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Read more in Solstice Fire and the Art of Service, by Eric Francis.

 

Aries (March 20-April 19) — By now you’ve figured out that you have to break a few rules to get anything done — and it certainly seems you have plans for what you want to accomplish. Here are some guidelines for breaking rules: First, make sure you try the conventional channels and methods first. This includes knowing what rules or guidelines you’re expected to follow. Then, your next strategy would be to negotiate. See if you can engage others in a give-and-take process where your mutual interests are supported. Your astrology is suggesting that you have significant room to alter some important agreement, particularly one that you entered within the past two years. In fact, your astrology suggests that tuning up this contract or understanding is a high priority, and the sooner you get to it the better. All of that said and done, you might have to bend the rules to accomplish something. If so, stick to rules that are somehow contradictory or vague. Make sure you understand the consequences of your actions. And if possible, be subversive. Avoid direct challenges or any show of bravado. Most of all, be fair. Do what you need to do, at minimum, and skip the extras. Right now, psychology is your most useful tool. You’re well positioned to assess where others are at, and you have every right to put that information to good use.

 

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You seem to be stretching your creative capacities. There is some bold adventure ahead of you, and you will be reaching for it in many different ways in the coming months and into the coming year. This is healthy; and as you know, it’s long overdue. Your chart suggests you’re venturing in the direction of taking sincere risks and accepting uncertainty about what you’re doing and how it will be received. This suggests declaring your freedom from expectation and predictability. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, this is how you’ll be living for a while. And this entails one special fact: you might get to the place where your creativity seems to run out. This is something you could consider an authentic initiation. You will have several options; the most viable one seems to be going back to the source of your inspiration. Yet, in any event, you will need to take chances. You will need to be open to revision. You will need to address the nature of what it means to be stuck creatively, so that you have dependable ways to get out of that place and back into the flow of your ideas — and of your life. On some level the topic of sex is related. In order to be fun and nourishing, you need to take your eroticism beyond familiar territory. That is the story of your life.

 

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’ve been spun around so many times the past couple of months you may be completely disoriented, and have no idea what to believe. Of course you’ve learned a lot along the way, at least by process of elimination. You can cross a good few things off your list of what to worry about, or wonder about. You have a much clearer sense of who you can trust. Yet still, all of this has been leading you to a decision, and that time has arrived. You now get to make up your mind. There’s a commitment involved in this, and you may feel pressured to make an affirmative statement when you’re still facing some doubt or hesitation. Yet is your uncertainty valid? Do you really lack any necessary information? Go over your facts carefully. Account for what you want to believe, but understand that your belief could be unfounded and warrants investigation. Make an inventory of everything you don’t know, and then start to answer your own concerns. What you may discover is that the thing you’re really doubting is your own thought process. Yet your perceptions and assessments are sharper than you may think. The only thing you have to watch out for is the distinct feeling of wanting something to be true. That is your indicator of caution. Take a balanced approach. Be as objective as you can. What’s true is true. What is not, is not.

 

 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This month and for the next few months, diligently apply yourself to enhancing your income. The key to doing so will be to understand the value of your work, your time and your intelligence, and connecting that with opportunities that seem to be waiting for you. What may surprise you, however, is how direct you need to be to materialize things. By direct, I mean having clear intentions, which you put into clear ideas, and then speak to others directly. This may seem confrontational to you, and in a way any clear transaction is — even if it’s also amicable. I suggest you err on the side of being forward and stating your terms quickly. But this will only work if you’re absolutely self-assured of what you’re doing and its actual worth to others. This you must estimate carefully, and know your facts. Do not guess. Work out your reasoning carefully and be ready to answer questions. You may never need to reveal any background data, though it will boost your confidence to know exactly where you’re coming from. In order to really succeed, your efforts need to be scalable. Part of what you’ll be learning is how to get results that are, at first, in proportion to your efforts, then which exceed your efforts. You may have qualms about the concept of profit; if so, I suggest you let go of them promptly.

