Aries (March 20-April 19) — Both your inner and outer worlds are wider and fuller than they may seem. There is more support and there are more resources readily at hand than you might think. For one thing, we all have a tendency to take certain people or things for granted because they are always there. What remains of this year and most of next year would be a good time to exercise intent and take stock of those people and other resources in order to appreciate how much more they have to offer. Doing so will be a matter of breaking out of your own habitual ways of relating. In other words, get to know everybody and everything familiar to you more deeply by behaving as if you are getting acquainted for the first time. As for what escapes your notice because it is in some way hidden, you might want to employ a different strategy — active patience. Wait, but be alert for whatever surprises you. Then explore the reasons you were surprised. — by Len Wallick

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Surrender need not mean giving away your power. Surrender as a premeditated act of will actually has the potential to confer power. Few are those who can help you see the difference. Even more rare are those who can guide you to employ surrender as a skill for empowerment. For the next 12 months or so, you will be in a good position either to be among those few or to learn from them. First, however, you must assess which role is more appropriate for you. In all likelihood, your intuition will not help. Rather, embrace the counter-intuitive. The more you feel the need to learn, the more likely you are ready to teach. The less you feel a need to demand respect, the more prepared you are to earn it. Alternatively, if you are reflexively asserting yourself first and reflecting later — as in, always the first to raise your voice or to be continuously adamant — chances are you need to let go and allow yourself to be reshaped by at least some of what you currently resist. — by Len Wallick

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Wistful winds are blowing. You may allow them to move on. You may also elect to move on with them. The important thing to remember is that you are always free to choose. What to choose is your prerogative. How to choose begins with thinking it over while feeling your needs; then proceed to talk it over with those who have proven able to ground you, and to be your points of contact with reality. Yes, integrity does mean being responsible for any obligations you have taken on, but that’s not all there is to it. At root, being in integrity means being whole. In order to be whole you need to feel alive in addition to simply being alive. In all probability you have had some prior experience with airy yearnings, so thinking them over would entail taking into account what you have learned. By the same token, talking things over needs to include both offering and agreeing to clearly understood compromise and delegations of power. — by Len Wallick

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — There’s nothing wrong with keeping yourself busy, so long as you are aware of your purpose for doing so. For example, if you are keeping yourself totally immersed in your work or chores in an effort to stay on top of everything, give yourself a pat on the back for your diligence and energy. On the other hand, there is also nothing wrong with slacking off whenever you find yourself wondering why you feel the need to be constantly occupied. Pausing for as long as it takes to get some perspective and self-awareness is just as important to your physical and mental health as taking time for food and sleep. Either way, whether you are on the treadmill or on the couch, it’s not so much the degree of activity that matters. So long as your behavior is not unconsciously compulsive, but rather consciously motivated by a desire to keep your life in balance, whatever you are doing (or not doing) will amount to something, and so will you. — by Len Wallick

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Question clarity. You have reason to. When you stop to think about it (and are willing to admit it), at least some of the conclusions you have jumped to and some of the assumptions you have made lately have been off the mark. All of which indicates a need to get hard information either to verify or revise your version of anything that is outside the boundaries of your personal experience. This is especially true regarding maters of the past. Doing so will probably entail taking chances, and not in the form of guessing, either. Rather, the time has come to take the risk of being pointedly inquisitive. It’s time for specific questions you have thus far avoided asking, either because you did not want to be offensive, or were afraid to hear the answers. It may seem strange, but simply facing those fears and getting to the bottom of things could very well serve to make the present more pleasant, more fun and more illuminating for you and everybody you have a history with. — by Len Wallick

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — If by chance while examining yourself you bump into some characteristics of those you have criticized most harshly, don’t be dismayed. It will not mean you have stubbed your toe on an obstruction in the dark. It will mean you have made valuable contact with an enlightening truth. If you can bring yourself to dare yet another step and accept in yourself what you have summarily rejected in others, it will also mean you have made remarkable progress in your personal evolution. If, as result, you find that you have been taking a hard line with the wrong people, don’t feel guilty. The right people to have in your life will always forgive you, no matter how long you have estranged yourself from them. Finally, if there are those you have avoided confronting because you are intimidated by either their dominance in your life or the consequences of following through, you might want to reconsider your reticence while you still have time to take meaningful action. — by Len Wallick

