Aries (March 20-April 19) — You may be thinking you’re having too much fun, when it seems you have so much work to do. What I suggest is that you keep the fun going, then connect that frame of mind to the work you have to do. If work is not fun, it’s drudgery, and that is life-depleting. Your long-term mission is to choose situations specifically for their ability to integrate productivity and pleasure. It’s true that every minute of fun is not necessarily productive, nor is every minute of productivity a hoot, though in an integrated reality there is enough to create a mutual presence most of the time. It’s becoming apparent that you will benefit from setting specific goals, then reassessing every time you reach one of them. The central concept here is specific. It’s important to set a goal to a degree of clarity that you actually know when you’ve met the goal. Sometimes you must aim high, and sometimes you must stick to the basics.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Pay attention to a situation in your life that gradually seems to be coming to a head. It’s true that you or someone close to you is reaching a natural limit, though that limit does not mean the end. Rather, it appears as a conscious change in your relationship to structure. Usually, structure is experienced as an unconscious element; it would probably not occur to you to reorient your house, or to move a hillside. Where the mind and feelings are concerned, structure is conceptual and therefore flexible. It usually exists due to prior programming, though it can be raised to the level of a conscious understanding. One thing is clear — you need to conduct your affairs in a wider field of reality, where there is more space to move around, to experience your feelings, and to express your desire. With that in mind, you might consider visiting an actual field and noticing how that feels, or working in a place where you have plenty of room.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You seem ready to put the pieces together. That is, the pieces of yourself — which may be different interests, opinions, inner voices, plans or ideas. They are not separate and therefore they don’t need to compete. Yet you may first have to go through a tight spot where you decide that everything in your mind is irrelevant, which might feel like a crisis. If you persist, you will pop through to the other side where you may notice that your ideas are indeed irrelevant if you don’t relate them to one another. Once you start to make the connections, meaning will emerge. Said another way, meaning is always contextual. The same astrology chart can apply to a child born in a birthing center, and a car running a stop sign outside the birthing center. The meaning of astrology, or of ideas, is revealed by the context in which they are set. The first context is you; the second is their interrelationship.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This is the time to experience what it means to feel good about yourself. Venus and Jupiter are forming a conjunction in Leo, your solar 2nd house. This is a way of saying that you have full access to your inner resources, and you have everything going for you. Now your goal is to actually experience that. I don’t mean analyze it, or prove that it’s true, or look for the ways it may not be true. I mean experience as a direct reality, like looking at the sky and noticing that it’s blue. One other element of this astrology is that you can afford to be real. Try it for a few days — say only what is true for you. Express what you want. Do nothing to conceal your reality. Wear the clothes you want to wear, skip the makeup if you want, and go only to events and functions that actually suit your fancy. Take some notes on the experiment and see what you learn.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You don’t have to push yourself so hard, especially around financial or family issues. And you don’t have to worry, even though that would seem to be one of your ‘natural’ inclinations. Worry is like driving with the brakes on; energy that could go into momentum is put into heat and unnecessary wear and tear. Focus on your resources, and on your ability to manifest more if you need them. Focus on the fact that people care about you, which has a magnetic and otherwise attractive quality. But that won’t work if you have yourself under undue pressure. If you want to use your mind, focus on ideas and putting them into action. Once you get past the thin, barely existent layer of self-critique, you will find that you are a wealth of ideas, which will go well with having the drive and the energy to put into using them well.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You seem to be straining with the need to express yourself in some way, though for whatever reason you cannot bring yourself to do it. I think you know exactly what you want to say, and you may even be ready to commit to your point of view. But something seems to be stopping you. What you’re likely to be feeling is a blockage that’s been there for a while, but now it’s being matched by a new depth of intensity and urgency, most of which is emotional. What you are yearning for is expression on the level of visceral need rather than on the level of intellect. Remember that when you make the choice to express yourself — it’s not necessary to prove anything, or to be right, or even to be precise. It’s only necessary to ‘go there’ — to go where you want and need to go, and to get your feelings out and onto paper as best you can. The temptation to analyze, dissect and disprove may be strong. Be stronger.