All photos in this edition by Drexcel Najarian.


Aries (March 20-April 19)
Bear in mind what of your emotional landscape is the product of past influences and what is the product of current ones. They may be impossible to discern, so you may want to do one of those exercises where you walk around your house, pick up various objects and say, "This is mine, I am not in my parents' house" and "This kitchen is my kitchen, I am allowed to leave my dirty dishes in the sink." Of course if you have a partner, you would need to be aware of that, but the illusion of living in the depths of history, with all its insecurities, may persist until you and the people around you are fully aware that you simply are not there -- you are here.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
Mars in your sign is firing up your desire nature, and your ruling planet, Venus, has been sending an odd message that you can get what you want from life. It often seems the case that the world cares little for whether we are happy or not, or whether we sink or swim, but it matters whether you care. Remember that there are two forces operating at once. Mars is pushing you to be yourself. Venus, slow and powerful on the Sphinx point (the imaginary line between Leo and Virgo, where she will be for a few weeks) is providing evidence that an unusual creative process is at work. The message: you're the one making the decisions that shape your destiny. Creative power is nothing if we don't consciously put it to use, and the way you are given to do that is by making consciously choosing -- and by looking directly at the glaring differences between the past and the present.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You must allow your concerns about your finances to be clear enough for you to take action. That is the measure of clarity; is the response obvious? Think in words and concepts, not emotions. How you define your problems will determine whether you are able to solve them; whether they have solutions can help tell you whether they are truly problems at all. Life at the moment is a setup for thinking things are wrong when they are in fact going well, so I suggest being careful about what you allow yourself to believe, and being fully aware of what you do in fact believe. Indeed, we could say at the moment, particularly where cash flow is concerned, belief is nine-tenths of the law.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
This has been a turbulent moment, but it's going all the better for your recognition that you are at the center of your life. Don't be surprised if people accuse you of just this; don't laugh at them; just remember, the statement "it's my life" is not so much a privilege as it is a responsibility. Part of that responsibility at the moment means being extremely realistic about finances. This has three prongs. Save your pennies when you can; spend when you need to; and to succeed where money is concerned, you must have a vision. Clarify that vision a little at a time and soon enough you will be able to see not only the light of day, but also that you are cultivating the kind of tree on which money does indeed grow.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Life is not a conspiracy to stretch your emotional resources, though it surely may feel like one. Be aware that astrological factors are taking you places in your psyche that are both exhausting and at times frightening, while your physical-world reality may not be offering you enough of what you need. I will tell you that one of the most important things you can give yourself is time alone. You need space to reflect, less in the cognitive way and more in that groggy, wordless underwater way. Be careful not to make the mistake of defending your space. That will only make it seem smaller.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Right and wrong are particularly slippery territory at the moment, and you will not necessarily be able to tell by the reward of your choices. What is right for you may cost you something, and what is wrong for you may offer a substantial profit. However, there is no rush to make a final decision on these matters. Mercury in Cancer still has a ways to go before feeling its way through to anything resembling the truth, and you may want to wait till well past the first week of July before you make any final determinations or firm commitments, particularly if you are questioning someone's loyalty. That will take some extra patience, and it will be worth your while.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
This is not the time to take a casual approach to life, but you don't want to take things too seriously, either. If you keep an open mind, you'll discover that what looks like a difficulty or loss presents a gift, and what seems to tax your resources is actually pointing to how much you have to offer. A set of circumstances beyond your control may seem to indicate that a relationship has reached a kind of final turning point, but you would be well advised to avoid hasty actions or emotional outbursts that will only turn out to be based on partial information. The whole story will come, in its time.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
You may not fully understand the pain of a person close to you, even though you can feel it. Note that there are moments when it will seem to make perfect sense to you, but have little to do with their inner reality. For their part, someone you care about is indeed going through a process that you don't understand, much of which is not really your business anyway. Their struggle involves a variation on a theme that is affecting many people's lives at the moment, which is distinguishing ourselves from our parents, and the related fear associated with declaring one's independence from a tribal group. This is no longer a death penalty: today, it is usually the best hope for having a life.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
Others process the world differently than you do, and swoon under the influences of different impassioned scenarios than you do. I suggest you give everyone sufficient space to work out their issues, their own way, and learn as much as you can as an impartial witness. Your own dramas seem more destined for Broadway or Hollywood and less for a local access soap opera, but they contain many of the same basic genetic codes. The more you learn from others in these weeks, including from listening to the details of their emotional reality, the easier and more creative your own life will be when your story takes its eminently interesting turns later this summer.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Give a name to the distinct phase of your life that is rapidly drawing to a close, and you will take away some of the power that your personal affairs seem to have over you. It is not easy to disillusion a Capricorn; you are already so committed to a realistic perspective. But hopes and dreams have snuck up on you, and some romantic ideals, and a sense of the way you want the world to be. At this juncture, it's clear that reality has not confronted you: you have confronted it. The lesson you will take away from this long chapter of your life is that everything is not merely about commitments, but also how we feel about them.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
You may be asking how you got involved in such a complicated situation, but you would be wise to give the whole thing time to work out before you roll up your sleeves and start trying to clear pipes and re-route wires. That may take a couple of months; bargain, borrow or buy yourself time, and use that time to observe and gather your facts. There are the kind of rational, functional responses to this situation that you need, but they will not necessarily present themselves until Saturn enters Virgo much later this summer. Until then, spend your time patching the roof, closing the cracks in the foundation and reducing the impressive load you are carrying.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Saturn opposite Neptune, which was exact for the third and final time in late June, has seemed like one endless and pointless test. Yet if nothing else, you have become accustomed to yet another phase of being called upon to respond to necessities before you respond to your need for pleasure. This policy has its limits, and you have begun to honor them. Most of the business world takes care of its affairs between the hours of 9 and 5, and people walk away without a second thought. You may at this stage of your growth want to paint the lines between business and pleasure in red, rather than your usual invisible ultraviolet. The other way to go would be to fuse the two inseparably.



Planet Waves Inner Space [sm] by Eric Francis is published by Planet Waves, Inc. Today's edition includes contributions by: Managing Editor: Priya Kale. Associate Photo Editor: Drexcel Najarian. Webmaster: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Proofreader and Fact Checker: Sara Churchville. Horoscope Editor: Jessica Keet. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli.