Horoscopes | Week of December 9-15, 2013

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I won't tell you not to hastily remark on what you see to be the correct moral attitude toward a certain situation, Aries… even though we both know such debates about principle can quickly devolve into arguments. Why should I? The influence of a now-stationing Uranus in your sign is undeniably a rowdy and unruly one. And especially when it comes to your communications and thought-processes (since Mercury-in-your-9th is making a trine to Uranus), nothing good is likely to emerge from you feeling boxed-in, bound-up, or otherwise restricted in what you can say or how you should say it. Plus, Mars-in-your-7th (as we discussed last week) does increase the 'hungry for a fight' vibe in any and all one-on-one interpersonal dealings. Mainly, though, I just want to warn you against presuming to know the overarching purpose of—even, dare I put it this way, the spiritual meaning behind—any such debates or arguments. You may think it's merely an exchange of opinions (or perhaps a case of you needing to school the ignorant?). However, there are subtler emotional ripples to what's being discussed that exist to teach you something, too.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Not unlike the way in which that proverbial road to hell is paved with good intentions, Taurus, the highway you'd most like to cruise down toward the glittering oasis you glimpse up ahead is, in its current state, little more than a muddy and rocky wagon-trail… and if you head too far along its unfinished span before you've expended the adequate ground-laying efforts, you're liable to find yourself stranded in the wilderness without ample preparations. In other words, though you might know exactly where you're headed (and, in fact, feel quite encouraged about this horizon-brightening direction), you can't actually go there straight away—not if you haven't done the preliminary work upon which such a journey necessarily relies. While I usually don't find myself warning Taureans against rushing into something unprepared (because you, of all signs, typically err on the side of taking too long on preparatory gatherings), in this case it seems you may be willfully wishing away the essentiality of certain important bits of work—mainly because of the psychological discomfort that handling them will likely create—in hopes you can just skip over them. I wouldn't 'skip' anything if I were you, though, lest you only later discover how badly you needed to take care of that earlier.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I can't fully explain why (beyond the obvious astrological reasons, of course) that I feel moved to again warn you about the potential of sabotaging an otherwise favorable career-and-finance-related climate by being too loose-lipped, goofy, and/or contextually inappropriate. Perhaps, Gemini, it's just the clash between (1) the ongoing call to devote a substantial amount of emotional energy to what you're functionally working toward in the world and (2) the now-increasing drive to amuse yourself and those around, by any provocative means which serves that moment's whim, as these conflicting aims search for the right way to integrate themselves with each other. As such, I want to encourage you to protect what you've already earned for yourself, both in tangible terms (i.e., your job, your pay, etc.) and as far as your existing relationships with folks who've been alongside as you've come this far are concerned. When those sassy silly urges show up, then, why not try expressing them in novel social scenes, with new pals and/or friendly strangers… where you can experimentally play with far less risk of losing something (or someone) you already have.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Please keep it all in proper perspective, Cancer. Too narrow a mindset, and any irritating occurrence or inconvenient development can too easily get stuck in your craw… causing you to unconsciously exaggerate its importance in your life, allowing it to bloat in proportion to the point where it obstructs your vision of everything else that's functioning pretty darn beautifully. While you may legitimately feel like you need to hold such a close-up focus in order to 'stay on top of things', all your best astrological luck currently comes instead from more expansive anything-is-possible reflections. In fact, in work-related contexts, your ideal solution is likelier to come way out of left-field than by studying and restudying the historical logs—and, having made ample room for such a solution to come in, you're also likelier to be rewarded for innovative on-the-spot thinking. Whatever magnified detail keeps tripping you up or pissing you off, by the way, is more an emotional hook than a logistical one: It only bugs you so much because it's too reminiscent of some past happening which, with that familiar button being pushed, obviously still irks you.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): That still-faint dot of light at the end of the tunnel grows just one more tiny bit brighter this week, Leo, if you fix your trusting gaze upon its hope-promoting flicker and adamantly refuse to stop concentrating on it. More than that, even, you must take a decidedly hard-line approach with anyone (including internal demons) who implies, through unconsciously undermining remarks or power-move manipulations, that such a light doesn't exist just because they can't (or won't) see it. As much as your outwardly social activity-levels are picking up, your mood remains rather susceptible to outside influence: Those companions who'd, for one reason or another, argue against the legitimacy of your rising optimism may likely chip away at its fledgling foundation… not as if they necessarily hold any real power to do so, but more because you're prone to assuming you share with them a more similar outlook on life than you in fact do and, therefore, believe their naysayer opinion should also be yours. This is a problem of over-identification with someone else. To keep the light growing (no matter how slowly), however, you must instead choose to identify with your own positive creative potential.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Now that I feel we've sort of come full-circle when it comes to the role other people have lately played in determining whether, when, and/or how you were able to move forward, Virgo, it's probably time to reconsider the question from a decidedly less pressured position. Now that you're in a somewhat more self-determined spot—and perhaps, as a result, able to steal a bit more privacy—your prior annoyedness with folks you're actually quite fond of (even despite their annoying qualities, since we've all got some) should be giving way to a renewed ability to appreciate them. Now that you're not cornered into dealing with them and instead have greater freedom to choose your level of interaction, in fact, you might get more out of being voluntarily social. Of course, that's only likely if you're (1) taking sufficient advantage of your alone-time, to recharge your self-possessed drive to put things back in order, and (2) sincerely letting relatively minor bygones be gone, to remind yourself all about the positive qualities of your friend/peer relationships.