Free Will astrology for the week of October 11, 2017.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In his book The Logic of Failure, Dietrich Dorner discusses the visionaries who built the Aswan Dam in Egypt. Their efforts brought an abundance of cheap electricity to millions of people. But the planners didn’t take into account some of the important effects of their innovation. For example, the Nile River below the dam no longer flooded its banks or fertilized the surrounding land every year. As a result, farmers had to resort to chemical fertilizers at great expense. Water pollution increased. Marine life suffered because of the river’s diminished nutrients. I hope this thought will motivate you to carefully think through the possible consequences of decisions you’re contemplating. I guarantee that you can avoid the logic of failure and instead implement the logic of success. But to do so, you’ll have to temporarily resist the momentum that has been carrying you along. You’ll have to override the impatient longing for resolution.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Are you primed to seek out new colleagues and strengthen your existing alliances? Are you curious about what it would take to infuse your best partnerships with maximum emotional intelligence? From an astrological perspective, the next nine weeks will be a favorable time to do these things. You will have opportunities to deepen your engagement with collaborators who cultivate integrity and communicate effectively. It’s possible you may feel shy about pursuing at least one of the potential new connections. But I urge you to press ahead anyway. Though you may be less ripe than they are, their influence will have a catalytic effect on you, sparking you to develop at an accelerated rate.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “I was satisfied with haiku until I met you,” Dean Young tells a new lover in his poem “Changing Genres.” But Young goes on to say that he’s no longer content with that terse genre. “Now I want a Russian novel,” he proclaims, “a 50-page description of you sleeping, another 75 of what you think staring out a window.” He yearns for a story line about “a fallen nest, speckled eggs somehow uncrushed, the sled outracing the wolves on the steppes, the huge glittering ball where all that matters is a kiss at the end of a dark hall.” I bring Young’s meditations to your attention, Gemini, because I suspect that you, too, are primed to move into a more expansive genre with a more sumptuous plot.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Statistical evidence suggests that Fridays falling on the 13th of the month are safer than other Fridays. The numbers of fires and traffic accidents are lower then, for example. I find this interesting in light of your current situation. According to my analysis, this October’s Friday the 13th marks a turning point in your ongoing efforts to cultivate stability and security. On this day, as well as the seven days before and seven days after, you should receive especially helpful clues about the future work you can do to feel even safer and more protected than you already do.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Too much propaganda and not enough real information are circulating through your personal sphere. You’re tempted to traffic in stories that are rooted more in fear than insight. Gossip and hype and delusion are crowding out useful facts. No wonder it’s a challenge for you to sort out the truths from the half-truths! But I predict that you will thrive anyway. You’ll discover helpful clues lodged in the barrage of bunkum. You’ll pluck pithy revelations from amidst the distracting ramblings. Somehow you will manage to be both extra sensitive and super-discriminating.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A journalist named Jenkin Lloyd Jones coined the term “Afghanistanism,” which he defined as “concentrating on problems in distant parts of the world while ignoring controversial local issues.” I want to urge you Virgos to avoid engaging in a personal version of Afghanistanism. In other words, focus on issues that are close at hand, even if they seem sticky or prickly. Don’t you dare let your attention get consumed by the dreamy distractions of faraway places and times. For the foreseeable future, the best use of your energy is HERE and NOW.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “I am more interested in human beings than in writing,” said author Anais Nin, “more interested in lovemaking than in writing, more interested in living than in writing. More interested in becoming a work of art than in creating one.” I invite you to adopt that perspective as your own for the next twelve months, Libra. During this upcoming chapter of your story, you can generate long-lasting upgrades if you regard your life as a gorgeous masterpiece worthy of your highest craftsmanship.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio actress Tara Reid told the magazine *Us Weekly* about how her cosmetic surgeries had made her look worse than she had been in her natural state. “I’ll never be perfect again,” she mourned. I bring this up in the hope that it will inspire you. In my astrological opinion, you’re at a tuning point when it’s crucial to appreciate and foster everything about yourself that’s natural and innate and soulfully authentic. Don’t fall sway to artificial notions about how you could be more perfect than you already are.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I didn’t go to work today. I woke up late, lingered over a leisurely breakfast, and enjoyed a long walk in the autumn woods. When I found a spot that filled me with a wild sense of peace, I asked my gut wisdom what I should advise you Sagittarians to attend to. And my gut wisdom told me that you should temporarily escape at least one of your duties for at least three days. (Escaping two duties for four days would be even better.) My gut wisdom also suggested that you get extra sleep, enjoy leisurely meals, and go on long walks to spots that fill you with a wild sense of peace. There you should consult your gut wisdom about your top dilemmas.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A snail climbed to the top of a big turtle’s shell as it was sleeping under a bush. When the turtle awoke and began to lumber away in search of food, the snail was at first alarmed but eventually thrilled by how fast they were going and how far they were able to travel. “Wheeee!”, the snail thought to itself. I suspect, Capricorn, that this little tale is a useful metaphor for what you can look forward to in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “If these years have taught me anything, it is this,” wrote novelist Junot Díaz. “You can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in.” That’s your plucky wisdom for the coming weeks, Aquarius. You have arrived at a pivotal phase in your life cycle when you can’t achieve liberation by fleeing, avoiding, or ignoring. To commune with the only kind of freedom that matters, you must head directly into the heart of the commotion. You’ve got to feel all the feelings stirred up by the truths that rile you up.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): J. Allan Hobson is a scientist of sleep who does research at Harvard. He says we dream all the time, not just at night. Our subconscious minds never stop churning out streams of images. During the waking hours, though, our conscious minds operate at such intensity that the lower-level flow mostly stays subliminal. At least that’s the normal state of affairs. But I suspect your dream-generator is running so hot right now that its stories may leak into your waking awareness. This could be disconcerting. Without the tips I’m giving you here, you might worry you were going daft. Now that you know, I hope you’ll tap into the undercurrent to glean some useful intuitions. A word to the wise: The information that pops up won’t be logical or rational. It will be lyrical and symbolic, like dreams.

