Aries (March 20-April 19) — There is such a thing as too much integrity. In order to remain standing, every structure must flex and bend. In order to flow, every system must have some resilience, and be able to tolerate some excess strain, a bit of waste and fluctuations in energy. And for you to be happy, you need to be more open to ideas — which means not being threatened by them. By one reading of your solar chart, it would seem that you’re making sure nary a single dangerous thought gets through. But I would ask: are there any dangerous thoughts? And if there are, is it sex that makes them so? And if that seems true, then what is the actual risk? Well, the risk is revealing your humanity; daring to be seen and felt. Your worst fears may take the form of ‘something actually bad’, some irreversible consequence of your choices. I would propose that what you fear is actual unscripted existence; making contact with someone and allowing them to make contact with you, not knowing what’s going to happen next. Remember when you used to live for that kind of thing?

 

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Venus joins Jupiter in the angle of your chart associated with family, home and security. It’s going to be there for a while, so you don’t have to rush to get the benefits of this transit. Indeed I would propose that it represents a longterm exploration of something else, which is an experiment in what you can accomplish when your life is reasonably stable and grounded. It’s true that living on the edge of a galaxy on a little planet run by psychopaths, it’s possible never to feel safe or grounded, but if ever there was a time, this is it. Now, how much creativity can you muster up, whether directed at the way you live, or what you do with the privilege of living? In other words, what are you here to create and can you act on that drive? This is not something restricted to a few special activities. It can extend to any activity, whether it’s doing your laundry, painting your masterpiece or plotting the revolution. Think of yourself as a benefactor, breathing life, beauty and value into everyone and everything you touch.

 

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Your professional identity or official title is not who you are. Ideally what you do emerges from your sense of who you are and what is the most meaningful to you, though for most people that would be considered a luxury. At the moment you may be experiencing anything from some mild confusion to outright conflict between something related to your job and your sense of self. First, I suggest you not try to work this out so fast. It’s one of the deeper questions that we face in Western culture — working out the whole issue of ‘I am’ as it relates to what we’re supposed to have accomplished by any particular age. I would say that this issue goes far deeper than job, profession or title; we are really talking about how you relate to your mission in being alive. That is not something you find outside yourself. It’s an inner search, where outer clues count for something. Yet is the search really necessary? Don’t you just know? Or are you still in the process of admitting it to yourself? Pay attention — information is coming.

 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Don’t let your fears run away with you over the next couple of weeks; be cool, be patient and — remember, as Lou Reed said, you can’t count on the worst always happening (and he added, it takes a busload of faith to get by). So load up your busload of faith and start singing and clapping. Use anxiety as an opportunity to push your limits. Work from the premise that much of the world is in a frantic state, and therefore you can afford to explore some edgy territory. Let this start in your mind but certainly not end there. The purpose of your life right now is achievement and learning how to have an impact. When you look at anyone else who has ever succeeded at making a splash, they did so by exceeding some limit that was put on them, or that they thought they had to abide by. Said another way, success is a kind of uprising against mediocrity; a revolt against bullshit; the drive to do something that hasn’t been done, if only because it seems interesting and like the thing to do. Fortune favors the bold.

 

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Venus has arrived in your sign, where it will be for all but a few weeks between now and Oct. 10. The theme of embodying one’s sense of mission seems to be in the air, and it certainly is a crucial theme for you. Consider yourself in a phase of experimentation, where you’re getting a sense of your depth of commitment to what you do. You have specific ideas about what you believe and what you value, though you don’t always follow them. Now you will get a chance to bring this to full awareness. You seem to be embarking on something promising; something that could lead to fulfillment. Give this a good, solid run; give it all you’ve got. Then you will reach a natural boundary around July 18, when Venus arrives in Virgo. That will begin a review phase. Though it will seem obvious at the time, there is one very specific question that you need to ask yourself, which is not so clear right now. No theory or concept can substitute for the actual, hands-on experience that will help you answer this question.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Venus has joined Jupiter in your 12th solar house. Somewhere in one of my favorite old astrology books — Astrology: A Cosmic Science by Isabel Hickey — she describes this as the aspect of “two guardian angels.” I’ve always thought that was interesting. I’ll leave you to consider what you would do with that kind of protection. Your astrology is describing a few other things as well. The theme of purpose is going around the zodiac these days. This may be entirely in my imagination (what isn’t?) but the way the combinations of planets and signs are shaking out, that’s what I see. For you, this is about a discovery process, and not just any random one. Your life seems to be focused on one specific revelation that’s going to be hiding behind the scenes for a while. You can have absolute trust that what you’re doing, and what you soon will feel guided to do, is leading you in the right direction. You may have to go on various hunches on the way there, which fits the astrology. I would add one thing: if you want to be ambitious, be friendly. Do everything by arrangement, agreement and accord.

