YOU'VE LEARNED so much the past decade of your life -- at least I honestly hope so. Okay, I trust you have. Two thousand seven presented something of a final exam for Pluto in Sagittarius, which was the main thing influencing your relationships, your sexuality and what some call 'spiritual growth'. There is no part of your life that was not touched by Pluto in Sagittarius, in part because opposite signs always work as one energetic system.
 
Energetically, it's a little like this. Sagittarius is the opposite energy of Gemini. If Gemini represents dualism, Sagittarius represents the blending and uniting of opposites that seems to be such an enormous part of the human drama. Pluto in Sagittarius pushed this quality of Sagittarius on you. Whatever emerged, you were compelled to work it out. Whoever you met, you had to face yourself. It was exhausting and maybe even boring -- until it got interesting.
 
The dominant energy conveyed to you, and stirred up inside you, has been some hybrid of drive, obsession, passion and soul. They never existed apart from one another, although at different times it has seemed they did -- but one quality led to another just as surely as the ocean meets the beach and the valley turns to mountains.
 
Because the soul pushes from the deeper end of our inner ocean, we get in touch with our desires and passions: the wants and don't wants that we are constantly negotiating internally. This is an aspect of the obsessive quality connected to this integration process. It's just that in our particular phase of history, we're not accustomed to thinking of sexual passion and religious mysticism as bearing even a vague relationship. We barely get the connection between sexual expression and creativity -- but by this point, you obviously do. It is likely that you learned it by example.
 
You may still be shocked from these experiences, or at least consider yourself wise to be on full alert. You may feel vulnerable, blown wide open, and urgently needing contact that has at times seemed elusive or inaccessible and which at others has arrived in a form that you could not deal with -- or not at the time, anyway. You are likely to go through an extended phase of taking second opportunities for things that you missed the first time around. You now have the chance to go deeper.
 
When you look back over recent history, I propose that it was those experiences where contact seemed impossible that put you into the deepest contact with yourself. That is what you need to count on, bank on and put to good use now. Any contact that you have with the world around you depends irrevocably on your inner sense of yourself. The older readers of these pages have probably figured that out by now. To the younger ones it may seem like mere words, but check back over your experiences and try testing the theory. Your life starts with you. It obviously goes further than you, but you're the thing doing the sensing, the experiencing, the decision-making and setting events into motion.
 
Inside, Outside: The World and the World Within

It is true that the world has seemed to push itself onto you for so long, but this has done little other than bring you into contact with yourself. I suggest you make a chronology of your relationship experiences going back to around 1994. Cover the important points and then see if you can remember a few of the encounters that you've forgotten.
 
You can view each one as an experience of making inner contact with yourself. That inner contact pushed (I am being gentle in my choice of this word; forced may be the more appropriate term) you to reconcile many seeming oppositions and contradictions in yourself. Over time, you developed the ability to talk from both hemispheres of your brain at once. Further, those two hemispheres grew ever closer together as time went on.
 
As it turns out, there are not two sides to every story; there is not even a story; there is you -- your conscious existence. You were compelled to stop talking to yourself, and instead initiate an authentic dialog with yourself.
 
That has, in turn, raised your standards of communication in your relationships. Once you know how you feel, and resolve your own ambivalence, it's much more compelling to have that same quality of communication with others. You have learned to stand up for yourself. You have learned you exist, and learned a lot about what that means. There is no skill that you have learned, no lesson that you have accepted, no journey you have taken, that is not active and alive and useful today.
 
What you have experienced is the alchemy that transforms the negative into the positive. The polarity can never be separated because we need to experience the inner void of the other's absence (or their not being what we think we want or need) to feel where we are present. This process, though painful and fearful, is the stepping-stone of a real identity, the one needed to truly meet others on an equal basis and level ground.
 
While Pluto is in its one-year process of exiting Sagittarius, other slow-moving planets have arrived in your relationship house. Your chart in these seasons is a lot like a scene from The Little Prince, where everyone lives on their own planet. This has been developing for a while. Everyone you meet is SO different than the last person. Their values, their reason for living, their message, the music they dance to, the music on their iPod. In a sense, to groove with anyone, you have to be exceptionally tuned in to yourself. The thing that you may notice is a distinct amorality.
 
