Horoscopes | Week of November 15-21, 2010

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your primary ingredients for a wonderful week: (1) a conscious prioritization of interpersonal thoughtfulness; (2) a willingness to stop fixating on certain relatively minor details, in deference to a higher-minded perspective on what really matters; and (3) a healthy dose of faith in the knowledge that these first two items will carry you a long way. If you can sincerely release your attachment to any recent disappointments and accept reality as it now is, Aries, you're inviting the magical hands of Destiny to weave you a different version of the thing you thought you wanted, though perhaps in an unrecognizable form. It is the essence that's most important, not the distinguishing characteristics. That's why you'll want to consider granting the other person(s) involved a few of their preferred wishes—if, that is, they don't interfere with 'the essence of what really matters'. The goodwill will be worth its weight in gold, believe me.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In situations where your relative footing (solid or unstable) has been inextricably dependent on the actions or attitudes of someone else, lingering limbo is, simply put, unacceptable. Your day-to-day well-being is at stake here, Taurus… and you have too many tangible to-dos to tackle for this watch-and-wait routine to be allowed to drag on. I imagine you're at least partly hesitant to make the unequivocal move that'll shift the limbo more conclusively into one category or another (e.g., 'definitely on' or 'definitely off'). Concerns about whether you can ever 'go back' once you take the next step forward are indeed justified; you are at a sort of 'point of no return' with this. But despite your typically Taurean reluctance to leave a predictable dynamic behind without full reassurance about what'll happen next, you really don't, in your heart of hearts, want to go back, do you? So the limbo of delaying the necessary next-step doesn't serve your best interests, does it? Stick your finger right in that spot you've been afraid to touch, and push on it.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In one-on-one matters, kid-gloves-style diplomacy doesn't really do it. Take those gloves off, and lay it out, unmitigated by sort-ofs, kind-ofs, maybe-ifs or could-bes. Let 'em disagree, as long as you're not letting 'em wonder. A bit of productive dissension could actually clear the contaminating clouds of non-commitment from the air, Gemini... keyword, of course, being 'productive', since the discord's only worth it if the two of you are still trying to attain some common goal together. However, I suppose it's hard to know, in advance of fleshing out your differences, whether the process will ultimately prove productive. Don't be afraid of finding out there's an unbridgeable gap between you two. And the only way to do that is to drop all attempts at tempering your truth beneath somewhat inauthentic remarks made to soothe their anticipated response. You shouldn't restrain your own openness to endless opportunity with blockages that prevent your 'going for it'—whether you're being blocked by conversations not yet sufficiently completed or individuals unwilling to go along with you.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Beyond all other concerns this week, Cancer, cultivate optimism. Whatever upbeat affirmations need repeating or glass-half-full-or-half-empty circumstances demand the positive spin, I urge you to invest your energies in. Simply put, this is one of those moments in which the relationship between (1) your intentionally self-selected vantage-point on what's in front of you and (2) your relative effectiveness and physical well-being with regards to how you tackle it is more interdependent than ever. Keep telling yourself that you're worn out or 'over it', and you just might find your progress slows… and your throat starts to get scratchy or your funny knee acts up again. However, find genuine reasons to get excited about rallying through—the natural high of productivity? the exhilarating buzz of self-confidence? the anticipation of being able to move on to something else after this is said and done?—and you won't even notice how much you're accomplishing 'til the day's done. Always true, but even truer now than usual: It's all in how you're looking at it.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Shackles unfastened, grip on tongue loosened, self-censoring mechanisms deactivated… Toot the horn! Sound the clarion bell! Let everyone know they are not alone, that they have you to cheerlead, to contribute startling confidence-building enthusiasms that fuel a combined excitement! Throw yourself into the union, Leo, so you needn't worry about figuring out your own solo sensibilities quite yet. While on the individual level you remain partly concealed under cover of seasonal lull, when it comes to interactive interpersonal involvements, your contributions are golden… the louder and less inhibited, the better. Unhindered on behalf of someone else's vision, you thrive under the relative lack of pressure to impress or perform, instead simply bursting forth and bubbling over with sparks of creative input. Without your own ego on the line, you ought to be able to have mad fun with this (and deal, by yourself, with yourself later)!

