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In a Starcast from earlier this week, I take an early look at our current very unusual astrology. This discussion continues in the edition above.
Chiron, Eris, and Why the World is a Such a Different Place
Dear Friend and Reader:
I would love to approach tonight’s topic with satirical wit, but it ain’t happening. In such a case, I write from the heart and do my best with imprecise words. And some photos of a tree I met near Lake Ontario last week.
Those who follow astrology are familiar with how there’s always a big deal brewing, or even the biggest-ever deal. As with CNN, there has to be a headline, or something cool for the thumbnail image. However, for 2025 I’ve been focusing on the events in Aries, which first come into focus in late May at the time of the Gemini New Moon — one month from this weekend’s Taurus New Moon.
The times we are living through are so strange that half the people seem to be overwhelmed, and the other half aren’t noticing. This is something you would have to feel. Logic and reason are not going to get you there.
As I make my way through the foggy ruins of journalism, I’m looking for anyone who has a clue that the instability, chaos, and extreme, edgy restlessness of the world are the product of the digital environment. Unless you’re extremely intuitive and/or not a true believer, this can take a while to figure out.
If you’re totally in the trance, aided and abetted by happy pills, it might feel wonderful — especially if you don’t know or remember anything else. Everything is just another Gee Whiz and “Sure, let’s get the upgrade.”
Aries is the Focus of Self, or Loss of Self
The Sun is in Taurus now; I’ll cover that in Starcast. Meanwhile, there is astrology on a generational or lifetime scale happening next door in Aries.
This is not the place for a tome on the subject, though whenever there is highly focused activity in Aries — the kind that happens once or twice a century — the bottom has a way of falling out of consciousness. There are a series of shocks that might sound like they’re off in the distance. Then they’re in bed with you.
Each time, humanity is swallowed by another wave of technology that redefines who we are, as individuals and together, and the result is never admirable. Nor is it noticeable. Everyone thinks that ideology and ads and propaganda change society. I don’t think so. Psyops only work when the ground is well-prepared.
Key times that come to mind are the mid-19th century, the 1930s, the 1970s, and today. Think: telegraph, radio, television and digital. All emerged with landmark events in Aries. All changed the world irrevocably and in ways barely understood.
Of course it’s all sold as the fantastic new product that will make our lives perfect, but I don’t see anyone dancing in backlit silhouette with their iPod in their hand. We’re not gathered around the radio, staring at the dial, listening to the reassuring voice of Pres. Roosevelt.
But What About the Children?
What I do see are many articles that reflect a state of panic about what exposure to devices does (has done to) to the developing brains of young teenagers. What happens to them happens and is happening to society. This may be the first time society has attempted to reflect the effects of a new, overwhelming media environment while it’s happening.
Then there are those who are looking right at the phantom disembodiment, the free-floating hostility, the dissociation, the detachment, and this sense that just about everyone is both tripping and emotionally cut off — and wondering what to do.
I would say “know thyself” is a good suggestion, and “know how to know when you do not know thyself.” There is not an easy answer and the territory we are in is, so far as I know, unprecedented. It’s a little like when the monolith appears in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and some new transmission comes through and…everything changes.
But now the monolith is everywhere, it weighs about seven ounces, it knows where you are, and it’s trying to convince you to let it make your decisions. The biggest problem with digital technology is that it presents itself as the solution to the problem it has created. It involves people like nothing before it. By that I mean draws people in from every angle, every facet of life, every activity, even sleeping.
Chiron Conjunct Eris Consciously for the Time
There are two events brewing in Aries, which will have many variants over the next year. But the foundation is the same. The first is that Chiron (healing process, radical awareness) is lining up with Eris (a chaos and conflict generator, and deep factor in the environment). Both are new discoveries and had not been discovered when they last aligned, in 1971-1972, so we are about to experience the first-ever conscious Chiron-Eris conjunction.
The second is Saturn conjunct Neptune in the first degree of Aries (where self and collective intersect). I’ve been told that to find a precedent for this, you have to go back to about 4600 BCE — 2,000 years before the Great Pyramid in Egypt was built.
My concern with the presence of Neptune is its drug-like, anesthetic quality, or the lure of “oh what a lovely dream” (of total technology). In the words of Human Design, the biggest risk of Neptune in Aries is confusing Not Self with Self, which humans already have a hard time with.
