Free Will Astrology

Jun 20, 2001 at 12:00 am
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Contrary to conventional wisdom, you Aries folks are capable of deep introspection. I hope you'll prove it now that you're being called to reimagine where you've been so you can get a better bead on where you're going. To begin: Return to your roots and thoroughly reinvent them. Or revise your interpretations of several key memories, then tell the story of your life with all-new plot twists. Pop psychologists say it's never too late to have a happy childhood. I say it’s never too late to create fresh traditions and foundations that suit you better than the originals.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "When we accept small wonders," says novelist Tom Robbins, "we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders." I would add that by taking time every day to build up our capacity for curiosity, surprise and delight, we also pave the way for outright miracles to barge into our lives. The coming weeks will be prime time to try this out, Taurus. Your multitude of baby steps will have an uncanny power to spawn a quantum leap.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Rocking F Ranch in Nevada has formally laid claim to all water in any clouds that pass over it. An entrepreneur named Dennis Hope has asserted that the planet Mars is his personal property and has begun to sell portions of it to eager buyers. These daring claims inspired me to grant every Gemini 50 acres on Jupiter, the heavenly body that astrologers regard as having an expansive, awakening influence. I trust my gift will embolden you to become more aggressive in staking claims to resources you need here on Earth. That would be in sweet alignment with the cosmic omens.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): My astrological sources tell me that back in 1990 you started a journey that will culminate in the next few weeks. I exhort you to finish off your labor of love with a flourish, Cancerian. With the powers vested in me by your inner teacher, I authorize you to pull off a rite of passage that will wrap up the old business as neatly as is humanly possible, setting the stage for the launch of a new age of expansion.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): For this week's horoscope, I've borrowed the oracles of Leo poet John Averill. Of the hundreds he has created, I've chosen those that are astrologically accurate for your future. Thursday, June 21: Today is the day of the gallon jug of truth serum. June 22: Today is the day of the hornet's heart. June 23: Today is the day of the chaperone who put one little lie on her résumé. June 24: Today is the day of whacking avocados into the creek with a baseball bat. June 25: Today is the day of the bear who made his home in a cottage in the woods. June 26: Today is the day of the happy hayride through hell. June 27: Today is the day of the marshmallow Jesus nailed to the chocolate cross.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I've learned that some of you who're reading this horoscope are not Virgos. As many as 15 percent of you may be illicitly gaining info meant for Virgo eyes only. How would you like it, you non-Virgos, if I shared your secrets with everyone? There is one condition, however, under which I will give you license to continue eavesdropping: You must promise to dissolve your fixed ideas about your Virgo friends and loved ones. It's an unfortunate fact that every one of your expectations of them tends to hypnotize them into living up to that expectation, even if it's wrong or only half-true. The good news is that in the current phase of their astrological cycle, Virgos will find it relatively easy to break away from the inaccurate images people are projecting onto them. Help them in this important work.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have begun compiling a list of possible new nicknames for you to try on. If they're too flashy for your tastes, please feel free to dream up your own. The goal is to find one that loosens your inhibitions, maybe even pumps up your desire to show off. Why? Because you're entering a phase when you need to grab the spotlight a little more, or at least be more aggressive and expressive in proving yourself. Here are some suggestions: Thunderbird, Seriously Delirious, Dreamweaver, Fierce Epiphany, White Knight, Wild Face.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Please ensure that at least three of the following prophecies come to pass, Scorpio. Doing so will put you in alignment with highly benevolent cosmic trends. 1) You will have a successful negotiation with a green-eyed, yellow-bellied monster. 2) A natural fool will provide you with a half-useful message about how to cultivate more freedom. 3) You'll experience a metaphysical version of an enema, purging undigested emotions that had long been stuck. 4) You'll carve the shape of a heart out of a slab of Spam and put it on the doorstep of a person who drives you crazy. 5) You will make love up in a tree, in the water or in midair while skydiving.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Welcome to the astrological month of Cancer the Crab. For you Sagittarians, this phase of your cycle often brings adventures that require you to adapt an approach very different from your usual modus operandi. Instead of wandering toward the far horizon with your eyes wide open and your arms outstretched, you're more likely to have to burrow into the underworld with your peripheral vision fully engaged. You may need to temper your hearty longing for discovery with a facility for cagey strategy. If you're a maverick, this will be an excellent time to mess around with unsanctioned pleasures and unauthorized experiments.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you were a normal baby, you disliked olives, pickles, coffee, grapefruit and mustard. Now that you've grown up, you probably regard several of those foods as tasty. In a similar way, Capricorn, I predict you will, in the coming months, develop an appetite for experiences that have always been off-limits or beneath your notice. One may have a metaphorical resemblance to sauerkraut, while another will be like caviar and a third like hot candy imbued with the flavor of violets. You'll soon be amazed at the sensations that stir you to exclaim "Yum!"

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You're now in the phase of your astrological cycle when you're most likely to attract the insight and help you need to heal your body. I suggest, therefore, that you go on a quest to change your relationship with your most distracting physical problem. You might start by taking an exuberant vow to do whatever is necessary to stop defining yourself through your pain. Perform a ritual (preferably full of dancing and laughing) in which you ask your liveliest spiritual sources for guidance about how to proceed. In short, Aquarius, treat this as a joyful celebration of your growing vitality, not a solemn struggle with an invisible enemy. For inspiration, check out the Caroline Myss book Anatomy of the Spirit.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A few years back, an Alabama court upheld a ban on the sale of vibrators, ruling that there is no constitutional right to an orgasm. It's now a perfect time, from an astrological perspective, to overturn that law. If you're a Pisces in that state, enlist the help of a shamanic ACLU lawyer. The rest of you should undertake some equally practical action to advance the cause of rapture. How about reading up and trying some exotic erotic techniques? You might also make a list of five pleasures you habitually deny yourself and then do them all.