Free Will Astrology

�ARIES (March 21-April 19): I don't think you'll become the equivalent of a king or queen in the coming weeks, but you could be instrumental in determining who becomes a king or queen. And that would ultimately be fun for you. Likewise, I doubt that you yourself will be the beneficiary of a windfall or a stroke of uncanny luck, but there's a chance that someone close to you will, and his or her good fortune will rub off on you. Are you sufficiently confident in your own worth to let an ally bask in the glory, even though you've played a part in creating that glory? If you are, your rewards will be substantial.

�GEMINI (May 21-June 20): We refer to the time between the 5th and 11th centuries as the Dark Ages, but in reality the chaotic, backward conditions were a localized phenomenon confined to Western Europe. Meanwhile, civilizations were flourishing in many other places, including China, the Byzantine Empire, central Africa, and the Mayan and Arab worlds. In a similar way, Gemini, parts of your life may now be going through a Dark Age even as other parts are thriving. I beg you not to put undue emphasis on what's not working.

�CANCER (June 21-July 22): Bob Johnston is the music producer who worked with Bob Dylan on some of his brilliant breakthrough albums of the 1960s. "I believe in giving credit where credit's due," he testified in Martin Scorsese's movie about Dylan's life. "I don't think Dylan had a lot to do with it. Instead of touching him on the shoulder, I think God kicked him in the ass." I mention this, Cancerian, because I believe you're about to receive a few divine boots in the butt yourself. Are you ready, willing, and able to be moved and moved and moved?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): This is a perfect astrological moment to take an inventory of your relationship with everything that nurtures you and keeps you alive. For instance, do you have a smart, balanced relationship with food? If not, what could you change about it? Do a similar analysis of the roles that other basic forms of sustenance play. Do you drink enough water? Should you learn the habit of breathing more deeply? Is there anything about the way you sleep that could be altered to enhance your overall vitality? Are you happy with how you obtain love and sex? Don't forget to think about your relationship with the substance that fuels so many of the good things you rely on: oil.

�VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your assignment is to be as agile in your dealings with people as a circus contortionist is in the way she manipulates her body. In other words, bend over backwards to promote harmony in your social circle and energize the ambiance at work. Try to be all things to all people without turning into a phony suck-up. When someone's left hand doesn't know what his right hand is doing, gently correct the disconnect. What's in it for you? The unity you sow now will bring you unforeseeable benefits in 2006.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the 18th century, Horace Walpole coined the word "serendipity" after reading an old fairy tale entitled The Three Princes of Serendip. The heroes of the story, he wrote, "were always making accidental discoveries of things they were not in quest of." Today "serendipity" has a broader meaning, but I'd like to invoke its original sense in order to provide a preview of what's ahead for you. I believe you're about to benefit from a lucky fluke or two. While looking for a certain treasure or revelation, you'll find a different one.