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Horoscopes | Week of May 11-17, 2015

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Keep relaxing into the flow, and let everything happen as it will, Aries. All of your easiest pleasures come from allowing a great unspoken calm to wash over you from the inside, even when the external proceedings could be described as anything but 'calm'. Any frantic rhythms or frenetic conversations transpiring around you, or perhaps even involving you, simultaneously create a strangely pacifying whir akin to white noise… a near-meditative invitation not to attach, in too pronounced a manner, to much of anything going down. You listen, you take it in, you offer responses intended to promote this continuing social dynamic without cause for controversy, everything rattles on as the other players would have it. This is how you ought to be lulled into an unremarkable, though nonetheless engaging, meandering through the week's interactions. Except—and this is a big exception—if somebody utters a remark that throws your moral compass way out of whack, offends your sensibilities, promotes injustice, or otherwise cannot be legitimately permitted to register in the public discourse without critical opposition, not if you want to stay on the correct side of your own integrity. Then, in such a case, you bear a strong responsibility to disrupt the flow, to court the tension, to call out the unacceptable-to-you view and make your point unambiguously, in the name of 'what's right in the world'… or at least in your world.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): These weeks ahead provide you a chance to putter around with exploring new ways of activating your money-earning and/or money-managing potential, Taurus… though, with Mercury leaning into a retrograde in your 2nd (which begins next week but is already making mischief), it's less about making deals, accepting offers, or signing contracts in an immediate sense, and more a matter of trying things out on a provisional, non-committal basis. Don't mistakenly assume, for instance, there's one ideal solution to boosting your bottom-line, when in fact your most lucrative scenario might instead involve cobbling together more than one part-time income-generator, not only creating multiple streams that drop dough into your account but also keeping day-to-day life more interesting. This is the time to see just what your personal hustle can muster for you. But here's the catch: You probably know as well as I do there are certain avenues which are decidedly not open to you at the moment, due to limiting circumstances hanging over you from prior errors, entanglements, or extravagances. To be a shrewd self-serving economist, you cannot wish such limitations away. Don't fret, though. Figuring out how to work with them is a simply a creative challenge… with several viable solutions, though it's presently unclear which are most promising.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Just as I announced last week, Mars rolls into your sign with a roar this week, Gemini, imparting a significant booster-shot of energy, initiative, and fighting spirit. Consider this the lighting of that fire under your ass to get up, grab your tools or weapons, and do your shit. You've got this extra surge of force and follow-through into the end of June, for the record, so you'll want to make these next several weeks really count, in terms of actively setting a rhythm which can carry you through the remainder of the year. Only thing is, Mercury is preparing to flip retrograde, also in your sign, next Monday (May 18)… and will spend much of this Mars-in-your-1st period doing that wacky backwards foxtrot, making it a little too easy to skip a detail, miss your mark, or inadvertently mangle a communication. And because Mercury is essentially the 'boss' of Mars (as its dispositor), your asserted advances are also prey to this retrograde influence: Therefore, each step must be considered tentative, prone to later revision, and at risk of minor errors or inconveniences. What you may lack in precision, however, you can compensate for with passion. One warning: With Mars opposing Saturn-in-your-7th this week, your assertive edge might bump uncomfortably against an uncompromisingly black-and-white attitude from a partner, main squeeze, or close pal. Must you restrain yourself from too self-serving an action, out of respect to them… or is the relationship itself what's too restraining? Don't rush to an answer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you know what's good for you—and, at the present moment, there's a lot of good intended for you, Cancer—you'll leave well enough alone. What I mean by that is a very strong endorsement of not taking the bait, succumbing to temptation, attempting to escape detection and/or to do something slightly-or-somewhat shady… all self-sabotaging options which, though it might seem like you could get away with wriggling yourself into the in-between loophole spaces (where you're 'not really doing anything wrong' but, at the same time, not necessarily doing what's right either), will only cause you needless complicating anxiety, right at a time when Venus would much prefer things work out more smoothly and simply for you. If you refrain from trying to 'make something happen' and instead just faithfully stick to your regular routine, you ought to discover a regularly-recurring pattern of warm, pleasant, happy turns unfolding in your favor—perhaps nothing too spectacular or monumental, but enough to keep you in a very good mood (and, consequently, in a very attractive outward guise). The moment you try to manipulate the goings-on, however, the positive vibe threatens to vanish… because, truth be told, you currently know less about what's 'good' for you than the divine forces of the universe do. Let them guide, while you follow along, collecting tiny bits of treasure along the way.

