ARIES (March 21-April 19): Golden Globe—winning actress Edith Evans had some advice for actors who were just coming into their full power: "Don't indulge yourself by showing off; the moment that you begin to find that you can do something well, you must control it and do it more selectively." This recommendation would serve you well, no matter what your work is. You have reached a higher level of self-expression; you have achieved a degree of mastery in a skill you've been struggling to learn. Now it's time to practice wielding your new command with enhanced discernment and discipline.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): By the time Cal was 7 years old, he was lit up with a desire to know how things work. Sometimes that caused problems. When he dismantled the toaster to examine its innards, his parents reprimanded him. In a working-class family of 12 kids, losing a valued appliance caused a financial crunch. But Cal kept taking things apart to understand them better. In time he became skilled at putting things back together again, often in better shape than they were before he got hold of them. As an adult, Cal creates interactive robots that perform in shows all over the world; he's a master builder. I hope you'll try a telescoped version of his story in the coming week: disassembling stuff in order to ultimately make it work even better.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus advises his disciples to be "as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves" as they do their work in the world. (A different translation says "as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.") That's the two-toned attitude I suggest you embody in the coming week. Evaluate every situation with all the cunning at your disposal, but don't act like a scheming strategist. Be open-hearted and humble, almost child-like in your willingness to see with fresh eyes. This combination will allow you to avoid the pitfalls and reap the blessings of the paradoxes you encounter.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): A teacher at an all-girl Japanese elementary school decided her class would put on a performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But when she selected a student to play Snow White, the parents of the other 24 kids went ballistic. They bullied the teacher into changing the script so that there would be 25 Snow Whites, no dwarfs and no wicked witch. In my opinion, that's the wrong way to apply democratic principles. I'm more anti-hierarchical than anyone I know, and yet even I would draw the line at, say, no more than five Snow Whites. Please be vigilant for the possibility of a similar misapplication of egalitarianism in your personal sphere.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Douglas Engelbart got the idea for the computer mouse in 1950 and actually invented it in 1964. But it was slow to be recognized for the brilliant technology it was and didn't begin to reach a mass audience for another 20 years. Luckily, he was persistent, never losing faith in his vision. I suspect you're on the cusp of a comparable experience. One of your good ideas is either ahead of its time or beyond the capacity of your cohorts to imagine. I'm sure you won't have to wait as long as Engelbart did, but fruition may take more time than you'd like. Let's see how dogged and determined you can be.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do you believe in invisible things? No? You say you only trust information that comes to you through your five senses? Then what's your position on radio waves, infrared light, electricity and X-rays? Do you believe in them? It's true that scientists have developed instruments that detect those invisible things. But what if there are other hidden forces and secret energies the scientists have yet to develop instruments to find? Let these thoughts be the starting point for your meditations in the coming week. It's prime time for you to recognize, engage with and benefit from what has been concealed from you up until now.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Twenty years ago, I ran for city council in Santa Cruz, Calif. As one of my campaign promises, I told voters I would regularly consult with the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, with whom I'd established a telepathic rapport. I fell a few hundred votes short of winning a council seat, but I kept my pledge anyway: I've been communing with Jefferson ever since. Last night I met with him in my dreams. I told him you're in an astrological phase that's favorable for seeking out new teachers and teachings, and I asked if he had any advice. He suggested that you do what I do: Have conversations, either in dreams or fantasies, with an historical figure you deeply respect.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The most striking feature on the planet Jupiter is the Great Red Spot, a storm that resembles a giant unblinking eye. It has lasted over 300 years and is wider than the planet Earth. I invite you to regard it as your symbol of power in the coming weeks. Think of it whenever you'd like to use your eyes to see in bigger and better ways, or whenever you want to draw on the inspirational power of a beautiful storm, or whenever you'd like to transform some disturbance in your life into a long-lived source of dazzling energy.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): For over a decade, members of the Garden Gnome Liberation Front have been stealing garden gnomes from the yards of people's homes and relocating them into their natural home in the forests. While I admire their pranks, I can't in good conscience advise you to join their ranks. Your instinct for freedom is exceptionally high these days, true, but it would be a shame to waste it on helping inanimate objects. Instead, please devote your tremendous emancipatory energies to practical causes and living beings.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It's clear to me that a part of you needs to come out of hiding. I'm not sure what that means, though. Maybe there's a talent you've buried that's ready to emerge into the light. It could be that a question you've been trying to ignore is finally ripe to be asked. Perhaps you've been stoically putting up with a tweaked situation that you really should rise up and transform. What do you think it is?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My favorite places on the moon are the Sea of Clouds, Sea of Fertility, Sea of Ingenuity and Sea of Nectar. The old astronomers who named them didn't know they were actually dark plains formed by ancient volcanic eruptions, not bodies of water. But the great thing about the moon is that it piques our imaginations and massages our dreams as much as it speaks to our rational minds. Take advantage of that power now: Daydream a story about a heroic quest in which you acquire four magical boons, one each at the Sea of Clouds, Sea of Fertility, Sea of Ingenuity and Sea of Nectar.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the U.K., chose an unlikely context to propose marriage to his future wife: She was kneeling in front of the toilet wielding a scrub brush. I expect a comparable event in your near future. An appealing invitation or big opening will come your way while you're in a humble position. The only advice I have is to put down your scrub brush before responding.
