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Horoscopes | Week of April 13-19, 2015

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You're coming at the situation with a more forceful 'me-first' attitude than you might realize, Aries… which is not necessarily a problem in itself, but does threaten to blind you to some of the bigger-picture considerations you should probably also bear in mind. For example, if you've been charged with managing a certain responsibility, your wisest mode of leadership may not be to issue a strong-and-unilaterally-resolute directive based on what'll address the most immediately pressing questions and/or get the quickest solution… but, instead, might include a deliberate pause, during which you (as well as any other key stakeholders) could take the opportunity to revisit the larger 'why's and 'how's which ultimately define the scope of this responsibility. You're presently under an increased risk of allowing personal pride, ego, or bombast to overpower your reasoning skills—not out of any deliberate desire to shut other people down (at least I hope not), merely in a valiant move to be the hero who solves the problem and saves everyone else the worry. Just because you can do that doesn't mean it'll produce the best-thought-out, most-impeccably-principled results. In fact, what you carry out in leaderly haste could likely require later cleanup, whether methodologically or reputationally.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Beware of falling prey to starry-eyed notions that we'll all naturally be happy for each other's advances, Taurus, due to some innately altruistic faith in the win-win. Whether it's a sad statement on the realities of human nature or merely self-protective common sense, you should strive to resist being dragged into fruitless exchanges where you must defend your initiatives, ambitions, or efforts against those who'd charge you with unfairness, self-interest, or greed. The brutal truth is that life isn't fair… and if you don't look out for your own interests by promoting a list of priorities of your own design, somebody else will grab that golden ring right out from under your nose. There's no question you're presently carrying an exaggerated emotional charge about 'finally getting what's yours', after enduring a nearly-relentless sense of limbo during much of '15 so far. Now that you're in a much-improved position to move your priorities forward at last, you might also wish to throw in a spiteful 'told you so!' (or 'eat my dust!'), as a good-measure flourish. Don't do it. Why squander your emotional edge on kicking up needless noise or conflict? Get your 'revenge' (for lack of a better term) by simply accomplishing an impressive feat or three—and let 'em grumble from the sidelines.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It's on you, Gemini, not to deflect or divert the positive attention now aimed your direction, thanks to Venus occupying your sign. Though this may seem like a strange sentiment upon which to open your week's horoscope (for who'd ever want to deflect or divert positive attention?), Venus's dual mix-ups with Saturn and Neptune suggest you may feel oddly uncomfortable with situating yourself, as a remarkable individual in your own right, in the center of the stage… and could, consciously or not, attempt to neutralize or compensate for your momentary advantage by handing someone else the magic scepter and/or dissolving yourself into markedly-less-personal recognition for the organization, the cause, or 'a job well done'. Nervous small-talk, with the intention to redirect the attention elsewhere, could actually create unseen problems for you… much in the same way that it grows irritatingly tiresome to hear the smartest girl in school repeatedly rebuff her deserved acclaim because she'd rather play second-fiddle love-interest to some dumb jock. No one enjoys having their admiring overtures debunked, just because you may prefer to do the 'giving' more than the 'receiving' in your interactions. This is your time to graciously receive. Anything less will throw off the delicate social balance.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don't allow yourself to become too consumed with what everyone else is doing, Cancer, especially when I'm sure you're very well aware of the far-more-important, far-less-flashy duties you ought to be concerned with instead. Your priorities mustn't flutter and flit in the wind, just because you get a last-minute invite or a text laden with somebody else's sense of urgency. Even as you remain in the midst of a fairly active social-life moment, these corresponding proceedings and participations are not about anything you have to do… as much as they are about what you either want to do (for innocent fun? or for escapist distraction?), or feel like you should do (so as not to disappoint other people?). If we're being honest, the items you currently have to address are more self-focused matters, such as reorganizational chores, material-security-enhancement missions, or health-promoting activities. Beware, however, of the manipulative pressures you might encounter from those who are more interested in how you can fit into their grand plan rather than how they might support you in fulfilling your own. If they get annoyed because you must tell them 'no', that's not actually your problem.

