 Associate Justice Antonin Scalia's chair in the Supreme Court chambers draped in black. He had served on the court for more than 29 years, since September 1986. Photo by J. Scott Applewhite.
The Illusion and the Reality of ConservatismDear Friend and Reader: Over Valentine's Day weekend, Antonin Scalia, who had served on the Supreme Court for 29 years, died while on a hunting vacation in Texas. The spiritual leader of the neoconservative movement, Scalia was taking a little romantic getaway and died sometime overnight or in the morning. From my review of the astrology, I don't think he was murdered, and from my reading of his death chart, I do think it's possible that he had company and died in the saddle, like other great men before him. We have seen news reports that was traveling with a companion, not his wife.
Scalia was appointed by Ronnie Reagan in the days before we knew about the Iran-Contra scandal. At the time, Scalia was a relatively new federal district court judge, and was nominated to the Supreme Court to replace William Rehnquist, whom Reagan had elevated to chief justice. Scalia was so influential, and around for so long, it seemed like he had been there forever, and would be there forever. Writing in The Jewish Daily Forward in 2009, J.J. Goldberg described Scalia as "the intellectual anchor of the court's conservative majority." If you've been listening to television news, you've been hearing him revered not just as the charismatic, affable guy that he was, but also as a titan of American jurisprudence. To me, Scalia is what gave the neoconservative movement the illusion of legitimacy. He wrote the decision in Bush v. Gore that stopped the Florida recount in the contested 2000 election. He gave the election to Bush, who had lost the popular vote, and true to his legal style included a line about how the decision does not set legal precedent. That, of course, is one of the Supreme Court's most important roles, but Scalia dissed it when it suited his ends. Scalia was considered the divining oracle of what he called "originalism," meaning that the Constitution's meaning is fixed at the time of enactment, and that's what we must consider. He touted the idea that you have to follow the original text, not what the courts had interpreted over the next few centuries.
What he really meant was that he got to be original in his interpretations of the Constitution, stretching them to mean anything he wanted. There are many examples, which always fit with what we now think of as the conservative agenda: anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-minority, pro-gun, pro-wealthy, pro-religion (if Christian) and pro-death penalty. If you've ever wondered how this particular set of issues came to be grouped together as what we think of as "conservative," you don't need to look much further than Scalia as the primary arbiter of reality. He was to the judicial system what Rush Limbaugh is to the conservative base of voters. It makes no sense to be "pro life" and "Christian" and also support the death penalty. Contemporary conservatism is a kind of postmodern pastiche of ideas that one must be versed in deconstructionist philosophy to grasp even vaguely. If you're Republican and you disagree even with one of them, you're a potential liberal and considered ineligible to hold public office. But this really took some conjuring, and nonstop brainwashing. It makes more sense if you take it in the context of what political operative Karl Rove said in 2004 to The New York Times Magazine: "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors...and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do." Due to Scalia's exit, we're about to see a turning of the tide in American politics. It will manifest first as outwardly expressed conflict. Now for the first time in a generation, the Supreme Court is split evenly between conservative and liberal justices.
If Scalia's main role was to turn back the clock to some imagined era of purity, moral wholesomeness and American greatness, the hands of judicial time are now frozen in the present moment. The court has a busy calendar this term, with decisions on abortion, contraception, union rights, affirmative action and immigration. The court will be deadlocked on these cases, which means they must be held over until a new justice is appointed, or reargued at that time. This could not have come at a worse time for Republicans, who are already in chaos (Donald Trump has taken advantage of that fact). There's a reason that Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said that any Obama nominee was DOA, and that the new president should fill the vacancy. He spoke up even before Scalia's body had been removed from the hotel room where he died. McConnell knows that nobody like Scalia will get the job. By that I mean such a masterful, magical conjurer of illusions. Constitutional originalists are always the first people to ignore the document itself; it's abundantly clear that the president nominates Supreme Court justices and the Senate votes to approve them. There is no exception stated for presidents who still have a year to serve. I think Obama will be clever and send over a nominee whom this Senate has already approved, making it more difficult for them to block the person. Whatever happens with Obama's nominee(s), Supreme Court appointments now become the central issue in the presidential election. Typically, appointments to the court are not among the reasons people vote for a candidate. Now this is front and center, where it belongs.
