Aries (March 20-April 19) — You must win by persuasion what you cannot win by force. Clearly you have only influence in this situation rather than power, but that’s usually the story. You will need to get inside someone’s reluctance to negotiate, and rather than the psychology of it, you must tune into the emotional dimension. You are correct if you have a hunch that this is resistance for its own sake, or to demonstrate some point other than the actual subject of the conversation. I suggest you investigate the real extent to which you need someone’s cooperation or consent for your deal or arrangement to go forward. A careful look may reveal that it’s not even necessary. In that case, the emotional attachment would be yours. That would be good news, because you can actually do something about that. You can also exercise your option to be fully informed. That would be helpful.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — I know a dominatrix who has the theory that in every relationship there must be a top and a bottom, or the relationship does not work. In her view there must be a pecking order and distribution of power where it’s clear who the boss is. Now, I am aware she’s a dominatrix, so this fits her personal approach to relationships, but she’s intelligent enough that I have considered the idea for a while. I think it’s more valuable as a question than as an affirmative statement. I can only ask whether this is true in your life — what you believe, and what you actually do. Must there be a boss in a relationship? And if not, how is ‘power’ and authority distributed? What is the role of powerful emotions, as a source of power? Who controls the resources, and to what effect?

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’re about to be blessed with insights and a line in on deep information about some issue that’s been troubling you. This may involve joint finances or shared resources, and I would guess that it’s been causing you some anxiety. What you need is information — and your charts suggest that is exactly what you’re about to get. Keep your eyes and ears tuned. Stay open and you’ll learn a number of things about policies and regulations that affect you, and you will also sharpen up your points of negotiation. You need to know where your real strength lies, and on the first layer that is in the basic factual information about your situation. Your astrology has another message, which is about the underlying psychological level, what you might call the human level. You need to work both skillfully, but the personal dimension is the more important of the two.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Your charts suggest you may have gone through a rough patch in a relationship. You can use what you’ve learned to help you go deeper with someone you care about, and you can use that knowledge to benefit your other relationships. What is so often forgotten is that relationships require taking a risk. We usually begin them like they are going to work out perfectly. Yet what people tend to forget is that the outcome is uncertain. There is a gamble involved. It may be the cautious taking of a risk; it may be more like a roll of the dice. If you take the risk consciously, and recognize that numerous outcomes are possible, you will live more consciously. You will have more fun. You will be more attentive in the ways that matter the most. And the sex will be better — probably a whole lot better.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Recent events have compelled you to consider what you really mean when you say words like ‘safe’, ‘secure’, and ‘confident’. Indeed you have had the opportunity to question the very ground you walk on; the ground on which your house is built. This may not have been easy but it will have positive results. One of them is the reminder that there are certain things you need to take less seriously, and certain other things you need to take more seriously. If you are going through a sorting-out process, that would be right on time with your astrology. This will naturally extend to all matters of family and may take you on an unusual journey into your tribal and genetic lineage. There are things you can learn now that have never been available before, and may never be available again. Please treat this moment as what it is: one of a kind.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — I would love nothing more than to think the world is becoming more enlightened, but I have my doubts. What I do not doubt is that right now you are gaining insight into yourself. I also know that you’ve earned the knowledge that is coming to you, from you. The past few days in particular have been rich with discoveries about how you think and some about why you think that way. In particular, you may be seeing the power of what you can do when you understand the influence of your emotions on your mental processes, and when you take steps to discern the basic difference between those two orders of reality. Think of it this way: Emotions are something that are more likely to happen to you. Thought is something you fly like a glider. Your mind may be providing the atmospheric conditions that make flight possible, but you are guiding the craft.

 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Often I wish there was a better term for self-esteem. It seems like such a reductionist way to describe the quest for meaning and value that everyone on the planet goes through at some point. What is clear from your charts is that you rarely let on that this is happening. You have a cat-like way of concealing your interior reality. What you cannot do at this point is hide from yourself. Indeed, the thing that’s happening now is a kind of inner confrontation where several levels of your personal belief system are merging into one cohesive reality. The reason this is challenging is because those levels have a way of conflicting. There are different versions of events, values you’ve collected from a variety of sources and that have been formed by different influences. And then there is what you organically know to be true. You might simplify this whole process by starting right there.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Nearly every stitch of planetary activity this week is focused in your sign, or involving the planetary rulers of your sign. That may feel like a lot of pressure. You may be trying to push out the walls, looking for a little more room to breathe. At times you may be longing to get outside of your own thoughts and feelings and push into some new reality. I would say that’s exactly the point. Some of the most magnificent astrology is happening four signs away in Pisces, your fellow water sign. You can go anywhere you want in your chart. The way you do that is by shifting your perspective, your activities and your agenda. Sometimes you can do that by changing locations. The place to go is Pisces, which is your 5th house. In astrology that is the house of pleasure, art, creation, games and risks taken for fun. It’s also the house of sex. Your astrology is saying get out of your mind and into your senses.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You must feel like the weight of the world has been taken off your shoulders, and if you don’t, give it a day or two. You can trust at least one thing — what you are working out now, you will never have to work out again. Or to qualify that, you will not, if you go through it with full mindfulness and keep your mind on the many layers of what you are doing. You are standing in the midst of an opportunity to resolve issues that have followed you your whole life. What you have now that you have not had before is an opportunity to work on multiple layers of your situation at the same time. By situation, I mean your orientation on your existence, your self-concept and most of all, your fears. Yes, it’s taking some courage to face all of this, but it’s courage that is quickly rewarded by an increase in confidence and the craving to take the next step. In this space, setbacks matter little, because they are seen as the temporary bumps or the learning opportunities that they are.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — It may seem like the Earth itself is cracking open under your feet. It may seem like the environment that surrounds you is changing so fast you have no way to keep up with it. Both of those are illusions that mask the deeper truth; that you are changing, faster than you ever imagined possible. Well, changing might not be the right word. What’s happening is that your inner nature is being revealed to you, and clearing out of the way everything that is unlike itself. As this is happening, your perception of your surroundings is changing, simply because perception is a direct result of how you experience yourself. There are times when you know this is true and yet it’s difficult to access that level of reality. There are times when it’s a lot easier, and now happens not to be one of them. Seize the moment. Let the energy moving through you be guided by the intentions of your deepest intelligence.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your mind is not a museum. Your mind is not a prison. Your mind is not the collected artifacts of your ancestors’ worst fears and unlived dreams. Your mind is something beautiful, alive, and an entity that is under your full guidance and influence. Whatever you may be going through, there is the underlying theme that your life is yours to live. This is intimately connected with your ability to discern the past from the present. It’s true that the past offers a sense of security, but since it no longer exists except as an idea and some old clay pots, cave paintings and religion, how much safety can it really offer you? One bold quest would be for you to challenge all forms of false security, fictional self-assurance and make-believe control, and come up with a fresh idea about why exactly you are free to live your life your way.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Planetary aspects are cascading through the signs Aries, Scorpio and Capricorn. For some people they are shaking the world, and others feel like their world is being pulled apart. Yet behind the scenes of all of this astrology is Chiron in Pisces, and a few layers back is Neptune in Pisces. There’s plenty of turmoil available to get caught in. There is plenty that’s wrong with the world. But the influences emanating from your sign point to the deeper reality, the sublime and something close to the source. Where you invest your consciousness is your choice. That is the thing to remind yourself. Negativity is an extreme temptation now because it’s so prevalent, and so aggressive. There are so many people struggling. And denial is never the answer to the world’s problems. You have another option open; you have a line into a direct source of intelligence, strength and what I’ll call creative compassion. Praise creation and do your part in the healing process.