Rob Brezsny crop
Homework: It’s my birthday. If you feel moved, send me love and blessings! Info about how to do that at FreeWillAstrology.com
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Some traditional astrologers believe solar eclipses are sour omens. They theorize that when the Moon perfectly covers the Sun, as it will on July 2, a metaphorical shadow will pass across some part of our lives, perhaps triggering crises. I don’t agree with that gloomy assessment. I consider a solar eclipse to be a harbinger of grace and slack and freedom. In my view, the time before and after this cosmic event might resemble what the workplace is like when the boss is out of town. Or it may be a sign that your inner critic is going to shut up and leave you alone for a while. Or you could suddenly find that you can access the willpower and ingenuity you need so as to change something about your life that you’ve been wanting to change. So I advise you to start planning now to take advantage of the upcoming blessings of the eclipse.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): What are you doing with the fertility and creativity that have been sweeping through your life during the first six months of 2019? Are you witheringly idealistic, caught up in perfectionistic detail as you cautiously follow outmoded rules about how to make best use of that fertility and creativity? Or are you being expansively pragmatic, wielding your lively imagination to harness that fertility and creativity to generate transformations that will improve your life forever?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Mythologist Joseph Campbell said that heroes are those who give their lives to something bigger than themselves. That’s never an easy assignment for anyone, but right now it’s less difficult for you than ever before. As you prepare for the joyous ordeal, I urge you to shed the expectation that it will require you to make a burdensome sacrifice. Instead, picture the process as involving the loss of a small pleasure that paves the way for a greater pleasure. Imagine you will finally be able to give a giant gift you’ve been bursting to express.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In 1903, the Wright Brothers put wings on a heavy machine and got the contraption to fly up off the ground for 59 seconds. No one had ever done such a thing. Sixty-six years later, American astronauts succeeded at an equally momentous feat. They piloted a craft that departed from the Earth and landed on the surface of the moon. The first motorcycle was another quantum leap in humans’ ability to travel. Two German inventors created the first one in 1885. But it took 120 years before any person did a back-flip while riding a motorcycle. If I had to compare your next potential breakthrough to one or the other marvelous invention, I’d say it’ll be more metaphorically similar to a motorcycle flip than the moon-landing. It may not be crucial to the evolution of the human race, but it’ll be impressive—and a testament to your hard work.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the year 37 AD, Saul of Tarsus was traveling by foot from Jerusalem to Damascus, Syria. He was on a mission to find and arrest devotees of Jesus, then bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished. Saul’s plans got waylaid, however—or so the story goes. A “light from heaven” knocked him down, turned him blind, and spoke to him in the voice of Jesus. Three days later, Saul’s blindness was healed and he pledged himself to forevermore be one of those devotees of Jesus he had previously persecuted. I don’t expect a transformation quite so spectacular for you in the coming weeks, Scorpio. But I do suspect you will change your mind about an important issue, and consider making a fundamental edit of your belief system.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You could be a disorienting or even disruptive influence to some people. You may also have healing and inspirational effects. And yes, both of those statements are true. You should probably warn your allies that you might be almost unbearably interesting. Let them know you could change their minds and disprove their theories. But also tell them that if they remain open to your rowdy grace and boisterous poise, you might provide them with curative stimulation they didn’t even know they needed.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some children are repelled by the taste of broccoli. Food researchers at the McDonald’s restaurant chain decided to address the problem. In an effort to render this ultra-healthy vegetable more palatable, they concocted a version that tasted like bubble gum. Kids didn’t like it, though. It confused them. But you have to give credit to the food researchers for thinking inventively. I encourage you to get equally creative, even a bit wacky or odd, in your efforts to solve a knotty dilemma. Allow your brainstorms to be playful and experimental.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Spank yourself for me, please. Ten sound swats ought to do it. According to my astrological assessments, that will be sufficient to rein yourself in from the possibility of committing excesses and extravagance. By enacting this humorous yet serious ritual, you will set in motion corrective forces that tweak your unconscious mind in just the right way so as to prevent you from getting too much of a good thing; you will avoid asking for too much or venturing too far. Instead, you will be content with and grateful for the exact bounty you have gathered in recent weeks.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your inspiration for the coming weeks is a poem by Piscean poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It begins like this: “The holiest of all holidays are those / Kept by ourselves in silence and apart; / The secret anniversaries of the heart, / When the full river of feeling overflows.” In accordance with astrological omens, Pisces, I invite you to create your own secret holiday of the heart, which you will celebrate at this time of year for the rest of your long life. Be imaginative and full of deep feelings as you dream up the marvelous reasons why you will observe this sacred anniversary. Design special rituals you will perform to rouse your gratitude for the miracle of your destiny.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Orfield Laboratories is an architectural company that designs rooms for ultimate comfort. They sculpt the acoustic environment so that sounds are soft, clear, and pleasant to the human ear. They ensure that the temperature is just right and the air quality is always fresh. At night the artificial light is gentle on the eyes, and by day the sunlight is rejuvenating. In the coming weeks, I’d love for you to be in places like this on a regular basis. According to my analysis of the astrological rhythms, it’s recharging time for you. You need and deserve an abundance of cozy relaxation.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I hope that during the next four weeks, you will make plans to expedite and deepen your education. You’ll be able to make dramatic progress in figuring out what will be most important for you to learn in the next three years. We all have pockets of ignorance about how we understand reality, and now is an excellent time for you to identify what your pockets are and to begin illuminating them. Every one of us lacks some key training or knowledge that could help us fulfill our noblest dreams, and now is a favorable time for you to address that issue.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the next four weeks, you’re not likely to win the biggest prize or tame the fiercest monster or wield the greatest power. However, you could very well earn a second- or third-best honor. I won’t be surprised if you claim a decent prize or outsmart a somewhat menacing dragon or gain an interesting new kind of clout. Oddly enough, this less-than-supreme accomplishment may be exactly right for you. The lower levels of pressure and responsibility will keep you sane and healthy. The stress of your moderate success will be very manageable. So give thanks for this just-right blessing!