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Horoscopes | Week of October 27-November 2, 2014

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You're scheduled to take on your next big outward thrust right about now, Aries… with relatively little regard for whether this timely surge of assertive oomph might cause waves amongst agreements or alliances which would necessarily need to stretch, in order to accommodate this presently-unfolding advance. It's actually an excellent astrological moment for changing the terms of a prior arrangement, provided you don't try to play it off like it's 'no big deal' but instead extend sincere understanding to those who might feel your move to be a disruptive influence on their existence. Truth be told, you probably are disrupting a rhythm that somebody else has been accustomed to operating by. Rather than downplaying this fact, I'd draw attention to it… and, in the process, to your concern for how they might experience such changes, explicitly expressing a considerate willingness to talk out any unresolved logistics which might be best addressed through ongoing collaboration. But please notice what I didn't advise you to do: ask for anybody else's permission to go forward as you so choose. While freely and voluntarily discussing the impacts of your latest ambitious push will help keep your relevant relationships up-to-date, it definitely doesn't serve you to discuss it in a tone that implies your mind isn't made up, and/or that you could be convinced to sacrifice a yearned-for goal, just to keep them happy. Don't leave an opening for that turn.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In a slight departure from that cliché advisement to 'kill 'em with kindness', Taurus, let me persuade you to actively forefront a principle that's presently quite important to you… but with a big smile on your face and a lot of love in your heart. In other words, use the relational goodwill now at your disposal (thanks, Venus-in-the-7th) to advocate for some far-reaching initiative or commitment which represents everything you're proud to stand for. Yet, do it not by convincing that certain someone to 'go along' with your agenda. Make your pitch from the angle of putting this relationship first, allowing this other prioritized consideration to fall into the discussion as a factor that the two of you would naturally want to include in your collaborative vision-setting and plan-making. If your enthusiasm is genuinely on behalf of the relationship itself (or at least the promise of what could be between you), you should be able to unite with this special individual over your shared values… and the natural affinity you two enjoy, in terms of wanting the same things out of life, should easily carry you both further into areas that address these principled concerns. You can lead the way with this increase in intentionality, but please ensure it feels more like a togetherness venture than a self-focused exploration you've dragged them along on. I'd be seriously dubious of your current relational state, however, if you feel you can't happily include that certain someone in your quest to make a difference: Why is that, exactly?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gloves off, Gemini, hands ready to get real busy, thrust unceremoniously into the mud, only the most modest breaks for food and fresh air, time starts… NOW! I cannot stress strongly enough how nearly everything ought to revolve around working your buns off (at least for a few weeks). And if there isn't any pressing urgency to what you've been charged with (though I can't help but question whether that could possibly be true), then please utilize this time for a thorough reorganization of your everyday methods and processes because (gasp!) you can surely accomplish more than you have been—and with far less time-wasting—if you ditch the autopilot repetitions and consciously reexamine each mindless step. Not only am I filling this horoscope with another week's worth of pressures to strive harder than ever in your work efforts, but I'm actually upping the ante: With Mars in your 8th, it's now finally the right moment to fight the hardest, scariest, most psychologically demanding part of this battle for greater purposeful productivity. (What? You didn't think there were psychological roots to your procrastinatory tendencies? How cute.) No more wriggling out of the critical confrontation, the serious standoff, the deal-breaking demand, or the I-really-mean-business demonstration of your might.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It does appear your present uptick in personal attractiveness—and, yes, Cancer, such an appeal-booster really is yours for the momentary advantage—will not be based on coyly responding to others' seductive come-ons or obediently positioning yourself at their beck-and-call. Your current 7th-house Mars will instead appeal to those who like their flirtatious prospects with a bit of a feisty edge… the kind of maybe-baby that serves as some sort of mutually titillating challenge. Blending that Mars placement with Venus-in-your-5th, you're likely to foster quite a palpable chemistry with those individuals who resist easy victories or superficial charms, but who rightly sense that, with you, there's a whole lot more than first meets the eye. (Those who are impatient for immediate full-disclosure, blind to nuance, and too conveniently able to compartmentalize this from that, on the other hand, won't be as receptive.) Despite any contextual conventions of 'appropriate' behavior, please don't hesitate to flash a few alluring glimpses of how deliciously inappropriate you can be. A flashed glimpse, however, is intended to be suggestive rather than profane. Keep 'em intrigued, with just enough bait to encourage further engagement or a repeat performance. Though you may well be attempting to capture someone's affections, don't get too fixated on such desired end-results. You won't want to miss out on the unquestionable fun that's part of the dance, the chase, the game… no matter what happens or who 'wins'.

