May 2004 Horoscopes

Taurus
(April 19 — May 20)

You stand in what is likely to be the most complicated period of personal reassessment of your life. Life would be simpler if you really understood the way in which you've become divided against yourself. The problem has been that, like most vast and ancient issues, this one lurks in a blind spot. But unusual conditions will soon allow you to see something vividly that has long eluded perception. It's true that you've been shaped by external factors, and it's also true that you can choose what you take in and take on. There comes a moment when everything stops and you can make a decision as one person.

Gemini
(May 20 — June 21)

Now that you know a little something about who your friends are, you can make enormous strides discovering who you are. You are headed for a meeting with the other side of your nature: the famed "secret sharer" or opposite self of Gemini mythology. Discovery implies finding something within yourself that was already there. I'm not guessing when I say this has something to do with your sexual orientation. However, there are more than two of these; a unique sexual orientation exists for every person on the planet and your project for the next couple of months is opening up to yours. This, in turn, relates to the most basic facts of existence. To question your sexuality is to ask, "Who am I?" Most people never inquire, so most never find out.

Cancer
(June 21 — July 22)

You have invested much of the past year in a restructuring process. Often this restructuring has required imposed external structure, enforced changes, and taking authority over your own life. You may have noticed in these days that you've finally come to terms with some of your deepest fears, or at least discovered what they are. Should I keep going? You know how strong you are, and you know your vulnerabilities. To this equation we can now add the cosmic force known as desire. Where desire runs up against an old belief, something needs to change: the belief or the desire. Which is it going to be? You have changed with such dedication. You don't need to let one oppressive idea deny you what you want and need the most.

Leo
(July 22 — August 23)

Still waters run deep, they used to say. You do this well. You also do something unusual at the same time, which is to shine out in the world while you keep a space wide open within yourself. More than usual, there is a certain balance you seem intent on maintaining between appearance and your inner reality. More often than not, our dreams live by the virtues of those with whom we surround ourselves. In this process, there is a factor you have not yet considered which will soon enough change the face of your life. Let's put it this way: Make a wish, and remember it.

Virgo
(August 23 — September 22)

You may think you've got the most useless or annoying career in the galaxy. But hold yourself together, you're heading for a rare and brilliant breakthrough. What you must remember at all times is that your work must fulfill your deep personal commitment to beauty and healing. You always need at least two major roles in the world; if you can't get to be eclectic, you get bored and boring. You will never be content in the role of mere functionary. As part of your faith-building process, I suggest you get yourself into the wider world. Your vision is too limited by certain limits in your local environment. Travel, for example, but not for a vacation. The idea is not to vacate but rather to fulfill a vision or a desire in a physical way.

Libra
(September 22 — October 23)

Face your fear of sex. Please. You will be doing yourself an immense favor. Let's go back a few steps and recognize straight off that our entire culture is neurotic about sex. Let's go back a step beyond that and remember that no matter what faith we were raised in, we were most likely subjected to harmful religious messages. The combined effect is to undermine our deepest sense of self and limit how effectively we can use our power. You are headed for a big promotion in all these departments. You have earned it. You just need to keep an eye on the old trap that sex isn't really important all the time.

Scorpio
(October 23 — November 22)

It is one of the most challenging lessons of life to realize that the world we believe in is the world we see. If it is difficult to make changes in life, and now, I would offer you a chance to see that process in action. It seems like you and your relationships are changing. But, what's happening is that certain fundamental beliefs that hold up your entire reality structure are rearranging their chemistry. In summary, certain painful and false beliefs that you have carried since childhood are being clarified, and if you look, you will see what is beneath them. It's rather different, isn't it?

Sagittarius
(November 22 — December 22)

Relationships now come to the forefront of your life like never before. It may seem like you're being met directly full-on by a certain individual who may possess you with an unusual intensity. What you may not see is the extent to which they are also reflecting your own light back to you. The message of this is that you are not separate from your relationships. What your human encounters contain is made up of what you are. You may not recognize it when you see it in another form, such as someone outside yourself by whom you are deeply fascinated. The act of surrender being asked of you now is to allow those who meet you their original motives, and choices.

Capricorn
(December 22 — January 20)

Faced with the circumstances you're now looking at, most people find that the structure of their relationships changes. Long-term partnerships can seem to end suddenly or against one's will. There can be a catharsis process in which the dysfunctions of partnership are taken out and looked at, and the strengths shored up and appreciated. The questions throughout all of this are to what extent do you allow your preconceived ideas to be challenged, and can you live your experiences without them? You will breathe a great sigh of relief when you do.

Aquarius
(January 20 — February 19)

The terrifying thing about being real is the feeling that you were faking it all those years. But if anyone can confront this, it's you. Of all the signs, I believe, Aquarians are most dedicated to the truth as a matter of deep principle. You of all people can see the pressure society puts on every one of us to be a lying hypocrite. At a certain point, one must make a decision: which way of life is easier? And one must make a stand, which is the decision between living for who you are versus living for who you're told you have to be. At the moment, the top item on the agenda is your career. Does your work fulfill your deep intention of strengthening the integrity of the world? Just ask—don't answer.

Pisces
(February 19 — March 20)

Yes, this life takes guts, heart, and soul, but is that such a high price to pay? True, there is a certain raw quality that comes from noticing how you feel and refusing to hide it. More shocking yet, there is a daring and life-or-death quality of thought and emotion that comes from acting on your feelings. Brilliant and revolutionary Uranus in your sign continues to add a highly unusual influence to everything you experience. If you are feeling pain, it's only because giving up old emotional patterns can be extremely difficult in the first moments. Uranus is constantly pushing you to go deeper, never allowing you to be satisfied with the status quo. Now that we've acknowledged the obvious, it will be a lot easier for you to get control in ways that matter. Remember: freedom begins in your heart and home.

Aries
(March 20 — April 19)

If you feel like you're in a burning building, you're in the right place. What's burning is karma, the ancient psychological and emotional material that clogs your life. This has been going on for months, but the furnace is just reaching full temperature. There is also something about needing to be released from a commitment. It will not be long before you have the go-ahead. At the same time, you will also feel the anger, passion, and pain that will motivate you to be clear. Don't medicate yourself. Stay with every sensation and sentiment until you work it through. What it all points to is a pattern of enslavement that may be sexual in nature, and which is working its way out of your world. Remember, there is a difference between power and pleasure.

Eric Francis is an astrologer and writer living on Vashon Island, Washington. More of Eric's work can be viewed at PlanetWaves.net.