LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22): Arthur Conan Doyle first used the term “smoking gun” in a story he wrote over a century ago. It referred to a time the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes burst into a room to find a man holding a pistol that had just been fired, along with the fallen body of a man who had been shot. Since then, the meaning of “smoking gun” has expanded. Now it’s any piece of evidence that serves as compelling proof of a certain hypothesis. If you can’t find the cookie you left in the kitchen, and your roommate walks by with cookie crumbs on his chin, that’s the smoking gun. What question do you need answered? The smoking gun will appear.

VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22): At least for now, I suggest you suspend the quest for order and perfection. The wise course of action is to disengage from your fascination with control, and instead give yourself to the throbbing pulse of the Cosmic Wow. Why? If you do, you will be able to evolve faster than you thought possible. Your strength will come from agile curiosity and an eagerness to experiment. Do you remember when you last explored the catalytic wonders of spontaneity and unpredictability? Do it again!

LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 22): This is the deepest, darkest phase of your cycle. The star that you will ultimately make a wish upon has not yet risen. Smoke from the smoldering embers in your repressed memories is blending with the chill night fog in your dreams, making your life seem like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a taco. Just kidding about that last part. I wanted to see if your sense of humor is intact, because if it is, you will respond resiliently to all the cosmic jokes in your upcoming tests.

SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): According to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, here’s what God says to each of us: “Go the limits of your longing… Flare up like flame and make big shadows that I can move in. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Whether or not you’re on speaking terms with the Creator, this is excellent advice. It’s time to give everything you have and take everything you need. Explore the feeling of having nothing to lose and expect the arrivals of useful surprises.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): The sun and the expansive planet Jupiter are currently making a joyful noise in the sign of Virgo, which is your astrological House of Career and Ambition. This does not necessarily mean that a boon to your career will fall into your lap. More importantly, this omen suggests that you will influence luck, fate, and your subconscious mind to work in your favor if you take dramatic practical action to advance your career and ambitions.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): On Aug 28, 1963, Capricorn hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of thousands in Washington, D.C. In that address, he imagined what it might look like if African Americans were free of the bigotry and oppression they had endured for centuries at the hands of white Americans. I encourage you to articulate your own “I Have a Dream” vision sometime soon. Picture in detail the successful stories you want to actualize in the future.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): If you have been patiently waiting for a propitious moment to buy a new yacht, pledge your undying love, or get a tattoo that depicts Santa wrestling Satan, now is as close as you’ll get to that propitious moment, at least for a while. Even if you have merely been considering the possibility of signing a year-long lease, asking a cute mischief-maker on a date, or posting an extra-edgy meme on Facebook or Twitter, the next three weeks would be prime time to strike. Diving into a deep, heart-crazed commitment is sometimes a jangly process for you Aquarians, but these days it might be almost smooth and synchronistic.

PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20): Get a piece of paper and a pen. Light a candle, take three deep breaths, and chant “YUMMMM” five times. Then spend 10 minutes writing down the qualities you would like your perfect lover to possess. When you are finished, burn the list you made. Disavow everything you wrote. Instead, make yourself extra receptive to the possibility that you will learn new truths about what you need. I suspect that love has elaborate plans for you in the next two years. You will be better prepared to cooperate with them if you are initially free of strong agendas.

ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19): You like to run ahead of the pack. You prefer to show people the way, to set the pace. It’s cleaner that way, right? There’s less risk you will be caught up in the messy details of everyday compromise. But I suspect that the time is right for you to try an experiment: Temporarily ease yourself into the middle of the pack. Why? Because it will teach you lessons that will serve you well the next time you’re showing the way and setting the pace.

TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20): Are you ready to revise your ideas about how love works? Would you consider re-evaluating your relationship to romance and your understanding of sex? Now is a favorable time to make changes that will energize your love life with a steady flow of magic for months to come. To get the party started, make a list of your customary romantic strategies, and rebel against them all. Speak sexy truths that are both shocking and endearing.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20): Querencia is a Spanish word with many nuances. At its simplest, it refers to your favorite spot, a place where you long to be. But its meaning can go even deeper. Querencia may be a sanctuary where you feel safe, or a situation that enables you to draw on extra reserves of strength. It’s a special kind of home: an empowering shelter that makes you feel that you belong in this world. These days you need to be in your querencia even more than usual, Gemini. If you don’t have one, formulate a fierce intention to locate it.

CANCER (Jun 21-Jul 22): The art of effective communication consists of knowing both what to say and what not to say. It’s not enough to simply find the words that accurately convey your meaning. You have to tailor your message to the quirks of your listeners. For example, let’s say you want to articulate a point about an important issue. You would use different language with a child, an authority figure, and a friend. Right? You are currently at the peak of your abilities to do this well, Cancerian. Take full advantage of your fluency. Create clear, vivid impressions that influence people.