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — What works for you may not work for others. What convinces you might not be convincing to others. What is true for you could very well be false for others. Keep these and other possibilities of disparity in mind but don’t allow yourself to despair over them, for that itself would be unreasonable. Even if you seem to be alone in knowing it, allow yourself to be comforted by the fact that everybody on Earth has far more in common than otherwise. We all have to breathe. Nobody can do without water. Food is a necessity. Such needs unite all beings. Yet there is also comfort to be found in diversity. What works for you today may not work tomorrow, and somebody else’s way of doing things could someday be the adaptation you ultimately make to get your most fundamental needs met. It is therefore in your own best interest to see differences as what can keep us all going, even as what we have in common can also serve to keep us together. — by Len Wallick

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Make something. What you choose to create will not matter. Even the quality of what you produce will not be of great importance at first; the simpler and easier the better, at least to begin with. Cooking a meal from scratch will do very well for starters, even if you are the only one you are cooking for. So long as you can see something of yourself in what you make, it will be enough. Then, when you are finished, get started making something else. Not to keep yourself busy, and not because your service to others is somehow unworthy, but to demonstrate tangible evidence that will allow you to better monitor, understand and appreciate your state of mind and inner workings. Manifesting something of your soul and spirit in the world will produce a perspective that meditation alone will never be able to provide. Becoming part of your outer environment will reveal more than any mirror. Get it out; then take it in. — by Len Wallick

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Sometimes there are things you have to do even if you don’t want to do them. Regardless of what obligations go with your territory, however, it’s good to keep in mind that there are at least three things you should never feel bound to do to yourself. First, you need not do things that would clearly and certainly damage your health. Yes, sometimes you have to take manageable risks like crossing a street, but you never absolutely have to throw yourself under a bus on purpose. Neither should you feel it necessary to break your spirit. Agreed, there are times to follow another’s lead or even subordinate your will to serve something greater than yourself. But there is no good reason to render yourself forever incapable of either leading or being a cause. Finally, it should never be inevitable that you would have to build walls that isolate you from everybody else. Even the loneliest tasks do not preclude your resuming connection with others once they are done. — by Len Wallick

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Among the best friends you have, you must now surely conclude that you are among them. After all the challenges you have faced in recent years, you must admit that you have done a great job of helping yourself to get through them. Now, it appears as if you have reached a crucial point when you can either cement your relationship with yourself as your own best friend forever, or backslide into becoming your own worst enemy. To be your own BFF, return the favor now. Refrain from self-loathing. If you do make a mistake, admit it and move on. If you offend or injure another, make fair amends, and move on. If it is appropriate to express regret or show remorse, be sincere in doing so without going over the edge into perpetual self-flagellation. Learn from any and all errors and do yourself the favor of not repeating them. Afford yourself the same generosity, tolerance and love you offer to others who have supported and affirmed you in your times of greatest need. — by Len Wallick

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — One of the best ways of showing respect for others is to adopt their values or emulate their behavior. If there is somebody whose physical fitness you respect, ask them to share the details of their regimen. Then, with respect for your own limits and after consulting with your own healthcare provider, give whatever parts of their practice seem both safe and appropriate for you a chance to show similar results. Should you come across a good example of self-regulation, ask that person how they got that way, then look into what it would require of you to learn their skills. By the same token, allow anybody whose spiritual development impresses you to at least inform you of their source of inspiration. It’s not that you are unworthy of respect just the way you are, but if you do find yourself looking up to somebody, wouldn’t it make sense to move so that you can look them in the eye? — by Len Wallick

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — If you find yourself meeting the world differently from how you did just four or five years ago, don’t be concerned. There is nothing wrong with you. It’s very possible that you are actually showing the rest of us something very right. But being right will do you no good if other people only see righteousness. Therefore, have faith that the content of your character requires little or no revision. Rather, direct your efforts toward finding and refining your best outward form. Since what you have to offer is substantial, it would not do to have that form be trivial or superficial. Yet, your presentation must also be easy to take. Think about what sort of person you would feel comfortable inviting in your home, and model yourself along those lines. Think of your calling as being, at least in part, a caller. Be the different drummer who plays in harmony with the music others already hear in themselves. — by Len Wallick

