Dear Friend and Reader:

I’ve finished the Aries reading, and thought I would share a few short notes. Sometimes I go into the reading with a loose plan, and then something new comes through. That happened here.

I began with a discussion of the “inner life,” which has pretty much been eviscerated from our contemporary existence — turned inside out by being inundated with electronic media. This shows up for Aries as Uranus having been in your birth sign for seven years, along with the many events involving Uranus (seven passes of the Uranus-Pluto square, three of Uranus conjunct Eris, and others).

Yet while this was going on, Chiron was present in your 12th house, providing a point of inner orientation, which was indispensable. Chiron in Pisces offers direct spiritual access; and for you, a tap into the inner light.

Now Chiron, fresh with all that energy, is going to infuse itself into Aries, and bring this soul growth up and out into the conscious level of your personality awareness.

Soon after this happens, Uranus leaves your sign and enters Taurus, which will ground you in your body, cool off that Uranian energy, and give you a break from the relentless pressure you’ve been under.

The other angle of your chart that’s unusually active is your career house, Capricorn — where, last night, Mars and Saturn were still in a conjunction.

Based on this and other factors, I describe the unusual openings that will be available to you, allowing you to both challenge existing norms and authority, and to work with these things to further your own ends. The reading is about 80 minutes in two parts. I have not added music yet; I will do that soon. I felt it was more important to get it into your hands.

You may get instant access here. For more options, please go to this link. You can also purchase by phone by calling us at (845) 481-5616.

It’s been excellent to do this work for you.

