Aries (March 20-April 19) — You simply must think. There is no way around that fact. Your situation is calling on you to come up with your own ideas, and your own accurate information, which you personally verify; and to check in with many things you’ve learned up until now. The thing with thinking is that it’s not that easy, especially for people conditioned not to actually use their minds, which, sadly, is most of us. Thinking requires making some peace with the possibility of being wrong. You can reduce that possibility by thinking things through, using a few different scenarios. Remember the law of unintended consequences — which is to say, the one about how solving problems can create other problems. One last thing: here in Western Civ as now configured, our whole worldview is driven by money. What you’re involved with may be a professional task of some kind, in which case you may be wondering when payday is coming. I strongly suggest you set that aside for now, in favor of the work ethic of getting the job done well.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You are getting a burst of creativity at the moment, though you will still have to hop over the idea that you’re not really so special or talented and therefore don’t deserve to be doing anything so spectacular. The way to do that is not to convince yourself of your specialness but rather to remember that what we call creative work is rather ordinary, like carpentry or gardening. There’s a way to infuse those ordinary tasks with quality and life, and that’s a moment-to-moment commitment. You know that it doesn’t happen by itself. You must focus on the details, with care and devotion. So then what is the creative piece? That enters with each moment of decision. This, in turn, begins with recognizing those decision points the moment they arrive. What’s a better way to do this? What is this really about? How can I do this differently, or better, than I have before? And most of all: what is my larger purpose for doing this? The game of true art is to make that connection from moment to moment, and then get lost in your work.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury is now direct and has loosened its grip on reality. The way this is likely to play out for you is a series of self-reinventions, clustered within a few weeks. You’re good at this. One thing you know as a Gemini is not to be too invested in form. You know that the way to keep changing gracefully is to dance to the music of the spheres. That all said, there are some significant turning points coming up; these may involve a project that’s currently underway, which seems ready to transform completely. You may be poised to take a whole new approach to something, which you might think is long overdue (but it really was not going to happen with Mercury retrograde; the coming week or two is a much better time). To me this astrology looks like you’re updating your files, casting off a bunch of old ideas, methods and commitments that have not been working, and getting yourself tuned into what works better for you right now. It’s way too easy to get stuck in the past. Experiment, experiment, experiment.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Potent astrological forces are saying it’s time to align with your purpose for coming to the Earth at this time. This sense of purpose has a number of facets, all of which come back to the same basic theme. That theme is how you relate to the world, which means your world — that exact place where you intersect with anything seemingly larger than yourself. Let’s start with your family. It’s up to you to define all of those relationships, and your early environment, exactly the way that works the best for you. There were helpful elements and there were difficult ones; put the whole mix to work on your behalf. Then there is this elusive thing called society — all those entities that seem to have all that power over you and your destiny. Here is a question: in what way do you serve them, and in what way do they serve you? Now is a critical time to get clear on your relationship to what I will call the world of power. Here is an even better question: can you see the parallels between the scenario involving your family of origin and the one about how you relate to those big entities and influential people? They’re not just closely related — they are the same thing.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You may be facing some important decisions around money, investments and assets over the next few days, extending into the next few weeks. I suggest you set the pace of this discussion and don’t allow yourself to be pressured. The general topic seems to be increasing your income and, as a result of that, increasing your net worth. That’s actually possible, in a way that’s unusual in contrast to where you’ve been before. Yet the process, once initiated (or refined, if you’ve already begun), will take some time and some thought. You have a series of ongoing decisions to make, and you would be wise to work with the most accurate facts, figures and other data you have. Just remember that numbers and facts are subject to interpretation, and to verification. So make sure you’re doing both. If there is a spiritual piece involved, it’s about your self-respect. I know that many people with a large net worth have very little self-worth. That’s not your karma; you will connect with one through connecting with the other. The sign involved is Virgo, which is one of the most difficult when it comes to seeing yourself for who you are and cutting yourself some slack. You must do both.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You know more than you think, and your knowledge is worth more than you believe. This all speaks to your wider, deeper and indeed versatile potential. However, Mars in your sign may be provoking some self-judgment or anger at the way things are, or how they were not in the past. It’s essential that you not take your anger out on yourself. Make sure you have enough physical, sexual and creative activity to convert that energy into something more productive, though denying your anger is not going to help. If you’re feeling guilt, shame or embarrassment in any form, you can be sure that you’re pointing your anger inward. Sort that out first. Your mental environment is such that things will feel exaggerated, magnified and even potentially distorted. You cannot correct every warp, though you can do yourself a great favor by staying tuned in to your purpose. Do whatever you must do to come back to your core mission. If you don’t feel that strongly, go back to whatever you’re doing that is connected to purpose and knowledge and, most of all, service. If you feel a little resistance, count that as a sign you’re doing the right thing.