Aries (March 20-April 19) — Act now to avert an unnecessary standoff in a relationship. Notice that there’s some pressure building. There needs to be a vent for that energy, and it has to be handled consciously so that it doesn’t turn toxic. Notably, responsibility for this situation may seem to rest with a partner; you have been collecting evidence of that. Yet you’re in the scenario as a kind of provocateur. Therefore, I suggest you listen rather than provoke, and take steps to ease the intensity rather than ramp it up. I suggest you be diplomatic and respectful. If you hear yourself saying, ‘But this would compromise my independence’, take a long pause and ask whether you want the relationship at all. If you don’t, sabotage is not the answer. A negotiated agreement is best — though that’s true in any event.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You seem to be preoccupied with the theme of authority or power. Currently you’re less directly subject to power, and are dancing with its various influences. I suggest you bear in mind the ways that your internal emotional state may be distorting your perceptions. It’s always true that our mind and our senses filter what we perceive; that’s what they’re for. Now the key is to use your intelligence to observe and correct those distortions. One question that may be percolating is: did you feel safe in your father’s home? This question comes with another — what was your reference point for safety? How exactly do you define the concept of ‘secure’? If you’re asking this question well, it’s going to lead to more questions before you start to arrive at coherent information — though it will, if you’re patient.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Once again you’re getting a sense of the value of words. Yet I think you may need to increase your perception of that value, equating it with your entire reputation. Promises, spoken commitments, inquiries and statements of fidelity — in many ways your life hangs in the balance on these things. You are indeed judged by your ability to tell the whole truth, and to both speak and write with a measure of objectivity. This all might mean less were you not a Gemini, whose main form of focusing power and transacting life force comes through what you speak and write. That we live in a society where it’s considered normal to lie, not just in advertising and political speech, but also casually in conversations with nearly anyone, emphasizes the point. This is not your karma. Yours, rather, is to embody the truth that you’re as good as your word, and that your word is gold.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Take this month and sort out your investments, your cash flow and your overall financial picture. Really get a handle on what you have in assets (including non-cash assets) and what you have to deal with in terms of debt and other liabilities. Look at the whole picture on one page or spreadsheet and see if it tells you anything new. You may not want to make actual changes till later in the month — at least not till after the New Moon of Aug. 17 — though if you do a thorough assessment and set some goals that require you to stretch, you’ll be able to improve your financial situation considerably. If there is one big message here, it’s about aligning your values, your activities and your ideas about money. Your values are the root concept.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — If someone, something or an idea is important to you, treat it that way. Send the message of respect first to yourself and then to the world around you. This is a word we don’t hear enough, and a feeling that is worth cultivating on every level. Respect means ‘to see again’, which means that it’s a form of recognition: you don’t respect someone at first blush; it’s something that comes over time. The central theme of this month is a re-evaluation process, that is, learning to see yourself for who you are. Remember that this is a process of seeing again; whatever you discover is a rediscovery, and what you witness a kind of re-visioning. What you’re doing is something that has become such a rare thing in our society: learning not to forget.

Hello Leo and Leo Rising! I’ve finished your 2012-2013 birthday reading. This is composed of two 35-minute astrology sessions, plus a combined tarot and astrology reading. It covers all of the major astrology happening now — with an emphasis on recovering a childhood dream. I also cover the influence on your relationships, your home environment and your finances. Astrologically this includes Mercury retrograde in your sign, the Leo New Moon, the Uranus-Pluto square, Saturn in Scorpio and more — all in clear, easy-to-follow terms. This report is designed for those born with the Sun in Leo but is equally applicable for Leo rising. Visit this page to get access.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You have some amazing career prospects right now, though rather than emphasize your work I suggest you emphasize healing. You’re close to breaking through a barrier that was put in place by your parents or even your much larger family. Again and again you’ve tried to crack this one, with special emphasis the past 18 months. Now, the momentum of your growth, and your commitment to balance, can carry you over barriers that seemed insurmountable in the past. In the end, you know this comes down to loving yourself, and forgiving yourself, and you may even be using these words as you figure out the special thing about this moment in your life. I suggest you look at the one thing you’ve been the most afraid to look at, for the longest, as the source of the deepest healing.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — This is not the month to push your luck, your relationships, or the patience of anyone in a position of authority in your life. It is most definitely the month to use your Libra talent for balance, which I suggest you do in the form of ultra-high consciousness of the balance factors in your relationships. Asking, giving and receiving need to be in proportion. You have a polite way of being demanding, and it’s time you notice that for what it is. One self-study project can be learning how to extend yourself above what you think is expected of you. You’re likely to go through a series of inner responses to the feeling of doing that, which will land you in the place of: the more you give, the more you’ll realize you have.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — If I had to describe your phobia-du-jour, these days it seems to be that we don’t live in a fair world. Well, that’s true, though the thing to consider is how you can access justice. That word means fairness, and it has as its root the same concept as adjustment. Therefore, if you’re feeling fear, think in terms of what you can adjust. This will require you to see two or more sides of any situation that you’re in, and be able to reason each one through; said another way, it’s good to be able to argue both sides of the case. Yet then there’s the issue of these emotional spikes you may be having, which can seize you at odd moments. When you get to one of those places, stop and reflect. You can go a long way by being willing to change, and to accept change.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You might want to admit that you’re out of your element. Not totally out — but enough that you don’t have your usual focusing power. You have something else, however, which is the strength of a relationship that may finally represent a departure from so much of what has happened in the past. There is a delicate balance in this situation. You wield a power that you don’t fully understand and may not even be in possession of. Meanwhile, you have those moments when it seems to you that everyone else has all the power. That one perception is the defining theme of your past relationships. It’s not true, though it will seem to be true until you fully possess the influence that is yours. You have a clue what I mean, and I suggest you begin with a gentle, experimental approach.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Mind your ethics. That is to say, your awareness of ‘right and wrong’ needs to be an ongoing study that you reconsider from situation to situation. There is no strict code except the need to question yourself, and to be alert to the particulars. The more involved in leadership you are, the more important this will be; there are various temptations on the radar, such as to take advantage of power to cheat justice in some way. In particular where a joint financial arrangement is concerned, you may feel that it’s possible to get away with anything. It’s not. What is possible is for you to co-create a situation that works for everyone, which in any modern concept of ethics would be the focus. This requires flexibility and, at the moment, you have it.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may feel like you’re the cause of why an intimate relationship is in the spot that it’s in. Yet people get together based on some form of complimentary karma. The encounter has the qualities that it has for ‘reasons’ that everyone brings. Right now there may be an emphasis on the ways that you are wounded, or the ways that being betrayed (or betraying others) in the past is influencing the situation now. This is true as far as it goes: everyone you’re in relationship to has that part of themselves which engages with that part of you. You’re approaching the moment where it’s possible to heal the past and start anew — though if you’re currently in a relationship this has to be true for everyone, if the encounter is to be beneficial for anyone.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — I suggest you be proactive on a matter involving a contractual situation, taxes or some kind of estate-related issue. In this scenario, preparation is everything, and if you use some foresight and maintain strict ethics, you have every advantage and can profit considerably. First, you can prevent contention or some kind of conflict, by seeing the early signs that you need to take action. Just make sure that it’s informed, cooperative action — cooperation is the key, as is your timing. Make sure that everyone involved knows that they share common interests, though it’s more crucial for you to keep that in mind yourself. As for ethics: mainly this means that everyone acts on free will and respects that of others. Coercion is out of the question.