"Marriage must be a relation either of sympathy or conquest," said author George Eliot. I believe the same is true even about intimate bonds that have not been legally consecrated. Each tends to either be a collaboration of equals who are striving for common goals or else a power struggle in which one party seeks to dominate the other. Which of those two models has characterized your romantic history, Aries? Now is an excellent time to begin working to ensure that the partnership model will predominate for the rest of your long life.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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What advice might beautify and elevate your love life? The following insights should help. 1. "We are not the same person this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person." - W. Somerset Maugham. 2. "People often start by falling in love, and they go on for years without realizing that love must change into some other love which is unlike the original." - Iris Murdoch. 3. "Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new." - Ursula K. Le Guin. 4. "A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day." - Andre Maurois.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

"Love loves to love love," wrote James Joyce in his 1922 novel Ulysses. "Nurse loves the new chemist. Constable 14A loves Mary Kelly. Jumbo, the elephant, loves Alice, the elephant. Old Mr Verschole with the ear trumpet loves old Mrs Verschoyle with the turnedin eye. The man in the brown macintosh loves a lady who is dead. His Majesty the King loves Her Majesty the Queen." What Joyce said 90 years ago is still true: The world is a churning, burning uproar of yearning. The droning moan of "I want you, I need you" never dies down. Give yourself to that cosmic current without apology this Valentine season, Taurus. Celebrate your voracious ache for love. Honor your urge to merge with reverence and awe for its raw splendor.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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I want to remind you, in case you've somehow forgotten, that you'll never be able to bask in the love you want to receive from another person until you master the art of loving yourself with great skill and imagination. I'll go so far as to say that it's pointless to search for a perfect partner if you're not already your own perfect partner. Here's what Buddha had to say about the subject: "You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, but that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anyone, deserve your love and affection."
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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

I've ghostwritten a personal ad for you to give to your Valentine or potential Valentine: "I'm looking for a free yet disciplined spirit I can roll down hills with on sunny days and solve thorny puzzles with when the skies are cloudy. Can you see the absurd in the serious and the serious in the absurd? Are you a curious chameleon always working to sharpen your communication skills? Might you be attracted to a sweet-talking wise-ass who's evolving into a holy goofball? Emotional baggage is expected, of course, but please make sure yours is organized and well-packed. Let's create the most unpredictably intriguing versions of beauty and truth that anyone ever imagined."

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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Borrowing the words of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I've prepared a love note for you to use as your own. Feel free to give it to the person whose destiny needs to be woven more closely together with yours. "I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out."
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

On average, an adult on planet Earth has sex 103 times a year. But I'm guessing that in the immediate future, Cancerians everywhere may be motivated to exceed that rate by a large margin. The astrological omens suggest that your tribe's levels of sensual desire may reach astronomical heights. Do you know anyone you're attracted to who might be willing help you out as you follow your bliss? If not, be your own Valentine. One way or another, it's prime time to celebrate your relationship with eros.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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What further wisdom would energize your love life? here's some excellent advice, courtesy of psychologist James Hillman: "For a relationship to stay alive, love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped imagining." How will you act on this excellent counsel? Maybe you could take you and your closest ally to a sanctuary you've never dreamed you'd go to in a thousand years. Or do an exercise in which you ask each other questions you've never broached before. Or devise an experiment in which the two of you get to face an unfamiliar challenge together.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

I'd love for you to be able to always give the best gifts you have to give without worrying about whether they will be received in the spirit with which you offer them. But that's just not realistic. I would also be ecstatic if you never had to tone down your big, beautiful self out of fear that others would be jealous or intimidated. And yet that's not a rational possibility, either. Having said that, though, I do want to note that now and then both of those pleasurable scenarios can prevail for extended lengths of time. And I believe you're now in one of those grace periods.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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The three further love offerings I have might be a challenge for you to receive in the same generous spirit with which I'm giving them. Nevertheless, I suspect you can truly benefit from their bracing advice. So here are my gifts, starting with an insight from author Zora Neale Hurston: "Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." Your second oracle comes from writer James Baldwin: "Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within." My third offering is from novelist Iris Murdoch: "Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real."
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

In accordance with the astrological omens, here's what I wish and predict for you in the near future: You will be a connoisseur of temptations. By that I mean you will have a knack for attracting and playing with allurements and enticements. More importantly, you'll have a sixth sense about the distinction between good bait and bad bait -- between provocative temptations that will serve your most fervent dreams and debilitating traps that will dissipate your integrity. And when you get a lock on the invigorating, ennobling kind, you will know just how to work with it so that it drives you wild with smart longing.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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As I meditated on what advice might purify and supercharge your love life, I got to thinking about a statement attributed to French poet Paul Valery. "Love is being stupid together," he said. There's an element of truth to this notion, but it's too corny and degenerate for my tastes. I prefer to focus on a more interesting and complete truth, which is this: Real love is being smart together. If you weave your destiny together with another's, he or she should catalyze your sleeping potentials, sharpen your perceptions, and boost your IQ. Your relationship should be a crucible in which you deepen your understanding of the way the world works. If you can't share your love with such a person, don't share your love with anyone.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

