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Horoscopes | Week of October 6-12, 2014

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Without a doubt, a week like this one—a lunar eclipse in your sign conjunct Uranus—bears a near-certain potential to rouse any unconscious and/or neglected feelings to your surface, Aries. Emotional responses could come on fast, furious, and feverish, swelling to magnified proportions should others fan your flames… and possibly leading to explosive consequences, if you aren't able to interject a few deep breaths whenever your instincts scream, 'Charge!' I will, however, stop short of urging you to suppress your feelings. Though there's undeniably a threat of your emotional expressions quickly becoming too much, this astrology does seem tailor-made for you as a much-needed release for what you've, perhaps, held inside way too long. The trick is to prevent yourself from catching any innocent bystanders or unsuspecting culprits in the line-of-fire. Other people are just as likely to serve as kindling to your blaze, worsening the impact by telling you to calm down or responding in too cool-and-controlled a tone, as they are to actually help you regain your reasonable senses. If you notice an interaction starting to go south, it behooves you to walk away… maybe go out into a field and yell and scream at the sky, or break some unwanted shit in the relative safety of an empty lot, something that channels the aggression away from other human beings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The antidote to any and every hint of suspicion, self-doubt, paranoia, pessimism, and/or hopelessness is to stay purposefully and productively busy, Taurus. You are likelier than usual to experience traces, fragments, or mega-doses of such unsettling psychic tones during this week's eclipse of a 12th-house Moon… and there's not necessarily much you can, or should, do to specifically address them. In fact, if another person is involved (or at least seems to be) in stirring an unpleasant worry or defensive response, you may find yourself compelled to launch a counteroffensive directly at them, spreading the uncomfortable feelings around, maybe even causing major emotional damage—and this all could be based on an unfair assumption, a misread, or a total error on your part. At the same time, that's not to claim, with any certainty, whatever foul-smelling scent you're sniffing off of them is totally without any merit. It's more that it cannot be verifiably confirmed, whether the other person isn't yet conscious of their own undercover feelings or they're just refusing to acknowledge the truth you're picking up on. This confusion is, unfortunately, a trap. All that said, you can avoid playing right into it by simply focusing on unambiguous, straightforward duties and practices which yield work-progressing, health-promoting results… and, when the doubts or anxieties arise, greet them politely but refuse to halt your practical efforts to indulge them.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Why get all upset about what somebody else is or isn't doing, Gemini, when what you're doing or not doing is the only part of the interaction you can actually control? I understand it is easier said than done, while this week's lunar eclipse further accentuates that Mars-in-your-7th and potentially sets off more interpersonal strife, to worry more about yourself than other people. And yet, I think we both know that theme, basic though it may be, is incredibly relevant at this moment. Operating on emotion alone, you could conceivably end up at odds with friends or teammates based upon their embrace of a preference or principle you just cannot, with a good conscience, sign off on. But as long as you remain angry, distressed, and/or dejected as a result of your glaring divergence from the consensus opinion, you're still placing your emotional fate in others' hands. On the other hand, if you cleanly remove yourself from the triggering group-mind—without shooting off any sensationalistic fireworks on your way out of the room—and instead gravitate toward certain pleasure-providing activities, individuals, and contexts, you'll immediately improve your mood. (In other words, do what's fun for you, and you'll soon find yourself having fun.) Will this resolve the lingering disconnects you might feel with those folks you thought were on your team? Of course not. But maybe this isn't the week to hash it out with them, if you want the exchange to be reasonable.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As I alluded to in your last horoscope, this is a time to look inward for your relief from the obvious outer-world life-stressors, Cancer. Whether you're riding a rollercoaster of vitalizing career opportunities and advantages and/or careening through a minefield of questions-without-simple-answers, the desired sense of resolution or emotional security should not be expected to come from circumstantial developments… at least not right away. What you can rely on for temporary respite, however, is what you create for yourself at home: simple pleasures which palpably improve the quality of this very moment. Rather than continually running through the anxiety-producing scripts reminding you of everything that's still left to do or lacking a clear solution, I suggest you reroute that energy into: decorative projects that aesthetically enhance your residential space; culinary adventures which feed your stomach as satisfyingly as they do your soul; a long bath, a massage, and an addictive piece of literature or film; re-centering 'quality time' with family members (but only if those individuals don't add to your stress); solitary walks in nearby parks; and/or any activity that's irrelevant to the you who's trying so hard to accomplish something out there on the public-stage, but which speaks directly to the you who only wishes to appreciate the here-and-now to the best of your ability. Consciously attuning to such an alignment is also your best plan, should unexpected events occur on the job or in your community. Attend to your own self-reassurances first, or you'll be useless to anyone else.

