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Horoscopes | Week of March 8-14, 2010

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Lady-Luck Venus is in your sign again. Your ruling warrior-spirit Mars is finally returning to direct motion (also in a fire sign!), after nearly three months retrograde. Your time-of-year, Aries, is approaching its arrival… with an undeniable surge of burgeoning potential breathing down your neck, to let you know big things are well on their way to materializing. But as I warned you last week, the palpable excitement surrounding the leaving-behind of this recent purgatory-like waiting-and-wondering could tempt you toward quick-trigger-finger overcompensation… as if you're so afraid to put stock in the changing currents to (at last!) assist your efforts that you prematurely return to racing speeds. This week's interplay of Venus with Saturn and Pluto suggests too impulsive a move on your part can easily devolve into a predictable (and therefore rather pointless) interpersonal clash, based on you having not 'followed the appropriate channels' before diving in—even with the best of intentions on your part. While I appreciate your eagerness to get everything moving ahead again, it's best to reintroduce your assertive energies at a gradual pace first. These re-training wheels will come off your motorbike soon enough.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): There's only so much one can effectively do… at which point the smartest approach is to stand back a little, foster some faith, and let what's already been put into motion work itself to the next step. Your incessant need to keep on tinkering, though there's no evidence to suggest this expenditure of nervous energy is 'productive' in any way, may even grate on the nerves of those whose own responsibilities are being infringed upon by your micro-management. What, don't you trust the folks you're working alongside, Taurus? Well, of course, you do—you merely imagine you 'can't help yourself' from double-checking. What if I told you that 'being on top of everything' is actually preventing you from collecting your much-deserved psychic recharge… that your anxiety-driven control tendencies on the earthly plane are blocking your connection to otherworldly sources of magical guidance… and that you really should stop fussing about whether you've done enough, since you did what you did, it's essentially done, there's not really anything else to do, and you ought to be clearing the decks for the next round (whatever that may be)?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There are some appealing-enough options being tossed out at you from likely and unlikely sources, Gemini, that you really oughtn't behave as if you have no choices. More properly, the sense of 'lacking' in possibilities is actually a stubborn refusal on your part (though perhaps not a conscious one) to entertain any alternatives to that one special option you desperately want to prove successful. So, first things first: Admit how badly you want it, and how that desire could be cutting you off from other potential paths to success. Next, acknowledge the fact that knowing what you want doesn't mean it's therefore the best choice for all those involved. You may think you know best, but Mother Nature and her pals in divinity always know a bit better. Then, remind yourself something that every good Gemini should never forget: Always have a Plan B in the waiting (and, if you're really good, you'll see a Plan C is also helpful). That said, you'll have to push down your personal hunger for Plan A to exist as the one-and-only winner… and seriously listen to your friends and teammates about other scenarios that could prove to work just as well, just in case.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your accomplishments belong to you… as do your unfulfilled ambitions, Cancer, in case you'd grown unfittingly accustomed to assigning responsibility (or was that blame?) to other people for that which you've hesitated to grab for yourself. You're presently welcoming a modest upswing in your professional or outer-world landscape, a small-scale introduction to a longer-term window of expansion due to hit your solar 10th later this year and into the next. But if you think that developing into a leaner, meaner, more ball-busting version of your public self (so that you have greater focus on the goals you wish to attain and, therefore, fewer emotional misgivings about being so blatantly driven) will come without its corresponding impact on your personal relationships, please think again. Looking at your life from the wide-angle view, I see no way to assume a fuller role in the story of your dreams coming true unless you're open to confronting relationship patterns that keep you from owning all your power. After all, gaining respect and recognition on the public stage is nothing more than standing in the 'deserving' while other people bestow upon you what you want. As such, our personal relationships provide a wonderful training-ground for developing comfort with overt gestures of this 'deserving'.

