Beyond the Book of Jobs

   "Love, work, and knowledge are the wellsprings of our lives.
     They should also govern it." -- Wilhelm Reich

SINCE PROPOSING an article on 'using astrology to find the perfect job' in my PS to this week's gift subscription pitch (call 877-453-8265 to order), I've gotten a few emails back urging me to get on with the show. And I've been getting tons of questions to the Cainer Q & A page asking things like, What the heck am I supposed to be doing with my life? So we will begin this week, with the Sun still in Sagittarius, indeed, at the peak of Sagittarius with the Sun conjunct the core of the galaxy (exact Saturday). This discussion is very much apropos of Capricorn, and will continue into that sign. Astrology has a lot to offer the discussion of profession, both in theory (the best we can do without your individual chart) and in practice (as we take the discussion to the level of your personal chart, on a self-study basis).

I think we must, through this discussion, remember the times in which it is happening. Western societies are swimming in a period of change, instability, and to some real extent, collapse and re-emergence. That means we are all on some level participating in these developments, consciously or not. Many are asking: What can I do to help, to participate in the birthing process, and to be present for the whole process of change?

This is, perhaps, a bold question, but it's also a sure sign that anyone asking it is awake and alert, and has recognized that their individual life is part of the larger life of the cosmos. Our lives are not separate; but then comes the process of integrating the two hemispheres in some form of choice, action or participation in a way that everyone benefits. This is a very exciting time to be making life choices, and change always creates opportunity.

In the gesture of choosing the right thing to do, or embarking on the search, we exercise something called freedom, shaky and tentative though it may be. At the moment, freedom is an extremely elusive concept for most people. Remember how much duct tape and plastic wrap has been sold. Remember how good Homeland Security makes some people feel. We live in times when it's stylish to absolutely freak out at the possibility of making free choices, or stepping over the imaginary red line of fear. I assure you that everyone who has ever accomplished anything they felt was significant has crossed this line and entered the territory beyond it. And as my father says, we are a world of watchers. Work means taking part in life, not watching.

In one aspect of nurturing and developing our mission on Earth, we hold a vision, no matter how wild; in another, we act in purely practical ways. This is another way of saying that Capricorn and Sagittarius need one another. Sagittarius offers the vision, ethics, and scholarship, and is the place where the soul comes pouring through -- it's a fire sign; Capricorn gives the application in the world of commerce, politics, and society -- an earth sign. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, and Capricorn by Saturn. Often these energies are viewed as adversaries. Years ago someone said to me, if you want to understand these two planets, think of God's hands working on a bowl at a pottery wheel. Jupiter is the hand inside the bowl pushing outward so it doesn't collapse on itself; Saturn is the hand outside the bowl, providing the structure that holds the bowl up.

Transposing this lovely metaphor to 3-D, Sagittarius offers the far-reaching possibilities, a sense of mission, and not caring whether something is possible; Capricorn becomes the framework through which we express those things, finding certain limits in the practical world, but also gaining the means of expression: the tools and apparatus. Right now, we're right on the line between these two signs.

Before I go much further -- and by the way, I only plan to introduce this topic today, and so will limit myself to 8,500 words to save Internet bandwidth -- I must admit that I cringe a little every time I hear someone say they are looking for a job. This is not to say that people don't find really cool jobs; most of us have had at least one. Rather, I feel enormous compassion for the creativity and individuality that most people are struggling to express, and I often get the feeling that the whole concept of a 'job' is an unlikely way to get there -- at least as most people think of it. At least, we need to think of it differently.

And people often sound so miserable when they say, "I need to get a job."

I would say, though, that the 'perfect' job is a way to get to where you want to be: that is, a means of earning money through which you express who you are and which gives you room to grow (vital), and/or is a means of supporting yourself that is pleasant enough, interesting enough, and leaves you with enough time and energy to do what else you love. We live in the era of many people having two or three jobs that meet none of these qualifications. In fact, I hear nervous laughter rising from the audience. What's worse, most people don't associate their daily work with what they want to contribute to the world, nor do we often get a chance to truly do something we are proud of, whether for its high quality or its excellent effects.