LEO (July 23-August 22): Though first-reactions might have you feeling this is flatly a black-and-white matter, Leo, there are longer-term personal advantages to at least considering the existence of greyer areas… for it's only in those spaces where we can savor the company of folks with whom we don't (and quite possibly never could) agree on every issue. You needn't cede your right to being right, merely to congenially acknowledge that somebody else might also be 'right' insofar as their beliefs and values serve them in their life. Between you and me, their worldview may well be extremely problematic… and thus it's totally understandable if your impulse is to object, argue, educate, and/or judge. Under this eclipse-triggered bonanza of fieriness, you might struggle to get enough distance from those impulsive responses to resist a flat-out clash with the ignorant offender—especially knowing that you, bearer of Jupiter's benefic buzz, would be favored to dominate. In such a clash, alas, you are likely to go beyond the point of making the gist of your stance known, into a tone that smacks of smug superiority (and, therefore, implicates the other party as the inferior one), which only whittles away at your likability. If they eventually come around to your (ahem) rightful side, it'll be through a befriending posture, not a browbeating one.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): As incredibly tempting as it might be to put your hands back on the hottest part of that stove, as if your continuing-to-evolve clarity on that certain contentious matter would magically prevent the familiar heat from burning you all over again, I suggest thinking more practically about how to get yourself (as an independent entity, rather than an implicated party) into a calmer, more work-appropriate state-of-mind. Chances are, Virgo, that self-supportive state doesn't include a bunch of loud noises, competing motives, and psychological power-plays which would keep you in reactive mode, at the expense of getting your own independent concerns organized and attended-to. Yes, your feelings probably are intensely amped-up, as we discussed last week… and with those amplified feelings generating a certain propulsive momentum which emboldens your inner fighter, your vengeful side may wish to lob that powerful punch smack in their gut, to show you really do mean business. Please realize this emotional power has accumulated not simply due to this singular circumstance—though this could be the only place where such drama is currently transpiring—but over time, as a result of a string of similar circumstances playing out, likely going as far back as childhood. If you punch, they will respond, whether with a retaliatory smack or a guilt-trip or a lording-over attempt at bargaining. The less sticky your actions, the more autonomous you'll leave yourself.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Stand tall in your graciousness, Libra. Other people (and/or one other person in particular) could act stark raving mad this week as they contend with shit they've repressed, submerged, or disavowed for far too long… and if you are who they happen to be with at the critical moment their shit gets triggered, you will almost certainly become the recipient of their fireball of surprising reactivity, whether or not you genuinely deserve it. It's similarly possible that you will arrive at some enlightening epiphany about a certain someone, whether due to their reactive behavior or by simply having reached a cumulative 'a-ha!' juncture in the relationship… and, as a result, may feel ready to shake up the terms of your arrangement. In either or both cases, this abrupt shifting of attitudes and/or affections could easily compel you toward disruptive acts meant to show you're taking these relational matters into your own hands (instead of, say, tolerating their erratic self-centeredness one more minute). But defaulting to antagonism, aggression, or outright assault won't effectively clear your slate of its preoccupation with what they're doing; it'll merely reveal how strongly your feelings remain about them. No matter the final outcome, you hold the capacity to ensure the process of this breakthrough—at least on your end—is handled graciously, with full respect for all parties, even if you're headed separate directions. That will reset your relational precedent more powerfully than a knockout slam or some other shocking response.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Perhaps the biggest challenge you'll face, during this astrologically-enflaming eclipse-week ahead, is convincing yourself not to jump in with a response. Though it may superficially seem like on-the-spot quickness is the most responsible approach to take, Scorpio, your current planetary outlook tells me something rather different: While you may continue garnering a certain degree of admiration for your courageous split-second reaction times, you could simultaneously create a whole bunch more methodological chaos for yourself by rushing to address a 'problem' that itself is somewhat unclear, leading to further problems and then more fires to put out. Mercury is retrograde, after all, and this week slips back into your solar 12th, a place where our best ideas come through removing ourselves from the earthly activity and meditatively allowing the insight to enter our empty-vessel minds. It is this 12th-house zone of relative retreat, solitude, and mystical revelation where your Mars was stuck throughout the first half of the year, so I wouldn't be surprised if that recent limbo experience now inspires you to resist such willing self-containment. Yet, this time around is much different: Rather than being 'stuck' anywhere, you must choose to balance constant productivity with sufficient behind-the-scenes moments to permit inspiration its fair shake at rising forth. If instead you just keep doing, it's too likely you soon won't know exactly what you're doing.