Horoscopes | Week of July 21-27, 2014

ARIES (March 21-April 19): 'I need more FUN in my life! Actually, I think that's pretty obvious to anybody who spends much time with me. I've been on track and on task, persisting with my relentless climb to the top of my ambitions, cleaning up old business (and all the filthy messes that hung over from it), situating and resituating myself in just the right posture toward certain individuals… and basically making shit happen. I would definitely not say I'm "stuck" as much as, maybe, a bit world-wearied from the unquestionable consequentiality of it all. A lot of important items have been addressed, alleviated, or accounted for. And now I'm ready for the afterparty already, geez! I'm ready to stay a bit too late, dance until the last song begins to fade out, and smile devilishly at everyone who looks my way. I'm ready to let loose… and to lash out at those who'd seek to spoil my festivities, who'd dare try to shame me into resentencing myself to that house of serious-circumstances-sucking-me-back-in by playing up my past ignorances, infractions, and/or insecurities. I won't go looking for a battle (because I'd rather be whooping it up than throwing it down), but should one show up at the shindig looking for me, I will not hesitate to lob that long-overdue knockout punch… one which puts this floundering fight out of its misery once and for all, and frees me up to get back to the ultra-urgent business of having a hell of a good time! You dig?'

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Though there may be a ton of talkative back-and-forth whirring through your immediate social environment (which I hope you are playing your participatory part in), Taurus, it cannot begin to take into account the much more promising developments just now awakening inside you. Like a modest hole-in-the-ground which vents steam from down-below, a barely-revealing sign of the major geological workings transpiring beneath the surface, you're only giving off the faintest traces of what's germinating inside you… in part because it hasn't yet sprouted sufficiently enough for even you to know how to articulate it, and in part because the stuff that everybody else is gabbing about only superficially addresses (if at all) what you believe really matters. This combination of factors holds the potential of causing you problems, alas, if you don't continue following last week's guidance about not being so serious: You're caught between (1) being able to identify what 'falls short' in others' tales and (2) being unable to synthesize your critiques into coherent arguments while situated in a not especially-opportune moment to disrupt the cursory pleasantness. Please know your problematic potential is only heightened by Mars's arrival in your 7th this week… a placement likely to stir greater-than-usual interpersonal discontent or conflict such that, even when you're 'nice', you might rub others wrong in the weeks to come. But from the inside looking out, at least, your future's feeling pretty bright.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): As part of heeding the still-pressing advice I offered you last week, Gemini, you ought to be initiating and/or participating in a lot of different conversations with all kinds of folks… with the clear-cut purpose of seeking concrete financial and/or methodological support that'll directly boost your belief in your self-reliance capacities. This is hardly the time to cower quietly in your cubicle, afraid you're missing key knowledge, credentials, or experience you'll need to succeed on this path. 'Putting on a brave face' won't provide you any practical insights or pointers on taking this to the next level. However, admitting the relevant areas in which you lack confidence to smart, seasoned pals and contacts will invite them to give their two cents—and that's all free counsel. Though, admittedly, not everyone from whom you seek feedback will possess words-of-wisdom that neatly suit your specific attitude or ambition, you can surely crib useful fragments here and there from nearly anyone you talk to… and collage together an action-plan with a series of next-steps you can try out, to see if one or more of 'em might work better than what you've been trying on your own.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The fleeting influence of yin/yang pair Venus-in-your-1st and, as of later this week, Mars-in-your-5th is a godsend for any and every Cancer who wants the world to receive the outward expressions of whatever's your distinguishing style-and-sensibility with wide open arms and fawning adulation. This one-two planetary punch boosts your self-possessed extroversion… putting you in the driver's seat, in terms of asserting which flavors of fun-time treat you'd like us all to enjoy, while nearly guaranteeing a better-than-usual reception from those whose admiration or affection you most desire. In flirtatious or potentially romantic contexts, you're in one of your best spots all year for zealously pursuing an attractive prospect or taking that daring step which might 'move things to another level' (or at least snag you a one-time kiss). This is your time to scramble free from the crab's-shell, and to risk momentary awkwardness or rejection… in order to proactively instigate what could well end up being a really really really good time. It is fair to warn against this week's potential impacts from Pluto-in-your-7th's ongoing interpersonal intensifications: On one hand, certain devotees may take too strongly to your come-ons and feel an exaggerated extent of connection you don't share (at least not yet), leading to uncomfortable let-downs. And on the other, old flames who don't want to let you go or envious rivals who see you as a threat might try to disrupt your game. In either case, the Venus-Mars duo will reserve you the advantage—as long as you confront the weird tension head-on.