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Perhaps the most important theme of your solar year is the relationship between the you nobody else knows, and the you that you present to the world. You are a master at controlling your image. You can morph yourself into absolutely any form or mirage you want. That’s useful but it has a drawback, which is when you believe your own illusion of who you are. You can no longer afford that way of being. You’re now more transparent than you used to be; but more to the point, you need to integrate your inner and outer realities for your own sanity, integrity and sense of balance. Therefore, stay close to what you’re feeling. If you think you have to conceal your true sentiments for some reason, then make sure you’re entirely honest with yourself. All of this is part of a deepening process you’ve been going through for some time. It’s also part of how you will tap the energy to stand up to the world and all its demands and opportunities. This whole business of dividing yourself up, living in compartments and having different versions of yourself for different purposes is costing you a lot of time and energy.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — How much emphasis do you put on what you think people will think about you? That is, on your presumed opinion of what they will think or believe is true for you? Whether that’s one or 99 on a scale of 100, I cannot think of a worse way you can navigate through the world. I suggest you consider the notion of “what you think other people think” as having no chance for accuracy or relevance. Looked at one way, you’ve already given up your power by the time you even have that thought. Looked at another way, the implication is that you have to play to an audience of some kind rather than be yourself and trust the best will happen. It’s true that in the recent past (for example, in your the world of your grandparents) people could content themselves believing that appearances are everything (“clothes make the man,” to give one phrase). In our current version of the world, how you feel is more important than how you look. As such, I suggest you divorce your self-image from what you think people might think — if for no reason other than your perception is unlikely to be accurate.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Saturn is in your sign, which is granting you a sense of mission and a hint that you really do have a meaningful role in the world. This comes with a higher degree of responsibility than is considered fashionable these days. You might be inclined to achieve your goals at any cost; Saturn is saying you need to think about the people around you, at least to the degree that you complete, resolve or otherwise address your commitments with them. While you are definitely the star of your show, it’s going to take plenty of support and the resources of others to get you where you want to go. Speaking of, you’re in a phase of accomplishment, and of building your reputation. Said another way, what you do — whatever you do — is unusually visible right now. You have tremendous freedom; yet, at the same time, figure that you cannot get away with anything even vaguely untoward. Therefore, be a lady or a gentleman, and remember that what some see as talent is really an offering of service and energy.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Though you’re experiencing many things in your outer life, by which I mean things related to work, community or parenting, the more significant focus is on your inner life. One challenge here is that you cannot see your inner life using the normal senses, and there is so much happening that you can see, which is distracting. It’s also interesting and it may be exciting and gratifying in ways that you want but don’t usually get. This thing I’m describing as your inner life might feel like an abyss — such as facing your worst fears (being alone, for example, or feeling like nobody understands you). It’s not appealing to go there voluntarily. Yet it’s better, I think, than going out of necessity. The planet I’m describing is Saturn, recently arrived in this place called your 12th house. For you this is Sagittarius, suggesting that your actual spiritual quest is inward above all else. Yes, that’s true of everyone, but it’s especially true for you. In addition to being the planet associated with Capricorn, Saturn is the planet of necessity. The message is that what you need the most right now, you will find within yourself, challenging as that may be. This is an essential phase to acquire an essential skill — not a permanent state of being.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may be wondering whether the right thing to do is to act grown up and fulfill your worldly responsibilities, or to cut loose and do whatever you want to do. Think of the responsibility thing (Saturn) as being about holding together the basic structure of your life. If you can do that, you have lots of freedom to experiment with this new role you’re developing for yourself in the world (represented by many other planets currently close to Saturn). While you have to keep a basic plan in place, you simply must experiment, with the passion of a child. Your prior ways of being are not going to work; they are obsolete in the sense that they have lost their distinction. In order to be who you are, you must be distinct — not only from your own history but also in the environment around you — and that means a continuous journey of exploration, trial and error, and invention. Think of yourself as a scientist using society as your laboratory. Or think of yourself as an artist living in a chaotic world who is developing a way to make some sense out of things, or at least respond to the madness in an appropriate way. Just remember, you are what you seek to change.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — If you can step out of your Neptune-powered blind spot, you will get a glimpse of how many options you have open. First, about this blind spot: it makes it challenging to see how people perceive you. I suggest you make no attempt to change how people experience you, except to be as aware of it as you can. Remember one thing, mainly: most people are afraid and mystified. You have spent plenty of time in that state as well, and you may still lapse into it. But Chiron is also in your sign, and that means you have the option to tune in and focus. That, however, is not always experienced as friendly; in the current fog of our society, with all its thriving on denial and paying false homage to integrity, someone who is actually paying attention can seem threatening, merely for their awareness. Now, as for all these people in your environment: some may move toward you directly; others may dance around the point; still others may seem unable to make up their mind. See if you can notice the feelings under the surface, which may come across as simply as those who voluntarily make clear statements about their reality. They’re most likely to be the fun ones.