Remember that Scalia was part of Reagan's legacy, set in motion by voters in the 1980 election, who were swayed by the Iranian hostage crisis. Though nobody knew this at the time, the Reagan campaign essentially bribed the evil, radical Islamic Iranian militants to keep the hostages in captivity just a little longer. He did this by promising them all the weapons they wanted for their war against our then-friend Saddam Hussein of Iraq (while campaigning on a "no arms for hostages" platform). Carter looked ineffective, and Reagan and Bush 'won' the 1980 election, from which Scalia was a hangover. My observation is that what we call modern conservatism is really a form of illusionism. First of all, they never get into office legitimately. Let's do a brief recap of recent Republican history. Nixon won in 1968 with a "secret plan" to end the Vietnam war. That turned out to be bombing Cambodia and Laos, extending the war five more years. Nixon won in 1972 due to the activities of CREEP -- the Committee to Re-Elect the President, a/k/a, the Watergate criminal enterprise. He resigned just before Republicans had him step out onto the gallows of an impeachment trial in the Senate. Many in his administration were convicted of crimes. Nixon was succeeded by Gerald Ford, who was only an elected congressman. His real credential was having served on the Warren Commission, which whitewashed the then-recent murder of John F. Kennedy. When Republicans came to power in 1980, they gained their advantage thanks to the shams associated with the Iranian hostage crisis. They then diverted the profits from weapons sales to the Iranians to the Contras in Nicaragua; that whole program became known as the Iran-Contra scandal. Reagan and Bush held the White House for 12 years, till early 1993.
We get to live with the legacies of these people for decades. This includes someone who could write this and be taken seriously: "Many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children's schools, or as boarders in their home. They view this as protecting themselves and their families from a lifestyle that they believe to be immoral and destructive. The Court views it as 'discrimination' which it is the function of our judgments to deter. So imbued is the Court with the law profession's anti-anti-homosexual culture, that it is seemingly unaware that the attitudes of that culture are not obviously 'mainstream'." What Scalia was saying is that the majority has the right to decide what the minority does -- but that's not the purpose of the Constitution. The majority view of any society does not need to be protected. It already has the power. The American system of law is -- on its face, anyway -- specifically designed to protect those with unpopular views; that's what free speech means: the freedom to say things people disagree with. On one level we might describe Scalia as a majoritarian. He believed that the majority should have rights over the minority. The problem was that his own views were not really mainstream, any more than the Moral Majority was a majority. They just claimed to be one. Among Scalia's triumphs of "originalism" was his decision in a 2008 landmark case called District of Columbia v. Heller. This led to our current problem with guns, and consecrated the viewpoint that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right to carry a handgun.
"Logic demands that there be a link between the stated purpose and the command," he wrote in his decision. So we know he knows logic exists. Then he threw out logic by saying that the first part of the sentence (a well regulated militia) was merely prefatory, and the real substance was in the second part (bearing arms). He "proves" this by elaborating at length on the definitions of 'keep', 'bear', 'arms', and the phrase 'bear arms'. He might as well have found that the Constitution protects the right to arm bears. In a dissent from a famous decision on abortion, he wrote, "I am sure it does not," meaning that the Constitution does not protect that right. Why not? "Because of two simple facts: (1) the Constitution says absolutely nothing about it, and (2) the longstanding traditions of American society have permitted it to be legally proscribed." The Constitution also doesn't mention breathing, eating or flying kites. And "longstanding traditions of American society" goes exactly contrary to the idea of "original intent." It's as close to pure hypocrisy as you can get. When I imagine a real conservative, it's someone who practices restraint, who leaves their neighbors alone, who follows the law and who respects the idea that everyone gets to pursue their own happiness, as long as they don't hurt others. It's someone who conserves the power of government to maintain a stable society, which means using the power of regulation to protect the people, the environment and the interests of the nation. I don't think that's what we got, but it's certainly what we need. With love,  -- Additional research: Stephen Bergstein, Michael Elia, David Rosen. Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, by Planet Waves, Inc. Core community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Designer: Lizanne Webb. Office Manager: Lauren Gdovin. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Client Services: Amy Elliott. Media Consultant: Andrew Marshall McLuhan. Research, Writing and Editing: In addition to those listed above, Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Amanda Moreno, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick.
Chiron, Threading the Needle of Scalia's Charts First let's begin with a sample of Antonin Scalia's natal chart. This is his ascendant, which is in Libra -- one sign associated with the law. Libra rising puts an attractive face on anything. The chart for 9/11 has Libra rising. It was a beautiful day and the towers fell down elegantly. No matter how ugly anything might be, Libra rising will keep it looking good.
Scalia was particularly wrapped up in issues related to same-sex people having sex. He did everything he could to stop gay marriage, but he also predicted that ultimately it would be certified by the Supreme Court. Note the degree of the Moon -- it's at three degrees of Scorpio, and 24 arc minutes. This is exactly opposite the degree where Chiron was discovered, which was at three degrees of Taurus and 8 arc minutes. That's called the Chiron discovery degree, and it can have the influence of Chiron, even though Chiron has moved on. It left an energy beacon in the degree where it was discovered, and Scalia's Moon is opposite this degree. Remember doing Chiron work that the discovery degree can function like Chiron itself.
When Chiron was discovered, it was exactly conjunct his natal Uranus. In a sense, this puts his Uranus into a permanent conjunction with Chiron. This is a healing crisis (Chiron) focused on grounding sexual energy (Uranus, kundalini) in his body (Taurus). It also suggests that in his own sexuality, he was potentially kinky, and also confronted by challenges from his own early wounding. Anyone Catholic has been impregnated with sexual conflict, as the whole religion is based on denying sex and sexual feelings. Yet these feelings are a natural part of existing in a body. And he had plenty of them -- especially when you remember that the Scorpio Moon is being energized by Uranus.
The reason I am using the chart for his body found is that it's the only thing we know for sure. The stated time is "just after 11" and I am using 11 am as a starting point. The Moon will be in this degree for about two more hours, remaining conjunct the Chiron discovery degree. The Moon is also conjunct his natal Uranus at the same degree of Taurus. This describes the suddenness and unexpected quality (Uranus) of his departure. It also describes some kinky, fun sexual activity, since it's in his relationship zone (natal 7th, whole sign 8th). We don't know much about Scalia's private life, except he was married and that he had nine children. He had the appearance of being a good Catholic. But that doesn't tell us much at all. So many things aspecting the Chiron discovery degree tells us that his situation went deep, and that in other ways he was trying to work out his sexuality by issuing rulings and opinions that told others what kind of sex they could and could not have. -- by Eric Francis Coppolino  
The Soul, Wisdom and Mastery, from the Charlie Lemay tarot. Charlie will be joining us in the class.
Introduction to Tarot and Divination with Eric Francis CoppolinoDear Planet Waves Reader: Have you ever wanted to read -- I mean really read -- tarot cards? Many people have read lots of books, but can't quite read the cards themselves. That's because the cards are speaking in a visual language. That's the language we will learn.
Second, we will learn how to read a card visually. I do this by putting the same card from three different decks side by side; and just from the visuals, you can figure out how to read the card. We will use the Charlie Lemay tarot, above; and the Rider-Waite-Smith deck; and the Crowley Thoth tarot. Crowley in particular brings astrology into his deck and is an excellent tool for learning astrology. Third, we will learn how to read the cards in context of one another, which is the key to getting the whole message. This is easier than it seems! But you need to know what to look for.
I will include a resources area that gathers many tools that are long forgotten and buried in the archives, including several complete sample readings. I will include a pre-recorded interview with Sarah Taylor about how to work with clients, and Charlie Lemay will be in the room with us during the class. I have been reading tarot professionally since 1989, and have taught many classes and seminars. The class is $97, or $67 if you have a Backstage Pass membership (BSP holders -- please look for special mailing on Friday; we'll send it a few times). You may sign up for the class here. Note, if you're in Australia, please write to us for a link that deals with the exchange rate. (Write to amy@planetwaves.net.) You will love this class, and leave feeling like you really can read tarot for yourself and for others. Lovingly,  Can You See What Truly Nourishes You? Dear Friend and Reader: Generally speaking, our culture has difficulty recognizing what truly feeds and nourishes it. From reality TV shows to fast food, from misogynistic song lyrics to obsessions with brand-name fashions and technology, it can be hard to discern 'nourishment' from 'filler', or 'enrichment' from 'distraction'.
Look deeper still, and you might find the kernel of fantastic creativity and loving connection we are all born with, but which all too often we've pushed away or numbed. That numbing can come in the form of drugs and alcohol, or over-working and over-scheduling, or some vague denial of purpose and desire to be 'entertained', and so on. Yet, there are ways to recognize what's going on and begin to shift direction. The process might seem intimidating at first; all change, even positive and desired change, can feel daunting. But if the desire is to feel better -- more whole, more creative, healthier -- and to know that you're contributing to the common good by doing so, what's a little discomfort at first? Think of it as some sore muscles when you first start running. Or, more apropos of the Sun's ingress to Pisces Friday at 12:34 am EST (5:34 UTC), the kind of paintings or songs that serve as 'creative growing pains' when you first begin painting or writing music. In the context of the Pisces theme of 'beliefs', think of these growing pains as the cognitive dissonance people often encounter when their negative, limiting feelings about themselves get challenged by the mirroring of a therapist. Those early sessions can be rough when someone calls you out on beliefs about yourself that contribute to low self-worth. But as you stick with the self-inquiry and healing, the fear and discomfort around challenging your inner reality loses its power, and the liberation of feeling better gains strength. The first exact aspect the Pisces Sun makes to a relatively major solar system object is its conjunction to the centaur Nessus very early in the sign. Sun-Nessus is exact Sunday at 6:06 pm EST (23:06 UTC), but is in effect already. Centaur objects tend to deal with patterns in our lives that have roots in the past (especially familial or ancestral past). When they feature prominently in transits or in natal charts, they often signify an opportunity to engage in healing of some sort through increased awareness of what needs to be healed.
You get to be the one to decide that, "enough is enough," and not perpetuate something unhealthy you've inherited. Anytime the Sun is conjunct a planet or other object, it's a signal that your awareness of that planet's themes in your life may peak. Yet, you have to be willing to hear the message. Especially in the sign Pisces, co-ruled by Neptune as it is (Jupiter is the traditional ruler), the urge to escape, rather than to engage, can be strong. Try asking yourself whether anything regarding your creativity, emotions, passion, sexuality or spirituality seems to be asking for your attention. If you're not sure, a second conjunction in Pisces happening simultaneously with Sun-Nessus might offer a point of orientation. At 4:30 am EST (9:30 UTC), the asteroid Ceres conjoins Neptune. Planets tend to come under Neptune's influence long before an exact contact with it, so Ceres-Neptune has probably been giving you hints for a while (though activity elsewhere -- both in your life and in the sky -- might have commanded more attention). Ceres in mythology and in ancient life was a complex goddess, and I hate to render her one-dimensional. But looking at the chart, this asteroid's association with figurative forms of nourishment (i.e., not literal food) comes through strongly. As does Neptune's potential either to lend great creative vision, or to cloud things behind denial, delusion and various forms of escape. So, ask yourself what visions truly nourish you. Is it really whatever the latest blockbuster action movie or women's magazine is serving up; or is it when you imagine yourself feeling emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy (and that includes sexually)? Are you metaphorically swimming in a sea of distractions, or can you clearly discern what has nutritional (creative) value much of the time? Does a vision of yourself serving the highest good in your community and the wider world feed your heart and soul? If so, the Sun's coming month in Pisces will likely offer variations on that theme. Keep swimming, and keep your eyes open. Yours & truly,  Amanda Painter 
