astrobarry.com the web

Horoscopes | Week of April 16-22, 2007

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The playing field is tilted dramatically in your direction, Aries, thanks to the multiple fire-sign trines anchored in your solar 1st. We're talking Mercury trining both Jupiter and Saturn, to ensure your mind remains on fire again this week… as well as a Sun-Pluto trine, to add a core of 'don't fuck with me' power that'll draw the enthusiasts ever more strongly to you, while scaring the rest of 'em shitless. These burning-hot astro-dynamics are heating things up for everybody, of course, not just you. But among all the signs, you are the one best equipped to handle this scene. Simply put, you're more accustomed to operating on a moment's notice, following the instantaneous instincts that'd burn you if you didn't keep moving… and courageously forging ahead as you see fit, whether you must slice through a thicket or knock down a worthy opponent in the process. Everyone else is far likelier to melt down under the pressure… blowing their lids when the plans suddenly change, barely keeping control over how they assert their wills (or losing it completely!). So while your creative flames are snapping and popping with fresh outlooks on worn-out situations, the other folks (especially your water-sign pals) may simply be singeing the ends of their hair or blindly marching into the hottest spot of the blaze. Why waste this amazing brainstorming moment on battling others, when it'd be a match at as uneven odds as you wrestling a three-year-old? Use your energies for hatching your own self-serving plans—and yes, your ideas really are as good as you think they are. For now, stick to the 'concept' phase… and wait a good month before diving into the 'implementation'. Meanwhile, the other folks have plenty on their plates to contend with… and don't need you stickin' it to 'em, too.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Perhaps without even being aware of it, Taurus, you're rapidly becoming privy to a great deal of important information… direct gut-level knowledge of why the people around you are behaving as they are, the underlying psycho-spiritual complexes that are winding 'em up, and the karmic purpose to it all. This is exceptional cosmic information being revealed to you, all the more immediate and profound in proportion to how skilled you are at keeping yourself at a reasonable distance from it. That's the squirrelly catch: As long as you're invested in evaluating the 'meaning' of the hunches or attaching them to a certain outcome—presumably in a way that suits your ego's purposes—then the wisdom is likely to vaporize into nothingness before your eyes. It's because you're not supposed to do anything with it… other than acknowledge it, let it register in your brain (for later reference or utility), and get out of the way. Dare you begin to analyze, prognosticate or espouse, you're putting yourself at great risk of getting tangled in a web of trouble you can't see coming. Without meaning to, you're liable to frustrate your friends or colleagues by composing a read that too brashly promotes your own interests. And it'll be obvious, to everyone except you, how your position of so-called 'certainty' is only one among many possible interpretations. But leave what you suddenly know to hover in the ethers, untethered to a reductive wording, and it remains absolutely fundamentally true… and rather brilliant. Only in the act of trying to explain its composing contents will you spoil the stew.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Hey, smart ass… this is your astrologer calling. Wise up. Just because everything's coming up roses (or at least some blossom of somethin' pushing up through the ground), that's no excuse to mouth off to the wrong people. Self-confidence is a truly wonderful thing—and having Venus in your 1st for another three weeks certainly helps out with that—but it tends to backfire when expressed in obnoxious doses. That 1st-house Venus spends all week approaching a tense square with Mars in your solar 10th… indicating that you're likeliest to upset this bright time by being too outspoken on the job, in some other public forum, or toward an authority figure who'll be thoroughly unimpressed by your flare-up of verbal diarrhea. Your worst mistake would be to assume an 'equal opportunity' stance in your behavior, speaking to everyone the same, as if to prove your cool fearlessness. As far as a direct bearing on your life goes, everyone is not the same. Paying a thoughtful mind to who your audience is before letting rip the irreverent observations, wise-guy quips or gossipy disclosures could save you from suffering open embarrassment—or worse. To be amusing is not enough. Decorum is also a useful skill to cultivate. Save your snappy comments for friends who will truly appreciate your wit… and aren't the ones who sign your paycheck or keep you gainfully employed.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): We all tell ourselves certain stories about how we ended up where we are, and why it matters… providing a backbone of higher significance to our trials and tribulations, so we may feel like it was all 'worth something' in the end. But the longer we faithfully clutch to the same explanatory stories, the tighter we shut out other possible meanings to our life experience—and end up defending the 'truthiness' of our accounts, to the point of sounding downright fanatical. Just because one sense-making rendering of your personal history has served you well (for the past few weeks or many years), Cancer, you needn't assume it's the only version worth knowing. Don't students of literature gain additional insight into their beloved works by reading alternative translations or steeping themselves in other critics' opinions? If you want to open yourself up to new strains of interpretative knowledge, with the possibility of liberating yourself from tales that paint you as 'victim' or 'underdog', you mustn't insist on being right. You'll be too busy rallying your resistance strategy to notice fresh motifs, dotting the landscape like lucky pennies or fairy crosses…small clues to an entirely unheard-before story, in which you are the heroic protagonist. So steer clear of heated debates where you find yourself overly concerned about 'the principal of the matter' (or other such uppity nonsense). A mind is a terrible thing to waste on arguing about pet issues. You have more constructive stuff to think about, anyhow… like how to read the signs in a way you can productively work with.