Saturn enters Aries later this month and describes some mitigating effect: something tangible. Borrowing again from HD, this could be a form of the all-essential inner authority — the only one that matters.
But Why oh Why…
If you’re asking yourself, “But why are things especially ________ right now?” (fill in your favorite or least favorite descriptor), Chiron-Eris (and what it says about the digital environment) holds a clue. Yet that clue has to come from within you if it’s going to be meaningful. And that’s not easy to discern, because “within yourself” is the first thing that digital technology moves outside of yourself (such as holding your brain in your hand).
If you’re wondering why all these people who say things like “Love is Love” seem to hate themselves and everyone else, you have a clue.
This is what I mean when I say that way down at the bottom, the crisis we face is spiritual. Something never-before known or experienced is taking hold of every concept of “self” and every concept of “god” and every relationship all at the same time. It will feel like both self and God to those who don’t know the real thing, and the “relationship bots” are appearing all over the place — without earning so much as a meekly whispered like wow.
In computer science, there is something called the Turing Test; you may have heard of it. Alan Turing invented the computer as we know it, including the term “algorithm.” The test named for him is whether a biological person can discern whether something acting like a person really is one, or is an algorithm.
(He knew this was coming nearly 100 years ago. Despite his essential service to the Allies during World War II, he was also convicted of the then-crime of being gay in England, and “chemically castrated.”) If it’s difficult to discern, it’s not because the computers are so good. It’s because people are acting so much like them. They’re the ones who think that computers can make art.
Tell me this: when you hear one of those now-everywhere creepy synthetic voices, such as narrating an ad or reel, how many seconds does it take you to notice that it’s not human? I suggest getting it down to nanoseconds.
Eye of the Centaur
So, we’re about to go through a kind of eye of the needle at a very fast speed, as the planet most associated with waking up meets the one most associated with numbing/shocking out. This is “The Awakening” aspect. It is “The Reckoning” aspect. It’s a new, intense version of “The Eye of the Centaur.” It’s much else besides, though those are my best approximations.
So what’s a girl or boy to do? (Keep asking that.)
Pay attention. Use whatever is left of your attention span, hopefully longer than the duration of a TikTok, to practice focusing your awareness consciously. Notice when you’re making a decision. Notice how you feel at all times.
Feel the pull of the digital environment, and if you’ve figured out there is no escape, admit that consciously. If you’re worried about young people, show them something interesting about the world.
I am also pretty sure that our relationships with cats and dogs are dependable grounding in reality, as most of them are not sucked into digital yet and remain instinctual, warm and emotional. (I am worried about the dogs and cats learning to speak through digital technology — those videos are everywhere and they seem real to me. But I have yet to interview one of their persons.)
Cats and dogs certainly love us, though it’s the truly unconditional love that you feel for them that matters right now. That’s what will give you what you need. Then extend that feeling to people. Getting outside will help, as will reading physical books, the kind you can scribble in and smell.
Pay for things in cash. Especially leave tips in cash, which will remind you that it exists.
Yet all of this may only serve to emphasize the extent of the problem that, at the moment, cannot be easily defined, much less solved. And beware of those who preach wise use of digital technology; that raft is back on the beach, and we are heading on foot into an unknown continent.
And if there is an antidote to be found within the environment itself, that would be in the form of making art instead of “consuming content.” We are all about to explode, so let the pressure off slowly when you can.
With love,
Your faithful astrologer,
The Astrology Boutique (all options are there)
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Monthly Horoscope for May 2025 by Eric Francis
ARIES Sun + Rising.
Who you really are is directly involved in all the things about yourself that you do not say. Put another way, just about all of the substance of your being is invested in what you don't talk about, don't reveal, and may not have discovered. In that spirit, I suggest making a deep and detailed inventory of all the places and topics about which you are usually silent. Go into the territory you hide not only from others, but from yourself. I mean, this could take years, though you could start with three items, ideas, intentions or desires. These are going to be things you're not only reluctant to say to someone else but also reluctant to write down. And the question is, why is that exactly? Why the secrecy about such basic elements of who you are? That's another list: who you might offend, what you might shake up, and what you stand to lose. Those are excuses, which are designed to conceal something else: the fear of either change (which often means progress), or of being in your creativity and self-authority. By avoiding these things, you dodge responsibility —that much is true. Yet what you really avoid is the edge. The edge is where you exist in a state that seems like total uncertainty. It's easier to stand back, far away, or retreat into a cave and stick to what seems totally familiar. Until you can't stand it anymore.
