If it’s your birthday

MThe fewer secrets you keep, the happier you will be. The more you reveal about yourself, the happier you will feel. Take over this process; don’t wait to be ‘found out’. There’s just one definition of integrity, and that is honesty. You may be surprised to find that this strengthens your existing relationships, and helps you build a solid foundation to build on. You share a birthday with Michael Stipe, Julia Ormond and Labrinth. MARCH 21-APRIL 19 Your professional ambitions must be linked to your financial needs. This doesn’t mean working just for money; it means integrating your abilities and your income stream. This is usually a process that comes in steps rather than a leap, but take one step promptly after the next. APRIL 20-MAY 20 Fully embrace the challenge of creating relationships that are not based on family patterns. You’ve been at this a while, though you have an opportunity on your hands at the moment. If there’s a “higher law” we must follow, who wrote it, what does it say, and why are you subject to it? MAY 21-JUNE 20 If you feel like you’re at the mercy of others, stop and have a conversation. That’s the missing piece: a discussion where everyone puts their beliefs and desires on the table, and then you sort it out. This is especially true where shared finances or other contractual matters are concerned. JUNE 21-JULY 22 You have some excellent social opportunities, and there are interesting people around — though you may still be feeling an obstacle to connecting. It’s true that the prevailing atmosphere is suspicion coated with a friendly exterior. Notice when people reveal an element of their deeper truth. JULY 23-AUG. 22 Guide your mind and feelings in positive directions today, and you’ll find it easy to keep a good outlook. If you find yourself going down a negative path, quickly guide yourself back to a more loving and friendly approach. Your thoughts and emotions will multiply, whatever they might be. AUG. 23-SEPT. 22 If you find yourself fixated on something, you can get out of that loop if you put your thoughts into words, whether spoken or written. Get the process outside of your mind somehow and notice what you’re actually saying to yourself, which will rapidly evolve into what you really mean. SEPT. 23-OCT. 22 Money is not everything. In fact, in the end, it’s one factor among many. But at the moment, it’s an important organizing principle of your life. And you’re in an excellent position to improve your financial standing, which will make things much easier, especially in improving your living situation. OCT. 23-NOV. 21 While you’re in the midst of making many other changes, make sure you remember your plans around food. You might need information, though the one operative necessity is to keep it real. That means preparing your own food as much as you can, and knowing exactly what you’re eating. NOV. 22-DEC. 21 You’re a work in progress, and over the next few days, you’ll pull together many loose ends and unresolved stories, and develop a clear sense of where you’re going. Try to avoid that distinctly modern feeling of trying to convince yourself how lost you are. It’s not true, and not vaguely useful. JAN. 20-FEB. 18 You need your freedom, and you’re only going to find it inside yourself. Most of the bonds that hold people back are contained in their own thoughts and feelings. To be free of these things, you have to notice what they are; and that can take some consciousness raising. Be alert to guilt in any form. FEB. 19-MARCH 20 You may find that, today and into the weekend, people are open to some of your more innovative ideas. You will need to start the discussion, and test out this theory. Then, you can propose whatever seems interesting and see how people respond. Don’t wait for them to come to you, however.