Aries (March 20-April 19) — You can have a formula for success, though it requires that you focus many different talents and capabilities simultaneously. The one that stands out is using positive vibes rather than power to persuade people. One way to do that is to get people turned on by what you want. This may seem self-centered, but it’s really saving people the trouble of originality while they get to contribute to something larger than themselves. Therefore, I suggest you know your objectives and know what’s appealing about them — and make a point of both feeling good and being open. In many respects, the more radical your plans, the better. By that I mean that the more you are challenging yourself and others to think in a different way, the better. There is another piece to this, which is about ethics; or rather, teaching ethics. Focus on doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. This notion is starting to become popular, but it remains mostly an idea because the skills are not readily available. Yes — what I am saying is that people need both teachers and examples for how to do the right thing: how to be devoted, honest and faithful. There remains the question: is it possible to teach ethics? That’s debatable, but you may find yourself needing to do just that. Start by setting the best example. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Relationships, family matters and your professional ambitions are showing up on the astrological radar right now, though there is a common theme: can one person exercise property rights over another? This seems like a ridiculous question here in the age of political correctness. Of course they can’t! That’s just wrong! But the problem is that people do, and often in ways that are not accounted for. Many of the social behaviors we take for granted involve some measure of this, even if it’s just an underlying assumption or two. One place to start the discussion is with jealousy. Although this is lauded as the token of true love, I would propose that it’s the thing most antithetical to love. Jealousy wears many masks, though from a metaphysical perspective I can say this. If you look at the way the topic of death is handled in any relationship, you will have a way to make transparent the many other themes associated with jealousy. Is it even spoken of? Is it bargained with? Is it something that makes you feel more alive (because your time with anyone is finite) or is it something that sends you into control mode? These normally difficult topics are unusually accessible right now. And if you have the courage to bring them up, or to go with the conversation when it arises, you will learn vital lessons to last a lifetime. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Start paying attention to financial matters. It could pay off, and it could also save you a lot of hassles. What exactly happened the past two months? Do the forensics; for example, study your bank statements. Yet the real highlight is on shared resources and investments. There are clearly opportunities available, though to get to them, you may need to go back over some points of disinformation that entered your consciousness recently. You might have the feeling that you don’t want to know the truth, but you will directly benefit from knowledge. More to the point, the more information about your own affairs that you’re working with, the more independent you will feel from the influences of others. This is crucial for you now — it is perhaps the deepest ongoing theme of this long phase of your life. You need to not be under anyone’s thumb, or under their financial thrall. That doesn’t mean that mutual support, or being helped by someone, is out of the picture. This really is a question of power. The problems begin when one thing becomes another, and that thing is not questioned. What seems like sex, for example, can often be seen, more truthfully, as a matter of money and consequently of power. The first step toward transcending this is being absolutely honest with yourself about what you’re experiencing and how you feel. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The trick to making the most out of the current extraordinary astrology is to consider your wildest and most visionary plans, and then condense them down to some tangible concepts. You don’t even need to act on these ideas yet; you just need to know about them and take the time to get clear. For what may be the eleventy-first time in this column, I suggest that this be in writing, in a notebook; to wit, not on some kind of digital device. And I suggest you write in pencil, to have in your body that all plans are subject to revision and improvement. Part of the tangibility factor, the thing that makes your ideas real, is having a physical relationship with them. You also want to think in a non-linear way; that is, to have the ability to scribble and sketch. I don’t know what this is about, but it’s big. Let that aspect not stop you, remembering how many great things were first sketched on napkins and paper bags. You must remember how moved you are, and then go right to the point of the humble beginning — and stay there for as long as you can. Many stages of this scenario will unfold over the next two years, and right now you’re at the most important step: understanding your concept. Or, you might say, becoming your concept. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Leave room for a little madness in your life. Leave yourself room to cut loose, and be a bit Bacchanalian. Real mental stress sets in when people are wound too tight, or become obsessed by control. You need to loosen up, however you define that, though I would say that you need something better than alcohol. You need to feed your imagination and get into that space where you really can share yourself with others, and receive what they offer you. Generally this is called intimacy. But I don’t mean it so much in the sense of pure fidelity as I mean it in the sense of an experiment and a celebration. To go there, you may really need to convince yourself to relax, and set aside any concerns related to work or health. You are already doing what you can, which may mean that you’re doing quite enough. What you would benefit greatly from adding is the quality-of-life piece, which may feel like a throwback to a much younger age. But that is who you were, and in many respects it’s who you still are. What you have now that you didn’t have then is a degree of confidence. Your self-esteem is much stronger. It’s true you built that on your accomplishments. You’ll appreciate it more if you take a breath, slow down and play. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Seen one way, it would seem like the challenge you face in a relationship is not being swallowed by another person. You might be worried you’re trying to ‘be like’ them. Yet I would propose that the challenge is taking advantage of a good example when you have one. Now, there may be many examples around you at the moment, and some are better than others. Yet there is one that stands out, someone with some wisdom, experience and independence, who may be more smitten with you than you think. Indeed, the more intelligent the potential suitor (or suitee), the more likely their feelings are to be deep and authentic. If this is not a romantic situation, it could also be a close friendship or partnership based on learning. You are especially open to new ideas now; but closer to the astrology, you are open to being reminded what you already know. One thing you may know is not to be hung up on the seeming outcome of any human encounter. You have no need to plan, speculate or control. No need to make a head-trip out of anything you feel, wondering what it might mean. Just cup your hands into the waterfall of life and drink up. Humanity is in the midst of a long, chilly winter of discontent. Some hydration will do you good. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You’ve been through many seasons of changes that seemed beyond your control. This has, many times, left you wondering the degree to which you’re really safe, living here on our strange old planet. Yet your solar chart is describing a scenario where you feel right at home, not merely despite all the intensity but thanks to it. Said another way, you’re learning to feel safe in the midst of nearly constant change and adaptation, and if you have not felt that way so far, you can take a big step this month. We could say as an understatement that the Libra charts have been intense, particularly starting in 2012. But really, the story of your life is the story of the world. It’s just that you’re getting it in a particularly focused way. Lest you feel tempted to believe that your life is especially challenging, consider the possibility that you’re particularly gifted at adapting to such a rapidly changing environment. This puts you in a position of leadership, because you’re accustomed to territory that people are just getting used to. Yet you have an added benefit: discovering some unusual source of nourishment in the midst of this all. You’re likely to be in a position to affirm that deep personal investigation, going through changes and, most of all, standing on your own foundation, are actually worth the fuss. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — With Mars moving slowly through your sign right now, you’re unusually persuasive and are endowed with some serious, deep-down drive. This is, therefore, a great time for you to make some choices about what is actually right for you, because you have the energy to make any necessary adjustments. The whole theme of this year is threading the needle between your motives, your deepest values and your actions. There is no longer room for cognitive dissonance or neurosis. You simply must act in accord with who you are. Doing anything else is no longer an option. Astrology that develops from April through July is all about going deeper into those already-deep values and motives, but you are likely to discover what you already know. You can save yourself time by having confidence in your knowledge, without needing to relearn anything, whether it’s the hard way or the easy way. Time, as you know, is your most precious resource, and it keeps moving even when you sleep at night. I suggest you live as if you have an honest relationship with life’s many uncertainties, and its finite nature. This alone will be the thing that motivates you to make the changes you need to make, to say what you must say, and to do what you must do. The realer you get with yourself, the happier (and more productive) you will be. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Let your fears inform you. You might try an exercise where you transform them into some kind of opposite outcome. Imagine that each worry or concern is really an explication of what might happen in the best possible outcome, but reversed. For example, “I fear my partner might leave me” would translate to something like, “This could be the best relationship I’ve ever had,” or, “I am ready for the right relationship in my life.” All fear has a source, and I would propose that it’s a kind of ego reaction to your currently incredible creative potential. However, apropos of understanding and working with that potential, remember that at the moment, building your life is in part about what you’re adding, and partly about what you will be subtracting. This is not about going forward in all directions, or the nonstop bull market. Nor is it about magical alchemy. What you’re doing is more like an industrial process of experimenting, synthesizing and putting in the time and discipline to get something like the result you’re looking for. Don’t be attached to one outcome — there are better things possible than what you might be imagining. Yet underneath it all, both the objective and the result is confidence in yourself. This is not about a test but more about a process of temperance: of gradually conditioning yourself to be in actual possession of the strength you know you already have. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You can now be the bold, lusty being you’ve always wanted to be. Forget your carefully groomed image. Forget prim and proper. Life is not a pageant, nor is it an integrity contest. Anyway, if you associate integrity with being real (that’s the standard, in this astrology lab), then be a real goat. That means mischief, and accessing your somewhat devious/deviant side, and considering anything potentially edible; you don’t know until you try. But most of all it means throwing your image to the four winds. Basically, you’re a prisoner of how you think you appear, which you will only discover the moment you decide, even as an experiment, that it doesn’t matter. The sensation of cracking out of your shell will feel so good, you will wonder how you could have ever waited, or what you were waiting for. The best discovery is likely to be that as you are real with people, you will discover that they are real with you. You have the power to subvert the social media public relations department in the simple gesture of connecting your voice, your words, and your facial expression with your feelings. This will liberate so much energy that you’re likely to do something like make a film, write a novel, foment a revolution or get out of whatever you think is dragging you down. Is freedom dangerous? You will have to see. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Whatever you’re doing or working to succeed at, turn your soft side to the community. You are in one of those phases where you must be gritty and serious in order to get the job done, to establish yourself or to go to the next level. But make sure the public aspect of what you’re doing is all compassion and empathy. Think of Fred Rogers, who was at once the central figure in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and at the same time one of the pioneers of both public television and children’s television. On camera, people met Mr. Rogers, the gentle and kindly friend to the kids. Off camera, people had to work with a shrewd developer, director and businessman. He never confused the two roles, and you would be wise to know which scenario you are in at any given time. What you’re doing requires an all-wheel-drive, brass bolts (and perhaps balls) approach. Yet community relations is where you will actually make contact, and your skill will determine the degree of success you are able to attain. Work on this as a special topic, and develop it as a distinct skill. Study people who are very, very good at it and learn everything you can. When you write for the public, make sure you rewrite until your message and presentation are smooth, clear and authentic. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — A constellation of forces is now aligning in your favor. If you can keep your focus from day to day, get enough rest and eat actual food, you’ll be able to make great strides assembling the many parts of the whole you’ve been designing. This will call on you to be at your best in every skill you have, as well as to attend to both one-on-one and group relationships. You have everything you need, you have momentum and you have some significant cooperation. Using your resources wisely has two parts — the wisdom piece and the actual use piece. Put it all to work intelligently, and remember who is doing the coordinating. Yet one interesting fact of your charts is the extent to which the scenario is directed toward the exterior world rather than your inner experience. Therefore, take the time, care and effort to maintain your inner focus. Know how you feel at all times. Pause and assess your inner weather. Track your currents, your tides, your appetite, your libido and your dreams. Pay attention to yourself. The more that’s happening in ‘the world’, the more urgent that is — especially for a Pisces. One other thing: hang out with people who nourish you. If depleting people are buzzing around, put out the Do Not Disturb sign, and stick to the people who show up with food, love and music. To read your Eric Francis horoscope, you must be a subscriber and will receive it Mondays by email.