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — What exactly are you struggling with? What is the nature of your inner conflict? Is it about what you want, or what you want but you’re denying yourself? What are those two factors involved, the desire and the denial? There’s another angle of approach to your life that will feel much more fruitful. It can start with not trying to prove, deny or disprove that you’re worthy of love, no matter how you feel. Rather, you can take the leap to loving — that is, loving everyone. This may sound crazy, or like nostalgic 1960s jive. It is anything but jive, especially for you, right now (if astrology means anything). Widen your world. Expand your sense of yourself by encountering more people in more places. Take a breath and notice how alive the people around you are, and count yourself as one of them. If you cannot quite get there, take every opportunity to learn from example — especially from people who know how to forgive themselves as a way of life. This is the key, to nearly everything.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — How honest with yourself can you be? If there is some limit, what is the hang-up? Your life story for the next couple of weeks will be about working your way to that boundary or limit. Many times in your life, you’ve found it easy to be in denial. Now, between your own inner pressure and the lurking sensation that you cannot respond to your own needs, denial will verge on impossible. Incidentally, there seems to be something here about your mom. The reason she did not respond to her own needs was not because she didn’t want to — by my estimation, it was because at key times she was not flexible enough to change when she needed to. That is the name of the tune — flexibility. The more conscious the better.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — God loves you, but what do you fear? Your charts describe a scenario where your darkest ideas of what is possible meet your most faithful expectations. I think it will be necessary to stay in contact with both sides of this equation, and to get swept away by neither of them. Your fears speak of an emotional issue that you’re trying to resolve. It’s something that prevents you from fully expressing your freedom of choice. The feeling may be some shade of, “If I do what I want, the worst thing will happen.” That is not true, but it is a feeling. On the other side of the equation, you can feel your horizons opening up and you know that much more is possible than you’ve dreamed of any time lately. There is substance to your desires, which can take on structure and form as real experiences. That is a workable tool rather than a promise or a guarantee. Therefore, stay true to your vision for yourself.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You do not have to conform to what someone else wants or says is right for you. You do, however, have the option to agree with someone’s opinion, or to tailor what you’re doing to what you think would be socially appropriate. But is that really going to help you succeed? My take is that you will cover the most ground by tuning into what you know you want to express, and saying (or doing) it in your own way. True, you might make mistakes. You might rub some people the wrong way. You might transgress a few boundaries. And what if you do? It’s necessary to experiment with the edge in order to figure out where it is, and to determine your relationship to it. This is never mastered by considering the theory alone. Experience is the key, and while experience is its own reward, you can be sure that there will be others.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may be feeling a call to take authority over certain areas of your life. If you run an organization, you may be feeling the calling to get a grip and make sure things happen right. I suggest you proceed gently, though I would caution that your astrology may be guiding you in the direction of being bossy. Keep the whole situation in mind, and spend plenty of time considering where other people are coming from before you make any additional demands on them. Your key to success is avoiding confrontation. It will help to have clear goals, then present those to people in a low-energy format and see if they are interested in signing on. This is leadership by agreement, which is a form of consensus-building. With consensus, the underlying values are the thing to focus on. Establish common ground, which will lead to common goals and the mutual desire to fulfill them. This is easier, more fun and more humane than the usual top-down school of management offered by the world.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — One of the most intriguing things about this world, as opposed to many other worlds, is the diversity of experience that is possible here. You really can go anywhere right from where you’re sitting right now. In actual fact, anything is possible, which means that many seemingly conflicting possibilities are available at the same time. There’s also a huge diversity of potential in human nature, which leads to some amazing experiences, some dismal ones and a wide variety in between. For all of these reasons, it’s essential that you always keep in mind what you want. What you want is the only guiding force that you, personally, can use to guide your own life through such a maze of possibilities. That does not mean you will get what you want all the time, but what it does mean is that you have an organizing principle you can apply when making choices about people and circumstances. It’s fair to say that the freedom to choose is your only freedom at all, which is a good reason to stay awake and alert.