| Thank you, Jonathan | | 'Eclipse' is astrological shorthand for being carried by eagles across a mountain range. Mystics will recognize the idea of a dimension shift. The science-minded will recognize paradigm shift; others, the dawn of an era. As the momentous Gemini eclipse vibrates through the galaxy, times are perfect for setting your highest intentions, if possible, with actions and not just thoughts. There's a trick to this process: No compromises. Admit to yourself what you want and need, and take some concrete step to make it real. There are, to be sure, more than a few drops of Jupiter falling to Earth right now. She acts like summer and walks like rain / Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey... | | Aries (March 20-April 21) | | You are standing in the midst an awesome opportunity to redefine your entire existence based on your professional calling. A true calling is not an outer quality or event, and it's not the issue of "What shall I do with my life?" It is, rather, an experience that ranges from a subtle inner voice to the revelation that a project or mission is so truly necessary that you couldn't really be you without doing it. Sounds nice, yes? This is one answer to the drudgery of the work-a-day world, and it now arrives as a decision that you are free to make, or more likely, one that may be making you. | | Taurus (April 21-May 20) | | The knot you've been working to untangle for so long is coming loose. There's no point in asking why it didn't happen sooner; this was not easy. You've been dividing your time between a rich, at times dark emotional world on one hand, and a complicated mental world on the other. Between them they've barely allowed you a moment's rest. But is rest what you're after, or is it adventure, passion and a deep sense of belonging in your skin? Today's a good day to remind you: you're more than the sum of your parts, and in reality, you're not divided at all. Each precious moment you feel that will lead gently to the next. | | Gemini (May 20-June 21) | | If I had to use astrology choose one week of your life when you'd come to terms with who you are and who you are not, it would be this week. If I had to choose one day, it would be today. The 'who you are not' issue is so entirely vital to your sanity and happiness that it's worth all the spiritual training in the world, but requires no such thing. At any moment, you're a blink of the eyes away from utterly forgetting the strange, at times lonely thing you once called existence, and awakening to a world in which your voice is heard, and you are seen honestly for who you are. | | Cancer (June 21-July 22) | | Slowly, it will begin to dawn on you just how much better your life is today than it was one year ago, or perhaps ever before. You may think this is a result of all you've recently gained or learned. I have a different theory. Ultimately, we cannot have happiness until we are set free from the silent fear that has much of the human family in its grip. And this is the essence of the real change that has come through your life. If you're the rare Cancerian still wondering when your time will come, all you need to do is take a good look at your worst fear and ask it to justify its existence. You're likely to hear a very lame excuse. | | Leo (July 22-Aug. 22) | | You have reached the end of a long phase of reevaluating how you do relationships, and there certainly has been quite a bit to consider. You may think changing your way of engaging others will set them free from some of the more difficult tendencies you've developed over the years. But what really happens is that you are liberated from the unnecessary burden of control. The worst kind of control is self-control, or perhaps it is the only kind. But there is a far more pleasurable and easygoing way to relate to yourself, and therefore to others. Trust, clarity, and a sense of community do not grow on trees, but they are growing right now. | | Virgo (Aug. 22-Sep. 22) | | This is a no-holds-barred, suspend-the-limits and forget-the-rules rules stretch of life's highway for you. Yet to live outside the law, you must be really level-headed. In the coming days and weeks, some of the most significant gains of many years are possible where your most cherished goals are concerned. And most of these will be decided on the basis of the quality of your communication. If you conserve your words and choose carefully who you relate to, and most important, take one conscious step at a time, I am confident you can work out exactly what you want or need. Remember, communication goes two ways, so be sure to listen twice as well as you speak. | | Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) | | You'd do well to take a more generous view of who your peers are. That clearly means looking up, because some of the individuals you admire most in this world are in truth your equals. In these past days, and in actual fact right now, a self-limiting belief structure that you've carried for many years is losing its strength. If I understand correctly, the impulse to work against your own goals will never have quite the appeal that it once did. But remember that you tend to define yourself by who you admire, so it's wise to aim high, and expect no less of yourself than you would of them. It's truly possible. | | Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) | | The future has arrived. I can only hint at the extent to which you've been able to take apart roadblocks and limits that once stood in your way. True to the nature of your watery sign, you've persisted for longer that most people realize is even possible, eroding what turn out to be mostly mental obstacles, but practical ones, too. There's no need to blaze forward now, however. You have important personal needs to take care of, though it's reasonable to expect that it's dawned on people that cooperation is genuinely in their best interest. It usually takes a visionary to notice that, but currently the light is so bright even the blind can see. | | Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) | | The world is now in a titanic struggle between supposed right and wrong, striving for something that does not exist. The ancient Greeks had a concept we lack, and it was ethos. Ethos was revered as the greatest good, the living spirit of truth. If these years of Pluto in Sagittarius find us reaching for anything, it is a "transparent, vital, loving energy that answers a very deep thirst," to quote Denice, one of my Sagittarian astrology colleagues, who describes the current stellar setup as "the alchemical, delicate, intricate blending of expression and form." Sagittarius is that strange zone where all the opposites become one. Cousin, let it roll for all it's worth. | | Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) | | The impulse to recreate yourself has taken so many forms in the past year, it's been nearly impossible to keep track. But if your current solar chart is any indication, it would serve well to define your process by one unifying principle or idea and not worry about the rest. Even if it's not literally true, you'll create a focal point, and thus a place for your mind to get a grip; the rest will follow. You might define it in spiritual terms, or professional ones such as a project, or something practical like getting your home in order. But one fact stands tall. You have no need to fight for the right to exist. | | Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) | | When we strive to make other people free, the result is often, oddly, that we become ensnared in their games. It's well established that people who want to make choices and express their best inner qualities do so even under the most adverse conditions, and without anyone giving them permission. The deep inner calling of life is more than enough to start the process. Can you feel this stirring to awareness within yourself? Can you feel the child in your heart reaching beyond limits that were set so long ago? Can you feel the need to take risks that recently seemed completely unthinkable? If not, it's just a matter of a little time. | | Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20) | | You are actually succeeding at something that can be very challenging for a Pisces, which is establishing clear boundaries. Boundaries are limits around who you are, and filters placed in front of what you will take in, or take on, that is not yours. But more to the point, they teach you what is clearly your own. If you're not there yet, you'll soon notice how good this feels, and how productive it allows you to be. The first boundary in the world is that this is your life, a fact you can now honestly celebrate. Another is that the past is different from the present. But at this moment you have no idea how different. Eric Francis is a Seattle-based astrologer. He specializes in newly-discovered planets such as Chiron, and often works as a consultant to people in the performing and creative arts. His column appears weekly at www.PlanetWaves.net and at Keyword MYSTIC on AOL-UK. | Search | Horoscopes | What's New | Index | Consultations  Space graphic above from the Rosette Nebula in Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur.
Credit: T. A. Rector, B. Wolpa, M. Hanna. Planet Waves logo by Eric, and Via Keller. |
