Aries (March 20-April 19) — This week will be full of surprises, with Mars starting off the festivities by making a square to Uranus. I’m ethically obliged to give the accident warning associated with this aspect: if you’re doing something like climbing a ladder, make sure someone spots you. If you’re chopping vegetables, stay off the phone. That said, take any sudden alteration of plans as an opportunity. Shorn of your previous intentions or attachment to outcome, pause and ask yourself, OK, what do I really want? Where can I go from here? Then choose what would be most fun, most productive, or both. Where professional activities are concerned, your leadership role will be highlighted by your ability to think on your feet. Just make sure you do a quick once-over of your plans (taking from 15 seconds to 15 minutes) to check for unintended consequences.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Give close partners or loved ones plenty of room to be themselves. It’s possible to take pleasure in this gesture of supporting the individuality of others. Rather than feeling like you have to compromise, be negotiable and take the opportunity to do your thing if someone else is unavailable, whether mentally, physically or emotionally. Soon enough they’ll circle around back your way. Meanwhile, your solar chart is full of aspiration and intrigue: you’ll likely cross paths with people who have important roles. When you meet them, keep the conversation friendly and light. Being respectful as a matter of daily practice opens up a special door: you can trust yourself speaking to anyone, treating them as a person rather than personage, and exchange ideas. You might use the cocktail party rule: keep the conversations short, and keep circulating.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Normally astrologers look to Mercury for the story of your sign, but this week we’re looking at Venus, currently traveling through Gemini. It’s making some interesting moves, too: first Venus will make a square to Neptune, then a trine to Jupiter. Translation? As my old tripping partner Scott Grace used to say, “Confusion is the state before enlightenment.” Therefore, welcome any state of not knowing, not understanding or uncertainty about your feelings. Rather than trying to make yourself sure, let the boat of your mind drift for a day or so, and you’ll find yourself in an entirely new place. Just remember that essential spiritual move of holding open your space of not knowing, with some reverence for this as the prerequisite of learning. When you discover something that’s true, you’ll feel it in your mind and your body.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Stay in contact with your desire. Try to go to the most sincere level you can; that is, not influenced by advertising, trends or what your friends are up to. Connect with what you actually want, however you may feel about it, whether or not you think it’s appropriate. This will be a sweet spot of aligning with yourself. Particularly if you’re judging what you want, whether you think it’s too expensive or like someone might judge you, stick with yourself. You have a discovery ahead of you; a mystery will unravel. Be patient, and allow yourself to be instructed by your circumstances rather than by opinions or supposedly spiritual values. This process will likely include a point of contact in the sexual realm; you know intuitively and from much experience that the truth contains a wholesome streak of erotic feeling.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Over the next few days, Mars and the Sun will enter your sign, followed by the Leo New Moon Sunday, July 23. This is good news many times over, initially coming as relief from anxiety, followed up by an energy surge. I would suggest, however, letting yourself get a slow start on your new plans — particularly if they involve self-improvement. Mars is going to be pushing you to “do it now,” though the New Moon is saying, “begin gently and gradually build momentum.” There’s power in solid beginnings; that is, ones marked not just by a statement of intention but rather with concentrated action. Before that phase, you may find that odd things happen to existing plans, which will offer opportunities to clear the deck of priorities that are no longer valid or that no longer serve you.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Where professional matters are concerned, take things one step at a time this week. Be certain you trust the person you’re speaking to — not merely based on your intuition, but rather based on a track record. If you don’t have experience with someone, I would urge you not to trust them with sensitive information, ideas or your professional plans. The thing is, you may be inclined to make misjudgments about this very thing, particularly early in the week. I suggest you make a firm policy of sharing information on a need-to-know basis, if at all. That said, you’re in full-on creative mode where this area of life is concerned. Let yourself dream of the abundant possibilities. Look at your current situation and imagine how you would develop it to its maximum potential. That, however, will call for leadership.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You have a guardian angel with you, though you won’t know unless you ask for its help. Try this, on matters that seem to be small, or that seem to be great; on personal subject matter and that of people you care about. Make direct requests, whether for protection, an outcome, or wisdom. You’re also in a position to stand up for people, whether you know them well or not. You are a natural-born advocate, and with Jupiter in your sign — beautifully aspected by your ruling planet Venus all week — you have some persuasive ability in your hands. So your advocacy can be gentle, but make sure you’re clear about your views on right and wrong. The world needs moral guidance right now, from people capable of some mental and intellectual balance. You have a good bit more than that going for you.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Conserve your energy this week, as Mars and the Sun prepare to cross the most visible angle of your solar chart — Leo, the mighty 10th house of your solar chart. A series of events between now and next Sunday will place you in a position of authority, which I would suggest you handle gently and collaboratively. Rather than being the boss, be the coordinator. Ask others to help you supervise whatever situation you’ve got on your hands. Rather than setting goals unilaterally, get as many opinions as you can and make sure that everyone has an investment stake. If you have to take charge, then do it. Till then, key planets, including your ruling planet Mars, remain in water signs, heightening your emotional sensitivity. Get some rest, eat well and get ready for an adventure.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Go light on emotionally charged discussions. Even if you have concerns, considerations or issues, take a circumspect view of yourself and of others. You may feel like you’re really, really right, only to get it all off your chest and wonder what the heck you were thinking (or feeling). Rather than assume you know how someone feels, listen for clues, and ask questions that draw them out. Over the next few days, planets will begin to move into fire sign Leo, which will lift your spirits, and reveal all these seemingly complex emotional situations as being much less meaningful than they have seemed. Yet don’t fall for any traps late in the week or into the weekend, as you may be feeling the pressure. How would you do that? Don’t blame anything on a relationship. Just feel what you feel.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Consider yourself the equal of the people around you. I don’t mean this in theory, and it doesn’t just apply to those younger, less knowledgeable, or less accomplished. It also applies to those you think of as superior in any way. Now, this must be done subtly. Here’s how I mean it: If you’re a guitar player and you meet Mark Knopfler, you can greet him as your fellow guitarist. If you’re a photographer and you meet Annie Leibovitz, honor her as your sister photographer. Not better, not worse, neither above nor beneath, but as someone you share something with. This would go for the younger and less experienced ones you may meet: recognize their potential, honor their intention to succeed, and be available to them. If equality exists, it’s subtle, and it lives surrounded by terms and conditions. Keep it simple.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Toss any notion that money is related to the meaning of life, or somehow related to success. The latter might be true in some sense, but not the kind of success you are seeking as a humanitarian-leaning Aquarian. Money is a tool, a resource and in some ways a reward. There are many more meaningful factors that will determine whether and how you find your way in the world, the most significant of which is self-respect. Though this is in short supply in the world, it’s abundantly available for you. You will know you’re there based on how you feel. The positive emotions associated with respecting yourself come from below, and from within. It’s not a cerebral thing. As planets enter your relationship sign Leo, love and admiration will enter your life — though only if you feel worthy.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This week wraps up a long phase of high-energy points — the Sun and Mars, to name two — moving through the most creative, passionate angle of your solar chart. As they make aspects to deep and soulful Chiron in your sign, you’re likely to find new outlets for your talent and your capacity to love and appreciate life. These may come by surprise, or they may open up as an easy flow; a combination of influences may be present. Leave yourself open; leave yourself time, space and bandwidth to explore what you want. Even more significantly, bring a spirit of curiosity and expression into everything you do, no matter how seemingly boring it may appear at first. Your astrology is such that you can make anything interesting, and anything that’s already alive can morph into something brilliant.