ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): In her blog, Jane at janebook.tumblr.com answers questions from readers. A recent query went like this: “Who would win in a steel cage match, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?” Jane said, “Easter Bunny, no question; he has those big-ass teeth.” But I’m not so sure. My sources say that Santa has more raw wizardry at his disposal than the Bunny. His magical prowess would most likely neutralize the Bunny’s superior physical assets. I’m guessing you will have a similar edge in upcoming steel cage matches—or any other competitions in which you’re involved.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): “Dear Rob: Last January you predicted that 2011 might be the best year ever for us Bulls to commune with the invisible realms and get closer to the Source of All Life. But that God character remains achingly elusive. Can’t I just have a face-to-face chat with his/her Royal Highness?—Impatient Taurus.” Dear Taurus: The coming weeks will be one of the potentially best times in your life to get up close and personal with the Divine Wow. For best results, empty your mind of what that would be like.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): I was reading about how fantasy writer Terry Pratchett made his own sword using “thunderbolt iron” from a meteorite. It made me think how that would be an excellent thing for you to do. I suspect that creating your own sword from a meteorite would strengthen and tone your mental toughness. It would inspire you to cut away trivial wishes and soul-sucking influences.
CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): I have on several occasions stood at a highway exit ramp with a handmade cardboard sign that reads, “I love to help; I need to give; please take some money.” I flash a wad of bills, and offer a few dollars to drivers whose curiosity impels them to stop and engage me. I’ve always been surprised at how many people hesitate to accept my gift. If a comparable experience comes your way anytime soon, consider the possibility that a blessing is being offered to you with no strings attached.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): “Nearly all men can stand adversity,” said Abraham Lincoln, “but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” So far, you have gotten passing grades on the tests that adversity has brought you. But now come the trickier trials and tribulations. Will your integrity and impeccability stand up strong in the face of your waxing clout and influence?
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): It would be a good week to assemble a big pile of old TVs you bought for $5 apiece at a thrift store and run over them with a bulldozer. Start a blazing fire and throw in the photos of all the supposedly attractive people you used to be infatuated with even though you now realize that they were unworthy of your smart love. In other words, it is a perfect moment to destroy symbols of things that have drained your energy and held you back.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 22): The style of dance known as the samba seems to have its origins in the semba, an old Angolan dance in which partners rub their navels together. In the African Kimbundu language, semba also means “pleasing, enchanting,” and in the Kikongo tongue it denotes “honoring, revering.” Bring the spirit of semba to your life. Dream up ways to infuse your intimate exchanges with belly-to-belly reverence and enchantment.
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): In the Philippines, there is a geographic anomaly: Vulcan Point is an island in Crater Lake, and Crater Lake is on Volcano Island, and Volcano Island is in Lake Taal, and Lake Taal is on the island of Luzon. It’s confusing—just as your currently convoluted state is perplexing, both to you and those around you. You could be aptly described as fiery earth within cool water within fiery earth within cool water within fiery earth. Are you OK with containing so much paradox?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): For the Navajo, the quality of your life isn’t measured by your wealth or status, but by whether you “walk in beauty.” It’s an excellent time for you to evaluate yourself from that perspective. Are you skilled at giving gifts that surprise and delight others? When your heart isn’t sure what it feels, do you sing songs that help you transcend the need for certainty? Do you know any jokes you could tell to ease the passing of a dying elder?
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): “He who wants to do good knocks at the gate,” says Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore in one of his “Stray Bird” poems, while “he who loves finds the gate open.” That’s why I advise you, as you get ready to head off to your next assignment, not to be burning with a no-nonsense intention to fix things. Rather, be flowing with the desire to offer whatever gifts and blessings are most needed.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): “Once bread becomes toast, it can never become bread again.” You’re thinking about dropping some slices in the toaster, even though you’re not actually ready to eat yet. The problem is, if you make the toast now, it’ll be unappetizing by the time your appetite reaches its optimum levels. Put the bread back in the bag. For the moment, refrain from toasting.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Don’t try so hard. Give up the struggle. As soon as you really relax, your subconscious mind will provide you with simple, graceful suggestions about how to outwit the riddle. Notice I just said you will be able to “outwit the riddle.” I didn’t say you will “solve the riddle.” Big difference. Outwitting the riddle means you won’t have to solve it, because you will no longer allow it to define the questions you’re asking or the answers you’re seeking.