With love,

PS — Here is access to last year’s audio reading, and last year’s written reading from The Book of Your Life.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You don’t need to make the same mistakes twice or three times. It’s far better to make new mistakes, because this demonstrates that you’re learning from the old ones, and gives you some evidence that you’re stretching into new territory. And that new territory will be exciting, unpredictable and an adventure — just like you love your life to be. Looked at one way, the world is in a fragile state where everyone is freaked out that just about anything could happen. Looked at another way: all bets are off, the rules are suspended, reality is full of wormholes, and just about anything can lead to anything. You can, in fact, get there from here, though you will most probably end up somewhere other than where you planned. This week will bring something of a wild tour of reality and its many possibilities. Keep your schedule loose and your mind open.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Venus, the Taurus planet, is now in your sign, which happens for just a few weeks every year. This is an invitation to connect with your love of luxury and comfort, whether that means eating in your very favorite restaurant three times in one week, or getting a new set of bed sheets. The deeper experience is about enjoying your life without any guilt. This is not easy. We live in such a way that there’s always something more to do. It’s like owning a farm, only more abstract; since much of what we feel pressured to do can wait, or doesn’t need to happen at all. Taking pleasure in your existence, taking time for yourself (every hour counts), and granting yourself some freedom, are commitments for you. It’s the difference between your life living you, and you living your life. You may encounter how challenging this is, at the same time as a revolutionary spirit rises in your heart.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — We have one more week of Mercury retrograde. In some ways, it will be a less ridiculous week than last, which was adorned by Mercury getting mixed up in the path of Mars and Saturn in Capricorn. Thankfully that whole affair only happens once, though I suggest taking careful notes on what you learned, specifically for that reason. This week comes with another type of intrigue, beginning with Mercury slowing down to its station-direct position (which occurs Sunday, April 15). While this is going on, the Sun passes through the Uranus-Eris conjunction — that once-in-a-lifetime astrological sigil of our extremely weird era in history. The Sun will align with Eris on Friday, April 13, and with Uranus on the following Wednesday, April 18. The net effect here is that we’re all going to get a concentrated revelation about what it means to be alive at this time in history.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — If you’re the kind of person who fancies yourself having a career, mission or vocation rather than just a job, this will be an exciting week. Action in the casino of life is moving fast. Several games are going on at the same time. New plans and goals are arising before you, and you’re able to set previous aspirations aside. It seems like you want to do something different, or do what you currently do in a whole new way. Either of these works — it’s your choice, and you’ll feel guided one way or the other. This is the week to push your luck, a little or a lot. Aim for something higher than you think you can achieve. Place a bet on some seemingly impossible odds. Be bold about being yourself: fly that freak flag and smile warmly at everyone who wishes they could. Then do what you want, and what you must. Make your presence known, particularly with the top dog.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You’re making a choice between the past and the future, whether you recognize it or not. This is a week of reorienting. And that means focusing on what you want. The planet involved is Venus, which has reached a balancing point with elements in your sign and your opposite sign (the lunar nodes). You have the energy of a tipping point to work with; and since the focus is Venus, that means desire. This can be a real area of conflict for many people, who don’t feel it’s their prerogative to ask for what they want. You may also feel that it’s too soon to commit, with so many parts of your life in motion, and the world in such an unkempt state. However, that has nothing to do with what you want, particularly what your life mission is. Here’s the thing about one’s true calling or vocation. It’s not subject to style. It’s an inherent part of you, if you choose to notice, and to respond.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mercury is continuing to move retrograde in the region of your chart that addresses shared financial matters, contractual matters and sex. Yes, those are all in the same house, and it’s one where you tend to seek your identity (Aries and the 8th solar house). You may be feeling an odd mix of confident and edgy. You may be wishing you understood your most intimate situations better, and why you’re in them. I suggest you collect your questions, and let them stand, without trying too hard to answer them. In fact, let them multiply, as the Sun continues to move through this region of your chart, and Mercury slows down and stations direct. There is clarity coming, in the form of Chiron (a planet with deep resonance to Virgo) entering Aries on April 17. The most likely effect of that event is to take you deeper: to help you ask better questions, and to seek more relevant answers.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Your relationships may be hot or a hot mess at the moment. Your best role will be to see your part in everything you’re experiencing. Mercury retrograde is about to make a conjunction with Hebe, an asteroid that’s about enabling behavior and which represents the “drama triangle,” represented as a martini glass. Yes, there is such a symbol. Unraveling anything even vaguely codependent is about seeing your role in the process, and altering that first. The trap is trying to change, or even understand, someone else, apart from acknowledging what they say and what they do. So you may as well start with that. The thing is, keep it on the most basic level: don’t seek to understand motives, which is almost always a pretense; and the spiritual level need go no further than forgiveness. Your most necessary role is to live your own life, and to take care of yourself.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — It may be difficult for you to focus on your work these days, though you need to muster up some extra discipline and focus. You might not get as much done as you want to every day; the most important thing will be attending to one or two top priorities and making sure those happen. Be sure to evaluate in the morning when you start work, and then again with enough time at the end of the day to take action on anything you may have overlooked. Keep a schedule and make sure that you’re running 15 minutes ahead of all appointments. Then, do your best. There will definitely be some surprises at work this week; however, nearly all of them will have either the quality of setting you free from some idea or routine that you’re not interested in keeping, or jolting you into a creative solution to a problem that seemed impossible to solve. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on the big stuff.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Few question the role that sex plays in their lives. Driven by pleasure seeking and the desire for contact, sexuality is often fraught with conflict. Its source is rarely seen for what it is — and the payback, in terms of pleasure and contact actually attained, often falls subject to the law of diminishing returns. We all deserve better than this. You deserve better than this. Your solar chart this week is a setup for a series of discoveries and revelations about your desire nature. This will tie into your creative life. For example, one question that might arise is: do your sexual relationships support you as an artist, or do they detract? Do they provide energy and inspiration, or distraction? If you’re an artist in any form, you want the partner or the lover who thinks that’s hot: who loves that you’re an actor, or the sound of you practicing bass, or that your hands are always covered in paint.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The tensions of the past week may have left their emotional mark on you, and you may be feeling a little shaky. Yet in an odd way, you’ve found some strength and built some confidence, if only you’ll tap into it. This may feel like a razor’s-edge kind of thing. The bottom line is your autonomy: your ability to assert your desire, to make decisions and overall to be real with yourself. This may cause you some insecurity on what I think of as the tribal level of Capricorn — the way you are drawn to identify with family or a group as your primary means of seeking your identity. Now that is being challenged. You may be seeing the ways that you don’t fit in. You may, at the same time, be feeling uncertain about invoking the power of making your own decisions. Yet the bottom line truth is: nobody can make your decisions for you, and you can never actually conform to someone’s expectations.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — There are some deep forces at work in your life, and in your psyche. You may not have control over them, though you have some room for how you choose to respond. It does not help that everything seems to be occurring behind a scrim or a veil, where you can’t even perceive most of what’s taking place. Yet you do have the ability to perceive what’s in your own mind, as long as you’re aware of where it’s happening. It will help if you stay in contact with supportive people, particularly ones who know you intimately. Also, writing will help. It’s an activity that’s naturally introspective, and will keep your focus inward, where it needs to be.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Mars, Saturn, Pluto and other planets moving through your 11th house of public contact and exposure may be stirring the pot for you socially. In our tribalized world, there hardly seems to be a “safe” space except among one’s own group, though even that is so heavily conditional that in the end, everyone has to go their own way — or so it would seem, where true friendship is not a factor. And that is the matter at hand. There are many false uses of the word friend, and common and accepted manifestations such as a frenemy. You don’t need any of those in your life. You have actual friends, people whose trust you’ve earned, and who have earned your trust. That is your foundation: the trust itself. The most important thing in all of this is that you be your own friend, and that you trust yourself. Then, this makes it possible to expand into the world around you from a place of fidelity and strength.

