mirrors look more like a movie projector beaming its light into a kind of fog), we need to be careful about projections, and call them back when we can. Is what I'm saying about you true for me? Awareness is usually enough. The symbolic and literal heat of these planets can burn through and lift that fog, and Mercury's suggestion is that slow, careful and thematically-centered communication and documentation will probably help. Mercury is also a caution to watch for the veracity of all things that are said, and to allow for changes in the story.

In any event, this is a wildly creative chart, full of both surprises and resources, and suggests we're walking through a fertile field of imagination.


Planet Waves by Eric Francis
for Flaunt magazine, February 2005. This is an alternative monthly horoscope.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You're under no pressure to accept what you don't believe. But unless you let go of your preconceived ideas about life, you are basically kidding yourself. You may find yourself swimming in some rather interesting possibilities, and you may feel overwhelmed by pressure to live up to something you just don't have the words to describe. Chaos is a sign that your doors are shut. Dreaming of the world you want -- for yourself and for everyone else -- will ease the tension and help you turn the key.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
Nobody gives us power. Neither is it necessary to take or seize. Yet it is necessary to acknowledge that where you see a need for authority, leadership or group awareness, you may be looking directly at your highest calling. While Taurus is known to be one of the more reclusive signs, the condition of the world now calls on all of us -- and particularly you -- to join the power of our souls and combine our resources. Then we can develop solutions to the problems that we all face together.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You're finally figuring out the danger of routines. That may be strong language, given how important it is to brush and floss. But the choice to do so can be a decision you make each night rather than something that was preordained ages ago, ordered by your mother. So it is with all of your beliefs. Why these patterns are about to change so radically is a matter of speculation; the fact that they will is not. In the days to come, you'll be taking very little for granted -- a very refreshing development.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Apply creativity to everything you touch, thought you think and person you know. That's how to access the miracle no matter what situation you find yourself in. Living is an art; loving is a science; emotion is a craft in which we sail the waters of feeling and passion. You can afford to take absolutely any chance you want, as long as you keep your mind in the most alert state available. This may seem like a great responsibility, but the alternative is far too dull to seriously consider.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug 23)
Rarely have you been able to avoid the emotional aspect of sex and I don't suggest you try now. But the necessity to relate exclusively to others who can dive into your passion with their hearts open has never been more urgent, or more beautiful. The dual potential for relationships to either hurt you or to utterly transform your life is now soaring. So, too, is your ability to relate to others in their own language. Use this skill; it is a rare and precious form of intelligence.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Most people strolling past you in the mall are hardly living what you'd call a bold adventure. Few bother to turn their heads one inch to the left or the right. Eye contact is a shocking revelation. Walking home a different way is akin to the voyages of Magellan. It's not just that you can't afford to live this way; rather, current developments are conspiring to summon you to a new world. Responding may seem radical approach to existence, but not if you remember life is a strange journey on the brink of the unknown.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Summon your passions and you'll discover the willingness to take chances logic has long dictated were impractical or impossible. You now possess both the wits and the luck to instigate major changes at work -- developments designed to make your daily life feel a lot more like play. Far from being a luxury, you know that living in a high-stimulation, imaginative and basically liberated environment are essential to your wellbeing. Write it on the bathroom wall. There is no substitute for freedom.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
You may say that recent developments are conspiring to cut you off from your security. Or you could take the perspective that they are going to teach you where your real foundations are. Scorpios have a tendency to cling to how they felt yesterday, which is just a revolt against the fact that you essentially wake up a different person every day. Take the prerogative to feel what you feel; trust your fears long enough to get the message; and you will have a new license to live your life your way.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
You may be getting the signal that this is your last chance to accomplish something significant with your life. But if so, you're pushing yourself a little too hard. You merely need to define an agenda, not actually carry out every step in the process. In truth, most of your fears surround the fact that you have not adequately defined success. Once you do, how to get there will be obvious.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
You are, unfortunately, no stranger to crises of self-esteem. The strange part is that you've rarely thought of it in those terms. If you had, you would have taken your usual pragmatic approach to the issue. Unusual developments this month promise to show you just where your sense of worth has been lacking, and what you need to change to feel that your deed to existence is worth the paper it's printed on. In fact, it's worth a lot more than that, if you'll only remember your ideas are more valuable than your labor.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
There's a reason people choose to take every possible measure to shut down their awareness, and it's that we're ultimately responsible for what we know. Refuse to play games with your perceptions, such as denial, and hold the line on assigning your own motives to others. And stop telling yourself you're too weird for this extremely weird planet. You're too intelligent and have too much personal potential to let yourself succumb to the temptations of inferiority and fear. Sure, life is scary, but not for the bold.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You have every reason to trust that your words, actions and choices are having a positive impact on the people around you. Certain individuals may struggle to see things the way you do, until they give it a little thought. Offer them time to catch up with what you've been saying along, and resolve to make this year the one in which you'll throw off the dark cloak of Pisces and show your true colors. If you can do that, living in the future will not be as lonely as you feared.

