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Horoscopes | Week of May 13-19, 2013

ARIES (March 21-April 19): People will probably start coming out of the woodwork, Aries, thinking that this is the best time to get caught up on your life… and while I'm sure it'll be super-nice to hear from them, you may also simultaneously wonder how to honor their reaching-out and still stay on top of everything else. Here's my advice: Freely give yourself over to a fair share of the socializing, instead of entertaining the false premise that this will impinge upon your ability to retain a serious handle on your outside-world doings. After all, you're not known for being overly susceptibility to having your energies easily drained. On the contrary, I believe you'll actually elevate your energy-level by absorbing the goodwill that pals and other interested peeps will emanate when you hang out with them. It's a great reminder of how deeply we all need each other, not merely at big crisis-moments when emotional support is crucial but throughout our lives, even when there's absolutely nothing 'wrong' and the quality of the connection is pleasantly casual. Besides, should you feel pressured to squeeze in a bunch of activities (professional and personal) within a small span of time, it'll trigger your inner dynamo who operates best when backed into a corner and pulls out the last-minute multi-tasking miracle every time.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Set off on multiple approaches to meeting your immediate practical goals, Taurus, rather than putting all your eggs in one basket. Don't rest with too much satisfaction if you've only sought a single person's guidance, when you might as well ask everyone for their opinions (since it's pretty easy to just ignore whatever you find unpromising). If you're looking for jobs or seeking further education, it makes no sense to wrap up a day's good effort after filing only one application. Increase your chances! Put feelers out there, left and right! Why settle for 'merely acceptable' when you can shop around at different locations around town, grabbing one bit from one source and another from someone else, patchworking together what'll perfectly suit your needs? Yes, there's a heightened chance of colliding with some not-neatly-resolved contradiction, should you follow this many-all-at-once I'm suggesting will presently work best: Your willingness to compromise too strict a list of non-negotiables could leave you momentarily doubting whether you've stayed in line with your stated values. Allow that tension to hang out there. It's too early to discern whether one of these multiple approaches is actually ethically problematic—or whether it's your too-severe ethics needlessly limiting your opportunities. Try this, try that, try the other… then judge based on results, not abstract notions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Things are looking way up, Gemini, as first aura-fluffing Venus and now your ruling quick-wit Mercury are both blessing your sign with their welcome gifts. Your first order of business: restoring social contact wherever the ball's recently dropped, refamiliarizing yourself with your friends' current vibes, letting folks know what's been on your mind and any new perspectives or decisions that have lately emerged, and asking what they think about it. More than anything, it'll just feel good to get back into the mix, following a period of your having needed to fall somewhat behind the scenes. You're still a couple more weeks away from the prime time for taking more decisive, precedent-setting actions (which kicks off with Mars's arrival to Gemini on May 31)… though laying good interpersonal foundations to ensure such actions will be met by others with friendly encouragement is a part of the job you can already get going on. Mostly, though, this is just a lovely week for reacquainting yourself with the outside world, courtesy of renewed confidence and a readiness to do something else already. One caveat: Don't rush to 'leave the past behind' if it involves some responsibility you're still on the hook to see through. The people depending on you to do so are definitely watching and wondering.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): That vague anticipatory sensation seeps in through the cracks of your consciousness, scenting the air. Only, nobody else seems to notice it. Don't worry, Cancer, the message it conveys is not for them, just you. These hints of what's to come are formless, without any identifying features, and yet promising. You may lack facts, but the psychic flavor is unmistakable: There is something to be imminently excited about. Because this guest-of-honor has not yet officially announced its coming, you don't know exactly when to expect it to arrive. Nor can you do much to prepare, other than open yourself to faith in the unseen opportunities that accompany a surprise. Nerves could therefore get jittery. Impatience heightens… though, damn it, impatience for what? You'll know it when you see it. Though May is hardly a 'dead zone', you wisely suspect that it's not necessarily your month. Others insist upon the attention, and you thoughtfully grant it. Chattering static on the radio waves keeps plenty of noise and communicative action streaming here and there, which you tap into and out of based on momentary interest-level and how much you care about the person presently blaring. You are here, and also not here... but who could blame you? The intuitive in you can't help but attempt its restless time-traveling into the near future, searching for just one meaty clue. Alas, the steel gates are shut. You will have to bide your time, in wait. Have another onion ring, and stay tuned.

