Aries (March 20-April 19) — This week, the element of surprise will be running strong in all facets of your life. You can only prepare by being flexible and maintaining situational awareness. That means paying attention to your surroundings, and tracking the relationships between the people around you. This counts even when you’re in your own home, or the home of someone you’re close to. One risk you run is being emotionally reactive, which can be part of your nature, though it’s particularly strong now. So, slow down and do what you can to stay calm. Drive cautiously, a little slower than usual if you have a heavy foot; and, this week at least, turn off your phone before getting into your car. What is the upside to this astrology? You want to be independent, emotionally and otherwise. It’s time to cut the apron strings or unhook the leash, as long as you know freedom entails responsibility.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Do you have any actual reason to resent people who hold positions of authority around you? Or is that a hangover from your childhood relationships to your parents? We live in a society where people need to grow up and be adults more than they need just about anything else. Your desire to have a calm, dependable existence will be your motivation. Your need to achieve real goals will also motivate you. To do these things requires a mature approach to life, and the desire to collaborate. What’s most important is feeling good about yourself and what you’re learning. This is a matter of practice. Every day brings its modest advances and its small setbacks. You may be experiencing both in equal measure, though any setbacks can count as important lessons learned and accepted, if you are mindful and respect your own learning process. This is merely a matter of perspective.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You don’t need to take everything personally. If you do, you’ll go nuts, which would be pointless given that little of what you see and hear is actually about you. You will need some emotional filters and strong boundaries this week. Of the people around you, you’re one of the best situated to take a helpful rather than contentious approach. You can see all the dynamics that are at play; you can handle the different viewpoints people have; and because of that, you could serve as the adult in the room. You can afford to have a light-hearted attitude and a creative approach to problem solving; you can remind everyone that a problem is an opportunity to advance an idea. For most people, this is merely a concept they may have heard of, though you’ve actually experienced its power and potential. Keep the people around you focused on the positive.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The recent Full Moon in your opposite sign Capricorn is still ringing like a bell. There’s been some shift in your relationships, and in your relationship to the world. Chances are this is a positive development, though there’s a possibility that you’re feeling shaken up. One of the long-range lessons of your life right now is how you handle dependency on others. You know that you must learn to stand on your own emotional strength, meet others as equals, and in some way compel them to do the same. Otherwise, the relationships are not going to work. The Full Moon helped you get to the bottom of a particular issue, and you now know the truth. That central idea is unlikely to change much, though you can adapt your methods, your desires and your approach to life, which will grant you the freedom that comes from having a more realistic perspective.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You possess your own value. Be real about this: it doesn’t come from anyone or anything else; you don’t have to negotiate; you don’t have to be endorsed or have any letters after your name. Remember this if you find yourself in some strange conversation where you’re being expected to establish your worth. You don’t need that person, and you don’t need to convince them of anything — they’re unlikely to be convinced, so there’s no point trying. Focus your creativity and do the projects that you want to do. Don’t worry about monetizing your ideas at this stage. That would be minimizing their worth, and it will hamper your creative process and diminish your potential. Do what you’re doing for its own sake — that’s so rarely done in our era. You can afford to proceed without fear or concern for the future, and let the developments of this week reveal their interesting wonders.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Love more generously. I could end this horoscope right here, but they tell me I still have 140 words to write — so I will elaborate. Love is the only thing that’s in actual abundance, and the best thing is, it’s free. This means appreciating the people in your life. Thank them for what they do for you, and show your appreciation in more tangible ways. If you find yourself closing down, as if you somehow cannot afford to be generous with your gratitude and praise, perhaps take a look at that. Ask yourself what you think you’re losing by making others feel good. It’s a known spiritual truth that you will have in abundance what you offer to others. Therefore, open up your heart and soul, and shine your light on everyone around you. Convey, in feeling, how you appreciate people who support you and your world even in the most modest ways.