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — The conversation you’re having within a particular relationship may turn around suddenly, so don’t get yourself in a huff about anything. Keep listening, and pay attention when you do. You will benefit from the information you gather over the next two or three days. You may gain insight into certain key people in your life that you would be unlikely to have otherwise, and this will change not just your opinion but also your emotional orientation. Put simply, what you know will help you get along better with significant others in your life. What would help immensely is recognizing that you’re working for a common cause — the mutual improvement of your lives. It would be wise of you to work out any anger or resentment that you may feel, particularly toward women. Come to terms with your sentiments, find an appropriate time to have any necessary discussions, and resolve to forgive (especially yourself) and move on. You have greater things to look forward to than you’ve come to expect. Therefore, let go of your old expectations, and point your life forward.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You seem determined to push forward with your creative plans, and you will make plenty of progress over the next few days if you keep your focus. That means a few things. One is to stay close to your motivation. Something is driving you forward, and it would be helpful to work with whatever that is. It might be something personal, such as emotional or sexual attraction. You might be driven by service and your need to do the right thing. You might have a message you want to get out. Whatever may be moving you, stay close to it both mentally and emotionally. Second, don’t let yourself be driven mad by the details. Attend to them as necessary, though that’s different from obsession. Said another way, keep your larger goals in mind and guide everything in that direction. Last, remember that all collaboration is about relationships, and that means relating. Efficiently iron out any misunderstandings. Be flexible and respectful of the authority of others. Be willing to contribute a little extra to the solution, and to help reduce any tension in the environment.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury, the Gemini planet, stations direct Friday in one of the sweet spots of your chart. I could describe the properties of Mercury in the first degree of Libra, such as some miracle of diplomacy, or solving a problem that defied all resolution. Yet there’s something much larger and more significant — which is to say, this involves your orientation on existence. Yes, you have one; you have a worldview, you have a perspective that influences everything you perceive and everything you believe. This is what’s changing; this is what’s awakening in a way that’s never quite happened before. Your life could pivot on something that seems small or insignificant; a single idea could lead you to reevaluate everything. Are you open to change on that scale? It would help immensely if you are. Longterm factors present in your chart are calling on you to be adaptable, particularly in your opinions. You may need to do this in the face of others who expect you to buy into their dogma or their own intractable position. Hang loose. Reality is not what it seems.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — A few times recently I’ve brought up the theme of writing and how important it is for you this year (meaning, the year that Jupiter is in Virgo) — and I’m here with this topic once again. If you’ve found this to have some appeal, or if I’m saying something you already know, this is the weekend to connect with your mission. True, you’ll have others in the coming seasons, but few so effective as this particular moment. Remember that writing is a craft, much like carpentry. It is day-to-day, hour-to-hour work, and it can be great fun. Your raw materials are ideas, observations and personalities. If you’re not especially experienced with writing-as-craft, start with a small project, designed with a purpose, that you complete. Then move on to the next. If you are experienced, you’re ready for something more ambitious. You might start with a one-page treatment of your concept, and get started gathering or building your basic elements — character sketches, dialog or taking some research up one level into readable form. Meanwhile, as for your physical world, this is a great weekend to stay close to home and see what you discover and who you meet. You could not have a better time in Paris, London, Moscow or Mozambique, unless of course you already live there.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You may feel driven to get your finances in order, and you can make some progress doing that. However, something more immediate seems to be on your agenda — something new and unfamiliar that does not involve resolving much of anything from the past. This is one of those moments when it’s vital that you not allow old business or old ideas to influence your new dreams, desires and designs. This may be a challenge, as certain matters lingering over from your prior affairs are definitely trying to get your attention. They may or may not matter much in the near future; in any event, anything seemingly important can wait. Your new opportunity — whatever it is — is more sensitive to the passage of time and it has a specific window, which you’re about to enter. Unlike any activity or task that is a holdover from the past, you will need to get accustomed to being in unfamiliar territory with a thinner atmosphere. Not everything seems so certain; you have to make things up as you go along. Yet the pull or draw in that direction, the sense that you really need to begin this thing, is undeniable.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — It’s not as complicated as it seems. You just need to sort out your feelings. Don’t dance around the main point, which seems to be anger. There’s a reason people are afraid of anger, which is that it contains power. I suggest you start by not meeting anger with fear and instead listen to what it’s telling you. If there’s something about being angry at women, or a specific woman (your mother, or someone else in a position of authority, whether now or in the past), be real about that with yourself. It will not help you at all to deny your emotions, or to take them out on yourself; you’ll only weaken yourself. The question is what to do with your feelings, and I would suggest that acknowledging them and the influence they’ve had over you is plenty. You may, however, notice that you’re making decisions from a different point of view. You might even pause for a few days and decide what you really want to do. Remember to write your agenda in pencil or on a chalkboard; it’s subject to change.