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You may be feeling a truly odd kind of insecure, as if within your greatest strength lies your worst weakness. You can turn that one around, however. All you need to do is remember that you can. If you think of your experience as being more like a dream, it will be easier to transpose between the two similar thought forms, ‘weakness within strength’ or ‘strength within weakness’. One of the ideas on which the thought form turns is your faith in your power to create. This you have, especially right now, with so many planets moving through your solar 5th house and a spectacular Full Moon coming. Of the Full Moon, the message seems to be reveal yourself. Show the world what you can do, and by extension, who you are. That gesture might be connected with some worry or some fear, though now is the time to push yourself a little, and to take the extra risk, in particular, the risk of being seen, known and acknowledged.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — This week’s astrology describes an adventure of some kind — it looks like leadership, but a participatory variety of the stuff. You may not define yourself as a ‘leader’, though if you remember that all humans are looking to nearly all other humans they encounter as examples of what to be or not to be, then everyone is in the role of setting an example. For you over the next few days, as the Aquarius Full Moon passes through town, you will see the extent, and the relevance, of your involvement in a situation, and the benefit of the example that you set. It would be great if we could go beyond the necessity for bosses, CEOs and generals. By engaging with people on what you might think of as a co-organizational level, you can help the world, or at least your world, take a step beyond that. Trust one thing if nothing else — people respect you for your sincerity. And that is real respect.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Beware of resentment in any form. Beware of the sensation that someone — potentially anyone, though it looks like someone you’re intimate with — is interfering with your ethics or values. It may be that you really do want to take someone’s point of view on board, but make sure that’s true — make sure you’re not being influenced by some external factor, such as money. One test of the situation is whether you really can say what you feel. Do you believe that you will get fair treatment if you were to speak up? If you’re concerned about either of those things, I suggest you go deeper and investigate what is influencing you. I will give you a clue from your astrology — the concept of marriage is involved. By that I mean what it is, or is supposed to be, or that marriage is the pearl of great price, or your most valuable asset — and your real feelings about that, and I do mean feelings and not your opinion.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Do you identify as a person first, or as a partner first? This is one of the core questions of feminism by the way, discussed by the likes of Simone de Beauvoir and Erica Jong and many others. It was Jong who said that she wanted to be a whole person and not half of a relationship. We need this wisdom now, and I suggest you might be the first beneficiary of this body of thought. It has several branches, including the notion of owning another person, in many different shades and tones; the value of jealousy and the presumption of a right to be jealous; the notion of control; and any feeling that might lead to the desire for revenge. There is a light side to all of this, which is the idea of justice, and justice can and indeed must spread into our most intimate relationships. Remember, though, when you stand up for fairness, do so in a way that is fair. If you want truth, be truthful. If you want partnership on level ground, then be that partner, first and foremost.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Your life seems to be hanging in the balance, and you may be experiencing some situations as being unusually polarized. This might be showing up as a ‘me versus them’ scenario. You also seem incredibly restless, which is why you may feel like you have interests that are different from those of others, who themselves may be feeling restless and counting on you for stability. Sussing out the full equation, I suggest that the thing, the idea or the necessity that everything is teetering on is nourishment. There are many other manifestations of the astrology, though they appear to be superficial. The nourishment factor is the deepest level. You need it every way, such as food, space to yourself, space with others, and sex. Space and sex intersect with the presence of Vesta in Scorpio — though this may be tricky, because there may be so many people around, sex will happen when there is space for it to happen. This is a core element of nourishment, though most would pretend otherwise.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Are you searching for The One? For the ideal counterpart or reflection of yourself who would complete your life that everyone would approve of, which would lead to perfect happiness? Oh good! I didn’t think so. But you may be feeling some social pressure to fulfill that script. You may be seeing many other people around you play out this particular drama, and you certainly know the perils. I would mention that many seemingly lesser aspects of the game amount to the same thing — the search for the one boyfriend or girlfriend instead of a friend or lover, to give one example. I believe and have observed that people can find unusual compatibility, though the search for The One is much different from this. Your relationship life is potentially far more colorful and more fun than anybody’s prewritten script, anything that your friends would recognize, anything that your friends would approve of.