Aries (March 20-April 19) — You may notice your sex drive coming back — or coming on strong, if it hasn’t gone anywhere. Either way, I suggest you stay in contact with whatever process you went through earlier this year, which in part involved some unusual healing experience, and which in part involved changing how you think. You learned something about yourself, something that may have presented you with a real challenge, and it involved the intersection of where your sexuality meets your mental and physical health. The emphasis has been on the well-being side of the equation; it’s now shifting in the direction of being more erotically adventurous. I suggest you review what you learned — and keep it in mind as you experience the adventure of the next four or five weeks.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — If you eliminate what is not true, you will be likelier to focus on what is true. The first thing to remember is that there’s a difference. The second thing to remember is that that difference exists whether or not you like it; though I think you’re far more likely to value and appreciate what is authentic once you have acknowledged its existence. For the next few weeks you’re likely to experience something approaching actual self-esteem, which is a rare psychological condition. I suggest you make a conscious effort to remember how this feels. Much of what you learn through the rest of this year and into 2013 is focused on this theme. There is no taking it for granted if you want to live a grounded, sane and content life.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — There’s a question about doing relationships ‘right’ versus doing them well. Let’s consider the three Cs of relating: communication, compassion and commitment. Of the three, commitment is the least meaningful, and it happens the most easily on its own when other things are in balance. We could even skip commitment altogether and add in its place something rarely considered a value in relationships: creativity. That authentic synergy between people, what feels to some like mental chemistry and to others like a certain ease around erotic subject matter, is the tangible experience of creativity. That’s to say, all erotic experience is procreative, even if babies are not made. The question is what you create, or rather, what you want to create — and being realistic about whether the chemistry of any given situation can support that

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You’re accessing a deeper level of feelings, whether they emerge from within you, or you consciously reach down into yourself to access them. This will start slowly and then reach a peak toward the end of the month. Remember that any fool can be intense. It takes a mature person to guide intensity into something beautiful and useful. If you can do that, you will access a deeper level of your potential, which will serve as an invitation to much deeper pleasures to come. Maturity involves making choices; those choices are best guided by priorities that are in turn guided by your values. This is a fancy way of saying do what is right for you. However, since most people find that impossible, I thought I would break it down into a few steps.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You appear to be making your mind up about a relationship or partnership. The question seems to involve how you can have greater independence and not sacrifice your need for bonding and contact with others. It’s one thing to contemplate this kind of thing in theory; it’s another to have experiences that demonstrate what’s possible — and it seems that’s what’s brewing in the not-so-distant future. In fact what you’re about to do might not have a vague shred of a hope as a concept, though it may turn out that it works very well in practice — once you believe it’s possible, and that will come through experience. It’s as if you’re stretching your potential into a new dimension you didn’t know existed; that, and people around you are more open-minded than you think.

Hello Virgo and Virgo rising readers. I will have your 2012-2013 birthday reading very soon, possibly tonight. I’ve finished recording the astrology sections, and the tarot section is all that’s left. Look for an announcement in your inbox soon.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Virgo is famous for being self-critical, though you may be wondering whether that translates into any form of self-improvement. If it won’t, you lack empathy. The way to teach yourself that is through empathy for others. This is the theme of your relationships for the foreseeable future (by that I mean through the end of the decade), and the sooner you figure that out, the happier you will be. Consider what it would be like to be in the position of everyone you encounter, particularly people who are different than you. As you persist in this experiment, you may notice that you have more in common with more people than you realized. If you live from that spot, you will develop a deeper level of empathy — for others and for yourself.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — The Sun is about to enter your sign, which is the beginning of your solar year — and the next four seasons promise to be one of the more extraordinary times in your life. You will discover the ways in which you fit into the larger scheme of existence, and you’ll see how many of the decisions you’ve made leave you free to do just that. That larger scheme is a work in progress right now, so I would remind you that you don’t have to ‘be settled’ or ‘know what you’re doing with the rest of your life’ in order to increase your participation in what you discover is most meaningful to you. In fact, feeling slightly unsettled, and a bit daunted by your own possibilities, would be a much more adventurous, and practical, way to greet your new year.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — This month and next, energy begins to collect in your sign. Mars has just arrived, which will be followed by the North Node, Saturn and then the Sun. These planets are conspiring to push you to a new level. This is not an extension of the metaphor of the frog in the pot of water that’s gradually being heated up. Because Mars is the first planet to make a move, the temperature is going to rise quickly, and will be joined by different shades of energy: the North Node’s intensely soulful quality; Saturn’s focus on commitment and structure; and the Sun’s gift of self-expression. Stay perky, keep busy with meaningful priorities and make sure you pay attention as you acquire each of these new tools. They are yours to work with. Rise to the occasion.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — I suggest you spend some time among friends and at social gatherings this month (though you usually don’t need someone to tell you this). With planets and a series of eclipses heading into Scorpio — the most mysterious angle of your solar chart — you’re likely to be more introspective than usual. This, in turn, may transform into a necessary obsession; you may become more curious about your inner workings than ever. As you take this journey, very few people will be able to accompany you, and you won’t know who they are until they actually show up. Ultimately in truth, this is something you will do on your own, though for the next month or so, it’s as if you have one foot in each world — inner and outer. That will make for some interesting contrast.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — September 2012 is the last full month of Saturn in Libra. I suggest you do a review project, on the topic of responsibility, leadership and your reputation. Let’s go back in time to Oct. 29, 2009 — when Saturn first touched the shores of what’s called your 10th solar house — the one that addresses themes of authority in every form. Where were you then? How did you feel about who you are, and what you do? Did you have the self-respect to command the respect of others? I suggest you track what you’ve learned since that day, and take full ownership of it. I know there were ups and downs; that is life, though everyone knows that humans tend to learn more from struggle than from achievement. Make sure you learn from both.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You’re likely to be getting one message after the next to get your professional house in order. You have a logical side, though you tend to be driven by your emotions rather than by your gift for strategy when it comes to your career. With Mars occupying that angle of your chart now, pathos and passion are in more abundant supply than cool, calm logic. Think of this as contrast. How does the pathos/passion approach work to advance your most important goals? Does it even help you figure out what they are? That would be helpful. In October, the sky shifts to much more focused issues of exactly how you’re going to do what you want to do, assuming you’ve made up your mind what that is. The truth is that you already know; it’s time to stop hesitating.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Whenever activity shifts to the water signs, that’s a good thing for Pisces. Mars has just arrived in Scorpio, adding some fire to the angle of your chart that blends mysticism, sex and your highest vision for yourself (truly a Pisces thing). More planets and points are on the way, as part of a journey that will last two years. These transits will put you into contact with a dimension of yourself that you often feel, though just as often have to express vicariously through some other activity. There are not many philosophers you can find who will tell you that your sexuality is a direct path to understanding who you really are, though I’m not alone in saying this — and from the look of your charts, you won’t be alone either.