Dear Friend and Reader:
Through most of April the emphasis of the planets shifts to Aries. The Sun will be in the hottest of the fire signs through April 20, joining Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Eris. That is a lot of Aries, appropriate enough for springtime here in the Northern Hemisphere — full of passion and impulse. This is going to require some adult tempering. This particular combination of planets can lead to a kind of militancy of opinion, or actual aggression. Mercury retrograde from March 30 through April 23 can add many layers of confusion or misinformation, so the fighting energy has high probability of being misdirected. This is definitely the month to read The Way of the Spiritual Warrior and definitely not the month to start a war or initiate action in court. Invest your energy into cleaning closets and your attic.
lovingly,
Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
Aries (March 20-April 19) — Every action you take in the outer world of your life is going to have a corresponding sense of going deeper into yourself. Every time you go deeper into yourself you’re likely to experience some impulse to express yourself in the world. The two are not only related, they are directly connected. While you may feel at times that something is too deep to express, or too superficial to explore the inner meaning of, I assure you that both processes are proceeding at the same basic pace, and will feed one another nicely. It is a truly meaningful advent that you are making the connection, and the truth is you’ve been doing so for a while. If you’re looking for one significant reason why your life is so different now, that would be a great place to start your investigation.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Consider how your ideas about gender influence your ideas about your profession. You may feel that there is some factor working against you, something such as sex discrimination, but this may have its roots in what you were taught about yourself and therefore what you believe about yourself. So the issue is in a sense political because it involves the structure of society, but there is a deeply personal level in that we tend to make real what we believe about ourselves. Does anybody remember the Equal Rights Amendment? One of the most puzzling aspects of American history to me is how this could have possibly failed. Here is the salient text: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” I mean, how basic does it get?
Gemini (May 20-June 21) — This may be a wild month for you socially; you could have a lot of fun and you could get into a lot of trouble. I suggest you make real decisions, particularly about what you say. You may have never heard me say the word ‘gossip’ anywhere in the last thousand Planet Waves columns, but I suggest you not partake this month, even a little. Mercury retrograde in the hotly charged up social angle of your chart is a warning that even a small misstep, exaggeration or deception could cause a lot of problems. Indeed, you must be careful and conscious when you say anything to anyone. And passing along the advice of one of my favorite corrupt politicians, always stay three drinks behind the crowd. If you can manage all that you will have a heck of a lot of fun.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — In all matters involving your profession or any kind of aspiration, be mindful of the random chance or odd contact that can help you get where you need to be. The world will have a way of yielding its secrets: who to speak to, what to ask, what to say at the right time. When you’re not certain, do a little research and/or wait patiently for more information. It will have a way of blossoming on the branches like so many flowers of the springtime. While Mercury is retrograde, I suggest you pause before making any decisions, or making any commitments in writing — even things like applications, or finalizing a new resume. Do the legwork and then wait until the end of the month to actually start the process. A delay of a few weeks could save you a few years.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Be aware that someone you care about is deeply sensitive at the moment, and their response to a situation that arises for them is unlikely to be a response to you. Don’t take it that way — if you do, you may get more deeply involved than you were planning on and indeed than you deserve to be. That said, you’re unlikely to be able to ignore the situation. I can give you a clue. The person is having a challenging time dealing with a childhood trauma involving their mother, which may in turn involve her daughter. The charts caution that there is a veil of denial thrown over the whole thing, which may make the emotions involved extremely slippery. Here is the question: what does any of this have to do with you?
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — This is the month to be careful with money. Your fortunes could turn on the point of a pen; I will repeat the oft-cited standard advice for Mercury retrograde: beware of what you sign. I would go so far as to suggest you avoid writing your name inside the cover of a book, and if you do, write with pencil. Be cautious even with verbal commitments, such as promises and offers of favors. Be equally careful about what is promised to you; you’re naturally skeptical and whatever is offered is likely to look really good. That said, the astral weather is extremely good for detective work. It’s so good, all you’ll have to do is let people open up and reveal their secrets. You might have some great fun sharing a few of yours with the right person, but please don’t put them on Facebook.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — How much is too much of a good thing? You had better talk about it with the people who matter the most. You have a number of relationships brewing and they seem to have a diversity of appeals. There’s some awesome potential for exchange on many levels. Yet you may wonder if they conflict with one another, or whether it’s appropriate to be close (or even attracted) to more than one person. Here is where integrity comes in, mainly in the form of open communication. You will go a long way toward maintaining balance by repeatedly asking how various people around you feel. As long as they have their say, you will have a sense of stability and experience some extraordinary moments of contact.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — One thing I suggest you do this month is delegate any work that anyone can do as well as or better than you. This will serve two basic purposes — you’ll get to have more fun, and you won’t push yourself to the point of exhaustion. You’ll stay healthier and get more done and have weekends and evenings to yourself. Otherwise you run the risk of working yourself into madness, getting less done, and pushing your health past that certain edge where you know you shouldn’t go. You just need the presence of mind to set aside your pride and ask people to take on tasks that you don’t want or that you’re not so good at. This is the trick — keep what you’re best at and what you like the most. Then tell me if you like this method.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Many of your best ideas will come from what most people think of as mistakes. So if you’re on a project or in a conversation or developing an idea and you do something ‘wrong’, or if you get confused, see if maybe you’ve actually got the better idea. By the way this is where most people shut down their creative process. True creativity can seem like a bunch of mishaps that lead from one idea to the next. The rational mind of a normal person wants everything to line up and be perfect, and come out exactly as planned. Art is what happens in the state of mind halfway between intention and neglect.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Security has become such a priority these days that nearly anyone can get away with anything. Your whole concept of what makes you feel safe is being turned on its head, and you may feel stressed out — even though you haven’t necessarily connected the two. The thing that may be pushing your patience and invoking paranoia is your desire to feel safe, comfortable and secure. We live in edgy times and you will probably feel a lot better if you allow yourself to explore the edge. You may think that’s the last place you want to go, but if you’re looking for some peace of mind, you will need to push yourself into unfamiliar territory. Every cell in your body wants to go there.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Hugh Prather once wrote, ‘It takes ego to see ego’. Therefore, I am loath to trust any statement about someone being egotistical or driven by self-importance. It may be true; heck, it’s usually true, but you also have to look at the source when anyone makes such an accusation. Therefore, if anyone should make such a comment about you, notice who is talking and where they’re coming from before you decide the statement is right. Our society has a little narcissism problem, coupled with a self-esteem problem, and the two usually go together. Your current primary mission in life is to feel good about your existence, and along the way you’ll need to get your concepts sorted out. The truly rare commodity is self-respect — and since we’re on the topic, that’s the real taboo.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Pay attention and you’ll make several significant discoveries about money and resources this month — which will provide you with proof of how clever and successful you are. Here are some thoughts: Consider your wealth in more diverse terms than cash. It includes any commodity with any worth to someone else. You don’t need to think it’s especially valuable in cash terms; you need to notice that others do. Next, remember that fortunes are made and lost at points of decision; therefore, pay attention every time you’re deciding something. Last, this is the time in life to make sure that the ways you attract wealth are directly aligned with your values. Selling out works only for people who have nothing worthwhile to begin with. Thankfully you are in no such situation.