To The Core: Sagittarius Secrets Revealed, act two

EACH YEAR in late [Northern Hemisphere] autumn, just before the winter holidays, the passage of time seems to be compressed. Socially, this involves the rush to complete year-end commitments and the pressures associated with holiday obligations. Seasonally, the days are brief and growing shorter, creating the sense of shrinking time and giving the illusion that it's midnight when it's really eight in the evening. For many, energy wanes with the amount of available sunlight.

But astronomically, there's another fact to consider: the Sun is aligning with the core of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. We live in a cluster of a few hundred billion stars (nobody is sure exactly how many), and at the core is an enormous concentration of stellar energy, potent radio signals on many spectra (including a lot of infrared) and surges of gamma ray radiation.
 
When we face the Sun this time of year, this is what we are facing into; the Sun is like a condenser, resonating with the galaxy and redistributing its energy to us; and the overall effect is very intense. The feeling is like a cosmic storm from which there is no easy shelter. We just need to let the energy surge through us and around us, and be as open, expanded and conductive as possible.
 
Welcome to Sagittarius.

This article is continued at Astrology Secrets Revealed:

http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/eric.html


Review: Deep Space Astrology CD

I'm often asked where to go for resources on interpreting galactic points: the Galactic Core, the Great Attractor, black holes, quasars, and other strange and modern discoveries. Do these points have astrological significance? They do, and information on the subject is available on a CD-R called The Galactic Trilogy by Philip Sedgwick. The interesting things is, these points are not as difficult to work with as you may think, and for those who have a natural sensitivity to energy will find this an appealing field of spiritual work to dive into.

Sedgwick is one of the pioneers in the field of deep space astrology, and he's a fine writer and solid communicator. The only reason I say he's not the very pioneer is because who knows, there must be someone else who has covered this territory, but if there is, I have not encountered his or her work. Phil was one of the first astrologers to begin working with Chiron (he was invited to write the introduction to the first edition of Barbara Hand Clow's book, Chiron, Rainbow Bridge) and is generally excellent at deciphering new discoveries.

He does well what astrology teachers need to do: gets you started with a clear idea, on which you can build based on your own experiences and observations. With astrological thought, the beginning counts for a lot. This is particularly true when the essence of newly-discovered points is an energetic idea or expression that has not been considered before by astrology. The galactic points are not really describing "space"; they are describing human characteristics and experiences using space as a kind of elaborate metaphor. Project this to the galactic scale and you get some interesting insights into human nature and growth process.

This particular CD covers the galactic stuff rather than the Centaurs. The disk is available from Phil's homepage, and it includes everything you need to get started: where to find the objects in your chart, friendly, accessible discussions of the energies that the points are associated with, and some excellent discussions of the astronomy. For those who don't want to spring for the full cost of the Trilogy, the galactic interpretations are available in The Soul of the Sky.

Phil also publishes The Galactic Times, which his sent free to subscribers and is a fun, useful and informative newsletter.

To find out more, please visit: http://philipsedgwick.com/


The Planets and the Moon

Mercury is direct. After a Mercury station, it always takes time to get accustomed to the new quality of energy, and as the little varmint picks up speed, there may be a flurry of after-retrograde effects, some of which will be surprising solutions to situations that emerged before or during the backslide. We will have one more shift associated with this cycle when Mercury re-enters Sagittarius on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Mars stations direct in Taurus VERY soon, the morning of Saturday, Dec. 10 in Europe and late the night of Friday, Dec. 9 in the United States. In Australia, it's the evening of Dec. 10. So, for the next week or two, with the Moon waxing and many other changes in progress, we are under the influence of the Mars station.

Mars stations are intense, and in Taurus, the station direct can possess much of the hologram of the entire retrograde process, particularly on a global scale. This phenomenon was covered in an excellent article called "Whole Mars Review" by Arwynne O'Neill on Planet Waves, which I will link to below. Note that Mars leaves Taurus and enters Gemini on Feb. 18, just as the Sun enters Pisces.

The first three Centaur planets are now in their new signs, to stay: Chiron is in Aquarius, Nessus is in Aquarius, and Pholus is in Sagittarius. Asbolus, the fourth centaur, remains retrograde in the first degree of Aries, heading back to Pisces for a bit before returning to Aries. I cover this in last week's Astrology Secrets Revealed.