At best, most people like an aspect of their work: maybe it's interesting one day a week, or they like the clients in the dental office and that makes it bearable. We can do better. I'd like to use astrology to plot the way forward, into the present -- but first, I think it's a good idea to look back at the past, our individual past, and ask the question: when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I'll share a little of my story; our professional lives have a storyline, and it's good if we know what that story is in a way other than our resume. One's resume is usually an outline of our work history that's marked more by its omissions than by what's there. You need a resume, and you need the real story for your own reference.

Doing Dr. Seuss's "My Book About Me" was the first time I was polled about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered: artist. I can still see my five-year-old handwriting scrawled in big capital letters. I often remember this.

Still a kid, I went through a phase of wanting to be an ob/gyn (um, to deliver babies -- seriously; I hung a shingle on my door, read a lot of medical books and slept next to the Periodic Table of the Elements, which I would study every night before falling asleep). Next, I embarked on a very long defense lawyer phase. F. Lee Bailey was my hero. I took the O.J. trial hard. Then right before high school, I discovered journalism when I became editor of the summer camp newspaper, The Thunderbird (at Camp Timberlake, a Quaker camp in Plymouth, Vermont). This is also where I became Quaker. It was a big summer.

All along, I was becoming a more dedicated and proficient chef, and I also liked dining rooms and waiting tables quite a bit. I've held many restaurant jobs and trained with some very cool chefs. Cooking was one of my most important ways of expressing my independence as a kid, and this emerged, I think, from a nutritional disorder I have, called celiac. Later on, I was accepted at the Culinary Institute of America. But journalism and publishing (including the whole mechanical part, typesetting, designs, darkrooms, etc.) got me going like nothing else before, and I've been doing both pretty consistently since about 16 years old.

When I was about 12, I wrote a book called "How To Become a Pro Football Player At Home In Your Spare Time," with a matching matchbook cover featuring Joe Namath missing a tooth. This was a parody.

It's funny how some things are revealed early on; I was 18 when I did my first major article on dioxin, as a student, on the proposed resettlement of the contaminated Love Canal neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY. Dioxin-like chemicals later came to be my sole identity as an investigative journalist, and I am still in occasional contact with two of the people I interviewed for that first article in 1983. Lawyers, particularly environmental and civil rights attorneys, have been some of the most important people in my life, and my professional life -- and among my best sources and inspirations. They have protected my journalism with great consistency. I am still fascinated by the law and the courts, and take every possible opportunity to talk to a lawyer; I consider them modern-day rabbis, that is, learned men and women. Every now and then a little voice in my mind comes on and says, "You could still go to law school, you know." And I say, "No, thank you."

Through college, doing much journalism (from Gonzo to serious investigative), magazine editing and political work, my first mature career goal was to be either managing editor of a national newsmagazine (probably Time), or United States Senator from New York State. Hillary now has the job that I once wanted. She can keep it.

In 1986, on the verge of graduating college, everything changed: I had a serious incident on the drug Ecstasy, which sent me into a partial mental breakdown. This was at the peak of my Chiron first square, though I had no idea. At the same time, a fairly major political campaign I had engineered was in hot water, though we pulled through. But suddenly I plainly saw the necessity for politicians to lie, and, having tasted that fruit, I knew then that I didn't want to live that kind of life. Meanwhile, Chernobyl was spewing radiation around the world, and I knew that, at some point, I would need to work on environmental issues full time. Yet at that moment, I was immobilized, physically and mentally. From that place, I found A Course in Miracles and commenced my 'formal' spiritual path. All the old bets were off.

Around this time, during a meditation, I saw myself in a vision. I was seated on a ledge, looking out at the stars through a window in the universe. I had no idea what this meant, but I drew it in my journal.

