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Baltimore, Friday, March 09, 2007

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NCGR conference attendees listening to Rick Tarnas talk about the cycles of history. He also took a 15 minute digression and explained to a packed house that astrologers needed to take a humble and modest approach to the future and not make specific predictions about the events that would unfold in the lives of their clients. More coverage of Rick's work on the main homepage of Planet Waves.
Richard Tarnas, author of Cosmos & Psyche, speaks at the NCGR conference in Baltimore Thursday afternoon, discussing archetypes in the cycles of history. He also took a 15 minute digression and explained to a packed house that astrologers need to use a humble and modest approach to the future and not make specific predictions about the events that would unfold in the lives of their clients. More coverage of Rick's work on the main homepage of Planet Waves.


Greetings from Baltimore

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today through Monday, I'll be at the NCGR conference in Baltimore. For Friday's edition my old friend and writing partner (now noted musician and speaker) Scott Kalechstein is standing in for my essay. The Planet Waves weekly horoscope is below. Meantime, Chelsea Bottinelli, Priya Kale and Deirdre Tanton are checking out the goings-on here. Priya will be blogging at least daily on Page Two of Planet Waves, and I'll be providing audio blogs and photos which will be on the Front Page starting Friday.

I've spent part of the day in the Richard Tarnas intensive (he is the author of the new book Cosmos & Psyche) on planetary cycles through history, and we will be posting several articles about his work to the Front Page over the weekend. If I can get a moment with him, I'll post an audio interview with Rick. Vanity Fair astrologer Michael Lutin is here and I plan to be speaking with him as well.

Just to catch you up on the current astrology, Mercury is now direct in Aquarius, the Moon is in Scorpio and Sagittarius through the weekend, waning toward a partial solar eclipse, and Mars is stirring up the action in Aquarius, where it's about to make a series of conjunctions to other planets.

Remember, if you'd like to tune into conference coverage, check in later on Friday on the Front Page or Page Two.

And -- catch you Monday with Lemonade horoscope.

Yours & truly,
Eric Francis
PS, I'm aware of the verdict having come out in the Scooter Libby trial, just before Mercury stationed direct (not a particularly good sign that it will be upheld, but we can pray). Meanwhile, here is an interesting article from Truthout that I think gives a perspective you won't find elsewhere. For those who want background, the Wiki page on the Valerie Plame Affair is worthwhile.

PPS, Spiral Door audio is DONE. Correct, I have finished it, it is edited and posted -- and so concludes my six-month experience of the Spiral Door. If you're an audio client you will be hearing from Chelsea Friday. The audio segments are 20 to 30 minutes per sign, and are basically a free-association journey through the astrology of each zodiac sign. This is my first sign-by-sign audio project on Planet Waves, and you're invited. You can purchase individual signs here. And our Gold Members get all 12 signs included with their subscription -- so to get access to all 12 signs, upgrade to Gold Membership, which also includes more audio, many articles unavailable elsewhere and my fine art photos. We will post access to the Eros Area for Gold Members later on Friday, for which you can use your regular Eros password. It will have a special category on the Eros entry page -- 2007 Annual Audio.


Scott Kalechstein. Photo by Jeff Kahn
Scott Kalechstein. Photo by Jeff Kahn  
From Bags To Riches
By Scott Kalechstein

"NYLON JUMBO LAUNDRY BAGS! MACHINE WASHABLE! WATER RESISTANT!" Uttered at the top of my vocal volume range, these words were my money mantra for seven years as I worked the sidewalks of New York City as an unlicensed, self-employed street peddler. You could say I was into MLM Sales. (Maximum Lung Marketing!)

I bought the laundry bags below wholesale, straight from a factory in North Carolina, and made a great profit selling them just below retail. I loved the quick cash and the gutsy, streetwise calluses that formed on my psyche. I was part of the color and pulse of New York, a place where adrenaline, art and survival all blended together in a tapestry of shadows and light.

My style for hawking the bags became something of a creative, comic performance. "How did you get into this?" people asked me as I handed them their purchase. "How do I get out of this?" became the question I asked daily as the call of a career in music and the healing arts grew louder and my patience for eluding the police grew dim.

Did I say police? Yes, I confess! This crazy job of mine was not exactly legal. "Slightly illegal" was my juicy rationalization. About once a week, I unwittingly donated a sack of laundry bags to the city of New York, via the police. Did breaking the law nag on my conscience? Not. Well, at least not my conscious conscience. I was a rebel without a pause, enjoying the game of cops and robbers, and moving too fast to question my ethics or my sanity. Besides, I was also using the job to practice my mindfulness meditation skills.