Aries (March 20-April 19) — When it comes to mastering artistry, students usually spend time developing skills in formal training before attempting to improvise. Musicians are often trained to follow the score before learning when and how to depart from it. It’s common (but not universal) to require apprentice actors to learn their lines and stick with the script. Many beginning painters start by copying the old masters, and so on. It’s about developing technique before giving free rein to creativity. In your case, the art of living may call upon you to do both in tandem. Learning and improvising at the same time can be a very good thing. The key is to be conscious of the extent to which you are in either role at any given time. Such awareness will soon come in handy as a way to understand your situation. Being aware of the extent to which you are ‘winging it’ will help you to better evaluate any risk you have undertaken. Knowing when you are in a teaching moment will assist you to more fully appreciate rewards you receive. — by Len Wallick

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — A select few probably have the status of VIP (Very Important Person) in your public life. If it is wealth or power that confers primacy in your workplace or community, that dynamic tells you something about the values that contribute to define those places. If significance accrues from skill, experience or wisdom, that tells you something else. Now is a good time to better understand how the VIPs in your corner of the world came to be perceived that way. Assuming you are in touch with your own values, such an understanding will give you a reading on who and what you are in relation to your public associations. You will also better know whether and how you fit into the surroundings and constituency where you labor and live. Furthermore, you will be equipped to act responsibly should any tension develop between you and the comrades or authority figures in your life. That way, any issues that might come up will tell you whether it is you or your surroundings that need changing. — by Len Wallick

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — In many a milieu, women conventionally have bonded and developed trust by sharing confidential information, insights and support. Men, on the other hand, have traditionally formed bonds of trust by engaging in common enterprises to build or achieve something together. Yet very little is conventional or traditional anymore, whether in relationships or endeavors. Additionally, it’s gotten more difficult to forge healthy and functional bonds when so many of us spend so much time in cyberspace and so little time in the physical space apprehended by the bodily senses. Even so, there are places you can go and things you can do that entail being in the same room with other people who are looking to start new traditions and break out of outmoded roles. At the same time, these places and activities also develop bonds that require and rely on both trust and physical presence. The first step in finding those opportunities is to look for them. The second step is actually showing up to give them a try. — by Len Wallick

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — It’s become trendy to make fun of those who practice yoga. In some cases, there is a valid point behind jokes made at the expense of those who believe that a deep and ancient tradition can be accessed through what amounts to superficial means. In other cases, it’s appropriate to satirize anything that is represented as a be-all, end-all. Yet, those who practice yoga in any form for any reason do set at least one valid example for all of us, by combining an effort to achieve both greater erudition and attain better health at the same time. Whether or not yoga is your thing, you might want to begin looking for an activity that results in your being both more well-rounded in personality and a more physically fit person. It could be as simple as taking regular walks to a visit local libraries so that you can sandwich voyages of imagination between discoveries made on foot. The ideal objective is not efficiency (even though there’s nothing wrong with that) so much as it is to explore what makes you tick. — by Len Wallick

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Do you remember the first time your parents allowed you leave home without requiring details of where you would be and what you would be doing every minute until you were expected back? Do you recall what you did with that freedom? In all probability you did some experimenting. In the process you almost certainly defined yourself in ways that you would not have been able to under direct parental supervision. Now, in all probability, you are being presented with some opportunities to define yourself anew. Just as in your youth, these opportunities will probably come with a chance to leave your customary surroundings and try some new things. Even so, it will not be the same. You are a different person now. Taking risks is not the same as when you felt invulnerable. Therefore, make your experiments appropriate for your age. Rather than risk losing anything, risk gaining something. Specifically, risk gaining knowledge about just what in fact it is that does make you a different person now. — by Len Wallick