LEO (July 23-August 22): As much as you might wish to play with different social personas, trying on this or that set of identifying trappings and sampling your potential connections with this or that type of pal, there's only so much experimentation you can legitimately get away with, Leo, without falling into postures or behaviors which, truth be told, feel somehow illegitimate and/or which you don't actually enjoy very much. There's a guardrail in place, demarcating the line you probably shouldn't cross if you want to accurately and authentically represent yourself to those you've been meeting or mingling with… and if you do cross this line, you should expect to tumble down the hill of public opinion, having sold yourself out by performing a personality-role that's obviously ill-suited, at least in the eyes of those who see you trying to be someone you're not, out of a desire to fit in or get along. Often, if you're outwardly being your real self (meaning: no pretending, no bravado), you won't fit in or get along, not with every crowd, not in every context. Be willing to slow yourself down and think through whether a certain attitude, character, or bearing is really you before saying something which might circumstantially slot you into that position. If you're uncertain, admit it upfront.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): There's a rip-roarin' gung-ho charge surging through your career/outer-world-accomplishment house (your 10th) at present, Virgo, offering you an extended opportunity to experiment with different leadership tactics, poll the pertinent opinion-holders, and reach out to a multiplicity of potential new contacts or clients or customers with preliminary or provisional messaging which may or may not prove appealing or vital to your end-game. But you are not merely an end-game-fixated competitor or a heartless robot programmed solely to attain results. You're a human being, with personal priorities and emotional considerations which must be prioritized and considered alongside everything else you're trying to achieve out there—and perhaps must even take precedence over certain hoops you're mistakenly expecting yourself to jump through, if the act of doing so is going to cause you undue anxiety, self-doubt, or regret. You don't, for instance, have to 'take one for the team' if it means assuming a burden so that your teammates are both spared their fair-share of effort and impressed by your unstoppable dedication. If they are true allies, their support won't be conditional upon how much responsibility you relieve them of while you privately crumble under the weight.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): No, you may not fly off on the wings of a 'something radically different than all this' fantasy, Libra… not without still having to answer for your part in this not-yet-finished process you're in alongside certain other characters of greater-or-lesser overall importance to you. You can take short dashes away, dip a toe or two into the vast ocean of possibilities, ponder perspectives which could soon serve as new premises for philosophically re-organizing your life, let your creative visualizations go wild… but you cannot cut your immediate here-and-now participations short because you have a fresh iron or two in your fire and thus feel increasingly impatient about seeing these current things all the way through. Don't kid yourself into believing you'd somehow be making a mature move or evolved decision by 'rising above' your immediate surroundings. What you'd really be doing is thumbing your nose at those who still have an unresolved stake in this matter, are seeking additional information from you, wish to reach a clearer resolution with you, and/or sincerely want your companionship or company. Certain connections might not even be able to survive such a dismissive departure on your part, in fact. You have a lot of exciting choices in front of you. Your poorest ones, however, are those which involve some sort of premature ditching-out.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Indulging your most romantic ideals, whether about a particular person and/or a general principle, will certainly keep life interesting, Scorpio… though it simultaneously threatens to derail your practical focus. Allow yourself the 'fun' (if that's what we're going to call it) of rifling through all the intricate ins-and-outs of your complex feelings on the matter, sure. But none of that must be permitted to distract you from intently holding ground and/or moving surefootedly forward with what you need to do, in order to stabilize your footing and care for your material well-being, in ways which could well outlast your current preoccupying dabblings. Though you may be skilled at cleverly arguing whichever angle will justify your continued entanglement, keep your interest piqued, and/or reserve you at least one more trick-up-your-sleeve, you cannot outsmart the cut-and-dry necessity of preserving a level-headed attitude toward that business-at-hand which only you can handle… the results of which will either serve as a solid foundation for any-and-everything else you seek to do or, if not appropriately handled, could sink your ship once it's left the shore and is dangerously far off on the open seas.