Horoscopes | Week of March 3-9, 2014

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don't permit your mind to be confined only to its own productions and/or those of one or two other deeply-involved individuals. You'll want to cast a much wider net, Aries, in order to reel in opinions and outlooks that'll assist you in not being so muddled and befuddled by your ;emotional reactions. It's not just that your friends or colleagues will help you better understand the other angles of this puzzle, revealing previously unseen advantages you ought to be aware of before proceeding like a powerless victim and/or wiser long-term tactics that should motivate you not to recklessly pop off. On a basic level, their companionship and support can quite successfully calm you down… getting you out of an unhealthily unilateral focus, and rerouting your attention toward other pursuits you might be able to delight in alongside them. Treat any instincts to isolate yourself from the group and/or to spend too much time on this one situation, then, as dubious at best. While you might believe you can handle anything on your own, lone-warrior-style, your best luck for the moment is inextricably tied to leaning on your people.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): With ruling-queen Venus making her first sign-shift since November and landing atop your solar chart in the 10th, Taurus, you're now welcoming a month-long window of professional (and/or public-world) good-favor. Think of this as the process of at last claiming that achievement you've identifed as 'the big prize', on the heels of all these weeks of pondering what exactly would constitute a most personally meaningful version of such rewards. In fact, your idea of success could well have veered elsewhere than its prior location, based on your latest considerations of higher ideals… and as such, to take fullest advantage of this 10th-house-Venus's benevolence, you probably need to (re-)explain to the other key stakeholder(s) how your evolving views might've shifted your aspirations, in order to really get what you want. (We touched on this a bit last week, too.) It's critical, however, not to full-on reject anything that's being offered to you, even if it doesn't quite suit your sensibilities: A less-than-perfect proposal is an excellent starting-point, if not the end-all-be-all. Too unappreciative a response on your part, and there may be no second or third round of negotiations. This process must honor the other party's aims as highly as your own.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Something different, outside the humdrum state of usual affairs, is afoot. Are you going somewhere? Nourishing your curiosities with additional insight or exposure, so as to learn from some actual novel doing (not just theorizing about how life could possibly be, without ever bothering to move from that same slowly-deflating armchair)? Reaching out for the sort of audacious experience that's far beyond where you've ever been, in the process stretching your tight limbs into new poses? You better have an affirmative answer to one of these questions (or something like it), Gemini. If not, you've obviously yet to feel that shift in the astro-climate… that invitation to look out ahead on the horizon, to find an unusual sight or knowledge-rich target that rouses your interests, and to begin heading toward that far-off destination (which also, of course, requires heading away from the stifling familiarity). Or is it that you're caught between 'fluctuating desires', with one foot still stubbornly refusing to abandon its rooting in the supposed safety of what you've always known? Thing is, though, the life of a Gemini isn't supposed to be a dull expanse of same-ol', same-ol'—for no other reason than variety is where the spice is at.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Starting in earnest this week, it definitely no longer behooves you to hold off any impending intensifications, Cancer. For a looming conflict to be futilely wished away, a lurking attraction to go fearfully unrecognized, and/or a necessary negotiation to face any further postponements just doesn't suit the emerging astrology. Please don't cower in nervousness, though, about the magnified emotional charge that such interplay likely carries with it: By my watch, you'll actually thrive (as best as could be expected in this sort of situation) by going all the way into it now as opposed to twiddling your thumbs in wait for some supposed 'better time' (which probably wouldn't be better, though might possibly be worse). Rather than conceiving of this as a self-serving drive to get something you want from a certain someone (even if, in some sense, it is), I recommend not downplaying its importance in the broader trajectory of your personal evolution: Compromising away a power-position, just to avoid a few awkward interactions or supposedly spare another's feelings, simply isn't the right thing to do.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): It's liable to feel like a whole 'nother world by week's end, Leo, in terms of how much more easily you should be able to attain a mutually-appealing interpersonal vibe, both in existing relationships and in your knack for attracting new connections. Yes, Venus's arrival in your one-on-one partnership house (the 7th) almost always brings a fresh or renewed potential for getting along with others, allowing you to better appreciate what they bring to table while simultaneously couching your behavior in a glow likelier than usual to impress or delight them. This turn-of-weather can be especially helpful, particularly in the latter part of this week ahead, for again resuming any tense or turbulent talks that haven't yet yielded a cathartic conclusion or peaceful end: One more valiant effort to express an unavoidably challenging emotional reality or irresolvable ambiguity could finally prove fruitful, now that there's been some time to digest the earlier attempts. Venus has a whole month in your 7th, by the way, so if you'd instead like to deploy her benefic influence to make a promising proposition and/or woo an admirer, I'd suggest waiting until after Mercury clears his square to Saturn early next week… and then go for it!

