Free Will Astrology

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Singer-songwriter Tom Waits was strongly influenced by Bob Dylan's down-to-earth album The Basement Tapes. “I like my music with the rinds and the seeds and pulp left in,” Waits testifies. “The noise and grit” of Dylan's rootsy, intimate songs, he says, creates a mood of “joy and abandon.” That's the spirit I wish for you in the coming weeks. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, get down to the gritty, organic core of things. Hunker down in the funky fundamentals. Hang out where the levels of pretension are low and the stories are fresh and raw.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You're not really breaking the rules, right? It's more like you're just testing their elasticity; you're helping them become more supple and flexible. I'm sure that sooner or later people will thank you for how you're expanding the way the game is played. It may take a while, but they will eventually appreciate and capitalize on the liberties you are now introducing into the system. In the short run, though, you might have to take some heat for your tinkering and experiments. Try not to let that inhibit your eagerness to try creative risks.

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