A Little Astrology

[Written: Paris, May 1, 2005]

Dear Readers:

This week and part of next, I will be on holiday, doing some actual celebrating of a decade of horoscope writing, and letting the Sun shine into some of my other creative rooms. So, I’ll be taking time off from writing essays for a few weeks to give my journalism mind a little rest. I’ve written your weekly stars column ahead of time, which are enclosed with this post. Depending on how things work out, there may or may not be a Monday supplement by email. However it will be posted to the subscriber web page. And we have a nice supply of photos on hand to keep the front page moving.

I won’t be doing the subscriber blog for a while; you may have noticed already, but I’ve referred you to some of my favorite horoscopes. Jude, the moderator of our free Political Waves list, will be standing in for me on the front page blog at PlanetWaves.net, and I dare say she will do a far better job than I do. She’s a news junkie like few I’ve met (is that saying something?), and a first class Course in Miracles freak, indeed one of the rare people I’ve met in 18 years of that work who understands the spirit of the material (rather than the letter). This, combined with her tendency to read the entire Internet ever day, combined further with being a true beauty of a human soul, makes her a rare breed, but that is our specialty in the Planet Waves Safari Park.

As for a little astrology. Not much -- just a little

Sunday, May 8, is the Taurus New Moon. That’s the lunar return of the Aries solar eclipse; time does fly. This New Moon wraps up a long cycle of experience that included two eclipses and an extraordinary Mercury retrograde, much intense activity in Aries and on the Aries Point. Taurus is a bit mellower sign, you think?

Anyway, this is quite a beautiful chart, with the Sun, Moon, Venus and Vesta in Taurus. Saturn is in Cancer, making a sextile to the New Moon.

I’ve been contemplating this Vesta involvement for a while; I am still not quite sure what to think, except I can tell you that Vesta has a true gift for giving herself over to something beyond herself. In some respects we are reticent to do this in our society, but we do like to act. Vesta is saying you can give yourself from the depths of your being, and still have yourself.

When we reach to the depths, we often find a lot we were not expecting, and as we become aware, we can make decisions about what to do with it.

This is the Beltane New Moon. Check my Q & A column on Cainer.com for a perspective on Beltane, one of the ancient holidays of the Old Religion. I will add this here. The symbolism and mythology of Vesta are unmistakably sexual. In practice, Vesta has a lot of themes that include 'sublimation' of sexual energy into work. People with a strong Vesta are always dedicated workers. That is part of the story.

Some in this world, by grace, by luck or by effort, reach a state of deep understanding about what it means to give oneself over in the way that Vesta suggests. These myths speak to what is possible within human nature; they are the works of people and reflections of our own minds and feelings; ideas we have about our potential.

The potential of Vesta is true surrender. It is as well the potential to be in awareness of, and willingness to give ourselves to, our true creative fire, and to tend it around the clock with devotion and love. There always seem to be times we squander that fire, but Vesta’s message is to do our best to be in touch with our deepest source, our natural state of inner perfection and the innocence of existence.


Planet Waves Horoscope by Eric Francis
May 6, 2005

Happy Birthday, Taurus!

The New Moon in your birth sign right near your anniversary contains a reminder not to be too self-sacrificing: but rather, to give yourself in a true and honest way. Your life is about you. You are what you have, and more importantly, you are what you share.

People born under the sign Taurus are usually said to be stubbornly self-centered. But like most astrological aphorisms, this has its limits. Taurus, in a state of struggle, can move between a kind of self-possession to what I might call a moderated generosity. And under stress, anyone can completely lose their judgment and composure and thus come out of their center.

At the moment, you seem to be standing on unusually stable ground, particularly compared to what has occurred the past few years. For a complete review of recent history, you might even want to make a chronology of what has occurred since Saturn was in your sign, starting back in June 1998 through October 2001.

These years represent a near-total overhaul of your entire being; your sense of self, your sense of value, and the basic circumstances of your life, your community and your state of mind. This phase ends with the ingress of Saturn in to Leo in July, which represents a new beginning that will wrap up this phase and take you to another place entirely.

I don’t mean this figuratively; for many born under the sign Taurus, Saturn’s movement into Leo will represent a relocation, a move, or some kind of event that puts you onto your own turf and living entirely on your own terms rather than those of people who have influenced you in the past. Which is just one of many factors in your chart suggesting that you have a rapidly evolving relationship to your own history: evolving as in taking many steps beyond.

This weekend’s New Moon is a truly positive sign. The implication is that you will have yourself, so that you may give yourself. Just look around at how many people try to do one without doing the other. It’s not a pretty sight. But your position in life is so stable and so promising that you have every right to live without making such extreme compromises of your integrity.

There is only so possessive of ourselves we can be, and still have anything to share with others. There is only so much we can pour out and still have a sense of existence. You need to know what to hold onto, what to let go of, and what to share, and honor that language like it matters. It is possible to hold the perfect balance, which gives you room to make decisions.

