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Horoscopes | Week of November 4-10, 2013

ARIES (March 21-April 19): This next month is ideal for making significant strides on whatever tangible tasks or chores will need to get done, Aries, in order to buttress the soon-to-unfold successes headed toward your professional (or public-world) zone, courtesy of Venus. With your ruling energy-generator Mars still in the solar 6th through early December, you've presently got the steam to effectively produce results… that is, as long as you invest thorough efforts into doing the job as comprehensively as possible, including a deep cleansing-and-reorganizing of whatever raw materials you've inherited from prior players or projects. Conducting these efforts will involve having to dauntlessly face the past, and what didn't turn out so well—but by accepting the humbling lesson like a champ, rather than indulging regret or self-disparagement. In the end, though, it's what you learned by doing, trial-by-fire-style, which could lead you to an even more impressive career victory, by simple virtue of you banking your experience (no matter how raw, rocky or ruinous it may've been) as one of the most important assets at your disposal. For the time being, then, worry less about the 'soon-to-unfold successes' I hailed earlier… and instead use this immediate period to dive into the real meat-and-potatoes work that'll contribute to said successes.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Rather than fitting yourself within the confines imposed upon you by someone else's relationship expectations, Taurus, you ought to be coming closer than ever to a conscious understanding of which values and principles ultimately motivate your most passionate embrace of life… and then, with that consciousness, evaluating the rightfulness of any given relationship. These past few weeks have evidently delivered a heightened awareness of where you presently stand vis-à-vis a critical partnership and/or towards the concept of 'partnership' itself: Your current status is nothing more than the cumulative result of deeds and decisions you've carried out over time, and you're either relishing the fruits of your ongoing attentiveness (in which case, I hope you're explicitly saluting this landmark moment and/or doubling-down on the commitment) or suffering the consequences of not having done your best (and, quite likely, facing the intensified dissatisfaction which could conceivably spur you to make a major course-correction). Looking ahead, then, I spy you growing increasingly enthusiastic about some 'next big move' (an eye-opening course of adventure, designed to show you something beyond what you've always known), the plans for which are due to unfold in the months ahead. And how would your current relationship status foster that enthusiasm—or threaten to dampen its fire, due to a certain someone being more self-concerned than supportive of your evolution? File that information away somewhere easily accessible.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The upcoming few months may well adjust your interpretation of what 'complications' can mean to your life, Gemini, such that you might no longer wish to escape their entangling grasp as soon as you feel them clamping down… and, instead, come to better understand why so many other folks seem to adore complicated situations so much. What you will likely sacrifice, in terms of an easy-breezy detachment that allows you freer flitting from one locus-of-interest to the next, you can merrily compensate for by learning to love that feeling of voluntarily being drowned or devoured by so much intensity. But I suspect you probably can't presently see the specifics of whatever circumstance fitting this bill is now headed down the pipeline towards you, so consider this some advance hype. Once it does show up, of course, you might struggle to concentrate on anything else other than this complicating association… though that one-track-minded engrossment in this intrigue is decidedly not how Saturn-in-your-6th expects you to behave. If you were wondering when I would find a way to wind the WORK-related urgings back into your horoscope, here's your answer: Another reason why this is such an excellent time to dutifully plow through items on the to-do list is to clear your plate (or at least gather something of a spacious head-start), so when that irresistible complicating-factor finally rears its mischievous head, you won't have piles of backed-up shit competing with it for your attention.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): What I was hinting at in last week's edition is now officially coming to pass, Cancer: The magnetically attractive lass-of-luck-and-love Venus is entering your one-on-one relationship house (the solar 7th) this week, where she's due to stay for an uncommonly long time (into March 2014!), upping your capacity for reconfiguring interpersonal dealings so they more properly suit your desired lifestyle goals. This lengthier-than-usual 7th-house visit is an effect of Venus's impending retrograde two months from now, which means that part of this reconfiguration could well include the reappearance of old loves, the sudden materialization of new prospects, and/or a change-of-heart about someone already in your life… any or all of which may prove to be either illusory mirages or the real friggin' deal, but which ultimately serve as prompts for you to reconsider exactly what you intend to gain from bothering to involve yourself so closely with somebody else. This, of course, will play out over time, not necessarily with dramatic events climaxing this week or next. That said, you can begin orienting yourself more distinctly toward relational concerns now. And you'll get more of the universe's support by gravitating toward individuals way different than you, from unusual backgrounds and/or faraway places, who can actually teach you something. To find out whether they qualify, however, you'll have to pose some investigative questions.

