Mercury and Mars Retrograde: The Underlying Question Dear Friend and Reader: Mars retrograde is about to make some interesting moves, among them, returning to Scorpio. And Aries, one of the home signs of Mars, has some enlightening activity going on, in particular the Uranus-Eris conjunction that will happen there on June 9, for the first time since 1928. If you recall, Mars turned to retrograde motion in Sagittarius on April 17. The retrograde ends on June 29 in Scorpio, and along the way Mars has many stories to tell. Many people do as well, feeling the influence of this astrology, as the questions of Mars are emphasized by retrograde motion.
There is the retrieval of something that was previously disowned or taken away. This is particularly true with retrograde natal planets, though it's an effective mode of interpreting retrograde transiting planets as well. Think of the retrograde as being about claiming something that is rightly your own. Imagnie it stands for a kind of soul retrieval, describing the element of your innate being that you are seeking by boldly diving into yourself. Keep in mind that Mars is the planet of desire. Desire is one of those elements at the core of the human emotional engine. It's true that religions and spiritual philosophies line up one after the next attempting to prove to people that desire is the worst thing in the world. Yet nobody would seek being happier, or seek knowledge, or crack open a book about Buddhism, if they didn't want something. The deeper question of Mars is what you do with the propulsion that it offers. Do you resist? Do you deny, or feel guilt? Do you let it run wild and therefore run your life? Do you harness its power and put it to work for you? At the same time that we have Mars retrograde, Mercury is also retrograde. This is happening in Taurus, a sign associated with desire, so it's asking a similar set of questions, which I'll come back to once I've laid out a picture of what I think Mars is describing. Uranus-Eris Conjunct in Aries We might be noticing this one, except that it's difficult for anything to get noticed these days. This rare conjunction (it happened last in early Aries in 1927 and 1928) is describing the very chaos in society, and in our minds, that's coating the world in the haze and glaze of glamour and making many relevant things difficult to see. I could hardly think of two more potent factors to put together to create mental turmoil and confusion. We can take this on the level of toxic chaos, or fertile chaos. Fertile chaos requires applying awareness and discernment. Uranus in Aries (2010-2018) is the era of the smartphone and the selfie: of unmitigated self-obsession, and obsession with image. Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2024), a corresponding transit, is about equally unmitigated greed. Together these make up the Uranus-Pluto square (most potent effects from 2011-2015). A few years back, we interviewed Martha Lang-Wescott about that aspect, which is still lurking in the background of everything we're experiencing.
Pluto addresses deeper material and is a more urgently necessary agent of growth. The erratic behavior Lang-Wescott is describing includes the conduct of various political movements which we are now seeing come to a head: the TEA Party has taken over the Republican Party, for example. We might ask why Donald Trump is so popular, and for a real answer we would then have to ask why abusive people, in general, are so popular among sensitive, educated people. What is that really about? Uranus and its effects being more visible, it's serving to mask a whole layer of awareness. Lang-Wescott continued, "There is the show and the excitement of Uranus [in Aries], and then there's this underbelly of the concealed drives of Pluto [in Capricorn], such as greed. Uranus presents as the perfect distraction -- all this technology stuff -- when Pluto is often acting invisibly. There's also the attraction to the dangerous element of Pluto charisma," for example, why people might be attracted to Donald Trump as a candidate. The Uranus-Pluto square is now separating, and a new aspect has emerged: Uranus conjunct Eris in Aries. The two are part of the same pattern, and now Uranus-Eris is being emphasized. It's pushing the glam thing to its very pinnacle. Everyone is a rock star on Instagram. We are supposed to overlook not only that it's meaningless, but where that energy could be better spent. For its part, Eris in Aries is a massive identity crisis. It can barely bring itself to ask the question, "Who am I?" because it makes the question seem unanswerable, or perhaps invisible. No matter how many versions of your business card you make, or how many online profiles you post, the question does not answer itself. The thing to remember is that it's a hypothetical question with a fictional answer. While we may possess some supreme identity, and seek access to some set of "original instructions," identity on this plane of reality is a kind of fictional entity.