---------------------------

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Small wheel turns by the fire and rod
Big wheel turns by the grace of God
Every time that wheel goes round
You're bound to cover just a little more ground.
  -- The Grateful Dead

Paris, Feb. 21, 2005

In case everyone hasn't noticed, I got a digital camera a couple of weeks ago. I have always found photography to be an easy creative outlet, but the whole expense, and the significant environmental problem with film and processing, started to get to me. I've gone a good five years without keeping up with one of my favorite artistic passions. So, finally, a camera comes along that holds 250+ high-res pictures where you can pick what kind of film you want to use by clicking buttons, and then download a day's voyeuristic trawling into the Macintosh in about five minutes, switch out the rechargeable batteries, and start over.

The above photo is the studio floor on the 3rd or 4th floor at an artist's squat at 59 Rue Rivoli, on the right bank of Paris. A squat is an illegal dwelling; this is an entire warehouse, occupied by about 40 artists, who are not going anywhere. This building, outrageously decorated on the outside, is on the French equivalent of 5th Avenue, amidst many of Paris's finest shops and department stores. I don't know who owns the building, and any property issues I have around squatting quickly dissolve in the experience of being there, amidst such a shocking concentration of talented painters. I had spent part of the afternoon at the Pompidou Center, France's national modern art gallery. It was by far the best modern art museum I've been in, but the work at 59 Rivoli that I immersed myself in two hours later was every bit as brilliant -- including the work of my friend Kit Brown, to whom I'll be providing a more detailed and visually sensual introduction soon.

The space at 59 has been in existence for five years and is an extremely advanced, well-established creative community. Each Saturday the space is open all day, and hundreds of visitors come through, signing a guest book that is really an injury disclaimer. There's a doorman or two at the door all day, guiding people to sign the 'guest book'. So far city officials have been unsuccessful at closing the place down based on a variety of excuses, and apparently there is a long and varied legal history which I will not bore anyone with. Suffice it to say that in France, as in England, it's a little harder to get a sitting tenant out of a place, even if that tenant is a mob of painters who don't pay rent.

I'll be back later in the day with a bit on Thursday's Pisces Full Moon, as well as a bonus horoscope. And we're starting to post new articles at Planet Waves Parenting (http://planetwavesparenting.net) with the new edition going up in full over the next 24 hours.

Stay tuned.

    e

PS, if Hunter S. Thompson fans would like to send in tributes, quotes, pictures or articles, I invite you to do that -- I'd like to put together a page for him.

The Backlog of Brilliance
The Galactic Times for February 18, 2005

By PHILIP SEDGWICK
 
Today's GT was difficult to start. The biggest problem was picking the right title. There could have easily been six, seven, maybe even eight appropriate titles. Actually, there's an astrological rationale, too. Over the past several days, Mercury and the Sun passed over the enigmatic black hole, Cygnus X-3 (28 Aquarius 39), and slipped into something watery, like Pisces. Now, we have three bodies in Pisces (the above plus Uranus), and next week Venus crosses Cygnus X-3, dipping into Pisces on the 26th, then handing the baton of planetary dominance to Pisces.
 
One way of looking at this is that an energetic migration from the abstract to the creative/sensitive recently transpired. Or, it could be seen as the mental yielding to an emotional state as the prevailing filter of life. Genius maintains a rooted connection here. This black hole is one of the wildest, most leading edge, innovative, quirky placements in the Universe. If you don't believe me, ask Christo and those walking through Central Park in New York. No, that's not an endorsement. It's simply an acknowledgment of this process. He originally pitched the idea for The Gates in the 1980's. That's how it is with this point. Things are ahead of their time. The lack of collective response does not minimize brilliance or weirdness. Merely, it takes a while for people and consciousness to catch up.
 
All those new, wacky ideas might fly. The design, development and launch phases take time. The most brilliant ideas, once released, often start with cult-like following, slowly accreting energy and momentum leading to the mainstream. Keep faith in those ideas. The initial development cycle requires 4.8 hours of concentration to capture the insight. This would be nearly five hours free of people asking what you're doing. Space may be required.
 
If you feel you've missed the wave, that's not the case. Next week, Venus rolls in to add another crest of creativity. During the last few days of April, Mars crosses Cygnus X-3. There's more to come. Consider this your heads up. Listen to the unusual ideas. Cultivate genius by remaining receptive to the waves of wisdom and wonder.
 
There's one other big piece here. We're coming off a "figure it out" mind set and entering a "feel your way" space. Suddenly, emotional reactions and sensitivities move center stage. Emotions ignored during creative development cycles, mentally jammed times or downright "I don't want to deal with this" declarations yield to the backlog of feelings. Take a little time, like five hours a couple of times in the next week to catch up on all those reactions that tried to sneak in during life's busy moments. While inconvenient, these feelings must have their due. During the era of the Piscean school of planetary fish, learn what you must, and learn by feeling.
 
The pattern suggests clearing emotional decks eliminates tripping hazards on the forecastle of your ocean liner of life. With the decks secured, you can enjoy the glide path of flying fish.
 
Since we're all involved in these patterns, here comes the first of my personal manifestations. I have just completed a book of short stories entitled "Glimpses." These stories require no astrological knowledge to enjoy. They're strange, otherworldly and hopefully inspiring. Today marks the launch of the prepublication offer. Due in Early April, you can get in at a reduced price! If you want, I'll send you an attached pdf order form to an e-mail. Or if you know you want it for sure, just send me a check. Postpaid (media rate), this approximately 305 page book goes for $17.50 between now and March 19th (US dollars and for US shipping only - international, send me an e-mail please). If you want the book in hardcover, it'll be $26.99 plus $4 to ship in the US. Oh yeah, if this book was a movie, it would be rated "R."
 
This is phase one of my personal creative cycles. Look for two or three major announcements in upcoming GT's.
 
Here's to everyone's creative spirit, enriched the fullness of feeling!
 
To schedule an astrological counseling session or order The Galactic Trilogy CD, please send an e-mail to galastro@aol.com for the latest information and services.
 
Copyright, 2005, Philip Sedgwick, all rights reserved.
 

Thursday night 9:00 pm, Paris

The Sun goes into Pisces in about 18 hours - therefore is now void of course. Be cool, take it easy, pay attention.

New update on Jonathan's page, extensive Q & A column on Chiron in Aquarius and Chiron in general. Chiron changes signs just after the weekend, an event that will come with a little storm of change and/or progress. Speaking as a canary in a coal mine, I think the planet feels a little tense at the moment. Is something up? Who is keeping an eye on the Pope? Might be a good time to take a look at his chart.

Here is the Cainer page link:

http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/eric.html

Please let me know how you're feeling and what you're dreaming.

Try me at chiron@planetwaves.net.

    e

Planet Waves Company News | Paris, Feb. 15, 2005

Hi everyone, I'm here with an update on what we've got going on at Planet Waves. The new edition of Planet Waves Parenting [http://PlanetWavesParenting.net] will be ready Monday. This will be our Pisces edition, featuring an excellent lead article interviewing parents around the planet on what it's like to be raising children in today's world. There's the Pisces edition of the Cosmic Child horoscope, as well as articles on Chiron and your child's chart, and comparing the charts of parents and children. And there is much more -- some excellent essays and columns as well, plus weekly updates to the site. In all, it will be an exciting second edition.

