Aries (March 20-April 19) — It would be pleasant if reputations were actually based on the things we say and do, as opposed to the sometimes-unjustified opinions that people can form. Gossip is rife and rational thinking is, by contrast, at a premium. None of that should prevent anyone from living their life honestly. What others perceive or believe is usually beyond our reach and almost always beside the point. Be true to your own values first and foremost.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Aligning with the next phase of your career path may take its time, but don’t let yourself sink into a stupor. Rest is invaluable and you must use it when you need to rebuild your strength; but once refreshed, keep going. If the main point you wish to gain is proving elusive, do something else for now that may help you get there, even if indirectly. Clear out some clutter. Learn an auxiliary skill, or test your memory. Your innate gifts must be backed up by concrete effort.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury’s ongoing retrograde journey is inviting you to turn your receivers inward, to listen to the flow of your soul and the dreams of your secret heart. This concept may well terrify any Gemini, but actually you’re probably far more capable of intuitive insights than you realize. Yet what if you don’t quite trust that your intuition is a valid part of you? For starters, don’t try to stereotype or caricature yourself. Acknowledging your real character is one step on the path to fuller self-acceptance.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — A common thread of several philosophies is “everything in moderation.” This doesn’t just refer to food, alcohol, Facebook or whatever. It means that when we do anything impulsively or excessively, the results will usually be chaotic. Try to interpose a pause between feeling and action this week. You might consider that moderation also means a work-life balance: ideally, you’ll have a reminder of that handy where you can see it.

Leo Birthdays 2018-19:

Eclipses, Retrogrades and You — Oh My!

“For what it’s worth: never heard anything so right on, dead on, aligned with what I am looking at, aware of, dealing with, leaning into — especially professionally and emotionally. I can’t even list them all — so many subtle angles and aspects that all resonate and add up. Affirming experiences, potentials, challenges. To a T. Wow. Will be getting these transcribed so I can read them over and over.”

— Robyn Landis, on a previous birthday reading

Dear Reader with Leo Sun, Rising or Moon:

Big things are happening in your sign right now. Can you sense it? Are you feeling energized and excited, on edge, perplexed, stuck, like you’re right in the sweet spot of your flow, or just plain curious?

Remember last year’s big eclipse in your sign? Smile — you have more coming! Photo by Amanda Painter on Aug. 21, 2017.

Any of those responses (and more) would make total sense: Mercury stationed retrograde in your sign early Thursday morning. And on Friday, July 27, there was a total lunar eclipse in your opposite sign (and relationship zone) Aquarius.

But that’s not all! In less than two weeks, we’ll get a partial solar eclipse on Aug. 11 — in the same part of Leo where a storied eclipse took place in August of 1999.

Your solar year is getting off to a dynamic start — and the events and energy of these weeks will ripple out, develop and influence your life for the next six to twelve months. That’s why no matter when you listen to your upcoming 2018-19 Leo Birthday Reading, you’re sure to discover a wealth of helpful and inspiring insights you’ll be able to get to work with right away.

You should be aware that since Eric is taking a dearly needed and hard-earned sabbatical for a few weeks, your Leo Birthday reading will likely be delivered a little later than usual — so we thank you tremendously for your patience, and your faith in Eric’s ability to deliver a professional and spiritually clear reading as soon as he’s recharged.

As part of our gratitude to you, all purchasers of the 2018 Leo Birthday Reading will also receive the Leo chapter of the Art of Becoming, Eric’s stunning 2018 written annual readings.

If you’re new to Planet Waves and Eric’s audio readings, you’re invited to listen to last year’s reading as a gift. The 2017 Great American Eclipse occurred in your sign last year, and it has been reverberating ever since — so listening to your 2017 reading is sure to help you review your year and get oriented on what’s to come.

When you pre-order your 2018-19 Leo Birthday Reading, you’ll receive access to two audio segments of astrology (at least 30 minutes each) and an extended description of your sign when the reading publishes — all for just $33 (the price will increase when the reading is ready).

“Planet Waves has been crucial for me lately as I navigate this topsy-turvy landscape; life is in transition on so many levels and it’s been an incredible resource in my life, especially now.”

— Ronny K.

Thank you again for your patience, faith, and for being a valued Planet Waves customer in these wild times.

Wishing you an excellent eclipse season,

Amanda Painter

P.S. If you have any questions or prefer to order by phone, please call us at (845) 481-5616; you can also email us at cs@planetwaves.net. And don’t forget: the 2018-19 Leo Birthday Reading makes a fantastic gift.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Since there is so much going on in the sky during this extraordinary month, you’ll benefit from making sure the people you associate with can nurture and sustain you. In turn, you should feel able to support them and contribute to a generally peaceful environment. Whether given or received by you, the ideal form of love is trusting and unconditional. Your natural generosity is an excellent basis for teaching this by example.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — There is a growing body of people who discount, on principle, the existence of any paranormal phenomena. Since you’re reading your horoscope, it’s unlikely that you’re among them; though you might well have a healthy store of skepticism. At this moment, however, you’d benefit from attending to your intuition, which appears to be more potent than usual. It’s an irrevocable part of you, in any case; accept it, and treat it with respect.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Young ladies of the early 19th century were expected to cultivate “accomplishments,” such as playing an instrument, singing or drawing, that they could trot out during parties, usually to gain marriageability points. At least in some ways, we have now moved on from that period, so it’s possible to practice art for art’s sake, and to gain in skill for your own fulfillment rather than to impress someone else. To that end, consider quality as more important than quantity.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The past is not the present. Nostalgia pretty much requires as a compulsory ingredient an ability to gloss over less-pleasant memories. If you’re feeling at all sentimental about past glories, or you seem to be stuck in old ways because of habit or tradition, one way to turn this around is to acknowledge the grime of bygone days as well as the gold. Be honest with yourself about that, and you may soon recognize that you’ve moved forward, and that it’s a good thing, too.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your ruler Jupiter, having stationed direct not long ago, is beginning to recover the ground it walked back, and to move toward your sign at last. You may be experiencing this as if waking out of a long sleep. Don’t rush yourself. Listen to your body and your feelings. If you’re troubled by an apparent lack of progress, remember that slower, gentler phases, like the tides, have a purpose and a place. These usually reveal themselves at the right moment.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — If a project is worth doing, it’s worth taking time over. Trying to force yourself to produce a result because you want something to show for your labors is unlikely to bring you anything except a bunch of false starts and wasted energy. Your value as a human being is inherent and independent of anything you create, and ultimately it doesn’t matter how prolific or otherwise you are: the key thing is doing what you love, and loving what you do.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — If our distant ancestors somehow appeared in the present day, you can pretty much guarantee that they’d find our lives incomprehensible. To some extent, the same is true of our parents. Some social changes, after all, don’t take very long; and right now the world seems to be moving faster than ever. All this is to say that you don’t need to take the judgment of a parent, or any authority figure, as gospel. Your opinion is the one that really counts.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Some people who profess to be spiritual really give the concept a bad name (and JP Sears, for one, does an excellent job of satirizing them). Yet faith that’s sincere and loving can involve some thorough benefits in terms of healing and strengthening. Perhaps more clearly than most, you know that we humans are complex and holistic creatures, with a need to nourish our souls as well as our bodies. Keep the mystic in you well fed this week.