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Do you really want to be the boss? Do you really need to? Despite some recent impulses to that effect, I really don’t think so. Taking authority (in any conventional form of the notion) would be pointless in this situation. Yes, you know things really should be happening a certain way. What you want is cooperation. For that to happen, it would help immensely if you cooperated. Make it a point to work with, collaborate with, and draw inspiration from others. Consider this a special benefit of who you are. Out of these associations, another model of leadership will emerge — something more distinctly collective, made of individuals, self-organized, in which everyone has their unique role. Everyone knows that the world can work this way, and many people have been envisioning this for decades. Even if it’s not happening on a massive scale, it can happen in your life.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — I love the connection between the word ‘authority’ and ‘authorship’. Authority means taking control over something, which is directly related to creating a story. If we add the concept ‘authorized’, that means you certify that the story you are creating is in fact of your own creation, and something you approve of. How would it feel to live this way? You know you want to; you know that the element of story has been vital to your life lately, as has the element of being present for your own power, and also willing to use it. If this makes you nervous, think of it as writing the story you want to tell. The great thing about writing is that it can be rewritten, revised and re-thought-through, and when you are doing this with your whole existence, you know you really are living. You are indeed the author of your own life, so pick up your pen and make contact with the page.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — So many possibilities! So much hesitation. What is going on? That would be a good question to ask yourself. I detect a scenario where you feel as if pursuing the best life has to offer could lead to the worst life has to offer. I think this is a common phenomenon, though for you right now it may be operating in an ‘unconscious’ way. By that, I mean that it may seem like something else, or you have not given language to what you are experiencing. As for those supposedly worst things, they all seem to be shadows cast over desire. Desire is indeed haunted in our society — by various religious perspectives that call it sinful, or attachment, or the cause of all suffering. I suggest you be honest with yourself about what you want, and put it into words so that you can look at them and read them back to yourself. You may need to go through several layers of desire to get to the core of the onion; or you may recognize a distinct, unique constellation that says something that only you understand.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The question of Self is written all over the sky right now. Many people offer the idea that all love is rooted in selflove, though there is a question lurking behind that — at what point does selflove become narcissism? I will tell you — it doesn’t. They are two different things, both of which are part of our psyches and part of our environment. Often narcissism describes the lack of selflove, which is how you can identify it. Yet there is that part of the psyche that must focus exclusively on its own experience; that must admire itself in a fully self-absorbed way, which is different from the gentler and subtler light of actually loving oneself. Narcissism is a problem, but the bigger question is what to do about it. Loving oneself is part of the solution, though I think that indulging the full experience in a fully conscious way can be helpful. Consider the possibility that your life is all about you. Consider the idea that existence is a reflection of the fact that you exist and nothing more. I am not saying this is true — I’m saying it’s worth running through your biocomputer and seeing what you get back.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You’re getting the message to take charge, though you may feel like you’re headed for some obstacle you presently cannot see. That may be true, though to me it looks more like a point of contact where you actually get to accomplish something, make a change or take control of your destiny. There are two distinct sides to Aquarius. One is the egalitarian, we’re-all-in-this-together side. The other more resembles a drill sergeant. You’ll need to draw upon elements of both to make the most of the astrology that will be coursing through your chart like lightning the next couple of weeks. Remember that all groups need leaders, even if their only role is to focus the agenda and the conversation. Leaders are wise to draw their power from the consent of the governed, making it clear that leadership is an act of service. Get permission from those you would supervise, take charge and get things going.