Sagittarius Sun, Capricorn Moon

It's Monday, the day after the New Moon, and we are in one of the most exciting phases of the astrological year -- the last week of Sagittarius, when the Sun and the Earth align with the Galactic Core. I know I always go on about this Galactic business, and really it's quite simple -- at this time of year, when you look up at the Sun, right behind it is the core of the Milky Way galaxy, which is the island in space that we live on. This is one r
eason why this is such an intense time of year -- it's not about Christmas marketing, it's a cosmic phenomenon.

Before I had an idea of what the GC felt like, I was pretty sure that the shortening of the days (in the Northern Hemisphere) were responsible for the feeling of intensity of this time of year. This is associated with the approach of the Winter Solstice (in the North -- I've never been in the Southern Hemisphere, but I do hope to experience a solstice down there to see what it's like, being reversed from what we're accustomed to in the north).

Yet the Solstice is, precisely, the Sun aligning with the Galactic Core. It's also the Sun aligning with the Tropic of Capricorn, the southernmost tropic (the Tropic of Cancer is in the north, somewhat south of Florida). So there is a purely local (for our planet) solar event, as the Sun reaches its southernmost latitude; and there is a stellar event, with the Sun making a conjunction to the Galactic Core at the same time. This alignment is exact, by the way, just past noon European time, in Saturday the 18th.

As if this were not enough to make life really interesting, in the first degrees of Libra, there is an enormous galaxy and thus a black hole called M87, which I did an article about at the Libra equinox earlier this year, and the Sun makes a square to this point as well. These galactic points are more like fixed stars and less like planets -- they are far away from our solar system, but nonetheless, we experience them because they are such strong points of psychological and spiritual orientation.

But if you don't feel them that way, if you don't quite tune into the BEYOND sensation of them, or the experience of transcending your own consciousness and tuning into something else...you're more likely to just feel the intensity and speed and full-on quality that we have come to know as Sagittarius.

As for the Moon. Ms Luna is traversing the 10th sign of the zodiac, Capricorn. This is the earthy, pragmatic Moon that can endure anything, and on a good day build an empire or two. But tomorrow she swooshes past Chiron and Nessus, revealing some of her more vulnerable side, which is the true source of her strength. A bit of what Alan Watts called "the wisdom of insecurity."

The horoscope for today is the Flaunt monthly, which is actually the December/January edition as they combine two issues this time of year. This newsletter is the only place on the Internet that it's currently available. Because Flaunt is written for a national magazine, it's prepared the furthest ahead of any of my columns. I'm not even sure when I wrote this one, at a café called Breakfast In America around the corner from my apartment. I read today's a did a double take, myself.


Planet Waves by ERIC FRANCIS
Monthly for Flaunt Magazine Dec/Jan, 2004/5

Aries (March 20-April 19)
An assortment of forces are now aligned to help you turn your ambitions into something you can stand on, live in and build a future with. There's an old expression that you have to get it right the first time. I don't buy it. With each day that passes, you get a chance to use a hard lesson you learned in the past and do it right this time around. Only now, you may notice that people are suddenly a lot more cooperative than you ever remember.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
The peculiar behavior of certain individuals close to you has got your attention. They suddenly seem willing to own up to their feelings. Don't complain. Just give them time to build up a little momentum and find out how good it feels to hang loose and share their inner world with you. Resolve not to be stunned by what you hear. Grant those who tell you the truth full amnesty. Make no dramatic scenes, and rise above your fears. Just enjoy the energy of liberation.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Get down to the basics: what you want and what you need. Is it really necessary that everything in life be negotiated like a Hollywood contract? Certainly it is, if you have greater interest in power and control than in pleasure. Remember that the worst kind of control, and the one that makes all the others possible, is self-control. And generally, power and pleasure exist at opposite ends of a wide spectrum. I suggest you decide where along that line you belong.  

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You're probably accustomed to relationship partners taking a more commitment-oriented approach, leaving little room for originality. Yet recent events have taught you that to be emotionally healthy you need to flex with the wind and adapt to situations that emerge in your life on a moment-to-moment basis. If you can do this without worrying about what other people think, they're a lot more likely to fall into step with your rhythm. You're more the tango type than the box-step type. So start the music.

Leo (July 22-Aug 23)
Love is a mystery, but at least you believe it exists. Thankfully, love demonstrates its powers to you on a regular basis. Plenty of people go through life waiting for human contact and emotional connection like they're hoping for a UFO sighting. You can't exactly blame them on this planet. But you can keep in mind that others may lack the kind of faith that generally comes quite naturally to you, as well as the courage to dare. Don't take it personally; just be personal and reassuring.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
The frightening thing about feeling is that each of us is capable of any emotion. Once we open up to a point where we can feel at all, that realm of potential opens wide, and anything can come to the surface. There are wide variety of human emotions that are not what you would call 'spiritually correct', and, besides being intense, fear of judgment surrounding these feelings makes it difficult to have any emotional freedom at all. It seems that your job in these weeks is to grant yourself precisely that freedom.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
The truth is the truth. It's not negotiable. One does not tell the truth because they may gain some potential reward besides that which comes naturally from being aligned with reality. Justice is on your side; it tends to be that way, but now, its rather undeniable. There may have been times in the past when you were afraid to speak up, but Jupiter in your sign suggests that you have quite a bit of protection around you. When in doubt, dare to be real.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Scorpio has a reputation for revealing only what's necessary, and in my experience it's a fairly accurate description. Yet don't be surprised in the coming weeks if you find yourself being a lot more generous with self-disclosure. If this makes you nervous, I suggest you spend some time with that feeling and do your best to move through it consciously. You've been working toward being a more transparent person for a long time, and are about to take a major step.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
You may during the next month be inclined to carefully review the things you've said and done during the past year. This has been an important time, and you've played a fast, intense game. Perhaps you've been less than perfectly thoughtful here and there, but I'm sure you knew that you had little choice but do what was right, and to be who it was necessary to be. The people around you truly understand that, and at the same time they'll also be grateful for acknowledging your shortcomings.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
While you may not have felt ready for certain momentous developments during the autumn, you may decide you're quite ready today. Fortunately, most of those options are still waiting for you. All they're awaiting is your vote of confidence in yourself. It's true that you'll need to give that a push, but it's time. In fact, the time is long overdue. Take one small step; take an action, and feel the world respond; then take another, bigger action and let the process build. Easy.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Update your files on the subject of what you want, and what you want the very most. The ambitions of an Aquarian are difficult to fathom. There is the unusually self-sacrificing and community-oriented nature, combined with a deep understanding that society ain't a pretty place. Of all the signs, Aquarius has a unique talent for turning power to the common good. But in order to act ethically, you must be in touch with both your deepest desires and your deepest motives. Astro alert: both have recently changed.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Fear doesn't accomplish anything. You figured that out a long time ago, right? And yet in this world it's perfectly stupid to be careless. You can in the months ahead systematically trade your fear in for another emotion, which is trust. Nobody wants their trust shattered, of course, but using fear as a kind of hedge between you and disappointment is not just cheating at the game of life, it's cheating you of life. You are very well protected right now. Dare to walk, breathe and love.

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NOTE FROM ERIC: Thank you to Flaunt's readers, editors and staff for an amazing first year of being this magazine's astrologer, with my work set amidst so many talented people's creations.

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Planet Waves for Monday, Dec. 13,  2004

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