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Aries (March 20-April 19) — Yesterday’s eclipse in Pisces opened an inner doorway for you. This is a standout event, even on the scale of your current rapid phase of self-discovery. Now that this door is open, it will remain so, for as long as you keep using it. You have access through any inward-seeking practice such as meditation, art or spiritually grounded sex. There’s one more message that’s coming through, and it involves discerning the difference between need and desire. Most people tend to describe their desires as needs, since they’re easier to justify that way. I suggest you lean in the direction of desire, and learn to say the words “I want” without guilt. You actually have very few needs, and most of them are met. You will benefit from an honest relationship with wanting. It’s powerful for two reasons: first, it’s more direct and to the point. Second, if you want something that turns out to be unavailable or unreasonable, it will be easier to let it go.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Venus, Taurus planet number one, is slowing down for one of its unusual retrograde phases, which lasts from March 4 though April 15. This is a cool-off phase for you, and a time for reflection and review. It comes with a special message. Among its topics that are vital to the human spirit, Venus is about values, and this retrograde is about valuing your community. Specifically, it’s about truly appreciating a community that accepts you for who you truly are. You’re at a time in your life when you don’t need to pretend. At the same time you have mastered adapting to your environment without compromising who you are. Three cheers for maturity. Now you get to take this deeper, and maximize the other side of the equation: really bringing the best of who you are to your community, recognizing the unique role you have to play. That’s true even when you have your doubts.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You must stay on-message, especially where professional matters are concerned. By this, I mean that you would be wise to work from talking points, rather than ad-libbing it. There are rather significant aspects this week in your house of reputation, achievement and success. They are creative and inspiring combinations of planets — and they are slippery and a bit dreamy. To make the best use of these aspects, you must be well prepared and on time and must plan carefully what you’re going to say. You don’t need a script; you need to have your basic necessary discussion elements and main points together. Don’t veer too far from this, at the moment; obviously flexibility is a must, but keep yourself on a short leash when it comes to what you write and say. Remember: on-message, for effectiveness.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Your work — that is, your real work — is a vital aspect of your life, your identity and your growth. Far from being the sign of hearth and home, your solar chart reveals you as ambitious, driven and someone who must fully inhabit your mission or your calling. Start with what you’re doing now, and do it with a brassy and bold sense of adventure. The more you assert yourself, the more unusual results you will get. Keep in mind that everything you do is part of a relationship, no matter how casual or formal, fleeting or long established. Therefore, work on the level of human contact, and remember the necessity for mutual service: the facets of life where real meaning manifests. Some of the best opportunities that emerge for you will take the form of mistakes, surprises, or positive advantages that come out of seeming conflict. For maximum benefit, you must assert yourself, and let the atoms of thought collide into new elements and compounds.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Within an intimate partnership, one door is closing and another is opening. The relationship in question will need to develop into its new form before you really understand what it is. I suggest, till then, that you refrain from labeling or attempting to define the rearranged circumstance. There is still plenty of fog that has to clear, and that will take some time. You’re learning to see your relationships beyond your rose-colored point of view. It will help if you keep your eye on the bank balance, and on matters of balance that involve sexuality in any form. Everyone involved must be willing to bring their whole truth to the discussion. Be aware of seemingly passive forms of deception, such as when you’re not provided with full disclosure and are expected not to care. There remains one additional question, which is what you do with the truth when you have it.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Any decision that you seem to make rapidly or unexpectedly was probably brewing for a long time. You might inquire with yourself as to how long. Look for the roots of the situation. Go back to the times of first meeting, of inception, or of any initial agreement that was made. Then plot the way forward; you’re likely to see a series of steppingstones you followed that got you to where you are today. If you start to encounter confusion, that’s a sign to persist. You cannot smooth out the surface of the water with a canoe paddle, but you can read your journals and old emails, and you can study photographs for information. Take your time with this research. Work more like a novelist than a lawyer, which is to say: the narrative counts for a great deal. You will gradually plot your way to a better place, even if you get blown off course every once in a while.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — I’m curious to hear from Libras and Libra rising what last week and the coming week have brought into your life. You’re living through astrology that’s pretty darned bold and brassy. It looks like you’re keeping the company of a mad genius who is equal parts magician, scientist and military strategist. You may wonder about your role in any or all of this; the group constellation that surrounds you seems to have a mind of its own. You may also feel like you’re getting drawn deeper into something that you don’t quite understand, and which bristles your desire for calm and balance. At the least, I suggest you let your current environment shock you into a new level of inner consciousness. It really has something to offer you — and I can all but assure you that you’re not getting drawn into anything. By all indications, you seem well intent on going your own way.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — If you seek understanding from an emotional rather than psychological level, what you’re trying to figure out will be more obvious. This is a matter of logic; that is, what kind of logic you use. Psychological logic is supposed to make sense; emotional logic gets a pass from that requirement. Let your eyes blur out from the figures before you, and gaze into the background. Feel your response as you allow yourself to be more vulnerable, more receptive, more willing to take the chance of resonating with emotions and desires that may take you into deeper water than you might trust. What you can trust is yourself.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — One way to look at cause and effect is as a linear series of steps. Another way is as a dynamic between ground and figure, or between an entity and its surrounding environment. We’re all familiar with the ‘one thing leads to another’ method. Ground and figure causation explores the environmental dynamics as the factor that leads to any manifestation. Your life right now is a study in your environment. This works many ways: from your immediate surroundings and how you experience them (currently a rather complex equation), to your social environment, to vast and wide questions of existence. Rather than trying to take things one step at a time and deduce how things got to be the way they are, consider how you respond to your environment and what you do to shape your environment. This requires slowing down and suspending the usual rules of logic. The question to ask is, “How am I a product of my surroundings?”

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your life these days seems to be characterized by a struggle for mental clarity. Yet your solar chart suggests you ease back and listen to what your intuition tells you. If you are grappling with whether something is the right choice for you, you might try not reaching so far into the future. Study your present situation and how you feel about it. You seem to have discovered something over the weekend — a factor that was right before your eyes but that you somehow managed not to notice. It will be easy to forget, even if you have a revelation of some kind. Rather than trying to think things through, or prove them with your eyes, listen to the space around you; let your thoughts pulse like the sounds of waves rather than the sound of your fingers typing on a keyboard. You already know the truth; you just need to listen, and accept.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You must be careful what you say and what you write. This is a great week to set everything on a one-hour delay, or an overnight delay. It will be easy — very easy — to say things that you regret, particularly if you are angry. Deal with any anger first, and then figure out what to say, and to whom. Your words have the power of a weapon right now, and even in the coolest and calmest state of mind, you want to use that delicately and judiciously. A good policy is minimal force; subtle persuasion is preferable to the heavy-handed kind. What I suggest you do is look for the most efficient, effort-free way to make your point. Think like a pool player rather than a football player. There’s no need for a Hail Mary or to tackle anyone. Look for the angle that will sink the ball, nice and easy. Then aim carefully and measure your shot.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The full effects of Sunday’s solar eclipse in your sign will take a few days to settle in, though remember — you’re not drifting. Your life is on course, and you’ll stay on course for as long as you stay connected to your feelings. If you cut off from your own sensitivity, or if you try to override your intuition with logic, you’re likely to misguide yourself. You really know something when you know it in your body. Your mind and conscience will rarely disagree with what your body knows. I understand that there are many factors influencing you right now. Yet you have more influence over your life and your destiny than all of those factors combined. And you have the ability to make conscious choices and to use your resources wisely. One thing is for sure: you have much more available to you than you’re aware of, and are about to make a pretty amazing discovery: such as a missing file, a forgotten bank account, or some precious and valuable tool.