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You seem to crave bonding to a creative project, and I suggest you tie the knot. You may have several choices, but you know the one that you want as your primary devotion. Like any devotion, this will require what some would consider sacrifice, though this looks more like arranging your life around the commitment. You have plenty of energy — I really mean more than you need, so you actually have the mojo that you need to tune your life to the occasion. All of this coincides with some new horizons opening up on the work front. There seems to be something happening on a scale that you are unaccustomed to, at least any time lately, and it may feel a little daunting — though I suggest you not be daunted, and rather align yourself with the highest and best possibilities. That is your path to the highest and best results.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Your charts are a beautiful mix of dark and light, which I suggest you think of as colors and hues. The planetary alignment of Mars in Scorpio and Jupiter in Leo is granting you access to the full spectrum of experience — particularly sexual experience, which always translates into some form of relationship. Yet while this energy is coursing through you, I suggest you think of it in its creative and biological form rather than as needing some kind of social structure, form or commitment. The pleasures and benefits of this astrology are available in the moment, and would best be shorn of attachment to the past or the future. You might think that requires instant enlightenment, which is true, in a way, if you think of enlightenment as being in tune with yourself, what you want and what you have to share. Focus on that and you’ll have this odd sense of knowing who you are.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Someone’s desire for you, or the intensity of a particular relationship, might ordinarily be the kind of thing that shakes your foundations. I suggest you experiment with being able to hold the energy. There is plenty of it, resonating within you emotionally, and while it’s intense it may have you feeling insecure. It’s as if under some circumstances it might be the right thing but the waves of passion may be reaching you at an odd or awkward angle. If you feel the desire to retreat or pull back, maybe take a breath and see where the passion or attraction leads you. You might not be ‘exactly equally attracted’ but does that matter so much? Someone’s interest in you does not mean that you owe them anything, only that you have an opportunity to experience life in a new way, that moment.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Turn it up, by which I mean, turn up your energy, and turn yourself on. Your ideas are sweet and juicy right now, especially if you happen to love words, which you do, though the current astrology is lavish for photos, video and other forms of imagery. Your mind is hot right now and if you tap into your idea core, you won’t be able to stop yourself. At the same time you have energy and drive to get a lot of work done, so choose what you want to do and do it. Pick the thing you’ve wanted to say or express visually and get about doing it. Don’t worry if you end up working all night. You will have plenty of energy for more mundane tasks the next day. And as I suggest to every true artist or writer, keep a notebook or sketchbook with you at all times. Graft it to your cellphone and keep them in your hand together. Write down or sketch everything that comes to you. Don’t worry what your friends might think. They know you don’t work for the NSA — because it would be too boring.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Venus is in your sign now, which has you cast in the role of love magnet. Focus on that and love that about yourself. Keep your energy moving and pay attention to your environment. People are noticing you. You could roll out of bed and throw on any clothes and you would be turning heads. Now, what to do with this seemingly mystical power? Remember anyone you’ve wanted to connect with and pay them a visit — preferably in person, so they get the full experience of you. Be bold and ask them out even if you think they’re out of your league. If you’re already in a relationship, this is the time to soak it in some fresh energy, new experiences, or any immersion in beauty. One way to do that is to love as much as you can from wherever you are. You are in fact free to love, no matter what anyone may say, think or do. Remind yourself of that every time you need to.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Jupiter has been welcomed into your sign by a spectacular New Moon. Mars in Scorpio is lighting a fire underneath you and looks like it’s challenging you to get free of your emotional comfort zones or discomfort zones — whichever the case may be. In any event, be aware of the fear that might hold you back from fully expressing yourself or from taking advantage of the fact that you carry immense protection right now, as well as charm, charisma and a sense of potential. The only thing that could stop you is being afraid or wanting to exert control over what does not need to be controlled. Part of the scenario involves what happened to certain relatives if they started to feel ‘too good’ or as if life was going ‘too well’. This is an old story that you’ve wanted to end for a while, and you can now write its last chapter.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Use your imagination — for everything. It is a powerful resource and it’s especially rich right now. Your tendency at the moment might be to think in ways that are more narrow, more connected to what has gone wrong in the past, or to consider your options with a hyper-vigilant sense of responsibility. I suggest you go in the opposite direction — wide open, considering the possibilities, no matter how risky or dangerous they may seem. Think way outside your normal sense of scale. If you consider a long trip 100 miles, multiply that to 1,000 miles. If you are considering renting an apartment, consider a house and imagine what you might do with the extra space. Apply this to your whole life — what you do, what you want to create, and most of all, who you are. You are much bigger than you think.