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Horoscopes | Week of November 10-16, 2008

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Once you've made it clear where you stand—and the other side has made it clear they (1) stand elsewhere and (2) don't intend to budge—then, Aries, I'm not sure it's worth getting deadlocked into a back-and-forth bashing and lashing, with no end in sight. To clarify, I am not urging you to back down, though. If the fight has already proven itself to be personally meaningful to you (see also: last week's horoscope), then you should stay consistent to the passion that's ignited your inner warrior. After all, remaining true to your word is crucial to maintaining a strong sense of ethics for yourself… something you can reliably point to as a source of pride, no matter where you may be at any given moment in the periodic cycling of wins, losses and too-close-to-calls. But as I told you last week, focusing on so-called flesh-and-blood 'opponents' puts you a significant disadvantage. Think bigger than that. If your current strategies merely point you back into direct confrontation with 'the other side', they need to be reconfigured in a craftier, more universalizing tone… with an appealing catch that'll snag believers currently uncommitted as 'yours' or 'theirs'. Forget about what your 'opponents' may make of your shuffling, as they could (mistakenly) take this as a sign of your surrender. On the contrary: You know it's better to create the full stink, rather than be stuck with regrets later. Only, instituting that very fullest stink will require foresight and focus beyond merely lobbing the ball back over the same net for the umpteenth time.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The full and unabridged story sometimes isn't so pretty. But the only other alternative is willfully sustaining a certain ignorance, and I don't honestly think you'll benefit much from choosing not to know (though your change-averse tendencies might prefer to leave everything where it is). Whether you're on the giving or receiving end of additional disclosures and discoveries (or, more likely, some combination of the two), you should prepare yourself for lots of mixed feelings to be flying back and forth through the air between you, spoken and acknowledged or not. Now, contrary to the voice in your head that wishes you didn't have to deal with all this crap (still!), Taurus, it would be naïve to assume this situation should be as clear and easy as you might hope. When you consider everything that each of you has wrapped up in this jointly pivotal circumstance, it's no wonder there are so many strings tying this comment to that feeling to that other event from the past (and blah blah blah from there)… and so of course it makes sense you might feel tangled up in knots that you'll never free yourself from (assuming you'd actually want to). But isn't that also what makes the whole thing so damn exhilarating?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Whatever 'no going back from here' climax you've been (purposely or not) forestalling for a little while now is ready to hit. The two of you can no longer deny the existence of a plot-thickening dynamic that's developed between you, defiantly placing your interpersonal interaction in a category all its own. All I know for sure, Gemini, is that the energy being generated by your heightened responses to each other is a definite game-changer. But you're the only ones who can tell us whether you're about to strip down and jump each other's bones, devolve into a nasty battle to the death, sign some deal that'll link you together in a deeper way, sue the pants off each other, get even more serious or break it off all together… or somehow raise the stakes, through increased intensity of either your union or its destruction. What's simmered below is presently busting forth onto the surface. Furthermore, you mustn't expect it to ever retreat politely back into its subterranean bunker again. Pandora's box has been opened. Greet the freeing of its unpredictably potent contents accordingly.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Just glancing over your astro-profile for the week, Cancer, I get a warm and cuddly feeling inside. I share this not to give the wrong notion… that somehow you should expect nothing but sunshine and teddy bears inundating every turn of events. (In this day and age, even more so than in others, it's naïve to ever assume one is exempt from the ripples of macro-level turmoil.) But I am happy with the movement of Venus into your solar 7th (the relationship house) to join good-luck Jupiter, who's getting along rather nicely with planets in your 3rd, 5th and 9th houses, indicating lots of inspiring joy and positivity flowing multi-directionally between you and those you come in contact with. I also like that energy-supplier Mars is traveling into your solar 6th (the zone of daily duties and responsibilities), ready to serve as your tireless workhorse for the next several weeks so that you may complement your flourishing leisure time with second- and third-helpings of productivity when you're still on the clock. All in all, it's a fantastic week for getting to know people better… and particularly so, when it comes to playfully posing the probing questions that have been on your mind for some time. What might ordinarily come off as a nosy inquisition on your part will instead strike them as healthy curiosity. And if you happen to hear something that could be a red flag, slyly store it away for future reference—without letting 'em in on your possible concern.

