Free Will astrology for the week of May 2, 2018.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I hate rampant consumerism almost as much as I hate hatred, so I don’t offer the following advice lightly: Buy an experience that could help liberate you from the suffering you’ve had trouble outgrowing. Or buy a toy that can thaw the frozen joy that’s trapped within your out-of-date sadness. Or buy a connection that might inspire you to express a desire you need help expressing. Or buy an influence that will motivate you to shed a belief or theory that has been cramping your lust for life. Or all of the above! (And if buying these things isn’t possible, consider renting.)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): These days you have an enhanced ability to arouse the appreciation and generosity of your allies, friends, and loved ones. The magnetic influence you’re emanating could even start to evoke the interest and inquiries of mere acquaintances and random strangers. Be discerning about how you wield that potent stuff! On the other hand, don’t be shy about using it to attract all the benefits it can bring you. It’s OK to be a bit greedier for goodies than usual as long as you’re also a bit more compassionate than usual.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I bet that a healing influence will arrive from an unexpected direction and begin to work its subtle but intense magic before anyone realizes what’s happening. I predict that the bridge you’re building will lead to a place that’s less flashy but more useful than you imagined. And I’m guessing that although you may initially feel jumbled by unforeseen outcomes, those outcomes will ultimately be redemptive. Hooray for lucky flukes and weird switcheroos!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Born under the astrological sign of Cancer, Franz Kafka is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s major literary talents. Alas, he made little money from his writing. Among the day jobs he did to earn a living were stints as a bureaucrat at insurance companies. His superiors there praised his efforts. “Superb administrative talent,” they said about him. Let’s use this as a take-off point to meditate on your destiny, Cancerian. Are you good at skills you’re not passionate about? Are you admired and acknowledged for having qualities that aren’t of central importance to you? If so, the coming weeks and months will be a favorable time to explore this apparent discrepancy. I believe you will have the power to get closer to doing more of what you love to do.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you really wanted to, you could probably break the world’s record for most words typed per minute with the nose (103 characters in 47 seconds). I bet you could also shatter a host of other marks, as well, like eating the most hot chiles in two minutes, or weaving the biggest garland using defunct iPhones, or dancing the longest on a tabletop while listening to a continuous loop of Nirvana’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But I hope you won’t waste your soaring capacity for excellence on meaningless stunts like those. I’d rather see you break your own personal records for accomplishments like effective communications, high-quality community-building, and smart career moves.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was among history’s three most influential scientists. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) has been described as the central figure in modern philosophy. Henry James (1843-1916) is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English literature. John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a prominent art critic and social thinker. What did these four men have in common? They never had sex with anyone. They were virgins when they died. I view this fact with alarm. What does it mean that Western culture is so influenced by the ideas of men who lacked this fundamental initiation? With that as our context, I make this assertion: If you hope to make good decisions in the coming weeks, you must draw on the wisdom you have gained from being sexually entwined with other humans.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Every so often, a painter has to destroy painting,” said 20th-century abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning. “Cézanne did it. Picasso did it with Cubism. Then Pollock did it. He busted our idea of a picture all to hell.” In de Kooning’s view, these “destructive” artists performed a noble service. They demolished entrenched ideas about the nature of painting, thus liberating their colleagues and descendants from stale constraints. Judging from the current astrological omens, Libra, I surmise the near future will be a good time for you to wreak creative destruction in your own field or sphere. What progress and breakthroughs might be possible when you dismantle comfortable limitations?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Mayflies are aquatic insects with short life spans. Many species live less than 24 hours, even though the eggs they lay may take three years to hatch. I suspect this may be somewhat of an apt metaphor for your future, Scorpio. A transitory or short-duration experience could leave a legacy that will ripen for a long time before it hatches. But that’s where the metaphor breaks down. When your legacy has fully ripened—when it becomes available as a living presence—I bet it will last a long time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When a critic at Rolling Stone magazine reviewed the Beatles’ Abbey Road in 1969, he said some of the songs were “so heavily overproduced that they are hard to listen to.” He added, “Surely they must have enough talent and intelligence to do better than this.” Years later, however, Rolling Stone altered its opinion, naming Abbey Road the 14th best album of all time. I suspect, Sagittarius, that you’re in a phase with metaphorical resemblances to the earlier assessment. But I’m reasonably sure that this will ultimately evolve into being more like the later valuation—and it won’t take years.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, love should be in full bloom. You should be awash in worthy influences that animate your beautiful passion. So how about it? Are you swooning and twirling and uncoiling? Are you overflowing with a lush longing to celebrate the miracle of being alive? If your answer is yes, congratulations. May your natural intoxication levels continue to rise. But if my description doesn’t match your current experience, you may be out of sync with cosmic rhythms. And if that’s the case, please take emergency measures. Escape to a sanctuary where you can shed your worries and inhibitions and maybe even your clothes. Get drunk on undulating music as you dance yourself into a dreamy love revelry.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Life never gives you anything that’s all bad or all good.” So proclaimed the smartest Aquarian six-year-old girl I know as we kicked a big orange ball around a playground. I agreed with her! “Twenty years from now,” I told her, “I’m going to remind you that you told me this heartful truth.” I didn’t tell her the corollary that I’d add to her axiom, but I’ll share it with you: If anything or anyone or seems to be all bad or all good, you’re probably not seeing the big picture. There are exceptions, however! For example, I bet you will soon experience or are already experiencing a graceful stroke of fate that’s very close to being all good.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Enodation” is an old, nearly obsolete English word that refers to the act of untying a knot or solving a knotty problem. “Enodous” means “free of knots.” Let’s make these your celebratory words of power for the month of May, Pisces. Speak them out loud every now and then. Invoke them as holy chants and potent prayers leading you to discover the precise magic that will untangle the kinks and snarls you most need to untangle.

