Free Will Astrology (January 5)

ARIES (March 21-April 19) “My life was the best omelette you could make with a chainsaw,” noted the great author Thomas McGuane. This is a clever way of summing up his troubled fortunes. There have been moments in 2022 when you may have been tempted to invoke a similar metaphor for your unfolding story. But the good news is that your latest chainsaw omelet is done and ready to eat. I think you will find its taste to be pleasant. And I believe it will feed you for a long time. (Soon it will be time to start your next omelette, maybe without the chainsaw this time!)

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) After careful study of the astrological signs of 2023, I have come to a radical conclusion: You need to tell the people who care about you that you want to be called by new pet names. I think you need to intensify their ability and willingness to see you as a sublime creature worthy of worship. I don’t necessarily recommend using the old standbys like “beauty”, “honey”, “darling” or “angel”. I’m more in favor of unique and charismatic versions, something like “Jubilee” or “Zestie” or “Fantasmo” or “Yowie-Wowie”. Have fun with pet names you really like. More the better.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20) If I could pick a few fun and rewarding projects for you to master in 2023, they would include the following: 1. Be in constant competition with yourself to excel past achievements. But at the same time, be extremely compassionate with yourself. 2. Borrow and steal other people’s good ideas and use them with even better results than they would. 3. Get an emerald or two, or wear jewelry that contains emeralds. 4. Increase your awareness and appreciation of birds. 5. Don’t be attracted to people who aren’t good for you just because they’re unusual or interesting. 6. Refine your flirting to be even more nuanced and fun, while at the same time making sure it never oversteps anyone’s boundaries.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22) When she was young, Carolyn Forché was a conventional poet focused on family and childhood. But she was transformed. Moving to El Salvador during its civil war, she began writing about political trauma. She then lived in Lebanon during its civil war. She was a direct witness to the torture of military violence and the imprisonment of activists. Her creative work increasingly illuminated issues of social justice. At the age of 72, she is now a well-known human rights lawyer. In bringing it to your attention, I do not mean to suggest that you engage in an equally dramatic self-reinvention. But in 2023, I recommend drawing him as an inspirational model. You will have great potential to discover deeper aspects of your life’s purpose – and to improve your understanding of how to offer your best gifts.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Are the characters in Carlos Castañeda’s books on shamanism fictional or real? It doesn’t matter to me. I like the wisdom of his supposed teacher, Don Juan Matus. He said: “Look at every road closely and purposefully. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and only yourself, one question. Does this road have a heart? If so, the path is good; if not, it is of no use.” Don Juan’s advice is perfect for you in the next nine months, Leo. I hope you will tape a copy of his words to your bathroom mirror and read it at least once a week.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Teacher and author Byron Katie asserts, “The voice inside is the one I married. My lover is the place inside me from which an honest yes and no comes.” I happen to know that she was also married for many years to a writer named Stephen Mitchell. So she has no problem marrying Mitchell and her inner voice. In accordance with the astrological signs, I invite you to propose marriage to your inner voice. The coming year will be a fabulous time to deepen your relationship with this crucial source of helpful and sacred revelation.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22) Libra philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche offered advice that is perfect for you in 2023. It’s tough. It’s demanding and scary. If you take it to heart, you will have to perform small miracles that you may not yet have the confidence to attempt. But I have faith in you, Libra. Therefore, I do not hesitate to give you the words of Nietzsche: “No one can build you the bridge on which you and you alone must cross the river of life.” There may be countless paths, bridges, and demigods who will gladly escort you; but only at the price of hindrance and self-denial. There is a path in the world that no one can walk but you. Where does it take you? Don’t ask, walk!”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) How can you transform the effects of the limitations you’ve faced? What can you do to make it work in your favor as 2023 unfolds? I encourage you to think about these questions with courage and bravery. The more moxie you summon, the greater your luck in casting the spell. Here’s another puzzle to wrestle with: What surrender or sacrifice can you initiate that might lead in unforeseen ways to a bold breakthrough? I have a feeling this is what will happen as you weave your way through the next few months in search of surprising opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarius singer Tina Turner said, “My biggest beauty secret is being happy with myself.” I hope you’ll experiment with that formula in 2023. I believe the coming months will potentially be a time when you’ll be happier with yourself than you’ve ever been before—more at peace with your unique destiny, more accepting your immature qualities, more in love with your depths, and more committed to treating yourself with the utmost care and respect. Therefore, if Tina Turner is correct, 2023 will also be a year when your beauty will be on the rise.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) “I’m homesick all the time,” writes author Sarah Addison Allen. “I just don’t know where home is. There is no promise of happiness there. I know that. Sometimes I even feel it. But it’s like chasing the moon. Just when I think I have it, it disappears into the horizon.” If you’ve ever felt pain like that, Capricorn, I predict it will fade in 2023. That’s because I expect you to clearly identify the sense of home you want—and thereby make it possible to find and create place, land, and community where you will experience a resounding peace and stability.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Storyteller Michael Meade tells us, “The ship is always off course. Anyone who sails knows this. Navigation is off course and is being corrected. It gives a sense of what life is.” I interpret Meade’s words to mean that we are never in a perfect rut heading straight for our goal. We constantly deviate from the path we might wish to follow with unremitting precision. This is not a system error; is a feature. And as long as we’re fixated on the idea that we’re not where we should be, we’re distracted from doing our real work. And the real work? Continuous corrections. I hope you will consider what I am saying here as one of your key meditations in 2023, Aquarius.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) The Chinese proverb tells us: “Great souls have will.” Weak souls have desires.” I think this is true in an abstract way. But in practical terms, most of us are a mixture of the brilliant and the weak. We have a small amount of willpower and a bundle of desires. However, in 2023, you Pisces may make dramatic moves to strengthen your willpower as you pour out fierce desires. In my psychic vision of your destiny, I see you feeding metaphorical iron supplements to your resolve and determination.