ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to some historians, Barack
Obama won't be the first American president with African ancestry. As many as
six previous presidents may have had black ancestors, with Warren Harding and
Dwight Eisenhower being the most likely. None of the others claimed their
heritage, however, choosing instead to pass as pure white. Obama is the first
to acknowledge his bloodline. In the coming weeks, I see you as being in a
position with certain metaphorical resemblances to Obama. You'll have the
opportunity, though it may be a bit nerve-wracking, to thrive by celebrating a
truth that no one before you has been brave enough to take advantage of.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This week's advice comes to you
entirely from the great jazz pianist and composer, Thelonious Monk. It all
happens to be in perfect alignment with your astrological omens. 1. "Don't
play everything or every time. Let some things go by. What you don't play can
be more important than what you do play."
2. "A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the
world; it depends on your imagination." 3. "Whatever you think can't
be done, somebody will come along and do it." 4. "A genius is the one
most like himself."
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It's a favorable time for you to phase
out at least 60 percent of your stale old fears. The cosmos are poised to
assist you in this noble cause if you'll exert even a modicum of effort. What's
that you say? You're afraid you can't live authentically without a hefty amount
of anxieties? You secretly believe that you'd be bored if you didn't have your
worries to entertain you? Well, here's an idea that might work: Simply replace
your hackneyed, knee-jerk fears with a slew of silly and outlandish ones.
They'll allow you to feel the friction you rely on to feel alive, but they
won't bog you down with heavy stagnancy. For example, you could contract automatonophobia,
the fear of ventriloquist's dummies, and apeirophobia, the fear of infinity.
Other good choices might be kyphophobia, the fear of stooping, and tutraphobia,
the fear of otters.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Maurice Krafft has made a career of
filming places where hot lava is flowing.
National Geographic
describes him hiking across the crater floor of Ol
Doinyo Lengai, an active volcano that's sacred to the Maasai people in
Tanzania. The ground is not erupting in torrents of fire and burning liquid
rock, but is constantly bubbling and exuding. Through long years of experience,
Krafft knows exactly where to walk so that his shoes don't catch on fire. If
you are going to attempt a metaphorically similar adventure in the coming
weeks, Cancerian, make sure you've studied up on the ins and outs of the
terrain. This is no time for guesswork or naive faith.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The world's record for most people
running in a "Stiletto Sprint" is 265. That's how many put on
three-inch high heels and competed in an 80-meter race in Australia last
September. It's quite possible that your imminent future will have metaphorical
resemblances to that event, Leo. If you want to strive for a certain goal, you
may have to take on some limitation or handicap. My advice? Don't spend a
minute resenting the imposed impediment. Just push ahead with cheerful equanimity
and liberated pluck. You
can
win your
equivalent of the Stiletto Sprint.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "Dear Rob: I have the golden
eggs. They're shiny and big and beautiful. That's the good news. The bad news
is that they're taking waaayyyyy too long to hatch. I've been giving them all
the love and care I can possibly spare — keeping them warm, playing them
Mozart symphonies, thinking good thoughts toward them — but they're still
just sitting there inert. Any suggestions to speed up the process? -Impatient Virgo."
Dear Impatient: From my understanding, the golden eggs are valuable exactly as
they are now. You really don't need them to hatch yet.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Mexican scientists have discovered a way to transform tequila into diamonds. Even the brands that sell for three dollars a bottle work fine as raw material. The catch is that the diamonds produced are too small to be used for jewelry. But they do have numerous practical uses: in surgical instruments, for example. You now have it in your power to preside over a comparable alchemical change, Libra. What could you do that would be like turning lead into gold or tequila into diamonds?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Beginning with Plato, a number of
philosophers have proposed that humans suffer from a collective amnesia about
where we come from and what we're doing here on planet Earth. Other thinkers of
a more esoteric nature have suggested that our amnesia goes even further and is
more personal, blocking us from remembering our previous incarnations. Then
there are the modern psychologists who note that for most of us, the
experiences we have before we learn to speak are virtually inaccessible to our
memories. That's the bad news, Scorpio. The good news is that at least some of
your amnesia will fade in the coming year, allowing you to glimpse and maybe
even gaze steadily upon previously hidden panoramas. And it all starts soon.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to expert
gerontologists, Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards (a Sagittarius) should
have passed on to the next world a decade ago. The man has abused his body so
thoroughly, his continued survival is a mystery. You're currently in an
excellent position to achieve equally stupendous feats of persistence yourself,
Sagittarius. More than ever before, you have a dogged capacity to keep pushing
— even in areas where you've been flighty or sketchy in the past. I'd say
this is an excellent time to deepen your commitment to your dreams in very
practical ways.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In one of his journal entries,
Henry David Thoreau wrote about stumbling upon a single stalk of corn deep in
the woods. It looked out of place there, so far from any cornfield, growing
next to a pine tree. And yet it was doing just fine. How did its seed get there?
By wind or animal? I suspect you will soon make a comparable discovery,
Capricorn: a blaze of vitality that seems out of its element but is perfectly
beautiful. Should you pluck it or engage with it or simply admire it? The
freshest part of you knows the answer.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This could be an epic year to be an
Aquarius. I'm hoping you won't be satisfied with merely coasting along on the
positive vibes that will be flowing in abundance. Rather than just enjoying
your rising popularity, for instance, why not use your popularity to double
your clout? And instead of simply increasing your productivity, why not
supercharge your creativity at the same time? Finally, how about using your
high levels of mental acuity to figure out ways to enhance your emotional
intelligence? While this year will probably be pretty good no matter what, with
some regular tweaks of your willpower you could make it amazingly great.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you're reading this horoscope,
you're not a Cambodian orphan who grew up as a slave in a brothel or a Sudanese
man kidnapped by a militia and forced to do heavy labor 18 hours a day or one
of the 27 million other victims of human trafficking around the world. But you
may be yoked and subjugated in a less literal way, perhaps to an addictive drug
or an abusive relationship or a job that brings out the worst in you. The good
news is that the coming months will be a favorable time for you to escape your
bondage. Maybe it'll help you muster the strength you need, Pisces, if I inform
you that your freedom won't be anywhere near as hard to achieve as that of the
Pakistani boy tied to a carpet loom in a dark room or the Nigerian woman who's
beaten daily as she toils in the sugar cane fields for no pay.
Homework: What's the best question you could ask life right now? Tell me by going to FreeWillAstrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."