Now Uranus is coming along, and is merging the glamour aspect of Aries with the disruption element of Uranus, with the identity chaos element of Eris. The result could be a hot mess -- or it could represent a time of genuine breakthrough on the theme of self-discovery and self-actualization. We have had a lot of hot mess lately, as you might discover if you initiate a conversation with people about anything potentially controversial, such as how they feel about life and love. The personal breakthrough, however, is not a prefabricated thing, and there is no telling where it will lead. That would seem to be the whole point. Here is the problem as I see it: the need for an organizing or perhaps orienting principle. Aries represents the energy of pure potential. It is motive looking for a purpose. Purpose needs some guiding force. If one purpose of the current astrology is self-actualization, what is the core instinct that will drive that process? Here is another: self-discovery takes courage, and is wrought with perils. The most prominent of them is how it has a way of dissolving your previous self-concept with something more tangible. If someone is attached to their self-concept, they are unlikely to seek anything that would change it in any way. Many have, I observe, a real courage issue here in the digital age. There are those days when everything besides what is wholly unreal seems too real. Anything more than launching an app is too great of a risk to take. The world is blown up in one action movie after the next; people routinely fight zombies and survive alien attacks; and the world watches from the comfort of their entertainment station or tablet. I think that a lot of this comes back to image: of needing to be seen a certain way (often, how one is not), or being afraid to be seen a certain way (often, how one really is). Mars from Sagittarius to Scorpio: An Orienting Principle Mars in Sagittarius possesses some glamour of its own. It's a fire sign thing, though the glam of Sagg will seem to have more substance to back up its image. That doesn't necessarily make it so. I would say an example of celebrity in the style of Mars in Sagittarius might be the rock-star pastor of a mega church. Closer to the ground, it's charisma associated with being passionate about one's beliefs. It's the image of spiritual, with some fire to give it a touch of reality, or seeming reality.
True, most people don't associate themselves with cardinals carrying crosses parading around in red robes outside the Vatican, but there seems to be a strong impulse in contemporary culture to seem pious and pure. Mars retrograde can burn through that with the power of the Sun evaporating morning fog, but then one is left without the cover of a spiritual image. This can lead to a real crisis, and not just one of belief; once you get past the layer of belief, the next layer is existential. Think of what religion really is: it's a contract with existence. Is your contract something that you wrote yourself? Do you have your own lease on life, or do you use the standard Bloomberg version? The standard version is typically what was impressed on people through their early religious and moralistic training. It tends to leave no room to make up your own mind, and when you try to, that can be beset by conflict. On May 27, Mars retrogrades into Scorpio, entering the realm of what is beneath the realm of belief. Scorpio is the level you can't do anything about. One can try to gloss over the core of biological necessity (what Scorpio represents, on one level) with ideas about reality (what Sagittarius represents, on one level). It's also possible to get them into alignment -- to create a belief system for yourself that reflects the deeper truth of what a person is, and what you are, rather than contradicts or attempts to conceal it. And this is what Mars, weaving back and forth between Scorpio and Sagittarius all year, seems to be doing. What I'm calling the core layer, Mars retrograde in Scorpio, can serve as a point of orientation. Start with the biological level of your existence: your body, your feelings, your instincts. What are they telling you?
However, we do have a few possible issues related to pain and the need for healing. One of them is embarrassment. If you feel guilt or shame associated with desire, that's calling for healing -- and to seek that healing you would have to admit your underlying desire. Another is not knowing where to begin your healing process; being overwhelmed with confusion or frustration at where to start. Often this is impacted by repeated failed attempts. That does not mean your desire is wrong. Nor does how often you were told it was wrong, or told others theirs was wrong, make your desire wrong. As Mars makes its way toward Scorpio, the layer of belief between you and your deeper reality is getting thinner and thinner. It will be less easy to rationalize away your emotions. You might ask: why the need for excuses? Why the need for so much religious guilt, both in society and in our families? What, exactly, is the issue? What if you were actually to stand in your desire, and admit it openly? Do you think you would become a savage, insatiable animal? Or could you manage your hunger like an adult -- you know, Chinese, sushi or stay home and boil some spaghetti? The answer may come down to how you feel you will be perceived. It's just strange: craving sushi or spaghetti does not make you a glutton.
