Free Will Astrology

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “When one door closes, another opens,” said inventor Alexander Graham Bell. “But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.” Heed his advice, Aquarius. Take the time you need to mourn the lost opportunity. But don’t take more than the time you need. The replacement or alternative to what’s gone will show up sooner than you think.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As far back as ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, people staged ceremonies to mark the embarkation of a new ship. The intention was to bestow a blessing for the maiden voyage and ever thereafter. Good luck! Safe travels! I suggest that you come up with your own version of this celebratory gesture. It will soon be time for your launch.

Be faithful to your innovative ideas, Scorpio. Don’t let skeptics or conventional thinkers waylay you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’m a big believer in the value of enhancing one’s innate talents with training and education. On the other hand, my assessment of your destiny between now and October 2018 impels me to offer a suggestion.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Simon & Garfunkel released their first album in October 1964. It received only a modest amount of airplay. The two musicians were so discouraged that they stopped working together. Then Bob Dylan’s producer Tom Wilson got permission to remix “The Sounds of Silence,” a song on the album. He added rock instruments and heavy echo to Simon & Garfunkel’s folk arrangement. When the tune was re-released in September 1965, it became a huge hit. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because I suspect you’re now at a point comparable to the time just before Tom Wilson discovered the potential of “The Sounds of Silence.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’re a good candidate for the following roles: 1. a skeptical optimist who is both discerning and open-minded; 2. a robust truth-teller who specializes in interesting truths; 3. a charming extremist who’s capable of solving stubborn riddles; 4. a smooth operator who keeps everyone calm even as you initiate big changes; 5. an enlightened game-player who reforms or avoids games that abuse beauty’s power.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The poet E. E. Cummings said, “To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” On the other hand, naturalist and writer Henry David Thoreau declared that “We are constantly invited to be who we are,” to become “something worthy and noble.” So which of these two views is correct? Is fate aligned against us, working hard to prevent us from knowing and showing our authentic self? Or is fate forever conspiring in our behalf, seducing us to master our fullest expression? I’m not sure if there’s a final, definitive answer, but I can tell you this, Libra: In the coming months, Thoreau’s view will be your predominant truth.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Will a routine trip to carry out an errand take you on a detour to the suburbs of the promised land? Will you worry you’re turning into a monster, only to find the freakishness is just a phase that you had to pass through on your way to unveiling some of your dormant beauty? Will a provocative figure from the past lead you on a productive wild-goose chase into the future? These are some of the possible storylines I’ll be monitoring as I follow your progress in the coming weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1892, workers began building the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. But as of August 2017, it is still under construction. Renovation has been and continues to be extensive. At one point in its history, designers even changed its architectural style from Neo-Byzantine and Neo-Romanesque to Gothic Revival. I hope this serves as a pep talk in the coming weeks, which will be an excellent time to evaluate your own progress, Virgo. As you keep toiling away in behalf of your dreams, there’s no rush. In fact, my sense is that you’re proceeding at precisely the right rate.