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): As you gradually begin to acclimate to these many Jupiter-in-Leo months ahead, this is your ideal week to set intentions for what direction(s) you'd like to proactively expand into while you've got the astrology on your side. This year's annual new moon in your sign (on Sat Jul 26) is a beautiful one upon which to hang your hopes, Leo, thanks to its conjunction to Jupiter… though I encourage you to focus on general growth-fostering themes (instead of producing a lengthy checklist of too-specific desires), allowing room for the gods-or-whoever's-out-there to open doors, present opportunities, and/or deliver goodies you couldn't have thought up yourself. The intervening weekdays leading up to the weekend's new moon, then, provide you the chance to clear up some of that pessimistic, self-critical, and/or scars-from-the-past garbage taking up room in your psyche. If you want exciting new stuff to happen, after all, you must also choose to start defining yourself in new ways. With Mars moving into your solar 4th, you hold the potential to become angrier and/or more rattled over the coming weeks about how 'the deck's been stacked against you', particularly around issues of upbringing or nurture… which could rain on your parade. Alternatively, this inner agitation might be the perfect engine to drive your creative impulses away from all that crap—and unflinchingly toward a far grander future.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Listen to them, Virgo, if they point out you aren't clearly seeing your own horse in this race. Take in their guidance, should they suggest you might provide them better support by expressing your allegiance or allyhood in this other way. Allow them to dominate the direction this discussion is going, rather than stepping in (no matter politely) and pointing out the errors in their thinking… not because there might not be such errors (though, on the other hand, factual 'right' and 'wrong' may be less relevant here than you'd believe) or because you might not have something interesting to contribute on the matter, but in respect for this being a more favorable time for solidarity and community than self-assertion or independence. Trust me, you will not lose your unique take on these matters (which might indeed be quite different than what's publicly being said right now) by taking a few moments to let others pose their explanations, offer their advice, and/or bat their ideas around without much argument on your part. Give your first-reaction critic the week off, and maybe something somebody else says will sneak into your receptive brain and surprise you. But if you cannot, in good conscience, permit their discourse to continue without interruption because it's just too damn problematic, you might want to ask yourself why you're surrounding yourself with people whose outlooks and insights you do not trust.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): After an extended span during which it best served you to distinguish yourself from others, to unilaterally pursue your independent interests without inhibition or apology and not fear being seen as feisty or fierce, the presently-unfolding tide-change means it's now become your time to explicitly rejoin the social whole, Libra. Though you're no less intent on securing your own footing than you were before, the strategy by which you've been doing so for these past many months is due for revision. Over the months to come, your easiest advantages will come through connecting with your contacts, collaborating with community-members, and trusting your teammates—'advantages' which could, in the short term, require you to temper the urgency of your self-managed ambitions with a more significant investment in helping others attain broader common goals. Beware of any internal voices telling you not to concern yourself with others' fates… that you've spent too much of your life bowing to others' wills and, now that you're a stronger individual than ever, you refuse to go back to giving in. This distracting, disruptive rebel-voice should not be obeyed outright. Rather, it must be blended back into the formerly-too-easy-going version of yourself… to produce a more balanced you who still shrewdly nurtures social allegiances, but also speaks up for self-interest whenever necessary.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Things are about to pop off around this place! Planets are moving into new places that are power-positions for you, Scorpio! Last week, the great-expander Jupiter arrived to your solar 10th (the career/public-achievement house) to stay through mid-next-year… and now this week (on Fri Jul 25), your ruling action-dude Mars finally makes his way out of the 12th-house muddle and back home to your sign, where he remains for the next seven weeks. Both developments together radically alter your interface with the outside world: Expect 'under the radar' or 'behind the scenes' to give way to your suddenly attracting a whole lot more attention, the good and the less-favorable. And of course, this won't happen merely as a passive matter-of-circumstance, but because you are suddenly ready to step in and step up, move forward and never look back (though it only appears 'sudden' to the rest of us, when in fact you've been building up to this moment for months). As this latest power-chapter now kicks off, your first few noticeably significant steps could come off somewhat overeager, uppity, and/or abrasive—though, that said, I'm not certain you therefore ought to moderate yourself. (After all this biding-your-time, you justifiably may not give a fuck.) All in all, though, this period between now and mid-September is your prime 2014 moment to really get things going across all sectors of your life. Thanks to Saturn, there will be significant consequences, good and/or less-favorable, based on how purposefully or pointlessly you use this time.