Though there are many interesting stops along the way, this discussion is heading to an interesting place. On June 9, Uranus in Aries will make its first of three conjunctions to Eris in Aries. That will turn some energy loose. It's a high point where a potential opening for the issue of self-actualization versus lost in the sauce of glimmer and glamour will make itself known. Even through all that glare, haze and confusion, a touch of reality can get through. On the same day, Mercury in Taurus makes an opposition -- a face-to-face meeting -- with Mars in Scorpio. Mercury will be in direct motion by that time, after a deep period of introspection. I know that my audience is mostly women. Lately I've been revealing a series of teachings I've learned in the process of my tantric studies. Here is one. In sexual relationships, women are the teachers. We are all birthed from the cosmos of the female body and the emotional sphere of the female experience of sex. In this sense, there is something inherently cosmic about female. Honoring this, tantric wisdom suggests that it's women who initiate everyone into birth and, by association, into death; and along the way, into sexual reality. Yet there's a question of what to do in a society where so many women are so injured, feel so broken, are angry at sex, and angry at men. There is a question of what to do when so many women, who are our teachers, have been convinced and continue to convince themselves that they are something other than human.
The thing is, at some point, openly admitted desire must enter the discussion. One cannot teach effectively, and raise the level of consciousness, and be in denial at the same time. A second possibility may be found in men who have made contact with their feminine side -- a great many have. I don't know about you, but I remember when macho and gay were the only choices for men, and only one was legitimate. Many, many men have cultivated their feminine side and have in a sense adopted the preserver energy (inherently female), which has served to preserve the wisdom of women's bodies. It's not merely that all men are not rapists. Rather, it's fair to say that as many men are comfortable with the female body and female emotional realm as are women, and we can seek them out as people who might be helpful in initiating women as teachers. I'm interested in your responses to this theme, which I plan to continue to develop next week and on Planet Waves FM. Please write to me if you have additional thoughts. Lovingly,  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. Finance: Victoria Pomante. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Outreach Co-ordinator: Victoria Bodge. 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 and Carol van Strum.
You're invited to the Planet Waves Boutique Your website and publishing is amazing. Long-time fan. Love your artwork on the books/journals you're providing -- what a great idea. Planet Waves TV rocks and I love the diverse learning format(s). Thank you for your work! Peace. -- Anne Marie Spratt
If you find yourself always wanting more from Planet Waves, visit our boutique full of the best work Eric Francis has to offer: honesty and depth at affordable prices. In addition to Eric's seasonal and birthday readings, you will also find his first-rate classes and long-range readings (such as one for Millennials and their parents). Also, you will find all of the options make great gifts. Your journey never has to end here; in fact, this is just the beginning.  Beautiful Mind, Intelligent Body, Artful Emotions Dear Friend and Reader: This weekend's astrological highlights are definitely emphasizing the tangible ways that you can process your thoughts and emotions. That is, going beyond 'just' thinking or feeling, and involving your body, your environment or some kind of direct contact with others looks like the way to go. I'll give a few examples:
-- Engaging actively in any kind of artistic process, with bonus points for things that get you out from behind the computer screen (painting, drawing, photography, dancing, acting, singing, playing an instrument, sculpture, paper collage...you get the idea). -- Heart-to-heart conversation with a loved one, especially if you can have it while together in person and (if appropriate/comfortable), physically touching. -- Any kind of therapy, astrology, psychology, coaching or spiritual healing session aimed at helping you to understand yourself on a deeper level. -- Experiences, events or spaces that engage your physical senses and your mind in some appreciation of beauty (i.e., museums, poetry readings, live music, attending the theater, strolling through gardens, and so on). What exactly is going on in the sky to suggest this? Retrograde Mercury will conjoin Venus in Taurus Friday at 3:10 pm EDT (19:10 UTC).
Because this conjunction is a meeting of the planet representing intellect and the planet representing love and beauty, emotional understanding of concepts (and yourself) can be best synthesized through the arts, according to astrologer Robert Hand. When you put these planets in Taurus, the earth sign that Venus rules, the 'Venus quotient' gets multiplied, drawing things even more strongly into the realms of the physical, the beautiful and the relational. Feel free to ignore this next bit, but if you have an opportunity to perform in (or watch) some site-specific theater in a park and then lie on the grass discussing with your lover how it reflects insights about the pattern of your relationship, the planets are with you. I suspect that scenario applies to a narrow selection of people, but take from it anything that resonates with you. Incidentally, the factor that really brings in the ideas of an especially deep relationship conversation, or a therapy/astrology/etc. session, is that the Mercury-Venus conjunction makes a trine aspect to Pluto in Capricorn. People often get nervous about Pluto; the idea to bear in mind here is that a trine is an aspect that describes easeful flow. In this case -- with both Mercury and Pluto retrograde -- it seems the flow is moving in the direction of self-understanding, new insights about the past, and how those processes can play a positive, creative role in your relationship conversations. Speaking of flow: technically we have a grand earth trine in effect (though not exact), since Jupiter, newly in direct motion, is within degree range in Virgo. In other words, Jupiter is making trines to Mercury-Venus and to Pluto.
