ARIES (March 21-April 19): Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera Tosca premiered in 1900. It featured a heroine named Tosca. In 1914, Puccini’s favorite Tosca, a soprano singer named Maria Jeritza, was performing in a production at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. As she got ready to sing an aria entitled “I Live for Art,” she stumbled and fell. Rather than struggle awkwardly to rise, she pretended that this was all quite natural—called for in the script. She sang the entire piece while lying on the floor. Puccini loved it! Ever since then, most of the singers who have played the role of Tosca have sung “I Live for Art” while prone. I suggest you regard this as an inspirational teaching. What lucky accidents could you make into permanent additions or enhancements?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus poet Gary Snyder said, “Three-fourths of philosophy and literature is the talk of people trying to convince themselves that they really like the cage they were tricked into entering.” Personally, I think that many of us, not just philosophers and writers, do the same thing. Are you one of us? Your first assignment during the next four weeks will be to explore whether you do indeed tend to convince yourself that you like the cage you were tricked into entering. Your second assignment: If you find that you are in a cage, do everything you can to stop liking it. Third assignment: Use all your ingenuity, call on all the favors you’re owed, and conjure up the necessary magic so that you can flee the cage.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Your body is not a temple,” declared author and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. “It’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” I half-agree with him. I’m deeply devoted to regarding the body as an amusement park. It should be a source of endless fun and enjoyment. We have the right—indeed, I’d say a duty—to wield our bodies in ways that immerse us in the mysteries and miracles of pleasure. But here’s where I disagree with Bourdain: I believe the body is also a temple that deserves our reverence and respect and protective tenderness. Your assignment in the coming weeks, Gemini, is to raise your commitment to treating your body as both an amusement park and a holy temple.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Early in his career, Cancerian painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875) sold only a few paintings. But eventually his luck improved. Once he was financially successful, he became very generous. He wielded his influence to get jobs for other artists and mentored many artists as well. Sometimes he added a few dabs of paint to the finished works of younger, struggling painters, then signed the canvases with his own name so that the works could more easily be sold. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to adopt your own version of Corot’s approach toward those around you who could benefit from your help and support. (P.S. It’s in your selfish interest to do so, although the reasons why may not be clear for a while.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Composer Brian Eno has testified that African music underlies and influences much of his work. He exults in the freedom and unpredictability it encourages. Why? Here’s one reason: In African songs, there are often multiple rhythms. And they’re not locked together; they float freely in relationship to each other. Eno says this is different from Western music, whose salient quality is that all the rhythmic elements are contained “in little boxes”—locked into a tyrannically mechanical clockwork pattern. According to my reading of the astrological omens, dear Leo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to experiment with Eno’s insight. How? Escape mechanical clockwork patterns and activate the “multiple, free-floating rhythm” metaphor in everything you do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Are you interested in enhancing your mastery of togetherness? Are you open to my suggestion that you should seek out practical education about the arts of intimacy? Would you be willing to meditate on how you might bring additional creativity and flair into your close alliances? If you answered yes to those questions, the next six weeks will provide you with ample opportunities to dive in to all that fun work. “Collaboration” and “cooperation” will be words of power for you. “Synergy and symbiosis” should be your tender battle cry.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As you come to the climax of your Season of Good Gaffes and Lucky Bloopers, I’ll remind you of folk singer Pete Seeger’s definition of a “productive mistake.” He said it had these five qualities: “1. made in the service of mission and vision; 2. acknowledged as a mistake; 3. learned from; 4. considered valuable; 5. shared for the benefit of all.” Let’s hope, Libra, that your recent twists and turns fit at least some of these descriptions!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Would you consider making one more push, Scorpio? Can I coax you to continue your half-confusing, half-rewarding quest? Are you willing to wander even further out into the frontier and take yet another smart risk and try one additional experiment? I hope so. You may not yet be fully convinced of the value of these forays outside of your comfort zone, but I suspect you will ultimately be glad that you have chosen what’s interesting over what’s convenient. P.S. In the coming weeks, you could permanently expand your reservoir of courage.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A traditional astrologer might say that you Sagittarians typically spend less time at home than any other sign of the zodiac. Some of you folks even rebel against the idea that having a stable home is a health-giving essential. You may feel that you can’t be totally free unless you always have your next jaunt or journey planned, or unless you always have a home-away-from-home to escape to. I understand and appreciate these quirks about your tribe, but am also committed to coaxing you to boost your homebody quotient. Now would be a perfect time to do that. You’re more open than usual to the joy and power of cultivating a nurturing home.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The more crooked the path, the faster you’ll get to where you’re going. Every apparent detour will in fact be at least a semi-valuable shortcut. Any obstacle that seems to block your way will inspire you to get smarter and more resourceful, thereby activating lucky breaks that bring unexpected grace. So don’t waste even a minute cursing outbreaks of inconvenience, my dear, because those outbreaks will ultimately save you time and make life easier. (P.S.: During the coming weeks, conventional wisdom will be even more irrelevant than it usually is.)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When I was a young adult, I was unskilled and indigent. Many restaurants exploited my feeble prowess at washing pots and pans and dishes, but the meager wage they paid me barely kept me fed and housed. You will perhaps understand why, now that I’m grown up, I am averse to cleaning pots and pans and dishes, including my own. That’s why I pay a helper to do that job. Is there an equivalent theme in your own life? An onerous task or grueling responsibility that oppressed you or still oppresses you? Now is a good time to find a way to declare your independence from it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I suspect your fantasy life will be especially potent in the coming weeks. Your imagination will have an enhanced power to generate visions that could eventually manifest as actual events and situations. On the one hand, that could be dicey, because you can’t afford to over-indulge in fearful speculations and worried agitation. On the other hand, that could be dramatically empowering, because your good new ideas and budding dreams may start generating practical possibilities rather quickly.