They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains.

They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations – all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today’s wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops’ success – no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of their impact is no less great – in a world of threats that no know borders, it will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns, and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad. And it will serve as testimony to the character of those who serve, and the example that you set for America and for the world.

Here, at Fort Hood, we pay tribute to thirteen men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. Later today, at Fort Lewis, one community will gather to remember so many in one Stryker Brigade who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Long after they are laid to rest – when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today’s servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown – it will be said of this generation that they believed under the most trying of tests; that they persevered not just when it was easy, but when it was hard; and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service. May God bless the memory of those we lost. And may God bless the United States of America.

We’re now up to Sagittarius and Sagg rising on the comment project for the annual edition of Planet Waves. This has been a big year for Saggies due to the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune; and for the fact that Pluto has left your sign (and entered Capricorn, your sign of financial resources). What have these recent seasons been like? How are you handling the pace of time, the changes, and the calling to focus your mind? What have your relationships been like? And with Saturn moving through Virgo, your 10th house off profession and reputation, what steps have you taken during late 2008 and 2009 to focus this aspect of your life?

This is also a second shout out to Libra and Scorpio (including ascendants) for comments. Please use those direct links for those signs! The comments section below this entry is for Sagittarius.

Everyone who has contributed so far — these comments have been amazingly helpful at getting a handle on what you’re really going through and how you’re handling your changes and opportunities.

Please keep them coming. Additional details on the annual edition are in the post below, the one with the campfire. Subscribers — please check your inboxes for your special offer for the annual; I will be back with another one this weekend. One of the benefits of being a subscriber to Planet Waves is getting substantial discounts on my special projects, such as the annual edition, or the Midyear Report.

The Website you’re reading is sponsored by its customers — a big experiment on the Internet that has so far succeeded for more than seven years since we first offered subscriptions in 2002. We offer a one of a kind astrology service featuring my horoscope and personal growth writing; and news coverage where you are part of every story. And — no ads. I know we’re so pounded by advertising that we might not even notice when it’s not there, but if you tune in you’ll see part of why this is a pleasant, easy to be in environment is because Planet Waves is not plastered with commercials. If you come to the site regularly and have never subscribed, options are at the top of the right column.

Each year we publish a special annual edition with extended writeups for all the signs. These editions have included Aquasphere, Bridge to the Core, Parallel Worlds, The Spiral Door, Small World Stories, Next World Stories and now, Cosmic Confidential: A Future Investigation.

cosmicsigns

Photo of Microscopic rock forms indicating past signs of water, taken by Opportunity.

Well, this week the planet Mars offers a chance to see the Red/Blue divide on a planetary scale, accomplished with the complete absence of politicians.

Our friends at SpaceWeather.com have an interesting item about Mars, which is lining up for a close fly-by of Earth in January, known to astrology fans as Mars retrograde in Leo. This is giving backyard astronomers with adequate telescopes a chance to see what appears to be the Red Planet blushing blue, as illustrated by a photo taken by Joel Warren of Amarillo, Texas.

What you see in the photo is the northern polar ice cap on Mars, visible as a blue swatch atop the ruddy planet. There’s water ice in there, although it’s often under a layer of carbon dioxide frost (i.e., dry ice).

You know, it occurs that there may be an astronomical solution to the generally intolerable lack of civility in politics. After all, we have a Red Planet and a Blue Planet. Could it be as simple as Red Staters getting a vacation on Mars and leaving the Blue Staters on Earth? Or maybe vice versa, to allow each to experience a home world of the opposite chromatic character?

Or maybe the politicians need a trip to Mars, before they finish trashing the Earth.

Layer by layer, experience by experience, you’re being guided, pushed and coaxed out of the world of pure ideas and into the world of experience and expression. It is not enough to think about what you want to do or who you want to be. But it is more than enough to take small but real steps toward initiating processes that keep you focused on creating your future. The opportunities you have are not ones to be casually missed. There are few people alive today in Western culture who do not agree that our sense of time is rapidly accelerating. Technology seems to be leaping ahead in “dog years” — seven to ten years per year — and our experience of a calendar year grows shorter with each one we experience. You literally have nothing to wait for, and a lot of great reasons to dare, and to explore — now.

(The Daily Oracle is a random selection from one of 10,000 Eric Francis horoscopes. The Oracle is a divination tool like tarot cards, and also can be used to research any horoscope for the past 10 years. It is available to subscribers of Planet Waves Astrology News in all its working glory. This is a brilliant piece of programming combined with a full decade of Eric’s writing — when you have a question, it really works (as long as you’re sincere), and we know that you’ll love it. Sign up to discover how and why. Or enjoy one selection free here every day.)