LEO (July 23-August 22): As lively and full-of-diversions as your mind keeps telling you the outside world is, Leo, please don't neglect to direct plenty of your conscious attention to the place you're presently calling home. Though it may consist of cavernous collections of well-appointed rooms or be compactly relegated to a single suitcase in the corner of somebody else's room, this personal place-of-intimate-residence is something I encourage you to cherish… if for no other reason than it's the one zone where you get to be your warts-and-all, not-camera-ready, who-gives-a-fuck self, and that's a true deep comfort you really ought to want to indulge. The blend of Venus-in-your-4th and Mars-in-your-6th could be well-deployed as an incentive to work a little harder at making your home what you want it to be, employing some extra elbow-grease to clean up an underutilized area, redecorate a room with amazing potential, prettify the garden during this season-change, and/or enthusiastically create a sacred space (no matter how modestly sized) for yourself where you're allowed to arrange every last detail exactly how you want it. The best part of such an energy-investment? It's purely on behalf of your personal satisfaction, to help you recharge more enjoyably when you're done with your day's out-in-the-world activities, to make you feel better inside.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): You're presently brandishing a lot of expressive verve, Virgo, to put behind whatever you'd most like to see happen next… and while steering the next leg of whatever unfolds might not provide you that overarching sense of control you'd probably love to confidently regain, it should still feel pretty damn good to have something go just as you'd like it. In order to put this momentary influence over others to your good favor, though, you mustn't be afraid to overtly appear to actually want what you want. How can you possibly present a convincing case, after all, if your exaggerated pursuit of supposed modesty (ahem) inhibits you from so publicly trying to convince anyone of anything? It's not quite so unsavory to either harbor a desire or to unabashedly promote it, in hopes those around you will find it worthy of gratifying. And sure, there will be an unavoidable element of having to compete for the conversational space and attention spiritedly enough to create a noticeable interjection… followed by the passing discomfort of possessing the space-and-attention and, therefore, having to put forth an appealing pitch. But any and all of these potentially awkward social stumbling-blocks, I'd think, would be totally bearable once you succeeded in having it all happen just as you'd most like to see it. Save the apologies, then, for having preferences and opinions; they'll certainly lead you to your version of a good time.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): That 'fire in your belly'—which could be mistaken for 'sour grapes' or some other bitter holding-onto-the-past resentment about how the cards are stacked against you, Libra, if you merely grumped and growled about it instead of harnessing it like a jet-engine power-generator—ought to serve as the driving force behind why you mustn't rely on anybody else for your own survival, stability, or satisfaction. Anger, spite, or cynicism are just the lower emotional vibrations of this streak of inner momentum. If you can raise your consciousness to a slightly less threatened or provoked level, though, you can actually use it as a driving impetus for immediately taking practical measures to secure and/or supplement your relative autonomy… and, in this process of putting your real-world conditions more firmly into your own hands, remove the undue antagonistic focus from other parties who previously participated in criticizing you or holding you down. If you're pissed off (justifiably or not) at family-members or other close confidantes, don't concentrate on them; concentrate on doing everything you can to separate yourself from them, by minimizing how much you might rely on them for goods, gifts, or generosity which you'll later have to repay somehow. And if something's awry on the home-front, divert your energies away from ineffective quarrels with landlords, housemates, or neighbors… and start working full-steam on getting yourself out of this unhappy situation.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): With Venus unreservedly playing for your team at the present moment, Scorpio, this is an excellent time for initiating any reach-outs or reconnections… and for generally positioning yourself front-and-center in the minds and sightlines of anyone whose attention you'd wish to snag. Even while hosting both Mars and Pluto in your 3rd means it's likely your supposedly nonchalant social efforts will instead come off conspicuous and commanding-of-notice, Venus significantly improves the chances any recipient of your attentions will be interested or intrigued (rather than, say, annoyed or inconvenienced). Yet, Mercury (though no longer retrograde) remains in your 12th through the end of next week, suggesting that it's not quite the ideal moment for attempting to reliably deliver any important messages, especially if they're intended to accurately describe your definitive stance on a matter. So, in an odd astrological contortionist act, it behooves you to activate and engage a next-round of meetings, conversations, and communications—but to not quite say much of anything significant until the direct-and-accelerating Mercury finally returns to your sign a week from Saturday (Nov 8). Think of this, then, as an opportunity to promote affinities and affections through the fine art of sincere social contact, making meaningful small-talk (yes, such a thing does exist) and collecting bits of floating information… yet holding off on the big questions, announcements, proposals, and promises a short while longer.