At the moment you have the option to relate to people in ways that exceed the known morality of the world, or of your own past. People will teach you to do things for their own sake. You have the chance to reach the core of your potential, and it will often be others who set the example or lead the way.
 
You will, as a result, have choices to make about what is right and wrong for you. But I suggest that you not be put off by anyone with the value of doing it because they can, or doing it no matter what anyone else thinks.
 
This is a continuing experience in learning to allow others to have an influence on you, and moreover, to accept the fact that they simply do have that influence. Recognizing that everyone is an individual allows you to tune in to what they hear, and where they are spiritually. You may feel like a constant visitor in everyone else's life, like you don't have a homeland of your own. People you encounter may have some strange ideas; unusual relationships to their family; unlikely roles in their community. You may find yourself having to constantly adapt, but don't adapt too much; save your energy and just appreciate the strangeness.
 
It could be worse. Nobody could call you stuck these days, and if by some bizarre chance you are stuck, you have a lot of ways to get out of it. What you have going for you is diversity: extremely exotic people to match your exotic thirsts. If you happen to find that those around you are on the boring side, follow your wanderlust and wander. That is, in a word, one important key to love, sex and lust. Keep moving, keep your eyes open, say what you need to say and listen to what people say to you. Remember that being careful is one of the most important factors when you are walking through a strange land.
 
If you do feel stuck, though, I propose you get a feel of where 'being stuck' is in your body; where do you feel the stuckness? Can you locate it? Can you describe the sensation? Does it burn, itch, boil, or squirm? Does it feel like weight or stiffness? Investigate on the physical level and you will learn that besides your mind, there are many other physical places where you are thinking, where there is information, feeling, sensation, desire. You may not think of a stiff shoulder as 'thought' but if you ask it what it has on its mind, you may get an extremely interesting answer. This body consciousness will allow you to have an inner database, and at times an inner alarm, that will prove very useful when you are on the move.
 
Welcome to the 8th House

As Pluto changes signs to Capricorn, two things begin to happen in your relationships -- and the shift will be palpable. The values of others begin to influence you more potently. Be mindful when sex or money enters the picture. Others are likely to seem pushy or like they are sizing you up psychologically.
 
You may be pushed into positions where you need to negotiate. You now know how to do this, and what you need is to do it consciously, using your skills. What you may not recognize is that people who are having so much impact on you are themselves feeling the impact of the world other ways.
 
Sexually, this transit is like few others. You may experience it as extreme sexual submission, combined with an attraction to those you consider powerful beyond measure. Remember that this energy is for the most part erotic in nature, though it's connected to a craving to break down your ego structure and surrender. You need to choose the people you do this with carefully. I would say that on a good day you have a 50/50 chance of doing so, though you will (in those moments when you happen to be craving extreme submission, and those when you are not) need to make the relationship choices you make carefully.
 
How you handle situations where money and sex are combined is a truly critical topic. In short, I suggest you avoid that for a while, if you can. Unless of course you're married, but in that case I strongly suggest developing your own base of resources so that nobody can hold money over your head. No matter what kind of Gemini you are, you have the energy to go after money, and get some of the stuff. This seems to be one of the more illustrious points of your charts lately, with Mars retrograde right in your money house and about to go direct.
 
The problem with mixing sex and money is that it becomes extremely difficult to sort out boundaries, once that happens. Boundaries become more important as the theme of power enters your relationships, and that is a high likelihood as the next couple of years progress.
 
And boundaries are what you need. Due to how potent an 8th house Pluto transit can be, you have to keep some very basic boundaries in place, such as keep the water out of the gas tank, keep clients out of the bedroom until they are not your clients, and quite literally know who you are with.
 
The thing about boundaries under Pluto in Capricorn is that they are subject to change. Profound change. For this reason, you need to track those changes and not let your awareness slip away. You need to monitor your affairs, both of the heart and of the wallet.
 
Most of all, you need to not make excuses for others: not for their behavior, their ideas, their needs, how they treat you or what they are doing. You need to let others own who they are, so that you can own who you are.
 
