Free Will Astrology

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In old Christian and Islamic lore, the dove was a symbol of the holy spirit. The bird was considered so pure and sacred that the devil, who was an expert shapeshifter, could not take on its form. The dove had a different meaning in other traditions, however. Among the ancient Greeks, it had a special relationship with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In Rome, its eggs were regarded as aphrodisiacs. Drawing on all these meanings, I'm nominating the dove to be your power animal in the coming week. You will have an excellent chance to intensify your connection with divine truths through the power of love and eros — and vice versa.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your next assignment is to deepen and refine your relationship with your temptations. That doesn't mean you should shed all caution and simply give in to them. Rather, I'm suggesting you escape the bind that makes you feel like you have to either ruthlessly repress your complicated longings or else thoroughly express them. Is there an in-between position you can find? A way you can appreciate the mysterious gift that the temptations confer and not be miserably obsessed by them? A perspective in which you're neither tormented by guilt nor driven to compromise your integrity?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You're a bit like a professional jet pilot who is operating the pirate ship ride at an amusement park. You have resemblances to a top chef who's shopping for gourmet ingredients in a seedy convenience store. In other words, Gemini, you may feel slightly off-kilter or dispossessed, even though you have a lot going for you. Here's the best possible thing you could do while you wait for the fates to show you how to make a correction: Make it your intention to feel centered, poised, and at peace exactly as you are right now.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Contrary to conventional wisdom, there is currently enough food available to feed everyone on the planet. The problem is, it's not distributed efficiently. Some people get far more food than they need, and even waste a lot of it, while less fortunate folks go hungry. I invite you to think about whether you might have a metaphorically comparable situation in your own life, Cancerian. Is there a part of your psyche that's well-nurtured but a different part that receives meager shares of love and support? Are you overstuffed in one way but starved in another? The coming weeks would be an excellent time to correct such an imbalance. (More on food: tinyurl.com/HungryWorld.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): This horoscope is not an advertisement for ceremonial shovels. I am receiving no payment from a ceremonial shovel company for suggesting that you procure a customized engraved gold digging tool for your own personal use. And I will feel fine if you don't actually get a real one, but instead merely imagine yourself wielding a pretend version. The fact is, Leo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do a groundbreaking ritual: to dig up the first scoop of metaphorical dirt in the place where you will build your future dream house, masterpiece, or labor of love.