Horoscopes | Week of May 1-7, 2006

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your week ahead is like a warm, refreshing summer breeze, helping everything along quite nicely. Dare I report you have a Midas-like touch, an unbelievable ability to attract whatever (and whomever!) suits you… as well as the wisdom to know which among them is truly right for you, past the immediately torrid times of today. But will you deploy that wisdom for your own highest ends, or will you succumb to the temptations of gimme-gimme-now? King Midas, after all, ended up rather lonely, inadvertently opting for too much cold gold over the less 'valuable' treasures of love and companionship. If there were a more perfect moment to wield your magnetism in making the most mature statement of who you are, I can't think of it. Use this week to set the foundation for actually being exactly that person you've wanted to be. While your hotness will appeal to almost everybody you aim it at, only spend it on those who truly appreciate you… and not the here-today-gone-tomorrow types. If your heart is in the right place, you'll start the wheel of fortune spinning in wonderful synergy with the love in your intentions.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This is the week, Taurus, to throw the party or rally the troops, to dance wildly in a crowdful of strangers, or to participate in any other activity where your aura will continually bump up against the energy fields of lots of other people. In order to pull it off, you mustn't entertain worrisome notions of what'll happen if not enough people show up, or too many people… if the messages you're sending out will be misquoted, or if a vocal opposition will stoop to wreaking havoc… if the close contact will spread germs or hysterics like pollen in springtime. Please stay lax and loose-limbed. Take full reassurance in the knowledge that bands of individuals who share space will instinctively look out for each other. No one soul—no, not even you—is responsible for keeping it all together. (And you get no brownie points for trying, either.) The magic of social interaction is the improvisational manner with which folks step up to the plate when they're needed, without manically attempting to cover all bases in advance. Nothing can't be handled, and nothing will spoil the good times. All we need is each other, and the rest will work itself out in the most delightful fashion.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): 'I believe the root source of all wealth is emotional. I will invest my optimistic, faith-driven feelings this week in the pursuit of personal wealth (and whatever that means to me, besides just money)… knowing it will flow best when I entrust all my hopes for growth in the experience of feeling productive on a daily basis. A life of abundance starts fresh every morning. I release attachment to being seen in a particular public light, since the inhibitive control I attempt to exert over others' perceptions of me interferes with my freedom of genuine expression. As a Gemini, I cannot fulfill everybody's expectations all at once, and I therefore open myself to multiple avenues for fulfilling my destiny… and, if need be, multiple callings in life. I'm prepared to listen to the guidance of trusted peers, who may be privy to awarenesses of my greatest skills and traits that I cannot see, due to the habit of interpreting myself a certain way. Rather than take feedback as criticism or try to head it off with a quick-tongued response, I'll quietly absorb it, accepting it as the gift it is. Most of all, I thank this week's grand water trine in my houses of work, money and achievement for the good luck it's bestowed upon me—so long as I get out of my head and into my heart.'

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This week holds the potential of being one of the best, most productive, easiest-to-generate-powerful-momentum weeks in a long while… and that goes for everyone. You specifically, Cancer, are the leader of the pack. So if there's been anything at all you've been wanting to get going on—especially if you want or need to recruit others to come along with you—now is the absolutely perfect time to light that fire. The astro-reason behind this golden-goose of an opportunity is a grand trine between Mars, Jupiter and Uranus… a blessed alignment favoring giant, people-centered, revolutionary actions that go far toward making a better world. And you're at the reins due to Mars's energizing presence in your 1st house and the other two planets playing along exceptionally well in water signs. Harness your naturally nurturing essence toward whatever you desire, and it'll move mountains. Genuine care for one another is a radical idea that's finally coming into vogue, and you, the zodiac's archetypal caregiver, are its custodian. Be dramatic in celebrating this arrival. We will follow your example.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Whatever happens is out of your hands… but how you react to it, Leo, holds the key to discovering a deeper truth—or holding onto nonessential irritation. In the midst of this rather magical week (especially for those around you, perhaps more than for you personally), I beseech you to find whichever avenue leads to the most upbeat, enlightening interpretation possible for every single occurrence and stay on that path. When given the choice between rendering an incident as a sign from the universe or a totally un-notable coincidence ('they happen all the time!'), consciously select the more meaningful reading. There's a lot going on out there… much more than you can see, but nothing that's particularly easy to prove or conclusively understand. The wider you're willing to look (and listen and feel), the more wonderful those little moments will become. And life is more about what we learn and experience, than that which we accomplish. That's what all the bliss-filled masters say, anyway.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): You couldn't choose a more prime week for initiating an involvement in some brand new activity… something that'll bring you closer together with a different kind of people, those folks you've wished you would meet more often. How to pick one? Follow your impulses of passion to a pastime or participation you've been uncannily drawn toward, for some puzzling reason you simply can't put your finger on. Why ask why? Too easily, you could waste this opportunity by pausing to analyze the reasons you think you want to join up… as well as chronicling all the possible things that could go terribly wrong, and all those examples of ways you might embarrass yourself by not being good enough. This is not about achievement or rationale, Virgo, but about following your instincts toward some type of entertaining expression. So quench your curiosity, just because. And in the meantime, prepare to meet new friends and/or a network of enthusiasts who take enjoyment and find release in the same activities that interest you.