The Sun and Mercury are aligned in Scorpio, making our own ideas feel very important and profound. They are also square to Neptune, so those ideas are probably more muddled than you’d like to admit. Whether or not Confucius actually said it, acknowledging confusion is the first step to enlightenment.

March 20 – April 18

Especially feisty these days, you seem to be looking for a fight, and that could scare off some friends. You want a good challenge, but to what end? Clarify your ideals so you can clarify your goals.

April 19 – May 20

Your love life should be especially good these days; enjoy it while you can. The drawback is that it may be distracting you from your work and clouding your professional judgment. Be especially careful of colleagues and competitors who might betray you.

May 21 – June 20

Ideals clash with practical considerations now. You may have to dig through your ideals to find some larger, if vaguer, guiding principle; review your work to reconcile the conflict. Look for changes you can make at work before actually changing jobs.

June 21 – July 22

Get nasty. Talk filth. Read the Marquis de Sade. (Philosophy in the Bedroom is a nice intro to his work.) Giving voice to your darkest erotic dreams will open your imagination, not just sexually but to richer creative visions.

July 23 – Aug. 22

Arguments with family members will seem to deepen rather than alleviate confusion. Examine (preferably in conversation with someone else) your parents’ relationship and how that might affect your own partnerships.

Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

Needless arguments can make you ill, but so can holding in what you need to express. Be careful of what debates you get into and with whom, but do find an outlet, and be ready to learn a few things that may make you change your position.

Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

Leave your money alone! Don’t shop for anything you don’t really need and nevermind investments or gambling. Play for fun, especially with a naughty edge (strip Twister?), and you can have a great time, whoever wins.

Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

It’s a bad time to be quite so sure of yourself and a good time to dig up family scandals and secrets. They could knock you for a serious loop, but the knowledge will make you stronger in the long run.

Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

You are not to be trusted with secrets this week! Hide in some meditative retreat where you won’t reveal existing confidences. Failing that, keep your conversations tuned to poetry and art, where you now have great insights.

Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

Don’t loan or borrow or try to collect on debts. That’s a notorious danger to friendships, even in the best of times. Focus instead on what you really value in your friends. Money can wait.

Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

The spotlight is on you everywhere, especially at work. This could illuminate personal details you’d rather not share. Intrusive questions can be dismissed with other questions: “Is that what you heard? Really? Hmm…” Keep your sense of humor!

Feb. 19 – March 19

You have a great need for both learning and expression that can pull you into arguments. Stick to art and other topics in which so much is subjective and you don’t have to fall back on facts or logic.