 

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Venus and Jupiter in your sign are reminding you that you have only to gain by daring to be yourself. Allowing yourself to exist openly and freely will draw to you much of what you are seeking. Yet there also seems to be some appeal or temptation for you to conceal your true essence — to hide yourself, your talent, your feelings. These conflicting impulses may seem like you must maintain a dangerous balance of some kind. I would propose, however, that your fears are speaking louder than is appropriate, and that you may be giving them more attention than they deserve. Ask yourself what you think you have to lose by asserting yourself in a bold and beautiful way; by really daring to live. Could it be some concern that any gains you make, any progress, any blossoming of yourself, is transient? That you could come into possession of something that you then have to give up? That to do anything on Earth, you must reckon with that thing ending? It’s worth considering this, even if only as a thought exercise. At the moment, your charts suggest that you are at an early stage of discovery, and of gathering your creative gifts into true strength. Meanwhile, work with the idea and the feeling of transience. It’s essential to let go, to move on and to willingly embrace the unknown.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You’re working toward a discovery that will change the course of your current life. It looks as if you’ll get evidence of something that you were not sure was even possible — even something you may have never considered. Yet you will have tangible proof of what you’re capable of, which I suggest you take to heart. That is to say, accept and make friends with what amounts to a giant clue about yourself, while you’re holding it in your hands. Then over the next few months, you will be invited into a process of refinement. You may determine that this clue was just a statement about your potential, and now you’re faced with the responsibility of making that potential into something real and lasting. While you do this, you’ll have the distinct advantage of knowing that you’re not guessing at what you’re capable of. Yet the mind works in strange ways, and it’s always possible to deny something even when you have tangible proof of its existence. I suggest you not fall for this game. Allow in no doubt, and remind yourself of your capabilities. It will help if you assert your leadership skills in some way. If you find yourself in some circumstance that demands you bring your talent forward, you will thrive under the pressure and have no choice but to affirm your gifts and debunk your doubts.

 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Venus, the planet associated with your sign, stations retrograde later this month. This describes you in a position of greater visibility and contact with the public. Yet it appears to be pushing the question of how much exposure you want; how well known you want to be. It might seem like putting your work out in public is really like baring your soul. Are you ready to face any scrutiny that you may encounter on the way? Yet, if you peel back the question, you may discover something a bit startling. It seems like there’s one thing in particular you’re afraid people will find out about you. You might be cloaking this with a diversity of concerns unrelated to the core issue. That, in turn, could be creating interference with getting your work done, which no doubt involves some contact with the wider community. If you get to the root of the matter, it will be possible to actually do something about it. So I would ask, what is this one fact about yourself that you positively dread people finding out? It could be some element of your history, some doubt, some association you have. You might be trying to hide something that a parent or grandparent was paranoid about. Figure out what this is, give it a name, and then try something daring: tell the world.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Saturn is back in your sign for a brief visit. It spent two years with you from late 2012 to late 2014, putting you under some pressure to get real and grow up. This was essential. Scorpio is a water sign, but it’s not the one that’s known for its ability to flow easily. Therefore, these phases where you’re confronted with necessity are vital to your growth and progress. Now Saturn is calling on you to clean up some longstanding issues involving partnership, particularly if some kind of contract is involved. Look for the nexus where sex meets money — for example, household partnerships; relationships with ex-partners where finances are still involved; work relationships where there’s an erotic component. You’re likely to be confronted by some element of the relationship that seems stuck or intractable. What you’re really meeting up with is the aspect of yourself that resists change and flow, and therefore progress. This might have the potential for a head-on collision, when in fact what would benefit you the most is to understand the nature of your own resistance. Is it necessary to push back so hard against potential movement? Is it necessary to hesitate as a way of life? You owe yourself better than struggling with the flow of creativity, pleasure and money through your life. You can now make some progress working this out.

