Jonathan is away. Your forecasts today are written by Eric Francis, creator of the excellent web magazine, PlanetWaves.net.

In addition to a New Moon on Thursday, two inner planets are close to returning to 'direct motion' - Mercury in less than a week, and Mars in a little more than a week. Working consciously with these events is one way to keep astrology on your side, and part of what's called for now is patience. Moving forward will come in its time; for now, stay close to the real issues, and take one step at a time.

ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20)
An emotional situation seems to be going from strange to stranger, but you might want to adjust things slightly and go from deep to deeper. I don't blame you for feeling hemmed in to a particular situation, or for being all but convinced that your feelings don't matter. The most important thing is that your feelings matter to you. Once you're on clear terms with yourself, and it may take a few days, you'll soon discover that you're standing in an entirely new psychic and emotional landscape. Your commitment to yourself is more important than your commitment to anyone else. And, in truth, the two do not conflict.

TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21)
This really is the time to think about the future, but not the time to act on it yet. Many factors seem to be conspiring to drag down your awareness to what has been or what might have been, though if you can distill all of that into three or four basic lessons, needs or ideas, you will at least put your experiences to work for you. The more clear with yourself you are, the more this will have the seemingly mysterious result of people you are depending on slowly coming around to your point of view. You don't need to convince anyone – you merely need to be convinced yourself.

GEMINI (May 22 – Jun 22)
You would have no reason to hesitate, except that life still seems to be sending you mixed signals. But the more interesting subject is what signals you're sending to yourself, and to the world. The cosmic environment feels about as organised as a ride in a blender, but the situation is much more orderly than it seems. Once you begin to tie up the loose ends on a personal matter that has proven to be particularly challenging, you're likely to wonder what all the fuss was. Until then, it would help immensely if you kept a clear head and put the emphasis on creativity rather than anxiety.

CANCER (Jun 23 - Jul 23)
Most of the time, you're accustomed to exerting a large effort to get a small result. I suggest you begin a long-term study in how little energy you can exert in order to get exactly the result you want. I recognise that school, bosses, dieting and the force of gravity have all conspired to teach you that the law of life is 'no pain, no gain'. It's time, however, to reverse that equation, and strive for working with such focus and efficiency that you accomplish every goal with the least possible output of energy – including thinking. You'll be surprised how much you can accomplish.

LEO (Jul 24 - Aug 23)
Beware of anything that feels exaggerated, particularly your own feelings. The problem with such an assessment, however, is precisely that feelings are so compelling, and the more intense they are, the more real they feel. So, how can you go about getting a reality check? Part of the answer is that you need to give things time. But applying some logic to the situation will help too. It seems that on some level, you've made contact with an experience you really desire. That may be stirring up your deepest fears. Find the strength to take a step forward and your fears will disappear.

VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23)
Don't worry that people seem not to understand you. You barely understand yourself. The advantage you have is that you believe you'll really come to an understanding, while you can't quite credit others with that possibility. This matters because you really do want and need to be accepted for who you are. And here is the catch. The more boldly you can actually be who you are, the more confident you'll feel that people actually get you. It's your hiding inside yourself that is the result of your mistrust. And I have every faith that you'll emerge exactly when the time is right.

LIBRA (Sep 24 - Oct 23)
For a long time, you've been obsessed with feeling and assessing how you feel. Over the next few weeks, your orientation is shifting in the direction of experience. Yes, this is a big change. You've almost become too cautious about certain matters, and, in the process, lost track of the actual risks involved. More to the point, the risks have become the emphasis, and not the journey, your learning process or your freedom to experiment with your own life. It is true that there are potential consequences for everything, and that includes not giving yourself the opportunity to dare.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
The Moon has drifted into your sign today, and with it a sense of urgency. Judging from the astrology, it feels like you've got to get something finished immediately – or else. Beware of an exaggeration, and I would suggest that any sense of pressure is precisely that. In fact, whatever is on track for completion will do so gracefully, as long as you stay out of a panic. But you might want to ask yourself about the more encompassing feeling that whatever you're doing now is at the point of your last chance to get it done. In large matters and small, you have more time than you think.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 21)
You're being presented with what feels like a test today, and it goes something like this (not exactly – but something close). You're being influenced by a fear, but you don't know quite what that fear is. You have every reason to believe that what you're worried about is of no consequence, but you can't quite put a name on the whole process. I suggest you try. There is in fact some relatively simple logic that's tripping you up – or rather, you could it is that you are ignoring simple logic. And the first rule of that game is to go one step at a time.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 - Jan 20)
There are two ways to succeed. One is to work diligently at doing what you were taught is the right thing. The other is to let yourself do what you need to do, and what you feel is right for you. Often, it turns out to be right for the world, and the meeting place can be profitable for everyone. The story of your life right now is about working out a seeming clash between these two points of view. You may be inclined to make compromises along the way – but I would suggest that making compromises is precisely what you want to avoid. And you'll have a perfect example of this today.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
How, exactly, do you slow down when you're in the midst of so much? You may not actually be able to, but you can give yourself some perspective by asking for feedback from the people around you. You can also look back one year and remember where you were, what you were doing and what your priorities were at that time. A simple contrast of four seasons will not only tell you quite a story – it will be an encouraging one, and you deserve to give yourself credit for rising above a great deal of fear and uncertainty on the way to getting where you are today.

PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
This is a landmark time in your life when you're gaining a footing in the world. I don't think you need to worry about being too self-assured, because built into the Pisces sense of reality is awareness of how fragile everything in this world is. At the moment, you personally possess an unusual awareness of the strength of your character, and the clarity of your own goals. There is nothing about what you're doing that contradicts any larger purpose you've set for yourself, or that you suspect may exist. These facts add up to an excellent homing device that will lead you through the world with gentle, confident steps.

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