Remember, you’re not in this alone. Having your own values system in order allows you to receive clearly when others make you an offer. And something of that sort looks like it’s in the offing. I trust that you’ll reward the exceptional generosity you're about to be offered by a close friend or associate that will likely help you make a significant breakthrough in your life.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
It's true that money is not everything, and that some people who were raised extremely wealthy are often out of touch with what many other people go through trying to survive. Money does not guarantee happiness. It's true that the drive to make a buck leads some people to sell their souls. For you, however, your personal wealth and what you do with it are of the utmost importance now. To the extent that you are bestowed with abundance, you need to ask the question: who or what is my power serving? Does this reflect my deepest values?

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
You may find yourself feeling an unusual depth of dedication to an ideal, or to something you feel is greater than yourself. You may have suddenly decided you know what your most passionate desires are. And you may feel like your awareness of these things is rising fast. If so, I would say you're right on time. Your deepest hopes and dreams may be burning like fire in your heart right now. Let them burn and feel the heat. You are often one who can hold the idea of what you want in your mind, but when it comes time to make it real, you balk because it's not practical or involves a sacrifice. I'm here to tell you the time has come to be bold about what you want and need.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You are working with a good balance of practical dreamer and raging idealist energy, particularly where a professional situation is concerned. Work with both consciously; the breakthrough for which you're headed will require quite a lot in the way of grounding, resources and a solid foundation. But those things cannot be the guide or set the limits. To get this particular job done, you'll have to go past what you perceive as the boundaries of your abilities, skills or vision. Just remember, you are not reinventing your career. You are reinventing yourself.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
The past few weeks have presented quite a few challenges where dealing with others is concerned. Clashes in ideology, sorting out fact from fiction, and dealing with people who have some strong viewpoints have all been part of the game of life. That's about to change. It's as if you've passed a test to see whether you could withstand high energy and people who test your patience. If you can keep your cool for the next few days, you may find that the territory of your life opens up and that you are experiencing the benefits of true self-confidence.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Nobody can say you lack dedication, talent or faith in the people around you. But you may need to go out of your way to express that you believe in them, while at the same time reminding yourself that you are doing the best possible job when it comes to holding up your end of the deal. People have high expectations of you precisely because you set such high standards for yourself. It seems appropriate at this juncture that everyone adjust their expectations and ease off on unnecessary pressure. Life is complex enough without it.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
It's all fine and good if a domestic partner goes through their changes or has to blow off steam, but don't be pushed into a situation that's not right for you. At the same time, you seem to be in a position where others may try to push you into doing something you don't have the guts to do yourself. Still, there's a boundary issue that must be resolved: whose property are certain emotional matters that may go back quite a long time? This needs to be sorted out as carefully as possible, based on real and tangible evidence that no one may accept but you.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Remember where your true loyalties reside and you'll have the opportunity to strike an entirely new deal that includes you in a greater portion of the benefits of your work. Understanding your ideas about loyalty is very much the key. To whom, or to what, do you have a kind of silent oath that you feel you cannot break? Or, looked at a different way, where do you give yourself, and get nothing in return? It is true that you are compelled to go deeper into your relationships, and to seek most of your learning there. Just be selective, and make sure people are as kind to you as you are to them.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
You simply must deal with your own insecurities. It's not that others won't coddle you along; they probably will. But what good is that if you deny yourself the growth that you need. This is fine if you expect others to support the parts of your psyche that only had you in their grip yesterday. You simply must find new emotional territory, establish new patterns, and remember that who you are is really a collection of feelings that can either be in harmony or in conflict. Love is the sign of harmony; fear is the sign of conflict. Listen to those signals, and find your way home. You can get there, and you will.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
In a few days, Gemini becomes host to the one and only planet Venus. I would dare say she’ll be singing your tune. You have been through quite a lot in certain relationships lately, and as of this particular date, things may still not have resolved themselves. But I see you headed for a breakthrough and the resulting rewards, if you are able to sort out what I will bluntly call truth from lies; desires from false wishes; and more than anything, if you are truly willing to redefine what it means to be safe. It's not that a lot of people are counting on you. You are counting on you.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Keep at it. Ideas find their way into the world, but it often takes significant work before they find their way into manifestation. The real breakthrough is not the concept when it comes to us, but rather when we find a way of fully integrating it into our lives in a way that roots it into reality. Work at what you are doing every day. Develop your ideas. Fill a notebook, stay up late playing with test tubes, or play that piece of music over and over again until you get it exactly right. You are directly on the way to what you are looking for.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Love is always a risk. This is true. But the real question is what we are risking. And that question deserves an answer. Many would say that we are risking getting hurt. I would say we risk something else in equal measure: that our belief system which says that love is impossible will collapse and leave us standing in the cosmic void. Many people cling to their belief systems whether they serve or not. I don't suggest you do this at all. Take the chance. Dare to hold yourself worthy of all that you think is possible. Then, dare to move your heart, your soul, and your feet.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
It is true that Pisces can take a God-awful long time to get to the place he or she wants to be. And it's true that little fish can get lost in the big ocean of life. But then, there is the moment of arrival, and you are very close to home. Can you feel it? Can you tell something is about to shift? It's very likely that those who are resisting the developments that are fast approaching may be feeling frustration or pain. If that is true, give it up and let the good things happen in your life, and trust that the changes that are afoot will work entirely in your favor. But for the bold and the daring, this is the week to make your deepest desires known, to act on them, and to trust.

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