Taurus Astrology Studio 2025-26 is available for pre-order.
TAURUS Sun + Rising
You're at the point of a profound breakthrough, something you’ve been working up to for years. That's Taurus for you — take it super-duper slow, and adjust to every little change, decide how you feel about it, think it over a few more times, contemplate whether you're really safe, have a hot cocoa with whipped cream even though it's May because why not, vacuum out the car and do nothing whatsoever to compromise having the next three months’ rent set aside. However, this is not how breakthroughs work. The one that is brewing involves discoveries about yourself that could influence every facet of your life. Your solar chart has a kind of inner sanctum that's a little like King Tut's tomb. You won't know what's in there until you go inside. You might be worried about some kind of curse. I can offer a clue: you are what's in there. Once you go in and meet who you are, there will be no turning back and no pretending that your encounter has not happened. Then there are the challenges of living some new way once such a revelation happens; these are not really clear. The world may seem like more or less the same place, until you recognize that you're not the person you thought you were — and then all the same symbols can have exceedingly different meanings. Note that many people who get into their inner sanctuary only go so far. There are elements of themselves they leave out, or look away from — often the deepest and most important. But why?
Looking for guidance, reassurance or company? Visit the Astrology Boutique.
GEMINI Sun + Rising
When inspirational speakers talk about “hiding our light under a bushel,” what exactly are they referring to? Well, you could make a long list of spiritual and creative properties that humans usually avoid. You could list all the talents people are too insecure to share or allow others to see. One might imagine it’s about certain things you might say to others but choose to conceal instead. If you list all the things that might qualify as spiritual, careful review would suggest they are merely sketching qualities of something deeper, much closer to the core of who you are. And that something is not only easy to avoid; every facet of culture demands that you do so, and worse, offers a forest of fake plastic trees to conceal your view. However, for the best perspective, do your thing and explore the world of people and relationships. That's where the gold and sunshine are. Listen to what people are saying to one another; and hear attentively what they are not saying. What you may find interesting is that they open up to you. In doing so they may surprise themselves and make discoveries or mildly shock themselves with what they reveal. It is vital that you hold their confidence, and reflect back to them what they are presenting to you. Be calm and steady as you do this, and remember that the mirror goes both ways. Sometimes freedom is discovered as a wholly private matter. In your life it's more likely to emerge in a social environment.
Astrology that’s better than therapy. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
CANCER Sun + Rising
The events of May 2025 take place in the topmost house of your solar chart — Aries. You have the sign of action on a house devoted to making bold moves in the world, asserting yourself and making your mark. And this astrology is big, bigger than anyone can describe in an encompassing way. We know the world is changing in daunting and irrevocable ways that a hundred chai lattes cannot conceal. And your life — particularly your professional, or preferably, vocational existence — is about to surge forward. (In astrological shorthand, this is the 10th house.) You will feel the first rumblings over the next month or so, as Chiron and Eris meet in a conjunction for the first time since 1972 (long before they were discovered). At the same time, Saturn enters your 10th, which is usually worth waiting the 29 years it takes to come back around. Though you have not exactly been waiting — have you been listening to the music of life? Have you been practicing and refining your craft, to the point of mastery? And are you aware of the changes happening in society or do you think it's another boring day on CNN? While society is being remade, your specific involvement and your new lines of commitment are being formed, reformed, shaped and forged. You are becoming a new person in the context of a new world arising. Even if you believe that might be true, are you interested? It may not be easy, but you don't need or want that.
Astrology that understands you. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
LEO Sun + Rising
Most religion is based on a fantasy of a God nobody has ever seen, and usually those who can pretend the best get the most credibility. I was listening to fundamentalist religious radio on the way over to where I'm writing, and some syrupy announcer was going on and on about this imaginary friend who loves you when nobody else does. I guess that's better than the vexing, condemning wrath of the Lord brutally striking us down, but a more significant point is lost. Whatever God may be, it manifests among humans and in human awareness; and that begins with you. Further, the notion of "god" as a morph of Socrates and Charlton Heston is perfectly absurd, but people love it because it stands as a distraction specifically to the "begins with you" element of spiritual awareness. The "begins with you" thing when it works is usually silent and focused inwardly — but on what? On whatever it is that lights up your mind from the inside. You may not think that you have so much light in there, but would you rather be a potato? You'll never find out about your truth or that of anyone else while you're busy doing what you were taught thousands of times to do (most often by religion itself), which is to endlessly judge everything and everyone. There is a distinct point of maturity where letting go of judgment must happen, in service of discovering what those judgments (especially of yourself) conceal. And what is that? All that is truly possible.