Each Thursday, my page on Jonathan Cainer's site http://cainer.com is updated. This is a question and answer page, which you're invited to participate in. This week's edition will be devoted to Chiron; on Chiron entering Aquarius, which happens Monday, and then a series of reader questions on Chiron in personal charts. This is a site well worth visiting -- there are nearly 40 weeks of Q&A format covering almost every popularly inquired-of topic in astrology -- so keep your questions coming!

A regular edition of Planet Waves Weekly will appear Friday, emailed directly to subscribers. For more information about Planet Waves Weekly, see http://PlanetWavesWeekly.com/.

Thanks for tuning in. Enjoy your stay, and love from the Planet Waves network from Seattle to Florida, England to the Ukraine.

--  ERIC FRANCIS
Paris, France

Paris, Feb. 14, 2005

It is Valentine's Day, the dumbest holiday of the lot. I mean, it's fine if you have someone who brings you candy or at least to send candy to, or whatever. If you don't, you have my empathy, my unconditional love and some honorary roses.

That being said, I'm going to post a special edition Planet Waves horoscope that looks at the 7th house -- relationship questions.

Full text of today's edition follows.

By  ERIC FRANCIS

NOTE: This was written as a Valentine's Day edition for a magazine in the States, and seemed to contain an idea or two, so I'm passing it along. It's written with those who don't currently have a partner / main squeeze in their lives in mind. I put the question to the 7th house of today's chart, and this is what I got back, in most instances fast as a photograph.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
What you need to do is turn promise into reality. There is plenty of the first; how you manifest that into tangible human form is a question of whether you are able to see and feel yourself as one who stands out from the crowd. Look for a special someone in public, that is to say, stop writing personal ads and walk out the front door. Group environments will be supportive. You're looking for someone both spiritual and intelligent -- a bit like yourself.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
It's not like you to take a detached attitude toward relationships, but it's the one that will probably work the best. You may still be experiencing the effects of past hurts that are leaving you feeling less than yourself. The only cure will be the new experiences that are guaranteed to come your way. Relationships begin spontaneously, with people much unlike you would ever expect to know. Just remember these words: "The past is gone. It cannot touch me."

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
There are times when love is of the body, and times when it's a matter of the soul. In the coming weeks and indeed for the foreseeable future, love and passion are experiences that will take you to a new place spiritually, and you need to be on the lookout for people who share your cosmology. You have a strong desire to go 'beyond yourself' -- for that is where love awaits you. Remember, 'lover' and 'friend' are two ideas that are a lot closer than most people think; the soul does not care what title people have.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You may have a reputation for being low-key. But you're about to take a step much closer to the edge. Boring and mundane are not going to do it for you; the calling you're feeling is to radically change yourself in the process of relating to another person. This will take some guts, but you've got the courage that you need. Leave your expectations behind and your agenda clear, and the right person will enter your life.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
The stars are emphasizing the diversity of relationships. There is not just one kind of love affair, despite what we were taught as kids. Each person loves in his or her own way. Some people love more than one person. Within an experience of romance or love, freedom is the emphasis, including the gift of speaking your mind. We often forget the beautiful feeling of freedom that comes with love, and the initial choice of a lover; your job is to remember, and to remind us all.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
There has been no end to the surprises of the past year or so; nobody turns out to be who you expect. You have to work with this rather than against it. Give people time to show their true colors, and go into situations expecting surprises. Most challenging of all, allow people to change you. What else are relationships really for? You could say it's all to have fun, which is true; but there's more fun to have when you dive into life letting go of who you were yesterday.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Since luck is on your side, play it for all it's worth. You can afford to take somewhat larger than normal chances. You can afford to think in rather different than normal ways. In fact, nothing at all should be normal, and if it is, I suggest you wander as far away from familiar territory as possible. The people around you will support you; they are waiting for you to lead the way. And that is very attractive.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Nobody would accuse you of being insecure -- except for you. And it's amazing what a toll that feeling can take. Your mission in love is to act as if you are perfectly confident. Give yourself any length of time, a day or a week or an hour, to feel what it would feel like to have no questions about whether you're a stable, solid and authentic person. Then take that into the world and see what happens.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
Your true lover is someone who sees you as the true friend that you are. I don't mean to bring tears to your eyes, but you know you are above all else an honest and true friend. It's strange that not everyone sees you that way. The people who doubt you are the ones you seem to need to prove something to. Forget that, please! Spend your time with the people who recognize your integrity and loyalty, whether you've known them for a year or a day.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
You really have to keep an eye on your self-esteem. This word is rather overused; I prefer self-respect. If you don't look up to yourself, who can possibly look up to you, except for someone morally dicey? Exactly. For the foreseeable future, you will become increasingly aware of the doubts you have about yourself. One by one, you need to address them, and remember that all love starts with selflove -- and remember that this is an irresistible force.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
You are likely to be glowing like hot metal these days, but people are drawn to the heat. Count on this; you don't have to go anywhere or do anything if you want more love in your life. Simply be yourself, with passion and commitment. People will notice. You represent an important symbol for the people around you; but the reality of who you are, and your dedication to life, will attract those who love you the most. Then, you get to choose.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You may not know what it is about you that people appreciate most. Call it the X factor. That, at least, will give it an identity, and as time goes on, you will learn what that factor is. In time, you'll learn how to use it more effectively to both attract the kind of people you need, and to relate to them directly. In relationships, directly is the word. You need a clear, assertive lover who, above all else, is not afraid of him or herself.