Aries Birthdays 2018

On the Cusp of a New Journey

“I love that he does not just give ‘information,’ like what planets are coming and going, but also what that means for my sign, and how to make the best use of that transit or placement. Like having the issues that might be a challenge, and he offers insight on how best to work it for my highest good. Always informative! Presented with humor, and sensitivity.”

— Laura Garrity

Dear Friend with Aries Sun, Rising or Moon:

Not only is this your time of year, but this year marks the beginning of a uniquely dynamic time in your life. Just a couple days before the Sun leaves your sign, Chiron arrives for a nine-year journey.

Snapshot of objects in Aries when Chiron arrives. Top to bottom: Chiron, Mercury (in direct motion), Eris, the Sun and Uranus (which is getting ready to leave).

As Eric recently wrote to Aries readers, “It’s time to pull your life into focus, and to devote yourself to the changes you know you have to make,” adding, “It represents an extended opportunity to devote yourself to a concentrated, meaningful healing process.”

Whether you anticipate Chiron’s arrival with eagerness to get started on what’s coming next, or you’re feeling nervous about the changes and challenges in store, one thing is clear: beginning the process with Eric’s 2018 Aries Birthday Reading in your pocket could make all the difference in the world.

Eric designs these readings to provide encouragement, reassurance, and actual information about your transits — in language you can understand, and with ideas you can put into practice immediately.

In the two astrology segments (each at least 30 minutes long), he’ll walk you through the opportunities you can expect in your relationships, career, finances, family dynamics, self-esteem and healing process, to name a few typical areas. When you pre-order your 2018 Birthday Reading early, you lock in the lowest price we offer: just $33 for the downloadable audio, the extended description of your sign, and all supporting materials.

Please note that the price will increase the closer Eric gets to publishing your reading.

“Today I was listening to last year’s reading and I kept feeling that I needed to get this year’s reading; I’m so glad I did. It answered everything, or at least helped me to realize I’m okay and actually very excited.”

— Rhonda Benson

I hope your solar year has begun with a surge of energy and creative ways to use it.

