Sunday, March 19 | Of Necessities and Luxuries A Sermon offered by the Rev. Eric Francis, DD, BA, Uncertified Astrologer and former baseball card collector. To My Dear, Dear Flock, THANK YOU for coming to church on Sunday morning, the Church of Marketing here in the Holy Land of Capitalism. I know you could be doing much more interesting things right now, like eating a delicious Extra Value Meal at McDonald's, or shopping at Walmart. But grease is bad for you and Mercury is retrograde so it's better if you don't buy superdupersize fries or a brand new DVD player today. Today, I am pleased to inform the congregation of a revelation: Planet Waves is taking marketing more seriously. We are conducting an in-depth study to figure out where our subscription revenues come from, as well as going gangbusters to get my writing into magazines in England. Of course, the answer to the first question is simple: We are supported by you! All the Planet Waves projects you see anywhere, from this Web site to Astrology Secrets to the weekly mailings, are supported by our subscribers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. As part of this program, the discussion has come up: Is Planet Waves a luxury or a necessity? Astrology walks on the edge of this distinction. People look to it for wisdom when times are a little tricky or difficult; but it's a source of 'entertainment' for many. The articles that Planet Waves distributes can be counted as an intellectual luxury -- or as necessary bits of information in confusing times of world transition. I personally understand that everyone can do without an astrology publication, or an astrology news publication (such as we really are) -- but I would say that in times of moral tribulation like we are in, reliable viewpoints are the most important things you can have. Notice I did not and never will say that we present the objective truth, but at least you know what you are getting and who is providing it. At Planet Waves, there is always somebody to commend, complain to, or send information to. Try doing that with NBC television. Try having a discussion with a real person at CNN. Try getting the attention of your local newspaper, for that matter. Currently, the global crisis is fuelled by deception, marketing and violence. Basically, brainwashing and manipulative ads are put around the lies we call the news, and the news presents nonstop violence. Then, for this privilege, you pay a $50+ cable TV bill every month. I am surprised anybody thinks this is good for business, but it does seem to work. In the midst of such a crisis, there is little more valuable than a clear point of view -- and this is what Planet Waves offers you. We provide it in the form of horoscopes, astrology interpretations and a wide diversity of articles that look at the cosmic picture, and which provide historical perspective. We provide you news with a human angle; a spiritual point of view. News or astrology never just happens 'out there' -- we know the news is something that affects all of us, and we present in a human way. We include you in the news: your feelings, your responses, your ideas. At the very least, you need a viewpoint in the media that you can relate to -- and we at Planet Waves are devoted to providing you with this. Along with some really fun horoscopes, birthday reports, and the most innovative articles we can come up with. These present astrology in psychological depth, in clear language, and delivered directly to you. Clearly this is not a necessity, but I think we need to make it one. We need to think of what feeds us back as necessary. We need to think of what we can offer to others for free as a necessity -- and as a Planet Waves subscriber you are invited to do just that. We encourage forwarding and community distribution. Indeed, we do not discriminate against those who do not have money, while we are 100% supported by those who do. And I am fully aware that we are creating a responsible business model and setting an example for other premium Web services, though it does not seem to be catching on. I don't know of any who provide their services gratis to those who don't have the cash, but then, I don't know of any whose readers are as aware, excited and devoted as those who come to Planet Waves. In conclusion of this Sunday marketing sermon, I will leave you not with our beautiful credit card link, but rather a link to what our subscribers have to say about Planet Waves. Because they say it better than I could. Have a great day, and if you ever want to write to me, try francis@planetwaves.net . Here's the feedback link: http://www.planetwavesweekly.com/feedback.html Yours  & truly, ERIC FRANCIS PS, your subscription is fully guaranteed. If you don't like it, we will give you a refund. If you are not in a position to pay, or need a discount, write to info@planetwaves.net and we will take care of you. If you're in the USA you can also call (877) 453-8265 for more information.