LEO (July 23-August 22): What does everybody else think? What might they know about it, from all that they've encountered and experienced over the years? Could it have direct relevance to your own current life-spot, Leo… and could you spare yourself that alienating feeling of being in it all by yourself, simply by seeking out advice and/or camaraderie from those who know firsthand what you're going through? Whether you're trying to solve a problem, explore an interest, advocate for a belief, or make the world a better place, you will presently get a whole lot further by connecting with that slice of humanity who shares this passion with you. Just because you have this shared passion, however, that doesn't mean you are as similar to these other folks as you might mistakenly assume. That's the beauty of joining forces with them: They may be so different from you, they can expose you to an angle you never would've seen without their guidance. This diversity of opinions is invaluable. There is no shame, by the way, in hitting upon an existing blind-spot kindly pointed out by someone who has the best interests of your shared goal in mind. We can't know what we don't know until somebody who knows it lets us know, you know? Meanwhile, with your humility in tow, this team-oriented discovery process could prove to be super-engaging and quite a lot of fun. Once the other folks can count on your openness, they'll be eager to learn from you, too.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): And suddenly, you are in the spotlight again, Virgo… being observed not for what you do (or don't do) with perfectly skillful aplomb, but for your general interpersonal attitude toward the variety of characters you'll have to interact with in this newly public role. Are you amenable to receiving any number of differing (and, at times, blatantly irreconcilable) summaries of what's going on in this environment, based upon the personal stake any given cast-member holds in the overall scheme-of-things (and/or whether they're in a longstanding conflict with someone else), and coming off as basically friendly to each and every person? Don't feel guilty for playing multiple sides, since that's what presently behooves you, while the information continues to be so freely disseminated, as long as you haven't outwardly declared a particular allegiance. You will have to find ways to be wholly authentic without showing your cards. There's plenty of personal history you can share that'll help promote conversational intimacy while still reserving direct judgment on the immediately relevant matters. A soft touch, a diplomatic tone, and a genuine interest in getting to know more about everything and everyone will bring you the best possible luck.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Lift your head up, and gaze out over the whole vista. Your eyes have been fixed so totally in that one certain direction for a few weeks now, Libra, that you've perhaps forgotten how these recent events fit into the larger scene. Though, yes, it's been temporarily all-consuming (and probably for a very good reason), you cannot actually allow it to consume all of you. You have to find a way to put it in its place… not by suddenly not dealing with it, but by catching enough of a breath so you can start conceiving of how to situate its mammoth spectacle into more livable proportions, alongside everything else you've reasonably determined is also important. 'Alongside' is a helpful rallying-cry to help you temper any 'all-or-nothing' extremity, which is simply not a long-term-sustainable approach to anything really. Your personal health habits, for instance, could easily suffer collateral damage if you don't explicitly label them as worthy of conscious attention. Work that you've convinced yourself doesn't have to be done right away may be similarly starting to gather a second layer of dust in your absence. To live the kind of existence that leaves you feeling competent and deliberate, you probably need to bring a few of these temporary overlooked items into better balance—an ideal you Librans are supposed to know something about.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Pay non-judgmental attention to every time you behave in a way that seems to go against everything you earlier claimed to feel about that situation. Harsh self-judgment scares away these revealing expressions of psychic complexity, Scorpio, in much the same manner the hunter's rifle's gunshot noise frightens the tender bunny back into its hole where it must hide if it hopes to survive. That transgressive act you're compelled to carry out knows its very survival is in jeopardy, if it faces a direct confrontation with your contradictory claim of what you more rationally intend to do. It will shamefully crouch in shadows, praying to avoid conscious detection… only coming out in the dark of night, where it can play naughtily with other willful miscreants. But when you can't see what it's up to, it's likelier to cause you greater harm, threatening to create all sorts of undesired side-effects that you may have to carry along with you for some time to come. Instead, just notice the inconsistencies. Wonder what may be behind them. Allow them to emerge far enough so that you can study their character, with genuine curiosity about how you might eventually grant yourself whatever pleasure they're rousing you to seek… and, at the same time, still stay in line with your stated intentions.