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Horoscopes | Week of May 7-13, 2012

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Every thoughtful sentiment you cleverly present could be essentially seen as another dollar in your pocket, if you're effectively aiming your utterances. Talk isn't as 'cheap' as the adage would have you believe, Aries, once you understand your communication as a means to sell yourself. Salespeople, alas, run the gamut from 'impeccably unobtrusive yet perpetually on the ball' to 'obnoxiously annoying (and even totally creepy)'… but the most successful ones have such utter confidence in the product they'll selling, the entire exchange feels more like an authentic conversation (which it is) than a marketing spiel. Presuming you have found a solid level of confidence in whatever part of yourself you're essentially selling (or else why are you trying to sell it?), this profit-margin-boosting action is nothing more than coolly informing others about what you can do for them: No arm-bending, no tall-tale-telling, no hard-sell. If you're still not secure on your merits and questioning yourself, then instead use this astrological opportunity to build your self-assurance. Gather a couple of your biggest fans, and work with them to create a truthful description of the strongest assets you possess… a statement you can legitimately take stock in, and use as the foundation for future 'sales calls'.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An emphatic 'yes!' to dramatic gestures, look-at-me entrances, epic announcements, and/or positive I-statements of decided purpose. You are enthusiastically encouraged, Taurus, to demand notice. This is an ideal time to outwardly acknowledge how, over the past year, you have ascended to the top of your game. Perhaps you haven't consciously reflected back on all the growth you've enjoyed since Jupiter first entered your sign back in June of last year? Now that we're moving into Jupiter's last month in Taurus (for more than a decade), you're being called to victoriously embody this growth… to stand unashamed in your glory, to behave as somebody who deserves this new pinnacle of esteem, and to shout your gratitude from the highest mountaintop. You will look back on mid-2011-through-mid-2012 as a pivotal moment in finally giving yourself permission to be All That (and a bag of chips!)—but only if you choose to understand this latest series of events from just such a perspective. 'What happened' is always a factor of the story we tell ourselves about it. (P.S. To follow up on last week's horoscope, you may now feel free to proceed, preferably during the second half of the week, with whatever communication you might've postponed due to my advice to do so. There's a direct link of relevance, by the way, between any such item and the rest of what I've written for you this week.)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Please, oh please, oh please, stop telling yourself you think you've figured out which direction 'all of this' is going. These are only the earliest fledgling stages of whatever's going to happen next, Gemini, and you don't know shit about it. Sincere congratulations on that, by the way. The only value that's exceedingly important to prioritize right now, over all else, is fresh input. But the more urgently you attempt to cram these fresh encounters and experiences into a cubbyhole that already bears a name or a label, the more quickly you limit its influence on your personal development. Leave everything nameless… and instead, just pay attention to its dimensions, the mood it conveys, the sensations you feel in your body when engaged with it. When lobbing wishes to the sky, describe the result you're hoping for in the most general overarching terms. Be esoteric, even, in how you articulate the intentions—and allow for the sentient wish-granting universe (or whoever pulls its strings) to fill in the blanks with prayer-answers you couldn't possibly have conceived of with your conscious mind. You must believe such magic happens every day. Remember: It always starts with believing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Out in the world, mingling with the masses, is where it's presently at. Mutually fueling each other's enthusiasms about what's possible when you join forces, these exchanges jazz you up. Something you might otherwise fear, if you were left to your own panic-ridden devices, becomes another opportunity to excite yourself with what other people are capable of… and your fawning appreciation of their specialness only makes them that much more eager to share it with you, Cancer. You don't have to save the world on your own, after all. And while you're thinking of it, isn't there a random acquaintance or close-chum-to-be who you're moved to invite along… for no other reason than you sense they'd be a good addition to this 'mutual appreciation society' you're unofficially putting together? It's momentarily quite healthy to concern yourself more with this community that's spontaneously cohered around you than to worry about your own interests (other than, that is, surrounding yourself with energetic individuals). So many indirect ripples from your willingness to socialize madly are creating a behind-the-scenes current that'll carry you somewhere, though not right away (and probably not where you may imagine).