My technique was called Zen and the Art of Spotting the Police Before They See You. This spiritual discipline on finding inner strength in the inner city found me routinely in the Yoga posture of being on my toes, my head stretching from left to right, being very here and now, moment to moment.

The police sometimes dressed in civilian clothes, sandwiching themselves amongst the human sardines that crowded the city sidewalks on any given day. I developed a sixth sense, an organically grown synthesis of intuition and paranoia. I could spot the police, pack up my bags, and slip into the crowd at a speed that Houdini would have admired. But even with my escape skills honed to a science, I did get caught on occasion.

While the temptation was to perceive those times as a bummer, I took it upon myself to make light of those moments when the police were writing me tickets and confiscating my bags. Feather dusting the situation with levity, I refused to buy into the consciousness of loss and gloom.

One day an absurd idea crossed my mind. I have learned to spring into action when a creative prompting knocks on my door. Before hesitation festered into analysis and paralysis, I took out my pen and wrote:
To Whom it May Publicly Concern:

This note is written permission for my son, Scott, to sell laundry bags on the streets of the city without a license. I know it is against the law, but my son is such a good boy in almost every other aspect of his life. I think he is entitled to some leeway here. This note officially absolves him from the law. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but a mother's written permission sure is!

Hugs and kisses,
Mom
I put the note in my pocket and waited, almost eagerly, for the next time I was caught in the act, bags in hand. Sure enough, my sales were interrupted the next day by two of New York's Finest. "Hold it!" I confidently barked. "I've got a pardon!" I handed one of the officers my note. He read it out loud in official police business monotone. Neither of them had any change of expression, and for a moment I feared the worst. Trying to humor a New York City police officer, committed to the confines of seriousness, can have disastrous results. Finally, the pregnant moment gave birth to a response: "Take a walk! This one is on Mom!" I skipped away a free man, thankful for the juices of creativity that turned a potentially negative situation into a close encounter of the hilarious kind.

The next day I was selling bags in my usual location when a police car came out of nowhere, flashing lights and blasting sirens, and parked halfway on the sidewalk, a breath away from my frozen body. The two officers from yesterday were right in my face before I even realized that they were after me. But instead of my bags, it seemed I was in possession of a rare and precious piece of literature that they wanted for their files. "We want the note!" one of them said, as if expecting me to challenge their authority. I handed him the scribbled piece of evidence. "We told everybody in the precinct about it, but they don't believe us. We're going to laminate it and post it on the bulletin board!" I relaxed, realizing that the sirens and the flashing lights were part of a joke they were playing to get back at me.

So there we were, three human beings, sharing a most unusual moment, temporarily suspending the crime and punishment game and connecting at a level that the popular script did not call for. Perhaps most moments of human connection unfold when we are willing to abandon the popular script and improvise our own.

Sometimes my improvised sales tactics included saying things like "The Strongest Laundry Bag You Can Buy Without a Prescription!" Other times I got even sillier: "You've Read the Book. You've Seen the Movie! NOW BUY THE BAG!!" Some people enjoyed a good laugh as they passed. Others would quicken their pace and be careful not to make eye contact and possibly catch whatever I seemed to have! Joy can be dangerously contagious, easily spread by inner child-to-child contact, often rendering its victims quite vulnerable to spontaneous emissions of playful life energy.

When my laundry bags or my humor were not well received, I got to work through some of my rejection issues. I used my sidewalk adventures as therapeutic stepping stones, time and space to experiment with my self-expression and to develop some confidence, as well as cockiness. I look back on those days with affection, amused and grateful that I actually did it, and even more grateful that I don't do it anymore!

Six months after selling my last laundry bag and moving to California, I went back to New York to visit friends and family. I couldn't resist paying a visit to Court Street, in Brooklyn Heights, where most of my bags were sold. I strolled into the Kosher Pizzeria that had become my hangout over the years. (I used to store my bags in their basement and hide from the police in their bathroom when I needed swift sanctuary.) The employees gave me a warm greeting. One of the waiters excitedly handed me a copy of the last week's Brooklyn Heights Gazette. On the back page was a comic strip with yours truly in it. An artist had captured me in caricature, selling my wares on Court Street. The caption read, "Whatever happened to the laundry bag man?" I had left my mark on the streets of the city I grew up in! That felt good.