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Yes, you are naturally social, though this is going past all limits now. You are in a moment of contact, so spend as much time around other people as you can, especially in small groups rather than crowds. Of course, the meeting that turns out to be the most meaningful could come at any moment, so be alert to who is around you and take every opportunity to say hello to someone you don’t know who you happen to meet in a public place. There’s another side to this — this is an excellent time for financial negotiations, particularly where your career is concerned. The thing to remember is that you are a rare resource, you possess knowledge and skills and you get results even in the midst of the unraveling world. You have solid ground to negotiate from. Your asset value to others will have at least one fine moment this week where you get no compensation; the term is pro bono.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Consider the ritual aspect of everything you do — making breakfast, getting ready for work, preparing to go out. Think of these things less as habits than as moments of preparation for an experience. Take every step consciously, with as much mindfulness as you can muster. Notice how you feel while you’re doing this. One attribute of ritual is preparing space — that might be your desk or your living room or a clearing in a forest. It might be your kitchen before baking or your bedroom before a lover comes over. Focus on the use of space, its purpose, how it feels and how it looks. Remove anything that is extraneous. And consider the central organizing principle of the space, the way that a hearth used to define the central idea of a home. Every space has its hearth — know what it is, and tend the fire.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Allow your fear to motivate you. Most spiritual paths teach that fear is false or that it’s meaningless or that it’s bad. I believe that fear is energy. It’s also connected to an early-warning system that has been hijacked by various entities (religion, warmongers, drug salesmen) and which basically drives people insane. Yet addressing fear is an essential element of growth, no matter what branch of growth we’re talking about. Right now, your fear describes something about your potential. It’s as if when you identify something that you’re anxious about, consider whether the opposite is true, and let that be a statement of the possibilities that are open to you, or a comment on what you want to accomplish. You could say that fear is sending you the worst possible information. You could say that it’s sending you truly useful information if you know how to work with it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Rare aspects this week suggest you have a knack for investments and other topics related to shared finances. You may experience a windfall, or the solution to a longstanding problem may suddenly manifest. It might look too good to be true. Of course, it’s your job to perform due diligence on even the best-looking opportunities or solutions, though you don’t need to approach this with suspicion. Contrary to popular belief, there is a surplus of energy in the universe, including money. If you want money, I suggest you be friendly with it and toward it. Recognize that nearly any profit or success emerges out of a collaboration of some kind, and that resources and talents can combine to create a synergistic condition — the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. If you proceed in an atmosphere of trust, and with people you respect, you’ll do very well.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your life seems to be a story of claiming something and then giving something up. If you take charge and assert yourself, you may be noticing that there is a sacrifice associated with leadership — it might be added responsibility or a demand for impeccability. Yet while this is happening you are also being offered new opportunities and gifts from people who care about you. Indeed, beyond the world of duty and authority there is a whole other environment opening up, what you might think of as a gift economy. At first it may seem that it’s offering you more than you are offering back, and you may be wondering if there is a catch. Yet your chart suggests that you will never be asked to give more than you can offer, and that what seems like a small gesture to you might be experienced by someone else as truly significant and indeed unavailable elsewhere. Have confidence in that.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You have just about everything going for you right now. It’s important to recognize these moments, because they’re relatively rare. One thing that might be getting in the way is how much you have to do, though you may have noticed that your responsibilities have taken a lighter vibration. You are able to get more done with less expenditure of energy. Take advantage of that and make sure you collect on the dividends. Speaking of, your work is worth more than you know. Send that message and send it consistently. More than anything, know it in your heart. While you have an abundance of energy, make some important changes that you’ve been putting off. They may involve your physical space, your diet, your work patterns, or taking up some activity that you’ve wanted to do for a long time. As for love, keep your heart open and the universe will take care of the rest.