Wishing you the best for your Chiron journey,

Amanda Painter

P.S. You can listen for free to last year’s Aries reading here, to review Eric’s accuracy, before you pre-order the 2018 Aries reading — for yourself, or as a gift for a loved one.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — On Monday Mars and Saturn align in Capricorn, which is your 10th house of achievement, reputation and responsibility. Part of what makes this aspect so unusual is that both Mars and Saturn are well placed in Capricorn (possessing what’s known as ‘dignity’ in ancient astrology). Therefore, this points to a rare opportunity of some kind. But it will require that you go beyond a concept of yourself that says you’re only capable of so much commitment or responsibility. And you’ll need to work through certain authority issues, as you must be the one who takes charge and at the same time is able to coordinate with others who have some power. Your actual goal, as I see it described, is to accomplish something real without compromising your integrity. And the way that works out, you will need to break a few rules — and get away with it, too.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Venus, the planet associated with Taurus, is in your sign at the moment, which you can consider a rare blessing. In particular, the degree placement of Venus is aligned with a famous degree of the zodiac, one that has the image “the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” This is about joining the “earthly” and “celestial” orders of existence; or, said another way: you’re being encouraged to define your idea of heaven on Earth. The chances are, this will be a modest vision, where at least you have your basic needs met. Yet there’s something else: being free to seek your own truth, which means declaring yourself liberated from the oppressive ideas of others that are so easy to get trapped within. If our predecessors on this Earth actually understood the nature of reality, our planet would not be in the mess that it’s currently in. Therefore, question everything.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — How is this Mercury retrograde treating you? They’re all different. The theme of the current one, which lasts through April 15, is exploring the different ways you can present yourself in public. This can range from how you dress and what you claim you do (among the many possibilities), to something deeper, like your chosen role in your community. You’re already someone who is known for going against the grain, and doing things your own way. That’s an advantage, particularly in a world where most people are worried about standing out too much. There are other factors in your chart about standing apart, including making sure partners and loved ones know that you’re your own person. You don’t need permission, you merely need to put people on notice and then live your life your way. Anyone who loves you will endorse your freedom and your creative pursuits.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Monday there’s an alignment of Mars and Saturn in your opposite sign Capricorn. This is likely to relate to a longstanding stuck or sluggish situation that has finally reached the point where it’s ready to move. You won’t need to apply force; just firm, gentle persistence. It’s probable that others have points that are worth taking on board. If you can do that, you may discover that people who seemed intractable in the past are now willing to be flexible, and even of service. Bring the discussion around to common ground, shared interests, and the higher principles involved. And remember that you are appreciated for what you do, and recognized for who you are. You don’t need to say that out loud; just remind yourself of something that is obvious on its face, and don’t forget it. In the event of an impasse or inability to come to an agreement, you are free to move on.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You can avoid conflict and controversy at work by taking the higher ground. Part of that will include making sure you get the job done, and that you help organize the people around you in support of this. Nothing speaks as boldly as competence, and running on time. Yet the one thing you don’t need to do is assert your authority. That would probably backfire, and there are much better approaches. Instead, use charm and charisma. Ask for anything you need. Call in favors or let people know you support their plans. Do whatever it takes to get people cooperating. While you’re on the “making things happen” patrol, if you can align current developments with a long-term plan you’ve been brewing, you could be planting the acorn that will grow into the mighty oak.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Anything that depends on creativity has two main properties: it will be at least a little messy, and it will change you in the process. These facts alone account for why so many people avoid actually indulging themselves in anything genuinely evocative of art. It’s considered easier to stay the same, and preferable to keep things tidy. However, that’s not what your chart is about right now. It’s all about churning things up, breaking routines, violating rules, staying up too late and actually doing something satisfying. You have plenty of discipline; that’s not an issue. What you need to allow yourself to do is have the feeling of going off the rails, and maybe risking dropping a can of paint or blowing a circuit breaker. While your chart is describing some kind of project with a creative result, this whole scenario is equally applicable to a sexual endeavor of some kind.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Are you done feeling safe and secure? Has this obsession gotten you — or the world, or anyone in human history — anywhere, really? You don’t need to court danger. You don’t need to take stupid risks. All you need is not to put safety and security as priorities above all others. For example, if you’re writing comedy, the goal cannot be to “not be offensive.” The goal needs to be having fun, relating an idea and entertaining your audience, which may indeed involve pissing someone off along the line. If your goal is to have a secure living space, ask yourself if you’re really free to do what you want to do there; and if you feel like you might not be, you should try it and find out. You will only feel some form of safety when you know that you’re actually willing to be who you are, and to a real extent, to do what you want to do.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — If you’re angry about something, find a creative way to express it. You don’t need to rage, and you don’t need to harm anyone. You’re the natural psychological master of the zodiac, and you have a dry, clever sense of humor. Those are talents you need to keep close to you at all times. At this moment, you clearly have something to say, and you want to get your point across. Start with a plain expression of the known facts. Then when it comes to interpreting them, go for understatement. You may need to work at this for a little while, and it will be worth the effort (even if it takes five rewrites over the next three days). This is likely to get you started on a new phase of expressing your ideas, and also participating in your community. You’re a natural-born spokesman for the truth, and we need you.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may think you have to renovate your entire financial life, though there’s just one decision you need to make. It’s the kind of decision that provides the groundwork for many others (on the level of values). Yet if you see it as one choice and not as many, it will be easier to grasp, and easier to see with the necessary contrast that will make the choice easy. Remember that you’re in a special phase of growth where you’re arranging your life around what is truly right for you. You’ve always leaned in this direction, though you know that you need to work your way up from your bottom line. Not everyone has the strength to do this, and you may raise some eyebrows along the way. All you’re really doing is taking leadership in your own life, and providing an example for others to do the same.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — On Monday there’s an alignment of Mars and Saturn in your birth sign. If you know something about astrology, you know that there’s a Mars-Saturn conjunction about once every two years. Yet it will only happen in your sign once for the next 29 years, and that day is Monday. So whatever this represents, it’s a kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or opening. The thing to remember is that Mars is exalted in Capricorn, and Saturn rules your sign. So if this is a matter of “what can one person accomplish?” you would be wise to set no limits on the possibilities. One other thing: when you truly define yourself as who you are, through your actions, you will almost surely be going against what you presume are the wishes of your family. And then, once you go your own way and do your own thing, maybe you can meet back up with them — this time as equals, on level ground.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The world is in a frightful state right now. Sometimes it seems like fear is the only emotion, and the only thing that people genuinely respect. Yet it’s not the only experience available; and when people respond from anxiety, fear or terror, that has nothing to do with respect. You seem to be undergoing a kind of initiation now, where you decide what role fear is going to have in your life. There can be no doubting that we’re all being influenced 24/7 to have panic attacks. Yet you’re intelligent enough to know that this cannot be what rules the world, or your world. Even so, you cannot ignore the problem. One thing I can assure you is that there is a better way. There is a solution. There are other approaches, and if you keep your attention focused inwardly, and observe what is happening, you will take a giant step toward that better way.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — One of the boldest statements being made by your solar chart is that it’s time to improve your income. This is not about a windfall or temporary gain; it’s about your standing in society, which is as much about participation and involvement as it is about money and resources. However, you’re at a stage of your development where you’re likely to find all of these things in the same place, in the same role, or the same activity. You’re close to breaking through a seeming barrier or obstacle — so close you may have already done it, and you don’t realize it yet. So the thing to do is to work your agenda, don’t be intimidated by anyone or anything, and proceed as if you’re already in what might seem like a new role — but is really your most natural expression of your soul’s mission.