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Progress rarely unfolds in a glorious, ever-rising upward arc. The more usual pattern is gradual and uneven. Each modest ascent is followed by a phase of retrenchment and integration. In the best-case scenario, the most recent ascent reaches a higher level than the previous ascent. By my estimate, you’re in one of those periods of retrenchment and integration right now, Aries. It’s understandable if you feel a bit unenthusiastic about it. But I’m here to tell you that it’s crucial to your next ascent. Let it work its subtle magic.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are most likely to be in sweet alignment with cosmic rhythms if you regard the next three weeks as a time of graduation. I encourage you to take inventory of the lessons you’ve been studying since your birthday in 2019. How have you done in your efforts to foster interesting, synergistic intimacy? Are you more passionately devoted to what you love? Have you responded brightly as life has pushed you to upgrade the vigor and rigor of your commitments? Just for fun, give yourself a grade for those “classes,” as well as any others that have been important. Then—again, just for fun—draw up a homemade diploma for yourself to commemorate and honor your work.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Are you ready to seize a more proactive role in shaping what happens in the environments you share with cohorts? Do you have any interest in exerting leadership to enhance the well-being of the groups that are important to you? Now is an excellent time to take brave actions that will raise the spirits and boost the fortunes of allies whose fates are intermingled with yours. I hope you’ll be a role model for the art of pleasing oneself while being of service to others.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Lionel Trilling (1905–1975) was an influential intellectual and literary critic. One of his heroes was another influential intellectual and literary critic, Edmund Wilson. On one occasion, Trilling was using a urinal in a men’s room at the New School for Social Research in New York. Imagine how excited he was when Wilson, whom he had never met, arrived to use the urinal right next to his. Now imagine his further buoyancy when Wilson not only spoke to Trilling but also expressed familiarity with his work. I foresee similar luck or serendipity coming your way soon: seemingly unlikely encounters with interesting resources and happy accidents that inspire your self-confidence.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Poet Conee Berdera delivered a poignant message to her most valuable possession: the flesh-and-blood vehicle that serves as sanctuary for all her yearnings, powers and actions. “My beloved body,” she writes, “I am so sorry I did not love you enough.” Near the poem’s end she vows “to love and cherish” her body. I wish she would have been even more forceful, saying something like, “From now on, dear body, I promise to always know exactly what you need and give it to you with all my ingenuity and panache.” Would you consider making such a vow to your own most valuable possession, Leo? It’s a favorable time to do so.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Luckily, the turning point you have arrived at doesn’t present you with 20 different possible futures. You don’t have to choose from among a welter of paths headed in disparate directions. There are only a few viable options to study and think about. Still, I’d like to see you further narrow down the alternatives. I hope you’ll use the process of elimination as you get even clearer about what you don’t want. Let your fine mind gather a wealth of detailed information and objective evidence, then hand over the final decision to your intuition.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Certain artists are beyond my full comprehension. Maybe I’m not smart enough to understand their creations or I’m not deep enough to fathom why their work is considered important. For example, I don’t enjoy or admire the operas of Wagner or the art of Mark Rothko. Same with the music of Drake or the novels of Raymond Carter or the art of Andy Warhol. The problem is with me, not them. I don’t try to claim they’re overrated or mediocre. Now I urge you to do what I just did, Libra, only on a broader scale. Acknowledge that some of the people and ideas and art and situations you can’t appreciate are not necessarily faulty or wrong or inadequate. Their value may simply be impossible for you to recognize. It’s a perfect time for you to undertake this humble work. I suspect it will be liberating.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio-born Ralph Bakshi has made animated films and TV shows for over 60 years. His work has been influential. “I’m the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world,” he says. Milder versions of his experience are not uncommon for many Scorpios. People are prone to copying you and borrowing from you and even stealing from you. They don’t always consciously know they’re doing it, and they may not offer you proper appreciation. I’m guessing that something like this phenomenon may be happening for you right now. My advice? First, be pleased about how much clout you’re wielding. Second, if anyone is borrowing from you without making the proper acknowledgment, speak up about it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Vainly I sought nourishment in shadows and errors,” wrote author Jorge Luis Borges. We have all been guilty of miscalculations like those. Each of us has sometimes put our faith in people and ideas that weren’t worthy of us. None of us is so wise that we always choose influences that provide the healthiest fuel. That’s the bad news, Sagittarius. The good news is that you now have excellent instincts about where to find the best long-term nourishment.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Poet Adrienne Rich wrote, “When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.” I believe this same assertion is true about people of all genders. I also suspect that right now you are in a particularly pivotal position to be a candid revealer: to enhance and refine everyone’s truth-telling by being a paragon of honesty yourself. To achieve the best results, I encourage you to think creatively about what exactly it means for you to tell the deep and entire truth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Through some odd Aquarian-like quirk, astrologers have come to harbor the apparently paradoxical view that your sign is ruled by both Saturn and Uranus. At first glance, that’s crazy! Saturn is the planet of discipline, responsibility, conservatism, diligence and order. Uranus is the planet of awakening, surprise, rebellion, barrier-breaking and liberation. How can you Aquarians incorporate the energies of both? Well, that would require a lengthy explanation beyond the scope of this horoscope. But I will tell you this: During the rest of the year 2020, you will have more potential to successfully coordinate your inner Saturn and your inner Uranus than you have had in years. Homework: Meditate on how you will do just that.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 1637, renowned English poet John Milton wrote Lycidas, a poetic elegy in honor of a friend. Reading it today, almost four centuries later, we are struck by how archaic and obscure the language is, with phrases like “O ye laurels” and “Ah! who hath reft my dearest pledge?” A famous 20th-century Piscean poet named Robert Lowell was well-educated enough to understand Milton’s meaning, but also decided to “translate” all of Lycidas into plainspoken modern English. I’d love to see you engage in comparable activities during the coming weeks, Pisces: updating the past; reshaping and reinterpreting your old stories; revising the ways you talk about and think about key memories.