LEO (July 23-August 22): If you've been waiting for the signal that the time's right to grant yourself a break, then you should be greeting Mars's entry into your solar 5th with a big hug and a kiss. See, Leo, this Sagittarius-influenced Mars is the emissary of that life's-too-short vibe you've been (consciously or not) jonesing for—and he simply will not tolerate the further continuance of your private mopings and moanings, when you're surrounded by so many great reasons to embrace being alive. Therefore, in whichever contexts you've been metaphorically (or literally) sitting politely with your hands in your lap and listening to other folks get their grooves on (though their version of 'groove' may hold little or no appeal to you), you're now being called to get on your feet and show 'em how it's done. Sure, you might potentially disrupt the scene they've created. Yet, if that's what it takes to get your voice included in the chorus of revelry, so be it. You're not going to let yourself get left out, are you? You need to be able to freely express what you've got going on or, simply put, you'll soon be feeling pissed off.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): You might be drawn to staying in and hunkering down, seeming to prefer to pick at the scabs of old wounds until they once again show blood… though that's exactly the opposite of what I'd recommend doing, Virgo. Holding onto past drama (especially of the family variety) will only hold you back, especially at a moment such as this when you're facing so many easy options to expand your world outward, rather than pulling further into yourself. As I read 'em, the planets are delivering you a loud-and-clear message to open up, with a humble view to the future as both wholly unformed and super-eager to bring you wonderful surprises—particularly in the realm of fresh faces. Your social options are looking unusually wide and bright, offering you many chances to meet new people (including a hottie or two who just might prove worthy dating material). But in order to send a radical 'affirmative' to the universe ('yes, I'm indeed ready to go forward and encounter something different!'), you must leave the same tired disputes behind. Otherwise, you're involved in the energetic equivalent of wasting an entire evening with a hot date, telling 'em story after grueling story about your tempestuous relationship with your ex… basic evidence that you aren't ready to go forward after all.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Even as the obligatory social demands of a busy life show no signs of letting up, your own comfort level with actively putting out so much interpersonal effort seems to be wearing thin. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to retroactively learn that this week ahead presented an unmistakable instance or two of you having hit your breaking point, when it comes to how patiently you were able to endure the motions of small-talk with folks who ultimately aren't your 'type of people'. Perhaps you'll inadvertently snap at somebody? offer a less restrained take on what you really think? simply refuse to blow smoke up their ass one more time? Just so you know, Libra, the occasions at which your presence is expected and/or desired will continue coming. But that doesn't necessarily mean you are obliged to attend. On the contrary, if you are indeed feeling fed up with the burdens of casual cordial acquaintanceship, you might actually do the other folks a favor by opting out and staying home—if the other choice is for you to show up, feel put upon and resent having to be there, and consequently leak your irritation onto the fellow attendees. Here's an issue where staying attuned to the proper balance will serve you well. You can't bail out on everything social, just enough of it to preserve a pleasant personality for those encounters you do opt to engage in.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Pull back from juicing your interpersonal interactions full of nonstop intensity, so you may rechannel that grit toward more self-focused purposes… namely, shoring up the building blocks of your own day-to-day stability. In other words, try investing your trademark passions in bolstering belief in yourself, rather than, say, influencing other people to think more highly of you. At this point in the game, Scorpio, the calmest perspectives (and thus the wisest answers) will come from you taking some degree of distance from everyone else, then deciding which alternative will best serve your interests. Your relationship exchanges, alas, are simply too highly charged right now to offer you much clear insight into questions that, first and foremost, are self-centered ones. And with other folks increasingly likely to insert their desires into any advice given (and, at the same time, to overreact to 'selfish-sounding' statements coming from you), it's on you to keep the cool head. (There's no use in everybody becoming hysterical, is there?) Should you find yourself forced to respond to their insane worries, before returning your attention to what actually matters to you, defuse the panic with a soothing voice and rational logic.