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are being offered a vision for your life — something that’s both far-reaching and wide. You may have the feeling that what you’re thinking is too idealistic or impractical, though over the next few weeks you will get some proof that it’s really neither. It is, however, your lot in life to be the person who connects your dreams to some tangible plan of action. Though Sagittarius has the reputation for being broad-minded and unconcerned with the details, you know by now that you must attend to the specifics if you want anything to actually happen. You cannot just hope for the best or leave things to others. That said, the translation from your vision to what actually manifests may involve a scaling down of your total vision. This is temporary. What I’m seeing is an exercise in prioritizing the most important thing you want to accomplish, and then breaking that down into steps and making it happen. This is merely a prototype. Pay close attention to what you’re doing, how you’re doing it and what gets results. Learn the method while you’re developing that method. For example, if you want to record an entire CD, start with getting one song right. If you have an idea for a novel, do it first as a short story. This will give you a sense of accomplishment on many levels. Then have faith — bigger things are on the way.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You have the strength of your convictions — but as Robert Anton Wilson said, convictions make convicts. What would benefit you and close partners the most is your flexibility — such as working with options rather than all-or-nothing scenarios. You will benefit from having alternatives around the timing of certain things you want to happen. And it includes taking an open-ended approach to resolving apparent conflicts. While there may be some sparks flying, most of the friction is coming from inside of you. For the next couple of months, your ruling planet Saturn is making a final return to Scorpio before moving on to Sagittarius for a two-year stay. This shift is helping you see all that you’ve left unsaid. This includes the implications of information you’ve gathered that you have not taken fully on board, much less shared with others. You are entering a time in your life when you can afford to have no secrets — by which I mean no secrets in intimate situations. Indeed, your willingness to reveal yourself is the measure of your desire to be close to others. When you find yourself stockpiling information for future use, you can be sure that you’re preparing for an unnecessary confrontation. You have so much to offer, and so much to receive. An open heart and an open door are the only way to share in the beauty of life.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You have some unusual relationship opportunities available to you. This is true even if you’re in a committed partnership. You might, however, begin by assessing the extent to which your idea of commitment is a hedge against allowing unscripted events to unfold. The very thing you want is what’s unplanned and unpredictable. I know that kind of thing can send waves of panic through people these days. You can look at that and see how ridiculous it is — or you can play along. In any event, if you’re wondering where any energy blocks are lurking, it’s around the necessity for expected outcomes. Hold open your possibilities and you will see your life begin to flow in new directions. Enter every situation with a sense of adventure, and appreciate the fact that you have no idea how it’s going to turn out. That’s your best friend right now. This is especially true in some situation that is calling for your leadership. It’s probable that this scenario goes back about two years. You now have to wrap up the final steps in a process, which must be completed before you’re really free to move on. You have your work cut out for you, but make sure you’re specific about what needs to be done, for whom, and by when. You are not in an open-ended commitment; to the contrary, you are now embarking on the real work of completion.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Make the most of every situation in your life. Make the most of every day. Involve yourself in what you do with full commitment. As you do this over the next few weeks, certain people and scenarios are going to have the sensation of opening the way to the future. There are no guarantees, but you will feel that resonance, and it’s worth noticing when you do. Meanwhile, the personal security question that has been nagging you the past two months or so is now coming to a head. You have a decision to make about what is really in your best interests. Before you get there, you have to decide what your best interests really are. This would be a good place to pause, so that you give yourself some time to assess your priorities. You’re at one of those junctures where you must update your files and make sure that every goal you have is really something you still want. Don’t be afraid to decide that something is no longer working for you. Be bold about what options you have to get things working better. Through this process, you will need to be responsive to your own inner feedback. More than that, keep your focus on your creative and erotic impulses. They contain the most valuable information about what you want, and what actually offers you some grounding and stability. Remember: Listen to yourself.