My spiritual work became a major part of my life; I brought out three books of poetry, self-published. At the same time, for the next five years, I went full-throttle into a career as an independent journalist and publisher, doing two of those years as a political reporter and trade journal editor (I covered the liquor industry and the AMA). In 1989, right after the coronation of King George 1st, I quit my last job, headed to the mountains of New Paltz, and founded Student Leader News Service -- providing news to student newspapers across New York State. The Associated Press showed up and interviewed me and my new friends about our project. Just about every daily newspaper in the state carried the story. This was very cool.

One morning in 1991, I was awakened by the sound of fire engine sirens going right past my girlfriend Sabine's window. These were fire trucks responding to the electrical disaster at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where the campus was at that moment becoming contaminated with PCBs and dioxins. Through the end of 1994, I devoted my life to covering these chemicals. That culminated with this article:

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200103/conspiracy.asp

This piece, which took two years to write, came out exactly at my Chiron opposition -- as exact as the events of 1986 [bad trip, Chernobyl, political campaign, graduation] came with my Chiron first square. Though I had found some real successes as a reporter (the Sierra piece was a major watershed, The New York Times was also covering my work, and Woodstock Times gave my articles page one placement many weeks) I was deeply frustrated. The closer to the truth my investigations got, the less people seemed to care. One day around that time, in the fall of 1994 in fact, I quit investigative reporting and decided that it was time to be an astrologer. My background was seven years of Tarot practice, A Course in Miracles, nine months of astrology study, some therapy, and three years of reading Patric Walker columns in stark and utter amazement. This last one was the credibility factor -- for astrology, that is.

Through all this, there were plenty of struggles. My father seemed never to approve (we get along great now, but I learned self-respect). Investigative journalism seems to never not be an uphill struggle. Mean people resist. I was emotionally very unhealthy -- but I had started therapy and got lucky with an unusually talented therapist. At one point I had to sue New York State, which had banished me from the New Paltz campus. Many of these years I had to scrounge for money, though friends would often help (thank you Chris, Jerry, Aunt Josie). I got arrested covering stories a few times (the charges were always dismissed; thank you Mike Sussman and others). Mainly, I kept going, six or seven days a week. Writing kept me grounded. It still does.

"Keep writing and eating food," I tell young writers now. That's what it takes.

Can we really explain any of this? Do we need to?

Perhaps. I have Chiron in Pisces right on my midheaven. Think: diversity; intensity; service; something unusual; breaking the rules; and something a bit desperate to heal -- on the midheaven, meaning something collective, dealing with the body politic. More of my planets form a streak in Aquarius across the 9th house (scholarship, international affairs, the higher courts, religion, libraries and computer networks); then through Pisces into my 10th, the house of government, corporations and one's own professional life. I also have Vesta (obsessive service; transference of relationship energy into work) conjunct my Aquarius Moon (humanity, science, and invention -- in the 8th, the occult, secrets, sexuality, addicted to intensity).

I think I live my chart; but somehow that didn't take astrology to do. Astrology just helped things makes more sense. It was in the moment that I saw the extent to which I was living my chart, particularly discovering those Chiron transits, that I had no choice but to dive all the way into astrology and really learn to do it well. I vividly remember standing in my friend Pat's kitchen with the timeline of the transits in my hand, staring at the page. That was the actual moment of my conversion.

It is, of course, best to live your chart, no matter what chart you have. You don't need an 'exciting' chart, but if you want good, fulfilling work you do need to access the resources you happen to have, work with the limitations that you have, and fulfill the mission you need to fulfill. To do one's real work, there is a necessary element of, 'I must do what must be done', and generally it's not a conscious thought. It is intuitive, and we all know how easy it is to ignore intuition.

One hurdle many people need to leap over is that one's true work is not just about oneself. There is part of us that says, 'This is going to be about me!' Self-awareness is essential, but it's just the beginning. Work is about the people you help, whose lives you touch, the ones you are involved with, those you serve and those who serve you. In this process, there is not a lot of room for what some call 'ego'. There is a lot of give and take.

Then, the money aspect must be addressed. Many, many people have this feeling that they don't want to be paid for the good that they do. And I ask: So should you only be paid for the evil?

