The closest modern relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex may be the chicken, says geneticist John Asara. He came to this conclusion after studying traces of tissue from a 68-million-year-old bone of the king of dinosaurs. I invite you to draw inspiration from this theory, Gemini. Try the following thought experiment. Envision a couple of monstrous influences from your past -- big bad meanies who hurt you or scared you. Imagine they were like Tyrannosaurus rexes back then. Close your eyes and see their faces glaring from the beast's skull. But then imagine that in the intervening months and years they have devolved and shrunk. Picture them now as clucking chickens pecking at seeds in the dirt. Can you see their faces at the top of their bobbing, feathery bodies?

Want to hear more about the hidden factors influencing your life? Listen to your EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPE for the week ahead. You can also still listen to my three-part long-term forecast for 2009.

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Tune in to my free podcast, Pronoia is a Dangerous Taboo. Excerpted from my book, PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA, it's a meditation on how cultivating an attitude of crafty optimism might be the biggest transgression of all.