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Horoscopes | Week of June 29-July 5, 2009

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Now back off. Don't disappear entirely. Just ease up on the gas-pedal, and let 'er glide. There's only so much that intent concentration can get you, Aries, before your eyes start to bug out and generate optically-illusive patterns that aren't really there, making you wonder if perhaps you ought to look elsewhere for a while. You aren't working this floor alone, you know— and sometimes, when we need a few minutes to compose ourselves while we're still on our shift, it's as simple as asking one of our colleagues to cover for us so we can run off to the facilities and splash some cold water in our face. No doubt you've got friends or acquaintances hooked into what you're doing, whether deeply enmeshed or loosely affiliated. Call in the allegiances, and request the coverage. But refrain from getting too wrapped up in explaining to 'em all your dozens of specific needs or why you've got to dash away for a spell…just remind 'em you exist and could use a couple moments' assistance, as briefly as possible. For that matter, be especially careful not to vent the potential buildup of emotional overwhelm (after all, you've got plenty on your plate) toward anyone in the power position. If you want them on board, you mustn't show your desperate, doubtful side. Reserve the breakdown for private safe-space.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This being the last week of both Venus and Mars in your sign, Taurus, you're at the pivotal point where you could jeopardize all that you've solidified over these recent weeks— if, that is, you don't obey the proper chain of command. With the dynamic duo's dual squares to the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction in your solar 10th, your recent (over-)familiarity with calling the shots could blind you to certain power structures that impact who exactly is in charge of what, and who else also deservedly owns a seat at the VIP table. The more unambiguously you clutch to your own single-sided perspective, the more backpedaling you'll eventually need to do…if you care about maintaining peaceful alliances with the other bigwigs you share responsibility with…once it's been made clear that you stepped on some toes. To truly solidify your recent gains, then, will now necessitate the requisite checkings-in— the legitimate embrace of collaborative process— the willingness to listen to alternate takes on the rights-and-wrongs of the matter— and, soon enough, lots of patient discussion so nobody walks away feeling as if they've been unduly silenced. If you're playing your cards right, none of these extra steps (which aren't as 'extra' as you might think) will detract from the surge of personal initiative you've recently displayed. If anything, your eager participation will prove that becoming more 'powerful' need not involve taking power away from anybody else.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Even before I've got it down in writing, I already hate the advice I'm about to offer, but— please don't fall prey to a wide-eyed optimism that's sadly disconnected from the reality at hand, Gemini. Maybe you'd like to believe standing up for something is a behavior that would automatically garner respect, even from those who'd adamantly oppose your viewpoint, simply because it's better to stand for something than nothing. Unfortunately, for the duration of this week at least, your public standing and/or professional reputation is too implicitly volatile to gamble with. Choosing not to be so forthright about this potentially contentious issue (or choosing not to acknowledge just how 'potentially contentious' it could be) really isn't the same thing as selling yourself out— particularly when I'm not advocating a complete avoidance of the topic, but merely better timing in your statement. Venus moves into your sign (finally!) on Sunday (Jul 5), which certainly bespeaks of a lifting of the fog-bank that's been blocking you from fully receiving that lucky goddess's celestial blessings, followed by Mars's entry at the end of next week, to put you thoroughly back in possession of your mojo once again. As you can see, therefore, the landscape looks sunnier and sunnier for the Gemini tribe from this weekend onward…and that's why it might behoove you not to jump the gun by putting yourself out on any limbs.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As the week progresses, you'll grow increasingly clearer on the intuitive level as to what's going on with a certain someone special— a trend that comes to a head with Friday's (Jul 3) welcome of Mercury, the great data-processor, to your sign. However, Cancer…and this is a massively noteworthy 'however'…the potential to actually communicate the insight you're settling into is robustly blocked by Mercury's weekend opposition to Pluto in your 7th, so don't assume the other person will greet your observations with open arms. Likelier than not, they won't. In fact, should you (imprudently) declare your surety to 'em, without considering the knotty psychological reasons why they might resist what you're saying (which probably have little or nothing to do with you personally), you may receive an earful-and-a-half of non-conforming nastiness— which, knowing you, could knock you into a spiral of self-doubt and cause you to suddenly become unsure of what you were totally sure of just a few moments earlier. Do you really want to put yourself at such risk? Though your intentions toward this someone may be immaculate, the danger you're liable to flirt with is unwisely underestimating the intricate mix of feelings they're lugging along with 'em…and consequently misunderstanding how very differently each of you may be moved to navigate this situation. Consciously or not, they could be driven to disrupt all logic you bring to the table. Wait 'til next week to discuss.

