Horoscopes | Week of June 8-14, 2015

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Really and truly, I'd just like to reprint last week's horoscope for you, Aries, and move on to the next sign. What more supportive counsel can I offer than to reiterate my encouraging point that you get to decide which encounters and exchanges are pleasant and enjoyable enough to continue participating in… and which you'd prefer to ditch out on (skillfully rather than rudely, I hope), simply because they're harshing your gig? Of course, to moderate the above sentiment with a slice of realism, we must together acknowledge that sometimes you can't choose to forgo an interaction (though you'd obviously rather be doing something else) because it's essential to completing a task, closing the loop, staying informed, or meeting your obligation to a neighbor, family-member, or community character. In such cases, then, it's on you to do whatever you can to make it more pleasant and enjoyable… perhaps by stepping outside the expected script, posing an open-ended question in genuine inquisitiveness, sharing a wacky anecdote or stupid joke, or otherwise bringing more of your actual self into a communication usually carried out by perfunctory rote. Might as well make the best of an otherwise dull or drab situation, interjecting irreverence or humor… and trying to get the other person to crack a smile or some other sign of human life lurking behind the bland mechanistic niceties.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Holding your own—which is presently a wise approach to follow, Taurus—means not needlessly risking certainty, security, or sustainability, just to receive some sort of external token of advancing success. For this next while, I strongly encourage you to look for any such validation from within. You could attain all the worldly riches, fancy titles, and esteemed honors in your field and still feel like you've fallen short of 'true success' because you never worked toward allowing yourself the internal experience of simply being enough. Provided you aren't petulantly shirking your responsibilities, indulging self-destructive behaviors, or actively making the world a worse place, you are already a success in many many ways. Therefore, there may be a lot less to 'fix' out there in the world, in terms of your current situation (not to say there isn't always room for certain improvements), and more attention required to update your personal bookkeeping system… on both the common-sense and emotional levels. On the first count, you could be miscalculating your personal worth by overvaluing the glaring absences (i.e., inflating the importance of what you don't have) and undervaluing the preciousness of your incontrovertible resources (i.e., overlooking key 'money-makers'). And on the second, you deserve inner credit for all the ways that where you are now is, in fact, working for you. By holding your own, you strengthen your relationship with 'what is' so that, in the eventual act of procuring more, you don't lose anything already yours.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Should you come off as inciting or contentious—which is not an entirely unlikely scenario, Gemini, considering this week's Sun/Mars conjunction in your sign—your best bet for saving the questionable exchange from devolving into unpleasantness is to (1) definitively claim your potentially inflammatory statement or act is 'just my own feelings', so as to avoid any implication that you're being presumptuous about its wider applicability or appeal, and (2) manifestly illustrate the fact that you don't take yourself (and, by extension, your statement or act) too seriously, with an ego-minimizing move that would immediately abate any rising tensions between two too-strong wills. Obviously, this is a strategy for easing your own experience of possible social friction, not one meant to win you any wars. If you actually intend to wage a battle, of course, you probably do 'take yourself seriously' and therefore wouldn't want to minimize your ego… though, in such cases, please be aware that, thanks to Mercury's returning to direct motion on Thursday (Jun 11), your fighting words could come out a bit more straight-up or free-association than they otherwise would. But if you'd instead prefer to positively play up your benefic 3rd-house influences and warmly smooth things over, the simplest way to do so is by generously playing yourself down.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Seek inner spiritual (for lack of a better term) solutions, rather than adopting desperate or precarious maneuvers to 'move things along'. Allow information to spontaneously emerge, instead of pressing hard for a decisive answer on your terms. Wanting greater clarity? Step back from the gravitational pull of the center of the action—not towards it—and give yourself space to breathe, wander, psychically loosen, and receive. Don't force. Don't push. Don't overcorrect, overreact, give up, give in, or lose your shit. Retreat, pray, daydream, dawdle, or diddle. If you need something to invest any stray gung-ho energies into, I suggest it be a purposely self-confidence-building inventory of everything you've got at your disposal (e.g., money, other material possessions, skills, qualities, values, attitudes, support-systems, etc.) which could help keep you afloat during this time of great anxiety-provoking mystery. Please note that, at this tender juncture, such an inventory ought to include all the assets, but none of the liabilities; I hardly think this is a wise moment to catalog everything you don't have. All your recent horoscopes share the common-thread of this not being an ideal time to outwardly act, assert, or advance, in case you haven't noticed. Timing is everything, after all. Following this, there's one more 'down' week… and then it all changes. Hang in, honey.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): So what are you going to do with your first full week of hosting Venus in your sign, Leo? No need to rush to squeeze everything in right away, since, as I shared with you last week, you've got Venus batting on your side for the long-haul. In conjunction with Mercury ending its retrograde right as the Sun unites with Mars, all in your 11th house (which rules your relationship to friends, teammates, comrades, like-minded individuals, or any wider community-at-large), I suggest first using this favorable advantage to straighten out any feathers you might've inadvertently (or perhaps intentionally?) ruffled amongst your people-group over these past few Mercury-retrograde-riddled weeks… or, if no example of this comes to mind, then simply to proactively reaffirm your allegiances and affinities with folks you value but haven't lately connected with. You will need to be the one who initiates such exchanges, and, at first, you may feel awkward or nervous or tongue-tied (especially if you aren't entirely sure how the initial interpersonal glitch occurred and/or have no obvious circumstantial reason for instigating the talk). Just remember to lead with your heart, bountifully beaming warm and friendly energy to those you wish to gladden. The specific words will be less important than the sentiment attached. So, if you're faking the sentiment, it will fall flat. (Which then begs the question, why invest such effort in playing up to people you'd need to fake warmth and friendliness for?)