There is a Full Moon exactly aspecting Pluto on Dec. 15. This happens with the Sun applying in a conjunction to Pluto and the Moon opposing it. Coincidentally, this is the same day that Venus enters Aquarius and makes a conjunction to Chiron -- aspecting three other Centaurs in the process.

That is a LOT of Venus energy, and a lot of Centaur being related (as often happens with an inner planet) directly through Venus. And, as you will read in the combined Planet Waves essay - Astrology Secrets Revealed (above), the Sun is now passing over the Galactic Core, adding to the whole effect.

Here is the link to Whole Mars Review:

http://planetwaves.net/contents/whole_mars_review.html


Astrology of the Indigo Children

In response to a question on Astrology Secrets Revealed, Arwynne has also done a substantial and excellent article on the Astrology of the Indigo Children. Please give it a look! It's very helpful.

http://www.planetwaves.net/contents/astrology_indigo_children.html


Planet Waves Parenting Status

Speaking of children, the Planet Waves Parenting project has been delayed due to an overwhelming number of truly agonizing news events this year.

Planet Waves is a news organization as well as an astrology office, and like everyone involved in covering the news, I've been swamped with responsibilities. This seemed to be "in the cards" for Parenting, because as the first issue was going to press, the tsunami happened; indeed, our first article was "Talking to your Children about the Tsunami Disaster" by Brian Donohue. By the time Hurricane Katrina hit in late August, there was too much happening; it was barely possible to keep up with it all, between the volume of work and the energy overload.

However, we have a plan, and that is to continue publishing Planet Waves Parenting (and extend all subscriptions) through 2006 and, beginning in January, come out every other month instead of monthly. So there will be six additional issues, after which time we will re-assess and get a sense of community interest in the project. I want to thank all Parenting subscribers for their patience as we've worked with the various challenges of the new publication.

From the beginning, I envisioned this as a community project, and I still invite your contributions of articles and ideas. In particular, it would help immensely to have the input of people who do a lot of work with the charts of kids and can offer something new to the discussion. We need astrological viewpoints other than my own!

And there another vision entirely for the project that I am missing? It seemed like a necessary and viable idea at the time we began -- after months of planning. What we discovered in some (late) marketing research is that the people who tend to have children are a different (gasp, I hate to use the word) demographic than the ones who are the usual readers of astrology pages. But there must be a core of Planet Waves readers who feel strongly about using astrology as a tool and point of view to help children.

If you have some ideas, please send them to me at francis@planetwves.net and please copy chelsea@planetwaves.net as well. Thank you -- and see you in January.


Planet Waves by Eric Francis
Friday, December 9, 2005, Weekly horoscope #588
 
Happy Birthday Sagittarius! (from print editions)

