Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The total solar eclipse of Dec. 4 in your birth sign is a point of demarcation in your life — a before-and-after moment for this lifetime. It is a time of closure, of completion and a point of release. There has been no shortage of these the past 15 years, yet this event represents a point of inhabiting your reality in a bold way. One sad truth about your ruling planet Jupiter in Aquarius during the past year has been many people succumbing to social pressure, believing they’re making decisions — wholly convinced they’re thinkers as original as da Vinci (whom I recently learned was Sagittarius rising). You can and must do better, and that calls for thinking far beyond your own interests, and your current base of knowledge. This is usually something that takes people either countless lifetimes, or extraterrestrial origins, to fully engage. I would barely call it a mystery; for most, it is hardly a thought. For you, it is, or must be. In the process, what you are releasing is an outdated concept of who you are and what your purpose is. You may be claiming something new, or something previously forgotten and old, or something you have long possessed. You are its vehicle, rather than its owner. You are the vessel for fire, rather than the fire itself. Yet to do this, you must be your own master, and in possession of your resources. It is essential that you not let yourself be coopted or used by any purpose other than the one you know is your true mission. If you see this as calling for a sacrifice, you might be in conflict, so find another way to think of it. For example, once you feel your purpose, you offer it everything.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Recent years of your life have pushed you harder than you thought you could withstand. You are probably a better person for it: stronger, more resilient, and focused on necessity rather than desire. Much of that pressure is waning, and the emphasis of your life is shifting in the direction of what you might call spiritual, or reflective, or creative. This may seem inappropriate for our rather dire moment. Yet your growth and sanity depend upon your cultivating a vision and experience of life that are softer, and focused on your humanity rather than your survival. You are probably saying what I am saying writing these words: that sure would be nice. I wish that was possible. Well, it is — and will serve you many ways to embrace. The spiritual, the contemplative and the creative are a personal frontier for you, one where you will find many inner resources. Yet the most significant of those is your individuality: your sense of your distinct being. You live a reality that nobody else does. It is not subject to revision from the outside, or conditioning, though your outer behavior and appearance can be shaped. That is different from your world within, and the you that nobody knows. Yet to make this real, you must investigate, explore, and seek your own understanding. Our lives at this time are lived almost wholly externally. We have been so drawn out of ourselves that most people barely have any sense of their inner being. Your astrology and therefore your life is shifting from the outer world of appearances and engaging with others, to your inner world of communicating with your soul and the collective soul. This cannot be easily expressed, or rather, not at first, and I suggest you be in no rush to announce what you’re experiencing. Keep one or two trusted people close, but do not dissipate your energy.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You will need to review all the decisions you made this past year, and make sure that you were working with full information. While this could lead to some regrets, it will also help you make better choices in the future. Jupiter in your sign last year suggests that you may have been susceptible to the one thing that most Aquarians would say they have no interest in — following trends. There are many reasons for this, ranging from yielding to social pressures, to not knowing when you do not know. While Jupiter is soon to depart your sign, Saturn remains with you, and Pluto is on the way. (Pluto arrives in early 2023, though this influence is so powerful you must be alert to its influences now.) Here is the real question, so far as I can tell. What is your response to fear? You might think you take a logical and pragmatic approach. You might be sure that your intelligence will never betray you. Yet those things are merely grease on the floor, if you are reacting to fear. That is the thing you want to keep a pulse on: what causes you worry or anxiety, and then what you do about it. Due to certain facts inherent in your sign, the question expands to what causes others fear or anxiety and what they do about it — and what they think you should do. Many people are silently consoling themselves with the notion that none of this — meaning life — really matters; we all come back, we’ve been here many times, we get eons to work out our karma. Others around you pretend to trust authority, but are really delegating responsibility for their lives to others. To be true to yourself, it’s time to decide if these things really apply to you. One last thing: do you really trust technology, and those who sell it?