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): There's an oddly impulsive quality flaring up in you, Libra, which, though you typically prefer to think things through before carrying on, might serve you well… or, at the very least, provide you some passing entertainment. I am being somewhat flippant with my take on this flare-up because I don't necessarily want to rate it as 'good' or 'bad'. It may indeed feel damn good to behave with less exacting control, unpredictably, and featuring a fresher-than-usual mouth that doesn't mind blurting out a shocking sentiment or two. It could get bad, of course, if your devilishly playful antics actually anger someone to the point where they think twice about your respectability—though, from another angle, flashing this other side to your personality could show they've been underestimating you. In full disclosure, I do slightly favor a fortuitous reading of this impulsivity surge, but with one caveat: Embracing impulsivity ought not to be used an excuse for forgetting or purposely avoiding important work-related tasks that need to get done. Your career-and-finance astrology is too favorable (but only as long as you're staying current and consistent) to be ignored.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): On the one hand, a swell of idealism will be good for your soul, Scorpio. Without believing (to a certain degree, at least) that life really can be as wonderful as the utopian vision you hold for it (or pretty damn close), it's fairly difficult to hold yourself to whatever high-standards represent you fulfilling your piece of that collective utopia. On the other hand, though, a magnifying of your idealistic side does threaten to inspire certain impractical behaviors… potentially clouding your sense of the-here-and-now's reasonable limits with an intoxicating high of creative artistry and/or romantic love, the all-encompassing power of which could cause you to go too far. Now that Mars is in your 12th, you ought to be somewhat mistrustful of any urge to escape from reality's restrictions, to tune out obvious warning-signs, and/or to purposely forget about likely consequences tomorrow will bring. But because of these swelled idealistic tendencies, you hopefully know you've got to sensibly hold out: to preserve these beautiful possibilities, rather than sink them under the spectacle of a single dazzling moment.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): I wrapped up last week's message to you, Sagittarius, with the following sentiment: '[I]nforming you certain people may not like your return to mouthiness shouldn't matter much. (It never really has, has it?)' Did it sound as lovely to your ears as it felt for me to write? I sure hope so… and I also hope you don't take any offense to my describing you as 'mouthy', since I actually meant it (at least in this current context) as a flattering endorsement of your unrivalled ability to tell it like it is, when a certain 'it' demands somebody speak it aloud. This week, your live-wire mouthiness continues—if not intensifies—as a 1st-house Mercury trines Uranus, our favorite rabble-rouser, inspires you to essentially say whatever the fuck you want. If, for some odd reason, you need an official justification for why you'd be so baldly vocal (knowing full well that buttons will be pushed, and 'sensitive-flower' types aggravated by your confrontational come-on), chalk it up to creative free-expression. Perhaps luring a spirited reaction out of folks (from a good-hearted place, and ultimately for everyone's edification and entertainment) is your art-form?

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Before you quietly condemn any other players for an apparently lackadaisical attitude or dreamy grip on reality, please don't assume your laser-beam focus is always the better approach. 'Conventional wisdom' (a trope tailor-made for defending one's insistence on certain protocols over others) might suggest that goofing off, mixing business with pleasure, and/or building a team's relational rapport through social outlets are careless tactics designed more for justifying procrastination rather than enhancing productivity… but in the current situation, Capricorn, such conventional wisdom is wrong. For now, I recommend using Venus's convenient assistance to concentrate on the more nuanced interpersonal functions, such as promoting unity and boosting morale, to successfully keep those social gears greased and running smoothly. Likewise, feel free to rely on the guidance and support of colleagues who may be more 'natural' at such functions, distinctly empowering them to work their social-connective magic. Meanwhile, please restrain yourself from picking quarrels or making snide remarks over whether someone else is 'using their time wisely', just because you hear a lot of yakking.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): It's not altogether unlikely, Aquarius, that though there are plenty of Grand Ideas for the Future being batted around your consciousness and a gaggle of engaging friends only too eager to bounce these ideas back and forth with you, you privately know you really ought to be working instead. Yes, indeed, you're presently hosting a palpable inner tension between (1) enthusiastically looking forward and (2) dutifully staying in the here-and-now; there's no two ways about that. While the temptation is stronger than ever to defend a certain amount of 'slacking off' (though even deploying that phrase makes me cringe a little) by declaring 'it's the people in my life that really matter the most'—and then frittering away hours on social commentary, community gossip, or other forms of armchair punditry—this week's second exact peak of a Jupiter-Saturn trine across your two work-related houses (the 6th and the 10th) suggests you'd do better to fight the temptation and stay on task. Just remember: This urge for social stimulation is a fleeting one, promising only immediate gratification (and no negative consequences if ignored). The ongoing pressure to keep up your good work, on the other hand, is a more significant one in the grand scheme of things.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Should you find a certain potentially tense situation is now heating up even more, I strongly encourage you not to just disappear from the scene, Pisces. It's not merely a literal disappearance I'm concerned about, but also the 'disappearing act' of behaving as if you are totally innocent of any participatory responsibility for these inflaming tensions… which leaves you essentially missing-in-action as a willing agent of whatever's going down, instead reserving you the role of supposed 'victim' of someone else's tense attitude (though, of course, leaving open the question of exactly why this someone is so friggin' tense). As an alternative to such victim-making narratives, let me suggest you play as integral a part in this brouhaha as anybody else, even if they come running towards you on the attack and you merely raise your hands in feeble surrender. Something in the undercurrents, in the back-story, in what you aren't doing or haven't said… something smells like it's got to be owned by you, in order to help this situation improve rather than deteriorate further.