LEO (July 23-August 22): It's probably best to let someone else take the lead (or at least share it with you) in this week's proceedings— and to keep your words, apart from those that uncontroversially parrot the prevailing consensus sentiment, to a bare minimum. In a shift from recent weeks, you'll now do yourself the most fortuitous justice by reintegrating yourself into the crowd and not sticking out so much. You've already made a big enough splash to carry you onward for a while— and now, you'd be wise to let your established relationships (and the people you're in 'em with) do the talking for you. It almost doesn't matter if they say something that seems to indicate they're on a way different page than you because (1) chances are it's merely a case of their having chosen different words than you might've, though the underlying sentiment is similar enough to yours, and/or (2) even if they are coming from a way different direction, it ultimately won't reflect poorly on you and you'll have a later opportunity to correct any misperceptions. In other words, it's better not to make a show of publicly disagreeing with allies who are looking out for your best interests (whether or not their deeds appear as such). Just like a retail manager ought never to chew out a salesperson in front of a customer because it makes the whole operation look bad, you should deal with interpersonal deviations away from the fray…and, for that matter, at a more opportune moment. While you're at it, have a little faith in the relationship.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Don't allow either team-minded diplomacy or ideal-oriented enthusiasm lead you to talk your way into a logistically impractical commtiment, which will then become your problem to figure out. This isn't entirely discontinuous from last week's horoscope, a similar warning against the mouth (albeit with its heart in the right place) running away with itself. Only this time, Virgo, I want to be really clear on the threat it poses to you, namely this: The details of the functional nightmare your suggestions or pledges may circumstantially create will be somewhat obscured in the short-term, though, at some point, you'll be responsible for ironing them out (with a lot of self-imposed effort on your part) so you can make good on your word. And if I know you well, you're likelier to quietly (though grumpily) take on the burden…because you're not going to backtrack on what you already told 'em, are you?…than to ask anyone else to help bail you out of the mess you inadvertently created for yourself. So again, I repeat: Refrain from rushing into saying the very thing that just might 'save the day' but, at the same time, ruin your whole week or two or three. Besides, the less responsibility you (begrudgingly) take on, the more room you create for somebody else to surprise you with their way-less-predictable acceptance of the role.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): The kind of astro-action you're witnessing this week (and into the beginning of next)…squares between planets in your solar 5th and 8th…often points to dramatic, titillating or otherwise intensely absorbing flareups of energy that you can't resist relishing and reveling in. Most typically, such flareups are of the romantic or sexual persuasion— though they may just as easily play out in other situations (i.e., financial, professional) where your present fate is tied to someone else's. In other words, your self-sufficient sense of being responsible for your own pleasurable rewards has become subsumed, swallowed up, by an unmitigated joining-together with this other person…and rather than stressing about how to get free from it, you ought to enjoy it the most you can. For those of you Librans who feel stuck or saddled by this burden of interpersonal indivisibility (and perhaps justifiably so), you're going to have to focus on what you're learning from these circumstances (so perhaps you won't repeat the behavior that got you into this mess in the future)— because, if you don't identify this silver lining, you'll be left to pointlessly lament how your life is so out of your own control. (Hint: The tough times are always about lessons on behalf of a much-improved future.) However, for the larger number of you who are rightfully giddy about watching your individuality dissolve into togetherness thinking, don't overlook the fact that you…and your personal, self-centered desires…equal exactly one-half of the 'us' now daring to emerge. Melt, but don't disappear altogether.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Too much conflating of your (1) interpersonal relationship issues and (2) your ultra-personal relationship-with-self issues will only spur you to create unnecessary extra messes in both zones of life. Be careful not to assume things are worse, or even more complicated, with that certain someone than they actually are, Scorpio, just because you're feeling a bit emotionally dramatic or erratic on the inside. Not, of course, that there's anything wrong with riding your own internal dips and curves…as long as you don't strap that other person into the roller-coaster car with you and expect the hyper motion not to make 'em sick to their stomach. Before you transform your private contemplations into an affair the both of you must trudge through, please ask yourself what you hope to gain. Is it merely your loneliness hunting for misery-loves-company companionship on your turbulent cruise through bumpy waters (though, no matter how deeply involved we may be with another individual, we must always confront our true feelings alone)? Trust me, you'll go much further in soothing your soul by handling your personal business with some degree of distance from that certain someone, so that when you two are together, you can actually relish in the relief of sharing moments apart from your heightened inner emotions. (Or perhaps you're not looking for soothing relief— but instead to pick at the scabs until they start bleeding again?)