LEO (July 23-August 22): Learn something new. Take literal steps outside your typical hangout grounds, your usual frame of reference, and your normal routine. You already know enough about what you already know enough about—it's great to be a so-called 'expert in your field(s)', but mind-numbing after a while, too. You need to browse a different section of the bookstore. You need to strike up interesting conversations with out-of-the-ordinary types, on topics you've had little previous experience exploring. You need an altogether different perspective… not necessarily to adopt on the spot, but at least to consider or contemplate to some reasonable depth, before approving or rebuffing it. To do that, you'll want to scratch beneath the surfaces, by reading the entire chapter (not just skimming the first paragraph) or asking for more information, and challenge the neat-and-tidy explanations that don't clearly reveal the logic behind them. If love is on your mind or you're hoping to meet a new pal, pursue the edgy intellectuals, the meaning-seekers and mischief-makers, or exotic foreigners. (Mr. or Ms. Nice-and-Normal is too damned easy to impress.) Hover near the bohemian neighborhood, at strange hours, with horizon-expansion on the brain. Bottom line: Don't settle for staying just where you are. Push yourself and your mind in one direction or another, but away from the safehouse of sameness. By the end of your week, you'd better have some new lesson to show for it. (Want to tell me what it is?

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Your week continues where the last one left off… putting you in an ideal position to say what needs to be said, though nobody may want to hear it. But the reason why they don't hinges on whether you're speaking up out of an ethical duty to stand up for solid scruples… or merely to read someone the riot act for their sub-par behavior. Yes, Virgo, I know there's a fine line between these proffered purposes. The difference, however, rests on your intent: Are you striving to uphold a sense of right and wrong, the standards of which you'd apply equally across the board, no matter who the alleged offender might be? Or are you going after a certain someone with a special fervor, and calculating your observations and statements for their maximum cutting effect? With the planets as they are (e.g., Mercury in Aries in your solar 8th, a Venus-Mars square, and the Sun trining Pluto), your first uttered instinct may easily be a mean-spirited one—not necessarily because you are generally a mean person, but due simply to how effective such 'fighting words' can be in conveying your position. And 'fighting words' hit the target far more mercifully when lobbed in an impersonal battle of principles, as opposed to aimed squarely at a particular person's weak-spots. Even if your personal gripes are wholly legitimate, I'd be wary of airing 'em this week… unless, that is, you hope to bomb the living shit out of 'em, leaving little to survive. Then, by all means, let 'er rip.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): This is the time to rely on your intrinsic conversational finesse… and seductively sweet-talk your way into stating exactly what you want, without it seeming too demanding or too indirect. When I say 'seductively', I don't mean it in a strictly sexual fashion… rather, I encourage you to be as charmingly persuasive (and yet not annoyingly so) as it'll require to get 'em on your side. Words are unequivocally working to your benefit—coming more easily than usual, and carrying a punchier punch. The verbal wizardry you're capable of this week will function most favorably when deployed in one-on-one exchanges, as opposed to in a group setting. When you lose the intimacy of a pairing and expand the scene to include multiple people, you're liable to lose your focus—and have a hard time pulling it off, since each individual requires his/her own particular sweet-talking tactic. This astro-influence is especially appropriate for harmoniously handling relationship issues… whether it's recommitting yourself to one, politely changing its terms or establishing different boundaries, or (if you're on the hunt for one) clarifying the qualities you'd most value on the next go-around. The best part about all of this? You'll be so clear in what you offer, there'll be no possible way for the other person to later claim not to have heard or understood you. Instead, you'll be signaling the door for further dialogue is open. And chances are, you'll genuinely appreciate where it goes next.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Is it ferocious fury… or powerful passion? As you know plenty well (better, perhaps, than any of the other zodiac signs), these intense full-body sensations are but two sides of the same coin. And with a Venus-Mars square escalating all week, we might expect to find one, the other or both making special appearances in our immediate life situations. But for you, Scorpio, the chances are heightened—by the sheer fact of the square falling across the solar 5th/8th-house quarter. A 5th/8th-house square often frames the conflict between (1) expressing one's true vital essence, openly and enthusiastically, without compromise, and (2) connecting with another person in a deep and penetrating way, with no 'off-limits' zones, no matter if the all-potent connection becomes intricate, messy and/or maddening. Obviously, going off this description, you can anticipate possible clashes between a drive for positive recognition of your unique individuality and the trickier negotiations necessary for close interpersonal bonds—in other words, pitting your own pride against your involvement with an equally headstrong ally/adversary (well, which is it?). Yet, you can probably guess what we'd find if we flip that 'same coin' over: Desire, rising all around you. That's right, if you're up for it, you can seduce the pants right off 'em… if you don't kill one another first. (Or maybe you can find some kinky combo of the two, and satisfy both birds with one good hard stone.) To top it all off, you're holding the magic keys and quick-fix solutions to get tons done in your work life. So between all the flirty bickering and push-me-pull-you come-hither stares, don't forget to squeeze in a good chunk of chores. You'll still have plenty of time left to knock boots… and/or knock each other senseless.