Horoscopes | Week of May 12-18, 2014

ARIES (March 21-April 19): What'll bring you the best luck, the hottest fun, and/or the happiest heart is not liable to be especially agreeable, appropriate, and/or conventional. No, this isn't breaking news, Aries, but it's particularly pertinent this week as Venus, still in your zodiacal neck-o'-the-woods, cavorts with rebellious Uranus while tussling with Pluto and Jupiter. The act of claiming whatever self-satisfying goodies are coming to you may well rattle certain Powers-that-Be (whether they're in your workplace, around town, or in your own home), folks who see your shirking of 'what's expected' as a threat to the proper order that allows them to stay comfortably where they are… and rightfully so. When you follow your impulse to dive off a high cliff into the sparkling clean waters below (or to enjoy some other such heart-pounding thrill), it could also be a bitter reminder to those sitting nervously on the bench that they aren't following impulses or enjoying thrills. While I'd strongly dissuade you from curtailing your wild-side (and missing out on Venus-Uranus's thrilling goodies) to pander to anyone else's discontent, you do presently have good communications flowing—and a few encouraging words to any naysayers, in passing, will help keep relational strain at a minimum.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When I urge you not to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Taurus, I'm implying the likelihood that you probably won't be able to adequately assess the relative value of said 'gift-horse'… or, potentially, even to identify the 'gift'-like qualities of whatever's showing up at your door. The pragmatist in you could go so far as to suspiciously presume this is a Trojan horse, secretly crammed full of mutinous energies that you mustn't let through the gates, just because this wasn't what you were expecting and/or has thrown you for a loop. It doesn't truly serve your pragmatic purposes, though, to outright reject a potential opening prematurely, on the grounds that you'd originally imagined something looking quite different. To that end, your trademark stubbornness could prove a limiting factor, should you mistakenly characterize your closed-mindedness as 'proper discernment'. At this stage in the unfolding, there's not necessarily anything to 'discern'… other than the practical wisdom of leaving certain options open. Often, the Great Mystical Unknown has to add its secret seasoning-blend to the stew, in order to get it tasting its absolute best; so, don't hog the pot.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Rally your peeps, Gemini. Rouse everybody's excitement to a louder level, with the perfect cheerleader rhymes to flaunt your team-building verve. Channel your warmest, wittiest, most widely likable persona this week. Be the talk-show host, the ringleader, the charismatic carrier of the good word… that irresistible people-person who draws folks out from their shells (but never makes 'em feel self-conscious for their timidity), gets 'em doing something they'll enjoy but otherwise wouldn't try (but never crosses the line from supportive encouragement to peer pressure), and fosters that synergistic sense of camaraderie (but without watering down anyone's individuality). Don't, however, fall prey to any certain someone's attempts to shame you for your unapologetic extroversion, your rah! rah! attitude, your altruistic willingness to position yourself in the middle of the action as the 'social glue'. You certainly shouldn't feel guilty for doing what you do best, just because someone else might prefer you to keep your voice down or otherwise practice more discretion, falsely believing you ought to control yourself so as not to reflect poorly on them. If you let this one individual (or your fear of their reaction) bully you into social submission, all your other peeps will suffer the consequences of not having you bring out the best in them; one person 'wins', and the rest of us lose out.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Under this week's auspicious career-related (or other external-world-oriented) astrology, Cancer, your enhanced ability to nab the magic flag comes not from what you'd speak aloud… but from what you're saying non-verbally, with your emotional presence and your demonstrative eyes. It's true that such communications are somewhat imprecise, of course, leaving lots of room for multiple interpretations. This imprecision works to your advantage at the moment: If a key stakeholder reads too much into your knowing smiles or pregnant silences, you needn't bother clarifying this overreach (unless, that is, you're asked a specific question or your stance is being specifically misrepresented). What they are picking up from you, and which is wholly authentic, is that you really deeply care about what happens next… even if you aren't yet quite sure how it's going to materialize, or whether they'll agree with your style once you're further along in the process. Along with sincere care comes the unspoken commitment that you therefore intend to invest yourself in this speculative venture, because it matters to you and because you want it to work out. Such an energetic alignment trumps any well-crafted talking-points; concentrate on projecting that outward, to attract the opportunities to you.