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Humanity seems to live in terror of its own creative strength. We see this play out so many ways — in schools that ban creativity, in political movements where people sacrifice their own freedom, in people who object to sex in any form except for a scandal, or those who deny any notion that there is more to life than they have today. Fear of creative strength also comes in the form of denying the kind of pleasure that nourishes in favor of pleasure that depletes. This is no longer your path, to the extent that it ever was. I would describe this phase of your life as being about pumping your vital force with gusto, in every form you know it to take. Make your choices based on how edgy they are, not in terms of what you get but what you must offer or take the risk of becoming. Take the risk not of danger, but of failure — you will be glad you did.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may be tempted to do or say things in an effort to please those you feel are in positions of authority. Yet it would be better to take authority, especially over your own ideas. You don’t have to meet any standard except for being real. However, in our society this concept needs some explanation. Being real means matching your words to your actual opinion. It means matching the expression on your face to how you really feel. It means asking a question when you don’t know, instead of guessing, though that includes first checking in with yourself to assess what knowledge you already have. To take authority you have to be your own authority, which is a complex task; rather than being about bossing yourself around, it’s about having a balanced viewpoint, taking different opinions under advisement and ultimately being responsible for your own decisions. Someone who can do that is a valuable person within any group or organization.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — It’s been said that a smart person learns from his or her own mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others. You are now entering territory that you’ve seen others struggle with many times. You may be concerned that you have to go through some similar crisis, though I assure you that you do not. The experiences of others do not need to warn you off of any ambition or intention you may have. Rather, I suggest you get some information about the territory from those who have been there. In the end, your success is going to depend on how resourceful you are. So I suggest you take a wide view of resources, including your own talents and skills, what people close to you might be able to offer (starting with blood relatives you actually trust), and finally, money. There may also be one well-positioned individual who can be a positive influence. Remember: use your allies.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — There remains the ongoing puzzle of how you translate what you feel into words. Anyone who has been friends with a dog knows that it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. With humans, what you say is as meaningful as how you say it, and this often translates to the feeling behind the message. That is also the challenge — actually feeling when you speak, and aligning your emotions with your words. It’s worth stepping up to that one. At the same time, there’s that little problem of words being so easily misunderstood. Today and for the next few days, it would be a good idea to choose your words with extra care, and to go through several drafts of anything you want to put in writing. Leave it on your screen for a while and stare at it before pushing ‘send’ — for hours or a day or two. You will be glad you did.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You may be concerned that you have some unknown or undetected weakness or vulnerability, which is persisting even with Jupiter in your birth sign. It’s true that there is something concealed, that you’re concerned about revealing or don’t want known about you. But that is not necessarily a disadvantage. If you work with this feeling, you may discover that it contains power. You can, for example, consider that something you perceive as fearful may play to your advantage. Whatever you’re sensing has the power to go both ways. That much is clear. But that does not mean that it’s a random factor. On one level you’re experiencing a test of your expectations, or of what you presume in the face of missing information. Life is holding out some unusual promises for you now. That is sometimes a little edgy. Keep your thoughts positive. In the end, you will be glad you saved yourself needless anxiety, and fostered the skill of positive thinking.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Notice who you meet or even randomly encounter over the next few days, and treat everyone with fully conscious respect. Eliminate any standoffish attitude you might have, burn off any fog that might sometimes surround you, and focus on who you are speaking with. Treat everyone with care and compassion, and lean in with an ear for how you might help. Go out of your way to treat everyone the same way, which means with the utmost attentiveness. It is an unfortunate habit of current society to take an uppity approach with people based on the flimsiest excuse, with no excuse or out of habit. It seems too much to ask for people to present themselves to the world with even a modicum of humility, as if to do so is to lower oneself in some way. This is a profound misunderstanding, and it’s one that you don’t want and cannot afford right now.