Yet because of the triangular flow of energy, watch for any patterns that start to feel like a loop, rather than moving from emotional insight to expression. Finally, I'd like to note that the Moon, currently in Leo, makes its opening square to the Sun Friday at 1:02 pm EDT (17:02 UTC). This is a clear boost to moving processes and projects into gear, especially if they relate to any of the Mercury-Venus in Taurus themes mentioned. A Leo Moon offers up some extra heart, courage and sociability to help you along. To access those qualities better, it will help to keep pride and ego in check. Saturday the Moon enters Virgo at 1:52 am EDT (5:52 UTC). This looks to me like a reminder to lean your inner processing in the direction of physical/emotional integration (think tangible action), rather than getting caught on the mental plane. This matters especially if you feel yourself getting stuck on incomplete details amidst overall beauty. If so, put that Virgo Moon to work with some in-depth tidying and reorganizing of your home this weekend. It will look better, you will feel better, and you'll have cleared space for what really matters to you. Yours & truly,  Amanda Painter 
By Amanda Painter Planetary retrogrades (especially when the inner planets -- Mercury, Venus and Mars -- are involved) tend to evoke the past. Maybe you find yourself revisiting phases of your life; perhaps people you used to know revisit you; you might notice a vaguely spiral-like pattern as you work through important themes and lessons you thought you'd already learned. Yet retrogrades don't offer a straightforward version of the past, do they? Have you noticed anything vaguely surreal crossing your path (or your mind) lately, or an urge to reframe ideas in bold, new ways? Australian photographer Jane Long's "Dancing with Costica" series (featured here and here by My Modern Met) might spark your imagination. When Long was looking to practice her retouching skills, she happened upon the online Flickr archive of photos by Costica Acsinte, a Romanian war photographer. Acsinte, who died in 1984, had documented WW I using glass-plate negatives, a process that required his subjects to stay very still -- resulting in very few smiles. Yet surely these people felt joy, love and amusement; Long offers that through re-contextualizing them. She not only retouches the images, she colorizes them and performs some digital wizardry to create whimsical (and sometimes unsettling) fantasy images. Explains Long, "I became fascinated with the images and their subjects. I wanted to bring them to life. But more than that I wanted to give them a story." She adds, "I will probably never know the real stories of these people but in my mind they became characters in tales of my own invention…star-crossed lovers, a girl waiting for her lover to come home, boys sharing a fantasy, innocent children with a little hint of something dark."  This Week on Planet Waves FM Map of the World (and Masturbation Month) Dear Friend and Listener: In this week's edition of Planet Waves FM [play episode here], I recap Monday's Mercury transit of the Sun and fill in a few additional approaches to that astrology as a transformational tool. I then fill in the details on what else is moving in the sky right now.
In this segment I return to one of the source documents, The Game by Neil Strauss, wherein the author, on a magazine assignment, infiltrates the "secret society of pickup artists" -- and then becomes one. I deconstruct the techniques he advocates using, as a means of getting a social map of Western civilization. In the third segment, I do my first of two offerings on Masturbation Month, the unofficial celebration of the thing that everyone does. I take it from the viewpoint of how on Earth masturbation still remains so controversial, tracing the controversy back to its probable origins. I introduce masturbation as the perfect tantric tool -- a topic I will return to next week. My musical guest is one of the most gifted musical artists of our lifetimes, Jane Siberry. Have you heard her name? You have now! Have you heard her music? You are about to. I would say sit down, but what I mean is stand up and get ready to spin around the room you're in or the BART or D train you're riding. We are sponsored by your memberships to Planet Waves. Click this link, get out some plastic, and please put some fuel in our tank, in exchange for some clear-headed astrology, horoscopes and commercial-free radio and video. Planet Waves FM is a community radio project that's part of the Pacifica Radio Network. With love, Last Chance for Pre-Order Price on Taurus Reading! All right, Taurus Sun, Rising and Moon (and those who love them): Are you ready? Eric has recorded all segments of the 2016 Taurus Birthday Reading, and the entire package will be available soon. This means you only have until 5:00 pm EDT (New York time) May 13 to snap up this combination reading for the pre-order price of $19.97.
