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Horoscopes | Week of June 11-17, 2012

ARIES (March 21-April 19): For the passing moment, Aries, I recommend surrounding yourself with breezy, gabby individuals who will keep conversation motoring along with topics that hold relatively little emotional weight… and allowing them to do much of the talking. Not only are you continuing to veer into a more outwardly socially active phase (as I mentioned last week), but, for the immediate time being, your own mindset is unusually susceptible to an emotionally turbulent lack-of-objective-clarity… which is incredibly useful for uncovering how you feel about certain circumstances you may've recently been rushing through so fast that you didn't notice your deeper response, but not as productive when attempting to discuss said discoveries among acquaintances. Should you bring up such deeper topics, you're oddly liable to misunderstand others' reactions, perhaps mistakenly assuming they are judging you or arguing with your supposition (when, more likely, they're just on a different wavelength and doing their best to connect). No worries, though. This is a passing influence… and in the meantime, there's plenty of shallower shit to occupy your outward interactions with, and your pals will happily (though unknowingly) lead you there.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This week marks the momentous departure of perspective-enlarger Jupiter from your sign, after a full year of shining up your energy-field and pushing your eyes more widely open… and I think we'd be hard-pressed to find a single Taurean among you who doesn't see considerably more possibility, hovering in front your face right here and right now, than you did last June. If we were to consider this past twelve months as the initiatory optimism-generating phase of development, then this forthcoming year (which begins with Jupiter moving into your 2nd) is all about banking some concrete rewards and results from what you've now come to see as imminently available to you. Who better than Taurus to insist upon cold hard tangible evidence of the positivity? 2nd-house symbolism is usually first and foremost connected with material security, which suggests you're entering a moment in which deploying a newfound boost in confidence is likelier than ever to bring in an actual income boost. That, of course, will necessarily entail trying new things (or, phrased differently, trying the same things in a new way)—not always a stubborn Taurus's strong-point. Hopefully, though, you've already generated enough expansive momentum to drive you into these brave new avenues of financial (or other tangibly grounding) reality. Expect, however, to feel a bit clumsy in the earliest steps, like a precious fawn first learning to walk. You can do it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): And the good times keep on rollin', now that greater benefic Jupiter, planet-king of our solar system, has sashayed his way into your sign for a yearlong growth-inspiring visit! For the next two months, therefore, both of the traditionally fortunate planetary influences are cuddling up next to you, Gemini. Are we having, like, so much fun? On the off chance you're still caught in endless feedback replay loops of yesterday's downer-town experiences, I cannot urge you strongly enough (as I've repeatedly been trying to in recent weeks) to revise the narrative you're relying on to make sense of what's going on around you. This week in particular, I want you not to get caught in interpreting the heightened potential of your encountering an economic or similarly practical snafu as just one more example in a long line of horrible happenings… but, instead, as just an isolated echo of some bit of residual business still needing to be burned off, even as you continue zooming ahead into a radically expanded and thus optimism-bestowing future. Just because all the good-luck astrological effects have you in their crosshairs and are shooting magic arrow after magic arrow straight at your heart, that doesn't mean you won't experience the occasional hiccup or headache. Put such experiences in their rightfully contained place, or else they'll simply feed a storyline that counts on more of the same.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Far be it for me to advise mindless impulsivity, Cancer. And yet, on the other hand, I feel you might do yourself a favor by not thinking too much about what you're needing to say… and instead just saying it. As long as your intention is to help rather than hurt, you're in a remarkable position to simply open your mouth and channel the exact words that a certain somebody most needs to hear—even if you have no idea where the wisdom is coming from, and perhaps normally would've never uttered such a thing. I should warn you, alas, just because this certain somebody might ultimately grow from your utterance, that doesn't mean you won't initially irritate or upset them… particularly if they are more accustomed to you choosing your words (too?) carefully, in a caring attempt to spare them the sting of a prickly truth. That's why you'll probably do best by not overthinking their possible reactions, for such undue concern (even if motivated by the most loving feelings) could end up keeping them in the dark when they'd really most thrive, in the end, from seeing the light.