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): During the course of your week ahead, Virgo, you should witness concrete signs of the functional logistics finally progressing into a smoother rhythm. Every last problematic detail of your work-processes may not be definitively resolved, of course, but please greet each modest victory anyhow (instead of, say, reserving your enthusiasm only for perfect outcomes). The more room you allow yourself to savor these gradual advances, the less likely that stern edge to your unforgiving standards will unconsciously obstruct further advancement through the absence of obvious gratefulness. Venus, now entering your house of practical logistics (the 6th), responds particularly well to intentional displays of gratitude. One way to express this appreciation: Revisit the protracted conversations you've had with the other involved players, only now from the place of having begun to see encouraging trends. Feed the positive outlook by praising anyone who's had a hand in the process (even if, just a couple weeks ago, you were irked at that same person for being part of the problem and/or not part of the solution). Not surprisingly, as you start to feel less blocked in your productivity, it'll be easier to iron out any interpersonal wrinkles.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Whether you feel things are cruising along quite nicely and/or you aren't quite sure which among the multiple interests-at-hand is the best place to direct your attention, I will presume that at least your life doesn't feel listless or frozen. With such astrological hullaballoo centered on you, Libra—even in cases where you are not especially satisfied with your current lot—I suspect you're experiencing a promising dynamism that spurs you to keep it all moving, optimistic that there are even more exciting developments just around the corner, no matter where you might now be standing. Indeed, strolling down this road toward the next bend, and the one after that, hopefully should engender a certain degree of pleasure out of the process itself. Shit is happening, dude. Folks are noticing you (for better and for worse, probably). Your impact is palpable. Therefore, please don't front as if you are lacking opportunity, blending too blandly into the crowd, overly cynical that anything will ever change, or otherwise stuck. From my vantage, this couldn't be further from the truth. If you need to 'unstick' yourself, then, start by acknowledging whichever angles or facets are already in some sort of motion you're able to appreciate right now… instead of tempting fate to somehow shove the 'dynamism' in your face.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): While the latest changes in the astro-atmosphere are inspiring me to back off on my recent urgings not to hide yourself away too completely, Scorpio, I'm sticking with my insistence that you stay connected to other people as a safeguard against 'self-undoing' behaviors. Perhaps your best behavioral compromises, then, would involve inviting those you're most intimate with (e.g., family-members you actually get along well with, close friends who are like family to you, etc.) into those private spaces where you might ordinarily seclude… entrusting them to share the connective experience of exposure to your more tender sides, in a setting that leaves you feeling protected from the harsh outside world. They'd probably love to help you paint that one room, move your furniture around, or find the perfect place to spotlight that treasured piece-of-art or object-with-sentimental-meaning—if only you're willing to be vulnerable enough to solicit their company, rather than putting on a brave face with folks who don't even want a 'brave face' and then wondering how you've 'scared them away'. I'm keeping my watchful eyes on you, scorpion-kin. Invite me over: I'll softly stroke your back, giggle with you 'til our tummies hurt, or lick the tears off your face, whatever you need most.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Not only do I believe you're likely to be gaining back a bit more patience for those who may be dancing around topics, keeping the chitchat too (suspiciously?) light, and/or playing both sides of a social situation, Sagittarius, I actually think you're in a better spot for seeing how your willingness to play happily along could in fact serve you well. Provided you can contentedly enjoy such participations for what they are—i.e., that cordial waltz of sincere interactivity, a dance in which we alternatively lead and follow rather than try to dominate the floor with our flashy solo moves—rather than attempting to wring blatantly profound discourse out of pleasantly uncontroversial exchange (or getting mad at everything they're not saying, or even dealing with), your presence will make a difference. Get on board with portraying an unassuming blend of observer and poser-of-innocent-questions, and they're liable to feed you more juicy information (albeit smushed between the lines and/or partly concealed by polite decorum) than they're aware. Don't push it too far, though. Listen carefully. Take it in. Your understanding of these dynamics is growing clearer by the day.