Aries (March 20-April 19) — Your ruler Mars turns direct at the end of August. This is likely to be accompanied by a considerable release of tension; and a consequent sense of freedom and energy, and of feeling more like yourself — almost as if you’ve been on a long holiday and are just now returning with fresh eyes. Your mind may seem extra elastic and inventive, which should enhance just about any project on which you choose to bestow its power. It would certainly be worth giving some careful thought to that point, if you are not already clear on what sparks your passion, what interests you most deeply, where you feel you can make a positive difference in the world. There is really nothing more fulfilling than a vocation of this kind.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Part of your mission, during this particular phase of your life, is arguably to maintain a broad perspective about who you are and can become. Uranus in your sign is expanding your field of choices exponentially. Perhaps you’re frequently stopping in your tracks and wondering how the hell you’re doing what you’re doing, especially if you happen to look back a few years and see how far you’ve come. You may at times be tempted to retreat to the comparative safety of your former existence, though now that might feel something like squeezing into the clothes you wore in sixth grade. Ultimately the decision is up to you; in the long run, it would likely be much easier to let the winds of change carry you along.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Psychological growth nearly always involves addressing memories and past influences at some point. Because early interactions tend to make strong impressions, it often isn’t easy to recognize the difference in one’s power as an adult. Yet you can weaken the hold of messages designed to keep you back, and unlock the profound healing inherent in doing so. It’s sometimes tough work, but you are capable of making big strides toward claiming your strength. In a way, you’ve already begun the process of re-interpreting former times, and of reconstructing the way you see yourself. You have significant resources, including your native intellect and adaptability. Take as much time as you need.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Yours is a sign that tends to uphold and respect traditions, possibly in part because doing so may afford you a sense of security. The issue with this approach comes when it gets in the way of essential progress, or when you become chained to a specific routine for its own sake. At that point it’s necessary to let go and move forward. Identify those practices that no longer serve you, and see whether you can refine or reshape them. It may be a case of throwing them out altogether and beginning again with a clean slate. What you forge out of this process could fulfill a need in wider society also. The chances are, in fact, that your relationship to tradition itself will undergo a significant alteration in the weeks to come.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The past month has been especially meaningful for your sign, having taught you a lot about who you are and where you want to go. To say that you’ve experienced changes is almost certainly a whopping understatement. Your mission over the next few weeks will likely involve manifesting your discoveries, both for the benefit of the wider world, and to help you cement your new understanding. The reason the image of the everyday hero is so popular is because it provides an example to people of how they too can shine and stand out; there are few images more inspirational or potent. You are now in a position to offer that same demonstration to those immediately around you, at least. Do it boldly.

Virgo Birthdays and Rising 2018-19:

Are You Getting Ready to Shift Gears?

“Mars retrograde in Aquarius, your 6th house, describes you as someone in the role of problem-solver. This looks like some kind of systems administration work, though there’s a social dimension — that of keeping people organized. To do this, you’ll need either to break some rules, or to establish new ones.”

— Eric Francis, in The Art of Becoming 2018 annual edition for Virgo

Dear Friend and Reader:

Just how are you doing as a problem-solver, rule-breaker and rule-maker this year? It’s possible the current retrogrades of Mars and Mercury (your ruling planet) have slowed your progress some. But both planets are preparing to station direct soon; are you ready to shift gears?

If you’d like access to a fresh, of-the-moment take on how your next 12 months (or more) could shape up, I hope you’ll pre-order your 2018 Virgo Astrology Studio with Tarot Studio. This is what Eric used to call your “Birthday Reading,” just under a reimagined name.

You’ll still get two segments of audio astrology; and if you pre-order the reading before it publishes, you’ll automatically receive the tarot reading for your sign or rising sign when it’s ready. As always, you can download the audio files and listen as many times as you’d like.

Even though our recent eclipses were not in Virgo, there’s still plenty going on that’s having an impact on your chart: for example, Uranus in fellow earth-sign Taurus is jazzing up your house of spirituality, long-distance travel and higher education (among other things).

Meanwhile Chiron, in your Aries-ruled 8th house, is bringing your attention to some deep matters that include sex, surrender and money. You can count on Eric having plenty more to tell you about your charts this year.

“Thank you. I’ve been a fan for a few years and always feel nourished by every reading — my own and others. This particular reading hit home and felt like a swoop of fresh air pointing me home. Thank you again.”