Life is not a popularity contest, but even if it were, you would at least make the finals. You're someone who moves opinions, and whose presence stirs up a response, but as the year unfolds its mysterious story, you're going to be learning to work with this energy better than ever. Even your detractors are offering you something that you really can use; and for that reason you have cause to thank them. But your supporters, allies and the people who taught you what you know are ready to help you, if you will only ask.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
Twelve-step programs call for "a searching and fearless moral inventory." As Mars gets ready to station in your neighboring sign Taurus, I see you involved in such a process, yet I would suggest drawing the line where self-judgment is concerned. Assessment is different than judgment, though few people ever learn the difference. That difference, mainly, is that judgments are fairly well useless, and they don't help us get along with others. But more productive forms of evaluation can at least be learned from, and applied to the new community role that is quickly developing in your life. Set an example and others will follow.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
For one born under the astrological sign Taurus to succeed professionally, and I mean truly succeed in the world, a deep inner paradox must be overcome. The self-possessed quality of your sign must give way to a true orientation on the common good, but without compromising your sense of individuality. To overcome this seeming contradiction, a long process of integration is often required -- and it involves shifting between the individual level of your life, and your calling, which will typically appear on the collective or group level. Now, you're being summoned; your name is being spoken. A mission awaits you, and you're more likely to find yourself in the process than to lose yourself.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You live in a world of daunting figures these days, people who seem larger than life. If I could hand you a technological device that scaled these people and their apparent role down to size, you might suddenly find yourself with a clearer sense of your own role in the world around you -- and in the lives of the people you value. I am not suggesting adopting a view of absolute equality; it's not really true -- you learn a lot from the people you trust and admire. The issue, as I say, is one of adjusting the scale, and also using the examples around you as some indication of your own potential. Which is, of course, useless stuff unless you're taking action to develop it.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
The emphasis is now on raising your integrity level on matters of shared finances, negotiation and any point of contact with someone in a position where support is involved. This would be true whether you're doing the supporting or the one being assisted. It amounts to the same thing, from the standpoint of maintaining clarity over commitments. You must keep your eye on the ball known as power, how it is used, who has it, and who does not have it -- and why. You have a rare opportunity to eliminate certain games that are quite popular (and destructive) in the world from your life, but you must notice them first.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
You may be experiencing what I'll describe as a "crisis of consciousness" in a relationship: that is, the mild shock of awareness of a particular situation or that you know you need to change. In human specimens, the dawning of awareness typically provides excellent motivation for denial. But if you rise to the occasion and seek resolution of any differences, disturbances or conditions that call for adjustment and healing, you will get what you're looking for. At this point in your life, you have great tolerance for letting things be. If that capacity drops just a little, I suggest you consider it a gift.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
It seems that you have the power to resolve the misunderstandings that have developed in your life the past few weeks, if you want to. The question is one of your ability to let things move emotionally rather than sort them out cognitively. From your vantage point, I can see where the two can seem to overlap significantly now, and it does not help that for whatever reason you may not feel like you're getting the straight story from someone who you actually have no reason to doubt. It would help if you acknowledged, to yourself and to anyone close to you, the emotional pressure and, very likely, deep insecurity you're likely to be feeling.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
As soon as you have your next truly brilliant experience of getting just what you want, and I do mean soon, I suggest you observe how you respond. Will you advance, or retreat? Will you go forth embracing what you encounter as a journey, or will you interpret it as an idea? Remember that as you make your decisions, you are, in essence, deciding what is true for you. But in the process of deciding one, you decide the other. Indeed, identity is created and strengthened one choice at a time, and at the moment, your choices count for a quite a lot. Who you are is extraordinarily flexible right now, and the video camera of your mind is in "record" mode.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
You run the risk of over-processing your feelings if you don't just let go and feel them. In the event you're confused about what you might be feeling, I suggest you look for some evidence, in the form of decisions made or delayed, of how you're responding to your physical environment, and how you're responding to your needs. You could, in fact, go a long way toward getting to know yourself by making a list of what you perceive your needs to be. This will not only give you something to work toward, but also provide a tangible map to your reality.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
The Sun is soaring through the peak of its Sagittarius journey, and perhaps you've had a few tests of your patience and your strength during the past week. But somehow you don't see yourself a victim. Indeed, many factors suggest you're rising to the occasion of your own life, and doing so with an unusual level of focus and even maturity. You are still working with missing information about a close partner or friend, however, and when you arrive at a point of discovery in the next week or two -- something so significant you'll certainly know it when you see it -- finally, some long-awaited changes will course through your life. It's one of those moments where you recognize that the past really does have an end, and the future has a beginning.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Your particular moment is one where you stand at the meeting place of all worlds. There are challenges if you want them; there are easier paths, if you choose those. I suggest, rather than seeing life in black and white, that you explore the shades of gray and the colors that are available. Then, turn your perceptive abilities onto yourself. Your psyche is sending you a message, reminding you that you're more resourceful than you've ever imagined. It's not exactly that you've been deluded about your self-worth or your worth to the world, but one belief has dominated your perceptions, and that belief is now finding itself challenged.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Chiron has entered your birth sign for good, a transit that will gradually help you reshape your life over the next seven years. If you think of the changes you experienced between 1995 and 2003, you will have an idea of what is in store for you. The difference now is that you have experience, and for this reason, you can perceive your situation more clearly. We could easily say that God, or healing, or transformation, is in the details. There is no rush to the end of this project, and the revolutions are likely to be far more subtle than other periods of vast and sweeping change. But they are no less significant for being subtle.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
During the past few years, you've carved out a niche for yourself. Given the astrology involved, it's unlikely you feel entirely successful at what you've done. Part of the problem is your definition of success. Part is that you've been working at something that has no solid basis for comparison. And part is that you're too close to what you're doing to have an accurate angle of perception. But you have, at this juncture, the ability to take a wider look, and to note, honestly, the way you've established a position in the community that can afford you some unusual freedom, if you want it -- and that's unique enough that nobody could ever fill your role.

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