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — If you can set aside the idea that others are being critical of you, you will see that you’re the one being critical of yourself. However, this may turn up in some form that you don’t recognize, such as fear. You’ll help yourself greatly by observing your anxiety level (including in your dreams and upon awakening) and pausing long enough to figure out what’s really going on. You may have to move through a few layers of consciousness to do that; one issue is likely to mask another. From the look of your charts, you appear to be in a situation where you don’t see an easy way to resolve things, nor do you see an easy way out. You may be wondering if you’re actually trapped somehow. If you’re in a trap, it’s psychological, which would include emotional. There are some old patterns involved. The most important things you can do are to observe yourself carefully and look for those patterns, which may go back a very long way. Remember that you are no longer a child and don’t need to respond as one. You have your adult powers, including the ability to make choices. Remind yourself of that, and get some options in front of you, and you will feel better.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You may notice that people are responding to you more than usual — that is, hearing what you say, or at least recognizing that you said something; noticing you in public; perhaps responding to you more vocally in online environments. If you haven’t observed this happening, you might step up your presence a notch or two and be just slightly more open about how you’re feeling. This can include with yourself, in the form of not intentionally suppressing — or worse, rationalizing — your emotions away. You may feel especially vulnerable dropping these defenses. You may feel like you’re suddenly subject to the wrath of others. Something else is more likely: you will be in a much better position to negotiate. Indeed you may feel like you’ve discovered the secret ingredient that brings you to the same level as others. This whole thing about denial and rationalization as mental processes that render others superior to you deserves a good close look, such as if you were to write a novel about it. For now, you have a tool to work with, one that will help you maintain level ground with the people in your life.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The next few days arrive with a rare alignment that gives you many ingredients you need to move your life forward. You might begin by identifying the areas where you feel like you’re held back. This in turn would help you focus your priorities. There are some aspects of your life where you are making steady progress and others where you seem to be lagging behind. The areas where you feel like you’re moving slowly are not as stuck as you may think. Much of what you need is a bold, clear assessment of your existence, your priorities and your sense of the future. Put one way, you need clear goals; and if you take some time today and through the weekend to focus some of those, you will discover later on that they were prescient. Your planets have you aligned with your future so well that you can look right at it and see it clearly. Notice what you can visualize. Notice what you can feel. Notice what makes you curious. Those are signs that you have vitality and passion behind your ideas.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You know you’re capable of great things. The question is, what is standing between you and your potential? If you’re asking that, your mind is starting to come into focus. Though you’re a Capricorn, famous for getting things done, it would appear that applying discipline to a specific idea is what you must focus on. It’s not enough to have good ideas, and it’s not enough to be busy all the time. It’s essential to take a larger task, in this case a specific goal, and break it down into smaller steps, and complete each of those steps one at a time. This is about efficiency more than anything; there are a limited number of hours in the day, and a finite number of years in your life. If you find yourself acting like you have time to spare, you need to re-focus your mind and get back to those specific steps. The good news is that you’re in an excellent position to actually do this, rather than merely wanting to, or thinking about doing so. You’re at a point of beginning where you can strike a difficult balance between taking care of the present and taking care of the future. Yet in the long run you must be willing to come back to the task at hand every day, and maintain vigilant awareness of your priorities.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may not adhere to any religion, preferring your own version of the cosmic order, based on your own inquiry into life. That is a sign of intelligence; you don’t need to run your body and soul on someone else’s operating system when you can write your own. Here is the place where anyone who is really thinking falls off the wagon of the dot-org, ism-obsessed version of spiritual reality: it almost always prioritizes an abstract relationship (with a seemingly non-incarnated entity) above the connections we have with one another. True, religion pays lip service to ‘love thy neighbor’, but we see how well that works in the corporate version of spiritual life. You seek connection with the divine through connection to humans and other critters, to society and through self-awareness. Nearly all religion is set up to deny the obvious benefits of living in actual contact with yourself and your world. It’s designed to drive people’s lives through guilt into a state of desperation, leading them to seek something ‘greater than themselves’. As part of living your own way, the most vital clue from your chart involves cultivating your own ideas about relationship, on your own terms. For you, that is the message of this Mercury station direct.