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Note: the following horoscopes are excerpts from the 2017 annual readings for each sign, The Book of Your Life. If you have not yet purchased one or more of these chapter-length, year-ahead readings for yourself, you may order all 12 signs here, or choose individual signs here.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — The parity and potential disparity between what is happening in the veiled world of your 12th house (Pisces) and the expressed world of your 1st house (Aries) require special attention and understanding. This is truly a call to integrity in the form of conscious integration of facets of the psyche that often go unacknowledged. What I’m suggesting here is that it’s essential to bring the material of your inner process forward into your daily life, which would include being a more transparent person. And it’s essential that you bring the material of your outer life into your inner sanctum for careful review. This combination of factors, and others I have not mentioned, is likely to have an effect (among many) of focusing your sexuality. You will be perceived, and experience yourself, as more sexual, more appealing, and more desirous. Under these conditions, you must summon a measure of fidelity and intentionality around your sexual expression. This does not mean monogamous, though it certainly does not exclude that potential. Rather, it would be more complete to suggest that you stay in contact with the meaning of every sexual encounter you have, and allow its meaning to reach into the depths of your being. Your ultimate fidelity is to yourself, and it’s only when you feel and live that inner harmony that you can express it to others sincerely and meaningfully. It is rare indeed that people treat their sexuality as an aspect of their spiritual path, much less its core element. That approach would suit you. Eroticism moves energy; it’s inherently creative and a necessary part of life. Yours will be increasing exponentially. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may yet decide that this phase of your life, the Uranus-Eris era from 2010 through 2018, was the time when you really got to know yourself. It may not have felt like it at the time; you certainly have had your bouts with inner chaos and confusion. Yet you have deep motivation to sort yourself out. Now, enter Venus retrograde. Venus is the planet associated with Taurus. (If you know nothing else about your natal chart, definitely find out the details on your Venus placement: house, sign and aspects). Venus will be passing back and forth between Aries and Pisces. Then Venus will ingress Taurus on June 6, and will enter Gemini on July 4. So, including this most essential passage through your own sign, during which you will do much of the integration work, I am counting the Venus retrograde phase as extending from now through July 4. Let’s look at this closely: Pisces is your 11th house. This is where you relate to the public, whether it’s your circle of friends, the people who follow you on social media, or your readers, viewers or listeners if you’re in the media. The 11th describes how you relate to the wider world, and how you feel when you are visible to others. Venus will then transit into your 12th house, where you have a relationship with yourself that only you know about. There, you seem to make a discovery of some kind, which is related to the recent and ongoing fireworks in Aries (Uranus, Eris and other points). You may have the experience of soul retrieval, or making contact with a much earlier version of yourself — someone you will be happy to make contact with, or at least feel grateful because of the healing possibility involved. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — If you are in business, this may be a genius phase of development for you. You might also notice that you’re feeling somewhat scattered and agitated. This is where grounding comes in, and this looks like you’ll benefit from grounding in purpose. By that I mean invest your energy in staying on task. If you need help doing that, get help. However, purpose is about knowing why you’re doing something, and then doing it. This can take discipline, and cultivating that as a core-level skill will help you. Gemini needs to come to a consensus with itself. You really can feel like you have a committee inside your mind. Consensus is not about settling an argument. It’s best built from the ground up, first by agreeing on core principles. Therefore, that’s the place to start. Understand what is motivating you. Then translate that into priorities, which in turn you can translate into goals. Once you’ve done this work, it will be clear what to do in any situation. Prioritizing is essential, which means knowing what comes first. This takes commitment. For that, refer back to your core values. Now, the Mercury station-direct phase in late April and early May will have the influence of seeming either to awaken you or change your mind. When you encounter a discovery that relates to who you are, that’s the time to pause and re-evaluate your priorities. The essence of mental discipline is the constant focus on your values and your priorities. Know why you’re doing what you do at all times. Check back and make sure something is actually meaningful in the context of what you have determined that you want. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Mars retrograde was particularly poignant for you, as Scorpio is your 5th solar (or whole-sign) house, relating to your ongoing sexual experiment in life, and Sagittarius is your 6th house, relating to your healing process and your most practical version of spirituality. My take on the 2016 Mars retrograde is that it represented an initiation that will take some years to integrate, and that we count it as more of a natal chart feature than as something fleeting. The lessons revealed and the integration called for are ongoing and they are relevant to your growth at this time. The message in your solar chart, with Mars in your sign at the time of the 2017 summer solstice, is to embody the results of what you’ve learned. ‘Embody’ is a strange concept here in the age of disembodiment, though it’s a necessary idea. I’m talking about getting the material out of the abstract and/or intellectual realm, and into the realm of physical activity and lived reality. To do this, you must make decisions and stick with them long enough to test the result. It’s fortunate that Mars in Cancer is about passion; or, better, living passionately. Yes, it indicates strong feelings, yet what it’s inviting you to do is to live with full commitment. Living in peace with your desire is one commitment to make to yourself. As you do this, it will have an influence on your relationships. This is to say, as you raise your energy and commit to being real with what you want, others will take notice. Ultimately the result will be living in your body rather than in your head. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — For many people, it’s special simply to have something they care about, some purpose that drives them, even if they don’t make it their daily occupation. I think the spiritual seat of one’s true work is in the 5th house of creativity. This continues into the 6th house of day-to-day work and service. But the motive for why one would bother getting up every day has to be some creative impulse, which for you is blended impeccably with your spiritual connection. In essence, the secret to doing what you love involves working the connection between your 5th house Sagittarius (where spirituality and art merge into one thing) and your 6th house Capricorn (where you do what you do for its own sake, and to succeed at it for its own sake). The two signs you have on these houses are a perfect fit for meaningful independent employment. Yet the root of this energy, for you, comes from Sagittarius. Creativity is so crucial to Leo because of that spiritual connection. If you’re looking for Goddess or God, look no further than art, however you define art. It’s vital that you define this idea for yourself, and that you dive into some new expressions of the creative divine in your life. What is special about this year is that Saturn makes a long conjunction to one of the most sensitive points in Sagittarius, the Galactic Core at 27 degrees. This one event will cast its light on all the world, and be available to everyone; where it shows up for you is your devotion to your creative process. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Each breakthrough in self-relating is likely to help you feel a little younger. The way we see this is the ongoing transit of Pluto through your 5th house. The 5th is the house of pleasure and adventures in play. It should be the most active house in the life of a kid. In the case of Virgo, with Capricorn here, there’s that element of being forced to take on adult responsibilities or cares before you had a chance to fully imbibe and experience childhood. Pluto continues to open up your 5th house; which is to say, its movement represents experiences that are urging you to live with passion. Remember, this is about experience, not theory; and experience begins with an experiment. You might say that this is an experiment in coming out of your shell. For your objectives, anything that leads you to explore life merely for the purpose of fun is something that will serve you well. If you’re really feeling Pluto, that quest will become a bit obsessive, potentially subverting your usual sense of purpose, which is about living well and living seriously. Passion is about healing. Erotic sharing is about healing. Art is about healing. Humor and diversion are about healing. All of this will contribute to your integrity by allowing you to integrate rather than isolate those states of being. You could say that apart from all the psychological concepts attached to self-esteem, the experience you’re looking for is feeling good about who you are. This is a feeling, not a concept. Rather than strive for the feeling, the thing to do is give yourself the experiences that you want; the experiences that will enrich you and help you develop into your personhood. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — When determining the nature of your character and the necessities of your healing, it would be wise to look for patterns. It’s true that one event may complete the pattern and provide the clue that you need, but it has to be about the pattern — and that’s calling on you to be especially attentive. Venus retrograde begins in Aries and moves back into Pisces. That’s your 6th solar house, or if you’re Libra rising, your 6th whole-sign house. The 6th is the realm of healing, of service and of the good work that you do. Having Pisces on this house makes you sensitive; you are as close to a born artist as it gets. Your creative gift is associated with a spiritual gift, which in turn is about a healing gift. If you’ve ever felt the calling to provide healing through your work, or through your creative flow, I would say that’s worth responding to. And Venus retrograding into Pisces will take you there. This first must be read as a “heal thyself” aspect. It’s taking you deeper than the appearances of your relationships, deeper than self-concept, and deeper than the mirror in any form. Rather, Venus in Pisces is an occasion to feel yourself as a unified being, beyond the projections and the seeming needs of relationship. This can be a moment of genuine relief from the hall of mirrors, true or otherwise. Aries tends to polarize. Pisces is like soaking your body in the ocean and feeling one with it. The single most distinctive and life-changing aspect of Venus retrograde is that it ends in an exact conjunction with Chiron. The precise date is March 4, but leave a margin of about five days on either side for the full threshold. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Perhaps the primary transit is that Saturn is going to spend most of the year conjunct the Galactic Core. This is saying that while spirituality is natural and organic, for it to have meaning in the world takes time and discipline. Where Saturn shows up in one’s chart, there is a focus on business. By business I mean what you do with your precious time, creativity and energy. I also mean the business that you’re in. You know you’re doing the work of Saturn when you love going to work. Do you? Do you have a total investment in what you do, because you relate to its meaning? Sagittarius, which represents your values, demands that you live in a meaningful and relevant way. If you are bored at work, if you are concerned that you’re devoting your energy to something you don’t agree with, if you’re in a position where you must deceive others to make a living — and you’re aware of these things — then it’s time to raise the level of your existence to where you feel that you’re ethically aligned with your own choices and actions. I would propose that being aligned in this way is a foundation of true self-esteem. This is about your life having actual meaning. It’s easy for you to have theoretical meaning; Sagittarius is great at that. But actual meaning? That comes from sustained action and investment in yourself. Saturn and Sagittarius are a tense mix, though Saturn will push these issues until it gets your attention. Saturn is a constant reminder that you must work for what you want to be. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The 5th is the house of art, playful sex, and games of chance. It’s also the house of children and the kinds of fun that children like to have. You have Aries in this solar house (or whole-sign house), which in part describes why you’re so adventurous; yet Aries can have the feeling of being all about you, and you don’t necessarily need playmates to have a good time. Contrast this with the emotional complexities of the 4th house. With Venus retrograde across Pisces and Aries, you’re allowing a vent from the emotional pressures and healing work of your 4th to enter the expressive realm of the 5th. To me this looks like art therapy, sex therapy or play therapy. If you’re carrying any burdens, stress or tension from the Pisces zone, populated as it is by centaur planets that are making you focus on your healing process, Venus is saying: express yourself. At a certain point healing must become celebrating life, if it’s to be meaningful — or if it’s to have a purpose. What you’re likely to find is that creative self-expression puts you in contact with who you are. There’s plenty going on in Aries right now — it’s the seat of the hottest, boldest and most chaotic astrology in more than 50 years. But Uranus and Eris (which are in Aries) can be alienating and difficult to grasp. Venus makes Aries personal for you. Contact of Venus with Pisces makes it even more personal, and more emotional. Imagine that this course of events is creating an energy conduit from your emotional house of security (Pisces 4th) to that of sex, creativity and play (Aries 5th). If you use this, it will let off pressure. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Pluto has already compelled you to make many changes to the structure of your life, whether this has involved your previously most stable relationships, your home, your profession or, most of all, what you thought was the trajectory of your existence. When we move your charts up to 2017, a few things become apparent. One is that this process is still in full force, and that you’ll encounter some peak experiences of growth and self-discovery. By peak I really mean personal breakthroughs on a level you’ve never experienced. This is indicated by a subtle factor: in the conjunction of Pluto and asteroid Icarus in the most recent Capricorn solstice chart. Pluto gives the depth and the power of change; Icarus describes the craving to do this in big ways. That’s the thing about Icarus: it makes one want that experience of peaking, and its expression is often dramatic. Here’s the thing: Capricorn is like the surface. It’s more about your personality than what you really are. As a personality factor, it would be impressive (and often still is), were Pluto not in your sign revealing something deeper. The real changes from Pluto happen when you open up and something else is revealed. One thing to remember is that your integrity is not linked to your being unchanging. In fact, your integrity is about your ability to change in helpful ways, and not to resist what you need the most. As well, you must be honest with yourself and with others about your uncertainty. It’s all too tempting, in times of profound change, to attempt to cling to some form of fundamentalism or false security. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Belief is not only less threatening than reality, it seems more solid, and this has led to our world of people living in bubbles, believing anything they click on — as long as it appeals to them. Now Saturn is about to encounter the Galactic Core. You might say that all of this worldly jetsam and flotsam will be neatly cooked off by this long contact with the Galactic Core. This is religion meeting the religious experience. It is the holy roller actually encountering the Holy Spirit. It’s the philosopher having an experience of unspeakable truth. Whether this manifests for you in a dramatic way is an open question; that it will manifest in some way is a given. This represents a personal change for you; it represents a change in society to some degree (we shall see to some extent); and because this is in a public house in your chart, it represents a reorientation on your relationship to your community. More than anything, though, this event describes a transformation for you personally, and the context in which you relate to the world. Both are changing at the same time. The upshot of this transit is that you know that it’s up to you above all else to have faith in humanity. This is not about idealism or some form of light spirituality. It’s about the actual work of evolutionary growth. It will not be all sweetness and starlight; to do the right thing, and to accomplish what you need to accomplish, you may encounter some of the more shadowy sides of human nature. You will be able to withstand this if you maintain your integrity at all times, and come back to it as soon as you notice you’ve digressed. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — If we take Chiron in your sign as a delegate of Sagittarius (in the context of the quest), there really is no mission, career or vocation: there is you, becoming who you are. I feel like I keep saying this, though this notion keeps coming up in your astrology. You’re not really changing; rather, your inner essence is emerging in a way that is both unstoppable and undeniable. And this you can express as mission. Don’t be deterred. If something seems to be difficult, or taking too long, persist. If funding is an issue, look for innovative ways to get the money flowing. Look for and address waste. And be bold about seeking support. You are perceived as someone in leadership, and you have significant respect from people of influence and high ethical standards. If you need something, ask for it, and don’t spend any time justifying your goals — just state what they are. The relationships between many signs and planets in your chart — including your own sign, plus Libra and Sagittarius, and Venus, Jupiter and Saturn — are the very image of dharma: acting as if to hold the world together. Speaking of holding the world together: for the allegedly laid-back, guitar-strumming, wine-sipping, peace-and-love, noncommittal stoner image that many people have of Pisces, you sure do care about this. You take a formal view of people and society; it’s fair to say that you have inherent respect for the world. This is demonstrated by Capricorn on your 11th house. The 11th house is about groups, and it’s also about your highest ideals. It’s about your standing in the community. And it’s about the revenue you receive from answering your professional calling. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.