LEO (July 23-August 22): Apparent troubles on the career front (a zone where you've received a lot of horoscope commentary from me as of late) could alternatively be interpreted as a fortuitous sign that you have outgrown your current position or situation. But if this is the read you're going with, Leo, please don't use it as a justification for acting out in the workplace. 'Outgrowing' a job or organization definitely does not, in this context, mean that you have ascended to a level where you can rest on your laurels and leave the tasks you don't like to the so-called 'little people'. It simply indicates that you have gained all the evolutionary rewards possible in this setting, and your personal development demands a new set of challenges in order to more fully engage you. If anything, then, there's an onus on you to work even harder… not necessarily 'on the job' at this job, but in order to get yourself into expanded professional circumstances that motivate you to strive beyond previously attained benchmarks or milestones. The present astrology's definitely in your favor, creating an environment in which such opportunities are easier than usual to manifest. The instigating efforts, however, are yours to put out there.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Now it's time for the broader, more philosophic-minded explanation for why you've been such a stickler about asserting your will, at times quite inflexibly, when it comes to certain sticking-points. Those who don't know any better are liable to assume you're just a self-serving control-freak, Virgo… unless you're willing to make a matter-of-fact case that backs off a bit from the day-to-day details, giving those who are involved a much better understanding of which cherished ideals underscore your strong opinion. This is not about convincing anyone you are correct, mind you; nor should it serve as your opportunity to poke holes in their premise. You'd merely be offering the gift of a fuller view into how thoroughly you've thought out your beliefs on this matter… not because you're desperate for them to agree (which, if it's true, you ought to work through on your own) but simply to provide total transparency (instead of expecting them to just trust you). Though differences in perspective may still remain afterward, they'll at least respect your position more if they can personally sympathize with your process.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): It is the process of diving into whatever 'Unknown' comes along with the intimate discussions and/or negotiations—those related to co-habitation arrangements, economic entanglements, sexual relationships, and/or other life-and-death issues—that ought to be understood as 'the gift that keeps on giving'. Dismiss, therefore, any immature expectations that such matters should, or even can, be handled by a single 10-minute exchange and that's that. At each new twist or turn, you will learn more both about (1) what makes the other person tick, once they reveal glimpses of motives and complexes they never could've just told you about (because it doesn't quite work that way) but which will hopefully gain them more compassion in your eyes, and (2) where you have some further investigation of your own motives and complexes to do, based on any strange or surprising reactions you observe in yourself. Can't you see, Libra? It's not about ever 'getting everything straightened out'. That only happens when you die. And until that happens, you're here to participate in this ongoing experiment of confronting human diversity, sometimes head-on.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Heart-to-hearts, and heartfelt come-to-Jesuses. Showing up: being there for one another, as if it were the most important thing in the world (because it is). No evading the realization that you will get what you give. The only way to build upon what the two of you have, to flourish together, is to expose more of the romantic notions that make your world go 'round. We can already see you're a toughie; we merely suspect there's a softie lurking underneath, until given tangible proof via your admission of sweet guilt. Do not fear the turgid heft of your honest words, Scorpio. Invite them to scare the wrong people away… though give the right ones time to overcome any initial spooking, since it could take them a moment to adjust (and another couple to wriggle and fuss). If you feel you must pretend to be not as deep as you are, you are aiming to please on false ground. Open up, and you will grow your relation to relationships in general—with or without a certain individual along for the experience.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Tell all those with an iron in the fire exactly what you think is required to get the job done successfully. Be specific and logical, drawing directly from your own learn-as-you-go experiences over these past few months. Don't get caught fanning the flames of the unwelcoming responses you anticipate receiving. Until you're faced with the actual contrarianism, Sagittarius, it does not yet exist… and your nervous anticipation may end up contaminating your communication style with a defensiveness that does your role as messenger no favors. You have nothing to defend, dare I state the obvious. You've been charged with a responsibility, and providing your educated insights into how it's overseen is merely part of your duty. If they don't like it, they can ignore your suggestions… or try to friggin' get rid of you if they so choose. But to be true your own work-ethic, you ought not to compromise your efficiency and productivity, just to pander to those who are looking more for ego-strokes than efficacious results. You'll triumph or you'll get pushed along by Fate's forces… in either event, on the strength of your methodological convictions.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): 'Why?' they may ask you. 'What's the point?' you might trip yourself up with. How about this for an answer, Capricorn? 'Because I want to, because it's fun, because life is only what you make of it and I feel like making this out of it… or maybe I just don't want to spend the time crafting a coherent legal brief that argues, line by line, why my preferences are what they are, for no real reason other than the tyrannical reign of some personal insecurity (which I'm hell-bent on not indulging) which insists every activity ought to have some grand Purpose… and don't I provide enough of the responsible responses and the appropriate applications to buy myself a few go-arounds on the carousel of "just because"?' People explain themselves like this—or don't explain themselves, to be more precise—all the friggin' time. Not all superegos are as strict and severe as yours. Try inquiring into the logic behind why a child at play arranges his action-figures one way instead of the other… or why the make-believe scenario involves, say, a barnyard instead of, say, a rocket-ship launching-pad. Would you expect a reply that actually supports one choice over another, according to logic that makes 'adult' sense? Embrace this other childlike logic for a spell.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Emotional well-being starts at the roots, and blossoms from there. The cacophony of loud noises and headache-spawning demands that constitutes the always-too-much-going-on World Out There is a nonstop circus… and the only way to anchor yourself, in response to riptides pulling one direction and then another, is to simplify matters from the inside out. You really can just decide to position a few centering statements of self-nurturing perspective at the core of your being, Aquarius—and insist that all the stimuli competing for your emotional attention be first bounced off of these tenets, to see if they qualify as self-supportive, before permitting yourself to become embroiled. Should you determine that inviting a certain energy into your sphere of engagement does not sync up with what you've identified as emotionally healthy for you, you can politely deny it entry. You are your own bouncer, that security guard parked at the door of your inner sanctum. Others' eagerness, urgency, or tantrum-like insistence on getting you involved need not be shared by you. You get to decide what's let in.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Open it up, to relieve any pressure building from a too-close containment of you and just one other individual. Let in a refreshing breeze, one which carries others' curiosities and whims through the kitchen window… and airs the heck out of this confining echo-chamber. Chew on someone else's preoccupations for a welcome change. Offer them your optimistic visions, describing the prophetic images that dance across your consciousness when you think about their potential futures. Invest your energies in friends and allies you know, without a doubt, will still be in your life five or ten years down the road: This is an investment that will pay you dividends, guaranteed. As for that one other individual who you've been gladly allowing to consume your every moment? You may wish for the 'forever' ending (and you just might get it), but it's a riskier proposition, to be sure. It may, or may not, endure. Yet, even in this case, your willingness to simultaneously distribute your social energies elsewhere—not just in their singular direction—supports the overall health of this special relationship. Maintaining other solid friendships ensures you aren't putting all the eggs in one basket, and thus setting yourself up to sacrifice too much on its behalf.