Eric Francis reads your solar chart. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
VIRGO Sun + Rising
Virgo is the sign that is most heavily invested in The Other. This happens through various commitments and involvements that seem necessary (at the time) so that you can both discover who you are and fulfill your purpose. However, something ugly has happened during the past 75 years or so, which is that commitment — particularly to others — has become meaningless. Not only is it possible to "walk away," it's often heavily encouraged, and the consequences are not measured. Yet there is a more significant problem, which is that the at-times difficult task of working matters through to a better outcome is never even considered, much less attempted. It's true that there are people who simply will not talk. And with them, there seems to be little negotiating possible. But most people are willing to have a conversation, and you might be too, as long as you don't predetermine that anyone in particular is beneath you. In that conversation between equals (which must be presumed, despite any financial inequalities that might exist), you can put your cards down face-up and ask where people stand. Then you can do something daring, which is to say specifically what you want and what you need. (Statements like "I'm not happy" do not count — this conversation must begin with affirmatives.) In any relationship between adults, the only thing of value that can possibly be transacted is the truth, which means speaking yours and listening to that of others. Then and only then have you got something of value.
Spiritually grounded astrology readings from Eric Francis. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
LIBRA Sun + Rising
Learn whatever you can from any conflicts you find yourself in. Think of them as probes that reveal the true nature of people, and expose the underlying condition of your relationships. Who is your friend? Who can you trust? Who is reliable and who wants to help, just because they love you? Who supports you even when your views are unpopular? Who among those near you is committed to the truth? These are the things to study in your social and emotional environment. And at the same time, all those questions are really for you. Then there's how you conduct yourself and treat others. Be scrupulous here. Do you show up when others need you? Do you listen when they have something to say? Do you go the second mile as a matter of personal policy? It's ultra-modern to expect the world to support us at every turn, but rather old-fashioned to think that you have any responsibility for the lives of others, or for the world. Yet once you recognize who you are, that's likely to arrive with an understanding of what you're doing here on this planet at this time. That, in turn, will reveal both commitment to yourself, and an investment in the world around you. I am deeply concerned that children are being neglected now, particularly boys. I am equally concerned that adults have given up on daring to understand one another, and that intimacy has been reduced to being roommates. Yet everything is in motion now, and different territory is ahead.
Astrology for the soul. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
SCORPIO Sun + Rising
The road to success is paved with the risks you have taken. Those include creative risks and social ones; and they include breaking various rules — and in the process, making new ones. If you're wondering what it feels like to "be creative" or aspire to something you've never experienced, there are a few main flavors. Yes, it's possible to be "in the zone" and really making life happen. Yet that is likely to be preceded by feeling some shade of nervous, daunted or terrified. This is where most people pull back. Then there is embarrassment, because to take an active role in life means revealing elements of yourself (such as weaknesses) that you might not want people to know about. Too often risk is translated into a financial element rather than a spiritual one. But money is the least of it, and plenty of people starting with absolutely none have made something beautiful of their lives. All you need is to be true to yourself and not try to impress anyone. And if you’re trying to impress yourself, forget it. The spirit you want is one of sincere curiosity and interest in life; the spirit of willingness and openness to discovery. Above all else, the need to learn, by which I mean a need akin to that of oxygen and water. Sometimes this is really exciting. Sometimes you pick up a matchbook on the street and find a wad of old chewing gum. What your astrology is describing right now is persistent experimentation, driven by a mystery that you can only discover if you keep going. And that is the biggest risk of all.
