Horoscopes | Week of June 26-July 2, 2006

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I avidly encourage you to have lots and lots of fun… to get in touch with your child inside or the real children in your life, in order to recapture that childlike curiosity in the world's delights. But at the same time, I'll also add a tiny caution against deciding too insistently what falls outside the category of 'fun'—and then harrumphing when instances of supposed 'not-fun' dare to encroach upon what you've preordained as the fun (and the only fun) you'll be having. Put another way, fun isn't necessarily a particular activity, as much as a certain attitude toward whatever shows up. The tone of language with which you engage the circumstances of your week will have huge bearing on how you experience it, too. If exaggerated complaints about long lines at the store or the loud construction zone in your neighborhood constitute much of what you express, don't be surprised if your days seem like a drag. If, instead, you find entertainment in the products and publications you unexpectedly have time to browse, or in that spur-of-the-moment excursion you opt to take to avoid the noise, then your child (inner or literal) will ooze good cheer. In either event, whatever vibe you give off will be infectious.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You speak a definite, self-characterizing dialect via the objects in your home. Each is a phrase or sentence that adds on more detail to your life story. And it's now that crucial time in the narrative for a developmental twist or turn, which can play out through rearranging the words (that is, the order of the décor), changing voices (redecorating), editing out extraneous characters and plot tangents (throwing out old crap), and/or introducing some new blood to spice up the thematic lifeline (splurging on a furnishing touch or two). Let your ever-changing lineup of favorite goods, and the method in which they're displayed, tell a metaphoric tale of what's happening inside. There are greater parallels than a first glance would betray. Most of all, though, what's the use in such artistic authoring, dear Taurus, if you don't share your story with the world… if not in some mass-published trade paperback or academic tome, then at least in one of those periodic letters sent to friends, which, even when time constraints force you to cc or xerox the same message to everyone, let 'em know what's going on? In other, plainer words: Invite people over—and in—to see how things are with you.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The gift of smooth, tight communication is yours for the taking, and for adopting to multiple simultaneous uses. This sphere is always an innate upside to your Geminian personality, but even more so now, with an unbeatable combo of (1) Venus in your sign and (2) Mercury joining Mars and Saturn in your 3rd, the house of the right word for the right situation. Writers, marketers, and other purveyors of the fine art of verbal finesse: Set up your week wisely, to take fullest advantage of this influence. More than trying to snag a definite commitment from folks, it's an optimal moment for putting out feelers… making phone calls and returning emails in an orderly fashion, with just the right blend of to-the-point business and affable wit. Throw in a sentence or two of extra personality (but not too much), to amuse 'em while you inform 'em. It's okay to include a self-deprecating remark about your relevant uncertainties—even a sign of 'weakness' (which rarely is that) can spin out into a charming turn of phrase, winning admirers as you also learn something. Don't take these opportunities casually, for whether or not we're talking 'profession' here, you still want to do a good job of astutely representing your side of every exchange.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It's a rather buoyant week, Cancer, marked by a Sun-Jupiter trine that invites you to live large… especially on the real, material level. With all the 2nd-house action you're receiving, I'd say you're in a position to find plenty of avenues for enjoying what you've earned. Whether you're a high roller, a humble retail clerk, or the one who runs the household, all the work you do mustn't be for naught… and I'm not just talking about the joy of doing for others. Revel in your wealth, whatever your relative measure. Even if it simply entails splurging for the whipped cream and cherry on your weekly fro-yo, you deserve the perk. Granted, no astrologer on this website would advocate spending beyond your ethical limits, a boundary we all must decide for ourselves… and which is guarded by the retroactive feeling we'll feel after all is said and done. Be honest—if you sincerely won't regret the fancy meal or snazzy new sunglasses, the weekend spa visit or the shiny trinket for the credenza, then just go for it. You only live once, right? How will you make this week's life a little larger?

