Aries (March 20-April 19) — Keep what you say meaningful, mindful and minimal. Your words have impact beyond what you know. I know the ‘meaningful’ part is challenging, since you can’t usually decide for yourself what is meaningful to others, anyway. You can, however, focus on what is meaningful to you, and describe it in as few words as possible. The tendency of your astrology at the moment is many words, not a few words, however. And the tendency as well is to water them down. If you want to go overboard, do it in writing. And you will stay closer to meaning if you stick to what you’re the least comfortable saying, what is the most private; or pushing the edge of your comfort zone, you will verge directly into meaning. You can say these things to yourself, and you can experiment saying them to others. The meeting point of the two is putting them into writing — and sharing the writing, while the inspiration and sense of daring is still with you.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Sex is cosmic. Why is that so controversial? Could it be that someone made it so? If you look around, most of the controversies of the world are fabricated, and most things that should be getting the buzz going are kept on the down-low. Seen one way, the cosmic nature of sex, phrased as a question, begs the true nature of existence. We all got here from sex. But that’s the ordinary part. The interesting part is the access to consciousness granted by sex; that is, by sexual desire, experience, curiosity and what can happen in sexual relationships. What can happen is discovery. What can happen is alchemy, between two or more people, and within oneself. Here is a clue: Alchemy is a relic of the ancient world. It’s not regarded as real today, even though so much of it happens. To see alchemy for what it is, look at the world through ancient eyes. Look at the world as if you were dropped into its midst from some other simpler, quieter civilization.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You could be the walking controversy this weekend, for no good reason. You could cause a fuss by saying ‘have a nice day’. The key will be not taking this personally. Along the same vein, you could be triggered by something said by another. Remember, this is all an illusion. It may feel very real to some people, especially the ones who thrive on controversy or use it to stoke their identity. As a Gemini you have a gift for keeping it light. You can get serious, though you can dial in a kind of levity and the appearance of being superficial. You may need this skill over the next few days, and I suggest you use it without hesitating. It’s highly unlikely that anything polarizing will have actual meaning, though it could have real impact — not the best combination. Keep a smile on your face, and when people get feisty, pretend not to understand. Then listen carefully — there may be some profound wisdom underneath all the bluster and chaos.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — How are you doing at learning to take things less personally? Or rather, maybe the process is meeting every experience of your life on such an intimate, inner level that it becomes so personal that you embrace existence fully. By this I mean it’s possible for you to understand everything as something that happens within you. The perfect analogy: In a dream, a whole world arises, complete with people, scenery, theme and logic. In our culture, we understand that a dream is something that happens within us. (There are other approaches — for another day.) Now think of ‘the world’ as something that happens within your senses, within your mind, within your consciousness. This is, at least, biologically true: your whole experience of life happens within your brain and nervous system. Imagine the influence that gives you. Consider how vital your own attention is to your experience of life. Count as real the ability you have to choose for yourself what is true and what is not.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Pride is the last feeling that you want to stoke right now. There are others that will work much better — like cooperation. I was going to say “group integration” but that’s a term better used in the Aquarius horoscope. This astrology is coming from Aquarius by the way — in the form of Mars entering your opposite sign. As for pride, I know the temptation may be there, though it will come off to others as confrontational, and that’s unlikely to be what you want to do. At the same time, you may be noticing that others are asserting themselves to you, that is, asserting their will and their ideas. The key is to meet them without resistance. Imagine the encounter as more like dancing and less like wrestling. When dancing you have to apply some strength and firmness and yet be flexible and flow. Then imagine a group of people doing this dance, without choreography — just music. Listen for the music.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Listen to what your body is saying. Your body will reveal secrets about your past, if you will only listen. I suggest you ease back on sugar, caffeine and anything else that might alter your consciousness, at least over the next few days. This is for the express purpose of tuning into the messages that are profoundly important but also can be easily obscured. The thing you might have to offer in the equation is the willingness to experience some discomfort. You might also need to sort out the content of what is happening in a current relationship until you understand the subtext. And you will need to see beneath any feelings that you may have about your family, particularly your father’s side of the family. All of this will be worth it. It will be a small inconvenience to bear, on the way to making what could be the first of many discoveries that set you solidly on the healing path.