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Horoscopes | Week of September 24-30, 2012

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Fuse short. Patience tried. Defenses roaring. Course of action presenting itself. But what precisely to do, you might ask? I cannot provide that answer, my Aries friend, because it's so wholly a factor of whatever impulse is rapidly rising in you—and not, incidentally, a matter of thinking it through any more than you already have—that you will know it when you feel it. In fact, you may experience it as a full-body sensation you totally can't control… and before you know it, it (whatever 'it' may be) is already happening. Truth be told, I believe this is often how Aries types function best: Though there is often some type of unforeseen fallout to tackle once the impulsive move has been made, it's usually something you're more than capable of handling (even if it's not your first choice). Had you known the consequences in advance, maybe you would've thought twice. Yet, in that case, nothing would've changed—and god knows something had to change. So, like the prototypical fire-starter, you'll yet again get those flames hopping by trusting your instincts. And yet again, there will be consequences… perhaps ones even far gnarlier and/or more disruptive than in similar situations from the past. On the other hand, what else are you going to do: twiddle your thumbs 'til the cows come home? The world would pass you right by.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If you abruptly start to feel as if you're acting 'not quite yourself', Taurus, that's a clue to turn an extra-mindful eye toward what you may be about to do. With the crazy full-moon energy riling up your 12th house, you might be unconsciously groping around for a touch of somewhat destructive drama—though, let's be clear, 'destructiveness' isn't always a bad thing. We often hold on too tightly to aspects of our lives that no longer serve our ongoing evolution, just because the behavior's become ingrained and we don't want to muster the anxiety-provoking moxie to proactively change our habits… and it's not until something totally discontinuous with our existing situation comes along (usually due to our having unwittingly beckoned it, knowing on some deep level we needed it) and knocks us from our safety-zone. (This is especially true for Taureans, the most fixedly stubborn of all the signs.) You're reaching a critical juncture, one with a lot of evolutionary pressure bearing down, and you're much likelier than usual to pull the cord or blow the whole thing sky-high just to release it… without fully understanding the destructive ramifications. It'll be real easy, in such a scenario, to presume you're merely fighting a moral battle against some misguided or disagreeable soul. What's really going on: You're making some space for yourself, on behalf of an as-yet-unknown future waiting in the wings.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you feel like you've got a special role to play in your group, on your team, or within the collective at large? I suspect you do, Gemini. So why, then, would you go obediently along with whatever position you've been circumstantially slotted into, if it's not quite what you had in mind and/or ill-fitted to your unique talents? I surely hope it's not because you're so gun-shy about causing controversy, due to having had more than your fair share of difficult shit to trudge through, that you'd rather not rock the boat and/or demand such individualistic attention from folks who could take issue with your personal ambitions. You simply must separate one issue from the other, in order to better follow this very particular calling that has indeed called you, precisely because of your unique talents. Therefore, when it comes to who you are to become in the eyes of that big bold world out there, you've got to don that individualistic attitude. You've got to take a few social risks… perhaps say 'no' to an opportunity or two that doesn't do your uniqueness justice… go out actively hunting for that much snugger fit. If you don't expressively emanate the belief you're special enough to warrant that very particular role you seek to assume, why would anyone want to give it to you?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In weighing the merits of (1) unobtrusively continuing to reap a certain short-term stability versus (2) proudly and purposefully sticking up for the creative ideals that distinguish you as an individual, I think you'll find it hard this week not to veer towards the latter… especially, Cancer, if that shit-stirring somebody pushes you one millimeter farther. I mean, come on: Is it really worth bowing to another's controlling (and maybe even demeaning) measures, just to predictably secure yourself one more carrot, dangling on a fishing line like bait to keep you coming back for more? Because job security (and the economic interests involved) may likely be at stake here, it's not within my jurisdiction to make this call for you. However, if your ordinarily-quiet but lately-quite-rowdy self-determined streak is hungry for fresh professional or community-related opportunities that require leaping courageously from the ledge, the astrology sure seems to support it. (After all, if you don't leap, you'll be stuck on that teeny-tiny little ledge… until what? someone actually shoves you off? the whole thing collapses and you fall to the ground?)

