Dear Friend and Reader:
The Virgo New Moon two days ago set the tone for September. The Sun and Moon aligned with two different goddesses — one being Venus (the bright planet that will soon be visible in the evening sky) and the other being Isis (an asteroid, and the alignment was precise). There is a receptive, intelligent energy in the air; use it wisely, listen before you speak and remember to keep your mind in the ‘on’ position. Mercury has just finished being retrograde (that began August 2) and will take until mid-month to work out. I suggest you still be cautious with investments, purchases and commitments for another week or two. The Full Moon is the 12th of the month and equinox is the 23rd.
Lovingly,
Revised and Updated! Click for Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
Aries (March 20-April 19) — So much of life comes back to confidence, and this may be the thing you seem to be lacking the most. A series of trials have left you wondering what you’re really capable of, and why the world seems to resist your best efforts. But I would ask — are you really doing that badly? Have recent setbacks set you back at all, or have they firmed up your commitment and desire to proceed? I suggest you focus on the work at hand rather than worrying about the score of the game as you imagine it to be. A little extra effort, embarked on with faith and a sense of service, will lead to some increasing momentum of success. This will in turn give you the sense of progress that you’ve been missing. Trusting yourself is a conscious act.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — I think you need to figure out how much of life is an experiment. It’s not based on a formula, and relatively little is about confirmed knowledge. This may uproot your preconceived ideas about any situation you find yourself in, which would be a healthy step in the direction of an actual encounter with the unknown. It’s not until you admit you’re in such an encounter that you can actually learn something. Not knowing is the predecessor of learning. So work on your mental flexibility, and catch yourself when you’re either obsessing over, or disappointed by, expectations. Notice when you’re curious, and better still, notice how good it feels to act on your curiosity. Pay attention to what happens when you do.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — The creation of ideas is not an especially neat process. There is a lot of trial and error involved, and it’s not just theoretical. You seem to be coming through a phase of making up your mind about something close to your heart. You may regret expending so much emotional energy; you may feel like you weren’t fair to others, nor to yourself. The reason for that is you were trying to think with your feelings, when the situation called for rational thought — and it still does. I suggest you take one clear step at a time. Proceed with the sensation of reassembling something about yourself that has come apart. You might want to start with where you live. Cleaning and organizing your home will be a grounding experience.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The confidence we get from aggression is similar to the feeling of being a fantastic driver when you’re drunk. Therefore, I suggest you cultivate your confidence some other way, for example, by listening and thinking. I realize this is not macho, but then, neither are you. The moment you open up to your feelings, you’re likely to be aware of a sense of injury that’s been following you around for a while. You can’t defend yourself against this, but you can take in the wisdom and humility that it has to offer. We would have little need for growth, were there not something to grow out of, and more meaningfully, something to grow into. The story of your life, in a phrase, is balancing your intellect with your feelings. They don’t have to conflict, but that’s a premise you have to challenge yourself.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Perhaps if we weren’t taught to judge ourselves from the first days of our lives, we might actually know when we’re doing it. I suggest that you figure this out: become vigilant about when you’re scrutinizing yourself, particularly if you notice it’s becoming obsessive. You might want to pause and ask yourself a simple question: is what I’m telling myself true? Do these ‘facts’ check out? Negative emotions and mental patterns tend to be a cover-up for something else; that something may be a quality about yourself you feel will threaten others. I suggest you bring out that aspect of yourself and share it boldly with the world. Take the chance. If you notice yourself experiencing fear, address that directly.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You can afford to let go of your doubts. You would also be wise to toss the notion that your reality has no validity, until others say you fit in with theirs. That’s never going to work as a metric, unless you’re going for network television. Indeed, you may need to rub up against others who don’t share your views until you work your way into different territory. If you haven’t already figured this out, I suggest that you do this water-styled rather than fire-styled. Be gently persistent, rather than demanding. Approach people and situations where potential disagreements exist from a cool place rather than a hot one. Be calm and direct; the heat you’re carrying will do the work from the inside.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — If you look deeper than the surface, you will figure out how good your life really is. That’s the key. Developments taking place now are like seeds being planted for some of the benefits and improvements you want to make the most dearly, and these will require patience. It’s true that from the outside, or judging from certain day-to-day affairs in recent weeks, you might not think you’re getting very far. If you look at any one aspect of your existence, it might not match what the advertisement promised. However, I can assure you that you’re making progress toward any goal you can name specifically. And as someone once wrote, you will soon discover how many small things add up to a lot.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You cannot push your faith or your beliefs on others, and you don’t have to. You seem to have learned this the hard way the past month or so, but you still have good opportunities to take the information on board. It’s not a far stretch to consider that you might do so only if you’re doubting yourself, but I’m wondering what the source of those doubts might be. The mere act of comparing yourself to others, such as assessing who is more successful, will lead to doubt no matter what the outcome of your assessment. If you try to blame someone for your shortcomings, you may be right, but that won’t help. Whatever you may feel, I can pretty much assure you that people in your environment look up to you. That might not be so meaningful if they didn’t have good reasons for doing so.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Not long ago, a career meant you stayed with one company nearly forever, ending up with a gold watch, a retirement and a pension. Now the key to a career is adaptability, and being able to move as quickly as your environment — perhaps even a little faster. Information comes from two places, your external environment and what your mind assembles and creates from what you take in. In planning your next move, I suggest you look in a diversity of places for your information. But you are the missing link that makes it meaningful. You are the one who notices what the information adds up to, and you decide the value that it has for you. This is an intuitive leap. There may not be direct sources to which you can footnote your observations, though I suggest you do your best.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — This latest bout with unusual internal pressure is starting to wane with the summer heat. I wish I could explain in a few words the diversity of ways that you’re trying to burst open, but the key is understanding that you’re experiencing the drive to change as pressure, and potentially as a state verging on crisis. At the moment that condition is easing off, and you have more flexibility and freedom. I suggest you stretch into that a little, but remain mindful of the changes you want to make, and the actions you want to take to get there. At the moment you have an easy opening to fulfill one of your most precious long-term plans. It may not be the thing you want to do the most now, but I suggest you take the opportunity while you have it.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The more you work out the details of a shared arrangement, the better it will work for you. So focus on the fine points, but mostly, focus on the overall goal and notice how you’re getting there. I suggest you maintain a method of going a little at a time, for all forms of progress — including the human contact element, the way you negotiate potential differences, and how you take them as creative opportunities. Remember that the key is incremental progress, and seeing where the aspects of a situation relate to one another. This is different from a sweeping kind of solution, or the sense of dramatically jumping to a new level, lending itself to covering the subtle points much more consciously.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Pay attention to who you meet this month; follow up with anyone who seems interesting. I say this recognizing that you may have come through an unstable or unpredictable phase in your relationships, but at least it wasn’t lacking for adventure — and you have plenty of that mojo left. What your charts suggest is that a new point of contact is opening up with someone. It’s the take-it-gently kind of association, so maintain a balance between keeping your focus and taking a laidback approach. I suggest that you know who you’re talking to at all times, and if you don’t know, find out. Your curiosity will be regarded as sincere interest, and your emotional openness as availability. Listen and feel for these same qualities in others.