Somebody understands Scorpio. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
SAGITTARIUS Sun + Rising
There are times when new elements and compounds are created. I don’t mean in a physics lab for one one-millionth of a second. I mean as a result of a natural process, long preexisting human involvement or intervention. You know, as a result of tectonic movement or an asteroid impacting the Earth or an evolutionary breakthrough that only a human soul is capable of. For other people, in other places or times, this may not be a factor. People dig up gold and cut diamonds with no concept of where they actually came from. We casually drink (and waste tons of) fresh water with no notion that it may have been delivered to Earth by a single comet a billion years ago. What your astrology is now asking (with me as its voice, I admit) is that you take nothing whatsoever for granted. You are in a moment of profound potential and change; a moment of creative rebirth like no other. You will often hear me associate the concepts creativity and risk; and by that I mean engaging with fear and the possibility that things might not go as planned. Yet this is the essential factor; this is what differentiates basket weaving from art. It's also what separates underwater demolition from working in an office. In what occupation do you think one has a better chance of getting to know themselves? This is the most daring thing in the world, and the one that nearly everyone is hiding from. Congratulations — you no longer can.
Jim Morrison said Sagittarius is the most philosophical sign. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
CAPRICORN Sun + Rising
Anger is useless, except as an early warning system. And as that, it’s essential, because it tells you where to look for more specific information. Most people grab onto their anger and declare themselves right. That debases its most useful purpose, which is to find out what you’re really feeling below the surface — and the ways you might not be so right. One of the games that the world plays is to divert sexual energy into creative activity, which is redundant. All actual creativity has a source in eros. So you can be pretty sure that any effort to subvert what is called 'sexual' is really an effort to eliminate what is creative. This involves the suppression of curiosity in any of its forms. And while many would say that eros is driven by the reproductive instinct, I propose that the best sexual feelings are motivated by curiosity, and its implied love of existence. People want to understand one another and this is what usually gets them started. Unfortunately, this does not usually last so long, though I consider this a creative failure more than any other. But back to anger. What is less obvious is to transform anger and resentment into mirror-like wisdom — or anything new and helpful. Anger can serve as an inspiration to make improvements to your world, if you respond to it in that moment. If something frustrates you, fix it. If you can't find one, build one. If you feel limited within yourself, push your boundaries and grow as a voluntary act.
Mature when you’re a child, grows younger as the years go on. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
AQUARIUS Sun + Rising
Why is the discussion of sex taboo? I don’t mean talk of scandal and gossip — that’s the wet blanket thrown over feelings and desires; the reality show lacking any reality. There are enough potential explanations to fill a library, though it comes back to the Book of Genesis. You know, Original Sin. I mean, what a great way to sell hamburgers (or religion)…the greatest marketing innovation in this sector of the galaxy. With Pluto now in your sign, you are being invited to make contact with both instinctual and evolutionary forces. In fact, they are unlikely to leave you alone for a minute. Think of Pluto as an internal beacon that will remind you of who you are at all times. And with half of the solar system taking up residence in Aries, you're being driven to express yourself, by which I mean to not hold it all in. So you have the inner connection you need, and the modes of expression that will serve you if you want to use them. And if you're waiting for things to get better, by which I mean conditions to be more facilitating of your journey through life, right now is about as good as it gets. And one thing will lead to another, if you start with that one thing — whatever it is. If there is something you've wanted to do over and over, but could not get going, that's probably your best candidate. Once that chain reaction starts, it won't stop for quite a while.
Learn the secrets of Pluto in your sign. Visit the Astrology Boutique.
PISCES Sun + Rising
Now would be a good time to dial back the effort and just coast for a while. This month Saturn leaves your sign — at least temporarily, till it moves on for the next few decades. It seems impossible now but you will feel some breathing space, enough to know that you can feel better. And then you may notice what a difference it makes when you do. This remains a serious and sober time in your personal history, when decisions mean more than usual. So don’t make them quickly, and keep a constant inventory of what you observe, what you know for sure and what you don’t know. However, if your solar chart blazes out with one message, it’s this: a single idea has the power to change your life, and I mean for the better. The only problem with ideas is that few people notice them, even fewer believe they have any worth, and only a couple here and there actually develop them into something. One exercise is to make an inventory of your perceived problems. Then wait until they are matched up with solutions that come to you. This will demonstrate the power of concepts and perception. If you can define a problem correctly, you will find the resolution. Yet there’s one more thing to track, and this stands above all else. If you are true to what you want, and true to who you are, you’ll have a guiding principle for all the decisions you need to make (and they are ongoing). The stress factor is often the lack of a guiding principle. Yet the depth of sincerity required is more than most people can stand.
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