astrobarry.com the web

Horoscopes | Week of June 15-21, 2015

ARIES (March 21-April 19): One thing very quickly leads to another, especially if you're having a good time and the conversation is rolling nicely along and you really seem to like the particular company you're keeping… and then, before you know it, someone throws out an initially kooky-sounding idea which, the more you discuss it, doesn't sound nearly as kooky as it does cool as shit and increasingly kinda-sorta compelling… and, if you continue following that road as far as the symbiotic fervor leads you, Aries, you arrive somewhere far stranger and more exotic than you'd ever anticipated ending up… but (and here's the big but) you now must contend with certain inextricably-associated 'extenuating circumstances' you hadn't banked on, whether an already-existing hindrance you brought with you (though conveniently overlooked during the high-points of your shared enthusiasm) or a brand-spankin'-new one you created in the process (by getting too far into bed with someone who suddenly has a hold on you). Nothing about this hypothetical scenario I just laid out, in describing how this current astrology is liable to play out if you aren't paying proper attention, is necessarily 'bad'. It simply has the potential to pull you off-track—and into undue complexities or contortions—if you don't remember which track you said you wanted to be moving down in the first place.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): 'Holding your own'—the inner-resolve-endorsing approach we talked about last week—also involves knowing who's who and what's what, Taurus. Even as you actively welcome increased self-confidence through an internal re-conceiving of your well-earned esteem, you'll still want to pay enough attention to what other influential characters are up to… if only to make sure they don't sneak up on you, with questionable designs or misaligned morals, and threaten to contaminate the integrity of your wider allegiances. Though your most promising energy-investments at the moment will be inwardly-directed ones, you must be simultaneously aware that any conspicuous absence on your part is likely to be filled by opportunistic partners or allies who may or may not accurately represent your interests. Whether such doctrinal veerings-off are inadvertent (an innocent result of the fact that they simply haven't put as much deep thought into the underlying precepts as you have, though they may nonetheless be driven to assert their own leadership) or deliberate (in their identifying an opening for them to divert the conversation or change the terms of engagement), you don't have the luxury of flirting with such misrepresentations. Keep a close eye on upstart colleagues whose ideological orientations you don't completely trust, and be prepared to (re-)draw any essential boundaries.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This week and its Mars-conjoined new moon in your sign, Gemini, provide an excellent opportunity for you to actively initiate a fresh start. We're not talking merely on the airy-fairy , intention-setting level either, just so you know… but by you taking material steps which clearly and unequivocally demonstrate you're, in fact, right now moving in a certain direction, reaching towards a specific goal, and/or asserting a particular stance, not merely reflecting on how that's what you really want to do, whenever you might get around to it. The time to ritually imprint this pushing-ahead energy onto your goings-on is the present, doll. Actions taken now will set a powerful precedent, just as, conversely, a negative or resentful attitude presently indulged with nothing but bitching will linger longer than anyone wants. The advice dispensed in your prior horoscope still rings true, too: One key component to your fresh-start-making may likely require a deliberately diplomatic deed, a people-pleasing plying of the social fabric to eliminate any wrinkles which might detrimentally remain from recent Mercury-retrograde blunders or bumps. This time around, do not lose sight of strategic endgames, in the process of sharing perspectives or making small-talk. Be impeccably political, for your own gain.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This is the 'one more "down" week' I mentioned in your previous edition, Cancer. At its very end, on Sunday (Jun 21), the Sun will move into your sign, wishing everybody a happy solstice… and wishing you a happy get-down-to-business! Mars joins the Cancerian party mid-next-week, injecting an assertive surge of self-propelling verve into your energy-body—and, as I already told you, everything ought to feel markedly different. Meanwhile, back here in the current week, we've got a cycle-starting New Moon conjoining Mars in your 12th... which could be the ideal astrological backdrop for magical behind-the-veil workings, ritual cleansings, supplications to the divine, or other such communings with whichever otherworldly forces (or, if you prefer, facets of your unconscious self) might provide you guardian-angel-style assistance with the commanding advances you're thisclose to pulling off. You'll have plenty of chances to make strides in the rational realm beginning next week. For now, light your candles, cast your spells, ask for insight to permeate your dreams, and scribble your desires on the wind… making these solicitations and offerings an act of pure private creativity, with only you and the universe as beneficiaries of your artfulness. Other people's conspicuous gazes will merely make you self-conscious; this is not for them at all.