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): This time, when I instruct you to pull back on how much you say, it's not because I fear you'll say anything 'wrong'. Instead, Sagittarius, I merely think you have much to gain by listening to what a certain someone tells you. If you don't take every potentially triggering word at face value, and rightfully refrain from reacting until they've had a generous chance at going further into it, you will discover they're essentially feeding you specific directions for how best to please them. And keeping the important someone(s) happy is key to you continuing to receive happy benefits from the relationship. By week's end, Venus moves into your relationship house (the 7th), indicating an enhanced ability to draw companionship and closeness from the principal person(s) you share your time with. Don't get stuck in your head, conjuring false images of a solitary need to detach from too much emotional commitment. To a certain degree, that is wasteful 'meta'-level thinking. Enjoy the person in front of you— and enjoy listening to 'em detail the easiest ways to give your loving support. Dare you catch yourself in 'what about me?' thinking, remind yourself that it feels amazing to connect with those special people who sincerely appreciate having you in their lives. To that end, you're giving to yourself when you give to them.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): If I warn you that you're apt to scare away a particularly pivotal individual by shutting 'em down before they even have a chance to thoroughly explain their thinking to you, will it motivate you to lower your guard a bit and give 'em their fair say? I genuinely hope so, Capricorn, because I'd hate to see you've become so fixed on 'the important stuff' as you define it that you can't participate in a simple fair-and-balanced conversation without taking your differences too seriously and/or overreacting to their attempts to convince you of their perspective. Now, I'm not telling you they are right and you are wrong, but that's the sort of conclusion you're likelier than usual to jump to, due to the Mercury-Pluto opposition that builds as the week progresses (with its exact peak early Sat Jul 4). You may, rather innocently (and productively, I might add), be so caught up in trying to accomplish that which you know you've got to do that you're overlooking all considerations falling outside that bubble, including those of people (or a certain person) whose opinions you authentically do care about. And the short-triggered zero-to-sixty reaction of impatience you're liable to have to their desire to talk things out probably doesn't reflect this genuine care. It's merely a matter of 'bad' timing…and Pluto's ongoing intent to teach you how not to scare the ones you love, though you may sometimes disagree.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): By the tail end of next week, Aquarius, the atypical emotional hypersensitivity you've lately been laden with should almost certainly have given way to a more festive mood. First Venus (late this week) and then Mars (late next week) will move into your gleeful 5th house, where the fun-and-games most happily occur, and give you something solidly upbeat to crow about. Until then, though, don't waste this unusual window of thin-skinned sentimentality purely on more private brooding. You will have at least one chance this week to speak out on a topic dear to your heart, in a moving tone that transcends opinion and ideology, if you're open to bravely disclosing whatever personal experiences you've endured that have made you care so much. You needn't worry about having your agenda clearly outlined or thought through; in fact, such premeditated focus could actually detract from your expressive power. Instead, just tell 'em how you feel…and why you feel that way…without concerning yourself with outwardly attaining any concrete goals. Of course, once you receive the warm touching responses I expect you to glean from baring your vulnerable soul, you might then be put into the position of having to offer practical tips for addressing a relevant need. But that last bit would be like icing on the cake. What matters most is your move to cut through the bullshit that keeps us separated from each other— and to really, truly connect.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): With planetary shit-stirrer Uranus standing still (in preparation for retrograding) in your sign again, as it has for the past several years around this time (see, for instance, last year's entry), this is one of those weeks during which you are celestially entitled to do something altogether random, unexpected and/or shocking. But please, Pisces, do it…whatever 'it' is…in order to cultivate greater internal peace for yourself, and not to get a reaction out of anybody else. Uranus's long-term travels through the Piscean domain (2003-2010) are about freeing yourself from the claustrophobic receptivity you sometimes experience as a result of being so attuned to what other people are going through— hopefully so you can continue remaining compassionately sensitive for all the 'right' reasons, but without selling out your personal desires just to make someone you care for feel temporarily appeased (or catered to, really). As I shared with you so many times over these Uranus-in-Pisces years, it really is as easy as choosing to take the leap, snip the cord, excise the sabotaging script or otherwise not perpetuate whatever behaviors are draining your faculties away from you and diverting them to somebody or something else. Should you opt to take this week's special opportunity, let me further suggest you not waste a lot of breath trying to detail, for their ears, the reasoning behind your abrupt decision. You're in no position to explain, and they probably wouldn't get it anyway (and might even try to talk you out of it).