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): It presently pays to be rather accommodating to others' needs, Sagittarius… particularly with those who you really like and/or would like to know better. Your relationship house (the solar 7th) is seeing some action, with both Venus and Mercury now positioned there, easing your ability to win favor and attain mutual understanding with those you'd most hope to please. This is no time, therefore, to confrontationally question anyone on their seeming inconsistencies and/or make any demands that they clarify their stance or pick a side. In this interpersonally-advantageous astrological spot, such needlessly antagonistic attitudes towards others are merely a cover for your own emotional insecurities… as if by forcing someone else to make a premature judgment-call or bend over backwards to explain themselves, you can ward off any feelings of dread you unfortunately experience from the natural uncertainty of interrelating. Should you slip into challenging the other person, just check yourself. Congenially go along on their ride with 'em… and, good lord, please don't keep asking where you're going or how long until you get there. Relax, watch the scenery go by, and listen to them share all kinds of interesting tidbits about who they are. You can make assessments later.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Too rigid a daily regimen, despite how it seems to 'keep you on track' with your stated goals of health and/or productivity, can have its drawbacks. Anyway, consistency has never been your weak point, Capricorn. You're entering a phase in which developing your flexibility—with workflow, diet and exercise, household responsibilities, etc.—is a mode-of-activity better supported by the astrology than rote repetition. And flexibility, by its very nature, demands that you try to do things differently on different days. And trying different methods usually means you will discover that you are better at certain things and not as good at others. And it's the things you're not as good at that you should probably work on with greater attention. Of course, all of this flies completely in the face of your naturally aiming for mastery, an increasing confidence in your ability to do whatever you do with the utmost capability. Therefore, please invite your striving-for-mastery to take a temporary backseat to experimentation, to nurturing versatility over expertise. At the end of the day, you might end up defaulting back to how you've always done things… without any harm to your existing mastery. Or you might adopt a couple new habit-revisions, which only add to your confidence. Or you might make a complete and total change. Who knows? Nobody yet.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): An incoming uptick in silly frivolity is the perfect way to celebrate (re-)establishing authority over your own stance on life. My only wish for you, Aquarius, is that the desire to give your all to such celebratory whimsy wasn't creating such an uncomfortable friction with your sense of practical duty… a rub which lurks just below the surface, silently looming its warning not to go too far with it. Though your hard-partyin' side might prefer to drown out these warning-whispers by pumping the music up even louder, gulping down a third margarita and a pile of cheese fries, and/or landing another hottie's phone-number, I instead encourage you to invite that debbie-downer voice to join the proceedings. You want to promote a healthy dialogue between these two equally-important parts of your personality, rather than indulging their petty squabble and letting it worsen to the point of warfare. As long as you're convincing yourself you have so much work to do that having fun is somehow 'bad', you can expect your fun-loving inner rebel to overreact with potentially destabilizing actings-out… likely leading to hangover regrets, followed by hyperresponsible overcompensations, followed by further rebellion. Broker a deal: Free reign to party moderately hard once or twice during the week, in exchange for keeping all your other gears in properly practical motion the rest of the time.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Believe me, Pisces, not every sentiment that crosses your mind this week needs to be uttered aloud. Not that any of us are thinking exactly the same thing today that we thought yesterday (or that we're likely to think tomorrow), but you will be especially prone to a changeable perspective on a number of relevant topics… and rather than be called to task by others for your moving-target replies, I suggest you take an externally non-committal attitude while simultaneously allowing your inner considerer to juggle the different ideas. Too commonly, our self-consciousness about being unsure, 'of two minds', or still in the process of putting the pieces together is triggered by a sense of expectation to other people that we should have it figured out by now… and when we unfairly hold ourselves to it, we actually inhibit ourselves from experiencing the mental freedom to digest the variables at our own pace (no matter how slow it may be). In fact, it is often said that the mark of a brilliant individual is the ability to hold contrasting ideas at the same time, since the creative art of synthesis is nothing more than finding the magical solution that reduces an 'either/or' to 'both'. Buy yourself that mental freedom… even if it means hanging out at home, away from other people, a bit more.