Horoscopes | Week of January 17-23, 2011

ARIES (March 21-April 19): By the tail end of the week, benevolent opportunity-offerer Jupiter will be back in your sign. This is exceptionally good news for you, Aries. But from here on out, over the coming weeks, developments start coming lightning-fast… and there's scant time to waste on those wishful maybes that have seemed less and less likely to manifest, the longer they've been waiting on ice, their freshness deteriorating like an uneaten gourmet dinner from last month's holiday celebrations. That's why I don't think it's a bad idea to make one more round of will-filled communications, just to remind any folks still on the fence how serious you are—and in order to clear yourself of energy-sucking investments that probably won't pay off. At the same time, you'll also be spurring those who are ready to sign on to your vision that, yes, you're ready to really start moving… and you're going to need them to put money where their mouths have been hanging open for too many months now. As of this transitional juncture, it's better to get a firm 'yes' or a 'no' than to be strung along much longer. Regardless of the answers you receive, stay on the high road. Part of the purpose for eliminating the limbo is to create room for even more possibilities, if certain of these won't pan out. If it's not one thing, it will certainly be another…

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Strategic planning will presently do a Taurus good. A little bird (i.e., my astrological calendar) has whispered in my ear that you are due to have at least one memorable growth experience, which'll open your eyes to how much more is possible than recent years' events may have indicated, beginning just a few months from now. While a decent portion of the emerging details cannot be foreseen (nor should they be), it benefits you to settle on the general direction you'd like this self-expansion to take—and to begin outlining which existing elements of your life need to be tweaked, toned or excised altogether, in order for your cherished dreams to become more real. Don't treat this intention-setting lightly, Taurus… for almost as soon as you put words to the changes that need be made, and the undesirables that need be eliminated, the hasty hand of fairy godmother Destiny will start responding, faster than you would've imagined. The crap that needs to be kicked to the curb should make its true crappy nature known to you, at an increasingly rapid pace, over the coming three or four months. As I said, you can't guide exactly what is going to happen to you in this widened future, perhaps in a land (metaphorically or literally) far far away. But you can (and should) dump the extra baggage ASAP, so it's that much easier to soar on the currents coming to carry you away.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Skip the sharing of candy-coated sentiments that'll only ring halfway true because… well, they're halfway not-quite-true. You're in a spot where people are likelier to respond favorably to you, Gemini, as long as you're being as unflinchingly authentic as possible. Be aware, of course, that 'responding favorably' doesn't neatly equate to 'agreeing with you' or 'refraining from poking holes in your story'. But being amenable to these so-called disagreeable behaviors, too, is an important part of establishing trustworthy relationships with the folks who will love you come rain or shine. After all, if you instead continue circumventing areas of potential difference, you will never get to know each other better… and they'll only see the side of you that forefronts what you have in common, essentially squirreling other parts of your personality away from them, as if you somehow aren't entirely proud of all of yourself. (This is not a recipe for interpersonal growth.) For your own sake, please take pride in your unified self, warts and obvious inconsistencies and all, without worrying about who you are showing which facets to. You're due to attract some new friends in the coming months, and you'll cast the widest net (and increase your chances of finding really wonderful allies who'll endure through the long haul) if you flaunt it all—and allow them to step toward you, not under false pretenses but with ample awareness of your complexities.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your willingness to be radically truthful in one-on-one conversation (a la last week's horoscope) is a great courage-reflecting practice to carry with you into this next-few-months' window of professional opportunity, Cancer… during which your biggest rewards will come from gambles that take you beyond the safety of 'worrying about other people's feelings' (to a fault). Sometimes, in the course of treading new ground for ourselves, we cannot help but collaterally ruffle feathers. At the end of the day, will you be proudest of your 'nurturing' nature if it served as an excuse to hold yourself back in the public sector, out of fear that your gains could inadvertently cause others distress (because they have to actually work to preserve their cushy status-quo)? Refusing to call attention to the shit that needs calling out doesn't make you a kind person, merely an accomplice to the collective falling-short. As somebody who presently has the planets on your side in terms of productivity and possibility, are you going to willingly function below your potential due to primarily emotional concerns that certain folks won't 'like' you as much if you dare to get real with, or about, them?