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): For their sake, Sagittarius, I hope the apparent naysayers are kidding when they take a stab at getting you to chill out and stifle your subversive spirit. They don't stand a friggin' chance in hell! The world is your stage this week… and there's absolutely nothing in your astro-forecast about simmering down or shutting up. So hop on in there, and see what sort of rousing resistance to propriety you can produce for public consumption. Whatever you say or do, I doubt you'll be anything but naturally, effervescently entertaining. (That is, as long as you don't use this elevated platform to annoyingly spout ideological creeds. Even if you're 'right', no one wants to hear it just now. It's supposed to be fun, not 'educational'.) Plenty of folks of various persuasions will be watching your groovy moves—including at least one snazzy fellow or saucy minx who'd love a private encore. Will you oblige their coquettish come-on, or leave 'em hanging? (You wouldn't want to disappoint a fan, would you?) In any case, the attention should be seen as sincere flattery, and treated honorably as such. And while ordinarily I might caution against a potential outbreak of arrogance or egotism under such transiting influences, I'm going to leave that part alone for now. (How'd you like that sly mention, disguised as a non-mention?) Go as far as you want—the 'market forces' (i.e., others' reactions to you) will make any necessary corrections.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Interested in gaining some new insight into what makes you tick? Yeah, sure… you already know everything about your own private motivations, the ghosts of past damage and disappointment, the comments or glances, unspoken judgments from others that stick in your craw, right? While you may possess the firsthand experience of your complicated emotional landscape, its knolls, its basins, the way your unspoken feelings echo against its quiet levees… you often don't have the appropriate words to concisely encapsulate what it's all about. And the longer we leave our internal experiences to loiter unexamined, unexpressed (to ourselves, at the very least) and/or insufficiently classified, the deeper that gusty air of mystery sweeps their roots berneath our intelligibility… leaving us to feel plenty, but not understand much of where it comes from or why it lingers. These next couple weeks offer you, Capricorn, a promising chance to articulate in clear terms what's going on inside you. When we can call something by its proper name, it diminishes the unconscious power it holds over us. Whether you choose to practice this exercise alone or in dialogue with an intimate friend (or trained professional), you must put it in words: written, spoken, recorded or performed. That's the whole point. Of course, under these astro-tides, you may instead be tempted to pick at the old family wounds… maybe even try to convince your relatives (for the umpteenth time!) to finally see things you way. Fat chance. And why beat a dead horse? All that really matters is coming to your own peace—and peace starts with understanding.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Now or very soon, you'll liable to find yourself caught between (1) what you really want to do, because it's creative or fun or gets you noticed by the paparazzi, and (2) what sensible, stabilizing actions you probably should take, at least if you're intending to support (financially and otherwise) your own creative, fun-loving moments in the spotlight. Don't fret just yet, Aquarius—in the overall scheme of your life, you won't need to pick between one or the other. In the short-term, however, it'll be a bit of balancing act, to supplement your joy-filled romps about town with enough good-old-fashioned pragmatism to stay on solid footing. The big issue is timing… making sure you don't go too far down the road that entertains your ego, without simultaneously checking to see if it's safe and secure all the way along. What's the rush, anyway? Don't worry about whether you've got it all squared away this week. For the present moment, just stay in constant touch with your network of acquaintances, allies and advisors. Discuss this brewing conundrum of priorities. Ask the provocative questions, and listen closely to those first fiery replies that shoot out their mouths. There'll be something very useful and wise in 'em. And while you're at it, feel free to probe into their most currently vexing dilemmas, too. Stir up their pots with a bit of probing mischief, and they'll stir you right back. We need our flock of friends and familiars to keep our perceptions in perpetual development.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): First of all, Pisces, I need to question you on how important 'inner peace' is right now. I ask because of this building square between Venus in your 4th (who longingly craves a calm, quiet respite from the ever-exasperating events of the outside world) and Mars, galvanizing your own sign into action (of one sort or another). As I explained last week, Mars in your 1st is a summons to self-involvement, inciting you to quit worrying about the other person. As the terms of this square imply, your internal harmony (Venus) will be more or less threatened by the shit you stir up (Mars), depending on what sort of shit it is—and it's likelier to be worse, the more you focus on battling against others rather than battling for yourself. In other words, use your energy to push for what you want… in the most unabashedly self-serving way possible. (However, doing stuff to 'prove yourself worthy to someone', to 'show them' or to 'get even' decidedly don't qualify.) Thankfully, to help you out with this, you've got a triumphant grand fire trine heating up your 'material' houses (the zones where work, money and public achievement play out) with fresh new strategies for earning more dough (or holding onto what you've got). Don't think too hard, though. The first few flashes that pop into your head are the most magical methods for getting richer. Once you do that, then you can return to worrying about how to give everything of yourself away to everybody else.