Will You Become More ‘You’ This Year?

“I think you may be the only astrologer who writes about Aries in a way that I can actually relate to. You really understand the complexity hidden behind the often talked about Aries traits and speak about them in such a way that I can see myself as I am now, while also beginning to understand how I might be able to grow and change in order to one day proudly wear those ram horns in a positive manner!”

— Beth Reineke

Dear Aries Friend and Reader:

This week the Sun entered your sign for the equinox. We begin a new astrological year with you and all that you embody: the spirited chutzpah it takes to get things started — whether it’s a new phase of life, a new desire, a new project, or just the new day.

Two of the most interesting and dynamic planetary events this year involve your sign directly: Uranus leaves Aries (and enters Taurus); and Chiron enters Aries for the next eight years or so. Along with everything else happening around the zodiac, this signifies a true shift in focus for you — and your 2018 Aries Birthday Reading by Eric will be just the thing to help you adapt to the changes and set your course.

“This reading is so amazingly dialed-in that I can’t believe it wasn’t written specifically for me. Thank you, Eric, for tying together many strands of intuition of which I was vaguely aware: now I can begin to own and embody them with confidence.”

— Anthony, an Aries

As usual, you’ll get two astrology segments of at least 30 minutes each, along with an extended description of your sign and access to last year’s Aries reading. This is a separate project from the annual edition, different in every way.

Eric’s audio readings are some of the most unusual astrology you’ll encounter. They go deeper than the work that most professional astrologers do, reaching the spiritual essence of the chart’s message, though without the need for a natal chart — and they stand up to many playings, whether you take notes or listen while you fall asleep.

You can pre-order the 2018 Aries Birthday Reading for the lowest discounted price we offer: only $33 for a surprisingly personal and in-depth reading of your year ahead.

