Horoscopes | Week of November 29-December 5, 2010

ARIES (March 21-April 19): This time around, as the somewhat touchy or outright controversial issue that requires a mutually agreed-upon resolution to be reached (finally) resurfaces, you've got a clarifying 9th-house Mars on your side to help you cut through the b.s.… to put the most important ethical concern(s) first. This time around, Aries, you oughtn't get caught up in the 'I said'/'you said' replaying of old disputes and residual hurts, since you've (hopefully) spent recent weeks distilling the case you want to win into one or two main points. This time around, with the weight of well-thought-out arguments (that, if impeccably communicated, really can't be argued against) behind your words, you should present yourself as confidently as if you were performing in front of a live studio audience. There really are unseen ripples of influence that your presentation (or 'performance') will send out, beyond what is immediately apparent. This time around, you'll have a more profound impact—and, like it or not, the developments will continue in stages beyond your comprehension or control. Ready? Good.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A powerful statement of unwavering purpose should school any transgressing, misbehaving parties as to why their contrariness bothers you so much. You need not shy away from the head-on confrontation in this one, Taurus… as long as you can call 'em out with a well-considered integrity on your side. This isn't a chance to smash an adversary's position, so much as an opportunity to educate this so-called 'adversary' on the principles that guide you to believe as you do. Please remember: If indeed you are the one possessing the coherent rationale-backed belief system, you needn't pound anybody over the head with its truth, nor condescend via the tone of your explanation. They might actually learn from what you're explaining, but only if you're respectfully treating 'em like an equal. After all, though you might have the moral advantage in this situation (and I did say 'might' as opposed to 'definitely'), there are certainly other arenas in which they know more than you.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your desired rise in responsibility or increase in public esteem won't come from feigning total blamelessness for whatever snarls are still in the process of being unsnarled. That is quite different, by the way, from accepting full responsibility. But before you launch into a condemning exposé of what anybody else has done wrong, Gemini, it'd be wise to begin with voluntarily drawing the attention to areas you could've handled better. Claim your errors-in-judgment first and foremost, so as to disarm those who might otherwise attempt to indict you. Your subsequent story (including your indictments of them) will be that much more believable by virtue of you not trying to play like your shit doesn't smell. After establishing your credibility and alleviating suspicion by acknowledging your fallibility, only then will you be perfectly positioned to present your problems with the other person. And at any instance of them fighting back with a valid criticism of your prior actions, own it; such unashamed truth-telling only further stacks the case toward your side.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This would be an excellent week for direct verbal communication with your main squeeze, an important friend or partner, or the one you've recently fixed your desires on. The sentiments you speak, in as unambiguous terms as possible, will hit them with a more potent resonance than at other moments. The underlying philosophic principle to behold in such acts of disclosure, Cancer, is the high value of you taking initiative in seeking what you most want from someone… for no other reason than your wanting it. Even factoring in the possibility of your somehow being denied by the person you initiate this dialogue with, it's still in your best interests to put your desires out there, no matter the immediate outcome. If this one relationship isn't likely to provide the particular self-satisfaction you're looking for, it's more productive to figure that out sooner rather than later. (And following on the heels of those many recent weeks of Venus retrograde, you've probably got as clear an idea as you're going to get re: which direction things appear to be moving.) So tell 'em what's on your mind; you deserve to know whether you're in a situation likely to deliver you the pleasurable results you're after.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): A clash of personalities, pitting you against someone with an equally strong will, is certainly possible… though it's unlikely to yield anything especially fruitful. (Unless, that is, we're talking about the sort of love/hate relationship where the 'clash' is part of the appeal—and the post-clash making-up is where the passionate action is at. In these cases, the 'fruitfulness' ought to be self-evident.) In the meantime, Leo, if you actually want a productive week ahead, turn your mind toward better organizing the plateful of to-dos and wish-I-had-the-time-tos, so that you (1) accomplish more in a shorter span of time and (2) protect your 'personal time' from the unwanted invasion of stuff that you couldn't get done during the workday. By devoting a couple hours to extreme inward mindfulness on the topic of a typical day's efficiencies and inefficiencies, you have a chance of rescuing yourself from a hamster-wheel repetition of energy-squandering habits. Of course, none of this will probably happen if, instead, you occupy yourself with ego-jousting.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): A follow-up on last week's suggestion to not say more than you're ready to say: According to the astrological time-clock, Virgo, you should now be far readier to speak your personal piece—even if your sincerest sentiments are liable to create a wedge of distance or divergence between you and that certain someone. In fact, your ability to express your feelings on this beefy issue with both (1) a clear train of logical thought that'll trump their (intentionally?) confusing 'emotionality card' and (2) an added heft of authority to ensure they know you mean business. This is a resonant moment for your talking up what you find to be most important to consciously (and unapologetically) look out for, on behalf of your own self-interests, in this relationship. (And yes, it's okay for you to 'change the subject' if their manner of framing the conversation is missing a mark of relevance to your concerns.) Freely allow your words to bear weight, inviting this interpersonal dynamic to change forever after, in whatever direction's necessary for your well-being.