By ERIC FRANCIS

This is Eriscope, a monthly horoscope with a psycherotic touch. March is a big month for Venus and Mars; in fact, this is a big week. On March 5, Mars is conjunct Chiron, which brings out about as much male warrior energy as we can muster in our cool, gleaming technological civilization. Yes, we have come a long way since 2.9 million years of hunter-gatherer activities that we gave up not so long ago; and Mars still needs a job. You need to give him one, or that energy goes toxic pretty fast. Chiron will raise awareness of the drive to focus, create and conquer. And Chiron conjunct Mars tends to favor the underdog, that is, the one in any competition who supposedly lacks the better advantage. As for Venus, she's in Aries and is about to station retrograde the following day, which will take us through April 17. Venus in Aries is the journey of self-inquiry we all wish we were brave enough to do. Now that the cosmos is getting into the act, we will have our chance.


Aries (March 20-April 19)
Looked at one way, sex is about oneself, often to the point of obsession. We typically make a big show of it being about the other. Yet deep down we know that the attention, affection and energy of the other is usually craved or worked for so that we may reaffirm our sense of who we are. Realize that people do indeed have karma with one another, and this plays out in relationships; but that's a big part of the problem. The unconscious drive for affirmation, plus the unconscious tendency to hook up with people we have karma with, calls for a phase of sorting out. This will happen sooner rather than later with Venus retrograde in your sign between March 6 and April 17.

Read your 2008 annual for Aries. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Aries and Aries rising here.

Taurus (April 19- May 20)
You are one who harbors many secret feelings about yourself. In a sense you keep your own identity hidden from your awareness, as if it represented some kind of taboo to be conscious of who you are. This is an old story in human history, and the planets are aligned such that you can finally break this taboo on self-knowledge. Unusual movements of your guiding planet, Venus, suggest that much of what you discover will be in the form of what you need sexually. Usually we only think about this at night, with the lights off, and we don't dare breathe a word to anyone. Being honest with yourself is a good start. Then, believe it or not, you just might crave being authentically open with many other people.

Read your 2008 annual for Taurus. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Taurus and Taurus rising here.

Gemini (May 20- June 21)
Old friends and lovers might be showing up faster than you can count them. The thing to remember is this does not necessarily mean the long-anticipated perfect love affair has finally come back to greet you. Of course, it always could, but the kind of astrology we are under is more like being in an echo chamber of emotion. You might have some hot encounters, revisiting old situations. You might run into friends who remind you who you were at an earlier time in your life -- and it's a reminder you need. You're not as old as you think and this will help you figure out how young you are.

Read your 2008 annual for Gemini. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Gemini and Gemini rising here.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)
You don't need to pretend you don't know who you are. You know perfectly well. You also don't need to pretend you have no idea who someone else is; they have revealed themselves and continue to do so. Fantasy is alluring right now, but reality is hotter. I agree, the line between them is growing thin, but if you anchor yourself on making contact with actual people in bodies -- rather than, for example, long-distance and/or in some digital form, you will have more satisfying experiences. Remember that lately and for the foreseeable future, you want your sex deep, spiritually meaningful and profoundly naked. Just make sure there is water in the pool before you dive off the deep end.

Read your 2008 annual for Cancer. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Cancer and Cancer rising here.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)
Propriety, pride, reticence -- these are virtues sometimes, but now they will only block you from sharing intimately, from having the fun you want and accessing the passion you want. You may well be wondering, with all that is being offered to you right now, why you would want to keep a stiff upper lip? Keep asking that, but while you're doing philosophy research, consider your actual options. You have many, and you have the option to relax and experiment. I know we live in a time when everything comes with a security code and requires authentication, but the best things in life usually involve taking a chance.

Read your 2008 annual for Leo. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Leo and Leo rising here.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
You seem to be so busy with commitments that you don't have time to explore. Therefore, when someone arrives and gives you an opportunity to do just that, I suggest you make time and space. More to the point, make being available a priority. I mean really available, unplugged and potentially undressed; but mainly psychologically and spiritually available. Far to the contrary of what most "on the go" types say, this is an option, and usually we opt out by being too busy because we don't want to be vulnerable. Remember, being open to pleasure means being open to pain. Being open to love means being open to fear.

Read your 2008 annual for Virgo. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Virgo and Virgo rising here.

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
One of the greatest turn-ons for humans in bodies and egos (that would be all of us) is a powerful sense of identification with the other; that is, with a counterpart of some kind. The planets are arranged in such a position as to make this inevitable; you are likely to see a little of yourself in everyone, including how you perceived yourself when you were younger. You may feel like you're standing in a time machine. The thing to bear in mind is that the time is in fact right now, not yesterday. Andy Warhol once said that all sex was about nostalgia. I've noticed many times that this is true, but it doesn't have to be.

Read your 2008 annual for Libra. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Libra and libra rising here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
Who you want and why you want them sometimes verges on chaos. If I am not mistaken, your fetish for bad boys or girls, as the case may be, is acting up. What about yourself are you looking for in someone who has issues following the rules, or who is motivated by something besides love? Think of everything you do as an expression of how you feel about yourself. You don't want to put other people in the position of getting their kicks for you, nor of taking your risks for you -- or of acting out any lingering negative feelings you have about yourself. Attraction is an invitation; you don't have to answer. Send an invite or two of your own.

Read your 2008 annual for Scorpio. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Scorpio and Scorpio rising here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
For years, there has been a movement to "reunite" sex and spirituality. I think this would come in the form of love. We might wonder how they ever got separated in the first place, and that is a long story. It's a story of greed, of feeling separated from the divine source we say we love, and most of all it's based on a model of relating that says we can only love one person. If we only love one person, how do we really feel about everyone else? If sex is spiritual, and God or Goddess is real, then everyone is equal; and if we pretend that one person is special at the expense of another person, we're doing something really weird, in my opinion.

Read your 2008 annual for Sagittarius. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Sagittarius and Sagittarius rising here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
You have a lot to share and you know it. If there is something stopping you from doing so, I suggest you check it out. Remember that we live in schizophrenic times where sex is concerned: surrounded by hyper-eroticism on one side of the equation, and told to wear promise rings on the other. I suggest you get a handle on what is guiding you to make the choices you are making; is it about doing what you think others think is right -- or is it being yourself? You have a lot of pressure on you to conform to expectations, and trust me when I say that religion damaged you more than you have figured out. It's time to start thinking for yourself.

Read your 2008 annual for Capricorn. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Capricorn and Capricorn rising here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
Recent weeks and months have been a profound time of self-discovery, and I'm sure you've been doing more sexual experimentation than you usually do; unless you are feeling injured and keeping to yourself. What you are learning about now is the relationship between being hurt and being powerful. These two concepts need to be in a dialog, informing one another of their respective truths. Most people refuse to be conscious of both their pain and their power. If you can be aware of both, you will heal a long struggle and begin to find your inner voice with greater strength and clarity.

Read your 2008 annual for Aquarius. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Aquarius and Aquarius rising here.

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)
By now you've noticed that your visibility, your energy level and your sense of presence in the world are running high and in vivid colors. This must be a refreshing change from feeling invisible. Beware, because this is the point where most people turn around and run for cover. You have nothing to be afraid of, and people who meet you have no reason to doubt you. Work for a measure of consistency; that is, be yourself all the time, though you don't have to take on your own doubts as a measure of your identity. If you refuse to let them take over, you will discover that you resonate with people, you will draw them closer to you and you will have something to share.

Read your 2008 annual for Pisces. Order your Next World Stories 2009 annual for
Pisces and Pisces rising here.