A few years later I was back in Brooklyn again, giving a concert. A woman in the audience was looking at me quite strangely all throughout the performance. She appeared dazed, confused, and disoriented. At the concert's close she approached me cautiously. "I know you from somewhere," she said painfully, as she attempted to make a difficult withdrawal from her memory bank.

I looked into her eyes and instantly knew. "NYLON JUMBO LAUNDRY BAGS!" I said loudly with a huge smile spread across my face. Her eyes registered both shock and the relief of recognition. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "You are the laundry bag man!" She had cracked the case, but there were more pieces of the puzzle to put together. "I passed you on Court Street for years, feeling so sorry for you. What happened to you?" She had many more questions, wanting to know the details of how I had gotten off the streets and created such a rewarding career doing what I love. It was obvious that her belief system did not have much room for the possibility of people transforming their lives for the better, yet there I was, guitar in hand, proof before her eyes. She was stunned. I walked her to her car, telling her more of my story -- voice lessons, recording my music, making my "no more bags" commitment, moving to California, taking the leap, trusting the universe. Her reactions gave me a richer appreciation for my bags- to-riches journey. What a story to tell around the campfire!

Sometimes remembering those days feels like a past-life regression. Did I really spend seven years in this life as a street peddler, running from the police like a criminal? Yes, I did, and with no apologies. I made friends with the homeless, and sang improvised rap songs to the passing high school students (who thought I was weird, but cool). I made warm, human, and creative contact with each of my customers, sending them off with some positive vibes along with their purchase.

So what started as a laundry bag sales job evolved into a laundry bag performance ministry, which transitioned into what I do now. It strikes me sometimes that although I have changed products, I have not really changed jobs. My job has always been about extending love and sharing joy, and that is always the business at hand, whether it is gift wrapped in sales, laughter, singing, or NYLON JUMBO LAUNDRY BAGS!

Scott Kalechstein, the author of this article, is a modern-day troubadour and inspirational speaker. He makes his home in Marin County, CA and travels throughout the United States, Canada and Europe giving concerts, talks and workshops, as well as presenting at conferences. Visit http://www.scottsongs.com to read more about his workshops, to hear his talks or to sample songs from his nine CDs. Send him an email at scott@scottsongs.com to receive articles like this one on a semi-occasional basis.

Boat to Ellis Island. Photo by Eric Francis.Boat to Ellis Island. Photo by Eric Francis.


Slaying the Dragons
By Judith Gayle

Seems like everybody's got dragons, these days -- everybody's either dealing with something heavy or standing by helplessly as someone they love wrestles the beast. I put out a prayer list as part of my Course in Miracles function...it grows bigger and more challenging with each post.

Our friend Christine DeLorey at Creative Numerology would tell us we're in a nine-year, globally -- a year of completions and endings before we can move ahead. Such a cycle cannot occur without looking at all the steps we took to get to the here and now, all the decisions that produced today...and not all such memories are pleasant. Some of those remembrances go bump in the night, but unless we clear them, review them, and release them, they will continue to bump, to rattle in the attics of our consciousness; continue to show up in our dreamscapes and our daily choices.

My CIM group is currently studying guilt -- and guilt has to do with "baggage." We've all got a past; we drag it behind us. We push our baggage ahead of new relationships, use it as a barrier to sabotage opportunity, dwell on it as our "truth." Our personal baggage colors everything we do and say -- and if we are a collection of our past experiences, then we ARE the baggage we lug behind us. But that's not quite accurate, truth be known -- we are actually a collection of perceptions about our past. And if you think you are your "story," then ask your oldest friend, the one who has known you since forever, to tell you your own story -- you'll be astounded how different it sounds when somebody else tells it. You might not even recognize the "you" your friend describes.

Course has an interesting way to loosen that hold we have on our past; it's the first step into the CIM concepts. It gives us an affirmation:

"I have given everything I see all the meaning it has for me."

Simply, we decide what anything means -- we assign meaning to every jot and tittle of our daily affairs. And what we assign defines our consciousness.

Words are powerful symbols. Without language, we'd have difficulty getting those ideas in order, so we've invented a fine lexicon to interpret our symbology and define our every nuance of behavior. But no matter how many words we use, each of us has a different context. We assign the meaning for each word, each experience, each circumstance from our own "personal dictionary." See? You're more powerful than you thought you were.

If I say "umbrella," you may think of a blustery day in 1983 when the wind ruined your grandmother's favorite umbrella and the whole household came to a standstill -- I might have meant that little toothpick parasol in my piña colada. If I say "divorce," some of you may wince and tense, others sigh in relief. WE assign the meaning, based on our perception of our life's happenings.

