Free Will Astrology: Let Frederick Douglass be your guide, Taurus

ARIES (March 21-April 19): It’s not cost-efficient to recycle plastic. Sorting and processing the used materials to make them available for fresh stuff is at least as expensive as creating new plastic items from scratch. On the other hand, sending used plastic to a recycling center makes it far less likely that it will end up in the oceans and waterways, harming living creatures. So in this case, the short-term financial argument in favor of recycling is insubstantial, whereas the moral argument is strong. I invite you to apply a similar perspective to your upcoming decisions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): African American slaves suffered many horrendous deprivations. For example, it was illegal for them to learn to read. Their oppressors feared that educated slaves would be better equipped to agitate for freedom, and took extreme measures to keep them illiterate. Frederick Douglass was one slave who managed to beat the ban. As he secretly mastered the art of reading and writing, he came upon literature that ultimately emboldened him to escape his “owners” and flee to safety. He became one of the 19th century’s most powerful abolitionists, producing reams of influential writing and speeches. I propose that we make Douglass your inspiring role model for the coming months. I think you’re ready to break the hold of a certain curse — and go on to achieve a gritty success that the curse had prevented you from accomplishing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For 25 years, businessman Don Thompson worked for the McDonald’s fast food company, including three years as its CEO. During that time, he oversaw the sale and consumption of millions of hamburgers. But in 2015, he left McDonald’s and became part of Beyond Meat, a company that sells vegan alternatives to meat. I could see you undergoing an equally dramatic shift in the coming months, Gemini: a transition into a new role that resembles but is also very different from a role you’ve been playing. I urge you to step up your fantasies about what that change might entail.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot,” wrote author Audre Lorde. As an astrologer I would add this nuance: although what Lourde says is true, some phases of your life are more favorable than others to seek deep and rapid education. For example, the coming weeks will bring you especially rich teachings if you incite the learning process now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The American idiom “stay in your lane” has come to mean “mind your own business,” and usually has a pejorative sense. But I’d like to expand it and soften it for your use in the coming weeks. Let’s define it as meaning “stick to what you’re good at and know about” or “don’t try to operate outside your area of expertise” or “express yourself in ways that you have earned the right to do.” Author Zadie Smith says that this is good advice for writers. “You have to work out what it is you can’t do, obscure it, and focus on what works,” she attests. Apply that counsel to your own sphere or field, Leo.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Yisrael Kristal was a Polish Jew born under the sign of Virgo in 1903. His father was a scholar of the Torah, and he began studying Judaism and learning Hebrew at age three. He lived a long life and had many adventures, working as a candle-maker and a candy-maker. When the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945, Kristal emerged as one of the survivors. He went on to live to the age of 113. Because of the chaos of World War I, he had never gotten to do his bar mitzvah when he’d turned thirteen. So he did it much later, in his old age. I foresee a comparable event coming up soon in your life, Virgo. You will claim a reward or observe a milestone or collect a blessing you weren’t able to enjoy earlier.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Sailors have used compasses to navigate since the 11th century. But that tool wasn’t enough to guide them. A thorough knowledge of the night sky’s stars was a crucial aid. Skill at reading the ever-changing ocean currents always proved valuable. Another helpful trick was to take birds on the ships as collaborators. While at sea, if the birds flew off and returned, the sailors knew there was no land close by. If the birds didn’t return, chances were good that land was near. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because I think it’s an excellent time to gather a number of different navigational tools for your upcoming quest. One won’t be enough.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): What do you want from the allies who aren’t your lovers? What feelings do you most enjoy while you’re in the company of your interesting, non-romantic companions? For instance, maybe you like to be respected and appreciated. Or perhaps what’s most important to you is to experience the fun of being challenged and stimulated. Maybe your favorite feeling is the spirit of collaboration and comradeship. Or maybe all of the above. In any case, Scorpio, I urge you to get clear about what you want — and then make it your priority to foster it. In the coming weeks, you’ll have the power to generate an abundance of your favorite kind of non-sexual togetherness.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As the CEO of the clothes company Zappos, Sagittarius entrepreneur Tony Hsieh is worth almost a billion dollars. If he chose, he could live in a mansion by the sea. Yet his home is a 200-square-foot, $48,000 trailer in Las Vegas, where he also keeps his pet alpaca. To be clear, he owns the entire trailer park, which consists of 30 other trailers, all of which are immaculate hotbeds of high-tech media technology where interesting people live. He loves the community he has created, which is more important to him than status and privilege. “For me, experiences are more meaningful than stuff,” he says. “I have way more experiences here.” I’d love to see you reaffirm your commitment to priorities like his in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. It’ll be a favorable time to do so.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Medical researcher Jonas Salk developed a successful polio vaccine, so he had a strong rational mind. Here’s how he described his relationship with his non-rational way of knowing. He said, “It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It’s my partner.” I bring this up, Capricorn, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time to celebrate and cultivate your own intuition. You may generate amazing results as you learn to trust it more and figure out how to deepen your relationship with it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian environmentalist Edward Abbey once formulated a concise list of his requirements for living well. “One must be reasonable in one’s demands on life,” he wrote. “For myself, all that I ask is: 1.) accurate information; 2.) coherent knowledge; 3.) deep understanding; 4.) infinite loving wisdom; 5.) no more kidney stones, please.” According to my analysis of the astrological omens, now would be an excellent time for you to create your own tally of the Five Crucial Provisions. Be bold and precise as you inform life about your needs.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “We may be surprised at whom God sends to answer our prayers,” wrote author Janette Oke. I suspect that observation will apply to you in the coming weeks. If you’re an atheist or agnostic, I’ll rephrase her formulation for you: “We may be surprised at whom Life sends to answer our entreaties.” There’s only one important thing you have to do to cooperate with this experience: set aside your expectations about how help and blessings might appear.