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Some people have a lot of weird ideas about sex. Some have nearly no ideas about sex. And a few people have some coherent, helpful ideas about sex. Right now you’re being invited into this third category, which will require you to question what most people are terrified to do: take charge of your own agreements. Everything that’s not a criminal act of some kind depends on an agreement, an understanding or some kind of contractual arrangement. Right now there is festering rage (particularly in American culture) about sex occurring outside the context of an agreement. There is a remedy to that, which is being the master of your interpersonal contracts. To do this well, you must question what you believe, which invariably takes you deeper into questioning who and what you are. That, I believe, is the controversy: to have an honest agreement, you must be in contact with your values, your desires and your needs, and unabashedly so. It’s easier to get overpowered. It’s easier to manipulate. It’s easier to compromise with your values — in the short term. Right now, you have an opportunity to put out what’s absolutely true about you, and in particular your ideas about sex, and get some positive result. This particular window opening up is rare enough, but I think you can squeeze through and come out on the other side.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — We might ask about the intensity with which people cling to religion. Even those who are not actively religious or participants in its rituals can have a deep adherence to certain bottom lines, which have nothing to do with being a better person. This seems meant to avoid a struggle with death, and a struggle with sex, which are closely related. One thing they are related through is marriage, which is the ’till death do us part’ sex license. All the world’s major religions tend to monopolize these topics — which are indeed the most basic existential realities. My take is that leaning into religious values and beliefs (such as judgment for sin and going to heaven) are stand-ins for not coming to your own understanding of the very basics of existence. You may find that the harder you lean on religious concepts, the less tangible and useful they become. That’s an invitation to pull back the facade of what you’re supposed to believe and go deeper into yourself.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Most people you meet will talk about keeping work and relationships separate. A good few people cringe at the notion that they would work with their lover. Many companies have ethics codes prohibiting various modes of personal interaction, such as between people on different levels of a company and sometimes between any employees of a company. Meanwhile, it’s easy to forget that in a culture where people spend much of their time working, they’re most likely to encounter others on the job, and notably (very notably), in a sober state. My personal feeling is that relationships need jobs, or a job. They may be the hotbed of sex, the mutual admiration society or the space to explore shared interest. Yet more than that, I think that purpose, or shared dharma, is essential to healthy coexistence. Why that is considered a bad idea or a taboo is worth considering carefully. Why it might work for you exceedingly well is also worth considering. You are made for shared purpose, born of love.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Most people are full of reasons but lack reasoning. I suggest you stick to your reasoning process. Know the steps you take to get from your observations to your conclusions. Go back and retrace those steps and test the logic of each one. See if you’re jumping over anything relevant, or reaching conclusions not supported by the facts. What you may discover is that your initial discoveries and observations are closer to those facts than what became of the scenario as time or events progressed. This may not be the conclusion that you want, and any morphing of the story may be a kind of wishful thinking or self-convincing. Any implied hard realities are not as hard as they seem. What you’re going through at the moment is a clarification of your values, and a shoring up of your boundaries. Most of those boundaries involve what beliefs you allow into your mind — many of which enter through the process of your relationships. Put simply, just because someone else believes something doesn’t mean you have to — nor does that make it true.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Sunday’s eclipse of the Moon in the angle of your chart associated with achievement and reputation seems to have put you on the map. Now that you’ve arrived there safely, you have some choices to make about where you want to go. The important thing is that you’re in the right territory, which means doing something you want to do, and having that be visible to others. One significant theme of the next year-plus is how you project yourself through your work. Of all the signs in the zodiac, your chart is most naturally set up not for doing your mission, but rather for being your mission. At your best, you don’t identify with your work or project yourself into it. Rather, it becomes you and you become it; you are one and the same as your mission. As time goes on you will do this ever more boldly. As you gain confidence you will learn the moves to shake up both yourself and the world around you with genuine innovation. Follow what resonates; follow what you love — that is, move in the direction of fun.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — How much creative freedom do you really give yourself? How much sexual freedom? You may be feeling like it’s time to bust loose, though this drive may be violating what you think of as your spiritual sensibilities. You can safely forget theology; what you will benefit from is loosening up and learning how to say yes to yourself. This is not the big deal that it’s made out to be. Playing with art doesn’t mean you’ll be out on the street, sex is not a disease and freedom is not a trap. To the contrary, opening up and doing what you feel drawn to is known as being alive. It’s sometimes true that zombies get jealous of humans, who have feelings and desires that they act on. That’s a good way to tell who is who. Your role in life is not to be a good person; rather, what I suggest is that you strive to be a real person and see how that goes for a while. I am aware this comes with its perils, but they’re the better kind.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You now have the motivation to act positively on something you recently learned. By learning, I really mean that something you long suspected turned out to be true, in a way that affirms your life and its worth.