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Every new generation tends to distinguish itself in a paradoxical way by refusing to conform with their elders, while at the same time hastening to conform with each other. While such behavior is contradictory on the surface, it makes a lot of sense from an evolutionary perspective. Dispensing with the ways and means of those who have gone before enhances the ability to adapt to a changing world. Also, creating and conforming to new standards and ideals fosters community and lays the groundwork for cooperation. It appears that you have reached a point where you may not only be seen as but also justified in being just as paradoxical as a rebellious youth. Only this time it’s not a generational thing. Now it’s seems to be a matter of distinguishing your soul. It would be great, but not absolutely necessary, to find an authentic soul mate so as to have some community and support. In the final analysis, however, this is a very personal form of evolution, which both begins and ends in your most private spaces. — by Len Wallick

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It’s true that familiarity can sometimes provoke contempt. If you have ever been on a long road trip accompanied only by the music you loved the most when you departed, it’s likely that you were willing to hear nearly anything else upon arrival at your destination. Therefore, if for no other reason than to stimulate yourself and even inspire others, see what you can do to change your own tune. Start with the word ‘recreation’. For most people it means relaxing and having fun. For you it can mean that and even more if you will consider practicing the word in its hyphenated form: re-creation. Just look at what happens when somebody you know simply changes their hairstyle for the fun of it. It’s contagious. People get excited about, ask questions of, make suggestions to and just generally refresh their relationships with anybody familiar who shows up looking a little different. Imagine the response if you came up with a way to have a little more fun by trimming, altering or adding a little color to what you do and how you do it. — by Len Wallick

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — When it comes to all the material things you want to possess but do not, allow yourself to indulge an experiment in your thoughts. Imagine possessing anything and everything that appeals to you. Don’t actually move to acquire any of those things, however. At least not right away. Just keep a wish list. Once you have reached a point where you can no longer think of anything more to add to your ‘wants’, itemize all you already possess. Then imagine that you would have to give up something you have before being allowed to acquire something from your wish list, until you get down to a collection of the things you would never want to surrender even in exchange for something you desire. Next, consider what your life would be like if those remaining treasures that you would never want to part with were all that you have in the world. Finally ask yourself what a life with everything you want would cost you compared to a life in which you own only what you need and value most. Would it be worth it? — by Len Wallick

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — What does satisfaction consist of for you? This is no idle question. Current astrology indicates that one of the things you need most in your life right now is a way to meet any given need with knowledge of how to satisfy it for the long term, so that you can move on. Start with the example of food. If all a satisfying meal did was to sate your hunger, the quest for satisfaction would never end. Yet, you know from experience that some exceptional meals remain satisfying for days, weeks and even years later. So satisfaction must be something that can not only be met, but sustained. All of which makes satisfaction more like an achievement that is always yours once you’ve attained it. That’s a clue about how you might want to pursue satisfying any needs you have now. Rather than merely slaking a need with inherently ephemeral means like food, drugs or alcohol, look for a more lasting solution. Seek to create or find a metaphorical home where your needs can rest in comfort, without being compelled to repeat an endless search. — by Len Wallick

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Long ago and far away probably does not refer to a galaxy for you. Yet, if there is anything to the slowly moving wheels of astrology in the present, what is long departed still burdens you only because you give it power to do so. Rather than allow what is now only a shadow to throw weight around your life — weight that it no longer actually has — give this shadow from the past a job. Allow what you were once compelled to serve to be in service to what you are now. That way you will feel no need to expend energy on the past, and the energy of the past will have something to do besides weigh you down. Ideally, the best way to harness the energy of residual reactions to past provocations (and to assert your authority over them) is to let them inspire you. Express them through some sort of artistic endeavor that has no other objective than to get it all out. Take up a brush, pen, musical instrument or any other creative means as soon as you can, and seek to wear it out so that you will no longer feel so worn. — by Len Wallick

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — First impressions tend to last a long time. They are the seeds of reputation. Whether you know it or not, you are now moving into a position to take advantage of how first impressions work. That’s because there are new people and relationships on your horizon. Those people yet unmet have the potential to bring on what amounts to an era of reformation for you and your life. But first you must find them. In all likelihood you will not come across what you are looking for one person at a time. Rather, it will probably be a group activity of some sort through which you’ll encounter others who are looking for new communities with a common objective. So even if you are not religious or a good singer, give choirs a look. Even if you are not an athlete be alert for a team or a league where simply being a body can lead to being somebody. Find a place to practice teamwork in the presence of others, and endeavor to be for them what you want them to be for you. — by Len Wallick

