Horoscopes | Week of October 20-26, 2008

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Even if your relationship with a particular individual is occupying a good chunk of your energy, you should probably be thinking bigger than just you and You-Know-Who. As highly charged as this situation is (whatever the 'charge' may be, whether from passion or frustration), it is but one moment among a string of events that comprises your life history. And when you're reflecting on where you currently stand—from the epic full-span-of-your-life perspective;#151;you'll want to be honest with yourself about what role this particular person plays within the larger narrative. Is he/she a heroic co-lead? a reliable sidekick? a pivotal game-changer who enters the scene with profound impact for a period, then moves on when the climax has come and gone? Or will this person who's got you all wound up eventually reveal him/herself as a mere footnote, seemingly central for an instant yet gone from your immediate consciousness nearly as quickly? Naturally, you can't reliably know what the future will bring for you two… but surely you have some reasonable idea? Proceed according to that sense of future potential, or lack thereof.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Theoretically, the topic at hand is mainly about your need to ensure a certain detail or mundane piece of work is handled appropriately and efficiently. But we both know, Taurus, it's about a whole lot more than that. (And no, you're not just being dramatic. As we discussed last week, you're all too aware of what else is simmering below the surface.) So don't let your reluctance to be too much of a 'squeaky wheel'—or someone's looming critique that you're making a mammoth deal out of diddly-squat—hold you back from speaking out about your concerns. Honor your convictions. If it's really that important to you, then why allow your considerations to be steamrolled by others' impatience? With so much personally at stake, this just isn't the time to roll over and play weak… even though your strong-willed objections could put you at odds with a powerful player. In the end, the whole thing still might not go your way. But at least your opinion on this matter will be on record, ultimately serving as lasting evidence of your moral consistency, a trait that's usually deemed quite admirable.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This is no time for subtlety… and thankfully so, since you're not exactly in the mood to zip your lips and act all unassuming. But you do have this characteristic way about you, Gemini, of playing it casual when you, in fact, care quite greatly about something (or someone), so as to conceal your hopes or desires. And yeah, you're good at it, too… this skill with the potential to actually backfire on you when, for example, the object of your interest doesn't even catch a clue to your intentions. (Maybe you're so afraid of rejection that you pay attention to everyone else but them? Maybe you taunt or tease 'em, schoolyard-style, to overcompensate?) Yet, nothing significant is likely to happen until that certain person knows how you want the relationship to progress. So, wherever you've hidden your true affections from a person you'd like to get closer to, it's now the ideal week to show your hand and reveal the crush. Even if they're already hip to you and haven't yet taken your bait but you still sniff out the possibility of success, go for it again—with more gusto. As I told you last week, minds do change.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Bygones really must be left to go. While life isn't necessarily 'smooth sailing from here on out' (because that's simply not how life works), one particularly upsetting (or just time-consuming) situation has now passed. Move on, Cancer. Nothing productive will come from holding onto old hurt. And especially so now, when a fancy new batch of good times are eagerly awaiting your presence… as soon as you definitively close a certain door to a past that has nothing fresh to provide you. The Mars-Jupiter mix in your 5th and 7th houses is a strong indicator of you taking the initiative in pursuing further pleasurable contact—friendly or explicitly romantic—with folks of your choosing. (In other words, you should make first or second moves to raise the stakes with people you're into.) Moving forward isn't merely about cleaning the slate. It also helps to fill the cleared space with something (or someone) that excites you… lest you otherwise leave a gaping hole in your life, which is too tempting an invitation to slip back into it.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Refusing to dip into pessimism is as simple as entertaining other ideas about that one certain situation… or, for that matter, about entirely different situations altogether. We've all already got enough to worry about. Indulging such obsessive lines of repetitive thinking only reap more of the same. The rest of us would like to count on your sunny disposition to help thaw our chills… to turn our attentions to those much less stressful 'silver linings' that, given the willingness to explore alternative vantage-points, demonstrate why our biggest inconveniences often later prove themselves gifts from the universe. On the romantic front, any particular hotties with too-serious attitudes are likely to strongly admire your happy-go-lucky ways, should you find the opportunity to point out the small pleasures they're presently ignoring due to all-consuming concern for the problem areas. But it's not just for their beneficial lightening-up, Leo. You need to foster that upbeat hopefulness in yourself as much as the next guy. And the key to hope is seeing possibilities.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Dispense with tense formality. Serious (as in 'a matter that one finds significant or important') doesn't have to mean that everything is weighed down with ultra-appropriate lexicon, pinched facial expressions, and an overall cramp in one's natural style. Inject a fun-loving attitude, even into interactions that would ordinarily fall on the 'business' side of a strictly segregated division of work/play. Got a pressing proposal to make? Take the stakeholders out of the office, and hold your meeting in a café or outdoors at the park. Nervous about a certain conversation? Have it while walking along the shoreline, over lunch at that hip new brasserie, or anywhere but the strict confines of your living room. Whatever the encounter, it'll go much more smoothly when you're not giving off an uptight vibe. Relaxing into casualness is, therefore, presently as fundamental to getting the results as any other piece of the process.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): 'Me? Oh, I'm fine.' I'm sure these perfunctory words (or some similar phraseology) are plenty familiar to you, Libra. You probably utter 'em a lot. They stick a proverbial arm out, shielding your even-keeled image from anybody coming close enough to glimpse through the cracks… to the less-than-fine (if 'fine' means 'in careful control') emanations of authentic human emotion, creepy and crawly and terribly uncivilized, lurking within. But such 'holding it together' often just increases the internal pressure, so that your outwardly friendly demeanor remains intact at the high cost of inwardly feeling like you're about to blow a gasket. You need to vent it already, my dear, before you explode. Whether you are furious or crestfallen, maniacally enthused or terrified, or otherwise frothing and foaming with some sentiment way too 'extreme' to attempt to squelch with one more perkily vapid whitewashing… please help yourself out. Grab the one or two people you trust most. Instruct them simply to listen (rather than hunt for wise words of advice you probably don't need right now). Then, update them with what you were really thinking when you last told 'em: 'Me? Oh, I'm fine.'