LEO (July 23-August 22): If my watch is right (and it usually is), the time for first discovering what's been at the root of that certain strain of your discontent is now passing into the time when you figure out how to work with it. You're at the beginning of a few-month period (stretching into next March) during which it serves you to examine ways of rearranging your daily routine, Leo, in order to support goals (such as improving your bodily health, organizing your space, polishing your craft, or taking foundation-laying steps that'll help you build toward a much-desired job-change) that are purely for your own sense of gratifying self-respect. So often, we convince ourselves we haven't accomplished what we'd hoped to because we are lazy, unmotivated, or lacking skill… when, more often than not, it's an emotional obstacle holding us back. To choose to revise and refine your day-to-day attitudes and activities, then, is a choice to prioritize your own emotional well-being much more deliberately—a defiant redefinition of self that likely flies in the face of messages you internalized early on, intended (perhaps not consciously, of course) to have you downplay such considerations under the damaging belief that catering to your own needs makes you selfish. If tending to your own health, productivity and/or earthly purpose is indeed 'selfish'… well, then, that's what we've all got to be.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): This is all due to get a lot more fun, Virgo, provided you understand that being encircled by other people is in fact your vehicle for gathering the fun… and not the impediment standing in your way of enjoying it. All it takes is your willingness to plainly present the specific good-time opportunity to whomever's around and/or appeals to your sensibilities, not with coy intimations but in unambiguously direct terms, and you're liable to receive affirming responses. Put another way, this is just another angle to this same horoscopic drift I've been hawking for weeks now—the presently high value of clear, explicit communication as a means for getting exactly what you want—only with a more decidedly pleasure-focused bent (in case, perhaps, you've mistakenly assumed this advice applies only in more pragmatic or productive contexts). At the moment, you're well hooked-up astrologically to serve as the interpersonal initiator or instigating agent, kindling the sparks that very well could develop into some sort of relational dalliance liable to put a big fat smile on your face. So, if I were you, I'd be out-and-about, perusing the social scenes—and if I saw something I liked, I'd say something.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): With your ruler Venus heading this week into your 4th (perhaps the most private house of the chart), along with Mars still sitting in your 12th (perhaps the other most private house of the chart), it sure looks like you're being set up by the planets to steal more than the usual amount of behind-closed-doors time in this next stretch, Libra. I've already suggested you take very few, if any, decisive actions out there in the world… at least until early December, when Mars arrives to your sign for such an extended stay that you'll more than make up for any feared squandering-of-opportunity from this temporary lack of activity. And now, Venus is sumptuously encouraging you to bask in the luxurious delight of staying at home with greater frequency… and, increasingly over the months to come, to take whatever measures will indeed improve the quality of your domestic experience. Whether this means you'll soon be hosting more intimate gatherings on the home-front or simply keeping to yourself, you ought to look at your place-of-residence as a replenishing blessing for which you're eternally grateful—and if your situation is, sadly, so unpleasant it doesn't afford such a perspective, then please use these next few months to remedy that. As far as your outside life is concerned, meanwhile, concentrating strictly on maintenance (rather than letting anything slip during this weird limbo moment) should be enough.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): I'm picking up a vision of you, dear Scorpio, as the unofficial ambassador of delusion-shattering, shame-purging, soul-affirming substance… not merely a self-contained individual of intensity, aware of your uniquely incisive and no-settling-for-bullshit relationship to our shared reality yet holding this wisdom close to your chest, but actually disseminating your passionately disruptive perceptions to all those who might themselves benefit from interacting more candidly with the unadorned fullness of what's really going on (which is pretty much everyone). You have much to teach the rest of us, though I wonder whether you've actively reflected upon this tremendous well of knowledge you hold (since it's not the type you read about in books or pick up in school) as something more valuable than just a knack for getting people to do what you want. You seem to sense the very thing in someone's psychic makeup that's unconsciously causing them to act out in ways that undermine their ability to be who they really wish to be… and, with a conscientious enough engagement, you can actually assist them (through supportive but unwavering honest conversation) in effecting the catharsis that'll ultimately deliver them from their psychic burden. Indeed, what an honor to walk this path alongside someone. Plus, it's the most altruistic manner with which to express your undeniable shit-stirring tendencies, putting you on the winning side of the karmic scales.