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Keep it light and breezy, without pushing too hard against the proper bounds of civilized interchange. The only way you're likely to misuse the astro-energies is by insinuating yourself too invasively into others' business… without necessarily noticing that your 'I' statements contain unspoken judgment, through inadvertent moves to trump or one-up someone else's manner of handling their own business. With Mercury joining Mars and Saturn in your sign, it's difficult not to make your thoughts, words and actions principally about yourself. And, contrary to warnings I might offer any other week, there's nothing wrong with a little 'me' moment. (With three planets in the 1st, anyone in your position would do the same.) Just make sure your universal first-person perspective doesn't intrude into others' lawful territory, such that you purport to know more about their inner structures—and what's best for their flourishing—than they do. Act on your own behalf, clearly and unambiguously. Think hard on your own perplexing dilemmas, and speak out on your own personal standpoints. Be sensitive and supportive of their life conundrums, but worry only about solving your own.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Your cleanest and safest sector of focus this week, Virgo, is career and/or work, thank to the ultra-attractive presence of Venus in your 10th, grooving in step with Saturn and Chiron. The whole arrangement plays perfectly into your predilection for doing a good job, with blind faith that sincere effort will always pay off in the long run. Now, fine-tune that perfectionist streak in you, so you can maintain the high standards while easing into a more mature capability to accept things as they are. Your personal perfection, as epitomized by Chiron in the 6th, is to attend to your proscribed tasks exactly as you would best complete them… idiosyncrasies and all. You are uniquely, imperfectly perfect already: odd, singular, special. The ideal to which you must strive is to simply do it your most individualistic way. Is it possible for you, then, to drop the crystal-clear, picture-perfect-practical image of how one 'should' tackle what's currently in front of you—to honor the addition of Mercury to Mars and Saturn, together obscured from accessible visibility in your 12th—and just do your stuff, no clarity, no grounding, no wisdom, just faith? All other approaches, alas, are likely to get lost in the murk of heavy 12th-house haze, so you'd might as well try.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Your most fruitful mission this week, should you choose to accept it, is to gather others' opinions, as if you were operating a market research firm or conducting census surveys door to door. It's truly a fantastic mode of satisfying your increasing curiosity for more (of what? of something outside your current experience that makes you curious)—without upsetting the delicate apple-cart of all you're already balancing. What are you supposed to ask about? Well, that depends on what you're interested in discovering more about, or whatever issues you need additional perspective in helping to process. Possibilities for career transition, or opportunities to volunteer your time for the greater good? Places to travel, or foods to cook? Ways to expand your creative capacities, feed your mind or open your heart? Things to believe in, or to stop believing in? Take your pick. And who are you supposed to ask? There's absolutely no wrong answer… although to gain the most, solicit those whose ideas you're least likely to immediately understand or agree with. Then, just soak it in. After a full week of inquisitiveness, the best method for summarizing your findings would be to compose a short one-page advisory report, to set you on a course of further exploration. But because this should also be fun, I'll spare you the written homework.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): The approach I recommend for you, to take best advantage of the 10th-house action I'm spying, is a sincere and unblushing admission of your true feelings to those at the helm of your professional development. Now, don't be silly here, by misinterpreting my words to read as an endorsement of confessing undying love and devotion to your boss—unless, that is, a fully realized relationship with this person (and not continued progress in this particular job) is your number-one outer-world goal to attain. Of course, Scorpio, the disclosure you make must be genuine… but its intent is less about trying to 'have it all' (i.e., shitting where you eat), and more about coming clean about your inner experiences and motivations, with those you perceive as mentors, keyholders, parent-figures or wise elders. It's okay to let them know the real you, not just the guy or gal whose fancy-schmancy bio would grace the pages of a venerated trade journal. Better than okay, actually… it's an outright boon to your career to deepen this relationship, with the proud confidence that you're fully worthy of such a dialogue with such an esteemed figure. Take a chance on exposing your vulnerability. (Just don't, in the process, risk disrespecting your ethical standards.)