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Although Mars stationed direct in your sign on May 19, it has yet to enter new territory. Said another way, Mars is still in ‘shadow phase’ and has not gone past the degree where it stationed retrograde back in March. This happens soon — but not before one final experience of whatever the retrograde symbolized. True, it meant many things to many people, but since early December your life has had a dominant feeling, a recurring theme or persistent issue. It’s the one thing that many or most things have had in common. There is an underlying circumstance or pattern that is related to this issue, and you’re about to see what it is. There is some theme of fairness, and it’s related to honoring commitments. It may also be related to the ways in which you hold others to honoring their commitments to you. The way you did things in the past will no longer serve you. Now you have one distinct advantage: you know this, and that will help you make the decision you need to make.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Sleepwalking, being in autopilot, trance state, spacing out. Everyone drifts into this state at some point, though currently many people are drifting through life paying as little attention as possible. Often this is aided and abetted by alcohol, pills or other substances. I don’t know your personal circumstances, but I do know your solar chart. Right now you need to pay attention. I could list off a dozen reasons from just your solar chart, though let’s skip that. Pay attention. Notice where you are and who is around you. Notice what you’re doing and why. Come out of the dream state and enter fully waking state. That means taking nothing for granted and yes, as one of your Scorpio cousins recently said to me, it means keeping your mind alert and active at all times even if this seems really weird. Engage your awareness fully, in manual mode, and keep waking up as many times as necessary.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You are starting to see possibilities where you did not see them before. Correspondingly, you may also be seeing problems you didn’t notice before, though I would propose that those problems may not exist. You may be saying that if the problems are not real, then how do I know the potentials are real? Well, the mind is better at making up problems that don’t exist than it is at coming up with solutions or creative options. Even if this is a matter of emphasis, it will pay to focus your attention on what works, or what will help, rather than on what might not be going well. One thing I’ve noticed in my decades of working with people as their astrologer is that most are not so good at seeing the possibilities. You are — and if you want, you also have the discipline to make them real.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your chart describes an inheritance of some kind. That concept can be expressed many different ways, though the overall inference is success and benefit. You have resources available to you and there are people willing to help you out. Should you be in a position to receive assistance of some kind from an investor, make sure you preserve your rights, that you don’t get in over your head and that you have a relatively easy way out of the arrangement if it does not work. Understand who is taking the risk and what risk that really is. Finally, keep the benefits in mind. Any arrangement would best be based on mutual benefit and on love of the work. The same aspect pattern describes a very friendly scenario in love and sex. Just keep reminding yourself that every person is their own individual, free to come and go as they please.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Who is your reference point for self-esteem? You need an example, and if you discover that you’re not finding too many of them in the world, consider that a sign that you’re using your discernment. Your astrology suggests that the past few months have had a special theme, which is understanding the emotional basis for self-worth, or lack thereof. It is not a mental exercise. For you self-worth resides at the root of your emotional nature. The central message of this time in your life is that no matter what anyone has done to you, or what has happened to you, you are the one who decides how you feel about yourself. You decide who you call as a witness. You decide who you believe. Ultimately, you make your own decision about who you are. Yet that decision has an emotional basis, not a logical one. That is the beauty, and the biggest challenge.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Make your work count. Recognize the value of what you do, by which I mean look carefully, note the facts, observe the world around you and really get it all the way. You have no need to look to others for reassurance, even though it’s likely that you are being recognized for your contribution. Part of this means recognizing the economic value of what you contribute. By that I mean its inherent value and its value to support you and those who directly benefit from it. Yet in the same way that a dollar is exchanged many times and is therefore more than its face value, your work extends far beyond your immediate circle of awareness and benefits those who you may never meet or know about. Therefore I suggest you use some exceptionally positive astrology and make it work for you — in every way, including how much fun you have doing it, and the special pleasure that comes from total dedication to quality.