Hellfire and hotpants, it’s Aries season. The infernal majesty of this fire sign is a welcome respite from the tidal feelings and easily triggered tears of Pisces. While Pisces season was about reflection and release, Aries season is all about action.
As the first sign in the zodiac, the ram symbolizes beginnings and forward momentum. Ushered in by the spring equinox, Aries season is the true start of a new year and a new cycle of growth. It offers us all the chance to burn what was and begin again, to be born whole and wholly alone. As the Aries poet Octavio Paz writes, “No one behind, no one ahead. The path the ancients cleared has closed. And the other path, everyone’s path, easy and wide, goes nowhere. I am alone and find my way.” May many fires light your path.
Pisces
Feb. 19 to March 20
Famed surfboard shaper Fletcher Chouinard struggled with dyslexia as a child. Chouinard, like many dyslexics, took a natural shine to sculpture and the art of board shaping. The moral of the story is this: Gaps in understanding are not so much what’s missing, but the space in which something else can expand.
Notable Pisces: Javier Bardem / March 1, 1969
Aries
March 21 to April 19
Artist and fellow Aries Toko Shinoda used sumi ink, an old-school and famously temperamental substance, to create her abstract calligraphy paintings. “It is necessary to finish one’s work very quickly. So the composition must be determined in my mind before I pick up the brush. Then, as they say, the painting just falls off the brush.” Begin each project with determined vision, quick execution and no fear of failure.
Notable Aries: Gina Carano / March 24, 1982
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
My favorite Taurus recently imparted the following advice: “We should all operate as the CEOs of our own lives; free to fire, hire, downsize or expand at will.” Apply these principles to the enterprise of your own existence, Taurus. Treat your happiness as an essential business, cut losses and invest carefully to reap maximum satisfaction and minimal suffering.
Notable Taurus: Queen Elizabeth II / April 21, 1926
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
This week, Venus, planet of love and attachments, is moving into Aries in your 11th house of friendship. This transit could mean a platonic friendship accelerates into a physical relationship; relatability with a current partner might increase or you may find yourself feeling abundant, unsexy adoration from your friend group. Recognize that love exists as nourishment and you can be fed, and made full, beyond the bonds of romantic partnership.
Notable Gemini: Peter Sutcliffe / June 2, 1946
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
Every “yes” that has ever crossed the boundary line of your lips has led you to the place you are today. That’s a heavy truth to bear, crab. The good news is you are entitled to retract any yes and usher any outright nay. Rather than wallowing in how you got here, push those claws into the ground and dig yourself out with definitive boundaries, steeled reserve and the knowledge that you will be loved in spite, and perhaps even because, of your ability to say no.
Notable Cancer: Mindy Kaling / June 24, 1979
Leo
July 23 to Aug. 22
The next few weeks are a vital time for the lion pride as a fellow fire sign is ruling the skies. The area of your chart associated with philosophy and mind expansion is activated during this cycle. Will you take ayahuasca or an online cooking class? Learn to make your own toothpaste or astral project? Whatever it is, be guided and engulfed by curiosity. As Plutarch reminds us, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
Notable Leo: Meghan Markle / Aug. 4, 1981
Virgo
Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Fellow Virgo Nick Cave battled a bout of writer’s block last year. Across the pond, his friend, the artist Thomas Houseago, was suffering from a similar lack of inspiration. The two made a deal. “If he painted me a picture, I would write him a song. I have found that it can be helpful to remove oneself from the creative process and do work in the service of others.” Do something necessary for yourself, Virgo, even if you have to approach it as an offering to another. Perhaps best of all, a future iteration of yourself.
Notable Virgo: Prince Harry / Sept. 15, 1984
Libra
Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
A full moon in your sign at the end of the month heralds a time of extremes for you, Libra. Usually one to think rather than feel, unruly emotions are active and actively seeking release at this time. As the sign of balance, this intensity may feel unsettling. Trust that everything is shifting for the ultimate purpose of preparing the path ahead and clarifying your true purpose.
Notable Libra: Steven Spurrier / Oct. 5, 1941
Scorpio
Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
My favorite Scorpio recently confided that in her faith practice, “guilt is not real and completely useless to personal, human revolution.” She explained that guilt cannibalizes time, muddies communication and cripples progress. She advised, as I advise you now, to replace feelings of guilt with an impetus to change and a charge toward action. Do not repeat your wrongs, and honor your potential by moving forward toward humbled self-improvement.
Notable Scorpio: Lucky Luciano / Nov. 11, 1897
Sagittarius
Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
Sage old Socrates wrote, “beware the barrenness of a busy life.” As you, archer, move through this season with alarming speed and admirable intensity, if you don’t pause, you’ll have accomplished much but missed more. Take time, take quiet and take in the sweetness of the fruits of your labors before they spoil.
Notable Sagittarius: Emily Dickinson / Dec. 10, 1830
Capricorn
Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
Independence taken to an extreme is, in and of itself, evidence of deep trust issues. Does your independence look or feel more like exile than healthy distance? Adjust your boundaries accordingly. Until you are willing to gamble and place your faith in the care and competence of your fellow man, you’ll remain a stranger to the tender surprise of being proven wrong.
Notable Capricorn: Tiger Woods / Dec. 30, 1975
Aquarius
Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
Fellow Aquarius Pico Iyer writes that travel is akin to a love affair. “All good trips are like love, about being carried out of yourself and deposited in the midst of terror and wonder.” I hope the weeks ahead find you on the road to somewhere or at the very least traveling toward the strange shores of another person. The terrible wonder and wonderful terror that await you possess the power to transform you from who you are into who you might yet become. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Notable Aquarius: Jimmy Hoffa / Feb. 14, 1913