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This is a significant, even crucial, month for Pisces, for three reasons (among others). The first is the Dec. 4 total solar eclipse in your 10th house, Sagittarius. This is the aspiration and ambition angle of your chart, and also the one that covers accountability. Such an event is rare enough, and is designed to help you pull focus on both your goals and all matters of responsibility. The 10th goes “all the way to the top,” and that is about you taking executive power over your life — culminating a process that has been in motion for well over a year. It could also indicate a change in your family or corporate structure that places you in a position of greater authority. The second is Venus stationing retrograde in the most public angle of your chart, and one associated with your professional revenue. While it may seem like you’re swimming against the tide, you are in your element, and the planets encourage you to persist slowly and steadily. Your ideas and your presence make contact with more people thank you may recognize, and have effects beyond what you’re aware of. Money flows toward structure, so in all questions of a financial nature, always include a discussion of time, resources, and how exactly you are going to rearrange your affairs. Finally, Jupiter enters your sign to stay for a while at the end of the month. We’ve all forgotten the brief visit this past spring and early summer. Now Jupiter spends much of 2022 in your sign, which among other things will remind you that you’re a pleasure-seeking creature in a world that seems bent on terrorizing itself for a hobby. Remember that due to the presence of Neptune, it will be good to watch any tendency you may have to overindulge, and to guide your cravings into accord with what is spiritually wholesome for you. But that leaves you a whole lot of room to play.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — There is a solitary element to any true spiritual journey. It is not a social event; where you go is for your steps alone, and what you learn is the domain of your own soul. It’s often better not to try to explain what you’re experiencing, as that may dissipate the energy, and the responses of others may dissuade you from your mission. And you do have one — a purpose, that is — though it’s also likely that your understanding is about to change. Spiritual is no longer an abstraction, or theoretical, or really about ideas at all. Those were all distractions. Spiritual is about your relationship to fear. It is about whether you choose to love, when you have other options right in front of you. It is about whether you strive to see through how things may appear on their face, to what they are in reality. Spiritual is about your commitment to truth. And it is not about concentrating any power other than your ability to help others. You are being reminded by a diversity of astrological developments this month to go direct to source, rather than to accept interpretations, or assertions of what is supposed to be right for you. There are two other elements. One is the need to widen your perspective, and to see everything in context. The other is to seek an understanding of where your sexuality fits into your notion of the divine. Sexual desire is usually made to be left outside the door where any notion of religion, spirituality, or divinity are concerned. Yet this has led only to problems, for individuals, for communities, and for the world. To change course may require special courage, though this all pertains to something everyday and ordinary, and which is equally human and divine.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel as if your relational life has been overly complex the past year or so, though this is more about your own growth and need to experiment than it is about the conduct or intentions of others. The Dec. 4 total solar eclipse in Sagittarius indicates that you have an opportunity to clear your slate of the past, and also to find a new opening to align with others on matters of shared values and the fundamentals of life. This may also indicate situations where you recognize that there can be no reconciliation, and the opening will be one where you can move on. If that is the situation, you are likely to have plenty of past experience that confirms you are correct in going your own way. Any situation that has been at an impasse for a long time is unlikely to resolve itself. Any situation where you notice that there are shared values and room to explore has a greater chance of carrying into the future. In any relationship or partnership, here is a quality I suggest you look for, which is the mutual willingness to hold space for one another. To hold space means to be seen, respected and supported as you are, rather than as you are expected to be. It’s about being accompanied going through changes at your own pace, based on your needs, rather than on the needs of the relationship. I know this can seem daring and unromantic; relationships are supposed to be all about us, and not about individuals. However, we are not in the time of fairytales; we are in the time where growth is our prime necessity. Any relationship that serves a real purpose will accommodate the necessities of all involved to grow, change, become, and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. That is a commitment.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You get to take some new territory this month, if you let go of at least one old claim or holding. Pick what you want the least, and put it near the door, give it back, or donate it to charity. This includes relationship situations that do not serve your ends. If they don’t work for you, they are unlikely to work for others, even if they may think they do. You are at a consolidation stage where you can tidy up the adjustments, rearrangements, shakeups and diversions of the past 18 months. This involves a total solar eclipse in Sagittarius, on the relationship angle of your chart. It’s the last of a long series of eclipses involving the Gemini/Sagittarius axis, which in total signifies a realignment of yourself and all others in your life. These changes can be subtle, or they can be total. They can seem to come from outside of you, from within you, or blown in on the winds of fortune or fate. If you look back and consider all the changes in your relationships going back to summer 2020, you will be amazed how much has changed. This includes what you learned about people and who they really are, and what you learned about yourself and what is acceptable treatment. However, the forthcoming eclipse indicates at least one major discovery is yet to arrive, which will help you come to terms with these changes. Many people are up against what I will call their spiritual limits: that is, they have come up against the boundaries of what they think of as their reality. And if you have found yourself jammed into a corner, you may soon discover that your space widens, making it easier for you to change your mind and learn from others.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Listen to any signs and symptoms your body is sending you, without making up a story what they are about, or lurching into paranoia. That may take some centering. The most relevant lesson of this time in your life may be that your wellness depends more on what you do not do rather than what you do. Further, your most important form of well being is spiritual, or rather, that is the point of origin and the point of arrival. Whatever happens in between those two locations is less relevant than it may seem. Yet you are cautioned against magical solutions, anything you don’t understand, or taking any action that you cannot reverse or undo. You may think that “desperate times call for desperate measures,” though it may be that confusing times call for seeking understanding and clarity. They also call for orienting on the pleasure principle. You have plenty of forces driving you to accomplish something every day. To live a whole and balanced life, you must have fun, and stay in contact with your need to celebrate. I suggest you be leery of anyone who tells you otherwise, or for whom the solution to any health matter is some form of moral purity (in any of the countless forms it may take — learn to recognize them). This is an old kind of trap, laid by those whose only interest is gaining power over others. It’s essential that you see this, and not give those who crave authority the benefit of the doubt. You need a clear line between what is your business and what is the business of others. And with Saturn moving through Aquarius, the sensitive 8th house of your solar chart, be especially vigilant about making any compromise in which death plays a part. Hand that manipulation right back to people.