Usually, some strong emotion or trauma is associated with the meanings we assign -- the words, the symbols, and the traumas come together to create baggage. And because we give meaning to everything based on personal experience, we're carrying unhealed wounds triggered by casual words and interactions with others, and by the circumstances of our day. I'd wager the majority of us don't know how rarely we stand in a present moment, unencumbered by shadows. We are nearly always imposing our past on the present, and projecting it into the future. We all wrestle such dragons, to some degree.

Linguistics, full of symbolism, has played an important part in our political situation. The Bush Administration has used words masterfully to push our buttons. Take "war on terror." A perpetual war on an emotion, fear. It might better be called a "war on joy." The use of a deer-in-the-headlights emotion to keep us on track is a stroke of genius. How about "weapons of mass destruction"? "Mass" -- well, that's you, me, everybody. "Destruction?" Kiss your ass goodbye. The Bushies have even changed traditional Congressional Committee names to point them toward the outcomes they want. They know their symbolism, and they're not afraid to use it.

Feels pretty uncomfortable to know we're being played, doesn't it? But we are a product of our oldest perceptions and they are easily manipulated by subconscious, and conscious, stimuli. This is true of every one of us, although for some of us the situation is more grim -- for some of us, the dragon is winning.

Let's discuss a severe example: post-traumatic stress disorder. We have, four years after launching preemptive war on Iraq, at least a quarter of a million soldiers still suffering from this life-crippling condition. Sixty thousand dissolved military marriages. Suicides and broken lives. This was not a situation that should have surprised us -- there are more than 750,000 homeless in our nation and a good percentage of them are Vietnam vets, suffering the same disorder. Treatment for such a challenge is difficult enough when it's available; in too many instances, it simply isn't, especially in the rural communities that produce so many of our warriors.

My friend, accomplished blues musician Cole Prior Stevens, has written and recorded a poignant song about this, It's a Dirty Little War -- I invite you all to listen and pass the link around. The lyrics are powerful. You'll feel the emptiness and darkness that inhabits a mind that's locked and loaded in the past, a mind to which a kid's firecracker is likely a bomb assault, a mind that's forever frozen in trauma, unable to shake free. Why should we open our "beautiful minds" (a dig at Barbara Bush, who doesn't want to think about the war) to these emotions? Because unless we do, we will not grow in compassion, we will not honor the sacrifice or understand the seriousness of our obligation to those who served our, albeit wayward, country. And importantly, we will not feel the dramatic emotions that have the capacity to unlock our own.

Course in Miracles tells us that the first essential step to laying down our baggage is forgiveness -- of self, of others. Until we can put down that toxic load, we poison ourselves and everyone around us. We can't do that by ourselves; we need friends and supporters, perhaps even professionals, to help us. You probably have someone in your life you trust to pour out your "stuff" to, someone who reflects you back in a helpful way. If you don't, get someone!

But what if there was no one to whom you could trust yourself, no way to unlock the attic where so many nightmares live? There's a huge scandal in this nation about the dismal and inadequate services offered to our returning veterans -- it's the second Katrina, some say. Due to new technologies, fewer battlefield deaths are occurring, but more soldiers are coming home maimed and wounded. Head injuries are the majority, even though Bush continues to cut money for research and care. But even if one returns from combat whole in body, few escape the wounds to mind, the damage to emotions.

There are no disposable citizens in this nation. I can only speak for my own nation, but we are globally engaged in this battle for life and hope. There is no excuse for such a tragic failure in governance. This may be the final straw in Bush's undoing. When we look back on these nine years, a period of reviewing and releasing as we prepare for new beginnings, we'll probably agree that we should have wrestled these issues when they were piddly little things, not so awesome as dragons. Now, we have no choice.

We're all in the dragon-slaying business. Or perhaps that's not quite the best expression. The Chinese love dragons, which are mythical creatures of great fortune. This is our opportunity to embrace our dark places, personally and politically -- to enter them and wrap them in Light. And because we're only as strong as our weakest link, only as healthy as our most broken brother or sister, we must all come together to deal with the issues that will make our world a place where dragons -- unless they come to dance in parades and grant us joy -- are no longer welcome.

Earth and sky, Calais, France. Photo by Eric Francis.Earth and sky, Calais, France. Photo by Eric Francis.