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): It's an especially potent moment for talking up that new area-of-interest, topic-of-inquiry, grand vision or impending journey with comrades, colleagues, or like-minded pals who'll fuel your enthusiasms rather than try to temper them. As you well know, Leo, you can't completely give yourself over to this most-promising preoccupation quite yet… but at least having other people to talk to about it, in those intervals when you're not dutifully attending to your here-and-now mundanities, will help you bide the time with faithfully-focused anticipation. By keeping these enthusiasms in the forefront of your conversational engagements, you continue to contribute to the process of making this radical departure actually happen. If instead you bow to any social pressure to shut your mouth about it all (because, perhaps, you don't want to face others' doubts, jeers, or jokings-around about such an important passion of yours), you're just relegating this dream to a cramped cell inside your consciousness where it's nearly impossible to grow, if in fact it can survive. The problem isn't with what you want to discuss, but who you're trying to discuss it with. Find welcoming ears.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): As that certain conversation about next-steps and future-directions comes to a head, you'll be fighting your most favorable fate if you aren't willing to significantly shake up the terms of an extenuating involvement. In other words, Virgo, your interests are presently best served by either (1) jumping way further in or (2) removing yourself more markedly… but not by hanging out indecisively in the unknown, afraid to make a move because then the other party will subsequently make their move in response and you won't be able to reliably predict or regulate its effect. There's no getting around this nervous-making gamble, though, if you want to bust through any self-protective inertia and continue advancing your profit-potential. Big gains come from courageous actions, which begin with a pioneering attitude. So, pitch your vision for how you'd like to get deeper into this thing, or to separate from it so you can go your own way… and be persuasive. If you can make a good case for how proceeding into the shakeup as you see fit will also benefit the other party, you'll create a synergy that quickens the evolutionary pace—more dramatically, in fact, than you might expect.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): As Mars's 2½-month retrograde finally draws to a close (he goes direct next Mon May 19), you're being offered one more exceedingly promising chance to shift the dynamic in a certain one-on-one relationship (and/or your overall behavior in relationships)… but your key to doing so successfully involves unrestrained articulation of your interpersonal principles, Libra. Principles do not veer from their defining framework based upon who we're interacting with or what our mood's like. They serve as the anchor, helping us not to float too far from our chosen mooring, lest we wake up one morning and wonder where we've ended up and how the hell we got there. Give somebody a clear idea of what you are anchored to, and, if they're respectful of your self-determination, they won't waste your time or expend your energy if their desires are on a different track. As far as such divergences in principle are concerned, there's probably not much to 'negotiate' or 'work out'; you either have ideological compatibility, or you don't. Therein lies the catch: You're too well aware of the risks involved with spelling everything out so plainly, since, once you do so, you can't teeter back and forth in hopes of keeping things breezy or pleasant.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): You've got your finger right on that tender spot where the whole story lurks, undercover, pieces not yet put together or spoken aloud… and with just the right touch, Scorpio, you can be the one who helps it come together and come out. But before you start feverishly pressing on it, because it seems you just can't halt your curiosity for finding out everything, I recommend you first check in about your motives—and, as I see it, 'curiosity' is simply not good enough. You are dealing with sensitive material, with the power to cause suffering just as deep as the potential healing such connections or revelations could unleash. Your best protective measure, motive-wise, would be a sincere commitment to the healing aspects of 'making things whole'… and treating every move with the delicate hand of a surgeon, understanding the very-fine distinction between a cut that saves lives and one which would sever a main vessel and lead to critical blood-loss. Don't be afraid to get in there with your questions, but do so with the intent to fix what's broken. Don't reserve your full truth, but deliver it with grace. Without this orientation, the present energies could just as easily fracture one's sanity, giving too free a voice to all that's been, up until now, safe inside Pandora's innocent-seeming toy-box.