By Amanda Painter Every year the Peruvian communities on either side of the Apurimac River Canyon rebuild the Q'eswachaka Bridge. They do it the same way and in the same place it's been done since the time of the Inka. (Note, The Smithsonian writes, "We use the Inka spelling rather than the more common Inca because it is consistent with the traditional South American language of Quechua and in accordance with the Smithsonian's efforts to preserve native languages.") Although one man in particular leads the effort -- using traditional engineering techniques handed down in his family through the centuries -- the endeavor involves all members of the community, as they cut and pound bunches of grass, then twist, braid and coil ever-widening cables from it. After the first main cable is conveyed across the canyon via the old bridge and secured, the old bridge is cut away to drift downriver and decompose. The two weaving teams work from either side. When they meet in the middle and finish the bridge, a celebration is held with singing and dancing. It's a perfect metaphor for Venus in Aquarius. Not only is the bridge beautiful (Venus), it also demonstrates what can be accomplished by a group of people (Aquarius) who come together with shared values (Venus). What was once an innovative technology (Uranus, modern ruler of Aquarius) hundreds of years ago has become a lasting foundation and structure (Saturn, traditional ruler of Aquarius) for this Peruvian community. The video -- narrated by John Ochsendorf, professor of civil engineering at MIT, and produced by Noonday Films -- was created for the exhibition "The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire," which is on display at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., through June 1, 2018.  This Week on Planet Waves FM Conservative Guru Makes His Exit; End of the Anti-Sixties
As the Sun reaches the brink of Pisces, Mercury is now in Aquarius, and Venus is on its way there. In this week's edition of Planet Waves FM [play episode here] I examine the astrology of this moment, and continue last week's exploration of Aquarius as a sign. Most of the show focuses on Antonin Scalia's life and legacy, and the potentially crucial consequences of his death on Saturday. I discuss how the arch-conservative and "constitutional originalist" associate justice impacted life in the U.S. during his 30-year tenure on the Supreme Court bench. My guest this week is Stephen Bergstein, a civil rights attorney I've collaborated with for many years. He appears in the third segment. Musical interludes are three classics by the ever-excellent Bob Dylan, friend of Planet Waves. Planet Waves FM is producing a new program for the Pacifica Radio Network called The Miracle Hour [hear latest edition]. The program is based on A Course in Miracles. This week the program was picked up by Black Sheep Radio, WOOL, in Vermont. Here is an article about Planet Waves FM written by the Pacifica Network. With love, Vision Quest, our beautiful 2016 annual edition, is available for immediate access. Listen to a free audio sample or read a written excerpt for your sign.
I recently finished the Aquarius birthday reading. My birthday readings are like a course in self-therapy, guided by astrology. The reading is designed to tune you into several levels of thought -- your "unconscious" level, your identity level, your values, and your point of exchange with others. The result is a truly helpful set of perspectives, priced to be affordable. You may play it in any format, and the reading is designed for busy people -- divided into three 30-minute segments. Listen to free samples here: Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3
Coming soon! Intro to Tarot and Divination class, taught by Eric Francis. Check your email or Facebook for an announcement this week.
 Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes We published your extended monthly horoscopes for February on Thursday, Jan. 21. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for January on Wednesday, Dec. 23. We published your Moonshine horoscope for the Aquarius New Moon, by Len Wallick, on Thursday, Feb. 11. Please note, we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.  Planet Waves Weekly Horoscope for Feb. 18, 2016, #1088 | By Len Wallick
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 Your 2016-17 birthday reading was recently published.
Listen to free samples here: Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3 Order your reading tonight for just $24.95 here The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
 The audio readings for Vision Quest are now published. You may order by sign or receive all 12 signs here. Listen to samples at this link.
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