Planet Waves :: There's A Choice We're Making

Dear Friend and Reader:

Eric Francis in Brussels.

I am in the final stretch of the Midyear Horoscope Edition, an extended horoscope with an article about the astrology in the second half of 2009. With any luck this will be delivered to its subscriber list tonight. I work closely with the July 21 total solar eclipse, one of the most challenging to interpret eclipses I've ever worked with; as well as Saturn's ingress into Libra and the Saturn-Libra square of November. The Midyear Horoscope Edition is currently available at its pre-publication price, which will increase once the edition has been distributed to our pre-order customers.

To help make sure get that airplane on the ground safely, Judith Gayle has written this week's lead, Eric Francis of Little Rock has written the briefs and Priya Kale has written the horoscope.

Have a safe and sane July 4 weekend. Check Planet Waves Daily for some interesting articles about the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Yours & truly,

By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

It was not my intention to get sucked into the emotional tsunami surrounding dead pop icons; but I find myself unable to shake off the feeling that the recent passing of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and especially Michael Jackson is not business as usual, but another of the pivotal incidents that are defining this new reality. Their loss was inevitable and loss is difficult -- even productive loss rocks our psyche: like Iran which appears to be loosening the authoritarian hand of religion over their affairs; like Obama who has, love him or hate him, shifted the political center of this nation and put it on a path we have yet to fully define; like the collapse of so much around us that remains both familiar and elusive, and upon which we imprint our own desires and insecurities. We've taken a little tour of our past this last week; the 70s, 80s and 90s flashed in front of our eyes, lighting up brain synapses planet-wide.

A makeshift tribute at work for Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon & Farrah Fawcett. Photo: DouglassPics.

I know what you're thinking: Oh no! Not another tribute piece! Relax, that's not what I'm exploring here, although there was a remarkable spark of genius in each of those that have left us, and each is a poster child for a critical piece of our social psychodrama that begs witness and response. With the passing of these high-profile entertainers we're adding a communal yet highly personal dimension to this death curve we're experiencing as we let go of old paradigms; and that many of us find affecting our own lives, in loss of treasure, security and even long-standing relationships that are either departing our lives or the planet. We're feeling vulnerable, exposed and helpless as we ride these aftershocks of change.

No, despite the avalanche of tributes and retrospectives we've endured over the last days, it's not time to put this trio of deaths aside; especially not Jackson's. Why, you ask? Because it's made us so damned uncomfortable; we are conflicted on this man's life, by our fascination with it and its meaning in our culture. And that signals that there's a big red flag waving over The Gloved One and the piece of our psyche he owns, demanding our attention. There are souls whose lives encapsulate entire pieces of the dream within a dream, and when they die that energy disperses back to us to process and absorb; we call them icons. We invest ourselves in them, like human loadstones, and they offer us a dividend when they pass.

Art is often life, writ large; for artists, life occurs on several levels at one time, driven forward by an insistent and mystical muse, and hopefully -- for the wellbeing of the artist -- balanced in some way with the real world. Sometimes such a one has no hope of finding balance and the outcome is not only artistically remarkable but humanly disastrous. So it was for Michael, and to lesser degree, Farrah and Ed. And in that, we find a reflection of our humanity and a template for our self-exploration. Their legacies are not merely memories of their life and times, they're insights and context on our own.

Mr. McMahon, left, and Mr. Carson during the pair's final "Tonight Show" taping on May 22, 1992. For decades, the two were the last people millions saw before they went to sleep each weeknight. Photo: Douglas C. Pizac.

Ed McMahon's personality, brash and insistent, annoyed me right up until his death; but he made an art form of the role of Second Banana, and if you don't know what that means, find an old video of his Carnac the Magnificent bits with Johnny Carson. This was the man who trumpeted the arrival of late night comedy for thirty years -- years when, as with Farrah and Michael, the generations still came together to appreciate performance rather than splitting off to pursue their personal entertainment techno-druthers. He was one of the last of the visible icons of vaudeville, which can still be glimpsed in any comedy routine or heard in the voice of any pitchman.

McMahon came from a military tradition, serving as a fighter pilot in WWII and the Reserve through most of his life, but it was his time spent as a carnival barker that imprinted his Piscean personality. While Ed's life was personally pretty messy, it wasn't one that we picked over like carrion; and, essentially, his character wasn't configured to mind if we had. Everything was fodder for showbiz and that suited him fine. Last week, his death was almost like an announcement of what was to come the next day. His art was the pitch; he was in control of the setup, and for that, he will be remembered.

