Aries (March 20-April 19) — Most people will do nearly anything to be part of a group, which leads to some dangerous possibilities. Many of them are psychological and spiritual, though it’s clear that people will do things as part of a group that they would never do as individuals. The time has come to stand apart from certain people in your life, and the things that they do. You are well beyond the point of needing either conformity or approval from your peers when you express your personal intentions and desires. What you want to do would indeed be curtailed or hemmed in by seeking approval, whether you seek different forms of relationships, expressing yourself as an artist, or doing what feels right as a lover. If you want to get out of the habit of looking for validation, today’s eclipse will be a boon.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may have some experiences this week that will help you see through a group dynamic that’s taken shape in your life. Any activity that involves what feels like a ‘family’ will help you clarify your early experiences and how they have shaped you as an adult. The moment you’re aware of the connections, you will be on top of whatever game is implicated, and you may make a discovery that will serve you for a lifetime. Remember that when people get involved in groups, they tend to subjugate their individuality, and as a result do things they would never otherwise do. If you spot this tendency in yourself, that’s the time to raise your awareness and to start making decisions. There may be considerable pressure to do what’s not right for you, though this is nothing compared to the rewards of living with integrity.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — If you say less, you will be saying more. It’s your natural tendency to give the longer version of the story, and to provide the background information too. This is especially true with the Sun and Mars in your house of communicating. However, your ruling planet Mercury is slowing down, and you would be well advised to focus your message and to say only what is necessary. This way, you’ll have greater impact. If you must say a lot, put it in writing, and don’t publish it right away. Spoken words have a tendency to disappear, which gives them relatively little impact. The written word is an enduring thing, though this would rightly be in some form other than tweets or other social media posts. You do indeed have something to say, and you deserve the opportunity to make it count.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Venus in your sign is inviting you to immerse yourself in the best that life has to offer. We’re in the season of eclipses — a lunar eclipse occurs today, and a solar eclipse is coming soon. Eclipses help you break old habits and establish new ones. That’s an invitation to spend your time doing as much of what you love as you can. Do the things you rarely seem to have time for, but which you know nourish you. Speaking of nourishment, any habits around food that you cultivate now have a much greater chance of becoming established. One message coming from your solar chart is to eat as many meals at home as you can. This will save you money, reduce your intake of unwholesome ingredients, and help ground you in your home — which for one born under your sign is essential.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Monday there is an eclipse of the Moon in the angle of your chart that describes your relationships, and the environment that surrounds you. Suddenly it seems that environment is changing in significant ways. Mostly this will come in the form of letting go of old friends and getting some new ones. It’s essential to go through this every once in a while, especially if your goals, your sense of purpose, or your idea of who you are becoming are changing. Essentially, you need friends who are not threatened by your willingness to change and grow. There’s no way to overstate this necessity. You are indeed evolving rapidly; and having people around you who in some way object or are made nervous by that fact is a perfect way to thwart your own progress. If someone really cares about you, they will honor your need to grow.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — This is an interesting week in the history of Virgo. Mercury, your ruling planet, is about to station retrograde in your sign. This happens Saturday, Aug. 12, though the effect will be full strength through the week. What’s so original is that Mercury is making a long conjunction to Vesta, a beautiful and complex asteroid whose themes of service and devotion relate to your sign. Two themes emerge: one is about holding space for the right thing to happen. You don’t have to make it happen; your role will be to facilitate. This may mean serving as a translator in a moment of sensitive communications at a time of confusion and misunderstanding. Without taking sides, serve the role of keeping the channels open and clear. Second, there’s something personal here about how your relationships happen. One keynote of Vesta is unusual relationship patterns. Most of the seemingly normal things that people do are not really for you; and if you can accept that fact, you get to experience your own distinct and unique form of beauty in love and bonding.