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): To get to the next level (particularly when it comes to hitting career goals), you'll want to have a trustworthy companion by your side. Whether it's a colleague, a partner, or the person you're about to sign the deal with, this individual must be trustworthy enough for you to feel comfortable showing your more directly forceful, bossier side. The current combination of Venus and the Moon's North Node in your 7th house speaks volumes about the value of relationships right now—especially those in which you can commandingly grab for what you want, and watch the other person thrill at your leadership skills, rather than vie against you for top dog and move to squash you in the process. Though your increasingly assertive vision is part of the winning equation, you also need the presence of a suave collaborator, to help disseminate the vision more widely. Without one, certain key individuals won't climb aboard. The only thing that could block you from making great professional strides—so great they could carry you onward for many weeks—is the choice to expend that fiery energy on personality disputes, instead of real goals.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): With the wave of a grand water trine washing over you this week, Scorpio, and baptizing you into rebirth-hood, you may find that a seductive wanderlust threatens to get the best of you. In a snap, all that you've worked for can suddenly seem bland and lifeless—unless, that is, you're in full charge of the whole thing and, with a fiendish flourish of the wrist, you can change it up to suit this very moment's whims. For the larger majority of you, though, the desire to 'do it your way' sweeps in with very little you can do about it… without risking what you've thus far achieved, to gallop away into imaginings of pure independence, creative fulfillment, and Meaning (with a capital 'M'). The best method for getting a small fix is to take a day off, dedicate yourself to a special project only you are suited for, and/or reorganize your work area (and home or in the office) so you feel a reinvigorated sense of ownership. Of course, if you've already been plotting a grander getaway—toward something that moves you more deeply and promises to expose you to more rewarding daily activities—then this week is a fabulous time to initiate action or take a large step forward. But if you get fired or otherwise disciplined for 'acting out', don't go blaming your astrologer.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): As deeply as you're motivated by the spirit of freedom in all you do, trust me when I say: Freedom isn't always best pursued on a long-distance, fast-paced, wild goose chase, during which you're racing far and wide across the world's highways and byways, looking for… something. Yes, the idea of freedom may seem like a vast running ground, with nary a fence in sight. But all that running can get exhausting—especially if you're running away from something real and/or toward something that may or may not be. A reaction, whether to stifling realities or unrealistic expectations, is hardly a symbol of freedom if it's still a reaction. Instead, for the next several weeks, I advocate an emotional freedom… one which needn't be enforced with geographic distance or the equivalent (in fact, it probably shouldn't), but liberates you from undue pressures to feel any certain way, to sate others' hungry desires. Feel absolutely and positively free to feel as you feel. And be upfront (though non-reactive) in acknowledging any pressure bearing down on you from them. Then, take no other action. Run nowhere. Stay put. You have plenty of opportunity for huge adventures coming later this year, once Jupiter moves into Sagittarius in November.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): This unique blend of planetary factors impels me to proffer peculiarly contradictory-sounding advice this week, Capricorn. On the one hand, Venus and Saturn conspire to encourage you toward free-moving, self-referring emotional honesty, so you can do away with the inconvenience of feeling ashamed of feeling feelings. Come on, you know that feelings can (and will) change at any moment and rarely adhere to what's considered 'appropriate' or 'useful'—though, in fact, they are exceptionally useful as indicators of accord or misalignment. Yet, at the same time, your most promising positions show up through continual social engagement, thanks to a triple-trine of Mars, Jupiter and Uranus… though this exposure to other people which I advocate poses a real threat to your self-censoring of emotionality. As you likely know, setting a boundary in relation to someone else (whether it's your life-partner or a chatty stranger at the ice cream shoppe) is far harder than simply detaching yourself completely and/or not showing up at all. To be authentic, you must admit when a feeling's washing over you… and be prepared to fight (with yourself and/or them) for your right to feel it—without falling victim to feel-good, perk-up, against-your-will pep talks or customary, civilized convention. So what if you can't control your ups and downs? The ones who say they can are lying.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): It is the week to supercharge your work ethic with whatever it'll take to keep the engines running at 100% or more. While your continuing-to-grow professional reputation and continuing-to-change financial situation don't depend on the efforts of a single week—these effects are cumulative, as you've been discovering—they will certainly enjoy a heavy-duty injection of divine mojo, in direct proportion to how much you drill through and tackle this week. This propulsion will push you onward for weeks to come. Of course, the area most likely to suffer as a result of your astrologically-promoted workaholic tendencies is a (or the) primary relationship. Isn't it logical, though, the more energy you allocate toward that which self-centeredly serves your career and monetary goals (and there's nothing wrong with that), the less you have to give to serving someone else? If you confront this issue head-on and with forthrightness, you can dodge any actual conflict. To do so, speak honestly to that special somebody about your dreams and desires, your limited amount of energy, and your current need to temporarily focus first on work. If you're being authentic, then he or she will understand. But please make sure this reallocation is temporary—for everyone's good.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): I simply cannot let you off the hook from last week's encouragement to leap. This week, we've tossed Mars in the mix, with trines to both Jupiter and Uranus, adding the physical verve necessary to get off your buttocks and take the damn chance. Those of you who are hesitating to rile up your whole life enough to radically refreshen things, you're probably rightfully concerned with those annoying practicalities like money and job and the other chores you're charged with. Well, you're in luck because Venus and Saturn have each other's backs in houses of material security, and they will not let you go hungry—if, that is, you make some sort of massive decision or pledge this week, to go for what feels right over what you think you 'should' do. Even if you take another several months to brainstorm ways to rearrange responsibilities to make room for a completely different lifestyle (and to save up a safety cushion), as long as you do something this week, you'll get the planets' blessings. Otherwise, the trines will merely intensify whatever unattended-to yearnings for liberation linger languidly in your consciousness.