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): As a continuation of last week's dispatch, and to prepare you for the now-transpiring shift in astro-climate, let me remind you, Virgo, that your pivotal moment is yet to come… though, I promise you, it is coming. With Venus now in Leo alongside Jupiter for these next many weeks ahead, you should expect a palpable increase in the fiery self-centeredness with which lots of folks around you are liable to behave—with the obvious corresponding potential for you to get totally annoyed by how they're all acting like everything revolves around them, and that you're supposed to actually care about every last peak and valley in the overwrought cliffhanger that's their life-story. This potential for annoyance is only compounded by the corollary fact that both these luck-bestowing planet-agents will be in your 12th house, erasing their benefic influence from obvious view… instead leaving that faint sense of anticipation (yes, your time is coming) as their only manifest symptom of good-fortune. But that's why I urge you not to act in response to any rising annoyance, for such actions would be based on too short-sighted an understanding of your present position (and/or perhaps motivated by tinges of envy for everyone who is more immediately enthralled by their own life-drama). For the time being, the best you can do, in terms of asserting any personal agency over the current developments, is to keep your professional and/or public-world responsibilities on track. Take the lead only in that sector… and only with regards to the astute management of tasks, achievements, roles, and initiatives. Don't make it too personal with any of the players.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): In trying to discern who's who and what's what, in the midst of an increasing proliferation of social-influence options, I advise surrounding yourself with folks who are excited about the same set of driving principles and/or enthusiasm-generating inspirations you are, Libra. While I think there's generally a definite value in befriending those with radically different beliefs or interests, you're presently at a point where you'd benefit more from the synergistic support of people whose consciously-chosen life-orientations are in line with yours. The ease of your mutual ideological affinity will help keep you headed in the right direction and/or focused on what's important to you overall. Plus, their established comfort with ideas you're still playing around is liable to provide you a clearer framework and working vocabulary for better articulating that which is now swimming around in your head, without your having to reinvent an already-existing wheel. On the other hand, if you're too absorbed making company with those who totally don't get where you're coming from, aren't especially interested in finding out, and/or are so committed to a contrasting worldview that it's barely comprehensible to you, you'll end up spending a lot of energy arguing and defending… or else keeping your mouth pretty tightly shut while they pontificate on topics or tones which decidedly don't appeal to your sensibilities. For now, you probably need solidarity more than the challenge of integrating divergences.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): You'll make your positive mark less by disingenuously kissing ass (not that you're actually very good at that), Scorpio, and more by publicly demonstrating grace in the face of complicating details and/or disconcerting news. It will not serve you to pretend everything's calm and cool when it isn't, nor to attempt to downplay the serious import of developments which are seriously important. Rather, it'll be a well-played combination of (1) courageously engaging with the full reality of everything which must now be jiggled, juggled, or jiggered with, in order to produce solutions which do justice to the whole intricate rigmarole, and (2) confidently showing those in charge and/or with major stakeholder roles that you can and will handle this, to the best of your ability, because you want to make them happy and proud. You won't be able to pull it off, alas, if you either refuse to look directly at what's gone awry (even if it's your fault, even if you have to call someone else out, even if the truth will hurt) or don't believe in your own capacity to lead when leadership is clearly needed. If you find yourself suffering from this lack of self-faith, don't let it totally paralyze you. Dissemble the menacing fear into its requisite parts, discerning between the pieces you can confidently handle and those you can't… and then seek out practical assistance on the latter, from a place of empowerment rather than panic. Getting the right help when you're in over your head is also a tenet of competent leadership.