Homework: What’s the most important question you need an answer for in the next five years? Deliver your best guess to me. Freewillastrology.com.

Taurus follows Aries. Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac. From the Fire of Aries, Taurus settles the Aries fire with its deep and penetrating earth. Taurus is reliable and loving, faithful and generous, consistent and balanced, gentle and modest. Taurus takes the initiative impulses of Aries, presents us with new concepts, and anchors the ideas into matter. Taurus adds desire and aspiration to the impulses of Aries. Taurus is the Buddha, aware of the sufferings in the world, offering to help humanity via the Eight Noble Truths.

Desire is the quality of Taurus. It is not desire that destroys humanity, but the expectations of desire. Desire is very focused within our planet Earth. The Bull of Desire is a symbol of power, vitality, energy and potency. Desire to create was the energy behind the Lords who created planet Earth and the humanity living upon it. Desire is part of the powers of Creation.

The horns of the bull in Taurus signify desire for life itself, for experiences, for comfort and satisfaction. When these are achieved, then the desire is for knowledge; desire lifted up to Aspiration—aspiring for an intelligent, illuminated mind. The New Group of World Servers is governed, directed and protected by the sign of Taurus.

Vulcan (Soul ruler of Taurus), the mysterious planet (hidden between Sun and Mercury in astrology charts), comes forth in Taurus. Vulcan is Hephaestus, husband of Venus. Vulcan forges the Path ahead, and in the fires of experience, fashions the lead of the personality into the chalice of the Soul. This “chalice” holds the Wesak blessings.

ARIES: Your shadow is Libra, the art and creation of Right Human Relations. Aries develops individuality (not quite understanding cooperation). Libra cooperatively develops the self with others. Integration for Aries occurs in relationship and partnership. Observe your behavior with others. Are you always the leader, the initiator, or do you assist others in discovering their initiating leadership qualities? “All that begins in Aries resolves itself in Libra.”

TAURUS: Your shadow is the deep waters of Scorpio, sign of the Disciple. You test the trustworthiness of others. As you seek the Art of Living, Scorpio seeks the Art of diving deep into darkness (dying, regenerating), inviting everyone to join them. While you seek safety and comfort, Scorpio is living life behind closed doors, too hidden to go out. Taurus loves Scorpio but often, unable to see in the dark, doesn’t know it yet.