LEO (July 23-August 22): A healthy bit of outwardly-expressed humility and ego-restraint would come in quite handy this week, Leo, as you put your currently-enhanced public profile to good practical use. This is a moment for constructively deploying that certain leadership advantage you now have… not necessarily to immediately collect on your popularity by kissing babies or doling out warm wishes like there's an endless supply in your pocket, but by hedging your bets on some longer-term goal which may require more practical forethought and patience. You won't actually get yourself any further along your desired path by basking in praise you're receiving from steps already taken or qualities you already possess. What'll presently deliver you the easiest rewards is probably not the same approach that'll ensure you a prized seat at the movers-and-shakers table a few years down the road. In fact, at this point, you'd do your personal aspirations a huge favor by purposefully extending to others the precious opportunity to join your winning team. But rather than vainly promising to share your greatness with them, I'd adopt a more deliberately enticing tone, playing up the value of what they'd bring to the table… and how greatly you'd appreciate learning, growing, and evolving as a result of their participation.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): If you're staring at your feet or fiddling with your fingers too much, Virgo, you're not sufficiently paying heed to the vastness of what's all around you. If you listen too obediently to whatever messages are circulating 'round and 'round inside your head, warning you about the potential dangers of straying too far from what's known and/or listing scads of preventive measures you must always keep faithfully in place, you will totally miss all the observable evidence to the contrary. As long as you expect undiscovered frontiers to be dangerous places, your experience of them will be riddled with things to fear. But flip 'danger' on its side, and suddenly it looks a whole lot like adventure… otherwise known as the radical willingness to explore uncharted territory, eyes wide open to the fact that, though you can't be certain what you'll find in the process, the inquisitively-minded exposure to something different is likelier than not to change your life forever. Regardless of your present job demands, relationship obligations, or other essential duties you've charged yourself with, don't be afraid to forefront your hunger for 'something different'. Fully owned and acknowledged, this hunger itself is a powerful attractive force.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Don't let a sincere desire to fairly consider the other party's point-of-view inspire you to water down an unambiguous truth or to continue negotiating on a matter you've already made your mind up about, Libra. Past a certain critical point of decisive declarations and disclosures, ongoing discussions no longer yield new information. Instead, they can devolve into a case of one of you tirelessly wearing down the other's resolve… knowing that, with enough tricky turns-of-phrase or turnings-of-tables, the more innately placating person will probably just grow tired of the incessant noise and throw in their towel, because they perceive it to be easier than continuing to go around and around. Whether you're likelier the tireless conversationalist-bully or the just-shut-'em-up-already peacemaker, this method of 'resolving' an issue of conflicting wills does not actually accomplish anything resembling true resolution—not if what's real for one or the other of you ends up getting buried beneath a heap of well-meaning concessions or cop-outs, conveniently packed away out of conscious view, waiting to pop back up again later because you can't avoid reality. If you're having a hard time reaching true resolution, you might need to dwell in the glaring lack of resolution a while longer, feeling the complicated nuances, taking emotional space, settling into awareness of the seemingly unbridgeable gap, seeing what next emerges when you don't force the neat-and-tidy ending.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): I'm flipping last week's horoscope on its ear, Scorpio, and spitting it back to you in a more markedly cautious rendering: If you concentrate too intently on pitching your communications to arouse a specific response from a certain someone, you might inadvertently lose track of what best serves your own practical and/or economic end-game, regardless of what the future may bring for this certain relationship. Whether you're trying to woo their support, keep 'em off your back, or stick 'em with a retaliatory dig, you presently have an uncanny capacity to use just the right words to speak their language—and to, therefore, maximize the likelihood of delivering a message in a manner they'll immediately connect with. Yet, any effort you'd spend on these political calculations is effort you're not employing on those self-serving, self-driven, self-evolving initiatives which would directly strengthen your professional platform… perhaps without the same immediate gratification a more interpersonally-minded approach might provide, sure, but with an eye toward expanding the overall scope of how you understand your position. In other words, concerns about how best to coddle, convert, or attack any certain individual is very small thinking, in contrast to strategizing how best to climb yourself to the top of the hill, with or without other climbers in tow.