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): With this epic span of four months of Venus in your sign officially coming to a close as of this week, Capricorn, it's now time to put your recent advantages, acknowledgments, and epiphanies to good practical use… helping to make your life richer, in flat material terms and/or in the sense of confidently knowing what other sorts of 'wealth' you have at your disposal to improve your conditions. Think of the weeks ahead as an invitation to transform what might otherwise prove a fleeting peak on the radar into a lasting enhancement, one that you can build further upon rather than merely celebrate as an historical fluke while it grows smaller and smaller in your rear-view mirror. For starters, it'd probably be useful to cement any strained, overlooked and/or undervalued alliances you've relied on in the past: Even when one's ambitions are wholly self-concerned (though, for the record, I'm not saying yours are), it still behooves us to distinctly recognize that our successes are always achieved with others' help. Nothing occurs in a vacuum, despite what free-marketers might claim (as they speed their cars down roads built and paid for by social institutions). Working with this social reality is practical shrewdness at its finest.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): By waiting until mid-week (Wed Mar 5) for Venus to arrive in your sign after such a long stretch of that 'almost there' feeling about the good results you thought you should've received by now, you'll automatically help to imprint every action you take with a more engaging and inviting vibe, Aquarius. I suspect you've done plenty of backstage visioning, strategizing, and/or praying all these months Venus has been hiding in your 12th (i.e., since early November), biding your time for the right moment to step onto the platform and receive your due acknowledgment. Whether this is the mythically singular 'right moment' (for too much isolated imagining sometimes leads to unreasonable expectation), it certainly does seem to be an excellent moment for moving to win over popular opinion, catch the eye of an object-of-desire, launch a new initiative and/or a refreshed image, or try any activity in which you'd benefit from a Venusian shine. In particular, with a now-direct Mercury forming his third-and-final square to Saturn-in-your-10th, you might want to use this opportunity to fix any fumbled exchanges, issue a necessary apology, and/or correct any misperceptions (especially those which are career-related and/or involving a higher-up or parent/mentor-figure): The other person should now be better able to hear your truth in the spirit it was intended.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): If you start with accepting the notion that you shouldn't need to alter yourself in any way so that you would better appeal to a certain milieu or cast-of-characters, Pisces, it'll be super-easy to identify which peer-currents are trying (consciously or not) to erode your distinguishing features and carve their ownership-mark into your shape. But in the immediate short-term, it benefits you most to hold your tongue on such matters… not because your realizations ought to be kept secret, but simply that you're still formulating your best way-forward. And besides, your most personally fortuitous astrology remains a few weeks away: Venus will be spending the next month shrinking from outward view in your 12th, where the best goodies incubate in private wishful intention prior to their appropriate coming-out moment. Mercury, too, remains in your 12th—and, though no longer retrograde, his present movement into one last Saturn square indicates you may only now be coming to an enlightening realization on a matter of principle or spiritual-virtue, which would necessarily impact how you want to conclusively handle any tensions, conflicts, or calls-to-action. You're quite good as you are. Soon, you'll know better how you want to outwardly affirm that point.