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Demonstrations of your love—and feel free to read 'love' in whatever context most energizes your heart—make a big impact this week, Leo, as the focal-point of your attentions fixes itself squarely outward onto other people. This is a prime moment to exemplify the Leo generosity of spirit you emanate when at your best. Your warmth warms 'em right up, transforming grouchy grumps or icy-cold-fish types into the contentedly smiley and giggly creatures you see them to be. You'll know you've been a success if you deliver cheer to at least one important person in your life who desperately needs it… and their appreciation of the efforts you made on their behalf will shine through, in a manner that leaves you with a fabulous taste in your mouth, too. The win-win in such scenarios seems so blatantly obvious, I almost feel silly spelling it out for you like this. And at the same time, we too often get caught up in the frantic supposed-importance of menial and/or impersonal carryings-on, we overlook the obvious. Joy fuels joy fuels joy fuels joy fuels joy. Love those you love with joy-fueling abandon. You light the fire, and feed it; their gratitude will fan the flames, keep it burning all night.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): As you're tirelessly toiling on whatever project has most lately captured your attention, Virgo, I want you to ponder the possibility of initiating a more in-depth interpersonal collaboration than you'd typically seek, in some area you'd ordinarily choose to tackle solo these days. Between now and mid-year, you have much to gain from throwing your skills and resources, aptitudes and understandings into the proverbial pot… where they can mix and mingle and marry with those very different qualities another person would bring to the table. This could entail going in together on a business venture, uniting forces to jointly manage a creative endeavor or social-action project, opening a risky conversation where you share parts of yourself you ordinarily don't, and/or establishing a merged bank account or some such life-partner-ish arrangement. Without a doubt, you will be opening yourself to additional complications, unforeseen detours in the path, alterations to your solitary vision, and (gasp) increased accountability to another person's sign-off. But that's a very glass-half-empty focus. You'll also discover a nearly unbelievable heightening of enthusiasm, passion and multidimensional genius erupting as a result of the synergy… spawning results far more spectacular than what you could do on your own. Ready for the risk?

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Before you've even had a chance to decide whether you're 'up' for showing up, you should already be there… at the café or cocktail party, shootin' the shit with the same friends and acquaintances you might instead be silently griping about if you'd stayed home (though you may have no actual reason for judging them so questionably). It really doesn't matter if you're having a bad hair day, or if you aren't sure you're in an outfit appropriate for the occasion. This is all energy-wasting self-talk, Libra, that otherwise stalls you from social participations which will bring you more easy fun (or at least a helpful diversion) than your inner naysayer might have you believe. Don't get confused about the main source of any internal discontent; it's certainly not about such relatively lightweight social concerns. You're probably still spinning on hangover feelings from late December—and rightfully so, if you haven't yet drawn a firm conclusion about how to move forward with the one upsetting individual or influence (family member? housemate? some other intimate?). Follow your gut, and make a decision about that situation pronto… and it will cease to infringe upon an otherwise opportune social life.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): If a loose conversational thread strikes you as leading to a potentially profitable situation for yourself, Scorpio, by all means follow it… not only to its logical conclusion but past that point, though it could cause momentary social discomfort. This is no time to pussyfoot around, if there's even the smallest chance that someone's casual mention of a job prospect, investment opportunity, grant money or other such windfall possibility could lead to an extra wad of dough in your account. Naturally, if you were to pursue each and every instance of such mentions, you could find yourself putting in a few additional hours of thread-following effort during the course of a week—'effort' which might entail perfunctory dinners out, lengthy email chains or marathon phone sessions, perhaps an exaggerated show of interest in an associate's golf game or their daughter's collegiate career. So what? You should expect to be chalking up longer hours over the next few months, both to 'catch yourself up' after 2010's disappointments and because your hard work now will secure you against Saturn challenges two years from now. Yes, I'm looking that far out there. (Someone's got to.)

