Horoscopes | Week of March 15-21, 2010

ARIES (March 21-April 19): And the momentum keeps on building! And your innate bravery comes back out to shine! Your plucky zeal for pulling brilliant newness out of thin air is returning to an enhanced state. You're burning red-hot right now, Aries… and it's my duty to inform you of your birthright status as wave-maker, gridlock-breaker, trailblazer and unshakeable leader, in case you somehow forgot over recent weeks or months. Does that mean the tasks ahead of you are easy? As if. Will there be potential obstacles to overcome and/or opponents to defeat? Quite likely. In fact, as we speak, you may well be facing a stubbornly obstructive chain-of-authority (under which it's hard to even discern who to take what up with, since nobody seems willing to take responsibility for an independent decision) or an unsympathetic character (who claims to want more questions answered or explanations given, more 'time to consider' or more of something other than immediate action). Please don't lose hope. While these stymieing blocks are undeniably tough to conquer (and are part-and-parcel of what's presently irritating so many of us these days), if anyone can do it, you can. Thing is, though, in the end, you may have to rebel more radically—and create this new-and-improved reality from scratch. You haven't reached that point quite yet, however.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Please, oh please, take yourself away from it all. Book a few hours (or days) in your very own isolation chamber, and let your voice-mail cover the phones. The astrological impetus behind my repeating this message is only growing stronger, Taurus, with the 12th-house energy pulling you further away from the confines of agreed-upon reality (temporarily, not to worry) and into your own fantasyland. This is a much-needed shift, darling, and not a celestial judgment on your recent deeds. There ought not be any guilt associated with this. Wait, what's that? You say there's just no way you can so totally divorce yourself from the day-to-day commitments you have? I'm willing to go along with your assessment… but only with the understanding, of course, that you still do need some backstage regeneration time. Therefore, I strongly recommend you adhere to a very strict—and rather limited—schedule that'll ensure you meet your minimum requirements to earthly duty but ensnare you no further than that. Expect your out-and-out normalcy to return about two weeks from now.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This is no time to isolate yourself. Whatever the heavy circumstances you've been contending with, you do yourself no favors by pouring all your energy into repeatedly beating on that same imposing gate. Whether or not it (or another, just-as-promising portal) ever opens, you still must get on with the rest of your life… and for a Gemini, that 'life' should always entail plenty of outside stimulus from the varied cast of characters, large and small, who comprise your community. The planets are trying to draw your attention to the world out there, which includes lots of other people contending with their own dramas, minor and major, that also necessitate being talked out with friends. And if you're not a good friend to talk things out with, I don't know who is. In the process of actively reacquainting yourself to what's up with them, you just may end up with your own life being put into clearer perspective… through seeing how other people are making it work, and considering both similarities and differences between your situation and theirs.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I would like to say that 'all signs are pointing to movement in your career or public-community life', Cancer… but in good conscience, that statement wouldn't be entirely accurate. So instead, let me tell you that many signs are pointing to movement in your career or public-community life, both in terms of moderate short-term moves and larger, more dramatic ones in the coming months. However, at the same time, there are some potent astro-indicators that threaten your easy ability to make these moves… namely, Saturn in your 4th and Pluto in your 7th. Let me break 'em down: (1) Saturn warns that you won't come across with the needed confidence if, within those soft innards beneath the shell, you emotionally doubt your worthiness of such professional heights. The 'work' most required of you, with Saturn in the 4th, is to responsibility provide yourself the firm foundation of self-nurturing upon which confidence necessarily must rest. (2) Pluto hints at the alluring power a certain person or relationship (real or imagined) holds over you, inhibiting your full embrace of independence because, on some level, either you'd prefer someone else to pull the strings or you're too obsessively occupied with coddling the relationship to risk it with too much self-motivation. I've given you the info—now you choose how far you will (or won't) stretch to spur the movement onward.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Suddenly, it's all starting to move so fast. But as I alluded to last week, there is a heightened necessity to check in with the relevant pals, neighbors, acquaintances or other affected parties before, in your feverishly optimistic rush to take advantage of the accelerating developments, you inadvertently trample their proverbial gardens. Of course, Leo, it's just as likely that, if you're being fully honest with yourself, you don't harbor much of a desire to waste any more time on perfunctory check-ins. 'Does this really require an additional delay? And must I ask for their permission or some official "blessing", or can't I just proceed onward as I'd most like… and assume they'll naturally catch up with me along the way?' I have no definite answer, only a commonsensical analysis: Move ahead your way, and you'll get there more quickly, to be sure. Pause to affirm your social links are intact first, and it may take longer—but you'll have minimized the danger of pissing people off, which could otherwise cost you something later.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): It's the current (and still intensifying) astro-activity straddling your 7th and 8th houses, Virgo, that has me going on and on about welcoming surprise, respecting difference or, in some cases, acknowledging reality and 'calling it a day' in an important one-on-one relationship. First Venus and now both the Sun and Mercury have crossed the 7th/8th border… which is essentially the mark of going beyond polite interpersonal consideration, to that place where all parties must admit it's no longer as simple as it was. With the 8th house usually comes either a passionate, near-uncontrollable deepening of intimacy ('Guess I'm pretty far in!') and/or an impassioned, unavoidable intensification of psychological dynamics that must be dealt with, often through cathartic confrontation or painful separation. This call to welcome change in the realm of relationship, by the way, is not something you can ride out for a few weeks, hoping the waves subside all by themselves. Both Jupiter and Uranus, looming planetary players to be sure, are also headed 8th-house way in the coming months. Must you wait for them to further flame the situation before accepting its full profundity?