None of us expected Farrah Fawcett to get out of her anal cancer alive; especially if we watched the heart-stomping documentary on the dying process she decided to make public recently I didn't, not wanting to get stomped. Farrah was the It Girl in the late 70s, internationally known for her smile and her hairstyle (widely imitated and rarely to similar effect) although that is not why adolescent boys bought her red bathing suit poster by the millions. Then married to Lee, the Million Dollar Man, and known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors, her Charlie's Angels role was giggly and jiggly, overtly sexual for the period, and perfected as the ditzy blonde in counterpoint to her capable and more serious brunette partners; but it didn't suit her bright Aquarian sensibilities so after the first season, she took it upon herself to face down the Master of the Entertainment Universe, Aaron Spelling. She didn't want more money, she wanted out; she got her way, although her success in escaping T&A TV probably taught Spelling that everyone could be replaced and muddied the waters for Suzanne Somers, Three's Company bombshell, in her salary bid a few years later. Both shows steamed ahead for a while, but never as successfully as with their perky blonde centerpieces.

Ms. Fawcett at the 58th Prime time Emmy Awards in 2006 in her tribute to the late Aaron Spelling, the creator of "Charlie's Angels." Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters.

Farrah turned to serious subjects in theatre and proved her acting ability in the combative and emotion-provoking movie The Burning Bed; and the theatrical production, made into a movie, of the highly-charged rape expose, Extremities. Both offerings were about sexual and/or domestic abuse. Fawcett earned a Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, along with other awards and critical approval for her portrayals. And although she partnered with Ryan O'Neal and produced a son, she never married again. She left funds to battered women's shelters in her will, which she supported during her lifetime. The very shallowness of her early popularity informed her later career; she was neither naive nor did she, apparently, have a feminist axe to grind. She was simply of an independent spirit. In later years, well past her supposed prime, she posed for Playboy twice. Her art was in exploring all the aspects of the female mythology she represented, and she demanded control of her fortunes though she was offered the moon to surrender them; for that, and a kind of good-natured graciousness from start to finish, she will be remembered.

It is harder to define Michael Jackson's legacy. On the day he died, a friend asked me what I thought killed him and was met with unaccustomed silence; she laughed that she'd rarely stumped me and pressed her question. My answer was that it's complicated. On the obvious level, it appears that drug interaction and years of excess killed MJ, like so many who went before him; I think the larger reality is that we did. We created Michael Jackson, adored him, revered him, despised him, and ultimately, I think, projected our own demons and cynicism on him. We ate him alive, consuming him narcotic-style, like the drugs he came to favor; me, I'm surprised he lasted fifty years.

MJ was both brilliant and broken and had been since his early years, overwhelmingly eccentric in the fashion of a late-century Howard Hughes. Perhaps he was, as some suspect, an ET unaccustomed to this plane, or at least too sensitive by half to manage the landscape of the popular acclaim he earned; but to his untimely end, he remained the Man In The Mirror that connected us to both our own self-loathing and that cluster of DNA we each possess that holds our altruism, innocence and vulnerability.

Unlike McMahon or Fawcett, his professional life was not single-themed nor did he show us a single aspect of ourselves. He was a kaleidoscope of dysfunction. Early episodes of bullying and beating by his father, Joe, gave us a template for child abuse. His outstanding talent and genius put him at the center of the family business as an example of child exploitation. His eventual recreation of himself to succeed where so many child stars failed put him at odds with the Jackson Five and he broke away from the heavy hand of parental authority, wrenching control away from his opportunistic family. But what, you say, of the man he became? We'll never know; I'm not sure we ever saw him.

Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Nipsey Russell filmed the musical "The Wiz" in New York in 1977. Photo: AP.

A Virgo with Pluto conjunct his Sun, he was in constant quest of transformation; pity the day he discovered plastic surgery because he never knew when to quit, even when there was no more flesh to manipulate. Although he was the first African-American to cross the post-civil rights cultural barriers in music, exploding across race lines to put a face of color on MTV and open the corridors to R&B -- becoming that rarest of all creatures, an international superstar -- by the 90s he looked like Diana Ross and toward the end, more like a badly-used Pinocchio marionette. He hid behind a glitzy wardrobe, garish makeup, band-aids, masks and eventually burqas. His spending and excess was legion, his personal life in shambles and his final days marked by desperation to pay off huge debt and, apparently, kill his considerable pain.