Homework: How could you change yourself in order to get more of the love you want? Testify by going to RealAstrology.com and clicking on “Email Rob.”

I have mentioned often circadian rhythms often in my columns, website and Facebook. These are the rhythms of light and dark, sun and moon, the seasonal rhythms, new and full moon rhythms, etc. Last week three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for their work in circadian biology, the field of science dedicated to the 24-hour internal clock on which our bodies run. This 24-hour cycle determines and controls everything in our lives, internally and externally. It’s about biological rhythms, synchronized to Earth’s revolutions around the Sun and light from the heavens—from Sun, moon and stars.

Following each season’s rhythms is part of circadian rhythm, foundation for year-round health. Each season calls for different types of food for our body’s balance and well-being. Foods for the Autumn season, under the Ayurvedic dosha (energy) of Vata (air, wind, sky, clouds) are to be substantial and nourishing, high in protein and ghee (clarified butter), hot (not cool) foods made with stimulating spices. These keep our inner organs moist (Vata is air) and our minds and emotions anchored in the practical. We reduce summery cool, cold raw foods.

Autumn (Vata) calls us to begin consistent daily rhythms and routines, following the changes in light (circadian rhythms). To have silence, stillness and peace in the early hours of the day. Using specific fragrances—vetiver, geranium and citrus essential oils. We wear autumn colors of red, golden yellow and orange. Asleep by 10 p.m. we rise at dawn, listen to bird calls while standing in the rising morning light of the sun.  

ARIES: The season has changed and so must our health regimes, our diets, the ways we exercise and how we plan our day. As Autumn begins it’s good to think along new lines, preparing for the coming changes in light, color, sun and shadows. All of these are reflected in our fall and winter festivals. The seasonal changes are reflected within ourselves, too. Relationships need extra tending so everyone doesn’t feel isolated, cold, alone, withdrawn, and left out.