Given all this, you can be sure that I don't have anything vaguely resembling a normal outlook on careers. And you can see why I am perfectly qualified to write Planet Waves. Hopefully I can put this mild touch of madness to work for you. Normal is boring.

Here's the real nut: I never believed that my actions don't matter. Never for a day, going back to when I was really little. The first phone call I made on my own, not counting 411 two minutes earlier, was to the City of New York, to complain about a traffic problem on my street. It never occurred to me that the city would not care. New York City! I wish I had a tape of that.

I've also been willing to ask for help, to receive that help, and to offer help where I can. If you want to do your best work, get used to this. You have to be a bit of a politician -- the real kind, who gives in the spirit of giving, and who asks for favors in the spirit of solving his constituent's problems. You have to test the boundaries of life, and to set up your organization, and work the system a bit.

As for astrology -- I have seen some stunning successes working with clients who experienced awesome professional developments in the context of chart work. Most of these were the result of using their biography and their astrology to determine exactly, precisely what it was they wanted or needed to do now. Then I would say, Yeah, sure, you can do that, or, Why not? It's a big world; you can find that. Then, remarkably, it has had a way of happening.

Most people face an inner block: we somehow became convinced something (or anything) we want is impossible. Some authority figure said it, or the world conspired against us; that block needs to be addressed. Sometimes it's fear. The fear needs to be addressed.

Often there is the factor of patience: once the goal is set, getting there can take time and faith. But it usually takes less time and that faith comes far more easily when there is some enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is essential. Enthusiasm, in terms of its Greek roots, means filled with entheos -- the living spirit of God. The poet Adrienne Rich once wrote, "Language is a map of our failures."

I used to run a resume service, as one of my side businesses. My clients and I worked on those resumes. We made them creative, assertive and glowing like metal; and they got the right results -- in every case. A well done resume goes a lot further than your average one, and by well done, I mean well-written. We would also rehearse job interview skills and plot strategy. These are vital skills, and they can be learned. I also did a lot of motivational coaching for my resume clients, and not so bad typesetting. I charged about $10 an hour for this.

My sense is that as long as you're striving to do what you're good at, and what turns you on, you can succeed and have fun. Yes, the labor market is saturated, but it's saturated with mediocrity. So fire up your engines; sharpen your pencils; pull up your socks; and remember that old line from Hunter S. Thompson, the doctor of journalism: when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

Oh, did I mention passion? One's real work always comes with a measure of this, often a lot. Passion is heartfelt lust. Passion is the need to get the job done magnificently. But we live in such a blasé, dispassionate world. People think the world is a Gap ad, where you stand around posing. You're going to need to figure this part out: your real work, or doing any work well, involves following your passion. You absolutely, positively must have fun. In this spirit, the sign on my front door says, "Lick Bush."

What you do has to turn you on. I am aware of how nervous some people get when they get turned on. Get over it! You've got work to do. And please don't worry what your friends or your sister in Kansas City will think.

I'm going to start the do-it-yourself part of this project with proposing three exercises, pre-astrology. If you'd like to work through this process, I suggest you start a notebook, and I'll propose some journaling exercises, and then some astrology exercises next week.

1. What is the history of what you wanted to be when you grew up? How did that play out in school, and after school? What did your parents tell you should be, or that you would be good at? What do you know about their choice of careers, or lack thereof? Break each of these parts down please.

2. What is the history of what you actually did for work? In all walks of life: school, early jobs, volunteer work, professional positions you had for ten years or three days, personal creative work, hobbies and so on. What do you feel you have accomplished? ('Nothing' is not an acceptable answer.) What awards, honors and promotions have you had?

3. What are your talents? I call this the personal resources inventory. Include everything from planting tulip bulbs to your knack for fixing the dishwasher; from typing 41 words per minute to not being terrified of the Windows 98 operating system; from giving good massages to writing convincing notes to your kid's principal; if you can play one song on the ukulele, include it.