Pisces Solar Returns, Part Three
By Priya Kale

AS A Piscean, you carry with you the wisdom of the zodiac, but even to you the recent past has felt like looking for your keys with the lights off. Trying to express ideas and your process of operation (which are essentially ethereal in nature) to others when there is no tangible source of knowledge has been no easy task; but lately something has been firing up your awareness and shining a light in those darker corners. 

You are being called to come to terms with what your psyche would like you to forget. Question yourself, your motives, your past beliefs to see if they still hold true and most importantly be true to yourself. Keep only what's real and move on. As you stand at this opportune moment in your life, you are being asked to believe in yourself, to let go of any residual fear and self-doubt, and to take that leap of faith -- at a moment when fear may seem natural and faith may seem like the most challenging thing you can conspire to experience.

There is an apparent contradiction; that is leading you to live with a definite level of tension every day; that tension is waking you up.

As a result of this process of awakening and the newfound self-confidence that is gradually dawning, it will be easier to relate to people and they in turn will find you easy to be around. Others will sense your positive energy and spirit as very healing presence and look up to you as a fountain of optimism. 

There may be times though when you aren't feeling so sure of yourself, but it's a different uncertainty than in the past. Since you tend to project a generally happy disposition, even those close to you may not entirely know you need some support. You being a natural listener don't like to burden others with your problems, but time has taught you who you can count on in times of need, so don't be afraid to call your friends. They'll be happy to be there for you, like you have been there for them in the past.

As you learn to love yourself more, you find yourself seeking and attracting partners that mirror some of your sensitive and mystical ideologies. Your romantic ideals in the past may have been a cause for disillusionment, and may have left you feeling vulnerable to emotional pain through others failing to live up to your idealistic notions of them.

It is possible that you have missed out on real opportunities because you have been busy pining over something you can't have, which is a common and supposedly 'safe' way to love. Remember, though, that authentic emotional compatibility is actually a rare event, and to make matters more complicated, Uranus moving through your sign the past three years has meant that you are an object in constant motion, always changing, always a little bit ahead of your environment in some of the less commonly experienced (or spoken of) kinds of changes. In order for someone to see you clearly, they too need to be in motion, experiencing some intense growth and willing to change.

Other factors in your solar chart, particularly Saturn and Neptune in a long opposition, are teaching you not to put partners on a pedestal or have unreasonable expectations of them, but rather to look at them realistically for what and who they are -- the same way you are learning to see yourself. Watch where you seem to going around in circles and notice patterns that have tripped you up in the past. Pretentiousness has no place in your life right now, no matter who or what its source may be; you crave a transparent intimacy and need to choose partners who share your need for honesty, rather than ambiguity.

Clearly define what it is that you desire and envision for your life. Remember that this is less a process of setting goals and more a process of gradually gaining clarity, polishing the mirror or cleaning the windshield until you can see clear light coming through.

Your solar return in this period between two eclipses, and Jupiter, your ruling planet, trine Saturn, is like an open portal with infinite potential for you to shape and express your unique vision for the future. What you are experiencing, your soul's desire and your ability to manifest it, are all perfectly aligned, and you have an open flow of energy and ideas. Just keep yourself centered, integrate the lessons you have learned through past experiences and this time next year will have you amazed at what you have accomplished, learned, and created in your life.


Planet Waves
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, March 09, 2007, #653 - By ERIC FRANCIS

Aries (March 20-April 19)
Be mindful of the influence you have with your friends. You're perceived as someone with most of the necessary experience, but also a special something else that is not easy to describe, indeed for which there are few words or phrases in our language. That does not diminish awareness of this wordless thing, nor of its usefulness. The perception others have, as well, is that it grants you a measure of freedom that most others lack, but which can be taught or learned. Translating into words will be difficult, but it looks like it can actually be done effectively. Don't worry if you try and feel you fall short.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
You have so much going on internally and at the same time you've never been more visible. The gap between the interior you, and the one that people perceive, may never have seemed to be more obviously separate. They are not separate, however; perception tends to divide things into categories, and the body's eyes do not see the interior world. Yet in an odd way, the outer world reflects the interior, and you can at the moment make this a conscious process: of feeling, looking, seeing and weaving the layers together.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Though personal matters have been on your mind, I don't think you've missed the repeated invitations to success, which are now ready to be accepted. I suggest you choose carefully, however, and be sure to defer the ones you like but which are not quite on time to the future. You now need to focus your efforts on two or three of the most vital goals or desires, and be grateful that you are making the progress that you are. One thing you don't need to doubt at all, and in which you can put considerable faith, is the strength and innovation of your ideas. Don't speak loudly -- just speak clearly.