Still, I don't believe Jackson was a poster boy for adult victimization -- people make choices. Ed McMahon invited the attention for his own profit; Farrah Fawcett turned away from it by design. Michael simply couldn't do without that one constant he depended on: public adoration. When someone tries to hide so much there's usually something to hide, although it's often not what we think it is. Lisa Marie Presley has said that her brief marriage to MJ was real enough, but subject to the push/pull dynamic that Michael used to protect himself. When reality got too close for comfort, Michael simply escaped to another, more pleasing one; people were welcome to enter into his fantasy world, but subject to the rules he placed on maintaining it. He had too much direction as a child, too little as an adult; clearly, if Michael could have been 'fixed,' he wanted no part of it.

Personally, I never thought MJ 'touched' little boys; I thought he wanted to be a little boy so badly it was the driving zeitgeist of his existence. He never fully entered into that experience, or he wouldn't have orchestrated so elaborate a stage-drop to capture it. He was looking for something authentic and came as close as he could; like the animals that inhabited his personal zoo, Michael was not in his own habitat but looking in from outside. Peter Pan was not who he wanted to remain; it was who he wanted to become. He was a kind of organic Benjamin Button, without much common sense and little understanding of social boundaries.

We are conflicted about Michael Jackson, confused; but no more, I'm convinced, than was he. Our response to him was something of a Rorschach test, continually changing. The British press coined the title Whacko Jacko and each twist and turn of his increasingly unstable life filled the pages of the rags, constantly in search of the salacious. It became increasingly difficult to reconcile his bizarre adult activity with that amazing little prodigy that indelibly imprinted us all with an almost angelic version of I'll Be There. As we watched him mature, what was brilliant thrilled us yet what was quirky to the point of freakish made us uncomfortable, uneasy and much like gawkers of the Elephant Man whose bones MJ coveted, we couldn't look away. Apparently, we still can't.

We're on board to hear every odd, raw and dark aspect of this man's life now; we can't sidestep his human stumbles because the press knows how to work our own darker instincts. We'll hear about his sexuality, his drug use, his paranoia and his fears. We'll get the details on his emaciated body and his medical challenges; his generosity and his irresponsibility, his virtue and his vice, his vanity, illusions and drug dependency. The Chopra family was close to him and the Jackson family; participating, so they say, in intervention attempts. Deepak has become a voice against celebrity medical enablers. And in the end, Michael left three children he adored but evidently didn't father to the care of his elderly mother and nothing at all to the father that produced him; it was, as Janet made clear, about control. The frailty of his humanity was both a curse and blessing; and it is, never doubt it, only a better produced and publicized duplicate of our own -- the depth of it, as well.

Michael Jackson performed "We Are the World" during the World Music Awards in London in 2006. Photo: Kieran Doherty/Reuters.

I've watched a number of retrospectives and discussions about MJ in these last days; one on the Tavis Smiley show was particularly interesting, getting the black on black perspective of his contributions. But for me, the brilliance and humanity of this American icon was told in a story about the making of We Are The World in benefit for USA Africa in 1985. Riding the coattails of Bob Geldof's successful Band Aid charity work, it was decided to put together some super-singers to produce something for the famine/draught that was decimating Africa. Some 45 musicians were on board pretty quickly, their tight schedules on hold, but they didn't have a song. Lionel Richie turned to Michael Jackson and within two days they had music and Michael had the lyrics.

This might have been, as a fundraiser, just cheap manipulation of our emotions, sentimentality of the profitable (if charitable) kind, but it wasn't; I remember how it felt then -- it feels even more intense now. It strikes a chord, it hits a heart-button, it swings open a door on our compassion and closes the one we insist separates us. As you watch this video, and you must, you will recognize the faces, and flash on the musical Renaissance of the 80s, enjoying the pop culture eye candy; to give you context, although neither participated, Madonna had just put Crazy For You on the charts, and Kool and the Gang had a hit with Fresh.

Did you listen? Then you know that it's our heart that hears these lyrics and begs us to move forward into this new century, that we take the journey toward who we must become if we are to heal ourselves and our world. Michael got it startlingly, stunningly right, didn't he? There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives. Michael Jackson's inner child, who desperately wanted Neverland and spoke continually of a level of love that eluded him, struck the chord for the 21st century well before it arrived.