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): No, it's not enough, Sagittarius, to merely delight in that which brings you satisfaction, stimulation, or some scenario-of-substance for your own personal reasons. Raising those same sorts of experiences to the next level involves consciously orienting them toward what'll also provide support, sustenance, or solidarity to a slice of humanity beyond just your familiar reflection in the mirror. What's uniquely you might not, naturally, appeal to everybody—and I don't think the best way to court that broader next-level calling is to water yourself down to the lowest common denominator—but there are surely some folks whose sense-of-community would be immediately bolstered by your deliberately reaching out to them, to share the inspiring enthusiasm now coursing through your meridians, and to actively create collective experiences along the same lines of what you'd otherwise do on your own, for a yield greater than the sum of its individual parts. Next time you're ready to dive back into that favorite pursuit or preoccupation, consider inviting along a quieter or shyer pal who'd benefit from feeding off your zeal. Stage your silliness in a more public venue, breaking down the fourth wall so observers may become participants. Offer your artistry hand in hand with an invitation to join along. Project an air of inclusivity, even as you reject needless creative-compromises. Spread the love around.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): The best revenge one could possibly enact against those intimates who (consciously or not) chip away at your inner self-assuredness with their undermining microaggressions, Capricorn, is not a wholesale attack on them. (Trust me, they'll find some way to transform that, too, into more emotional ammunition.) Instead, your 'best revenge' would simply be to make something of yourself in the eyes of a world beyond their judgment… to achieve some benchmark, honor, or goal which leaves you feeling deservedly proud, improves the quality of your life and/or other lives around you, and visibly disproves their implied version of the story (i.e., that their perspective is the only right perspective, and that you are therefore wrong by virtue of being your own individual). You might imagine how transcendently cathartic it would feel to let the justifiable critiques, potshots, and retaliatory slams just rip—and the powerful appeal of such imaginings may be too irresistible to pass up—but I suspect you won't feel nearly as self-satisfied after the fact, once you must face their increasingly nasty response to your behavior and/or regretfully reflect back on your own uncontrolled lashings-out. Shrewd Capricorns usually win, after all, by not losing control of the situation.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Don't get taken in by others' inflammatory side-remarks, veiled insults, or proudly ignorant opinions, Aquarius. Though you may encounter plenty of conversational fodder worthy of righteous reprimanding and sharp condemnation, your haste in jumping at their bait will only prove how their (presumably deliberate, if we're being frank) provocations worked like a charm. And once you lapse into an ad-hominem attack (which, under this astrology, could happen quicker than you'd imagine), you've lost all intellectual credibility. If 'changing minds' (yours or anyone else's) is on your agenda, you must resist the easy devolution to nastiness… and instead continue to engage with what they're actually saying, coherently and consistently, not with the rude tone they might be using or the red-herring tangents they're scattering around in circles like bread-crumbs leading nowhere fast. If you're not interested in 'changing minds' and merely want to distance yourself from the mad rantings-and-ravings of someone you clearly don't agree with, it similarly behooves you to do so while still displaying basic human dignity. If your beliefs really matter to you, you should recognize the need to model good behavior, in order to serve as a poster-child for how such beliefs ought to be responsibly exemplified. Otherwise, your bad attitude will reflect poorly both on you and the ideology you're standing in for.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Your rightful road forward, Pisces, is one paved with unadulterated honesty. Even if you're trying to get yourself out of a situation where a painful truth sits at the core of why you've got to get out, the impulse to dash away from pain and set up shop somewhere different—where you're theoretically 'free' of all this bullshit—is a short-sighted one. To really 'get yourself out' is to fully embody that discomfort, to speak unashamedly about its history and its lingering impact on your self-determination, to not flinch or flit off when the other person says their piece (though it may, validly or not, implicate you as an equally responsible party), and to know you will survive the psychic strain of wading through this contentious muck. If you just leave before you've honorably detailed the drives and desires underscoring this dynamic, as well as fully owned your voluntary participation in it, you will have made no actual progress in your relation to such complex psychological dealings. You may steal an exit from this circumstantial example, but the dynamic will follow you to the next stop. On the other hand, if you stick around longer than you might like while refusing to dodge constant acknowledgment of the situational specifics, you'll likely hit a new level of tolerance for the nuances of difference… not because you 'gave in' to anybody else's perspective, but because you allowed the genuine disagreement to exist.