Aries (March 20-April 19) — Your vision, hearing, smell, taste and tactile senses provide you with valuable information about the world. That information, however, is always experienced in your mind. Such a state of being conscious provides great advantages. For within your mind is where the experiences of your own lifetime combine with all you have been taught, and even with the essence of life’s history on Earth. Now, perhaps more than ever, it is vital for you to be aware of what your mind brings to your encounters with the world as perceived by your senses. That awareness will be the final ingredient that will blend in with the entire content of your psyche to make you more than the sum of your parts: somebody capable of changing the world at least as much as it changes you. This means what you do with the information you receive is your call.— By Len Wallick.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Nearly everybody wants to be respected. In all probability, it’s especially important to you. Even as essential as it is for you, you know that esteem cannot be bought, coerced or demanded. As with most things you value, respect must be earned. With all you have taken on and accomplished in your life over the last decade or so, there should be no question in your mind that you have earned a great deal of regard, perhaps even deference; maybe even reverence. All of which leaves two questions. First, are you honoring yourself appropriately in proportion to what you have achieved? Next, who already demonstrates that they understand the high regard in which you should be held, and who needs a chance to catch up with all you have become? — By Len Wallick.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Education is more than formal schooling. Learning is a process that never stops. Even so, erudition is more than accumulation. The true value of education is revealed when it is put to use. Indications are that you have reached a point where your storehouse of knowledge is quite valuable indeed. Now, the trick is to figure out just how to offer and exchange what you know for something of value in return. It’s a big world, but don’t let that intimidate you. Indeed, let the size and scope of the world encourage you to feel sure that this is the time, and that there is a place, for you to apply your unique combination of skills and scholarship. Start now to look for that place with the same patient effort you have put into your life’s education, and keep the faith until you find it. — By Len Wallick.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — More than most, you must pursue your own path to your own satisfaction. If you do indeed feel satisfied with your life right now, give yourself the acknowledgement that you have found what works for you. Then, rather than rest on your laurels, begin thinking about how you can work to both sustain and better share your sense of contentment with others you care about. If satisfaction is currently eluding you somehow, apply your intellect in tandem with your intuitive feelings to conduct an inner inventory. Over the next few weeks, carry a piece of paper with you and gradually compile a list of your emotional needs as they come to mind. Then, sometime before the end of this month, review those needs and get started on a plan to get them met. — By Len Wallick.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Conventional wisdom is just that. It consists of aphorisms, which many people agree to agree upon. You, however, are not ‘many people’. You should feel no pressure to conform to conventional wisdom. More importantly, you should not feel something is wrong with you if your own experience does not resonate with pithy proverbs, no matter how commonly accepted. Rather, it is your role to be the learned skeptic. Whenever you find that common sense makes no sense for you at all, first do your research. Get to the bottom of how things actually work, as opposed to how they are supposed to. Then, combine the fruit of your investigations with your currently strong sense of doing what’s right: make the world work better for you and better your work in the world. — By Len Wallick.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Somewhere along the line, your relationship skills have graduated to a greater level of maturity and proficiency than used to be the case for you. Now, it’s time to make sure you are fully conscious of just how far your development in making and maintaining connections has progressed. You can begin with a review of your boundaries. You may find that guidelines that were appropriate for you in the past should now be renegotiated, both in relation to yourself and with others. To reflect the expansion of your wisdom and understanding, you might want to relax at least some of your old boundaries so you can live with greater ease. By the same token, consider tightening other boundaries up a bit in proportion to how much more clearly you are now defined. — By Len Wallick.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Sometimes getting along with others means going along with them. That’s not easy when going along doesn’t sit well with your conscience. In order to best rise to such a challenge, it’s necessary to both envision a middle way and believe that it can be found. This middle way would allow you to honor your conscience while also maintaining a social life. The path between one extreme (of abandoning yourself to others) and another extreme (of abandoning others for the sake of yourself) begins with your own conduct. It means behaving as you would like others to behave, while also remaining in society with them. In that way, others can see and (hopefully) learn from your example. Setting an example can be lonely at first, but so long as you trust that others also have a conscience, you won’t be lonely for long. — By Len Wallick.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Dedication and devotion are admirable traits. Odds are you have been demonstrating those qualities in how you live. As a matter of fact, your nose may have been so diligently applied to your version of a grindstone as to miss how something has shifted in your life as of late. Perhaps it was subtle; but if you think a bit, you should be able to pinpoint where and how something has recently changed. Once you are clear on what that change is, you may want to consider two additional things. First, this change is probably not permanent. Rather, it is a temporary opening of sorts. Next, the nature of this opening might well consist of a chance to get away from the grind for a while. If your lot lately has been all work and no play, take a break now while you still can. — By Len Wallick.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Long distance runners are familiar with a phenomenon called a “second wind.” It occurs after a brief period of crisis marked by the apparent onset of exhaustion, long before the course has been run. Experienced runners know not to give up, and how to push through the misleading sense of being worn out prematurely — until they overcome what turns out to be their mind’s resistance to avail themselves of their bodily reserves. Whether you are a runner or not, indications are that you will get your own version of a second wind very soon. Of course, you must discern when it is appropriate to slow down for the sake of your health. But as long as you know that you are both fit and fully capable, persevering at this time should soon bring you to a point where you suddenly feel that you can go the distance and then some. — By Len Wallick.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — If there is a pebble in your shoe, it makes sense to stop and remove it even if you are in a hurry to get somewhere. The same is true for anything that is bugging you now. It makes no sense at all to live with unnecessary discomfort even if you feel too busy to avail yourself of relief. Don’t disregard any persistent physical aches and pains. To the extent that you can, consult with an appropriate provider of healthcare and give yourself a chance to better enjoy living. By the same token, allow yourself whenever you can to do whatever it takes to address any mental, emotional or spiritual challenges. If it is at all possible for this time to be one of the best times of your life, don’t let the equivalent of a pebble in your shoe keep you from having the fullest experience possible. — By Len Wallick.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — This would be a good time to examine your attachments. Some attachments (such as those motivated and informed by love) are ennobling and worthy of your energies because of the energy and support you receive in return. It is very possible, however, that at least some ties which you formed at another time now serve only to make you less free. One way to pinpoint your attachments is to make note of what you might call ‘knee jerk’ reactions. Behind every case of reacting without thinking is a conditioned response. Some of that conditioning (such as taking your foot off your auto’s accelerator when you see a red light) is good and healthy. Other reflexes, however, might deserve a closer look and a discussion with either a trusted friend or trustworthy professional. — By Len Wallick.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — When in doubt, say you can. Assume you can do anything unless proven otherwise. To do so is not overconfidence; rather, it is understanding. Where your limits have in fact been proven, take them as benefits of experience that serve to define both who you are and what you might want to overcome. The more clearly you can define yourself, the more easily you can both appreciate and demonstrate all the qualities that make you both valuable and special. The better your perception of what you might want or need to overcome, the more realistically and efficiently you can apply yourself to improve and make progress. So think twice before saying that you can’t, and if it is indeed necessary to do so today, leave the door open to saying you can tomorrow. — By Len Wallick.