We Are The World

There comes a time when we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth
You know, love is all we need

Well, send them your heart
So they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand

When you're down and out
And there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Let's realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one

We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

I opened this video link shortly after MJ's passing; it had more than 10 million hits, I can't imagine how many you'll find now, with comments coming from around the world. This article contains a number of YouTube links, as you might expect; they are there for you to enjoy. Jackson's music and over-the-top performance is his legacy; but his, albeit flawed, genuine sense of humanity is our loadstone. If he was, indeed, an alien come to experience the harsh realities of planet Terra, then his personal pain and messy life falls back to the amazing truth that Michael Jackson 'got us.' More, we got him, deep within the free-flying and innocent striving of our soul; and for that, when all the dust settles, he will be remembered.

Coming Up in Daily Astrology and Adventure

It may not rival Disney's WALL-E, but NASA's Mars Rover Spirit just might be the most popular real robot in the solar system. And that popularity only increased when it became mired in loose, sandy soil on May 1.

Soft soil exposed when wheels of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit dug into a patch of ground. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University.

But soon Spirit may make a break for it.

While NASA made the most of the situation, using Spirit's cameras and other instruments to examine the soil immediately around it, the engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have made a mock-up of the Martian ground where the robot is stuck. Their plan is to take NASA's test rover -- an exact twin of Spirit and its rover sibling Opportunity -- and put it in the rig, then see how it reacts to various commands. The goal is to learn how to get Spirit to shake itself loose and get back to its journey across the Martian landscape.

The operation is being called Free Spirit, and Steve Squyres, the lead scientist at the Mars Exploration Rover Project, told Space.com that they anticipated starting the first test on June 30.

At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory website, a video featuring rover project manager John Callas gives a detailed account of just how engineers are going about this escape plan. In the background you can see someone working on the faux Mars landscape, which looks like nothing quite so much as a big sandbox.

Ask a dozen women what they think of their bra, and you'll likely get a dozen answers. What began as a humble foundational garment is these days more likely to be sold as a sexual aid, and modern bras can also be considerable feats of engineering.

Is Your Bra Unhealthy? Photo credit: Mercola.com.

Now some doctors say they could be something else: A health hazard.

Specifically, the wire in underwire bras could serve an unintended function by cutting off circulation, according to Dr. Christiane Northrup in an Examiner.com article. Dr. Northrup, the author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, says that women who wear underwire bras run the risk of the wire cutting off the circulation of both blood and lymphatic fluid to the breasts and chest wall.

Another physician, Dr. John McDougall, wrote in his book The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart that "constricting bras have also been implicated in the rise of benign (non-cancerous) but often painful breast cysts and lumps."

Warnings also come from Dr. George Goodheart, who is a leading practitioner of applied kinesiology, who says long-term contact with metal can impact the body in many ways. It can be positive, as when metal beads are placed on acupuncture points to increase the effects of treatment. But, as he notes in the article, "Underwires in the underwire type of bra are directly on two very important neurolymphatic reflexes, which may inhibit normal processes."

And Dr. Joseph Mercola is cited as warning back in his May newsletter that "Wearing metal on your body is something you generally want to avoid, and since many women wear their bras for the better part of the day, it would be sensible to find a healthier alternative to your metal underwire bras."

So what's a gal to do? The article suggests replacing metal underwires with plastic, or looking into either traditional wireless bras or modern models made with new materials.

An internationally known spiritual counselor and a musician with deep roots in South Asia -- Deepak Chopra and Salman Ahmad -- have offered a somewhat unconventional take on the troubled relations between Pakistan and India.

How Similar We Are! Photo by Rahat Dar.

Take these nuclear powers to a relationship counselor.

In a Washington Post essay entitled "Couples Counseling for India and Pakistan," Chopra (who is Indian-American) and Ahmad (a Pakistani-American) peer deeper into the long-simmering (and occasionally boiling) conflict between these two ancient nations. Noting that economic and social forces have already exerted new influence upon both governments, the authors believe further introspection is required before a breakthrough is made in peace efforts.

They write: "Both countries need to test if a deeper shift in consciousness has taken place. Family feuds make for the bitterest wars. Behind the facade of nationalism, Delhi and Islamabad have been acting like battling exes in a never-ending divorce dispute."