Cancer
(June 21-July 22)
Mercury is stationing direct in the angle of your chart where you negotiate arrangements, manage shared resources, and experience bonding and commitments. A phase of reevaluation is coming to a close, and a new phase of co-creation is beginning. You will get offers this week; you will see opportunities; you may feel you're unusually blessed beyond your wildest hopes. I must remind you of this: insist on a better deal than you think you deserve. Don't be impressed by first offers, early drafts of plans, or roles in which you are anything less than a fully equal partner. You're the one with most of what it's going to take to create success; make sure you remember.

Leo
(July 22-Aug. 23)
Others are starting to make more sense -- to themselves. You have a pulse on the games and the gaming, and you can see the patterns clearly. Despite the best efforts of some individuals to obscure reality, you can gaze through their words. You may be wondering how they could possibly not notice the obvious. Now, this is not truth to be seen for its own sake, but rather for the sake of improved cooperation and focusing of energy. Listen to what people say they want; see where this intersects with your own perspective not only on what you want personally, but what would serve the greatest good for everyone.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
You are on course for a health breakthrough. You've been sitting on the solution all along, though your determination has taken you this far. Yet success will feel like something other than the effort you've been exerting up to this point. It will feel more like turning a key in a lock than it does like knocking down a door. One thing to watch for is language: if people speak your language and feel that you speak theirs, the probability of success is increased exponentially. Too much effort is wasted in miscommunication, which creates the illusion of futility. Forget it. Something a lot better is available.

Libra
(Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Creative process is essentially a puzzle; only the pieces fit many ways, and the puzzle is the journey into yourself. What you will find as you venture in is something new about who you are, to which you are able to relate as if it were outside yourself. No matter how externally oriented an artist is, what is created is a relationship between the creator and what is made, which has many unexpected developments. Those are likely to be buzzing around your aura, your friendships, your notebook and your computer in these hours and days. Play, explore, create; speak to the universe till you get a response from the universe that changes you a little, or a lot.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
It is a risk feeling safe. Many among us refuse to feel safe, because if we're wrong, the disappointment will be too much to bear. So the supposed answer is to not trust. Well, this doesn't work because a life of disappointment does not save us from disappointment. At the moment, you are able to penetrate this false logic like never before. If you look, you will see the subtle ways you defeat yourself before you say a word, and will be able to turn them around into self-supporting equations and messages that affirm your life and the lives of the people you care about the most. One simple example of happiness and clarity goes a long way in this world.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
You know this time in your life is about building deep, not high. You know it's about getting your priorities in order. And most of all, you know it's about taking the experiences of the past on board to the degree where you truly respect what you have learned and can put it to work as a mode of teaching and learning. The awesome blessing of this moment is that of transcendent clarity. It may feel so natural that you may wonder where it was all along. The only thing changing right now is awareness, which some would say is the only thing that can ever change. Trust what you perceive, and the ideas that come out of you. They are lights on your path to the future.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
You hold the key to a political or legal situation. This will come in finding the right language to express the issue. The situation involves group resources of some kind, but which don't appear to be that way; the group itself appears to be someone's property, and the reality that this is a community issue has gotten itself lost in the discussion. You can see through the layers and seeming differences of opinion. You have the ability to translate the truth into a clear set of ideas that anyone can relate to, and from which many will benefit. Make sure you count yourself in.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Mercury has stationed direct in your sign, which is freeing you to see simple issues as simple and complex ones as being well within your ability to solve. Yet you have no need to be oriented on problems or solutions, but rather on progress itself. The astonishing depth of your own experience is becoming apparent to you now, and that is your resource, your property and your gift from which others may benefit. I suggest you follow a bit of wisdom that will benefit you in your role as a sage: let them come to you rather than going to them. Respond to a need that is articulated directly to you rather than playing the game of trying to help anyone.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
If your own decisions hinge on those of others, I suggest you take a wait-and-see approach. It is true that life is full of disappointments, but the winds of fortune are blowing strongly in your favor right now, and you have every reason to place your bets on your own success and happiness rather than on so many of the other possibilities that have shown themselves over the years. What is important now is that you know your heart's desire, and let yourself ring with that tune, that vibration, that simple truth. Feel the beauty of that alone; feel the beauty of clarity, and trust that your awareness of both will lead you somewhere you not only need to be, but want to be.

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