Rob Brezsny crop
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Would you be interested in a motto that will help set the tone for you in 2014? I’ve got a suggestion that’s in alignment with the astrological omens. It’s from a poem by Margaret Atwood. Try saying this and see if it works for you: “Last year I abstained / this year I devour / without guilt / which is also an art.” If you choose to make this affirmation your own, be sure you don’t forget about the fact that devouring without guilt is an art—a skill that requires craft and sensitivity. You can’t afford to get blindly instinctual and greedy in 2014; you shouldn’t compulsively overcompensate for 2013’s deprivations. Be cagey and discerning as you satisfy your voracious hunger.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The coming months will be a good time to meditate on the concepts of happy accidents and benevolent trouble. Go ahead and throw constructive mischief into the mix, too, and maybe even a dose of graceful chaos. Are you game for playing around with so much paradox? Are you willing to entertain the possibility that fate has generous plans for you that are too unexpected to anticipate? There’s only one requirement that you have to meet in order to receive your odd gifts in the spirit in which they’ll be offered: You’ve got to be open-minded, eager to learn, and flexible.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I think we humans need some new emotions. It’s true that old standards like sadness, anger, jealousy, and fear are as popular as ever. But I would personally love to be able to choose from a greater variety, especially if at least 51 percent of the new crop of emotions were positive or inspiring. Now it so happens that in 2014 you Pisceans will be primed to be pioneers. Your emotional intelligence should be operating at peak levels. Your imagination will be even more fertile than usual. So how about it? Are you ready to generate revolutionary innovations in the art of feeling unique and interesting feelings? To get started, consider these: 1. amused reverence; 2. poignant excitement; 3. tricky sincerity; 4. boisterous empathy.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Deep bronzes and smoky cinnamons and dark chocolates will be your lucky colors in 2014. Mellow mahoganies and resonant russets will work well for you, too. They will all be part of life’s conspiracy to get you to slow down, deepen your perspective, and slip into the sweetest groove ever. In this spirit, I urge you to nestle and cuddle and caress more than usual in the coming months. If you aren’t totally clear on where home is, either in the external world or inside your heart, devote yourself to finding it. Hone your emotional intelligence. Explore your roots. On a regular basis, remember your reasons for loving life. Stay in close touch with the sources that feed your wild soul.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): For years, French painter Édouard Manet and French poet Stéphane Mallarmé hung out with each other every day. Mallarmé referred to their relationship as “the most complete friendship.” They influenced each other to become better artists and human beings. I’m guessing that in the coming months, Taurus, you’ll thrive on that kind of stimulating companionship. Having such regular contact with a like-minded ally might even be an important factor in ripening your intelligence. At the very least, I predict that soulful friendship will be a crucial theme in 2014. You will attract blessings and generate luck for yourself by deepening your ability to cultivate synergistic bonds.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): St. Peter’s Basilica is a very old church in Vatican City. It contains a life-size bronze statue of St. Peter that is at least 700 years old. Over the centuries, countless visitors have paid their respects by kissing and touching the feet of the idol. The metal composing the right foot has been so thoroughly worn down by these gestures that the individual toes have disappeared, leaving a smooth surface. You will have a similar kind of power in 2014, Gemini. Little by little, with your steady affection and relentless devotion, you can transform what’s rigid and hard.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Big rivers don’t travel in straight lines. Their paths are curvy and complicated, with periodic turns and bends. In some places they flow faster and in others they’re slower. Their depth and width may vary along the way, too. Your own destiny is like one of those big rivers, Cancerian. In some years, it meanders for long stretches, slowing down as it wanders along a crooked course. It may even get shallower and narrower for a while. But I expect that in 2014, you will be moving more rapidly than usual. You will be traveling a more direct route, and you will be both wide and deep.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “In games there are rules,” writes science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, “but in life the rules keep changing.” This is always true, of course, but I think it will be an especially poignant truth for you between now and your next birthday. During the coming months, you may sometimes feel as if every last law and formula and corollary is mutating. In some cases, the new rules coming into play will be so different from the old rules you’ve been used to, they may at first be hard to figure out. But now here’s the happy ending: It may take a while, but you will eventually see that these new rules have an unexpected logic and beauty that will serve your future well.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I predict that you will commit no major acts of self-sabotage in 2014. Congrats! I also foresee that you will be exceptionally careful not to hurt or damage yourself. Hooray! More good news: You won’t be as critical of yourself as you have sometimes been in the past. The judgmental little voice in the back of your head won’t be nearly as active. Yay! Even your negative emotions will diminish in frequency and intensity. Hallelujah! Whoopee! Abracadabra!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The citizens of Iceland love literature, but many are not content to simply read. One out of every ten Icelanders writes and publishes a book at sometime in his or her life. I know it’s unrealistic, but I would love to see at least one in ten of all my Libra readers do the same in 2014. I think you’re ready to make a big statement—to express yourself in a more complete and dramatic way than ever before. If you’re not ready to write a book, I hope you will attempt an equivalent accomplishment.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’m hoping you will find a new teacher or two in 2014, maybe even a mentor. Not a guru who tells you what to do. Not an exploitative “expert” who claims to know what’s right for you or a charismatic narcissist who collects adoration. What I wish for you, Scorpio, is that you will connect with wise and humble sources of inspiration…with life-long learners who listen well and stimulate you to ask good questions…with curious guides who open your eyes to resources you don’t realize you need. In the coming months, you are primed to launch a quest that will keep you busy and excited for years; I’d love to see you get excellent help in framing that quest.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 2014, it’s possible you will be given a cabbage farm or a petting zoo or some bequest that’s not exactly in close alignment with your life’s purpose. But it’s more likely that the legacies and dispensations you receive will be quite useful. The general trend is that allies will make available to you a steady flow of useful things. Your ability to attract what you need will be high. In the coming months, I may even have good reason to name you an honorary Scorpio. You might match those Great Manipulators’ proficiency at extracting the essence of what you want from every situation.