Like a couple whose relationship is falling apart, these two nations need to move beyond the endless recriminations and focus on healing each other, and themselves. Chopra and Ahmad recommend a greater exchange of citizens and cultural heritage, as well as rejection of violent extremists. And perhaps most difficult, India and Pakistan must stop fighting over the disputed region of Kashmir and agree to let international mediators find the solution.

Taking note of the ongoing struggle for change in Iran, where the people have been protesting election results in the face of brutal government oppression, the authors urge their homelands to seize the moment: "Given the right signals, beleaguered Pakistanis and Indians will recognize and embrace a sincere, open approach toward conflict resolution. This may take a leap of faith on both sides, but the time is ripe. Iran isn't unique. Change is in the air everywhere."


Weekly Horoscope for Friday, July 3, 2009, #773 - BY PRIYA KALE

For more astrology, horoscopes and information on private consultations please visit www.priyakale.com

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You can be quite the idealist, but the time now has come to be real honest and in no denial whatsoever of deepest beliefs. You have resources you need to make a dream a reality, but at what cost to you? It may feel like a sacrifice but if this is ultimately what benefits the greater good, you know it's a worthy investment. Just watch that you don't fool yourself into a get rich quick scheme -- there is no such thing. If you can rely on your core values and be guided by an intuitive knowing you can turn a corner towards manifesting something of great value not only to the world but for you personally. Pay attention in any conversations surrounding love and money and be careful not to project mistrust -- there is a message coming through showing you the way forward to freedom.

Coming Soon: the Planet Waves Midyear Horoscope Edition. Here is product and signup information for the midyear edition horoscope by Eric Francis. And if you haven't read your Next World Stories annual edition, it's still waiting for you! Sign up here.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
I would advise you to be gentle now with yourself and with your closest partners. There are complex emotions arising within and around you that you may not yet fully understand. Even more so your impulsive emotional reactions, never get you further down the road you know in your heart is the way forward. There may be some painful truths to wake up especially regarding a relationship, but if you can reach for honesty and lead the way to your destiny towards a common dream you share which ties into your larger role in the world. Be in no denial of this or the gifts you have to offer simply by being yourself. Be compassionate towards someone else's mistrust which is something they have to work through themselves to resolve. You can only be yourself -- Speak gently and truly, your words are not just words, but come from the deepest wisest part of yourself that knows the exquisite pleasure and pain of awareness.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
Currently you are working with layers of hidden potential and your ability to unearth these riches will depend entirely on you being honest about your deepest values and highest aspirations. Pay heed to your doubts, but work towards overcoming raging fears that are unfounded in reality and only hold you back like dead weight. Be willing to ride the waves over the coming weeks; you are on a journey of diving to rediscover unknown depths within yourself. What you learn will not only comfort you but has the potential to open your world in a whole new way once you realize just how much you have to offer. There is a sweet breeze blowing into your world now with the unmistakable whiff of destiny. Now if only you could trust it, but then what do you have to lose?