---------------------------

Planet Waves is a subscription service. We encourage noncommercial forwarding of the newsletter (just please make it neat, so please copy and paste rather than hit the FWD button!) and feel free to encourage your friends to do the same, and to subscribe. We don't turn anyone away for lack of funds; requests for (pay or comp.) subscriptions should go to orders@planetwaves.net.

Subscribe at:

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Paris, Feb. 14, 2005

Dear Visitor:

If you're new to Planet Waves, welcome. We have a lot to offer everyone -- from articles on politics to astrology to mysticism to sexuality. Have a look around our current issue and our archives, and please let me know what you think.

If you'd like a sample edition of Planet Waves Weekly, our premium service, just sign up on the mailing list below (on the main home page) and we'll get you the next edition.

Catch you later Monday with an update in this space. Thanks for visiting, welcome and we hope to see you again soon!

yours,

Eric Francis

News You Can Use | Paris, Feb. 12, 2005

Dear Readers:

As some of you know, I've been openly predicting the first serious discussions of a military draft for the coming spring. Now Rolling Stone is providing some information about this possibility, though without specific timing. I thought you might want to read the article, which is posted at truthout.org and excerpted here. Please do me a favor and pass this onto anyone under the age of 34,men or women. This new draft will be taking a wide swath of the society.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/021205Z.shtml

    "The Army's maxed out here," says retired Gen. Merrill McPeak, who served as Air Force chief of staff under the first President Bush. "The Defense Department and the president seem to be still operating off the rosy scenario that this will be over soon, that this pain is temporary and therefore we'll just grit our teeth, hunker down and get out on the other side of this. That's a bad assumption." The Bush administration has sworn up and down that it will never reinstate a draft. During the campaign last year, the president dismissed the idea as nothing more than "rumors on the Internets" and declared, "We're not going to have a draft - period." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in an Op-Ed blaming "conspiracy mongers" for "attempting to scare and mislead young Americans," insisted that "the idea of reinstating the draft has never been debated, endorsed, discussed, theorized, pondered or even whispered by anyone in the Bush administration."

