PlanetWaves by ERIC FRANCIS


Aries (March 20-April 19)
Be direct with others and they will be direct with you, in fact, as direct as they're accustomed to you being. You will get a potentially refreshing reminder that not everyone has the same values, nor are they influenced by the same past experiences. You will experience many different styles of encounter and confrontation. And you'll end up with a kind of cosmic opinion survey. Some people you live amongst feel more comfortable with the current changes than others do. But the fact is, everyone is changing, and everything is changing. You may not be able to please everyone, nor do you want to, but you can give yourself and everyone else room to be real. Family Focus: Events this week make an unusually strong impression on kids -- so be gentle.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
If you feel like you're sacrificing having fun for the sake of providing a service to those who need you, I suggest you embrace the process fully. For one thing, it's temporary; that is, something that's a factor of the current astrology, but that also represents a transition into another way of life, and another reality field. It would seem that doing things most people consider work has been a more dependable source of joy and happiness, or basic human satisfaction, for you, than trying to have fun. You may have noticed this odd quality of life, and at various times considered it a curse or a blessing. Thankfully, over the coming few weeks, an inner partition gives way and you get some relief; the ability to move more freely within your pleasure. Family Focus: Your true family are the friends, neighbors and relatives who are with you through thick and thin.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You seem about ready to shake yourself loose from the last traces of insecurity that have held you back from beginning a daring endeavor that you've been wanting to try for a long time. True, one is rarely ever free of all fear or hesitation (it does happen), but you're at the beautiful threshold where any remaining insecurity simply no longer matters. So, in a sense, get ready to get over what is bothering you and to use whatever reasoning you need to take a bold step. Or, if you would rather, get ready to be pushed by the angel of circumstances. It's your choice. Family Focus: Set the example to everyone: we really do have a choice in life.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Gently state your feelings, listen to the feelings of others, and make the decision you need to make. It's not that you're entitled to do so; rather, there is a time for everything, and this is the time to do what is right for you. We may wonder what's been stopping you; it's actually a fairly long list, including commitments, a degree of uncertainty about what you want, and rarely feeling like you have the right to claim some room for your own agenda. Which is strange, considering how assertive you are, but not so strange considering the times we're in. One reward of making your decisions will be gaining the respect of others whose respect you really need. More to the point, the self-respect you develop now will become the foundation of your life. Family Focus: What is truly good for parents is good for children.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
You now get to close the books on a financial matter that may have been annoying you for some time. In the process, something else shifts; it's as if you get to make a commitment to yourself that sets you in a new direction. You know what you need to do, though there is a mysterious factor that seems to have been holding you back. It may be that you've been reluctant to devote your resources to little other than necessities, but the fact that you're willing to think beyond that is telling a story about your inner state more than your financial state. Family Focus: Kids may be particularly edgy this week through Friday's solar eclipse.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Something about you is changing, profoundly. At the same time, something about you is staying very much the same. This is not a paradox, but rather, a process you can trust. You may be seeking words for how you feel, and you might want to have a go at putting something on paper about what is the most important to you now. You're likely to be surprised by your own responses, and also at how they differ if you consider the question today, and one week from today. Meanwhile, know that anything you're giving up, you really don't need, and that what you do need the most, you will get to keep. Family Focus: Remember that a family's story extends over many generations.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
You may feel caught between two choices or commitments, neither of which you truly want to devote yourself to. This could be annoying because there is something in each of them you really can identify with, and another aspect that you just don't seem to have any contact with at all. The part you identify, I suggest you reclaim and make it your own. In essence I am saying claim what is yours; claim the aspects of identity you want and need the most, and do so in bold, clear terms to yourself; and you can forget the rest. Family Focus: You are not the 'role' you play, whether partner or keeper of the home. You are you.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
It's high time you took a break from the demands of the world. People expect a lot of you, and you expect a lot from yourself. Though this is not exactly in the standard Scorpio rap sheet, your solar chart tells me you're fairly well obsessed with service, and through service, you get the reward of community. What you may already sense is that pulling back potentially leads to some isolation. I assure you, however, that it's temporary, and that if you can really go inside and find yourself, just yourself, you'll come out the other side of the tunnel a lot stronger, wiser and as a side effect, well rested. Family Focus: Intimacy means sharing what you know and feel, but only when you're ready.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
You seem to have two choices or alternatives that have very little relationship to one another. It seems like one thing would lead your life in one direction, and another in a completely different direction. But your job right now is to hold the space for two entirely different things to be true, or at least true enough for you. There is great strength in embracing a particular contradiction rather than running from it, and as you do this, I reckon that a third possibility will present itself that not only resolves the paradox, but does so in a truly pleasant way. Family Focus: Don't let your pressures become those of the people around you.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Growth is a quantum process, though the small steps we take each day gradually prepare us for the great leaps that come sooner or later. Along the way, it can all seem so incredibly tedious. But beware the tendency to believe that the small steps don't add up to something, even if you just can't see what it is. The process you're in is not about addition. There is a higher form of mathematics involved. You are about to work out the equation of fear vs. desire in such a way that allows you to cancel out both, and to be left with something much more useful: volition; the ability to determine your own meaning and hence, your own direction. Family Focus: You've been dragging around the fears of your own parents for way too long.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
True, there is a risk required in everything -- and you may not have anticipated taking this particular one. True, we do things all the time that seem perfectly safe, genuinely ordinary, without realizing the often substantial danger we may have faced. For this reason it seems a good idea to live prudently -- yet there is only so careful one can be in love. The lure of passion, pleasure and sharing is too much to avoid. So why avoid it? If you can think of three good reasons, maybe it would be a good idea, but there better be three and they better be good. See what you come up with. Family Focus: This is a good time to reveal secrets to the people closest to you.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
This has been a daunting, larger-than-life time in your life. There have been many surprises -- but on the whole, they have affirmed that you're on the right path and making progress, particularly in your personal relationships. Recent events have demonstrated who you can take seriously, and who you need to avoid. But it would seem they have painted the scene of something that is inevitable or at least deeply compelling. What you may be having difficulty getting used to is that this is a point of no return: but your life, at this point, is precisely that in every respect: that is the feeling. Family Focus: You are in a position of family leadership, which means doing your best to love equally.