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): If you 'reattuned inwardly' as I suggested last week, I'll bet you were able to surprisingly easily zero in on the core-source of a discontent that had previously been lingering, unidentifiable, in your heart. Amazing, isn't it, how shutting the door to the distractions of outside babble makes your inner whispers seem that much louder and clearer-in-content? (That's why, if you didn't heed that prior advice, I still strongly encourage you to take a time-out.) Assuming, then, you did reap a more lucid understanding of where a personal need was being underserved or trampled upon, Virgo, this week offers a wonderful chance to present your findings to the individual(s) with the ability to improve the situation, should they choose to. Your fearful self is likely imagining the exchange will be far bumpier or more antagonistic than it actually will. What's become obvious to you may prove to be astonishing new news to them. Not only might you be able to adequately address the discontenting situation, the entire relationship could grow in intimacy once you reveal more of the sentiments you've kept hidden.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Jump in, fresh-faced and eager-hearted, with your time-saving, energy-efficient suggestions. It doesn't matter if prior attempts fell on deaf ears or were shot down by dismissive control-freaks. This is a new day. Much ado about what wasn't previously being considered has since come to pass. But while you might indeed have held a genuinely prophetic vision of what the situation called for, Libra, you'll gain nothing but scorn with any hints of 'told you so' coloring your tone. (Fresh face, eager heart: remember?) Concentrate on nailing down the sleekest, smoothest process that'll snag the results you want… while, at the same time, keeping everybody pleased that you're handling this for them. By that example, you'll be legitimately happy to step in and take care of it—both as a courtesy on their behalf (which you tell them) and because you're likely to do it better (which you don't).

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): A shit-eating grin and a sort-of-secret self-congratulatory glint in your eye are facial features I wouldn't ordinarily advise somebody to publicly flaunt. But there's something about your present situation, Scorpio, that leads me to encourage your putting forth such a rascally outward image… as long as you're not spitefully lording it over anybody. You have a lot to be pleased about—not only the positive turn-arounds you've enjoyed these past couple months, but a continuing furtherance of this trend over the coming couple months. In other words, don't neglect to remember that additional rewards from seeds already planted, while still invisible, are in the process of manifesting themselves. With that knowledge, you can hopefully relax into conscious celebration of the present moment here and now. And any acts, therefore, that remove unnecessarily complications from a situation (or your internal interpretation of it) only contribute to your ability to enjoy. Frankly, there's presently little to 'consider'; simply appreciate.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Arbitrary and un-self-consciously automatic expressions of self presently favored, Sagittarius, include: Whatever comes up; Whatever keeps the dynamism going, the dialogue hot; Whatever will get 'em off your back; Whatever you feel like; Whatever finally releases the thing that's been heavy on your chest; Whatever the wind blows in; and, of course, Whatever the hell you want. And oh, how very admirable you will appear in the eyes of those who love you for that same 'Whatever' quality which also repels those wishy-washy types who'd rather swap pleasantries than contend with unbridled opinionating. Love the ones that love you; the rest can fuck off. Anyway, it's those situations in which you feel obligated to withhold your devilish button-pushing streak, to cater to uptight fussbudgets by preserving a relatively shallow politeness, that work a destructive number on your sense of internal order. For now, in honor of Mercury and Mars conjoining in your sign, let the super-blunt—and potentially off-putting to humorless types—instigator in you come out and play.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Allow people the opportunity to offer you feedback—most of which, I'm presuming, will be positive thanks to Venus's stationing in your 10th—rather than interrupting its free-flow with uncomfortably humble refusals to accept kudos or self-deprecating denials of your deserving. Stand dignified in the glory, Capricorn, though the praise may irritate you the way shy children get all itchy and twitchy when their picture's being taken. Receiving social favor is just as crucial a part of fair interpersonal exchange as is giving compliments where they are due… and if you want to impress people (and I'm telling you: you do), then you'll want to let them be impressed by you. While this may sound like relatively simple counsel to follow, I admit I am concerned about Mercury and Mars conjoining in your 12th (aka 'the house of self-undoing'). Beware of your troubling instinct to 'undo' the positive feedback through careless remarks or actions that reject what's being offered or insult the offerer.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): In case there were any question still lingering as to why you are being charged with calling out the one who's breached the group expectation, Aquarius, let me clarify: While of course you'll be helping that person see the self-serving blindspot in his/her ways, you ultimately must carry through with 'doing the right thing' for your own sake of inner justice. It will continue to weigh on your mind—and unconsciously divert energy away from your ability to feel secure in yourself—if you permit an error of judgment to pass unremarked-upon. In fact, there's a mystical (but no less real) link between (1) your willingness to 'cause a scene' in order to advocate for what's fair, in effect keeping your hands clean by not tacitly signing off on a wrong, and (2) an increase in your likelihood of drawing the appropriate compensation, financial and reputational, for assuming this broader responsibility. On the other hand, if you feel your implicit affiliation with impure practices is dirtying you in any way, you'll be obstructing your channel to abundance with residual clogs of self-doubt.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): A 'two heads are better than one' or 'we're all in this together' mentality falls flat, Pisces, whenever you mistakenly take it to mean that you're supposed to go passively along with whatever another person (whether your official team leader or just an especially bossy know-it-all) tells you to do. Isn't it possible the collaboration will produce better results if you take the conceptual lead? The planetary outlook sure seems to indicate as much. Fortune is on your side, when you aren't too bashful to slice through the sacred cows, pointing to areas where much time or energy is being wasted on motions that don't directly support the main purpose of your efforts. You might get the conversation going by non-threateningly inquiring about why things are happening a certain way… and not letting the talks veer away when your questions spur their discomfort-filled responses. While it's not necessary to aim personal blame, you shouldn't settle until any pointless inefficiencies have been satisfactorily addressed.