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Horoscopes 11-03
by Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19)
Most of the important turns in the story of our lives are the subtlest. While life is marked by the occasional hurricane or earthquake, usually it’s the transitions we don’t notice and don’t give names to that have the greatest influence. I’m not certain it’s a good thing that astrology can point to some of these; there’s the possibility of applying will or raising expectations when going with the flow of events is often more effective. You are, however, engaged in a mighty quest to go beyond so many of the fears and insecurities that have dogged you for so long. I suggest that you not take the least victory in this struggle for granted. Notice when you throw off the least shackle, and each time you take a real breath.
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Taurus (April 19-May 20)
You are who and what you think you are, or at the very least this is a strong probability that is leaning heavily in your favor right now. There is a cycle to this dynamic in your life, a waxing and waning of becoming and unbecoming. Your ideas and the identity they create for you are typically overpowered by your emotions. This is not your fault, and it is not an easy condition to see, or to address. Every effect has its cause. Humans are heavily influenced by the psychology and the habits of their parents, and your mother’s influence on you is making itself known these days. You can go beyond it. You can get to the heart of the matter. But you need to feel your way to the core and leave your ideas behind.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
The universe is telling you something. Keep your mind on the big picture, which primarily means making an effort to see life—and feel life—as the people around you experience it. You don’t need to take on any other viewpoint, just be aware of it. Otherwise, you run the risk of alienating yourself in a time when you can very much be part of the action. Feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities or by responsibility could force you into a small box, or to see the world in black and white terms instead of as the truly diverse panorama that is presenting itself to you. If you need a reason for why this is happening, remember how much you’ve been striving to see your own life as more meaningful in truth, not in abstraction.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
The forthcoming Harmonic Concordance has gotten more attention than any lunar eclipse in many years. Eclipses always register in the collective consciousness, and this one has been gathering a worldwide following. That it occurs in your 11th house of public interests, groups, and social expression suggests strongly that you are taking a new role in your world, and are attempting to project yourself into life in a new way. If you’re finding this difficult, you might try not projecting yourself in any of the old ways. If you come upon an old topic, an old tape, or an old mental state, change the subject quickly. Move on; if you forget what you need to let go of, your friends will allow you to as well.

Leo (July 22-August 23)
Toward month’s end, there is a spectacular solar eclipse in Sagittarius as an astonishing 12 major and minor planets gather in that sign. This is almost a guarantee that you will be liberated from any creative ruts you may have wandered into and be transported to a whole new dimension of thought and expression. The charts portend a significant breakthrough, but the feeling may be a little like holding a spoon under a waterfall. Remember that you are your creative product. You are the result of your creative process—not what you write, paint, or otherwise produce. To live as art is to see the world with the curiosity and freshness with which children see the world, a feeling quite difficult for most adults to recapture or recreate. Don’t be surprised when it actually happens.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Security has been a critical issue for you in recent years, probably as many as you can remember. Once again this theme surfaces, leading you to question just what it is you need in order to feel safe in the world. There certainly appear to be more opportunities for danger than for safety on our planet, and more possibilities for pain than pleasure. What is it that tips the scales in favor of feeling safe? Step one seems to involve making peace with the fact that there are no guarantees. Step two could come in the form of recognizing that you have been reasonably well protected all your years on the planet, otherwise you would not be here reading this. Step three is simply a leap of faith in something larger than yourself.

Libra (September 22-October 23)
Your neighborhood is like a galaxy, but you might consider venturing a little further from home for the full effect. The expression "not all who wander are lost" comes to mind, but I would revise that to "not all who wonder are lost." There may be no words to describe what you see and fewer yet to describe what you feel as the events of the next few weeks unfold. I suggest that you keep changing your perspective; move in wider circles, meet unfamiliar people, and do anything you can to cross cultural or social boundaries. If you happen to be American, this is a great time to acknowledge our culture’s nearsighted tunnel vision and do something—anything—about it. Your life will improve vastly as a result.

Scorpio (October 23-November 22)
How much can you allow a person to change and still have faith that the relationship will continue? Relationships that persist do so precisely because they adapt and move with the flows of energy, time, and potential. Improvement in a relationship implies change; one would be impossible without the other. Often people put enormous effort into holding a partner or friend to the person they were yesterday and this, more than anything, is responsible for sudden endings or relationships that outgrow their function. Now is the time to affirm that all your agreements with people need to be based on mutual support of growth and genuine encouragement of one another’s happiness. You have the first move.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 22)
You remain under inordinate pressure to speak with words what you would never say. Take a moment and make an inventory of your confessions, needs, and desires for reality-check. At least reveal them to yourself. So often the purpose of speaking our secrets, feelings, and needs is to gain internal validation that who and what we are is worthwhile. You may fear that if the truth of your feelings were known, this would make you more vulnerable to some kind of confrontation. The opposite is more likely true. The deeper issue is the belief that you need to trick anyone in order to have your basic needs met. Indirect and circuitous paths back to sanity are everywhere. Take the straight way, for it still exists, and is more akin to your nature.

Capricorn (December 22-January 20)
Part of the great role reversal of 2003 is your coming up with the genuinely original idea that we’re all the same. How original can this be if I just said it? Because the observations that constitute the awareness that human nature is only and always human nature stem directly from one’s core level of perception. They are uniquely your own. The more challenging issue is why some people lean toward their own dark side and others to their light side; and why you are attracted to the dark side of some people and the light side of others. I have a hunch you are being called to take a risk right now. After you’re done applying all your intellectual power to assessing it, use your intuition.

Aquarius (January 20-February 19)
Aquarius offers the other 11 signs many virtues, but often its downfall is crystallization. Aquarius makes and maintains patterns, which works well until those patterns start to take over known reality. Then change is not only necessary, but inevitable. It takes enormous strength for change to be a voluntary act; often people invite various shocks and calamities into their existence to shake up a little progress. The current moment offers you a gem of an opportunity to completely transform yourself without destroying the safety of your life. But your patterns will change. Your mission will change. You will change. How? I offer a deceptively simplistic formula: Let the principle of improvement be your only guide.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)
Pisces is very much a creature of the Moon: a creature of cycles. You may have noticed there are events that feel like meta cycles, higher-order processes that emerge, revealing what’s really running the show. Several key aspects of your life are poised for meta-level shifts, and they may take you by surprise. Maintain a vigilant focus on your career right now. More is developing there than you can imagine, and you have quite an imagination. Invest every bit of that vigilance into maintaining healthy relationships with your closest partners and associates. Keep discussions moving gently. Guard the gate where willpower becomes anger, particularly anger at yourself. You have more creative things to do with your energy.

You can read the Eric Francis horoscope, essay, and birthday report every week at PlanetWavesWeekly.com. Look there for information about Aquasphere, Eric’s 2004 annual gift CD. The CD comes with online access to annual horoscopes (three different ones—Sun sign, Moon sign, and the Year in Sex) as well as essays on the transits of 2004 and much about the condition of water on World Earth. Aquasphere is the ultimate Astrology meets Ecology art and music project. You can also contact Eric for information about personal sessions or holiday gift readings by calling (877) 453-8265 or checking PlanetWaves.net.