And if you don't have it -- please get your natal chart from Astro.com. We will be needing it. Next week, I'll discuss the difference between the 6th house of work and service, and the 10th house of your profession and achievements.

-- Continued next week --

Mercury Storm upon Solstice
Adapted from http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/eric.html

The days have pretty much stopped getting shorter at this point (here in the northern part of the globe, opposite Down Under). While the solstice has not technically arrived, practically speaking we are in solstice; the Sun ('sol') is holding at a little over 23 degrees south declination ('-stice', as in stasis or stillness). This is an extreme in every sense of the word; our minds and bodies are wondering where the Sun went, even though we have a nifty technical explanation based on the angle of the globe toward the rays of the Sun.

At the same time, this is the week that the Sun and Earth align with the Galactic Core -- the heart of the Milky Way, our galaxy. This is exact on Saturday, which in my estimation accounts for a large aspect of the intensity of this particular season (see special birthday report, below). Today, Dec. 17, is the anniversary of the Wright Brothers first powered flight at Kitty Hawk.

Mercury, still retrograde, is slow and powerful in the Sagittarius sky, and returns to direct motion Monday in an exact conjunction to Ixion (a planet that to me with the keywords, 'that which we are all capable of') on Monday, Dec. 20. Mercury is both slow, and in the process of changing directions. Beware of the Mercury storm, which surrounds the station by about three days on either side! Don't mess with your computer over the weekend or through late next week, if you can at all avoid it. Just leave it alone. The chances are it will fix itself; and if not, the fix will be a lot, a LOT easier next week. If you must, begin with making two careful backups of your most important files, and getting a couple of opinions.

I realize a lot of gadgets are being sold, as this is Christmas season. It will be very interesting to hear the stories of how these bits of technology wound up working for people.

The Sun enters Capricorn the morning of Dec. 21 in the states; afternoon in Europe. This is the official winter solstice -- commencement of winter in the north and summer in the south. It is a meaningful turning point that you can feel in your body; you don't need me, or a book, to feel this shift, if you tune in and notice. Local history, the history of our times, turns a corner, and we turn the corner with it.

 Safe holiday travels, cousins and friends. Walk lightly in the light.


Galactic Core Birthdays

While I've managed use my staggering media influence to get a global buzz going around the Sun's current conjunction to the Galactic Core, I don't have any cut-and-dried interpretations for what this says for individuals born during this stretch of the solar year. I would say that if you're born any time in late Sagittarius or very early Capricorn, you're in range of born conjunct the GC, though this point may be influencing all of Sagittarius and Capricorn, which in many ways function as two aspects of one process. Think of all the religious and spiritual connotations of both these signs.

This is, however, an aspect where the imagery lends itself to some speculation or perhaps inspiration. And, like, observation. If this alignment means anything at all, we're going to be finding out about it now.

Let's start with a visual: the photo here is a galaxy like ours, and the bulge at the center is the core of the Sombrero Galaxy, located down the block from Sears:

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

When we say the Sun is "in a sign," what we mean is that the Earth is in the opposite sign, and the Sun appears to be in space in the direction of that particular region. It's aligned with that part of space, and we presume, drawing in the energy coming from that direction. This may be entirely symbolic, but there are actually things in those directions to which the Sun relates, at least geographically. When the Sun appears to be in Sagittarius, from the viewpoint of the Earth we are looking into the middle of our spiral galaxy, toward the core. And each year between Dec. 15 and 19 (approximately, with a peak on the 17th or 18th), the Sun is exactly conjunct the Galactic Core. From an astrological standpoint, on these days the GC and the Sun are one and the same.

The Sun is fused with the massive cluster of stars at the core of the Milky Way. If you're born this time of year, you're born 'under the star' of the Galactic Core.

It's interesting how rarely this is visualized, spoken of by pop astronomy, discussed by astrologers, or considered at all. When we think of space, we generally think of the planets, and then the much bigger universe; but the goings-on, and the mystery, of our particular galaxy is left out of the discussion.