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): You will find that others' proliferation of mercilessly wordy treatises, desperate appeals and whiny justifications will gush forth in direct proportion to how friggin' nervous (some might even say 'insecure') they are. And therefore, with the sharpest technique of reply possible, you need only to be economical with your communications—and you'll instantly put yourself in the most advantageous power position. You've already sat back, observed, and gathered all the information you'll need to present your case… and, likely, to win it. As you now step out from behind the curtain and start actually working your magic, you should feel rather confident. When confronted by your self-assured calm, the hysteria of those who'd seek to interrupt, oppose or challenge you will only become that much more apparent. Try not to disrespectfully giggle in their faces, once they meet your sparing utterances by running profusely at the mouth, ready to say just about anything to reclaim their sense of stable footing. Just be direct. State exactly what you want, no wasteful beating around the bush. Your efficient conciseness, believe it or not, is a fierce tool of intimidation.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): A sidekick support role would suit you quite nicely this week, Sagittarius, thanks to a continued combination of astro-factors that both blesses you with a 1st-house-Venus's good tidings and hinders your self-assertive abilities with an obscured 12th-house Mars. The suggestions spontaneously popping into your head may indeed serve your friends or teammates better than they currently would you… and you should likewise present your thoughts with no ego-investment in whether somebody follows 'em to the letter or not. In fact, if you hold some position of leadership or responsibility that's currently competing with your need to slip away and deal with 'personal business' (whatever it may be), your best option may be to temporarily pass off the baton to a colleague you trust. There's no shame in delegating, as long as you ensure your commitments are covered before ditching out. You should be back in your take-charge element within another three or four weeks.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Are you simply going to wait around for someone else to clear the path, invite you to stroll leisurely down it, and supportively clap and cheer you on? Good luck with that, Capricorn… and I hope you're wearing comfortable shoes. You could be patiently standing at the departure gate forever, waiting for your rocket-ship—and its valiant captain!—to show up and whisk you away to your desired destination in the stars. Don't bank your immediate future, then, on the anticipated (but as yet unconfirmed) arrival of somebody to take charge. If nobody appears to be stepping up, then dive right in yourself. Grab that vacant leadership role, and steer this wayward craft to port. But taking over doesn't mean you should start barking orders at people. (In fact, that's the hastiest road to failure.) Since you'll be unofficially assuming an authority not necessarily granted to you, you must earn the right. And that'll happen by launching into your chunk of the responsibilities first (instead of worrying too much about what anyone else isn't doing). As long as you lead by example (not royal edict), others will be inspired to follow along. Pretty soon, they may even think of you as their valiant captain…

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): It's not as if you aren't ready for the fight, Aquarius. Funny thing is, you aren't exactly clear on what you'd be fighting for. Sure, as far as the immediate circumstances are concerned, you may have a fairly solid grip on which stance you're adopting, why that's the one you've chosen, and what its overall advantages are. But we're still talking about things on a rather abstract level… which ultimately says very little about what the longer-range ramifications of such a 'fight' will be for you personally. What a thrilling head-spinner it's bound to be, however, if you can place your full faith behind the ideals you're eager to defend—only to learn as you go what it's like to actually live those ideals. The week's aspect to Jupiter in your solar 12th indicate the most dramatic growth you'll experience, as a result of not backing away from the urge to definitively assert where you're coming from, is still in a latency phase. You are evolving… only you won't know in what exact direction for another few months. For now, simply aim for that internal feeling of alignment that arises when you act in integrity with the values you find most important. Other developments will unfold accordingly.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): You mustn't shy away from acknowledging any cold hard truths you can't help but notice when you're observing the social dynamics of those around you. Though you imagine it'd surely be easier to clamp your mouth shut and go along with the crowd, gliding swiftly along the path of least resistance so as to refrain from causing dissent (though you'd hardly be the 'cause', just because you broached the topic), that is not the admirable approach. Do you really intend to give your implicit blessing to their unconsciously incommodious behavior, Pisces? If it's any inspiration to encourage your outspokenness (and frankly I hope it is), you can currently get away with stirring the pot, while avoiding the same controversy others might create by offering similar feedback. By perfectly blending sharply on-point remarks with an innocent 'who, me?' look, your criticisms will hit them gently enough so that they may actually take them to heart—perhaps without even having noticed you criticized them.