Now that you’re sure about that, you seem to see the wisdom or the inevitability of acting on what you know. I would remind you of all the times you didn’t do that; of all the times you said you should have known when what you meant was that you actually knew. I would add one other thing — you don’t need to rely on others for certainty, and you never really can. All you can do is be aware of the most thorough information you have, confirmed by intuition, and not let all those other Earthlings confuse you with their wishful thinking, their delusions or their pessimism. Not only do I suggest you act on what you know, but that you account for all of what you know, and make sure that everything is factored in. There’s plenty, too.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Mercury remains retrograde in your sign for another week, and an interesting week it will be. Your astrology is just bubbling with intriguing possibilities. It’s as if you’re getting fed with energy and ideas from some parallel universe that only you can access. That’s good, because it’s giving you one heck of an originality streak. Pump it up. Don’t worry if you kick up some chaos along the way, or if the dishes pile up. The important thing is to have fun and take notes. Let every experience be a learning experience, no matter how good. Pretend you’re a reporter for Rolling Stone and it’s 1966 and you’re tripping at a crazy party in California and it’s so good you have to scribble down some details, since you know you’ll have to tell this story.
The more you take that approach the more it will feed you. Observe and participate; describe and pass on the good vibes.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your fantasies of relationship are one thing, and your relationships are another. What is the disconnect? Are your fantasies unrealistic, or are you not quite up to taking the steps to making them happen? Note that you don’t do this all at once. Nearly everything in life is one step at a time, till you reach that moment when you take the leap. Currently you’re taking steps. They may even feel like backward steps, but still they count as progress. One question I have for you is, what are you not saying? What are you not revealing? You may have the idea that if you were to say that one thing, you would blow up your whole life. This is important to remember, because you just might be right — though it’s unlikely. The one thing you might need to do in order to release yourself from the trap of your own imagination is to open up about it. If you do, be thorough; don’t hold back the details and most of all have fun. You might think: how is that possible? You will need to find that out for yourself. Be bold.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are aligned perfectly for one or more significant career developments. But these are not things that will happen to you; you will need to take initiative. You will know you’re really doing that when you figure out that in doing something, you’re taking a risk. By that I mean you have this feeling that you could gain something and that you might lose something in the process, and that nothing is certain. These are moments you can thrive on; in fact you have done so on many occasions. It’s just that we’re living in such paranoid times, when it seems like we all must cling to what little we have till the multi-billion-dollar endorsement offer comes in. Okay, whatever. In real life, progress is engaged incrementally, one idea or one decision at a time. Meantime here is a message from Mercury: don’t distract yourself with ideas of what you think other people think about you. They don’t really know enough to have an opinion, nor does it matter in any event. Your opinion is what matters.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Having watched the issue for a few decades, I can confidently say that most people have no idea the extent to which they are trapped inside of their religious concepts. Very nearly everyone denies it, no matter how ensnared they are. Others think that a little bit of guilt or tiny fear of going to hell is okay. Then there are the few who have seized control of their own minds and thrown off the ideological shackles. You are approaching such a moment. It could appear in any one of several forms, such as some kind of panic attack over your sexual desires, or thinking an idea that seems to contradict ‘tradition’. Here’s the simplest I can make this message: Every person must come to their own observations and conclusions about the nature of life, death and sex, and about the nature of their cosmic intelligence. Religion is not a useful substitute. You will reach your own truth, but only if you actually figure out the extent that you’ve been lied to, and that you believed those lies.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Were this 30 years ago, your weekly horoscope would say, “Look for news from abroad.” The thing is that those old formulas can give surprisingly good results. So definitely look for that news from far away — but while you’re doing that you might want to make some of your own. Reach out to your friends who live out of the country, including ones you have not seen or heard from in a while. Since we live in the digital age, you might consider chatting up the people you’re connected to who live in other countries. In sum, do anything you can to make the concept of ‘foreign’ real to you. That might mean reaching for some expansion of your message or business to a faraway place, and it might mean getting on an airplane and going there. Any such activities come with unusual manifesting power now.  In fact, any travel at all, of at least a few hours’ distance, will have the same activating effect on your activities — and you will learn a good bit as well.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Mercury is now wrapping up its retrograde in your 8th house, representing the place where sex, relationships and agreements intersect. You of all people believe that fairness is possible. Indeed it would seem that you’re willing to hold out for that and settle for nothing else. The question you may be facing is what to do when others insist on absurd positions, or have a twisted idea of justice. And so far as I can tell, the thing to do is to engage with reasonable people. You don’t have to worry about the ones who make silly demands or who don’t recognize you for who you are. You do not need to be attached to them, or to the idea that they will someday change. The way you recognize reasonable people is by their willingness to make and keep agreements. That may seem simple, and indeed it is on one level; but when you start to hold people to that test, you might see how useful it is, and at the same time notice how few people actually pass it. That’s okay — you only need a few reasonable people in your life to have a very good life.