Hello Libras, Your birthday report, announced for today, does not look like it's going to happen with Mercury retrograde. I have not forgotten you. Thanks for your patience. -- Eric Francis



Aries (March 20-April 19)
You don't know who you are -- and I suggest you not take any false comfort from the idea that you do. Authentic inquiry into your inner erotic reality may be unsettling, and you may need to ask questions that you don't know the answers to. I can't guarantee you'll even like the answers when you figure out what they are, but I can promise you that your inner truth is easier to live with than some fake presentation you give to the world. You don't need to justify your fears; you merely need to ask whether they are an appropriate response to the world you live in, or whether they provide you an excuse for inaction or refusing to choose an experience that you want deeply.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)

Iris from Book of Blue. Photo by Eric Francis.

Before you make up your mind that the world is an enormous conspiracy to deny you what you need, I suggest you keep a tally of every time you are offered what you need but don't accept the invitation. Then ask yourself why that might be. At the moment you seem to equate sexual experiences with someone having authority over you, rather than you having some authority over your environment or your creative power. In actual fact, you're unlikely to have come to terms with your parents' influence over your sexuality, and we never see the light of freedom until we begin to do this. Whether you know it or not, freedom is what you seek.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Many attempts at intimacy or excursions into sex are attempts to avoid self-knowledge. We've all heard or had the conversation about whether it really is possible to grow in a relationship. Why it might be difficult to deeply encounter oneself when another person is present involves the potential that self-knowledge seems to threaten the fragile stability of many human bonds -- or that is the expectation. Whoever you meet up with on whatever the surface-layer of terms, the deeper encounter is with yourself. Can you express your discoveries out loud? Are you free to state how you feel about your own reality? You may not be -- but at least you're closer to an understanding with yourself.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Emotionally, you are feeling anything but settled. That would be fine -- but you seem to be seeking a measure of emotional stability. May I suggest you choose consciously to live with the instability just a little longer? You need to keep your molecules vibrating as fast as possible. There is wisdom in the insecurity you're experiencing, even if you don't quite have access to it yet. You're about to embark on one of the most passionate, potent phases of your relationship life so far. If I told you that every belief you have about erotic love is going to change, you might think you're not quite up to the job. If I said try to understand your fears and keep an open mind, you would probably be there with bells on.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
The erotic encounters you want seem to challenge the most closely protected ideas you have about yourself -- and this is a step in the right direction. Usually we try to tailor our behavior to follow the outline of who we think we are; in other words, we act in a way that creates the image we want to project. If you did something else, that is, speak your mind every chance you get, you would be giving yourself permission to be the sexual renegade you want to be. The truth is, you believe that everyone should actually be free. But you may doubt that humans possess the integrity to actually encounter one another's truths. Look and listen, because you may encounter a very old friend who is capable of doing just that.
 

Jin from Book of Blue. Photo by Eric Francis.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
You will hardly ever hear anyone mention this, but masturbation and how we feel about it are directly related to self-esteem and how we feel about ourselves. For whatever reason, the cosmos has arranged for you to have a particularly deep and conscious long-term sexual relationship with yourself. You have an unusual opportunity now to explore that territory where your solo sexual experiences are an exploration of the selflove that you feel, and an experiment of the selflove that you need to feel. I suggest you notice who gets closer to you as you go through this process, and who becomes more distant. Who can you talk to, and who do you feel like you have to avoid? When you choose to share your sexuality, I suggest you do it with someone who strives for self-awareness.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
You are such an interesting mix of liberal and conservative, expressive and introverted. You're experiencing all of these things at once right now, but I don't see an inherent conflict. Rather, I see the chance to resolve a few. You seem to be in a deep moment of reflection. By the time of the Full Moon in your opposite sign Aries mid-month, you will see the rather amazing match between what you are exploring in the confines of your mind and fantasies, and what is possible to express in the world. Bear in mind that in a world devoted to stifling creativity, sex is threatening specifically because it liberates passion and freedom. In a culture hypnotized by fear and pseudo-conservatism, we need to confront the fact that sex is inherently liberal.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Venus and Mars are now in your birth sign, a reminder that you contain a mix of all erotic possibilities. One thing that the quest for sexual wholeness and the quest for spiritual wholeness have in common is that both imply knowing ourselves well, and admitting any potential we feel inside. I think it's the potential that scares us more than any mystery we encounter. I suggest you look consciously at what you don't want to admit, feel or acknowledge. Consider the strengths you're afraid of. Explore some of the feelings around any desire that simply seems wrong, despite applying your best Scorpio instincts. The chances are what seems the most wrong is the most right, but you are the one who has to take the final step.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
At different stages of history and personal history, it seems that either men or women are the more assertive gender, that is, the one capable of expressing desire. Have you begun to notice a shift in the world, or in your life? Do you feel like the tables are finally turning, and you're able to focus some of the sexual power that you thought you had all along? It really is a question of confidence. The gift you have at the moment is being able to take either a passive or assertive role, depending on what the circumstances call for. This kind of flexibility is essential right now, as is keeping an open-minded vision for who you are becoming as a sexual person. No one experience represents your truth; no one identity is really you.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Paul Newman, one of the sexiest men to grace the 20th century, or the 21st century for that matter, had extraordinarily strong Capricorn in his chart. He was an Aquarius with a Pisces Moon, but I think what you felt when you looked at him: that solid, earthy, ambitious quality, was all about Capricorn. And that is you. Capricorn offers the humility that is what made Newman such an attractive guy. Humility doesn't mean he thought any less of himself; rather, he let people notice him rather than getting in their face with either a lot of bling or a snobby attitude. People do notice your beauty, and more people than you recognize want you. If you're struggling with believing that, make it your first priority.
 

Aimee from Book of Blue. Photo by Eric Francis.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
If you were to suddenly shed all of your religious beliefs, would your sexual attitudes change? Well, here is the problem. Most smart people don't think they have any religious beliefs, or that those of their family didn't influence them. This is simply not possible in a country where religion is as pervasive as Coca-Cola and McDonald's. Your challenge at the moment is to understand the impact that religion has had on your thoughts, desires and perceptions of your needs. It's 100% likely to influence your thoughts on marriage, monogamy, bisexuality, homosexuality or whether sex is 'right' or 'wrong' under any enormous number of circumstances. If you care about any of these circumstances, the next few weeks will be interesting indeed.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
The way your charts are currently set up, you may feel like you're the one who is free, and everyone else is trying to go jogging while balancing a concrete block on their head. To some extent this is true, at least at the moment. The issue is partly about one's perception of freedom, and partly about commitment. As long as commitment is seen as surrendering freedom as opposed to gaining an opportunity, neither you nor anyone you engage with are going to be happy. At the moment, every matter of sex and partnership is up for negotiation. I suggest you consider carefully what you want, and allow the cosmic forces to align over the next few weeks before you make any promises of your own. Till then, feel free to explore and experiment.

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Eric Francis is the creator of Planet Waves and author of Book of Blue. He has worked as a professional astrologer and internationally published horoscope columnist since the mid-1990s, specializing in minor planets. He has presented numerous sexuality workshops and written for such publications as the Journal of Bisexuality, Sexuality.org and Loving More magazine. He writes his astrology columns in his fine art photography studio in Kingston, New York.