LEO (July 23-August 22): With both benefics (Venus and Jupiter) now positioned in your sign, Leo, sprinkling their enchanted fairy-dust and appearance-enhancing glitter-powder all across your aura, please understand how this puts you in a clearly privileged position, astrologically speaking. No, not everyone arrives at a situation from some idealized place of fair footing—not in terms of their social identity, and not in terms of how the planets are shining down on them at any given moment. At this prime (for you, anyway) time, your singular radiance of self is inescapably protruding from the blur of the crowd with unprecedented prominence. You will not—cannot—blend, so do not insult the rest of us by even bothering to try. Instead, it's a moment to conscientiously consider how you'd like to use this cosmic distinction… not merely to benefit yourself (because, let's be honest, the personal benefits are likely to continue showering down upon you in the weeks to come, no matter what you do), but to also directly assist your teammates, colleagues, or community-members. You presently have a unique individual capacity to instigate and/or strongly influence efforts which will further the cause of the whole group. Of course, I'll encourage you to temper the threat of coming off blindly presumptuous by seeking direct feedback from those folks who you'd be supporting, speaking for, and/or standing in solidarity with, just to ensure you clearly understand their perspective, preferred vocabulary, and/or personal stakes. But by sticking close to this intentionally collaborative-minded stance, you can channel your leadership potential to impressive ends, where you triumph… and everybody else does, too.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): This is your moment for a recommitment to tidying up the loose ends, Virgo… a process which won't be completed to your satisfaction tomorrow or the next day, but one already revealing hints of a definite light at the end of this tunnel, not too much further down the pipeline. Of course, to conduct said tidying, you'll have to take the lead in rallying the other key participants to meeting their ends of the bargain, too—which is not the same as quietly going back over their work, revising it to your liking, and relieving them of the responsibility to see it through themselves. As annoying as it might feel to, once again, revisit conversations that already took place or issue instructions that, by now, ought to be self-evident to those supposedly charged with the related tasks, this role is not your life-sentence. But just as your next chapter will be that much more glorious if you spend these next couple months clearing your slate of any needless karmic-hangovers, so too will your heart become ultimately lighter by setting up all the other players for their greatest potential success… even if they later fall short, in their own action-taking or decision-making. Looking back from the not-so-distant future, you'll want to know you didn't leave anybody else hanging, in some misguided passive-aggressive venting of your personal frustration. You'll want to be able to move on without guiltily looking back.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Both reaffirm your devotion to the concepts or principles driving you ahead and double-check how securely you're managing your here-and-now, Libra. Though the chorus of supportive voices you've hopefully surrounded yourself with (per last week's edition) serve as a wonderful cheering section, they aren't likely to ensure your pets have been fed, your plants watered, your expenses met, or your other unavoidable to-dos done. You, however, must. Should you notice yourself starting to feel a nagging doubt in the pit of your stomach, a reactive body-whisper which rises up whenever you're left to your own devices to replay the spirited conversations you've had with key allies or advocates, please don't mistake it for some dire warning against continuing down this path. It's merely a 'don't forget about me' signal to moderate your forward-thinking zeal with a bit more present-moment stabilization. Like any good Libran, you'll want to examine the current balance of your scales, so that any undue focus on the future (and/or any impending excitements which would naturally pull your attention that way) isn't throwing off your equilibrium… at the expense of feeling sane, grounded, and amply self-cared-for. And yet, as you're securing the gates and recalculating the figures, do not let go of your anticipatory enthusiasm in the process. Straddle the two mindsets.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Heading straight into this dynamic and highly advantageous interval of auspicious professional possibility, Scorpio, it's essential for you to deal with any and every inconvenient truth, complicating detail, and/or lurking grievance as soon as you can… rather than, say, letting unspoken tensions build up or dissatisfying agreements remain unaddressed, only to come back and bite you at a much more decisive or higher-profile moment. The gains you're slated to garner, if you boldly position yourself in the spotlighted center of the public action, will prove unfortunately precarious and/or unsustainable if predicated on you evasively playing nice or avoiding mention of certain realities pivotal to a fundamental understanding of the whole situation. Now that Saturn has returned to your sign for a follow-up test of whether, over these past few years, you've dutifully learned your lessons about transparency-of-self, this would be a terrible time to fall short of total authenticity. Intimations, implications, and insinuations are not sufficiently candid expressions of what's really going on, for the record. In fact, you're likelier to create additional (and unnecessary) convolutions, confusions, and concerns if you don't properly appreciate the potency of your words, even those you think you're using slyly or delicately. Come right out with it all, to avoid the consequences of unduly harboring suspicions or secrets… and so that your imminent successes won't be contaminated by any of this.