LEO (July 23-August 22): And yet, despite the day-to-day struggles, Leo, you ought still to be rather optimistic about what's up ahead… and about your venturing ever more excitedly towards it, with more self-possession than you've felt in quite time. A risk here and there seems almost unavoidable. If you really are intent on reorienting your perspective, so that it centers around whichever far-reaching priorities your soul-searching has settled upon as most significant, you've got to put some trust in your ability to make the right split-second decisions based upon these guiding priorities. The more faith you invest in your on-the-spot analysis of whatever foreign experience you encounter (in terms of how it fits with the life you want to be living, or doesn't), the more confidently you can explore the world. Not everyone may trust your abilities in this area, alas: An overbearing family member (or the internalized echoes of their prior overbearingness) may rouse doubt in you, which could be based in reasonable concern or may merely be manipulative noise. In either case, you'll probably need to deal with it.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Don't fear, Virgo, if the unholy alliance or precarious confederation starts cracking up. (Is this related to what we discussed last week?) Though you'll probably have to uncomfortably stomach the untidy scraps of collateral shrapnel littering the scene, you can seek solace by thinking beyond the immediate mess… to the chance for a more personally empowering investment of energy that's simultaneously opening up. In fact, you're probably not as 'innocent' as you might be telling yourself, if indeed a burgeoning breakup is pointing toward a beautiful breakthrough: You really have been hungering for greater independence in this certain area of life, and perhaps, unbeknownst to you, you've been emitting an unsettling undercurrent that's finally gotten to the other involved party. I don't share this possibility with you as an indictment, as if you ought to feel guilty about it. On the contrary, my dear. By embracing this type of awareness (i.e., that somehow you were asking for this to happen), you'll hopefully be better able to glide through the chaos… and realize that, once the dust settles, your hands will be miraculously untied.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): You cannot let guilt, worry, or subtle currents of manipulative pressure inspire you to reactively backpedal or otherwise chase anyone around as they jerk or lurch in unpredictable outbursts. While you may (or may not) honor the root-causes of their erratic behavior, Libra, you won't be able to foster the coherent conversation you badly need to have if you're enabling them to perpetuate such ineffective communicative strategies. No matter your personal feelings for this other person (and your continuing willingness to sympathize with their condition, even when those sympathies conflict with the call to advocate for yourself), you must accept responsibility for serving as 'the voice of reason'… which means not being held at ransom by anybody who's acting unreasonable. This conversation's gotta happen. As long as they're sincerely participating in it, both hearing you out and sharing their own truths, I urge you to stay with it… even if there may be moments when you wish to fold your hand or dash away. (This ain't easy.) But if they won't even rein in their fitful urges enough to sit and talk like two well-mannered adults, I think you've probably already gotten your 'answer'.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): A potentially productive tension presently exists, Scorpio, between (1) the fortunate reputation you're earning yourself through warm-hearted public exchanges and (2) the fervent zeal you possess for getting things to happen more according to your personal preferences. How shall you keep your audience happy, but without playing so shamelessly to them that you forfeit a chance to assertively reset the agenda? As you increase the strength with which you push your program forward, you begin to relinquish some of the easy likability you'd otherwise reap. Certain colleagues may feel their hackles raise, in defensive response to your power-moves… though others are sure to gain a deeper respect for you, as they observe you to be more an actual doer than a giant talking-head. You'll win more folks to the deeper-respect side if you push forward with concrete work (especially that which has needed to get done, but which nobody else has wanted to dive into) rather than a bunch of sweet words about 'reorganization' that can't help but ring somewhat hot-air-ish. Ultimately, though, you should seek to strike a middle-ground balance between friendly warmth and self-motivated steam… a melding that well serves your creative ambitions.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Open, for-all-to-see justice needs to be your rallying-cry, Sagittarius, in any showdown with secretive forces who'd seek to enlist your complicity in their every-man-for-himself dealings. What'll best serve you over the coming weeks is whichever choice will release you from having to slink around the shadows, obscuring your enthusiasms behind impenetrable expressionlessness. You've already had your recent moments of holding relative silence… a position which was appropriate in passing, but which ultimately serves neither your natural manner-of-being nor what's right-and-fair for all. The lid's in the process of popping right off this affair, and you should ready yourself for much of what's been hidden to come out in the light. In fact, it's likely you will play a principal role in this reveal: If you have indeed lined up on the ideologically rightful side of history in this case, you can take much gleeful pride in helping everything come home to roost. That's why you must beware of covert offers from sketchy (though potentially persuasive) characters. You don't want to be caught with your hand in the cookie-jar and/or get set up as the unaware pansy.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Your fullest empowerment demands you bust through any outdated feelings of obligation to, or undeserved respect for, a certain 'correct' manner of doing things that was shoved down your throat as a child. No burdensome parent or strict disciplinary figure is actually watching over (and judging) everything you do now, Capricorn. So, bowing to their imagined authority is really nothing more than an agreement to continue reliving the past… when, in fact, you are badly needed by the collective to play a principal role in building a better future. Before you can serve this esteemed role, though, you've got to start with rebuilding your inner foundation—a remodel task that probably requires knocking down a few walls in the process. The terror of watching that old stucco crumble into a pile of junk should hopefully give way to the immense freedom of a cleaner slate, readier than ever to be inscribed with your unique mark (rather than mindlessly stamped with the same family monogram that's on every damn towel in your grandmother's closet). Because what you construct there must possess a unbridled newness, you can't 'do it wrong' if you're really trying something radically new.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Lighten up. You cannot resolve all the open-ended questions looming over what's going to happen next, Aquarius… though, if you keep posing them to yourself over and over and over again, you're liable to conjure panicky nightmares (if you can sleep at all) or interpret every bump-in-the-road as a torrent of other-shoes finally falling from the sky and kicking the shit out of you. Meanwhile, back in the here-and-now, you should have no trouble keeping things moving along at the rate they're supposed to (which is not a pace you can hurry along, just because you're unduly worried)—as long as you meet each situation as it presents itself, and instinctively take care of it as quickly and directly as possible. Blurting out first responses, understanding it might end up being the second or third or fourth that works best, ensures you don't get caught in endlessly self-generating mind-traps. Need another opinion? Quickly pick up the phone or drop a message to the pal or connection who pops into your head. Don't plan your approach; hop to it. Playing fast and loose may make you nervous in the few anticipatory seconds before, but, trust me, it beats the hell out of prolonged private paralysis.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Being as emotionally brave and honest as possible—which seems to be what the planets are presently asking of you, Pisces—means you have to accept you won't be especially 'easy' for others to deal with. But perhaps this is entirely the point of such radical authenticity: to embody the realization that your own interests are important enough to advocate for, even when it positions you in a seemingly antagonistic role versus a more comfy 'going along for the ride' stance. We can agree there does exist an 'easier' road you could take… the path of taking care of only the immediate business-at-hand, not thinking more broadly about what's at stake, letting each day pass with the barest minimum of controversy so as not to infringe upon an otherwise orderly agenda of familiar to-dos. That really only works for you, though, if you suspend all concern for your longer-term well-being, and I don't know how truly 'easy' that may be. At each instance you pass up your shot at speaking up, as if you're 'choosing your battles wisely', you're essentially waving a white flag. Before you know it, there won't be any 'battles' left to fight, for you'll have already surrendered.