Freewill of the Week

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

"The basic difference between an ordinary person and a warrior," wrote Carlos Castaneda, "is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary person takes everything either as a blessing or a curse." Maybe you consider yourself an ordinary person, Taurus, and therefore think Castaneda's definition of a warrior has no meaning for you. But I'm here to tell you that the astrological omens say you will have to be a warrior in the coming weeks, even if you're usually not. So please act as if every experience will have the potential to be an interesting, invigorating challenge.


Gemini (May 21-June 20)

San Francisco Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle described the movie Van Helsing as "what a chimpanzee might do with an Etch A Sketch." I suspect that someone in your sphere has recently produced something similar--perhaps a bad work of art, a botched business deal, or an awkward relationship. It's not necessarily your sacred duty to try to make this mess more beautiful, and you certainly shouldn't try to prop it up or pretend it's well-done. But I do believe you should create something better to compensate for it--much better. Though almost anything you come up with will look good in comparison, you can't afford to merely act like a smarter chimpanzee with a more deluxe Etch A Sketch.



Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Psychologist James Hillman says that taking action to correct social and economic injustice in the world can serve as powerful psychotherapy. In some cases, it may even be a more effective way to transmute one's personal pain than talking endlessly about the pain with a therapist. That thought is the seed of my advice for you, Cancerian. In the coming weeks, the sure cure for your problems--even your most uncomfortable enigma--is to take your mind off yourself and summon all your emotionally rich ingenuity to help others.