     That assertion is demonstrably false. According to an internal Selective Service memo made public under the Freedom of Information Act, the agency's acting director met with two of Rumsfeld's undersecretaries in February 2003 precisely to debate, discuss and ponder a return to the draft. The memo duly notes the administration's aversion to a draft but adds, "Defense manpower officials concede there are critical shortages of military personnel with certain special skills, such as medical personnel, linguists, computer network engineers, etc." The potentially prohibitive cost of "attracting and retaining such personnel for military service," the memo adds, has led "some officials to conclude that, while a conventional draft may never be needed, a draft of men and women possessing these critical skills may be warranted in a future crisis." This new draft, it suggests, could be invoked to meet the needs of both the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

     The memo then proposes, in detail, that the Selective Service be "re-engineered" to cover all Americans - "men and (for the first time) women" - ages eighteen to thirty-four. In addition to name, date of birth and Social Security number, young adults would have to provide the agency with details of their specialized skills on an ongoing basis until they passed out of draft jeopardy at age thirty-five. Testifying before Congress two weeks after the meeting, acting director of Selective Service Lewis Brodsky acknowledged that "consultations with senior Defense manpower officials" have spurred the agency to shift its preparations away from a full-scale, Vietnam-style draft of untrained men "to a draft of smaller numbers of critical-skills personnel."

More at: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/021205Z.shtml

    e

Aquarius is Rising | Paris, Feb. 11, 2005

Opening up my first chart of the day sent a little shock through my system. I had awakened from a dream that came with the message: you have to be who you are. Then typing 'any key' and waiting a moment for my friend Planet iMac to wake up, I had a look at the astrology. Aquarius rising, followed by a stream of planets in Aquarius and Pisces stuffed into the 1st house. Part of Fortune conjunct Uranus. North Node in the 2nd house.

Be myself, indeed.

Put on your sunglasses and take a look at the chart. You don't need to be an astrologer to get it. The rising bit is all the stuff on the left, just below the horizon or horizontal line. See above, or:

http://planetwaves.net/astrology/aquariusrising.html

This is Aquarius turned up to the level of the Jet Stream. The exact degree of the forthcoming Chiron-Nessus conjunction (in effect from Feb. 21 or so clear through the next couple of seasons) is in the ascendant, three and a half Aquarius (Sabian Symbol: A Hindu yogi demonstrates his healing powers). This is a conjunction, long in the development as Chiron approached Nessus in Capricorn, that looks to me like it's going to shake a little reality loose from the cosmic tree, and fortunately up in the north, it happens when the weather is getting warm and people are getting restless and curious.

In the current chart, Chiron (little green key) is floating above the horizon, currently in the last arc minutes of Capricorn, about to burst into the next dimension. The Moon in the late degrees of Pisces is making a sextile to Chiron -- balancing the emotions with the transforming force of awareness, but balancing on the very edge -- a position that will be in effect part of the day. Then in a little while, the Moon blazes into Aries for much of Friday and the weekend, running all that emotional energy through FIRE instead of water. Now that should be interesting.

Aquarius involves a great many commitments and social patterns, but ultimately the message of this sign is distinguish yourself from the great mass of humanity as the individual you were born to be. Distinguish yourself from your peers. This is not hippy talk. This is not groovy therapy talk. This is what I understand as the evolutionary imperative of Aquarius, as ordained by the cosmic architects. Right now, every single natal horoscope on the planet, no matter when or where you were born, is getting its Aquarius angle pushed past the speed of sound.

How are you feeling? In what particular way are you feeling restless? In what particular way are you seeking contact with a group that allows you to be your actual real self? This is the message of the Aquarius Jet Stream.

There what seems to be a necessary process with Aquarius: some kind of pattern or system must break before the new one can take over. Imagine this happening most distinctly on the level of personality.

Individuation: if Aquarius on the most spiritual or esoteric level has a tradition that must be honored, this is it. Yet this tradition requires us to take a series of deeply personal steps and leave behind who and what we were before. Growing this way can be challenging, especially if you see your only choices as being McDonald's and Burger King. If there is a trick, it's usually some form of giving yourself additional options. This is easily done, if you want. Usually the choices are right there, you just have to see them. If they're not there, you need to get creative; remember, you are creative.

I've noticed from long observation that the group in which it's often most difficult to be an individual is the group of two. In these groups of two, we can live with all kinds of spoken and unspoken expectations and arrangements that seem to trap us into being someone other than who we are now. Often the deals we live with were made back when we were different people, in truth bearing little resemblance to who we are now. I see this every day, I feel it every day, and I feel the strength that it takes to assert myself as the person I am that particular hour of my life. It takes strength just to remember! And to remember that the biggest barrier is my own fear.