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It’s been a while since anyone figured out that feeding the people is a key to bonding, cooperation and respect. That’s what your charts are about this week. Venus, the Libra planet, is crossing your 10th house of responsibility and authority, which for you is the sign Cancer. You are a caregiver in any leadership role, though particularly this week — with Venus conjunct Ceres, the goddess of food — you must look after your flock. Figure out a way to actually provide food for the people you work with, whether your colleagues or those who report to you. Bring food, order some in, or take people out to a meal — whatever works for you, as long as you’re the one who is doing the nurturing. With food comes a conversation, and with Mercury in such interesting form (see Virgo), there will be plenty to talk about. Focus on making the world a better place, starting here and now.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Mars and the Sun continue to streak across the most visible area of your solar chart this week, while a lunar eclipse is about to happen in one of the most private areas. In old-school thinking, this is a reminder that you must balance devotion to your professional life and your personal life. I would offer another idea, which is that you must be the same person in private spaces as you are in public. You cannot divide your character, despite the popular perception that this is possible. You are one person, living one life. Your inner truth and your outer truth are one thing. Therefore, toss aside all excuse-making, and anything designed to enhance your image, and be absolutely sincere in all that you do. You will gain strength by revealing your vulnerabilities. And you will go deeper into this rarefied thing known as integrity, which is the very substance of life.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — This week, Mercury stations retrograde in the angle of your chart associated with accountability, responsibility and leadership. This is an indicator to take things slowly and in incremental steps. You need to be aware that you’re not working with full information, which is typical of the week that Mercury stations retrograde or direct. There’s always some key data that will be shaken out of the cosmos, and you need to pause major decisions until you have a grasp on what that is. You may feel like you’re acting in a sincere and noble way, only to discover you did the opposite of what was necessary. Take this approach through the whole Mercury retrograde — the really interesting information comes to light at the very end of the process, during the first week of September. It will be worth doing this, even if it seems inconvenient. Both your reputation and the common good are at stake. So: one calm, calculated day at a time.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Belief is fragile, and it verges on useless. Why is that? Believing something tends to extinguish the quest for truth. What’s worse, most beliefs are of themselves not based on reality, on facts, or even on accurate perceptions. This week, Mercury stations retrograde in the angle of your chart associated with religion, spirituality and all processes of learning. You have Virgo in this angle, which describes your tendency to want the details before you offer your trust. That would be a wholesome approach to life this week. Let yourself ask the big questions. Don’t be in a hurry to have answers; let the mystery stand, and feel the strength that doing so gives you. Your quest through the Earthly plane of existence is driven by your questions, and it’s suspended by accepting false answers. A new phase of your quest begins this week. Be bold and stay hot on the trail…of whatever you may seek.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Monday there’s an eclipse of the Moon in your sign. This may influence several facets of your life, though none more than your commitment to the work that you do. You are inspired to do good work because you care. You know that money is a relatively small influence for you, though you need to be mindful of cash flow. So make sure that you’re doing what you love to do, just in case you have to do a lot more of it. The other aspect of existence covered by this eclipse is your overall health and wellbeing. You simply must commit to this as a way of life. You must eat real food, drink pure water (coffee and soft drinks do not count) and get actual rest on a nightly basis. This is about longevity, and it’s also about efficiency. If you work yourself into exhaustion, your efficiency goes down; and if you’re well rested and prepared, it increases rather dramatically. You know all of this. Put it to good use.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — There’s a mysterious angle of every chart, called the 12th house. This is the zone of the chart that covers parallel realities, like dreams and experiences on drugs; it includes cinema and any form of illusion; and if we look to Vedic astrology (the kind practiced in India), the 12th covers “the pleasures of the bed.” Today there is an eclipse in this area of your chart, which will stir up your deepest desires, your fantasies, and maybe some psychological clutter that you’ll want to look at before you toss it in the dustbin. Fortunately, at the same time, Venus is moving through Cancer, which is encouraging you to take a physical and emotional approach to your desires, rather than just sending some saucy texts. Let yourself out of your container. Let yourself be the physical, sensuous, erotic person that you are. If you make yourself available to people you trust, everyone will benefit.