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): You're liable to spend the next several weeks on the edge of your seat, Sagittarius, rightfully detecting you're on the verge of a distinctly more decisive life-phase… one which will bring both earnest challenges and magnificently eye-opening experiences, a mix that'll either firmly cement your place on this certain path or eject you from it so you're freed up to find a more fitting one. But 'on the verge of' means, naturally, not yet. And so, with Mars this week donning his invisibility cloak and skulking into the back-recesses of your 12th, you're entering the preceding preparatory phase-before-the-phase… a period during which you're strongly encouraged not to try taking decisive forward actions, but instead to simultaneously (1) put unresolved hurts to their final resting-place and (2) quietly hatch the most brilliantly thrilling daydream-visions for what you'd love to do next. To properly handle this first assignment, I recommend devising private letting-go rituals which allow you to safely resurrect a full psychic recounting of the painful emotions, then release symbolic tokens or literal remnants of that past so they leave your being. And on the second measure, let me add this: Dream way way big, with nothing too out-there to entertain energizing glimpses of… and, at this stage, don't let worries about how you could possibly ever make it happen obstruct your pure visioning.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Though part of me is sincerely tempted to primarily hail the glories of Mercury and Venus both being in your 7th, and thus encourage you to savor the relational companionship of that certain someone (or someones)… and not make too big a deal of it, should their companionable pleasantness be partly based on them misperceiving you and/or you telling them what they want to hear. But of course, that's only a piece of the bigger story, Capricorn, which once again involves Pluto-in-the-1st mucking up your ability to be casual, nonchalant, or (perish the thought) submissive to someone else's lead. Try as you might, it's nearly impossible to resist correcting their erroneous understandings (particularly if they involve your supposed stance)… and even when you succeed in keeping your lips zipped, your unspoken cringe or eye-roll or nostril-flare will still say it all. There's just no avoiding the real reality between you, nor should there be: Mercury and Venus are in your relationship house, remember, so it's actually not a bad time to go all the way into it with your non-casual, out-on-the-table, honest-opinion, full-self strength—consciously blended with, but not drowned out by, your own version of 'companionable pleasantness'. True, even under these circumstances, being your fullest self could cause a bit of a mess. At this time, though, making such productive, respectful messes works strongly to your longer-term benefit.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): The abstract, the imagined, the theoretical… lovely spots for an Aquarian to loll and luxuriate in, but not presently real-world enough to qualify as actually doing your work. With Mars finally hitting your solar 10th, your next two months demand concrete results-oriented leadership from you. In professional and/or public matters, you're being called to rise and make your mark. Should the principles you've spent these last months ironing out be under threat of betrayal or neglect, it is in fact your responsibility to loudly return them to the forefront. You certainly haven't been working this hard at securing your deserved place on the world-stage only to allow your voice to be overlooked, drowned out, or discredited. This week especially offers an excellent chance to revisit the actual logistics of how tasks are being attacked and aims attained, giving you an early in into larger conversations about the overall direction of the organization—conversations which will develop later. Don't start off asserting your leadership with grand declarations of principle or ideological debate-sparks, Aquarius, though this may indeed be what ultimately motivates you. Look at where the results are coming from, how they're being procured… and what power-dynamic undercurrents could be causing efficiency problems. Notice the undercurrents, without necessarily addressing them with blustery confidence quite yet. Start more modestly.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Presuming your sparkles have been totally (or at least somewhat) replenished by your latest creative boon, childlike enthusiasm, or romantic intrigue, this is your signal to take the revitalization further, Pisces. Though you've perhaps grown very accustomed to waking up each morning, over the past many months, mired in the same continuing saga of push/pull, fight/make-up, or reach-forward/get-knocked-back, your story does not end on this infinitely repeating loop of no-exit. In fact, the changes currently in the astrological air—especially the movement of Mars out from your 8th and into your 9th—bespeaks of you carrying yourself decidedly into the next chapter of this tale, to travel toward that beacon of a 'life meaningfully led' and/or to gain a 'making sense of it all' distance, without gazing nervously back at what you're leaving in yesterday's dust. Is it time to pick back up that project or purpose you'd told yourself a while ago you wanted to explore? If circumstances had their way of pulling your attention elsewhere, so be it. Now, you may redirect your eyes to that future-minded vision which excites you, rather than having to stare any longer at those reality-check snarls which have weighed you down. It's not so much about uprooting a major component of your life in order to further rejuvenate (though, if you do want to , go for it); it's more a call to shift your expectations… away from 'more of this?!?' and optimistically toward 'somewhere different!'