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): This week, other people are your golden key to channeling your pent-up excitement in a helpful, responsible direction. They are not, therefore, obstructions to your otherwise unfettered enjoyment of such excitement, as you might've told yourself in more frustrating recent weeks. Venus's agreeable, relationship-minded residence in your 7th helps to anchor the escalating think-big, speak-big, act-big commotion in your 9th… which, as I've said before, isn't currently favoring total, unabashed release into your typical wild-and-crazy lifestyle. (You'll have your chance, I'm telling you.) For this time being, take a different sort of exhilarating pleasure in motivating other key folks in your life to embrace their unrealized potential for wild-and-craziness… not in a pushy or bossy way, but by making the bold choices seem so much more appealing and rewarding. You have a clear sense for who's the person (or people) in your life chomping so ravenously at the bit for 'something more'—though they may be blind to how this constriction is keeping them too uptight. Lovingly but truthfully, encourage them to explore what else besides this their lives have to offer… because you've benefited yourself from such pursuits in the past… and will again soon, though maybe not tomorrow.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): You can put your sleuthing skills to good purpose this week, Capricorn, by pushing far into the root of any nagging issues or disturbances… to find out what's really causing the buildup. Mercury moves into your 8th, to join Mars and Mercury in excavating the depths of complicated situations, age-old mysteries and palpable accumulations of psychic residue. All you've got to do is ask the right questions… and keep asking 'em, unflinchingly, as pressure builds or awkwardness is drawn out to its most extreme, as a mode of withholding power. The momentary tension and discomfort are signs that you've hit a vein of subterranean liquid gold. So why scram just when the digging gets hard, and miss out on sharing in your portion of the treasure? With Venus's involvement from the 6th, the most straightforward area of life in which to apply this sleuthing is your workflow—to help you iron out the kinks, improve the overall mood and momentum, and to eliminate wastefully indulgent habits where they appear. Whatever it is you do with yourself all day long, there are always better ways to do it… through conquering the largely invisible psychological blocks to greater efficiency (e.g., 'If I choose to do it better, does that then mean I've been doing it wrong all along?'). Of course, such investigative techniques have another obvious application in the realm of relationships, where they can also gain you massive breakthroughs by continuing to chip away at walls. Needless to say, be prepared to finish whatever you start.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Everything you're working so hard at, to really accomplish something and make a name for yourself… it's going rather well, and/or, for the next week at least, is running along on autopilot. You can, thus, put those wearisome worries aside and center all your energies on building the bonds in your most favored partnerships… or, to phrase it a different (and less clinical) way, let love rule. Venus in your 5th, a quintessential 'have a good time' transit, is a cosmic encouragement to lovingly share yourself with the world—not to get anything from it yourself (other than entertainment and joy), but to give freely to others. This week's addition of Mercury to your 7th bestows a special articulateness to how you tell these special folks what they mean to you. So don't let this opportunity go to waste by assuming they already know or don't need to hear it again. More than merely talking, show the important people their level of importance through romantic gestures, behaviors of loyal friendship and appreciation, and reflections of the very warmest warmth you've got. Outwardly appear as smitten with those you adore as you often are on the inside (but neglect to show because you're so busy working to really accomplish something and make a name for yourself).

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): At this stage in the game, it'd be wise to spend your concern on getting things done… despite whatever achings for complete reprieve from duty or detail may bash against your practical side. Trust me, Pisces, by now you should know I'm all about encouraging you to rebel against expectation, forge your own path, jump off cliffs and all the rest that comes with it. But this just isn't the week. First off, you'd squander an astoundingly good lineup of utilitarian 6th-house helper planets (Mercury, Mars and Saturn), who seek to add value to your project-tackling capabilities: the organizational ideas, the physical energy to enact 'em, and the discipline to see it through. You might try to argue (albeit from a desperate-to-do-nothing standpoint) that you're too [insert mood-describing adjective] to get the job done. But even your emotions are willing to go along with the stuff-doing, thanks to Venus's sextile from the 4th. Beyond all that, your underlying desire to serve the ultimate good—no matter how obscured it can get by self-defeating flotsam or others' psychic jetsam—is powerful and prepared to grab the reins. Put another way, you want so deeply and badly to do the right thing (even if you can't see it), you're liable to actually sicken or harm your bodily self by fighting against this desire. Therefore, simply put: Get things done.