Free Will Astrology

ARIES (March 21-April 19) To convey my vision of how best to proceed in the coming week, I'll offer the following metaphorical scenario: Imagine that you are not a professional chef, but you do have a modicum of cooking skills. Your task is to create a hearty, tasty soup from scratch without the benefit of a recipe. You will need a variety of ingredients, but on the other hand you don't want to just throw in a welter of mismatched ingredients without regard for how they will all work together. To some degree you will have to use a trial-and-error approach, sampling the concoction as it brews. You will also want to keep an open mind about the possibility of adding new ingredients in the latter stages of the process. One more thing: The final product must not just appeal to you. You should keep in mind what others would like, too.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Many artists want "to aim for the biggest, most obvious target, and hit it smack in the bull's eye," says Brian Eno, a Taurus genius renowned for his innovative music. He prefers a different approach. He'd rather "shoot his arrow" wherever his creative spirit feels called to shoot it, then paint the target around the place where it lands. That's why his compositions don't resemble anyone else's or fit into any traditional genre - it's Brian Eno-like music. Can I talk you into trying a similar strategy in the coming weeks and months? I'd love to see you create a niche for yourself that's tailored to your specific talents and needs.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) When World War I ended in 1918, the victorious nations demanded crushing financial reparations from the loser, Germany. It took 92 years, but the remaining $94 million of the debt was finally paid last October. I hope this story serves as an inspiration to you. If entities as notoriously inflexible as governments can resolve their moldering karma, so can you. In the next few weeks, I'd love to see you finally clean up any messes left over from your old personal conflicts.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) I know how secretive you can be because I'm one of your tribe. Sometimes the secrecy is a bit neurotic, but more often it serves the purpose of sheltering your vulnerable areas. I'm also aware of how important it is for you to be self-protective. No one is better than you at guarding your goodies, ensuring your safety and taking care of your well-being. I would never shame you for expressing these talents and I would never ask you to downplay them. Having said that, though, I want to make sure that in the coming weeks they don't interfere with you getting the blessings you deserve. It's crucial that you allow yourself to be loved to the hilt. You simply must let people in far enough so they can do that.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) With a fortune of $27 billion, business tycoon Larry Ellison is the sixth richest person in the world. His monumental sense of self-importance is legendary. One of his colleagues says, "The difference between God and Larry is that God does not believe he is Larry." Ellison seems to be what astrologers call an unevolved Leo - an immature soul whose ego is a greedy, monstrous thing. Evolved Leos, on the other hand, are very different. Are you one? If so, you do a lot of hard work on your ego. You make sure that in addition to it being strong, it's beautiful and elegant. It's not just forceful; it's warm and generous. It gets things done, but in ways that bless those who come in contact with it. For you evolved Leos, this is Celebrate Your Ego Week.

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