GEMINI: You seek Sagittarius to take you on an adventure far away (from your neighborhood). You sometimes wish you could play music, prepare food and travel like Sag—rather than gather information that overwhelms, sometimes infuriates, and causes confusion if love isn’t around. You long for Sag’s “focus.” They never fall off the mountain. You’re secretly and emotionally falling down everywhere into meadows of flowers, blinded, yet often happy, about where you’re going.

CANCER:  We’re always unconsciously attracted to our opposite signs. You wish you could bring forth all that’s practical. The opposite of practical, your environments are piled high with boxes, baskets, trinkets everywhere, the stove filled with soups and stews. You seek the Capricorn clearing-out method of “throw everything out, turn off the heat, tear up the rug, and give everything away,” way of life. It’s not nurturing. It’s not you! But a tiny part is!

LEO: We gaze at our opposites. They seem to have all the attributes we seem to lack. You, the heart-felt, need to be recognized, praised, and applauded for anything you create. You gaze across the room to the Aquarian—the foot loose, fancy-free, friendly acquaintance to everyone (acquaintance to everyone, friend to none)—floating happily here and there, giving things away, putting up art shows, taking them down as if heedless to time. Where is their love? you ask.

VIRGO: Whereas you are detailed to the minute, Pisces swoons with any detail. It wounds them. Whereas you can bring order and organization to everything, Pisces doesn’t even know most things exist to be organized. As you are able to serve the self, Pisces knows it must serve and save the world, first. Pisces has no self. Sometimes you wish you were a Pisces. All this detail work makes the eyes dim and tired. Next life.

LIBRA: While you focus your entire life energies on relationships—how to have them, keep them, maintain and tend to them—your Aries side scoffs, thinking your relationship needs are dependencies and humiliating. But you know you cannot exist without them. Libra needs the “other” in order to understand how to be in relationships. Life for Libra means two, not one (like Aries). Poor lonely Aries, Libra thinks. But then senses a lack of freedom. Interesting paradox.

SCORPIO: You never fall into the illusion of others providing for you. You provide everything, at all times, for yourself, by yourself. You are the “triumphant warrior.” However, sometimes you peek out from your closed black curtains to see how Taurus, over there practicing the Art of Comfortable Living, is doing and sometimes you wish you were a Taurus, too. It’s hard being in self-denial most of the time in order to protect yourself. Or drowning in dark waters. Perhaps you need a couch.

SAGITTARIUS: Always on the road, even in your mind, seeking the next place, goal, project, plan, person … anything keeping you moving, arrow-like, focused on what’s ahead. You wish you were Gemini sometimes, provincial, afraid to wander away from the neighborhood, content to sip on local flowers, never venturing up Sir Hillary’s Mount Everest, which signified a spiritual ascent for humanity. You’re always where the greatest need for you is. You’re needed, you ask?

CAPRICORN: You are, yes, practical and methodical, can turn chaos into order, can supervise and shape up a crowd of hungry party-goers with a baleful glance, but really what you need is some chicken soup and matzo balls from Cantors (or Zabar’s) made by Cancer hands with a bit of warm heart thrown in. While you’re known for resourcefulness and sturdy boots that climb ladders to the top of mountains, you also need the kindness Cancer’s emotional support offers. Mother, where are you?

AQUARIUS: You don’t think you need anything but the future. But really you need a bit of a Leo’s warm heart in order to catch (and keep) a full time partner that becomes a marriage (someday, maybe). While you prize your freedom, you gaze at Leo’s circle of friends always supporting their creativity and wish you could have a bit of Leo’s heated drama in your cold neon-lit life. Seek out a Leo. Tell them you’re in need. Keep making art.

PISCES: While you’re listening to the Mind of God, while you see devas (fairies and light beings in the garden) and understand all things mystical, as you “slouch toward Bethlehem” with the Magi hoping to catch the holy child before His flight to Egypt, you gaze upon Virgo, gestating a new state of awareness with poise, neatness, self-control, composure and dignity. While you are rumpled, disheveled, sweating, lost and wondering where you came from. You call to Virgo. It’s your wound sometimes.