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Gas tank full, check. Parking brake released, check. Mirrors properly positioned and music cranked up, check. Now… go, Sagittarius, go! By the end of the week, Mars will be out of the 12th's funhouse of mirrors and into the bright daylight of your own sign. That is akin to your waking up after a long dream-filled slumber (Rip Van Winkle level of epic sleep, perhaps?), well-rested and chomping at the bit to begin a promising new day. For the rest of the year, then, you can count on making up for lost time—initiating the projects and plans you've been privately chewing on over recent weeks and months, speaking out on issues you recently kept mum about, putting your foot down where you feel you've weathered disrespect, and generally reminding everyone that you're a force to reckon with. In this process of readjusting to autobahn-speed cruising, you're also hosting a Venus-Pluto conjunction in your sign… in advance of first Venus, then Pluto, moving into your solar 2nd. That should be enough to blow your cover (as if it were ever firmly in place), in any instances where you've tried to conceal blatantly self-serving efforts beneath a more diplomatic guise. By now, you will have been found out. So you might as well confess your true motives whenever you're in it for specific personal gain… then put the pedal to the metal, screech off around the track, and quit apologizing for wanting to take home the trophy.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Welcoming Venus into one's sign, as you are fortunate enough to do this Wednesday (Nov 12), usually indicates that you can count on exuding an extra zing of charisma for the next few weeks. Couple that with the other factor of Venus conjoining Pluto just prior to her entry into Cap (and Pluto's re-entry a couple weeks from now), and it quickly becomes clear that any beneficial developments (or, thinking more broadly, those that aren't necessary 'beneficial' yet but may lead to further developments that unambiguously are) unfolding this week are powerful clues as to the specific themes you can expect during the totally reorienting transformation you're about to begin. In other words, pay special attention to the people, things and events that are presently presenting themselves to you. Got it? In the meantime, however, just as all of this is really starting to get exciting, Mars goes and hides himself away in your solar 12th for the remainder of the calendar year… essentially making it unusually difficult to direct your will toward intended results with any reliable aim. Don't strain yourself trying to 'push ahead' in any certain direction, as you'll likely find that you're somewhat confused about how next to proceed. Just crack a few jokes, relish your warm reception, and carefully observe what is (and what isn't) just naturally coming to you.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): You've still got the fight in you, so there's no need to worry there, my dear… but I do think you'll find, Aquarius, as this week bleeds into the next, your growing consciousness of how little private satisfaction the 'bothering to bother' is actually providing may indeed spur you to think twice about engaging the conflicts for now. It's as if these last combat remnants are merely the dying breaths of outdated standoffs that, due to each side's simultaneous (but still under wraps) evolutions, just don't seem as relevant or pressing any more. (Plus, the respective triumphs and defeats have already been banked for this round. Continuing to wrassle is rather pointless.) And all the while, you've hit a point where one more remark out of your mouth might just be the very last straw that sends a cranky colleague over the edge. Which begs the question: Should you keep it up, though your need for the last word may create friction among your mutual friends? If you quiet your mind long enough to see beyond the personal beef, you'll realize it's probably wisest to lay low until '09 rolls around.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): You see what you're up against, don't you, Pisces? We're talking specifically about the big dreams and hopes you hold about what you're capable of accomplishing… along with your current awareness, glaringly clearer than ever, of what may be holding you back from it. The so-called obstacle has become unavoidably obvious: It's either (1) a lack of support from one or more powerful team spokespeople who, justifiably or not, have decided your personal goals are incompatible with the larger group direction or capacity, or (2) a lack of support from yourself who, justifiably or not, has decided you aren't cut out for soaring success in this area of your choosing. And in each case, you can respond with one of two principal approaches: (1) Accept this possibility that you've been barking up the wrong tree, discuss the indicators with trusted friends who can provide additional insight, and begin to reconstruct a long-range plan, or (2) adamantly refuse to accept this lack of support (from yourself or anybody else), discuss your renewed commitment to fight for it with trusted friends who can provide additional insight, and begin to wage balls-out war against the naysayers. In both instances, as you may've noticed, relying on feedback from pals (especially those who are successful or connected themselves) is a key piece here. You don't have to climb any mountains—or make the choice not to keep climbing—alone.