Whatever that something is must play a prominent role in the lives of people born in this range of birthdays. Fixed stars (to which the GC is very much analogous) have long played a role in our astrology, and in centuries past their positions were considered carefully in any interpretation.

I would say that based on the many factors we have here, the GC has something to do with the mysteries of our origins, and some truly deep knowledge about our human nature. It may relate directly to our experiences of God, of soul and of higher self -- which the sign Sagittarius has long been associated with.

When I work with people born on these birthdays, I am listening carefully for what, in their experience, relates to the feeling of being 'beyond'. How do they see the world, what do they feel about their origins, and what's their sense of the purpose of their life? The interesting thing is that this is as likely to have a scattering or overwhelming effect as it is to have a focusing effect. Conjunctions to the Sun are always intense, and this is a conjunction with about 100 billion stars!

It also works out that this is right near the Sun's position at the Winter Solstice, and thus in a clear angle to the Sun's position at all of the equinoxes and solstices. The GC may be a significant piece of the puzzle of why these first degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn), which begin the seasons, have so much influence in astrology.

I searched my chart files for late Sagittarius birthdays and found nothing that stood out quick and easy. To do this more comprehensively, I'll need to search the whole range between late mutable signs and early cardinal signs, as well as search those dates in history. This would be a fine project for a couple of Saggophile research assistants with some good astrology software. Any volunteers?

This year, birthdays in this range of dates have anniversaries under the waxing Moon, which creates a sense of momentum, development and independence.

These anniversaries also fall in the midst of Mercury stationing direct. They can plan on many changes of direction, workings out, and rearrangements of relationship. If this seems to be going on outside them, it's pretty much an illusion; there is something deep within people born on these dates that is going through a shift; the inner space of 'other' in the psyche.

Jupiter's placement in Libra promises to be only supportive; this is a placement that bestows recognition, cooperation and satisfying social involvements. It's also about receiving the monetary rewards of professional activities.

Chiron's presence in your 2nd solar house has been at the root of several years of sorting out value, values and resources, including wealth -- and it would seem about time for these efforts to be in the season of bearing their fruits. And though Saturn's presence in your solar 8th house may seem to have brought limits in partnerships, it will be clear before long that Saturn has delivered some lasting associations that will prove to be vitally important during the next five years as your star continues to rise.

Interactions with loved ones, partners and collaborators now take the highest level of priority in your life. Looked at one way, you realize you cannot do it alone. Looked at another, you see that you never really did it alone. The difference now is the need for having a fully conscious appreciation of the dramatic role that people play in your life, in influencing your views, and in helping you be the person you are -- or rather, in becoming the person you are becoming. You're never one to stay put for long, or to stagnate. Yet the rate at which you are changing your mind is really an expression of how your soul is revealing its intent and its mission to you now. Deep stuff, but you were made for it.


Planet Waves by Eric Francis
Weekly for Friday, December 17, 2004
Horoscope #537

Aries (March 20-April 19)
It would appear that a key theme of the past few seasons has been you needing to keep up with the changes of someone close to you, or perhaps everyone close to you. But at this point you would do well to ask whether their changes have been in some strange and alien direction, or whether they have become more accessible, clear-headed and liberated from their many hang-ups. One thing that's clear is that you needed some impetus to change and grow, and you got it. This is a rare and fine time to see how much you have in common with someone with whom you'd be pleased to stand on common ground.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
Have you thought consciously about how nice it would be if you could finally stop pushing? This has not been a 'go with the flow' phase of your life; it has been more like a mountaineering expedition, or a trip through the secret initiation gateways to the soul described in some ancient Indian text. Having passed through each of these initiations, you have been reborn in a form where you have nothing to lose. But I ask you: what exactly did you have to lose in the first place? What was it that you clung to so dearly, calling it the one thing you needed to maintain your peace of mind?