Despite all the chaos we’re living through, I hope you find the beginning of your solar year to be invigorating, inspiring and empowering.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

Aries (March 20-April 19) — This may well be one of the most unusual and distinctive times in your life, if you would only notice. The difficulty in noticing is that the world is so chaotic, and at the same time, our lives are all so densely packed with activity and so-called information that there’s no time to think. We have little time to reflect on the past or the future, as we’re all so intensely involved with the seemingly urgent priorities of the moment. So the challenge you face is interposing some space between your thoughts, and some time: enough to feel and to reflect. At times this seems impossible; at times it seems dangerous, as there’s this not-so-subtle fear of losing one’s step and getting trampled. Yet you will only know yourself, and know what to do in the midst of our current maelstrom, if you slow down enough to feel who you are, and what you want. Concepts alone are not going to cut it.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — One of the unusual qualities about Taurus is its inner dialog. Other signs are supposed to have this quality and perhaps they do, though I’ve never known people whose minds are so active as those born with the Sun in Taurus. This may mean you have a lot to say to yourself; particularly at the moment, as your ruling planet Venus is moving through the Uranus-Eris conjunction right now. That is the conjunction that sums up all the chaos of our moment, a situation that (despite only meek hints describing the issue) is rooted entirely in digital conditions. The digital world is “unreal,” and it’s having the effect of soaking into the physical world. You, however, are real. You are not an abstraction. You live in a body, and you love that you do. Whatever else you may have going on, do everything you can to stay connected to the physical world. Food, nature, yoga, sex, water and art all count.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury, your ruling planet, is now retrograde. This goes on through April 15, for about three weeks. It’s happening in Aries, the angle of your chart where you project yourself into your community; whether that be hanging out at the local cafe, or through social media onto the internet. This is an opportunity to do several things, one of which is to experiment, and the other of which is to reshape both your image and your role in the world that immediately surrounds you. However, it will help if you slow down enough to figure out what is really happening, both within you and around you. This is essential because your role is secondary to your defined purpose. One very serious problem we face right now is that many people try to have a role without a purpose, which will lead nowhere. You have time to figure this out. Keep asking yourself, wherever you are: where am I, and what am I doing here?