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Two events this week, the Sun entering your opposite sign Libra, and Mercury stationing retrograde in Libra, place the emphasis of your life on your relationships. If someone is seeking clarity, spend some time with them and offer that clarity. Notice if any of the questions people around you are asking also reflect themes, concerns or unspoken matters that you might have on your mind. That, actually, would be an excellent place to start. What have you had on your mind that you have not vocalized? What’s your concern about those specific topics — or just one topic — that’s prompted your silence? You may need to consider that carefully, even reflecting on what you may have withheld without even recognizing that fact. It’s possible, however, that you feel your potential to disrupt your relationships by being real. I have news for you — the only thing that can really up-end your life is not being fully authentic all the time. That may seem to come at a cost, but consider that an investment.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You certainly have a lot on your plate, though you’ll feel better once the Sun changes signs next week. Till then don’t stress. Pay enough attention to the details so that you know they’re covered, and leave yourself enough time and energy to have fun with the many creative aspects of what you’re doing. Remember that structure, planning and organization are tools to support your adventures, not take the place of them. As regards the sign-change of Saturn (from Scorpio into Sagittarius) I would take a similar approach. The purpose of a relationship structure is to support the relationship, not weigh down on the people involved. So make sure that your structures are minimal and that they are flexible. I suggest that they be based on agreements, not on rules; on ethics rather than morals; and that you invest more in building bridges than constructing walls. The most productive changes over the past few years have involved your focus on maturity and gathering mature people around you. This approach to life will continue to serve you well.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury, the Gemini planet, stations retrograde Thursday in Libra — the place in your chart where you can go pearl-diving for ideas (your 5th solar house). There you might find concepts for movies, books and art installations. Yet anything can benefit from a creative approach, and nothing says creative like Mercury retrograde in the 5th. It’s one of those movements that can shake up your approach to life. Any new viewpoint or angle would be well-served by curiosity. I could write a book about this, though I’ll sum it up in a sentence or two: curiosity will keep your mind fresh and alive. Inquire of others and of yourself. Know when you don’t know and seek out any missing information. More than anything, apply your curiosity to yourself. Allow your experience of living each day to be an exploration of what you don’t know about your inner life, and by extension, the world. Since this is happening in Libra, here are two more ideas: apply the principle of balance, whatever that means to you. And above all else, emphasize beauty. Make sure your presentation is tasteful and elegant, and you can do anything you want.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — One theme of your life over many recent years has been leveling the playing field. You are learning to see people as your equals, which means first and foremost not being intimidated by them. This whole intimidation thing involves people not having made the transition into adulthood; therefore they tend to walk around in the world expecting everyone to be some sort of parent figure. People like to think of one another as equals, but parent-child-type interactions still dominate the world of supposed adults. Aspects over the next few days and weeks will call your attention to the quality of these exchanges. Your job is to see them for what they are. This will, in turn, help you recognize the ways in which you still may be under the psychological shadow of your parents. This is simply not helpful to anyone, and the sooner you either begin dealing with this or finish a job well underway, the happier you will be. The truth is people really do want to look at others on level ground; just about everyone is desperately craving being an adult in a world among other adults. Get clear and set the example.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Turn your attention to financial matters. If you do, you have considerable opportunity to profit from your efforts. I would remind you of something, which is that you can sell your time, your labor or your ideas. Likely you will be involved in all three, though I suggest you emphasize your ideas. I know that for most people this might feel like walking out over the edge of a cliff and standing on air, which is actually a pretty good metaphor. I can, however, make it seem a bit more practical than that. You have a skill for being able to please everyone, contrary to the usual advice that nobody should really try to do that. Your role could be to create language that serves everyone; to mediate between parties and help them discover common ground; and to write in such a way that everyone understands everyone else’s position. You might be involved in helping create a consensus. Here’s the key to that lock: Look for the common values among everyone involved. Look for the things everyone already agrees upon. Then build consensus on that foundation.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Don’t be distracted by any anxiety you might feel, especially over financial matters. Rather, get the information you need, and focus on keeping yourself motivated. You may make some discoveries over the next few weeks about how you can better allocate your personal resources, whether they involve money or talent. Any time you see something that seems wrinkled, iron it out and look for ideas in the patterns you observe. Yet if you’re looking for the key to success, here is what I would propose: The time has come to act wholly in accord with your values. You’re likely to be pushed and, in a sense, tested on this matter — the one about whether you actually agree with what you say and what you do. Most people are so accustomed to compromising their values that the notion of acting only in accord with themselves is nerve-wracking and might even seem impossible. It will help if you take some time and make a careful note of who and what you actually support, who and what you have faith in, and what, exactly, matters the most. Then, what to do will be obvious.