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You would probably concede the point that while progress has come in some very strange forms in the past two weeks, it has come. The main thing you have going for you is the ability to see people and situations as if you're wearing high-contrast glasses, which exaggerate all their features. This effect will fade as the Sun enters Capricorn next week, but then you get to put the information to work when the time comes to negotiate your way out of and into various situations in your life. There is a simple key to success: remember who you are talking to at all times.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
The recent New Moon has set off a variety of changes from which there is no turning back, but the day has not yet arrived when you can move forward on all the plans you need, with all your soul, and make progress. Give that a little time. These last few days before the Sun enters your opposite sign, Capricorn, are a good time to ask yourself some soul-searching questions about what you really want from life, far deeper than what your day-to-day activities promise to deliver. It is true that your work is always meaningful; but something else now requires your full attention.

Leo (July 22-Aug 23)
There are certainly quite a few creative seeds taking root in your garden, and the current cycle of your life bears the gift of allowing them to come into bloom. That you may not have critical acclaim or be seeing much in cash from your projects at this moment means nothing. What matters is that you devote your whole heart to each idea as it comes, and not be afraid to change your mind when you discover a better way of going about things. No matter how impassioned an idea may be, imagination and ingenuity need one another dearly, and they are about to have one another.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
For such a mentally oriented person, it's interesting how frequently the themes of Virgo charts involve your emotional wellbeing and security needs. A particular situation now working itself out in your home has been quite challenging, but you've risen to the occasion -- and unexpected help has arrived. In the end, I trust you'll see that a lot more good will come from this situation than the inconveniences it may have caused. And the moral of the tale is that often true security is a creature of the mind and not the material world.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
If confusion is the state before enlightenment, then chaos should lead to becoming the Buddha. You may think that the bottom has fallen out of certain plans or projects, but if so, you are only seeing part of the picture. You need to invest some creativity into looking at the greater possibilities that the world is offering you. I say this recognizing that you may feel like you're in a serious pinch, and that you don't have an inch to wiggle. Yet at its heart, this struggle is caused by narrow thinking and not for lack of potential. The one thing you need the most, you have in your hands.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
It's certainly taken long enough to realize how much you value a particular person in your life. Fortunately for you, this is a person whose patience has few limits. That's good because there are those moments when you'll continue to have your doubts, particularly around certain financial aspects of the arrangement. But money has little power when compared to love, and love has a way of attracting the resources we need. So don't let your fears guide you; follow your heart and you'll have more than enough of what you need.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Certain personal matters may not work out as fast as you'd like, or in quite the way you'd like, but that will not stop them from working out better than you imagined. You will see, soon enough, what appear to be reasons for the delay. But it could be stated simply that people are not ready until they are ready. You have no reason to doubt their willingness or commitment. In fact, if anyone is, you're more likely the one who comes up shaky on the emotional level, but not for long. If you remind yourself you have the right to change your mind, you'll be much less likely to do so.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
It's amazing how far a certain professional issue has progressed in so little time. It should also be clear by now that your reputation has come a long way from recent days when you were filled with deeply troubling self-doubt, surrounded by people who seemed to take pleasure in throwing obstacles in your path. You are learning something very helpful in this world: how to play the game. Of all the skills in life, a knack for the political is among the most useful; and though this has come at the cost of much experience, in the end I am sure you'll agree it was really a gain.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
For as many times as you feel like the black sheep in the family, when you find your proper place in the world you have a way of becoming a true leader of the people. But don't let your drive for integrity get the better of you. For now, you need to present one idea about your goals to the world, while keeping in mind an entirely different agenda. Popularity may not be everything, but right now it counts for a lot, besides which your real plans are not quite ready for public consumption. By the time they are, you'll be more than glad you kept them under your hat.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You're well ahead of the curve on professional matters, which accounts for why certain partners or associates seem to be lagging behind. In fact, this has done little to hinder you or cause actual delays. By the time your plans pick up momentum right after the holidays, you'll see the value of having revised, rehearsed and worked through your agenda so many times. What's most important right now is that you present yourself to the world with full confidence, and as the one person with the most solid faith in your own talents. The self-doubt for which you are famous is not always an asset.

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Planet Waves for Friday, Dec. 17, 2004

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