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): A warm-hearted irreverence (which we might even say is a usual feature of the Sagittarian personality) surges through your week ahead, making for a series of especially lively exchanges… which isn't necessarily a situation I ought to warn you against, as much as encourage you to use to your decided advantage. One sort of irreverence—let's think of it as the more unruly, unconscious form—inspires us to defy convention or push the envelope merely because we can, as if the act of being contrary is itself a sufficiently radical and worthy aim. Though nothing explicitly 'bad' may come of such irreverence, it's likelier to carry a slightly sharper tone to it (since there's no supportive or altruistic motive behind it to safeguard one's emotional 'in-tune'-ness). Another sort of irreverence (the type I'm endorsing here) may be just as convention-defying or envelope-pushing, but with a clearer and more noble purpose: to open others' minds, for their own highest benefit, with compassion alongside the cheekiness. Your remarks presently possess a peculiar capacity to successfully play to your audience (as we discussed last week in a different context). Use your irreverent words to play to the other person's best self, showing them how your defiant pushes can fruitfully nudge them along… without causing them undue embarrassment or harm.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): This week's most radical act, Capricorn, would involve not putting a respectable 'public face' on it. Hell, you needn't put forth any sort of outwardly-focused guise, 'respectable' or otherwise. Between (1) tasks and projects you can quietly tinker and fiddle with, without drawing much attention to yourself, and (2) behind-closed-doors pleasures that are truly nobody else's business, you could easily fill much of your time happily cloaked in invisibility… and everything else would carry on smoothly enough (or maybe not-so-smoothly) without you, while you would get to revel in the nakedness of your own exposed skin. No tucking in shirts or sucking up guts necessary. No reason, even, to place yourself in any situation where the 'right words' must be carefully chosen and voiced only in pristine politeness. Should you choose to forego my suggestion to don the invisibility cloak, you are tempting a fate of exacerbated conflict with folks liable to misjudge your self-suiting detachment as a personal snub or challenge-to-their-authority. You don't need that. Lay relatively low, staying at home (or otherwise hidden away) as much as you can.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): During the week ahead, it behooves you to say more rather than less, Aquarius… to spark up impromptu exchanges with folks you don't really know, to extend the conversation in unexpected directions, to share personal stories you ordinarily keep under wraps and/or haven't spoken much about in years, and, generally speaking, to take social risks whenever possible. It does not behoove you, however, to worry about what could happen as an unintended result of your choice to 'say more rather than less', as if the unavoidable loss of control over the information you put out there, the impression you make, and/or the response you receive will lead to some crushing disaster. If anything, efforts to control how much of which parts of your personality are being expressed will inhibit the positive possibilities such spontaneous interactions are likelier than usual to provide. And, at the same time, you'd also be demonizing a part of yourself… this disavowed material creating a magnetic charge that'll only attract people and experiences to play out the 'demon' for you. The more you can trust that whatever you say or do in a honest-and-heartfelt encounter with somebody will be all right, the less prone you'll be to experiencing upset due to what 'shouldn't' be said—and the more intimacy you'll discover, even in fleeting moments, even with relative strangers.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): To support yourself in embracing the venturesome risk/reward attitude that best supports your own practical interests, Pisces, you might wish not to talk much about what you're up to—and most definitely not with specific individuals who scramble your focus, stir up self-doubt, and/or seek to draw the attention back to them. Your current call-to-action should already be pretty clear to you… though you could easily lose that clarity as soon as you're back in that emotional blur created by the psychic interpenetration you two have with each other, unsure how to properly distinguish their insecurities from yours. Maybe, by resisting the temptation to continue entangling yourself in all that (especially insofar as your economic activities are concerned) and staying better contained psychically, you actually wouldn't be as insecure about your budding potential? Maybe you're picking that shit up from somebody else, and erroneously accepting it as your own? The last thing you need right now is excessive exposure to psychological complications, contaminating what otherwise would be a fairly straightforward matter of taking one step after another, toward a brave new attitude of self-sufficiency. Preserve conversational discretion accordingly.