Like a grand marshal waving in the first float of the parade, a grand lunar trine kicks off this week on a high note with expectations of ascending tones. A procession of ever-more impressive happenings is on display for anyone inclined to give them attention. Mars will change signs and people begin to relate differently, seeking a connection between their experience and the experience of others.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your senses are attuned to subtleties that clue you into the true nature of what you're experiencing. Because you recognize the signs, you'll get an early sense of the solidity of a person or arrangement. You'll see potential pitfalls and glories. You'll know when you're hearing the real story and act accordingly.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your brain came prewired with many connections, and then the people around you and society added some. More have been added deliberately by you. Keep going with the self-programming. Choose to focus on the positive and the possible, and watch that get easier for you. So will staying on track.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You've made plans, backup plans, plans that go beyond your plans, an inner strategy, an outer strategy, and contingencies for all of them. The funny thing is that there will still be moments when, for whatever reason, the plans go out the window and your instinct carries the day, quite brilliantly indeed.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You learned this long ago: If you're not casting yourself as the hero of your story, then you're not going to live it very convincingly, let alone tell it well. You'll get a refresher on the lesson this week as larger-than-life characters or situations impinge on your mission. Throw up defenses. Reinstate rules. Assert yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your most effective mentors will be your wounds. They taught things quickly, dirty and deep, and you felt the lessons on a visceral level. Your gratitude for these teachers will help you to embrace this week's spectacular offerings, which include the chance to choose relationships that are more suited to your needs.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). As a pulse of the infinite wave of life, your beat is commanding you and a lot of other people to dance right now, and you may feel unsure where to set the tempo. Go a little slower than you want to. Don't let your nerves drive the action. Breathe and do the small work at a steady pace until you can do it masterfully.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). As a spirit in a body, you're a passenger in a vehicle you sometimes aren't sure how to best maintain. Don't worry, your body will tell you exactly what it needs this week. Listen and react quickly. If you focus on clean fuel, then you'll be on the right track. Solid nutritional choices contribute to brilliant outcomes.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The reason you're strong is that you've lived through the sort of circumstances that make a person strong. Therefore, it makes no sense to you to think of yourself as a victim, and it's confusing when others do this. Yet, you'll listen, find compassion and model the attitude of resilience that helps more than you'll know.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You're searching for something — not because you need or lack it but because you care enough to make things better for you and for all. You're looking for the thing that will help you make a difference in the experience of this lifetime. You'll find clues to transcendence in the most ordinary places.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). As a child of nature, you get charged up experiencing trees, mountains, rivers and elements of the environment that have been around a lot longer than humans. If it's not possible to head for the forest or sea, then care for a plant or an animal, as this is also healing and revitalizing to the soul.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). What's familiar feels safe, but "safe" is not synonymous with "optimal." Since you want better for yourself, you're on a path that sometimes veers from safety, and you're willing to take the ride. Precautions help. Find the emotional equivalent of a helmet and shin guards and skate on into it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Emotions drive the action. The smartest, cleanest, most efficient and economical solutions will get overlooked unless they also come with the opportunity for emotional connection. Even reasonable people will go with their gut. Leverage emotions to your advantage this week by recognizing the role of feelings.

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: There are many sides to you. This year, you will get to explore some that you normally wouldn't have the chance to. A turn of events in February gives you the opportunity to teach, innovate and solve interesting problems. Relationships blossom through strange challenges in odd environments. You'll integrate a mix of influences into one cool entity and bring this hybrid to the world in the spring. Expect to be misunderstood at first. Field questions and shape this into a story many will relate to.

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