 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You are now in the perfect position to develop your professional income. I never quite know what this means for those who work for salaries, though it seems like these days most people have more than one source of income. This could apply to any of them, but especially the one that’s variable — such as based on your creative output or how much of something you can sell or some factor involving the people you know. This variable is now the thing that you can increase, largely due to your reputation. Therefore, be bold and confident about approaching your friends and people in your social networks. Anyone you know is a potential prospect. I don’t mean to imply that your friends and their friends are something to exploit; what I am saying is that commerce is a community commodity and that communication is a commemoration of how we are all here to support one another. What you are doing is a thing of service and therefore, telling people about it is a wholesome thing. Stay on course even if someone whines.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Keep financial and contractual plans on hold for as long as possible. You’re not working with all the information you need, and there are still some vital developments yet to come. Until then, work within economic limits and do your best to follow your agreements to the letter and in spirit. Other factors in your chart describe this as a phase of high success and taking a step up in the world, though this is about more than looking good. Go far beyond image, charm or the appearance of trying. What you need are real achievements to your name, and to demonstrate a sense of mission that is driven by goals and results. If you don’t have something tangible to show for your work, looking good will look all the worse, and if you have them, it will look all the better. Saturn is about to return to your sign and emphasize the point that leadership is about what you get done. Saturn is also reminding you that self-leadership is the most important variety. You must be accountable to yourself before you can truly be accountable to others.

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — If you’re managing to keep your communications clear with others, and to avoid conflicts, you’re doing beautifully. If not, you must be patient, and give others time to see the errors of their ways. Pushing them is not going to help; you will likely be met by some kind of pushback. And that resistance will likely be misguided and seem to make no sense. Therefore I suggest you tread lightly on any unresolved situation and go into fact-finding mode. The deeper truth that emerges around the time of the Mercury station direct next week will level out power imbalances and bring most of the necessary facts out into the open. Then a real conversation can begin. This astrology may relate to certain circumstances about which you’re not aware, or have a mistaken impression. Therefore, say less and pay attention more. Be alert to conflicting information and above all else, know when you don’t know.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — As a Capricorn you’re supposed to be a master of politics, though lately small gaffes and misunderstandings are giving you and perhaps others the impression that you’re playing out of your league. The question is, what is your league? What’s the right level of society for you to be involved on? Few people ask this question; many people fancy themselves considerably more or less than would be appropriate for their level of dedication and intelligence. I would suggest that you start exactly where you are, and determine what is expected of you, and consider what you can contribute. While you may feel like environmental factors are getting in your way, remember that the world is not as neat and tidy as it once was; information moves much faster and therefore there are more opportunities for misunderstanding. With Mercury still retrograde, you must remain mindful of communication, and seek clarity at every turn of events. This will be especially true as Mercury slows to a station next week. Keep your footing.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — For the next few months you may need to tidy up residual matters from business of the past two years. If you were to make a chronology of that timeframe, you would see how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished. Therefore, don’t be discouraged if you are called upon to be extra vigilant and make sure that everything is resolved; that you understand all of the developments and what prompted them; and that you’re fully committed to understanding the details when necessary. On that note, I suggest you lean in the direction of micromanaging whatever resolution of the past you need to involve yourself with — and make sure you have learned everything you need to have learned from what you witnessed and experienced. The bottom line here is that you are responsible for your own life, and for the decisions that are made on your behalf. In truth this is a happy lesson, because it holds the key to much future happiness and success. Therefore, sharpen your pencil and do what needs to be done over the next three months.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — I suggest you breathe life into the forgotten aspects in your life. That might include projects, it might include set-aside desires, goals or plans, and it might involve physical spaces. Let’s start with the latter. Clean out rooms and closets; put your work areas in order; if you’ve been so busy you haven’t used your kitchen in three months, it’s time to move out the old supplies and energy and restock with what you want. If you have a second residence, now is the time to revitalize that, open the windows and allow in the fresh air. As for goals and plans, it would seem that you’ve had to put an emphasis on certain aspects of your life at the expense of others, and now is the time to start balancing that out. I have suggested many times that Pisces needs a second residence or home away from home. This is designed to give the ‘other side’ of your nature a place to come out and play. It can be elaborate (a summer home) or modest (a friend’s place you stay at, or a B&B you visit once a month). Try it out and see what I’m talking about.