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — I am hearing from Libras all over the world today, and I know it’s been an intense few years. You may be looking for some relief from nonstop changes that have taken you far from any known comfort zone. Help is on the way. I do suggest you take advantage of Mercury retrograde in your sign and devote yourself to a time of reflection on the many changes that have come through your life. We live in times when anything and everything moves too fast, where change is pushed for its own sake and where there seems to be no actual safe space. For a number of reasons you’ve been subject to more turbulence than most others, though it’s pushing you to seek higher ground, to be solid and centered and to really, truly know where you stand with yourself. That has not been easy. One gift of the now-developing aspects is that they will guide you to ask better questions — to make deeper inquiries, based on perspectives you have not noticed yet. Take any chance at all to slow down and tune in. Take any opportunity to focus on your own wellness. Honor your own reality and others will rise to the occasion.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Saturn leaves your sign Thursday after what has, no doubt, been an interesting two years. The question I have is, in what ways have you come to terms with who you are? By that, I mean: what have you resolved in the way of games you were playing with yourself — such as the little tease, hide-and-seek and catch me if you can? Saturn’s message has been a rousing, bold, italic statement of: This is who you are; deal with it. The great part is that when you actually relate to yourself from a sincere place, you like who you are. And if you do, you know that others might as well, which speaks to what is perhaps the single deepest insecurity that Scorpios have to address. You still have to address diversity though. Even if people like you, there are many who you consider smarter, prettier, braver or more liberated. Now comes the moment of truth: does that recognition mean that you feel yourself as anything less? Or do others around you represent a statement of your potential? If this whole spiritual thing is really true, then all those other people are in fact expressions of you. Therefore, you have no need to be afraid of them. Or anything.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Saturn enters your sign Thursday, and it will remain with you for more than two years. On one level this will call on you to focus your priorities and structure your life in a careful and conscious way. You will be summoned to be your own authority, in effect preempting anyone or anything that would allow others power over your life. If at any time you experience Saturn as some kind of burden or overbearing influence, remember this — take back your power. Look for where you gave it away, and make the decisions you need to make to maintain your sense of dominion over your life. This is especially true where financial matters are concerned; that’s an easy place for people to claim power over you. Therefore you must be the master of your money. Rely closely on numbers and documentation rather than on opinions, assessments and estimates. In the urgent (and often ignored) growth task of getting your parents out of the way of your chosen destiny, understanding and respecting money and its power are central issues. For you, so intent on freedom, this is essential.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — A mix of different influences seems to be acting on your confidence in contradictory ways. One factor — the Sun about to enter Libra — is drawing you out of your shell and reminding you how much you want to accomplish. However, Mercury stationing retrograde Thursday is a point of hesitation or nervousness, as if the timing is not quite right. There is also a more potent influence — one that will be with you for years, which is Saturn ingressing Sagittarius, your 12th house. This is the transit that says it’s time to know yourself — as in really know. There is no room for faking this, as we are so often taught to do. You must know yourself even if that means starting with the admission that you do not, that you have a lot to learn, or that you’re afraid of who you might be. It’s as if you’re confronting the great unknown known as yourself, and you’re not sure what to do. Here is a clue: Engaging that inner unknown may not feel like confidence, but I promise you it’s the source of your confidence. You may think being self-assured comes from knowing who you are. I would say its deeper source is dancing with your own uncertainty — and dancing with feeling.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Many factors are hinting that it’s time to widen your horizons. That might start with taking a journey in some unusual direction and noticing what you discover. What your chart is calling for is perspective — of time, of distance, of ideas that give you a different way to think about your existence. For a long time you’ve been seeking your special place in the world — one that works for both you and the world. You know this is possible; you know that your vision at its very best matches what the world needs the most right now. It always takes a combination of practice, effort and whatever luck is to make this happen. Right now you have the benefits of all three of these factors. Yet more vital to any or all of them is that you feed your life with a vision. That requires imagination and a deftness with ideas; it requires flexibility; and more than anything you must maintain a sense of perspective. Always know that you’re looking at the world from a point of view, and notice what that line of vision is. Notice how different the world looks when you shift your point of view. Remember.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You’re embarking on what A Course in Miracles describes as a phase of achievement. This follows a long trail of things like undoing what was not right, sorting out what helps you and what does not, settling in, unsettling and various other twists and turns — and now you know it’s time to establish something solid in the world. Therefore you must hold clearly in your mind what you want to achieve. You’re not being given a free pass, though the way is opening, leading you through obstacles you may have decided would never budge. As you do this, mastering something called the authority issue is central to your success. You are inclined to trust your life to a Higher Power. I would imagine that you believe in, or have faith in, a Divine plan. Now you must take up your role in that plan, which is to say, make your decisions carefully. You have learned plenty, and making decisions means using what you know. You might say that your central responsibility is to be aware of what you know and to put it to good use — not some time later, but today, right now.