LEO (July 23-August 22): People in your life (some of whom you might not even know very well) really want to help you, Leo… but they will be unable to do so as long as you keep your true thoughts secret, as if you fear vocalizing them into actual spoken words will spoil their exquisite idealism. You are right, however, that once you talk to friends or colleagues about what you've been quietly chewing on, they are liable to pose opposing perspectives to you, which may well deconstruct whatever idealizations you've been cherishing. They'd likely move to inform you as to why the image in your head wouldn't necessarily work in physical reality, at least not quite as you've imagined it… but along with that, if you're open to it, could come alternate suggestions on how you might approach the problem or issue. Quite possibly, what they tell you will sound somewhat foreign to your inner ear, highlighting the ways in which you differ from each other. Yet, if you resist the stubborn response and acknowledge they've got a point, you'll simultaneously support the relationship's development and learn about the potential blindspot(s) in your self-enclosed thinking.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): As you now officially enter a year of professional (and/or public-world) growth and expansion, courtesy of Jupiter's arrival to your solar 10th, you'll want to immediately begin to take full advantage of any alliances and collaborations being offered to you by like-minded colleagues or organizations. That said, Virgo, I don't see this as necessarily entailing you signing away total control or your ability to ultimately operate as an independent entity… but more about productively and respectfully exploiting the additional brainstorms and/or channels of distribution that otherwise wouldn't be available to you. I'm well aware of the uncomfortable charge to the term 'exploiting', which can but need not imply that the advantage you're claiming for yourself must somehow swindle or smear the other party. This is obviously not what I have in mind. Rather, I just don't want you to count out potentially beneficial (and lucrative) opportunities because you believe it'd be easier not to have to deal with the interpersonal negotiations. Your best chances for exciting outward development, at least in the very short term, involve the intricate give-and-take dance of attaining win-win-win scenarios—and that also entails a certain surrendering of prideful personal stakes.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Many of your recent horoscopes have centered on the realm of ideas, which I hope has given you a clear directive to wax contemplative on the current state of your life. Whether you are totally in love with what you're doing, cynically fed up or somewhere blah-ly in between, you're in a magnificent spot for stepping back and pondering how your daily activity either supports or detracts from what you sincerely believe to be important about your unique life. Lest you immediately tense up with worry that, should you determine you may be wasting precious time, you must do something right now to remedy the situation, allow me to reassure you, Libra, it's really more about gathering insight rather than forcing life-changes. For this present moment, concentrate more on thoughtfully observing the relative meaningfulness of where you are (and, alongside that, where else you might want to be)… at the same time you gently begin to unravel any knots of self-delusion that have developed as a defense against dissatisfaction. Transformations begin by thoroughly understanding what is.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): An intrinsic facet to being right where you are—which is smack in the middle of an ambiguous situation, colored in several different shades of grey and very little black or white—is that nobody's rightfully entitled to the 'higher ground'. The moment you attempt to neatly package the so-called significance of what you're going through into a quaint gift-box, bow and all, the more audaciously you're tempting fate to toss in one more discontinuous development to dash your perfect encapsulating understanding. Face it, Scorpio: You don't know where this is going next. And believe me, this glaring lack of imminent resolution is not a problem… except if you cannot corral your obsessive-compulsive tendencies to incessantly scratch and scratch and scratch at it, in futile hopes that you'll stumble upon The Spot and uncover some magical map telling you which direction to turn. Such constant futzing and finagling won't 'move it along', however, as much as simply make you anxious and unsettled. Back off from the fruitless exercise in sense-making, and luxuriate in the suspense of this tale.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): If success has continued to elude you in the development of certain types of relationships in your life, whether in romance or friendship or professional contexts, it may be because you're treating this particular relationship-type as too utterly different from the other types you may find easier to develop. In other words, Sagittarius, if you're so good at making friends, why are you approaching dating situations as if they require following a completely distinct set of rules? Or why aren't you treating that annoyingly inescapable co-worker with the same level of peaceful acceptance you learned to foster with your pesky sibling? People are people… and no matter the role (chosen or involuntarily acquired) they play in your life, the same basic habits of authentic exchange and sympathetic understanding will serve you well. Now that your luck-carrying ruler Jupiter is entering your interpersonal one-on-one zone (the 7th house) for the next year—and while Venus also remains there for another two months—you may find yourself better able to shine in whatever relational context(s) have previously tripped you up. If, that is, you stop putting these certain types of people in special categories… a complicating device which only makes you act weirder than you otherwise would.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Without question, you're being hailed by the majestic universe (or is it just the unspectacular demands of earthly life) to get busy. There's a lot of flying fragments of yarn to grab and weave into something useful, Capricorn… and, thankfully, just as much a surge of productive energy swirling through your system, since I don't see you slowing down any time soon. But a fortuitously frantic schedule must not be used as an excuse for refusing to slow down and listen to certain important folks who request conversation time with you. Terse-and-abrupt or carelessly-sharp tones to your voice will not keep you on the efficiency track; instead, they'll leave a trail of ruffled feathers and hurt feelings you'll have to go back and clean up later, which will actually waste time, not save it. 'Successfully' fulfilling an extra-full cavalcade of responsibilities is hardly a success, if it comes at the expense of respectful interpersonal exchange. After all, a common Capricorn trap is putting the work before the people who, at the end of the day, all that work is supposed to benefit.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): The uniquely specific ways in which you currently choose to entertain yourself in your leisure, Aquarius, is more than just 'mindless fun' (though, even if that were all that's involved, there wouldn't be anything wrong with it). You are implicitly making a statement about your value-system… about what sorts of playtime activities you believe there should be more of, whether in your life or in the world in general. So be sure to make your joyousness actually count for something—not in a manner that lays a heavy trip on you, but with consciousness that like attracts like and you are conjuring some serious celebratory mojo with your trademark partyin' style. As long as Jupiter stays in your 5th house (which, starting this week, is for an entire year more), I will repeatedly charge you with spreading your kooky wonder far and wide, both (1) to revel in this long-overdue warming-up you're now being gifted with and (2) as an altruistic salve for relieving others of the sickness of taking themselves too seriously. Are you ready to boogie like a goofball as your part in saving the world from its stubborn case of the grumps? If you paused before answering, you're already being too dang serious.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Unhealed family dynamics (which may still weigh on you even if you often declare how 'over it' you are) are ripe for revisiting, Pisces, whether or not you believe the questionable family-member(s) is capable of genuinely mending the fence. The potential for healing is not really about them, anyway… but wholly about relieving yourself of any burdens, obvious or under-the-surface, that continue to linger. You may not be ready to pick up the phone or show up at their door for Sunday dinner quite yet, which is totally fine in my book. Yet, don't falsely assume you have all the time in the world to make peace when, in fact, life is both short and full of surprises. For you Pisceans, the hardest challenge will be sustaining a sufficiently firm boundary so that, should a more open flow of conversation be reopened, their same ol' tricks won't hook you in quite the same way. Let's face it, the pathway forward probably won't involve final resolutions on whatever past issues still haunt the relationship; instead, it'll come from learning to appreciate them on whatever limited level allows you to convey generally loving sentiments without expecting them to similarly rise to the occasion. You never know, though. As I said, life is full of surprises. Should you muster the kind-heartedness to give 'em a bit more (though not necessarily all) of your loving self, they might be dumbfounded into returning the kindness themselves.