Q: Why am I only attracted to unattainable guys? As soon as men express interest in me, I lose interest in them. How do I break this cycle?!—Frustrated

A: At the moment, the perfect love poem for you would come from a clerk at the court: “Roses are red, violets are blue; stay 500 feet away, or it’s handcuffs for you!” 

Chances are you’re looking to win, not looking for love. Once you win, you’re done. However, you probably tell yourself you’re seeking romantic connection because it’s more appealing than admitting you’re the human version of a dog chasing a dirty tennis ball. The excitement of it is in the chasing, not the getting.

You’re basically on an emotional crack bender. The big neurochemical player here is dopamine, a neurotransmitter that carries signals between brain cells. Though it’s often called the “pleasure chemical,” that’s wrong. Giving you a buzz is opioids’ department. Getting you to the opioids is dopamine’s job. Research by neuroscientist Kent Berridge suggests dopamine motivates you to pursue things that are “rewarding,” like sex, drugs and cake. 

There are some nuances to this. Dopamine is the Beverly Hills brat of neurochemicals—seriously snobby about rewards being new. In researcher-ese, it spikes at the prospect of “novel rewards”: sex, drugs and cake you haven’t tried before. It also goes up for “unpredictable rewards”—which explains the allure of the seemingly aloof himbo. However, “predictable rewards,” like the nice, stable fellow you can always count on, read as a big “meh” in Dopamineville. 

I’m guessing your love of the chase has a second job—as cover for needed emotional repairs. Get to work on your self-worth, self-acceptance and any other self-(s) in need of shoring up. While you’re an emotional work in progress, be honest with men you date that you have a tendency to disappear. Eventually, however, your efforts should be transformative.

Q: I have a challenging job I love, and lately it’s cutting into my time with my boyfriend. I tell him how much I hate this, but he’s been very understanding. Initially, this was great, but now I’m annoyed that he seems fine with seeing less of me. Is it ridiculous I’m upset he isn’t acting more upset that I’m not around as much?—Disturbed

A: Poets and lyricists often describe love as a medical issue: Love hurts! Love is blind! Love lies bleeding! It goes a little far, however, to give it a traumatic brain injury: Love is comatose. 

But maybe that isn’t what’s going on for your boyfriend. Maybe you’re prone to suspect his love is waning. Research by evolutionary psychologists Martie Haselton and David Buss suggests humans evolved to have distorted perceptions when we have to make “judgments under uncertainty.” These are guesses we make when we lack access to some or all of the facts. 

Haselton and Buss explain that recurring mating and survival issues over human history have led us to make protective errors—we err in our thinking in whichever way would be the least costly to us: overestimating or underestimating.

Because women are the babymakers of the species, it’s a costly error for a woman to believe a man will commit—stick around and dad—when he’s really just a “sex it ’n’ exit” cad. So, women err on the side of “commitment underperception”—underestimating men’s level of commitment. Even if a man actually is committed, a woman’s going all hurt feelz that he isn’t might lead him to reassure her with increased shows of devotion: cuddling, romantic dinners, the (ethically sourced!) Hope Diamond Jr. 

Consider whether there’s any real evidence your boyfriend’s love and commitment are waning or whether your emotions are playing evolutionary lap dog. When someone really loves you, they show it by making sacrifices for you—like by supporting your need for unimpeded time and energy when the job you love gets more demanding than usual. Your boyfriend seems really accommodating, so let him know if what would really make you happy is a jealous, demanding manchild who sneaks out in the middle of the night with a big tub of Crisco and greases all the rungs on the ladder of success.