This year's Taurus reading includes two audio segments and two video segments. The video segments are a 10-minute summary and a 20-minute tarot reading; the audio portions contain Eric's main astrological insights for your solar year. Everything is professional quality, and you can listen and watch as many times as you like. "As always, thanks so much for your presence and your work. Your readings have been spot on for me and I have followed you for a long, long time." -- Mary Hart You could not ask for a better gift to give anyone with strong Taurus in their chart who wants to go deeper, see their options and figure out how to use the current astrology to move more effectively through their life. Relationships (both work/business and intimate/romantic), career dynamics, creativity and your healing process are just a few of the essential topics Eric addresses in these birthday readings. With Mercury retrograde in your sign, Mars about to retrograde into your opposite sign (relationship alert!) and the Uranus-Eris conjunction happening in the 'hidden' part of your chart, can you really afford to miss this? "You're amazing, Eric -- and your visionary work is a tremendous boon and inspiration during these volatile times." -- Jost Van Dyke Sign up now for the 2016 Taurus Reading at the pre-order price -- or give it as a gift -- and you won't end up wondering. Yours & truly, Amanda Painter Heart, Soul and Awesomeness: Your Spring Reading "Thanks for putting your heart and soul into what you do. Without a doubt, your work and love enrich my life. Cheers!" -- EllieDear Friend and Client: Mars will retrograde from Sagittarius back into Scorpio on May 27. This shifts the question of "what do you want?" from the level of beliefs to the level of biology; that is, sex and the many facets of sexual desire that are hidden or that we intentionally keep secret -- sometimes even from ourselves.
The 2016 Spring Reading videos can help you to point the light in the right direction. Buy one or two signs or scoop up all 12 at an amazing price. "Excellent piece, Eric. I was a bit apprehensive about this Mars retrograde thing but, now, I’m looking forward to it. And I think that everyone needs a good reappraisal of what they believe and, in fact, I think this is a great time to reconsider everything you believe in." -- Val Vadeboncoeur Whether it really is spring where you are, or whether it's autumn, that the ongoing Mercury retrograde, Mars retrograde and intensifying Uranus-Eris conjunction are undoubtedly making their presence felt in your life. Hopefully these events are illuminating valuable insights for you. You're invited to listen to a complimentary audio introduction to the Spring Reading here. That said, it's in the actual sign readings that Eric really gets cooking. "Eric -- Awesome job! Thank you for this!" -- Christine Marsh Sign up for all 12 signs or one or more individual signs (they make incredible gifts!), and you or your gift recipient will also receive the special written horoscope Eric will create when Mars reaches the midpoint of its retrograde. Yours & truly, Amanda Painter P.S. To order by phone or to ask questions about these video readings, give us a call at (206) 567-4455 or toll-free within the U.S. at (877) 453-8265 and we'll set it up for you. You can also email us at: cs@planetwaves.net  Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes We published your extended monthly horoscope for May on Thursday, April 21. We published your extended monthly horoscope for April on Thursday, March 24. We published your Moonshine horoscope for the Taurus New Moon, by Len Wallick, on Thursday, May 5. 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 May 12, 2016, #1100 | By Len Wallick
 Order your 2016 birthday reading today, and discover how to take full possession of your life and your potential. This audio and video reading works for Aries Sun, Moon or rising -- and makes a great gift too.
 Let Eric's insightful wisdom help you awaken and enliven your mind. Pre-order your 2016 birthday reading now and lock in the best price. Remember: you only have until 5 pm ET tomorrow to get the $19.97 deal.
     Remember to renew or extend your Core Community membership for one year to receive your Planet Waves custom journal. They're available in red, purple, blue and black, while supplies last. Those who upgrade to, renew or extend the Backstage Pass for one year can receive one of my extra-special hand-painted notebooks. To learn more, write to cs@planetwaves.net or call (206) 567-4455.
      
To unsubscribe, click here. To unsubscribe from all future Planet Waves emails, please write to cs@planetwaves.net Copyright © 2016 by Planet Waves, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other copyrights may apply. >> Some images used under Fair Use or Creative Commons attribution. |