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — For years now, there has been an event taking place in your house of profession and reputation: the Uranus-Eris conjunction in Aries. If your career has felt a little like a trip through the funhouse, you now have a clue why. Even though you may not be the computer type of person, every facet of your work, and your aspirations, are being filtered through digital consciousness. Right now, Venus is passing through the Uranus-Eris conjunction, which is bringing you right into the action. The upshot is that your perceptions about what matters now, and how to guide your work and your professional aims, are remarkably in tune at the moment. You can feel the otherwise invisible conditions of society; and that’s allowing you to be guided in a way that would be the envy of marketing executives everywhere. You have dreams and you have ideas. You have the potential to do bold and brilliant things. Keep your ears on — information is incoming, rapidly.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Lou Reed once said that it takes a busload of faith to get by. He was right. Nothing else works in our world, unless of course you count brute force; even that is only good as far as it goes — and you don’t make any friends. Cultivate faith: in yourself, in your vision for your life, and in the road ahead. It’s a modern scourge to live as if there is no future. There is one, and you have one. We are all currently being smashed by living under digital conditions: pushed out of our bodies, pushed out of reason and logic, and thrust into a world where everything is made of stolen data, fake news and a nonstop onslaught of very serious problems. We are all swimming in a sea of code that we don’t understand. However, if you pay attention, you will notice patterns. You will tune in to people, and experiences, you actually love. Not that you “like.” Not that make you type a smiley face, but which actually warm your heart. That is where to go.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Your solar chart at the moment looks like a Texas roller-rink on a hot Saturday night. Yet the subject matter is agreements, contracts, financial matters and — lurking beneath it all, like the biology that unites us — sex. As long as we deny this bottom-line factor — the one that leads to all existence, the thing that drives nearly all motives (in whatever form that may take, from denial to obsession to sublimation to violence to sincere desire) — the point will be lost. Your current solar chart boils down to an evaluation of your agreements with people. The full content of their subject matter needs to be considered, with nothing left out. Everyone’s motives must be considered, on the level of self-interest, altruism, and mutual benefit. The challenging part for you is a matter of identity: in order to re-evaluate your agreements, you have to consider who you are, who you have presented yourself to be, and who you want to be. This will take time and thought.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — With Mercury moving retrograde in your house of relationships, now is the time to wrap up various pending matters, and have one or two conversations that have been put off for the past few months. This is not about showdowns; or it doesn’t have to be. It’s more about coming to an understanding, and focusing on completion of pending matters. Meanwhile, you’re having a kind of revolution somewhere in your amorous life. You are going through a transformation that’s being spurred by your openness to someone, whether you’re intimately involved with them or not. The sum total of all of these ideas is about being in tune with the moment you’re living in, and not lingering around in the past. The present is much, much more interesting. That is both the risk and the reward: to really live, you will be living on the edge. To really love, you will be loving in uncharted territory. To feel at all, you will feel deeply.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Work for you is much more than work. It’s your creative space, a place to experiment, and somewhere to explore who you are. If you have not managed to create a working life that meets this description, imagine how good it would feel to have one. Use all your influence, your will and your considerable powers of persuasion to make it so. If you have managed to shape a creative work environment, you are likely to be pushing it to a new peak, and you will indeed have an impact. I suggest, however, that you conduct the next three weeks of Mercury retrograde as an experiment. You can try ideas on a small scale, and see what happens. Do a little test marketing. Try new approaches, particularly where visual presentation is concerned. One last: you are likely to learn something from a partner, colleague or loved one that could have a revolutionary effect on your thinking, and on the trajectory of your work. Be open to new ideas.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Times sure have changed since Saturn was in your sign. It’s as if you’re an airplane that dropped needless weight, and can now fly much higher, faster and further on the same amount of fuel. Mixed in with this experience is an ongoing creative revelation; or certainly such is possible. You can focus on talent development, which really is the fusion of experience and energy flow. However, speaking of energy, it would be wise to conserve some. Slow down your burn rate, and your pace, even if just a little. Adjust the trend from doing a little more each day, to doing just a little less. Just shifting that momentum from acceleration to deceleration will give you an improved sense of timing and control. Then, gradually, cool off a bit until you’re at a pleasant velocity. At a certain point you’re going to need to focus on one specific project, which you probably are aware of. Take some time and prepare your plans, your notes, and your ideas.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your current burst of confidence involves two factors: Mars in your birth sign, and the Sun in Aries. Both of these objects are well placed in their current signs; they add up to a feeling of belonging and inner accord. Remember this feeling, since you don’t have it all the time. Focus on what you feel in your mind, emotions and body, and try to stretch your memory and compare what you’re feeling now to a time when you did not experience this. It would help, at this point, if you introduced an extra layer of reflection into your consciousness. Track yourself, and notice how you’re traveling through your reality. Mercury is retrograde, and that’s designed to help you lay the groundwork for your long-term happiness. This is about going beyond the feeling of power or confidence, or the strength of your identity, and tapping into the spiritual current flowing up from the ground of your being.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Aquarius is considered the sign of inventions and ideas; though, in my thinking, this is best described in having Aries (the sign of initiative) placed in your 3rd solar house (cognition, communication, community). The 3rd house is the mental engine; and many planets are gathered there now, including retrograde Mercury (innovative intelligence), and Venus (emotional intelligence), now passing through the zeitgeist aspect Uranus conjunct Eris. To borrow a common phrase, you are dialed in. Now, you need to connect this to focused, coherent workflow. This is brainpower that deserves to be documented and developed. Therefore, pace yourself, and be meticulous. You will find the solutions and create the inventions and see through the paradoxes that you perceive. Remember that your best approach is part science, part art and part literature. Use your whole brain. It’s waiting eagerly for you.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Current aspects describe you engaging something rare enough to find on our planet at this time: your sense of purpose. This is indeed a sense, like sense of direction, sense of humor, or even smell or hearing. It is less like eyesight, in that it does not necessarily follow “common sense” or strict rationality. It’s not as simple as turning down a street or even an alley; at least one knows those pathways exist, even if unsure what might be there. Purpose can be more like navigating in the dark. It’s easier if you realize that you’re navigating through yourself, through your inner environment. This is why self-knowledge and inner awareness are so crucial, and why it’s such a concern that for many, they are in short supply. You, however, are strongly guided at the moment. The events of your life at this time are a demonstration of your deepest values. You know what they are because, even if you feel challenged, you feel right. The more you feed this experience, the greater your awareness will become, and the better choices you will make.