LEO (July 23-August 22): Riding the high of Mars's newly-rediscovered forward motion (officially beginning on Wed Mar 10) in your sign, Leo, I would expect you to gravitate toward the liberating vibe of having selected 'What Really Matters to Me'… and, thus, be similarly likely to overlook the necessity of appropriately informing those folks affected by your selection, caught up, as you already may be, in the whirlwind of actually living it. Alas, you don't live in a bubble, and you must remain unswervingly conscious of how your now-clearer perspective on your top life-priorities will naturally catch others in the web of interconnected consequence. I suppose it's fine if you're just counting on them to roll with the punches… assuming no one will be so put off by the lack of direct communication that they force you to slow down and explain it to 'em. But part of 'living' it is, to be fair to all parties, putting in the extra social effort to help everyone acclimate to the changing circumstances. Otherwise, in the supposed act of moving yourself forward, you're leaving a lot of unfinished personal business in that dustcloud at your heels, kicking bits back up with each step.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): In a spirit on continuing openness to 'the diversity of human experience' (as played out through challenging your personal judgments against how a certain You-Know-Who chooses to live his/her life), I dare you to warmly offer an explicit statement of permission to this certain someone to do as they see fit, with your sincere blessings as part of the package. You mustn't, therefore, follow this advice if you're not genuinely feeling it, Virgo… which, in that case, means doing some real soul-searching on the topic of whether (1) you have a reasonable objection to the specific behaviors this individual is clamoring for freedom to engage in or (2) you're merely a control-freak who's more concerned with keeping someone else 'in line' than concentrating instead on what you want to be doing but presently aren't. The independence you willingly honor in another person is, of course, an invitation to claim a similar defiance-of-expectation for yourself. Give them that space, so you can take yours—unless it really is a non-negotiable issue at stake, in which case you can at once conclude both that (1) it's their right to pursue it and (2) your right to want no part of it.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): I could pen another friggin' horoscope about your day-to-day workload, with very little effort whatsoever, and I wouldn't be off-base. But frankly, Libra, I'm getting bored with that. Aren't you? Then, step away from the to-do list… and toward the other person (best friend, key partner, number-one sweetie) who's bursting with attention they'd like to offer you, if you're game for carving out time from your overcrammed schedule for a few valuable interpersonal moments. Venus, presently in your 7th, speaks of a wonderful 'togetherness' occasion—if not, of course, for the Saturn opposition and the Pluto square, which combine to obstruct you from simply accepting what's being offered. Too diligently devoted to the tasks that you won't permit yourself more than a passing glimpse of leisure socializing? Too caught up in those heavier 'private concerns' to want to reach your hand out, to make contact with the loving fingers presently stretching out to meet you? Don't make matters tougher than they need be by holding yourself back from pleasurable one-on-one connection with the important individual(s) in your life. Be present for your person… and in doing so, be present for yourself.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): I'm going to endorse this as a choice moment for speaking out, as an expression of how you're really feeling about a certain situation, neither with a chip on your shoulder nor with an agenda to push, but merely off the top of your head, from the bottom of your heart… with one warning: Your honesty holds the potential to rattle an important person who just may take your report as a personal indictment, and who may also take it out on you for daring to share. Be mindful, Scorpio, that this destabilizing effect on your situation could be exactly what's called for—minus, that is, the defensive finger of blame pointing unfairly at you. You Scorpios are meant to dislodge such uncomfortable truths from their hiding-places, so the rest of us can 'keep it real'. And sometimes, as the deliverer of The Shadow's messages, you will become the target of others' frenzied projections. In this case, take strength from remaining as diligently 'on task' as you can, knowing you're speaking out for the right reasons… and refuse to react with sharp vengeful barbs. You're being looked out for, as long as you're simply offering observations and opinions, not cheering on anyone else's self-destruction.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Thanks to a case of 5th-house Venus being tangled with Saturn and Pluto, it's highly likely your thirst for the 'outward fun' I promised last week would be arriving soon will face an obstruction from a pal, peer or teammate who doesn't approve and/or would rather you do what they want you to do. (And that possibility doesn't even address the other fact… that you know you'd better consult your budget before blowing a wad of cash on some frivolous folly. But that's another story.) All that said, Sagittarius, I'm not going to tell you to sacrifice the diversion on their behalf—nor, for that matter, that you should ignore them altogether. This judgment call is yours to make, based upon how convincing their need for you is versus how badly you need to blow off the steam. If you choose the self-serving 'fun' over this interpersonal commitment, however, be aware that you're also choosing to limit the potential reach of the alliance. And if your mind's already made up, don't pretend otherwise; skip the gesture of appearing to discuss it with them beforehand, and just proceed as you will.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Has anyone ever told you that you take life too seriously? I'm sure they have, Capricorn… which saves me from the ridiculous task of posing such nonsensical inquiries to you myself. And of course, you'll admit, you do strive to make the most out of your life—a 'serious' pursuit, to be sure, whenever you forget to laugh at the unattainable standards you set for yourself. That's why the suggestion to not take life too seriously is not only a rather foolhardy premise (because, what, you're supposed to squander your precious earth moments on mylar balloons and scratch-and-sniff stickers?), but one that would miss what I'd imagine to be the underlying point of such advice… namely, that because you take life so seriously (which is actually a good thing), you won't want to overlook the potential import of 'the little moments' of unplanned connection and community that, while seemingly not-so-serious, hold tremendous power to shift the direction of an entire day or week. It is precisely the awareness that you have tackled some very serious business over the past few months which points you toward the other pole of existence, so you may balance yourself out with the meaningfully 'unserious'.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Lord only knows what the stationing Mars-in-your-7th (finally no longer retrograde after Wednesday!) has brought, Aquarius, with regards to crowning conclusiveness in a long-simmering relationship standoff. Have you at last asserted your will? Have you had to face their assertive gestures? Most importantly, are you feeling feisty enough to demand a fair say in how the interpersonal dynamic plays out… or to lay down a law regardless, and let the chips fall where they may? Before you too proudly claim ideological victory in this one relationship, I want you to remain aware of the potential side-effects of taking too much self-satisfaction from this notion of 'upholding your integrity'. What's done may be done in this particular relationship, but additional individuals with new connections to offer you will continue to arrive—and I hope this latest development hasn't served to restrict or constrain your vision of what's possible in friendship, collaboration or romantic union. Clarity in one certain interpersonal situation doesn't merely bestow upon you more knowledge about people; it also suggests you need some fresh interpersonal influences, to keep you on your toes (and humble about your people skills).

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Here's hoping you don't suffer too badly from the disparity now revealing itself, between (1) whatever delicious risk you're presently nibbling from and (2) the sense of leftover responsibility still yours to oversee from before you stumbled upon this latest epiphany. It takes more than a brilliant brainstorm and the most wishful follow-up thinking to get from there to here, Pisces… and I urge you, as a result, to continue meeting the obligatory duties you committed to managing during the previous chapter. Even as the newness tempts you towards its glittering promise of eye-opening experiences and life-changing lessons, you really must do the 'old' business its justice, too. Be realistic, and give yourself another three months (yes, three months!) to cleanly extricate yourself from these commitments… which is ample notice for those left in the lurk to find replacements, and for you to voluntarily burn off those last karmic remnants of behavioral habits you've broken and decisions you'd surely make differently this time around. Unfortunately, part of that 'burning off' may involve giving more to someone or something else than you'd prefer. Honor the prior agreement, while recognizing the developing independence in declaring you'll never do that again.