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You’re receiving a kind of promotion. It may not be the usual type, with the invitation to the boss’s office and all of that. This is much more significant, much more meaningful. It’s about the level on which you exist in society: your status, in the true sense of the word. Status is the actual respect you carry, which reflects how you’re treated. It’s likely that some recent discovery has led to this, probably an emotional breakthrough where you established your independence from your family. To actually make your way in the world, it’s necessary to break free from the crusty kinds of relationships that keep you feeling awkward and uncertain. Keep breaking off that crust, and proceed with the confidence of a person who can stand on the strength of your legs, the power of your vision and the beauty of your own ideas. Then get ready to work your ass off for what you want.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — It’s only when your faith is challenged that you find out how strong you are. It’s only when you’re given an assignment that’s way over your head that you discover what you’re capable of. And this discovery process has only just begun. What you’re now involved with is a kind of real-life leadership training program. This is a hands-on course, taught on the ground, not in a classroom. If there is a theory, we could sum that up in one word: ethics. Your ongoing challenge is to do the right thing, even if you have to call out people in positions of authority. There’s a way to do this effectively, and you will learn how that works. You will learn how to take charge when others leave their post or abdicate responsibility. Note that this is about claiming actual authority over your affairs and, very likely, an organization you’re involved with. Take small, calculated steps.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Many people who think they’re sexually liberated don’t even have a clue. Anyone who is squeamish about their body or that of their partner has some territory to cover. Anyone worried about being ‘found out’ is simply trapped. Those who cannot speak honestly about their desires, or vocalize their pleasure, have before them a vast territory to explore. Often this territory will be entered in an awkward way at first. You might stumble in; you might find yourself in seemingly the wrong place with a seemingly inappropriate person, and go with the flow. This is a creative discovery process, meaning that it involves entering the unknown, learning something, and responding in an inventive way. Here is a key: At the core of everything I’m describing is a form of nourishment that can only be accessed through daring self-exploration. These nutrients are not available on the surface. You must go deep, and you’re being summoned to do so.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The very recent Full Moon in your sign stirred up some of your insecurities, and might have come with the feeling that you’re more alone in the world than you realized. Yet that is the first step toward making real contact, both with yourself and with others who can actually reach you inside. Unless you get to that place of existential solitude, you have not reached the core from which all authentic relationships spring. This week, the high-potency astrology continues on an almost daily basis. Certain events may trigger your deepest insecurities. Yet be mindful that these events are not causing your feelings; they are merely serving to reveal them. These are the same fears and weaknesses that have caused you, again and again, to give up your power, and then wonder how the heck that happened. This goes back a long way. So, let yourself be triggered, and claim your strength.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You must take care of yourself this week. That has several meanings, the most significant of which is balancing work, rest and other modes of self-care. It also means staying out of unnecessary conflicts, whether emotional or at work (or potentially both). Said simply, you must manage your energy — no matter how much you may think you have, or how much you’ve gotten away with abusing your body in the past. Those days are over. The pressure and the stakes are too high; you’re expected to perform like a professional athlete, which always involves a hybrid of mental and physical conditioning. The thing to start with is food. Note all the ways you’ve been slacking or skimping; get yourself to the nearest farmer’s market. Then, move on to sleep. Keep your devices out of your bedroom; having them near you is like sleeping with a bright invisible light on. Then comes work. Choose your priorities, and invest your energy well.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — After a long phase of development, certain events have recently come to a head, with some surprising results. The truth always flows through the cracks in so-called reality, and that’s about the size and shape of what is happening for you these days. It’s important to remember, at all times, that you’re working with powerful forces, and factors much larger than yourself. On one level they may seem disruptive, unpredictable and difficult to control. On another level, these are generative forces: the same ones related to the power of the body to heal an injury, or of the Earth to grow back after a forest fire. What happens over the next week will demonstrate how discovering your creative abilities can shock you to a new level of self-respect. Stay in a positive frame of mind, let your strength flow, and you’ll wonder how you could have possibly ever doubted yourself.