Dear Friend and Reader:

THIS WEEK — Mercury retrograde ends Monday. That can come as a sense of relief, as if someone finally turned off the chaos generator. Yet this can feel like the water churning as a ferry pulls into the slip and the pilot throws the engine into reverse.

Virginia Woolf, Aquarius, born Jan. 25, 1882; author of “A Room of One’s Own” and other famed works.

When Mercury changes directions, you can expect a couple of days of added mild chaos. Pay attention to the details, and don’t try anything too fancy with a computer or network unless you really know what you’re doing. Keep track of your keys, and put checks in the bank, where they belong.

The best thing about this event (technically called Mercury stationing direct) is that it can bring out information that solves mysteries.

You might get the missing piece of data, the clue, something someone says offhand, and you suddenly figure it out. Remember, the more you know, the more knowledge comes to you.

The Sun is now in Aquarius, the sign of cool, brilliant types, inventors, sci-fi fans and people who tend to believe in mind over matter.

If your birthday is this week, you can count on a highly motivated time in your life, when you have the energy and persuasive power to accomplish anything you set out to do. A close relationship partner could also be a tremendous asset to your professional ambitions.

Your weekly horoscope is below.

Lovingly,

PS — We covered Mercury stationing direct in more detail in a mailing Saturday. Here is that article if you missed it.

An Update on Vision Quest

Eric is continuing to record the audio astrology and rune reading sections for Vision Quest. The audio astrology gives an overview and goes deeper into some of the themes in the written horoscopes.

The rune readings work with the formula given in the five-rune spread, considering it in the context of the astrology. Eric then uses a diversity of other tools; including ancient artifacts, natural artifacts and totem animals. The rune readings are more casual and conversational. Each type of reading is designed to complement the other as part of an integrated whole interpretation for each sign.