Welcome to the 10th House -- Again

Of all the 12 signs, Gemini pretty much wins the prize for how interesting your career activity is. I am sure I've ranted about this in prior years; the transit goes back about three years, but the energy is peaking now, and reaches another peak in the spring.
 
I hope I have not said this the past several years, but it bears repeating. Your career astrology is so good that you risk it going right over your head. That is to say, your astrology is saying aim extremely high, but most people have no idea what that means, even a lot of smart ones. So let me say it another way.
 
What are the most innovative, wild things you've ever wanted to do? What was your greatest dream as a child? What is your greatest vision for your contribution to the world? That is the place to start. You need to judge your career by some standard other than the job you want to get out of. You need to judge by some standard other than your résumé.
 
The thing about working toward, or living toward, a vision is that it takes work every single day. Did you ever wonder why more people don't actually aspire to their dreams, or accomplish getting there? The main reason is because most people are lazy. Also, if you start to work toward something you care about, two things happen. The first one is that you have to deal with, or dispense with, all the things you don't care about. The second one is you have to work your way through the morass of emotional relationships that hold you down to who everyone thought you were.
 
Is it worth it? Well, you tell me, if you ever get where you want to go. What I can tell you is that you have the chance to get there, or at least to make some excellent progress, right now. One thing you need to be careful about is things that you don't like so much starting to pay off. You may find yourself in the position to decide whether you want to go for what you want, or money for something you don't want. That one, if it shows up, is probably a false dilemma. A false dilemma is any choice that seems to be unfair. The way you get out of that is to first check the validity of the two apparent choices; and then look for a third, and a fourth.
 
Emotional Safety, Security and Freedom

Speaking of the 4th -- Saturn is there now, and this is giving you the power to declare your emotional independence. The thing about your emotional reality is that you have so many ideas about it. This has more to do with the influence of Virgo on your chart than the fact that you are an extremely mental person born under the sign of the Twins. You have ideas, and they are often self-critical ideas. It's almost like you never feel good enough, therefore you are convinced you would never feel safe.
 
It is difficult to let go of this stuff, particularly when the mind seems to be thinking on its own. What it is generally thinking about is the past. Saturn coming through your 4th house is all about letting the past be the past and the present be the present. But before that it's often necessary to get a real feeling for how the past is the present. In other words, generally we are in total denial about living in the past. You will notice as you start to feel the effects of Saturn prompting you to pay attention to what is happening now; and to what emotional ties you want to sever, now.
 
There are a number of influences working on you this way. It is never easy for humans to move on from emotional ties, and when they do they often take old patterns with them. The way to resolve this is to see the old patterns for what they are, and you can do this by giving them language. If you have thoughts about how you feel, give them words. Then study the words, and connect them to the different roots and branches of your life, and see where they come from. Notice whose words you are using.
 
Then, make up your own words, to describe feelings that are original to you. As you sort out what came from the past and what is yours, now, that will be easier. But remember, this process is about a lot more than words. Feelings are about more than words; ultimately, when you have something that you know, you have to use what you know -- or it is quite literally useless.
 
Concusion: Further Afield

The world may be calling you further than you think you're willing to go. So you may want to work with your willingness. What mediates your willingness? Is it fear? Is it the sense of not being ready? Is it a lack of commitment and if so, what is that doing for you? You may notice a little power play -- which is that if you are slack in your commitment, others find it easy to push you around. If you don't feel like being decisive, then you have an easy out.
 
To live your astrology, you need to make this process conscious. The influences of others are still very strong in your life, and to see them for what they are, you need to adjust your sense of scale. For example, what exactly would it mean to be someone's equal? How far would you have to go, in order to get there? What would you have to do? What is affecting your sense of physical mobility, for good or for ill?
 
You may not have easy answers to these questions, but one thing is sure -- your charts are extremely active from all of the most important angles. You have the freedom to be restless, the freedom to create independence, and the experience to stand up to anyone who would get in your way. Remember that there will be some matters where no compromise is possible. There will be matters where compromise is a do-or-die necessity. There will be others where it's a choice. It is up to you to know the difference, and it's up to you to say what is fair.