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): If you'd prefer not to fight with somebody whose small thinking is preventing them from clicking with what you're trying to convey, it's your job to help inspire their expansion-of-conceivable-possibilities, Sagittarius—but without telling 'em they're small-minded or preaching your perspective as if it were the gospel. As far as your relationship or rapport is concerned, you need not be on exactly the same page about every last belief-system, in order to be of support or service to one another. However, you do need to speak enough of the same language so that neither of you find the other to be petty, pompous, or dismissive. Though you may indeed have an officially rightful gripe with some certain detail they keep missing, getting wrong, and/or willfully refusing to consider with the necessary nuanced mindset, you should probably know what ultimate payoff you'd be looking for by bothering to split hairs about it… especially if it gets to the point where, to the other person, it begins to feel belabored and/or personally hostile. Do you want to prove yourself right more than you want this person in your life? If you are indeed the 'big-minded' one here, it behooves you to reframe the standoff in a way that helps them understand where you're coming from, without you having to back down or them having to punitively eat crow. Or you could just cut ties, if such a reframing seems impossible or unpalatable to you.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Contrary to the conventional Occam's-razor-style problem-solving truism that simpler equals better, your current circumstances actually dictate a more complicated, convoluted, and/or intricately involved solution, Capricorn, if you wish to maximize the potential payoff. This would entail readily and ardently opening the process up to the various variables, rather than trying to limit the possibilities in pursuit of a quickest or easiest result. And more than anything else, such an opening-up would require other hands in the pot, not just yours. Whether we're talking about opinions, investments (creative and/or financial), job-assignments, and/or ownership-stakes, you will gain more under this astrology by sharing the responsibilities, risks, and rewards with other individuals or entities than you would by your lonesome… though that'll also likely mean a longer timeline, a more-clearly-fleshed-out agreement (particularly with regards to legal issues), a surrender of uncompromised authority, and a whole lot more conversation. By sticking to a more solo path, you're better assured of producing exactly what you'd intended to, fulfilling already-established expectations but probably little beyond that—and, therefore, pretty much nothing in terms of learning or evolving. Haven't you already proven your capacity to execute previously engineered action-plans? Where's the discovery in that? or the excitement? or the opportunity to grow, in lived experience and collaborative intimacy?

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Don't be hesitant to put forth a sharp expression of what you really want from any certain someone, Aquarius… even if you might need to interrupt their (unceasing?) flow in order to do so, even if your mind has flipped a 180 since the last time you offered them a (supposedly) 'clear' idea, and even if you aren't entirely sure you'll be able to provide a controlled or comprehensive version of the current truth. It's not about being perfectly precise or unwaveringly absolute (for, if this other person will be presumably involved in satisfying or not-satisfying your desire, there's got to be some wiggle-room), as much as making a sincere effort to speak out about your personal preferences or predilections. From there, further conversation can ensue—based not on any people-pleasing evasions or shots-in-the-dark, but a forthrightly-shared starting-point—and a relational dynamic attained through a mutually-participatory process. Should you instead present as too shoulder-shruggingly 'whatever you want is fine' and, as such, refuse to voluntarily take on this assertive charge, you're very likely to find yourself steamrolled by someone who isn't quite as ambivalent or sheepish about speaking up for their desires… and you'll just end up angry and/or resentful, even if still smiling and shrugging.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Please do not foolishly underestimate the power of getting into (and staying in) your body, Pisces, as a highly effective means of trustily addressing any ongoing emotional hiccups. Because we experience our feelings as embodied sensations, our first impulse in reacting to difficult or unpleasant feelings often involves some type of self-evading behavior designed to separate our consciousness from the fleshy home which hosts these feelings. And while I suppose this response makes some sort of theoretical sense—a la 'allow me to vacate these emotion-laden premises so I can concentrate on something less heavy or oppressive'—it doesn't do anything to support an actual processing-through. The mind may move on to other considerations, but the body still holds the feelings. They remain where they've been, untended-to, stagnant, ever-present. However, once we choose to move our bodies, in some physical act which gets our heart pumping and our productive juices flowing and our ch'i back into fuller circulation, we also move all the energies residing in and/or connected with our bodies… and these energies include our feelings. That's why, if you can muster nothing else during a bout of depressive mood, a brisk walk at the very least will help get things moving. (It certainly won't hurt.) And a vigorous workout often proves to be one of the best ways to move through a surge of anger. Move yourself and/or move the status of some task (from 'incomplete' to 'finished'), and you'll move your emotional state, even if ever-so-slightly, too.