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): There's a stark standoff now framing itself, Sagittarius, between (1) that which seems undeniably right and impeccably clear and unambiguously true for you and (2) whatever you feel it might be necessary to say or do in order to promote, protect, or progress the dynamics in a certain relationship (or, as the case may be, in relationships in general). Those of you who are quick and confident in jumping to declare what's right and clear and true are, perhaps, a little too singlemindedly hard-line in where you plant that flag. We're able to determine this from how quickly and confidently you resist taking into account these alternative considerations, concerns, and compromises which may be important to the other person involved. And if that's your present situation, please try to loosen your grip on the one-and-only right-clear-true answer—at least over the course of this several-week-span of open discussion—so as not to hastily hinder yourself from fruitful interpersonal samplings, speculations, or studies. On the other hand, if you don't have any clue what's right or clear or true for you and are instead very amenable to trying this, that, and the other in accommodating their wants and needs, perhaps you're willfully avoiding some fairly obvious simplifying fact about yourself, in fear of damaging or destroying the relationship. If that's your case, then please use these several weeks to explicitly talk out with them that very fact you really mustn't ignore.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): When I gaze into my crystal ball, Capricorn, I see you continuing to tinker with and toss around a lot of different ideas about how best to boost your efficiency, bolster your bodily health, and/or accomplish the job… but, if you hope to do so with a fair degree of wisdom, you'll also have to swallow the realization that certain extenuating circumstances are beyond your control and, therefore, must be respectfully taken into account. This is not a problem of insufficient attention, a lack of creative ideas, or not trying hard enough. In fact, the root-source of this 'problem' (if it's even productive to think of it in such terms) is almost irrelevant to how you might address it most effectively, for spending too much effort attempting to figure out the 'why' behind something you essentially can't (or at least, for the time being, shouldn't) change is just a waste of mental energy. Accepting the conditions of this reality you've inherited is a critical part of developing a competent response. Don't wistfully (and/or self-critically) reflect back on the past and 'what could've been' had things been done differently, not for a single second. (What an utterly useless method for keeping yourself stuck in regretful quibbling that would be.) Please work with what you've got—with what actually is—imperfect or restraining though it may be.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): The number of engaging, appealing, and/or entertaining prospects are dynamically proliferating, Aquarius, promising an action-packed several weeks ahead… a recreationally, romantically, and/or creatively fertile period, during which you might as well tinker with all the different ways you can spend your free time, with your own sincere gratification as a first-and-foremost concern. That said, not all the possibilities you might flirt or fool around with are appropriate to the rightful place-in-the-world you ought to be carving out for yourself. Or put another way: Certain choices you might make regarding your own 'free expression' (which, contrary to its somewhat misleading label, isn't free from all consequences) could land you in hot water with friends, community-members, or some relevant representative of society-at-large. You cannot do whatever the hell you want and still expect to be accepted by folks whose identities are threatened by such activities, who believe strongly in their wrongfulness, and/or judge you for this other company you keep. It's totally fine, of course, if you decide your freest free-expression is worth risking the connection to these fanatical comrades-turned-critics. Just make such decisions intentionally, rather than having them made for you by inadvertently betraying a social code or contract, in the innocent act of 'merely playing'.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Beware of sharpening trouble or tension on the home-front, Pisces, whether it's a simmering conflict with a family-member, a concrete domestic problem you're forced to deal with, and/or increased emotional unrest within yourself. But though the ever-changing demands of staying on top of this issue seem to require a lot of constant brain-power, you unfortunately cannot and should not drop everything else so you can concentrate solely on this. In the 'cannot' category we must place your professional responsibilities, community-leadership obligations, and/or any other public-world goals which must be faithfully worked towards with non-negotiable regularity—no matter what feelings are being shaken or stirred by your private-life goings-on. Consider this passing compression a lesson in smartly containing otherwise inordinate emotional fallout, for flatly practical purposes. (It's true: It can be done, even by a Piscean.) And in the 'should not' department we include the self-nurturing simplicity of enjoying silly, pleasurable, playful, artistic, and/or just plain entertaining pursuits… in an astrological climate which strongly favors such activities, as a way of temporarily (but not in an unhealthily escapist manner) of 'losing yourself' in a good time. You should not immerse yourself so completely in the home-front bumpiness that you needlessly sacrifice this.