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Do everything in your power to embrace all your favorite stereotypically Sagittarian behaviors—engaging others in lively discussions about controversial topics; saying what's on your mind before you have a chance to censor your thoughts; leaving the boring crap behind so you can rush into what's really exciting to you; participating in your personal take on 'extreme sports'; expanding your knowledge in areas of inquiry that captivate your imagination; cutting to the chase; cracking intelligent jokes at others' expense (lovingly, of course); fantasizing about future voyages and other exhilarating (mis)adventures; pushing the envelope in any and every way possible. (Have I missed anything, Sagittarius?) It's about damn time already to rouse some pot-stirring good times up in here. Y'hear me? Wear your colors proud. Demand some attention for the shit that gets you excited. Loud, rowdy, goofy, grinning ear to ear… that's how I want to see you, if that's how you'd like to see yourself. Better yet, share this vibe with whichever friends of yours are in dire need of pulling the stick out of their ass. And if you piss anyone off in the process? That sure seems like their problem to me. You've earned at least a couple weeks of crazy-silly revelry.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Nobody with an self-protective instinct messes with a Capricorn who's already made up his/her mind. You fierce goats have an incisive way of slicing a dissenter's contrary notions to pieces without having to lapse into yelling or ad hominem irrelevancies. Often, a single well-phrased criticism is sufficient to send 'em away, tail between their legs, to lick the wounds of their eloquently-pointed-out-by-you deficiencies in thinking. So you mustn't, therefore, take this 'making up your mind' thing lightly—especially if you are acting on bravado rather than having assuredly resolved the issue for yourself—since it would seem rather unfair to intimidate others with faux confidence in a verdict you secretly still doubt. That said, a good portion of you Capricorns probably have reached a final verdict on how best to suit your own interests… and now is the time to make that known to all relevant parties, in order to give everybody (and, most of all, you) a chance to respond to the practical-matter ramifications of your decree. And if you haven't yet resolved this issue (which, may I remind you, has dragged itself out over the past month or two)? Frankly, I don't see how you can't see what's staring you right in the face.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): If I were to tell you to watch out for a powerful 'psychic message' (or what-have-you) emerging from a dream, popping out the lips of an unaware prophet, showing up in your tea leaves or some streetside graffiti, or somehow magically hitting you with spontaneous full-body awareness of this as a truth you really mustn't ignore (though you're not quite surehow you know it's true, only you do, and it is)… well, Aquarius, I fear you'd squander these ultra-productive days ahead by over-searching, far and wide, for clues and murmurs. ('Is this it? How about this? Or this?'). And nothing kills the spirit of an otherworldly messenger faster than somebody trying way too hard to force intuitive significance out of every speck of dirt or cloud pattern. Therefore, my advice to you instead is horribly mundane: Keep busy, get through all the duties and deeds and doings you've left hanging for many weeks, attend to neglected relationships in your spare time, and put your body back into active (if not hyperactive) motion. As long as your ch'i is kept moving, you'll not only help expel bodily residue from '10 while accomplishing tons of overdue crap… you're also positioning yourself as an ideal vessel, for an inexplicable understanding of a stubbornly elusive topic to suddenly materialize in your consciousness, if you're open to such things.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Watch your wallet, Pisces. Now that your traditional ruling god Jupiter will be in your money house (2nd) through early June, you not only have a greater-than-usual chance of reaping a bump-up in what's coming in—you also have just as heightened a chance of spending more than before. Furthermore, as long as Saturn remains lodged in your 8th (which is over a year-and-a-half more), you ought to be super-conscientious about how liberally you merge your financial life with anybody else's (including romantic partners, business associates, family members or credit-card companies). I understand you caring Piscean individuals are typically less oriented toward hoarding the goods for your own selfish greed than other signs… and, as a result, are usually quicker to offer support to those you perceive as 'being in need'. While I applaud you if such a sympathetic stance is your standard, you will simply have to find other non-monetary ways to show your care—hot meals, volunteered time, a shoulder to cry on, a place to stay (in exchange for their doing household chores, of course). Writing blank checks to your latest charity case or down-on-their-luck sweetie-pie is not your wisest approach.