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It’s time to bring the passion back into sex. Passion does not necessarily mean love affair, and it does not mean soul mate. It has nothing to do with ‘spiritual’ unless you’re someone who associates spiritual with biology. This is less about being horny and more about being curious and creative. Imagine if we unhooked from sex all those other values, and just left curious and creative. We would have something fun to play with. You in particular need sex to be interesting, whatever kind of sex it may be. Interesting translates to something different, and a spirit of experimentation. I know this passage of writing will never get into The Missionary’s Guide to Perfect Fidelity, and that’s a good thing too. You’re not a missionary and perfect fidelity is not your goal. In fact it may be the last thing on your mind right now. Remember, curiosity, creativity, experimentation.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Aah yes family, the original group. The tribe. The thing to which we think we belong, and yet somehow, so often, do not belong. The group by which all other groups are measured. You may encounter the temptation to define yourself by the ways in which you’ve got nothing in common with those people. You may be feeling some anger, directed at the past, perhaps for the way things are today. You may get the urge to “burn down their house” (metaphorically, of course). Anger is useful. It’s a reminder that you may actually have a beef with someone, though it’s not always clear who, or why. I suggest you sort that out. Start by assuming that anger is a clue; merely a clue. Then once you have that clue, follow it in and see if you can figure out the dynamic. Don’t be attached to any one discovery. Hang loose and be flexible as you move from idea to idea. You will learn a lot the next few weeks as you do this.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You really do know — even if you think you don’t, and especially if you’re not supposed to. To make an observation, you don’t need to have read the book or collected the certification. There are some things you just know. You might call it intuition, but from the look of your solar chart it’s a heck of a lot deeper; more like the direct memory of something you learned a long time ago. This could be a fleeting experience for you, though I suggest you focus on any interesting revelations long enough to get the actual content and impact of the message. You could find yourself remembering all kinds of things that are absolutely beyond your experience, training and knowledge level. I suggest that you not declare yourself any kind of expert or lay claim to this information any more than to enter into a relationship with it. This is something that can develop over time, if you make the investment of focus and reflection.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Mars leaves your sign on Thursday, ending an interesting micro-era of your life. This began Oct. 26, and it probably started with a bang or two. Looking back, what do you see from a distance, and with the perspective of time? I would encourage your curiosity about the events of the second week of November. What did you learn? It has a bearing on the next few weeks, with the main point of contact being what happens when you judge yourself for things that are outside your control, or judge yourself at all. One of the ways that you, personally, handle the global self-esteem crisis is to detach yourself from the issue. It’s actually a pretty good strategy, since so much of “lack of self-esteem” is a kind of red herring. Often, it involves a con-job by someone else — in the distant past or five minutes ago. But sometimes you cannot distance yourself; sometimes you have to grab the question, look it in the face and say: AND?

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Mars enters your sign on Thursday. Mars sign changes are always meaningful, and always noticeable, though this one bears a personal message to you. The theme is how you use your energy. That’s significant now because you will have access to plenty more — drive, motivation, persuasiveness and personal power. This may be off-putting to some people. You don’t need to make your case strongly, or for that matter at all. You will definitely need to apply diplomacy to any situation in which you find yourself. If you don’t add that as a conscious factor, you are likely to decide that you just don’t care and dust it up with someone needlessly. So I suggest you apply your best Aquarian cool, and distribute that Martian energy evenly through your circuits. Let Mars make you more of what you are: humane, idealistic, and — underneath a mind often boggled with a whole bunch of ideas — passionate and sensitive.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Keep your plans big, and keep them to yourself. What you’re doing now — everything from the changes you’re initiating to the edge you’re walking along — has the power to grow into something far beyond what you currently have, or think is possible. You don’t need to trace that trajectory, or even plot out the scenarios. To do so would likely be to limit yourself. Rather, focus on the kernel of what you’re doing, as close to the seed of the idea as you can. Retreat inward rather than extend yourself outward, particularly on this one thing that you’ve got a grasp on, or that has a hold on your interest. Yes, the Sun in Sagittarius moving across your solar 10th house is about expanding and being visible, which you can do in other ways — in ways that are already tried and true. As for this new thing you’re discovering, keep that between yourself and your notebook.