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): With the Sun and Mercury joining your fave lady Venus in your relationship-related 7th this week, you're presently in no shortage of interpersonally influential sway over others' impressions. If you've been holding off until the right moment for moving in to set up a lunch date, make your case or close the deal, you've certainly arrived. But like pretty much everything else going on these days, there are extenuating complications to navigate, if you hope to get the most out of your efforts to woo. For you, Libra, the challenge comes in the form of how immediately forthright you can be with your motivating desires… versus, say, trying to get them on your side without coming right out and admitting exactly what you want from 'em. For good reason, we're all growing rather wearied of euphemistic PR speak, political correctness and all the other rhetorical tools we've developed to essentially insult each other's intelligence. So don't try to pull a fast one over on anybody. Frankness, while typically quite uncomfortable for Librans during the first few minutes of 'cutting to the chase', will immediately bring a refreshing trustworthiness to the situation… setting things off on the right foot before they've even gotten fully underway.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Tired of all the recent astro-messages about how very thwarted your progress has been (especially when it comes to job concerns)? Then, work, my dear Scorpio, like you've never worked before. Mars is once again direct in your 10th (the public-achievement zone), and playing nicely with Venus, the Sun and Mercury in your 6th (the house where all the day-to-day labor actually gets done). This is wonderful news for your ability to flip over a new page in your handy-dandy notebook… and dive back into the everyday productivity for which there is no substitute, if you want to attain tangible results. What? You don't know what you're supposed to working on? I'm holding myself back from spouting the first word that came to my head (which, truth be told, was 'hogwash!'), and will instead sympathetically indulge the possibility that these months of agitating immobility have done a number on your self-esteem. That said, you'll have to yank yourself out of the emotional mud… and fight hard against Saturn-in-the-12th's vague sense of 'something not being right'. Even if that suspicion were true (which I can't confirm or deny), there'd still be nothing else to do but continue doing. Rather than moping (because there's already been plenty of time to do that), you simply need to get—and stay—busy with productive work.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Silently chewing on behind-the-scenes issues, be done! Resigning yourself to putting up with less-than-ideal domestic situations or continuing to privately bear emotional crosses, no more! This could be the week it all starts to turn, Sagittarius… and with all these fire-element influences (Mars in Leo and, by week's end, Sun/Mercury/Venus in Aries), it'll only take one or two spark-generating moves to get the whole thing a-blazin'. Here, I suppose, is where I ought to interject the standard reminder of Saturn-and-Pluto's dual-action attempt to dissuade you from daring to take matters into your own hands. They're doing their damnedest to intimidate you into fearing the risks of losing your footing—financially and/or within your network of social supporters—that naturally accompany the independent-minded, fuck-the-consequences step you're thirsting to take. Having reached this point, however, your drive to free yourself (by any means necessary) may no longer be stoppable… and this is just the beginning!

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): As you're putting together your definitive take on the presently contested emotional issues involving family, partner and/or housemate, for now it's more pressing that you establish the firmest clarity possible on your end—before agreeing to partake in an interactive exchange on the topic, which is likelier to devolve into circular rounds of aggressive 'I'-statements rather than genuine dialogue. You figure you out, boo. Quietly work out the kinks in your thinking. Put your extraneous (though no less justified) anger and sadness in the appropriate category, so as not to burden this specific situation with too much overflow from the past (which, while related, isn't as currently relevant as you might imagine). I want you, Capricorn, to be in full possession of your wits—and fully aware of all the dimensions of your mixed feelings—once you finally engage in the conversation. This may only take another week or two, but it's well worth the wait in terms of how you'll come across.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Hard as this suggestion might sound, please don't concern yourself so much with 'the big picture' right now. (You do enough of that sort of thinking all the time, anyway… and you've already had plenty of recent 'down time' to think, think, think!) Instead, Aquarius, just play everything as it comes… open and interested, curious but not entirely committal, willing to chit-chat with just about anyone about just about anything that could, further down the road, prove to totally and completely transform your life or amount to absolutely nothing more than a moment's harmless diversion. The fewer preconceived notions and snap judgments you bring to your every social interaction, the better. The reason this suggestion really is so hard stems not only from fears that you'll inadvertently end up being forced to compromise your integrity (again?!?) if you don't ask the big-picture questions now. (You'll have ample time to evaluate those ethical concerns later.) It's also because, deep down, you fear losing a certain control over the direction of your life… an experience that also threatens to leave you admitting, hell, you couldn't see that one coming. Would you rather be greeted with exciting new opportunities, or prove you've 'been right all along'?

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Hey, you magical Pisces, want to consciously invoke some heavy-duty mojo using this week's Piscean New Moon (exact on Mon Mar 15) to your advantage? This one's got an extra zing from its dual conjunctions to Mercury and Uranus, which means the early part of this week is ideal for setting the intention to bust free from mental and/or communicative stalemates. In other words, I see at least two obvious applications for you to deploy its enchanting lunar power: (1) Ask the unseen divine (in whatever form its mysteries speak to you) to deliver you an electrifying epiphany from far-left field, while promising not to dismiss any ideas as too absurd to be practical for a good two-to-three weeks. (2) Ask the unseen divine to bring you the courage to speak the words you've been scared to utter, out of fear you'll hurt someone else's feelings in the act of declaring your own truth… with the knowledge that sacrificing your integrity to spare them a short-term sting is not, in fact, a good example of genuine compassion. Obviously, you can go off on your own intention-setting limb, along the basic premises I've already outlined. You'll further boost the transmission by writing down your intention, lighting a candle, and/or carrying a stone or wearing a scent that'll remind you of this magical exercise throughout your day. Expect results, from yourself and the universe, by the month's end.