You can still get all 12 signs — including all these readings, plus the music, art, featured writing and more — for the bargain price of $97. You are welcome to share the Vision Quest experience with your household, however you define it. Individual signs can be purchased here from $24.95. You may view excerpts from each sign’s written reading here.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You are now in a position of social leadership. Humans almost always need someone to come up with the plan or strategy, and if it sounds good, they’re likely to go with it. I suggest you lead the crowd rather than go along with it. You may be the one person who can get the people you know, or some of them anyway, to try something that’s actually different. On a more practical level, the power of the group mind is especially strong right now, particularly if you are the one to focus several intelligent individuals on a challenging problem. The approach to take is that everything that actually needs a solution has one. It helps immensely if you commit to believing only what you demonstrate to be true.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Relationship themes remain a top priority. It looks as if you’re trying to work out the details of a partnership with someone. I would just caution about having too many fine points on the agenda. Rather than obsessing over details, what you need are the larger, more basic elements of your agreement. You seem to be in a moment of your life where you’re having realizations on just that level: your deepest philosophy of life. In relationships, the schedule matters, as does doing the dishes and sweeping the floor. Yet the authentic point of contact is what makes your life meaningful to you, and that you share with another person. You seem to be asking truly deep questions, and I would encourage you in doing that. You are on the right path.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You will need to pay close attention to joint financial matters this week, which may go through more alterations than a tailor does in a month. Keep your calculator handy, and make sure the numbers add up. Even if they do, add them again. Be on the lookout for hidden information, which you might discover when two facts seem to contradict. Meanwhile, beware of acting impulsively, or becoming obsessed with, well, anything. Finances and investments are the surface issue, which conceals something else. Peel back that layer and see if you can reach the underlying subject matter that is the energy source beneath any possible disagreement. The more intense your feelings, or those of someone else, the more necessary it is to seek and discover the deeper truth.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Someone close to you is working out an issue that, to them, might seem like a matter of life or death. Really, they appear to be struggling with a decision that they’ve already made, and are coming to terms with. Not only is it not all that bad, this could represent a truly positive development for everyone. People talk casually about commitment, and often accuse others of not having any. Then they might struggle to offer themselves to someone or something meaningfully. I suggest you be gentle with the whole topic, and see if the world is presenting you with any meaningful reflections you can study. It’s possible you’re seeing something that is usually veiled deep within you dramatized in your environment. That could lead to a meaningful conversation with yourself.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The recent Full Moon in your birth sign may have brought some important matters to a head. If so, one result could be that you have a much better understanding of where someone is coming from. You might not agree with their position, or you might be hoping for something better. In all, I suggest you guide yourself to the level of deeper healing. Seen one way, there is no such thing as a relationship issue; there’s just what individuals go through. You’re in a rare position to work out a psychological and emotional matter that may have puzzled or troubled you for years, seeming to have no possible resolution. The answer involves making tangible decisions and sticking with them long enough to evaluate whether you made the right choice.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Take the path of least resistance. That’s not always the best way, though it seems to be now. If the subject involves sex, talk it out. That will provide the most direct route to love and pleasure. If the subject involves some creative activity, I suggest you get it into physical form as soon as possible — such as onto paper, or built into a model. If the subject involves a child, you may be expecting them to behave in a way that is more mature than their age. Even if it’s the smart kind of kid, remember: they’re still a kid and don’t need any more pressure on them. That kid may be you, however. As responsible and focused as you are, you need time to play, without having to keep looking at the clock.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Don’t take family quarrels or emotional conflict too seriously. Give yourself some distance rather than getting dragged into the discussion. Your role is to recognize what belongs to others, and to act as if that is true. Yet you’re also in a position to provide what I would call a loving presence. You don’t need to mediate, or help settle the matter, or take sides. You will be at your best if you are able to hold space for a conversation to happen. Before long, any confusion will resolve itself, leading to a genuine moment of peace and harmony. In support of that, it would be helpful if you remain on friendly terms with everyone. You don’t have to take sides, though you do need to be aware of how you feel.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You must be tactful with people, and do your best to speak their language. Whether this involves work or personal relationships, that means listening carefully, and understanding what their words mean, and doing your best to understand the feeling behind those words. This may take more patience and more time than you’re used to offering. It will be worth the investment. And it may go against your desire to get a result, right now. That’s really the last thing you want since, at the moment, so much is a work in progress, and you don’t have all the information you need. Plenty will come out over the next seven days, though you need to be listening, reading and reading between the lines. Then, carefully put the pieces together.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The most important fact about money is knowing how much of the stuff you have. As Peter Gabriel said, you must know your plastic from your cash. With that out of the way, remember that ideas are much more valuable than funds are, if you act on them. Make sure that every decision you make is aligned with your long-term goals. This will keep you focused on those goals, which would be something of a miracle here in the age of Attention Deficit. Trust, above all, that you’re being drawn in the right direction, though this will be far more meaningful if you actually answer the calling. It’s true that you have some impressive goals, which you actually can accomplish if you’re willing to invest the time and devotion for a few years.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — One would think the human mind is the most flexible thing in the world, though that rarely turns out to be true. You seem to be in a position where you have to change your mind every day, and you may be getting tired of this. Yet this is exactly what learning is. This may seem like an unusually deep or difficult process. What you’re feeling is that it’s real. You have questions, which are themselves compelling you to rearrange your assumptions, especially about yourself. Now you need to keep not just an open mind but a flexible one, so that the answers can find their way into your view of the world and of yourself. Make peace with the fact that authentic discoveries necessitate real adjustments. That is progress.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your worst fears are unlikely to be true. Was there ever a time when they were? But that may be small reassurance, if you’re inclined to panic. What can you do? A psychological solution is not going to go deep enough. You need not just insight into your own mind, but actual evidence of truth, and the experience of how it feels. The most revealing information is likely to come through your dreams. Most people feel that dreams are weird and senseless; though, when examined carefully, they often have elegant logic. Go gently into this territory, and allow your observations to flow. Pay attention to how you feel, and remember that every symbol in the dream is a representation of you. How those elements relate is how you relate to yourself.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You are looking right at the potential for some unusual success, whether professional or financial, though you must be shrewd. By that I mean: first, recognize the power that you currently have; see the advantages of your position. Recognize how much influence you have on others. It’s far more than you imagine, but don’t let on about that. Invest your energy into figuring out where people are coming from. Gently probe their point of view, and understand what evidence they have to support it. You don’t only want to know what people believe; you also want to know how they got to their conclusion. This will help to craft any message that you have to deliver to a broad audience over the next week or two. Just remember: you have more impact and influence than you know.