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Consider what it means to be attractive, and what you would be better off attracting. Not in the Madison Avenue sense of attraction, which emphasizes status and the unattainable. Rather, observe how attraction works in the natural world. Rivers do not flow up mountains that stand above them. All flowing waters, without exception, are attracted to the oceans situated below them. In other words, humility makes you more attractive to those who would actually contribute themselves to your life than authority does. Authority is only attractive to those who are looking to strike a bargain. After rivers, consider what makes flowers attractive to bees. The pleasing forms, colors and scents displayed by flowers are not an end in themselves; they are a signal of where nourishment may be found. Translation: being authentically attractive is more pragmatic than aesthetic. When the people of the world eventually do beat a path to your door it will be because they perceive something they want on the other side. — by Len Wallick

Aries (March 20-April 19) — It’s not likely anybody is trying to pull the wool over your eyes, even though it’s always possible. Neither is it necessarily true that you are in denial, although it can happen to the best of us on occasion. It does appear, however, that you are missing some information you need to see the whole picture. As a result, you must make a decision about what decisions you can make right now, and what situations require more data. To simplify things, ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen, and plunge ahead to get things done when the risk feels acceptable. If the risk feels too great, ask yourself if you can hold the tension while doing some detective work to get the whole story. Either way, being in action is the key, above and beyond what or how you decide. — by Len Wallick

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — If you are not in a partnership now, there may be one looking for you. Should you already be navigating through an existence of co-mingled assets and mutual aspirations, you might soon need to adjust your style of participation so things work better for everybody involved. Either way, it would be a good idea to go back to basics and be fully aware of what you are either getting into, or working with. Here’s a primer: partnerships are neither independence nor dependence, at least ideally. Rather, there are elements of both. Two heads are better than one, unless those heads are butting. Labors shared are also less burdensome, so long as they are shared fairly. Communicating your values and keeping your balance are the crucial skills either to acquire or to enhance. — by Len Wallick

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Everybody has their limits. It’s what you do with your limits that distinguishes you from everybody else. Perhaps nowhere else do limits show up more vividly than the nexus where relationship and career meet. Assuming you have both a private life and some sort of public life, now would be a good time to patrol and inspect that border to be conscious of what you have there. If there is a fence between the world and your world, try to remember how it got there, what purpose it now serves, the state of its repair and whether a more open border would define you better on both sides. If there is a hedge, it would be a good idea to meditate on the difference between it and a fence. If there is no demarcation at all, you might want to at least know where the line is, should you ever need to cross it or draw it. — by Len Wallick

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Time is of the essence for you, but probably not in the usual sense. Rather than a constant focus on making every minute count, you may want to lift your head and look longer term. It might do you a lot of good to place yourself in the history of the world, even if you are currently of little note. It may well be more than just an exercise to draw your family tree and identify whether you are the root, trunk, limb, branch, an offshoot, a leaf or the fruit relative to your relatives. Finally, think about what you do. It would not be an idle pursuit to find out where, when, and with whom your skills originated, while also recalling how you first learned them. This could be vital. Indications are that you have been a long time coming, and that you are more than you have ever given yourself credit for being. — by Len Wallick

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Fun need not be frivolity. It’s possible to apply yourself while also having the time of your life. Many are resigned to work and fun being separate things, but there is no need for you to go down that path unconsciously. Better to know that you have a choice, and take it with awareness even if you ultimately elect a road more often taken. As a matter of fact you now appear to be approaching a crossing where you can safely turn off onto a different road if you want. It’s probably not a lighted intersection, however, so it would help if you know the signs. This is not so much about right livelihood (as good an idea as that is). Rather, you may want to think about what distinguishes righteous from merely right. Most of all, you will want to be in touch with what makes and keeps you feeling lively. — by Len Wallick