TAURUS: It’s good to be out and about, learning new things, attending lectures, classes, gathering information. Or, perhaps creating and teaching a class yourself. Always in your life your task has been to illumine the minds of humanity, a serious and disciplined task. It would be good to consider what would be playful, bring enjoyment, fun and a calling forth your lightness and spontaneity? Perhaps you need to swim in a warm natural pool.

GEMINI: What constitutes family to you, whether biological, friend, group (esoteric?), colleagues, etc.? Family matters more and more even if you tend to reject that thought. Something’s not complete with someone. What would that be? With whom? Listening to others until you understand the essential message is an important Gemini goal. All of this brings love forth—your spiritual task.

CANCER: Make contact. These two words have a depth most don’t understand. Making contact releases Love. But it must be true, authentic and intentional contact. It must be from the heart, connecting heart to heart, Soul-to-Soul. The results are that Love being released creates liberation for everyone. You are the one to begin this process. Do this ceaselessly, quietly, with heartfelt intention of contact with all kingdoms.

LEO: There’s a sense that you must create a new plan concerning finances and resources. When this is accomplished, a new state of values will come forth. You may want to communicate more deeply with those close to you, sharing with them your values, asking what values they hold. Seek to know the values held in common. The questions about values have to do with what your desires and aspirations are for the future. Do you know?  

VIRGO: You will want to come out of the shadows and into a greater light. Standing in shadows, perhaps in the shadow of another, is comfortable for you. However, there comes a time when we each must define ourselves, become a sovereign individual, recognize our own self-identity, understand what we initiate, realize that we’re responsible, summon our confidence, and seek a new support system. Am I speaking to Virgo or Pisces? Both. For each is the shadow of the other.

LIBRA: As I prepared the garden for autumn I gathered together a sheaf of wheat. The Virgo symbol of nourishment for humanity. I thought of Libra, and what nourishes them—relationships, beauty, friends, equilibrium, balance, love, sacrifice, art. It’s the art of the wheat sheaf that caught my eye and I thought Librans must get back to their art in whatever form interests them. Some paint, some have galleries, some are collectors. What is your art form? It’s calling you.

SCORPIO: Do you sense with restlessness that there’s a group that belongs to you, and yet somehow you can’t find it? As you search for those like-minded who belong to you, assess what gifts you would offer them, and in turn, to the world. Your gifts and talents continue to develop. Summon patience. Speak with love to those close to you. Ask for their visions and goals. Synthesize everyone’s.

SAGITTARIUS: Saturn has been in Sag for several years now. He has called for a perfect execution of your work. With Saturn’s direction, new structures and new dimensions have been given, resulting in new thoughts flowing through your mind. You’re being impressed with ideas that become ideals for humanity. Share your ideas with others who will assist you. Diplomacy is paramount.

CAPRICORN: What will you do this autumn? How will you reflect the autumn season in your home? Is the world calling to you with new ideas, new creativity? You are being prepared within for something new to emerge in the near future. Perhaps it’s a course of study, something you want (or need) to learn, somewhere to visit, travel to, discover? Is there something you want to say to someone far away? Many things professional come your way.

AQUARIUS: Take extra care with and tend carefully to your money, valuables and resources. Create a place of safety for your money. Know what is coming in and going out. Use this time to discover what is needed and what is not. Give away what is not and then give more away. Giving provides you with meaning, a true sense of service and a liberation that allows you to move forward in your life. Will you be travelling?

PISCES: We are to do our best in every place we find ourselves in. Many of us are indecisive these days, sitting on the fence (uncomfortable), unable to decide where we’re going, what to do when we don’t know what to do, how to provide our gifts when opportunities don’t seem to exist. Again, we (especially Pisces at this time) are to work at our best wherever we find ourselves. Relationships need compromise, patience and acceptance. Adaptation liberates us.