Backbone > Planet Waves
Horoscopes

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You are beginning to understand the nature of the creative force, and you are beginning to have the maturity to use it well. It’s easy to see, from your vantage point, that to bring anything into this world entails a measure of risk, but the risk is somehow what activates the game of manifestation. This is because it’s a concrete exercise of freedom and choice, which are a demonstration of divine power on an individual level. I am tempted to say that there’s nothing you can’t create in your life at this point, but I’ll put it another way. There is no risk too big or too dangerous if you think the results are worth it. The only caution you need to bear in mind is that your ability to create may exceed your ability to maintain. So it’s fair to move a little at a time, and observe the results.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
If insecurity is what keeps you afraid of feeling at your very depths, events this month will prove that touching your inner core is your only hope of safety. But your core is moving, spinning, and emitting energy, light, and understanding, and if you sense this, it may shake your entire reality. This is to say that feeling stable is an animated experience, not the static one we often think of it as being. There is no safety in a bunker, or in predictable circumstances, or in hiding; but you no longer live in any of these. If you want to direct your healing energy someplace, start with your heart. Advice? Sunshine would be a good beginning. If you have any gold, wear it. And bring friends into your home. If you care about the people in your life, tell them over and over again. If your dreams are calling, promise you’ll make at least one of them real.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
The ongoing lesson is meeting the world on equal terms, and this has long seemed to be a project involving one-on-one partnership. But if you think of your experience of relationship more in terms of siblings, you’ll be able to trick yourself into understanding what equality is about—in a sense, it’s about more than one person living in similar circumstances. The more you can see what your life has in common with the people around you, no matter how daunting they may (still) seem, and no matter how challenged to reconcile with yourself you may (still) seem, the more our fundamental equality will make sense. And it needs to make sense, and needs to be within reach, and you must feel somewhere inside that you’re not far from your destination, right now. Because you’re not.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
A little less would be a good thing, and you’ll be getting what you need soon enough. Before the memory of the past 12 months blends into the landscape of history, it would be wise to write yourself a letter documenting what you’ve truly gained since one birthday ago, and tuck it away with any photographs you’ve collected of this time. This way, you’ll remember just when it was that your world began to turn around, and when you decided you had actual reasons for optimism rather than mere hopes. If you can keep two or three of the commitments you’ve made to yourself, your inner wealth, and worldly wealth, will continue to grow. But I leave you with one parting gift from the Jupiter in Cancer era, or perhaps the first from the Leo era. Pay attention to what you want, and when you learn who or what turns you on the very most, make your desire known without equivocation.

Leo (July 22-August 23)
Cat people of the world who follow astrology have surely heard the rumor that Jupiter ventures into your fixed fire sign on the first day of August. But he’s not making a solo journey; rather, he is joined by the Sun, Mars, and Vesta, and on the 7th by the Moon. The prevailing themes of Jupiter are expansion, wisdom, international culture, and luck, all of which he brings wherever he goes. But expansion is the vital force, and what expands is generally what you already are. The message of the New Moon on the 8th is clear: you get to choose what that is, and you must choose with precision. No carelessly worded wishes, second-best choices, or vague generalities of self-concept will suffice now. But neither will any second-rate truths. Know when you’re lying to yourself, and when you’re on the level, because now it really, really matters.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)
In the Greek myths, Chariclo was a nymph, temple priestess, and attendant to the goddess of wisdom, Athene, and she now has a planet named after her. She was also the wife of Chiron, the first centaur. “In our society, she refers to social boundaries, especially those of a cross-gender or sexual nature,” writes minor planet specialist Phil Sedgwick. “She examines interactions to determine the intent of the scenario prior to judging it or responding emotionally. Studying boundaries from the aura/energy viewpoint offers the insights of Chariclo. She also asks for a momentary pause before taking an aggressive response to any relationship injustice.” It happens that Chariclo is doing rather brilliant things in your solar chart right now, and, apparently, your life.