— Elaine Sonne, on a recent Virgo reading

Eric is sure to cover the most important details of these issues and astrology (and more) in your upcoming Virgo Astrology Studio and Tarot Studio recordings.

His current sabbatical is proving restorative, which means he’ll be able to access the best of his decades of astrology and tarot experience, his therapy training and his creativity to encourage and empower you, nudge you with questions and new perspectives, and inspire you to get right to work with what you’re learning — in your relationships, healing process, career, family, community and inner evolution.

Wishing you a happy birthday and an illuminating year,

Amanda Painter

P.S. If you love someone with a Virgo Sun or Virgo Rising, you can also pre-order the Virgo Astrology Studio with Virgo Tarot Studio as a gift. They’ll receive both parts automatically when they’re ready.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Given your recent experiences, Mars direct will probably come as a relief and a refreshment. You may feel as if you’ve been through almost a rebirthing process, and are seeing the world with new eyes. The next month may well involve sifting through and extracting the lessons of the last one, which should provide a high yield of useful information. One thing suggested by the astrology of this moment is that you collaborate with others, especially if you’re unclear on a particular point. It would almost certainly help you, in any case, to speak about what you’ve felt or noticed, in the spirit of inviting thoughts as well as sharing them. Treat any offered ideas with respect — they will probably contain at least something of value.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — There’s an odd trend of late for videos that are supposed to promote feelings of satisfaction, by showing the viewer orderly, complete processes and patterns, or precise skill and dexterity. This presumably caters to the common desire to have things neat and rounded off, and the discomfort we often feel when this is not the case. Yet we are all creatures of emotion and instinct; suppress that part of you, and it will only resurface in some fashion. In the long run, you would benefit instead from accepting it and working with it consciously. After all, you are not a factory production with right angles and exact contours. You are a unique, changeable, and gloriously imperfect living being.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Over the next several weeks, you are likely to receive the opportunity to be influential in your immediate social milieu; possibly in your wider community. You may already be aware of how you would use that power. Yet your classical ruler Mars turning direct will almost certainly bring about new ideas or information, which might challenge your current thinking in a number of ways. Certainty, especially when it comes to human matters, rarely proves entirely correct. I suggest you leave at least some room for doubt and differences in perspective before making any concrete decisions. You may find there’s a whole dimension of relevant wisdom that you’ve not yet seen or imagined.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You’ll be in a prime position during the month ahead to enhance your working life. It’s possible this might begin in the form of a simple promotion, granting you additional autonomy and responsibility. However, the most significant changes are more likely to come from your actions. What you’ll want to look for is the chance to inject extra creative freedom into your career, either in your present role, or in a different or new one. You could even resurrect a childhood dream that you may have thought impossible to fulfill, or been dissuaded from. However this alteration comes about, you are capable of great things; do not allow yourself to get in your own way. Keep following the scent of your passion and conviction.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Mars stationing direct in your sign, followed within ten days by your ruler Saturn changing direction too, will perhaps feel rather like waking from sleep. For the past month or so you’ve been grappling with what might seem almost like a world run on dream logic: everything might have seemed just a little distorted or changed, and even while the laws of physics were still firmly in operation, the law of cause and effect may have appeared suspended. Give yourself sufficient time to feel that you have your feet planted on the ground before you start running again at full speed; when that moment comes, you’ll hopefully be able to cover a considerable distance, and with little danger of stumbling.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The recent combination of retrogrades and eclipses has hopefully put you more in touch with your emotional world and its accompanying needs. This may relate especially to intimacy: in what ways you experience it, and also all the ingenious ways you might avoid it. The ensuing month is likely to help underscore this process of enlightenment, by offering you the chance to further cultivate healthier relationships with significant others and with your own more profound feelings. I would suggest that the easiest way to make sure you’re engaging with this process is to adopt a no-bullshit principle: that is, to be baldly honest, with yourself first and foremost, about what you really feel and what you really need.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — During the past month you’ve probably felt much of what you thought you knew being stripped down like wallpaper, or an old snakeskin. This might well have been disconcerting in some respects; even so, you now appear to be left with a sense of raw truth, keen awareness and unprecedented freedom. You can look at the present and future determinedly, almost rebelliously, and forge the very life you need as you press onward. In doing so, you’ll be able to release potentially a lot of important material from your past, and step into your power in a way that you might previously have experienced rarely or not at all. I suggest you embrace this new order of things fearlessly, and who you have become with pride.