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): You'll find no shortage of semi-compelling distractions and somewhat interesting interests that can fill your time faster than you'll notice your time has been filled. And I don't necessarily find fault with your week comprising itself of little else, Libra (as long as you aren't purposely turning an irresponsible eye to pressing duties that really shouldn't be postponed). Simultaneous to all this, you may also be reaching a private breakthrough of intelligibility on highly personal feelings that have, until now, resisted your ability to articulate 'em. The conclusion you're presently approaching with this new consciousness is the cumulative product of a gradual inner transition, spread out over quite a length of time, involving the withering-away of some self-limiting complex inherited from a family member who never 'made it as far' as you have. This shit is deep, a benchmark of personal evolution that nobody else will understand (except maybe your therapist?). Conserve your real effortful energy expenditures for this… even if, to surface observers, this process merely resembles a lot of external distractedness.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): With Venus direct again and returning to your sign early this week—for another month-and-a-half!—you're due to start collecting on some of the interpersonal investments you've recently made. Presuming you left the situation(s) 'well enough alone' (at least superficially) over these past three weeks or so, Scorpio, the target(s) of your affections (and/or obsessions) should soon be coming back around to you in sincere interest or curiosity. Allow ample room for this granting of your desires, by their own free will, with little forcing or clinging. Outside of such relationship particulars, you have plenty of other self-stabilizing purposes to which you might more effectively direct your assertive drives: getting your fair share when the pie's being divvied up; returning calls or emails from pals you've fallen out of touch with but still care about nonetheless; figuring out better ways to handle what you've already got. Consciously concentrate energy there. The 'desirable situation', meanwhile, will progress on its own.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): As long as I begin your horoscope with the obligatory link to last week's edition (wherein I warned you about a presently amped-up subjectivity in your thinking), then I imagine it's probably safe enough to proceed with the rest: a rousing endorsement of the 'I just don't give a shit' approach to dealing with other people's attempts to corral or control you. You're currently bursting with the freedom-at-all-costs, I'll-do-whatever-enthuses-me zeal for compelling experiences that your sign is known for, Sagittarius… so far be it for anybody to try playing to some form of guilt they presume you should feel, if and when you're moved by the instinct to do something that collides with their expectations of you. Not only should you resist falling into their guilt trap, I encourage you to be explicitly aware of your own crucial need for ample emotional space to call your own shots. (Perhaps they ought to feel guilty for exerting manipulative pressure that restricts your intrinsic way of caring for yourself.) If you are doing your Sagittarian nature a service, you won't permit another person to prevent you from pursuing what interests you—and if they move to do so, I suppose you needn't give a shit about dashing their (unconscious? willful?) hopes of domination.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): I'm not sure which way to bend my interpretation of this week's Mercury-Pluto conjunction in your sign, Capricorn—especially since the dual-threat of Mars in your 12th squaring off against a stationing Uranus in your 3rd continues to tempt you toward short-fused exchanges that could undermine your longer-term efforts—so I'll offer a few possible ways this could go. (1) If you play loose with potentially hurtful information you hold about other people, your offhand poke could cause irreparable damage. Tread delicately with someone else's secrets. (2) If you're absolutely certain which 'team' you're on, in terms of knowing decidedly which people have your backs (and which, not so much), you can confidently declare your allegiance… and make a big impact in solidifying your connections with the appropriate folks, while decidedly informing the others you do not stand with them. (3) If you need to get somebody off your case, let them know who's boss, or lay down a position they couldn't possibly claim to misunderstand, you can trust that utterances made this week will convey this purpose. In all these instances and others unmentioned, the main point is the same: Your words presently possess mad power; wield them accordingly.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): There's the potential for a rift to develop with a friend, colleague or teammate over how much you're bringing to the table. You've invested enough on your end, Aquarius—whether we're talking about money specifically, a huge chunk of your time and/or a can-do attitude—so that, by now, you obviously have a massive stake in this larger venture. Indeed, I'm sure you can personally attest to the manner in which your own life has peaked and dipped and swerved, over these many months or years, on a rollercoaster-ride that's been, in large part, due to this very investment. Why wouldn't you, therefore, be more than willing to go all the way to the mat to defend your personal stake? But though I support your self-protective willingness to clash with supposed allies who're blocking you from getting what's yours, I do have strict advice re: your best methods. Don't go for the direct attack; instead, use slyer psychological tactics to smoke out their underlying motives. The right questions asked on your part ('innocently enough' though you're not exactly innocent) will trap them into revealing their truest colors.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Every time over the past several years that rabble-rousing Uranus has stationed (or appeared to stand still, shifting from direct to retrograde motion, or back again) in your sign, Pisces, I've written you some version of a horoscope encouraging you to take that long-lusted-for step of breaking free, letting loose, or otherwise making a choose radically different from what you've been doing. And I'm sure each of you has taken at least one such step, at some point during Uranus's travels through Pisces (which began way back in 2003), that's hopefully redefined your life in some self-liberating fashion. Well, Uranus stations back to direct motion again at the end of this week (Sun Dec 5), on his forward march to Aries, where he will stay for many years once he arrives in March. In other words, this is likely the last Uranus station in your sign you'll be alive to witness, as he won't be back in Pisces until 2087(!). So if you're still holding yourself back from a certain leap of independence or individuality, here's another wonderful chance to just do it. Hint for greater success: With some driving meaning behind your rebellion, you're less likely to lose your way in the succeeding chaos.