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Just look at you — and in the best light possible. Are you even half as impressed with yourself as some observant and knowledgeable others surely must be? Can you allow yourself to be just a little proud of what you have become since this time last year? You need not worry about a little bit of pride bringing on a fall. Rather, be concerned with not appreciating yourself enough. In order to give yourself something other than criticism while constantly reinforcing a personal awareness of your own evolution, consider bringing your personal environment up to date. Surround yourself with reminders of who and what you are now. Display emblems of where you have recently been, and what you have recently achieved. This is not about showing off; it’s about showing yourself in. — by Len Wallick

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — We each have an array of simple habits we constantly practice without thinking. And why not? Why not put the same leg of your pants on first, day after day? But is it really a question of why? If you change the phrase ‘why not’ to ‘how not’, your life could suddenly become a lot more interesting where it is now most boring. Indeed, you could eventually become more interesting to others if you follow where putting the other leg on first ultimately takes you. To begin with, it will be a very private experience, which requires you to be more aware of what used to be an unconscious moment. Gradually, however, the practice of thinking about the prosaically habitual and breaking its patterns will probably tell you something about yourself that you didn’t know. Where the body goes, the mind must follow. — by Len Wallick

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Somebody once asked poet Robert Frost what word he would purge from the English language if he had the power to erase it from print and memory. He chose “exclusive” to exclude because of how it so often divides and separates people from one another. In your own case, you might want to consider refraining from using the word “mine” for the same reason. First off, if there is anybody who knows that nothing is exclusively yours, it’s you. You know that everything in the material world is ultimately and constantly shared. Deep down inside you also understand that what defines you or anybody else is precisely what you have in common with everybody else. Indeed, if you can bring yourself to use only what words express your inner truth, rather than words that hide or betray it, what you would truly possess could only be called soul. — by Len Wallick

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Most people understand what political freedom looks like. Some folks even choose to practice it by voting, to cite just one example. How you define, understand, experience and practice personal freedom is another matter entirely, because it is not about others or their power over you. It’s about how you refer to yourself. As Nelson Mandela demonstrated by his own example, personal freedom is available even in jail. To become an example for yourself, begin with the phrase ‘I am.’ Whenever one says, ‘I am (something or other),’ it creates a definition of self. Definitions are good, but they can also often limit, or even imprison you — especially if you become attached to them. Therefore, turning things around and experimenting with ‘I am not’ can help to release attachments and open the door to other possibilities. — by Len Wallick

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There are assumptions that go unquestioned because our physical senses support them. This is sometimes called common sense. Common sense is useful, but it also keeps you within its limits. If there is anybody who is now ready to move beyond the limits common sense imposes, it is you. Begin with the assumption that thought and form are different things. Our physical senses tell us that this is so. Yet can you prove that anything with tangible form is not a thought? Can you argue against the possibility that everything with tangible form began as a thought? To answer those questions, experiment with thinking about yourself, but in a very specific way. Instead of thinking about what you want, what you now are, or what you now do, carry with you a thought of something to be, and watch what form you take as a result. — by Len Wallick

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Regardless of what you think or how you feel about how others perceive you, you might want to at least try some of those perceptions on for size before allowing anybody to convince you that you should buy into them. If what you try on does not fit or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, put it back on the rack. The perceptions others have of you are shaped partly by their own experiences, fears and incomplete understanding of you, in addition to what you present to them; still, it cannot hurt to consider how your actions my have influenced their conclusions. On the other hand, if trying on somebody else’s perception of you makes you think ‘this is me’ or ‘I could rock this’, then you can proceed to contemplate how to tailor it. Calculate the price of owning it. If you do choose to own a perception you’ve received, wear it with pride and confidence while also remembering that at any time you can also choose to change into something you have conceived on your own. — by Len Wallick

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The idea of earning your own way in the world need not be limited to making enough money to purchase food, clothing and shelter while otherwise maintaining financial solvency. As you have discovered and proven, there are other forms of currency besides legal tender. Reputation is one example. So is authority. Right now you are in a position to redefine what reputation means and where authority comes from, without risking any sort of social or moral bankruptcy. If you so wish, you can now dispense with what previous generations considered to be the right ways to look, live, and work in order to receive respect and gain acceptance. Furthermore, you are now also able to demonstrate by example how others might earn their own way in their own way without having to employ or support a hand-me-down to do so. — by Len Wallick