Slowly I'm learning not to feel bad for pushing everyone around me so diligently to accept me for who I am today. Gradually, I'm even learning to feel good about it. The more of us who do that, the more the world will start to make sense. If the past is what we must let go of, can you think of a more efficient way? If you can, I would love to hear about it. I have noticed that when I make authentic decisions that reflect who I am now, the cosmos responds. I have learned to trust my motives. I've learned that I love people without trying.

Then there's the office. What would it feel like to stop making compromises there? Who, me? I would probably write a lot more science fiction stories in this space, or somewhere nearby. Essays would be a heck of a lot sexier, and more veils would fall away. I would stop worrying about what you think, with perfect faith; please, fill up my reader comment folder. I would take a chance and explore some wild possibilities we've both never heard of, and some extremely sensible ones. I don't know about you, but I need some of that in my life.

And, truth be told, I would stop giving a rats ass about the latest bunch of morons who think they're going to take over the planet, and find a lot more fun things to write about.

Some of my readers [rereading this, I saw the word 'teachers'!] have been extraordinarily articulate in explaining to me that if I'm going to cover the news, I must focus on what's going right in the world. It's true -- the problems are finally getting a lot of attention now. When I've paused to look back, I've always considered myself a fairly bold writer. But I think the calling today is to be bold in an entirely different way: with what is possible. The world needs new possibilities, I need new possibilities, and I feel them inside me, and I feel them inside everyone I know. That sounds like a hot story.

So, brothers, sisters, cousins, colleagues, lovers, friends and Papa, Aquarius is rising. Let's get ourselves someplace new, and let's take ourselves along.

Paris, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005

I've been busy behind the scenes creating new content for Planet Waves, so I've been neglecting the blog for a few days. We posted a site update tonight -- a long awaited piece by Planet Waves slacker oops civil rights attorney Steve Bergstein, as well as a new update to my page at http://cainer.com/

I'll have some new material tomorrow in this space, and subscribers can look for their weekly horoscope as well.

Please tune in!

While I've got your attention, I suggest you check out the Red State Road Trip film project at truthout.org -- it is brilliant.

http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm

Aquarius New Moon | Paris, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2005

We are in the doorway of the Aquarius New Moon. Aquarius is the sign of inventions, and of designing our world. Creating reality as we go is the most effective way to get from the past to the present -- and thus to a different future than we might ordinarily have, had we not re-thought our conditions and needs. There is so much going on in Aquarius right now -- the presence of Venus, Neptune, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon, as well as the the asteroid Juno and the centaur planet Nessus -- that you may be feeling some unusual tension, pressure, or need for change. In about two weeks, Chiron also makes its first entrance to Aquarius in several decades, which represents a moment when history not only turns a page, it opens a new volume.

Too much Aquarius often makes it difficult to feel, and so much going on in this sign can create a state of feeing cut-off from oneself and come with a significant lack of compassion for others. There can be an obsession with 'feeling accepted'. Ask any Aquarian about their life lessons in this respect and maybe they will tell you what it's like to have to constantly remind yourself to feel the feelings of others. With such overwhelming energy coming through this sign now, we all need to remember that. Life is not just something we live in theory. It is a process we experience in physical, flesh and blood reality. So check in on whether you're feeling lost in your head, and if you are, come back into your body and see what that's like.

New Moons set the agenda for the month ahead. They also clear the agenda from the prior lunation. And because it's not that simple, they can set the agenda for many months ahead, as the decisions we make now form patterns. This is an excellent time to make improvements, particularly in the matters that Aquarius reigns over mightily: friendship, community and compensation for a job well done.

The Moon is new today in California at 2:28 pm, in New York at 5:28 pm, in London at 10:28 pm and in Paris at 11:28 pm. It is new tomorrow morning (Wednesday) in New Delhi at 3:58 am, and in Sydney at 9:58 am.