Libra (September 22-October 23)
The idea is community. Among the lost and forgotten inventions of golden ages and renaissances gone-by is this notion that people are better off together than we are apart. Most of the ills of the world, and of individuals, from depression to hunger, are either caused by lack of community, or could be addressed by its virtues. Our relationships would be stronger and more stable if we were surrounded by loving people who understand our needs. Our lives would be more full, we would spend less money and have more wealth, we would eat better, and our work would be lighter, easier, and more fulfilling. In the coming weeks, you may begin to see a lot of people begin to collect around you. But you are the one in possession of an idea or a vision that can guide the many into one. All you need to do is put it into words.

Scorpio (October 23-November 22)
So much of what you’ve been working through and building toward for so long is now ready to be expressed. Yet what may seem daunting is that expression of your deepest personal realities in the outer world can feel so different than the fermentation process for which you are developing an international reputation. But speaking of being well-known, it’s just a matter of time, at this point, and probably not much. The rising tide of fire is about to carry you on its waves, pretty much wherever you tell it, and I assure you that well-known translates to well-loved. All I can say is if you had to pick a time to not use your own past as a basis of expectation for the future, this is it. You’d be cheating yourself out of a taste of freedom, and, Scorpio child, one bite won’t be enough.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 22)
Look out. I mean, everyone, stand back. You are a walking ball of heat, intelligence, erotic fire, and spiritual wisdom, and in fact there’s no stopping you, if you maintain awareness. It would be a disservice to caution prudence or reserve, or to suggest that you must contain yourself in some way. The best I can propose is that you direct yourself when possible, and that you make conscious choices about what turns you on. The stellar setup suggests that you will expand into, mix with, or become just about anything you put yourself near for longer than 15 seconds, and that people are likely to perceive you as larger-than-life; in truth, you are. Yet having power means it’s possible to give your power away, which is entirely unnecessary. Stick with people who have their very own, and who know what it means to be alive. Because you’re about to find out.

Capricorn (December 22-January 20)
All that you have coming to you may be cloaked in the single thought that you’re about to lose something. So if you sense the possibility of loss, such as loss of control, or a change in a situation, or of being over-powered, such may be precisely the illusion you need to look through and walk past. We understand that breaking all the rules may not be in your first nature, and that discretion is allegedly the better part of valor. Just remember, there are at least two parts. As was the case at this time in 1999, an erotic metaphor for life may serve the discussion well. One cannot really explain orgasm, or relate the experience to another in its full truth. All we can do is feel, and feel, and feel, and then let go into the unknown.

Aquarius (January 20-February 19)
It’s time to size up the old astrological prejudice that Aquarians all have pointy ears and like to think about everything logically. I recognize the public is reading this. Including my friends. I don’t know about the pointy ears part, but the logic? The ubiquitously mental approach to life? The need for everyone to continually be explaining the concept feelings, while you try to make sense of it all? Okay, Aquaerians, this is your big month. You’ve got it coming: a roar of passion that will make any idea quiver, an eruption of fire that will melt your processing chips to goo, and an irresistible confrontation with life that promises to leave you with no logical choice other than to act on your desires, in large measure because people around you are going to be acting on theirs. If you’re experiencing this as stress, remember: Breathe.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)
Certain people you want to be close to are completing a rather mysterious healing experience they probably can’t articulate very well, and which involves working out the details not just of past wounding in relationships, but also of many other old hurts. People typically don’t admit to such processes while they’re happening, but this is hardly a meaningful measure of reality; trust that silence is one of the sounds of life. You can, as well, trust that there’s something of your own story here, as you drift ever further from your own past. In a short time, a meeting, or a deeper meeting, is likely, but you’ll need to keep a space open in your life for it. An art piece from last year’s “Burning Man” comes to mind: Psyche’s Window, a bedroom standing by itself a mile out into the desert playa, the city rumbling in the far distance, night winds blowing in through the curtains.