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Be mindful of any instances where you're tempted to give in to another person's will, on an issue or detail you could easily dismiss as petty or insignificant if, in fact, you didn't want it to go your way as much as you actually do, Sagittarius. You don't have to talk yourself out of having a clear preference, just because it seems like the more mature or high-minded approach to underplay its personal importance, on behalf of making a considerate gesture to someone you care about. If it matters to you, it matters to you… and you needn't present an objectively valid reason for that, in order to make it worth taking a stand over. Holding firm doesn't necessarily mean being an asshole. Nor does it deem you an uncooperative partner, colleague, or friend. I'm sure there are plenty of other situational examples in which you can legitimately claim not to care which way something goes, or where you'd be willing to change up a certain pattern or penchant if this other person expressed a pressing desire for you to do so. Having an honest relationship with somebody involves being as upfront as possible about our own arbitrary predilections, giving our partner or pal clear instructions on how to keep us happy… as well as accommodating their predilections to our fullest capacity, provided they don't clash with something we actually really do want.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Even as there are a handful of astro-factors which might inspire you to let it all hang out—and I'm not suggesting you ought to totally and completely fight off those impulses, Capricorn—I do want to draw our attention to your ruling-disciplinarian Saturn, who warns us, from your solar 12th, not to unwittingly project yourself so far outward that you end up ensnarled in someone else's psychic garbage. Once again (as has become customary over these recent years), Pluto-in-your-1st is the culprit in summoning an irrepressible power and potency in you, which creates quite an impression on all those who encounter you, whether captivating or off-putting, like it or not. With Pluto both stationing to retrograde motion and forming dual trines to both Mars and Mercury, in your 5th house of pleasure-providing self-expressiveness, this quality will be again heightened—for better and for worse, based upon any given individual's innate energetic attraction or revulsion to you. Whatever you put out there, then, will rouse a more profound reaction one way or another. Thus, it behooves you to be somewhat more conscious of the context in which you let loose and have your brand of good fun… especially with regards to who is around at the time, whether you might unconsciously trigger an odd intensity from them (either fawning or fury-filled), and how effectively your psychic guard is functioning.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): You don't have to contextualize your personal feelings or desires within the broader scope of what others would feel or desire if walking in your shoes, Aquarius. As a unique soul, you are the only one whose life represents a culmination of those specific experiences you've had… and, therefore, grappling with questions about how some hypothetical person might presumably behave more reasonably or righteously is merely a masochistically masturbatory mindgame, (unconsciously?) designed to discredit whatever less-reasonable, less-righteous attitude you may be genuinely harboring. While I don't necessarily recommend acting out according to this attitude (and, in the process, catching unsuspecting victims in a reaction not exactly fitting of their 'offenses'), you're certainly entitled to privately make as much room as possible for indulging, investigating, and coming to understand whatever emotional issues, impulses, or compulsions are indeed real for you. Don't, therefore, try to rope anyone else into your whirligig of turbulent emotions, as if it'd be somehow easier for you to deal with your internal conflict by projecting one side of it onto a partner or good friend. (Talk about unfair!) You're the one feeling this way, and you are responsible for appropriately containing it. How's this for a deal? You grant yourself free rein to feel as you do minus the guilt or shame, in exchange for not needlessly dragging other people through your mud.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): The conversations, interactions, and critical occasions for sharing in-person face-time may continue to require your sincere participation, Pisces, but you shouldn't expect them to yield you a relaxing or relieving vibe. Despite tonal appearances to the contrary, these are not as casual as you might wish to believe. Rather, there's a strong onus on you to remain in control—not necessarily of the exchanges themselves (since, because there are more people involved than just you, you cannot 'control' them), but of the types of remarks and recommendations you offer, no matter how seemingly 'off the record' their context might imply. Nothing is, in fact, presently 'off the record'… and any offhand opinion or gossipy aside you may toss out there, perhaps without even noticing you lack an established trust with certain other participants, could end up feeding a contentious sense of fractured factions amongst the wider group, due to your unconsciously expressing your sympathies with one 'side' or another. That's why you probably ought to lower your guard only after you're returned home for the day, the doors to the outside world are shut, and nobody (other than your family-members or closest intimates) can hear the full unfiltered version of what you really think.