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A school bans Halloween celebration because it’s disrespectful to real witches.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you remember when you learned to read, back when you were six years old? One week the clumps of letters were indecipherable, and the next week you could actually make sense of them. I propose to you, Taurus, that you are now at a comparable threshold in the evolution of your emotional life. Feelings that have previously been obscure or puzzling will soon come into focus. You’ll be blessed with an upgrade in your intuition about your friends’ and loved ones’ moods. Your power to enjoy intimacy will dramatically ripen.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): J. Edgar Hoover headed the FBI for almost 50 years. While many admired the way he transformed it from an amateurish collection of hacks into a formidable law enforcement agency, others regarded him as a paranoid control freak who gave police work a bad name. Even U.S. President Lyndon Johnson had a strong ambivalence towards the man. Asked by *The New York Times* why he didn’t fire Hoover, Johnson replied, “It’s probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.” Consider making that your motto in the coming week, Taurus. There may be persons in your life who will serve you better as problematic friends than unpredictable adversaries.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Even if you’re not a jazz fan, you’ll thrive in the coming week by using a modus operandi that resembles jazz. I suggest, therefore, that you improvise frequently. Experiment with intricate, strong, and playful rhythms. Infuse your yearning for freedom with humor. For further insight about how to proceed, meditate on the following clues from three jazz greats. Ornette Coleman: “Jazz is the only music in which the same note can be played night after night but differently each time.” John Coltrane: “You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.” Miles Davis: “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After consulting with my think tank, I’ve decided to temporarily decommission the bull as your power animal. Until the equinox, the rabbit will take its place. It’s the only creature that makes symbolic sense for you right now, when both your libido and fertility are turned up to record levels. There’s also another reason why the rabbit suits you. In many mythic traditions, the creature is regarded as a crafty trickster that uses playful stratagems to turn every situation to its advantage. This approach should be your modus operandi in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Beginner’s mind” was originally a Zen practice. Many artists and thinkers now use it to stimulate their creativity. To achieve this blessed state, you dispense with all your preconceptions and enter each situation as if you’re seeing it for the first time. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,” wrote Shunryu Suzuki in his book, *Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,* “but in the expert’s there are few.” As much as I love beginner’s mind, though, I have an even more important assignment for you this week, Taurus: Cultivate a *beginner’s heart.* Approach every encounter with love as if you’re feeling it for the first time.