The midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice is celebrated with the ancient festival of Beltane, a time to acknowledge and partake in the richness around us. It turns out that life isn't always supposed to be hard. Do what's easy and you free yourself up to take on challenges that require you to be proactive, innovative and imaginative. Wednesday, Mercury will straighten out to support these notions.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You didn't have to learn that people are equal; you were born knowing this. You may acknowledge that someone has more money or less status while at the same time demonstrating that such things do not affect the value of any person. None are better, none are lesser. Spread the word to confused people.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You're focused on bettering the lives of your loved ones. The obvious ways of doing this aren't necessarily the best ways. That's where your brilliance comes in. You care for people like only you can. You fulfill needs uniquely — sometimes needs that people didn't even realize they had until you came along.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There's a great deal of influence being exerted on you. This may be due to a lot of people expecting a little from you or just one person with an exceedingly heavy expectation. Do not accept their premises. Reclaim your power and stand in it. If it satisfies others but doesn't feel good to you, it's wrong.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). It takes a creative mind to connect the seemingly unconnected. That's you. You've such a strong drive to make sense of this week's inconsistencies, eclectic gatherings, wildly varied resources and disparate parts that you'll find it impossible to keep yourself from the challenge of making sense of it all.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Actually choosing to do the thing you said you wanted to do may be hard. But it will only be hard the first time — and the next 10 times, and the 10 times after that. Soon enough, it ceases to be hard. It ceases to be a choice, actually. It just becomes who you are when you're "doing you." You're moving forward incrementally!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Like a child who loves to build a fort with friends, you delight in having a hand in creating your shelter and sharing the experience. Maybe you'll share an umbrella with a friend or set a space for dining. Your freedom to take control of the surroundings and choose your company will bring great joy to your life this week.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The next generation is close behind you, looking to you for guidance. The best leaders are the ones who ultimately render leadership unnecessary. It would be wrong to make them dependent on you. Teach them everything until they are strong and capable. Don't hold back.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The battery inside you is rechargeable. If left in the drawer unused, it will deplete. You work best when you apply yourself. Don't be too precious with your energy. Don't worry about wasting it on silly things. There's an intelligence at work in you that will gravitate toward energizing endeavors, silly or not.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Don't be surprised if you cannot single out the problem. What's occurred has happened out of a confluence of circumstances. As the naturalist John Muir suggested, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." Luckily for you, solutions will be similarly hitched.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). A relationship that works for what seems like strictly practical reasons (i.e., a shared bit of timing, a conveniently located connection point, an unusually strong common interest) is also mystically interlaced. You'll see evidence of it this week. Unexpected and unexplainable feelings will arise from the bond.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Lots of bitter things pair nicely with sweet things: coffee, chocolate and relationships, to name just a few. So don't waste time complaining about any one of life's ingredients. Even terribly intense ingredients can make the recipe sing if used in small quantities and balanced out by more substantial and conventional elements.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Lately it seems that no goal achieved can fully satisfy you, as success flips instantaneously into a new goal. Slow the roll if you can. Stop and celebrate the good of right now. It's not a landmark or a natural time for rewards, and that's precisely why this is important. Life is precious for no particular reason. Believe it!

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: You go into this solar return with the kind of boldness and vibrancy that will lead to acts of heroism. The next six weeks will bring a new bouquet of uplifting outlets for your exceptionally active mind and body. You'll be enticed by exciting work in May. Singles are more prone to love at first sight in June and October. The commitment you make to family will augment your financial luck through a seemingly unrelated chain of events. Intoxicating public praise comes in August.

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