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Thanks to lucrative-lady Venus, you're now entering what could well prove to be one of the most financially advantageous periods in recent memory, Sagittarius… though along with that potential also comes a certain trickster energy, which implies that what may best serve your financial interests might not be the most immediately obvious approach. In the months ahead, you could realize you've been wasting money on expenditures that don't bring you anything much of value, you've been working for far less income than others in your position usually earn, you've been overlooking a conspicuous avenue for bringing in a few extra bucks, and/or you've been taking your high worth for granted. Or maybe none of these high-drama developments will occur, and instead you simply redesign the manner in which you keep track of what you've got—and discover you've got your shit together more competently than you've allowed yourself to believe. Whatever the case, you're only at the very earliest stage of this unfolding; it's probably sufficient just to know this is all coming, so you may ready your palms for receiving bigger payouts. Oh, yeah, one more thing: If trying to score a raise or promotion in your current organization might be part of this plan, start putting the feelers out (in modest, meted-out moves) between now and the end of November.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Can we get a rowdy-and-rip-roarin' hoot-and-holler for the sublime arrival of benefic-beauty Venus to your sign, Capricorn… and for an exceptional four-month run, no less? It's always a treat to host Venus in one's sign: You can expect to give off a certain extra something, that zing of appeal which more easily draws admiring people and advantageous experiences to you, glazing your external expressions with charm and character, and fluffing your aura with a fairer finish than usual. What's not to like? Though there really is so much wonderfulness to celebrate about four months with Venus in Capricorn, I can't help but occupy the role of soothsaying realist and raise the less wonderful angle to this transit (since you hardly need my counsel on how best to delight in the increased good-favor you're likely to welcome any which way you turn): You remain under continuing threat of underestimating your power to either (1) help draw out the capability, confidence and charisma of other people or (2) bulldoze their attempt to connect with you, leaving them to feel stupid or invisible (and, not to mention, irked at you for your ignorance or insensitivity). Trust me, they have no idea about the secret self-doubts and self-criticisms you harbor toward yourself… though these provide you the perfect common-ground for understanding why your well-put-together exterior might unintentionally intimidate them, and why compassion therefore necessitates you push past your formidable front and proactively reach out to them.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Last week, I threw out mention of your needing to do more work, with a specifically psychological angle to it—and to not expect any obvious evidence of the positive results until March of next year. That's because this week, Aquarius, show-me-the-money Venus enters your solar 12th house (the least accessible and most mystically elusive sector of a chart), where she stays for four long months, concealing her blessed influence over your life from clear visibility… which, for the record, is not the same thing as her providing no 'blessed influence' whatsoever. In a certain sense, you're going to have operate as if partially blindfolded and/or in-the-dark, able to adequately see the stuffs with which you're working but not necessarily any distinctive features of the transformed product you'll be in the process of creating. Instead of receiving instant-karma glimpses which might either affirm or repudiate that you're indeed making headway, you must find daily encouragement from simply knowing you are putting in a sustained amount of significant effort toward an aspiration you're both uniquely qualified for and passionate about pursuing. (Recent weeks' developments should've given you a damn good clue as to whether this is what you're doing.) Yes, keep working, smart and hard, duty-bound to this outward calling. You may be working somewhat blind, but the unseen is where all the magic happens.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): If by chance, over these past few weeks, you've found yourself peculiarly intrigued by a certain topic of inquiry or area of study, a philosophic or religious framework for exploring life's big questions, and/or a far-flung geographic locale that fills your heart with curiosity and wonder… well, Pisces, I want to affirm this fascination may indeed hold some significant promise, in terms of cultivating your worldview toward a more coherent ethic, and it's probably worth investigating more seriously. Beyond your obvious thirst-for-adventure and the intellectual appeal, there's also a distinct community-based element to why you find yourself interested in this certain slice-of-culture: Something about the people you're liable to come into contact with, and perhaps establish lifelong connections with, is calling you to dip a bit more deeply into these waters. If, on the other hand, you have not been especially driven to foster greater knowledge in any particular subject or way-of-life, I encourage you to reverse the order of steps in this advice—and instead to cultivate your relationships with the community, organization, or group-of-friends that most piques your interest, using those strengthened bonds as a means of examining what qualities they possess which make them so interesting to you. There's something very meaningful to their unique perspective and/or devotion to the cause which you can reap from finding out more.