Eliphas Levi was a 19th-century author and hermetic magician whose work has had a major influence on Western mystery schools. The great secret of magic, he said, is fourfold: "to KNOW what has to be done, to WILL what is required, to DARE what must be attempted, and to KEEP SILENT with discernment." Your assignment, Libra, is to apply this approach to your love life. How can you create a relationship with love that will be a gift to the world and also make you smarter, kinder, and wilder? KNOW what magic you have to do. WILL yourself to do it. DARE to be ingenious and inspired. And don't tell anyone what you're doing until you achieve your goal.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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During my quest for advice that might be helpful to your love life, I gathered some further words of wisdom. 1. "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche. 2. "Love is not about losing freedom; it's about sharing freedom with a partner who's as talented a liberationist as you." - my friend Sarah. 3. "I hunger for your sleek laugh and your hands the color of a furious harvest. I want to eat the sunbeams flaring in your beauty." - Pablo Neruda.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

After analyzing the astro data for this Valentine season, I realized that you could really benefit from being less sober, solemn, and serious about your intimate relationships. That's why I decided to collect some one-liners for you to use as you loosen up your approach to togetherness. Please consider delivering them to anyone you'd like to be closer to. 1. "Let's go maniacally obsess about our lives in a soothing environment." 2. "We'll be best friends forever because you already know too much about me." 3. "It would be great if you would schedule your social events around my mood swings." 4. "I'm sorry I drunk-dialed you before realizing you were already in bed with me." 5. "You're one of the few people I would consider hugging right after a Bikram Yoga class." 6. "I wanna do boring things with you." (All the one-liners come from Someecards.com.)

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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To further our meditation on romance, let's consider psychologist Carl Jung's words: "People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul." Do you fit that description? Have you ever employed tortured logic to explain to yourself why you're not following your heart's promptings? In the past year, did you take a detour that has led you further and further away from your true home? Are you engaging in evasive measures in order to keep yourself from seeing the open secret about love that's right in front of you? I'm just asking, not accusing. Only you know the correct answers.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

"The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress," said a character in an Arthur Miller play. He was referring to the idea that if you're obsessed with sex and romance, your level of worldly accomplishment may be rather low. It jibes with what a friend in my youth told me when he noticed how much of my energy was engaged in pursuing desirable females: "They don't build statues in parks for guys who chase women." I realize you may not be wildly receptive to ruminating on these matters during the Valentine season, Sagittarius. However, the omens suggest I advise you to do just that. It's a good time to fine-tune the balance between your life-long career goals and your quest for love.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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"Love at first sight may be a matter of instinctively recognizing someone who will allow you to continue in comfortingly familiar -- and often destructive -- patterns learned in childhood." So said Salon.com's Lisa Zeidner in her review of Maggie Scarf's book Intimate Partners. Make that idea your watchword. Let it be the beacon that guides you away from the sentimental illusions about romance that you may still be drawn to. After all, there are few things that undermine authentic love more than infantile wishes and naive fantasies.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

Ancient Egyptians thought that drinking bear grease could stimulate ardor, while the Greeks believed that eating sparrow brains would do the trick. When potatoes first appeared in Spain in 1534, imported from the New World, they were used in love potions and worth more than $1,000 a pound. The Asian rhinoceros was hunted nearly to extinction because its horn was thought to have aphrodisiac properties. Just in time for Valentine season, I'd like to suggest that you call on a very different kind of romantic stimulant that costs nothing and doesn't endanger any species: being a good listener.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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What advice would be useful for your love life? Not this observation by The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening: "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." Do not, under any circumstances, make those your words to live by. Instead, consider the following counsel from Norman Mailer: "Love asks us that we be a little braver than is comfortable, a little more generous, a little more flexible. It means living on the edge more than we care to."
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

Maybe there is a soulmate for you in this world. Maybe there isn't. But you can count on this: If that person is out there, you will never bond with him or her by clinging to a set of specific expectations about how it should happen. He or she will not possess all the qualities you wish for and will not always treat you exactly as you want to be. I'm sure you already know this deep down, Aquarius, but hearing it from an objective observer like me might help liberate you further from the oppressive fantasy of romantic perfection. That way you can better recognize and celebrate the real thing.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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Clarissa Pinkola Estes said this in her book Women Who Run With the Wolves. "The desire to force love to live only in its most positive form," she wrote, "is what causes love ultimately to fall over dead." She obviously doesn't mean you should seek negativity on purpose. Rather, you should freely acknowledge that even the most sublime intimacy has a dark side. As long as you welcome love's difficulties, it will remain vital.
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." So proclaimed Dr. Seuss. I think this is an excellent meditation for you during this season of love. You need more permission to share your idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, and you need more freedom to ally yourself with people whose idiosyncrasies and eccentricities you're compatible with -- and on behalf of the cosmos, I'm hereby giving you that permission.

If you missed any of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, I've bundled them all in one place. Go here to read them. You can also listen to my long-range, in-depth EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2012.

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You need love almost as much as you need food and drink. Not just any old kind of love, though: It has to be high-minded and mysterious, and neither sentimental nor tormented. Hoping to steer you towards what you really need, I'm offering you the poetic words of Pablo Neruda. Say or write them to the person whose destiny needs to be woven more closely together with yours: "Our love is like a well in the wilderness where time watches over the wandering lightning. Our sleep is a secret tunnel that leads to the scent of apples carried on the wind. When I hold you, I hold everything that is--swans, volcanoes, river rocks, maple trees drinking the fragrance of the moon, bread that the fire adores. In your life I see everything that lives."
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.