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You have top-level activity in two important areas of your solar chart: your work angle, and your finance angle. Ideally, you get both houses collaborating, which is another way of saying take care of your affairs and remember that everything is a relationship. Every relationship is based on trust. Trust is based on honesty and dependability. If you are both sincere and reliable, you can hardly go wrong. However, you need to take it slow and steady, and prioritize business over pleasure this holiday season. Everyone wants to relax and party, and you can surely do some of that. But remember, you are on call and on duty, and there is much work to be done, and done well. There are three major events. One is an eclipse in Sagittarius, which says take a creative approach to everything; fun is not separate from responsibility. Next is Venus retrograde in Capricorn. This is a reminder to be efficient with time and resources — yours and those of people you work for and work with. Finally, speaking of resources, Jupiter enters Pisces on Dec. 28, something that happens just once every 12 years. This is an indication that you are the beneficiary of some kind of windfall, inheritance, or business transaction. It could indicate something working well for you personally, though you will need to have modest expectations. We are talking about Pisces, whose main value is spiritual, creative and aesthetic. Pisces is also as much about what you offer as it is about what you receive. There is a profound service element to this sign, and yet it is also pleasure-seeking, hence the relationship between service and pleasure in their many forms. Neptune is involved, which is the caution of modesty, and emphasizing the spiritual realm; events in Capricorn say much the same, and emphasize the need for precise communications under all conditions. 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Events and aspects this month may incline you to take risks you don’t understand, which would not be prudent at this time. Even if you think you understand what you’re doing, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding, confusion and emotionally-driven decisions. I suggest you back off and coast for a while. Take stock of your situation and your resources. Get a sense of where you stand with yourself and with others: that will be complex and interesting enough, and require your full attention. You may have a tendency to think you really, really know something, and then one day soon after, you figure out you have to reverse your conclusion. Therefore, beware of false clarity, which would be any form of thinking you know. However, this same astrology is brilliant for taking chances with your artistic endeavors. It’s fantastic for creative self-indulgence, and is an exciting environment for sexual experimentation. The quality of the aspects is full-spectrum: physical, mental, verbal and emotional. It’s all there. The astrology is so full of potential that you could, if you want, take steps toward healing your creative and erotic puzzles and injuries. Yet to do so would not be a clinical enterprise. Healing in any form comes through the act of self-expression. You may work something out intellectually, yet the real work is direct exploration, experimentation, and taking the risk of experiencing your inner qualities. You might think you need to be ‘ready’ for this, but any sense of readiness can be blotted out by fear. Address your fear first; be as articulate as you can; honor your own voice. Then, do what you are craving, with your physical body, whether that comes in the form of perceived desire or need. 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — This is the season to sidestep family dramas. Plenty are possible, here in the Divided Societies of America, Australia and parts of Europe. This will take some focus, some understanding and some compassion — elements of consciousness that seem to have gone missing most places. The truth is that the emotions you feed are the ones that grow. Feeding them can seem like “doing what is necessary” or “playing your part.” It can take profound maturity to step back from what the people around you believe, or what you believe. Quoting my professor of American Studies, Robert Knox Dentan, 99% of what you know is wrong. Building on that, you’re likely to place too much emphasis on “feeling right,” meaning basing your sense of correctness on how right you feel, rather than what you have worked out through a reasoning process. Feeling right when you are not won’t serve anyone, most particularly yourself, unless you are feeling self-destructive. Get that assessment out of the way first. Make your intentions clear to yourself. One fact of your sign is basing your entire sense of stability on your family, and by extension, such pillars of society as the government, corporations and banks. You can start any self-assessment with the question of what it has to do with your sense of security and what you base that on. No matter what may be going on around you, or inside you, your security comes from within you. This works whether you take a secular or spiritual approach to the issue; whether psychological or religious. Your inner source is your wellspring of safety, of assurance, and of healing. We live in a time of radically changing structures, and all that we once trusted is being revealed as unworthy. Therefore, you must learn to trust yourself, and this is a fine time to learn.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Your primary life lesson is learning how to change your mind. This is lately considered as difficult as the full-twisting Gienger in gymnastics, or the triple Axel in skating. It is not — but the reason that athletes can perform those much more difficult feats is because they want to. They are determined. To learn how to change your mind, you need to want to. You have other options, one of which is to be backed into a mental and emotional corner, and proven wrong. Another is to use an old picture of reality to make decisions in the contemporary world, and your current life — and experience the consequences of doing so. Giving up your power of choice and of decision is not a substitute for changing your mind; neither is having your mind changed by force. Rather, I am talking about the mature ability to reason, to contemplate the facts, and to use what you know in a meaningful way. It’s vital that you recognize that other people are involved and influenced by your mental state, and in your exercising your power of choice (or not doing so). Said another way, your decisions and how you handle them directly affect your close partners. Therefore, though it may go against your nature, it will be good for everyone if you discuss your plans and impending decisions with them, and get their input. This does not mean they will run your life, though it will help ensure that you do not run theirs. Which brings me back to changing your mind. This is, in part, about being open to influence. It’s also about the ongoing willingness to be wrong, and to admit you were working with partial information. As I learned in therapy and have said many times: use what you know — and be willing to find out.

beautifully illustrated by Deirdre Tanton

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