Cancer (June 21- July 22)
Things are heating up no doubt and I suggest you be extremely transparent within all your personal and financial partnerships right now. There may be a sense of woundedness you are struggling with but recognize your pain comes more from an attachment to the way things used to be and a fear of the unknown future. You can take the time to nurse those wounds but don't base your choices in them. You are at the start of a significant phase in your journey of self-discovery and an important conversation if you are honest will be a hugely liberating force in your world. Let go of ideas based on who you used to be -- this is about who you are today. If you can trust that what is real and unchanging will never leave you, you can focus on a sweet dream coming through showing you your innermost desires regarding the kind of intimacy and trust you need with your closest partners especially when it comes to sharing your heart and resources.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)
Be honest now about which direction you want to take when it comes to your most important relationships and an important professional opportunity. There may be a sense of disillusionment you are struggling with that you would do well to acknowledge; your greatest fears regarding your reputation are in some way tied into this. But if you give in to wounded pride you are more than likely to cheat yourself of important opportunities coming your way. If you can keep rooted in faith rather than fear, the resources you need will come reminding you of your depth and the immeasurable value of what you are trying to manifest in the world. When it comes to love or money, there is a sweet breeze of destiny blowing through your world and some one you consider a friend may hold the key to your freedom. Welcome him/her with open arms and an open heart.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
Just when you begin to get back in the flow of things, you may find something comes along making you doubt and question your beliefs all over again. This is no doubt a confrontation of all your old ideas and attachments to being able to being in control of your life. Indeed it may feel like you are being asked to dive off a cliff into raging rapids below. But I suggest you be gentle, honest and resolve your own fears that something is not possible. Be steady and realistic as you find your faith in your most noble aspirations. It may mean you have to re-write a few rules but if you can go with the flow, you are only re-routing the river to ease the flow of abundance. Find your courage this week as well as your deepest integrity. You are about to receive recognition for your selfless devotion to a dream of healing for your community. Remember you are a healer and it is in your giving you receive.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
There may be a painful wound you are nursing now, but you are also learning how your fears if not dealt with can project shadows of mistrust on your most important partnerships. Only by being completely honest, can you keep awareness of what is your "stuff," what belongs to someone else and what is truth. You've been undergoing a transformation and as scary as this may have been this week you reach a vantage point. Trust your perspective and wisdom that allows you to see the road ahead while others are still struggling with their clouds and demons of doubt. This may be a re-birth of perspective, or a new adventure beckoning you to your destiny but if you can be open minded you can find the deeper understanding you've been seeking to guide you forth.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
Careful now that you are being honest with yourself about your how much you project your past experiences and wounds on your current relationships. Your search for belonging has been the burning question in your life, but about more than your geographical location or just financial security. This is about your heart and your soul, what makes you feel safe and at peace on the deepest level. You've been through your share of ups and downs within a relationship and now comes your moment of truth. An intimate, personal or financial partnership has an important message for your future. This may dredge up old fears, but if you can focus on what you know is stable and real and not project mistrust, your future need not be a repetition of the past. What someone is suggesting may seem like a risk, to surrender and dive deeper into a connection while the monkey mind fills you with fears of drowning. But if you can trust your sense perspective to help you keep your head above water, you are only being invited home to your destiny.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Be extremely transparent in all your negotiations this week, especially when it surrounds an aspect of your daily life or a project you've been working on. This is about a greater vision you've held for a while but perhaps have been unable to find the resources for. You may wonder if all your effort has been in vain, but have faith in something you've worked passionately towards. You are entering a phase of important negotiations with partners which require you to dig deep to find your own worth. If you can be realistic and willing to question assumption as you present your vision, you can find the words that will get someone on board. You are gifted (and cursed) with the ability to see beyond the impossible and it is your courage and honesty that leads others to support you with the financial and emotional resources you need.

Coming Soon: the Next World Stories Midyear Horoscope Edition. Look for signup information Monday for the midyear edition horoscope by Eric Francis. And if you haven't read your Next World Stories annual edition, it's still waiting for you! Sign up here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
Watch yourself and your most possessive tendencies this week, especially when it comes to wanting to control partners to mold to your will. It may not be a conscious effort on your part but if you can allow space for someone's changing emotions, while being honest about your own desires you could save your self a lot of energy. You've been learning valuable lessons about your heart which if you've been truthful are setting you on the path to truly being able to enjoy your life on a daily basis. Find the courage to say what you feel but be gentle about it. Partners are listening but any self-deception on your part will only come back to haunt you. Your ability to be true to your passion and move in awareness of your wounds is what will bring you closer to expressing how you feel, and getting the understanding you need in return.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
Be extremely honest with yourself now about a close personal situation. It may be easier to remain in denial and lull yourself into a false sense of security, rather than deal with your own wounds and fears of isolation or rejection. But even you know this is something that you can only ignore at your own peril. You may doubt your inner strength at times, but it is what keeps you steady as you take the risks you do and still land on your feet. What others see as magic is your ability to break through your own limits keep discovering new levels of creativity and passion within your self. Something that feels like an emotional or financial risk now is actually pulling you closer to your destiny. If you can find your inner trust, what happens now can change how you perceive your world in an instant.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)
You've been learning your potential to manifest word and thought into your tangible reality. Move in deep awareness now of your wounds as well as at anytime that you are tempted to conceal the truth. Its not that you are deceptive but there maybe deeper fears that you need to confront and voice even if they are painful to admit. And any pain you feel now is more likely attached to the loss of illusions than a 'real' loss of any kind. Encourage transparency in all your conversations especially in relationships where what you are trying to build is trust. You may fear that a partner may not be able to handle the truth, but if you speak gently and with courage the truth can only set you free. This is more than likely to open the road to you feeling like you are on the right track emotionally and financially, towards a future you can feel more comfortable dreaming of.