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): You've gotten a whole lot going since the middle of September, Sagittarius, zooming forward atop a swell of fiery drive… and this is now an appropriate time to review the relative sturdiness of what you recently initiated, to confirm it indeed has staying power, before lurching too many steps ahead on untested ground. Go back through these latest efforts, and see what's still got legs. Kick the tires. Reread the reports. Ask yourself whether this will be able to reliably uphold what you're keen to continue building above it. If necessary, add a few more weight-bearing support beams, to strengthen the foundation. Clean up the leftover construction dust, while you're at it, so the next great energy-investment can occur with greater organized focus. With the Sun and Venus hidden behind the 12th-house curtain for another couple weeks, you've been granted a passing interval that's perfect for catching your breath, wiping off your tools, checking back in with the guiding blueprint's detailed specifications, and grabbing a pocketful of snacks to last you until another future pause-point. Don't look outward for signs of whether you've got this thing capably handled: External appearances are nothing to base an educated opinion on at the moment. Because you're the one putting this thing together from the ground-up, your trust should rest on knowing you've carried out each step with the maximum possible diligence. Lest you doubt that any certain step has been most diligently carried out, go back right now and double-check its solidity.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): By thinking several steps ahead, Capricorn, you now carry a tremendous capacity to build and/or repair bridges among fractured alliances, fairweather frenemies, or divergent factions of a larger whole. In order to do that, though, you might have to resist the many convenient opportunities to join in on one person's or group's badmouthing of another… and instead find a way to build trust among all parties through honestly sharing opinions which reveal your ability to agree and disagree with certain parts of what each side is saying. Where you could just go along with an unforgiving critique, you'd probably do better to inject a more well-rounded perspective that spreads the responsibility around more fairly. When you might give someone a free-ride pat on their back, you probably should provide feedback both on what they've done well and what they could improve upon. In other words, never let yourself get caught telling one person or group something that you wouldn't want their so-called opponents to hear just as clearly and completely. That's where the 'thinking several steps ahead' part needs to be considered: You'll want to present your truth in a package that protects yourself from vulnerabilities to any side's believing you're 100% for or against 'em, leaving open the possibility that a future ceasefire on all parts will eventually position you in the ideal spot relative to everyone else.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Though Venus's annual journey across your 10th house (which began last week and continues for another couple more) is usually thought of as an advantageous high-point in your public life, professional position, and/or reputation as some kind of esteemed figure, this year's go-around doesn't bode quite as well for actively taking any outward steps during this window-of-relative-favor. As we covered last week, Aquarius, that shady 12th-house Mars cannot be trusted to assert what would qualify as a legitimate desire on your part… mainly because (1) your 'desire' may be more about getting yourself out of something, rather than further in, and therefore seems to flirt too closely with being a stress-induced rebellion and/or somewhat self-destructive in nature, and (2) even if you are clear about the desire itself, your methods won't presently function as dependably as usual. Believe it or not, your absolute best manner of benefitting from this career/community-related boon is via an away-from-public-view reassessment of your current trajectory… projecting where you'd likely be a few years down the road if you continue with what you're doing, and evaluating whether that'd leave you more or less content. Though a backstage appraisal may not sound like either the hardest work nor the most immediately fruitful, don't underestimate (1) how painful some of your findings could prove, especially if you've discovered that successfully fulfilling a long-time goal doesn't feel quite as good as you thought it would, and (2) how fortunate it truly could be to digest this insight now, before blindly proceeding even further.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): By deciding not to do 'the same old thing', Pisces, you've signed off for willingly entering an unknown land… and, by virtue of the fact you don't quite know the customs, conditions or codes of this unfamiliar terrain, you ought to approach this current stage with an engaged-though-humble curiosity. You'll circumstantially pick up copious amounts of new information (some critical, some not-as-important) by simply embodying the openness of someone who's here to find out more, instead of attempting to save face (and/or cover over a glaring insecurity) by acting all wise and experienced when such shows-of-bravado will only block your educational process. As much driving confidence as you've needed to muster to even make it here, it still must be balanced with an acknowledgment of the limitations with which you've arrived… or else you'll be walking around flaunting your ignorance without awareness of the impression it's creating, since you can't know what you won't let yourself know you don't know. In the short-term, you might wish to seek guidance from local leaders or loudmouths who possess more firsthand insight into this strange territory. Please try not to let their abrasive manner or pompous know-it-all-ism turn you off from taking in the content of their feedback. Temporary alliances need not present the makings for forever friendships.