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Turn over a new leaf in your dynamic with a certain someone, Sagittarius, but without letting this reintroduction serve as an excuse for swallowing hurt feelings or selling out your own practical interests. The temptation to concentrate wholeheartedly on 'moving forward' (a phrase, incidentally, often used by guilty parties to evade their accountability for went wrong in the last episode) mustn't be so irresistible to you that, in the process of such forward motion, you simultaneously start accumulating more psychic residue from that which you're refusing to sufficiently acknowledge. 'Starting fresh' is not the same thing as letting everybody off the hook and/or performing as if what mattered to you before somehow, miraculously (?!?), no longer matters any more. And 'taking the high road' doesn't mean philosophizing away genuine emotional upset, according to some that's-just-how-life-is-I-guess truism which indirectly justifies disrespectful interpersonal treatment (whether yours or theirs). If you find yourself struggling to muster the requisite forthrightness to tell this other person where they did you wrong in the past and/or what you need from them in the future, then your version of turning-over-a-new-leaf obviously demands more self-focused effort—and far less concerned attachment to preserving the relationship, as the expense of emotional self-protection.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): If you do indeed want to take the collaborative risks which, as I've been repeatedly pointing out lately, offer you the biggest promise for evolutionary growth and profit, Capricorn, you will likely have to take the pivotal signaling step toward the other person(s). 'Why can't they make the proactive move?' you might wonder. Simply put, because, by your very nature—or is it because Pluto-in-your-1st continues to add an intimidating air to how you're often received?—you probably seem like you've already got your shit figured out and aren't especially amenable to joining forces, listening to feedback, or accepting help. This doesn't mean, of course, that any such perceptions or projections are actually true… but, when it comes to developing or deepening interpersonal intimacy, none of that matters. What does matter, more than pretty much anything else, is establishing mutual trust. And one clear method for doing so is the quintessential removing-of-masks, pulling-down-of-pants, and showing-of-cards. While you needn't confess your most personal secrets, or every last fear and worry which might impact this burgeoning connection, you'd greatly support its progress by intentionally flashing some significant vulnerability during this getting-better-acquainted part of the process. If you wish to attain that type of vibe, you ought to make the first move.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): During an awkward transitional week-ahead, Aquarius, your main task is to concentrate on differentiating between (1) what you wish to create, appreciate, play with, and/or immerse yourself in, in a more pronounced way, going forward, and (2) what you still need to do, to meet your obligations, preserve your footing, and/or put in a good professional showing. Though recent trends might've suggested you were farther along in your leaving-behind of roles or responsibilities which no longer satisfy you—in your valiant and admirable efforts to surge ahead to something with a more immediately inspiring sense of camaraderie or community-contribution—this week is your inelegant reminder that you've still got some unfinished business to address, bills (literal or metaphoric) coming due, and/or lingering burdens to alleviate, hopefully once and for all. As easy as it may be to fall into an onward-propelling groove established and/or fostered by other people (who, perhaps, aren't as personally encumbered by stubborn baggage from the past), you know better than they do about these practicalities you can't afford to gloss over, rush past, or willfully ignore. This transition is not a full-on halt, divert, or retreat… merely a call for conscious tempering of developmental pace, in the face of outside influences which might encourage the contrary.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Internal reset, push the button. Refuse to assume you know how you'll be feeling a few hours from now, Pisces, or when you wake up tomorrow morning. Leave room to surprise yourself. Preconceived expectations of the mood you think you should be harboring, or have become too familiar with lolling around in, are evidence that your mind is force-feeding you self-fulfilling prophecy-messages which exclude the magic of serendipity from fulfilling its vital purpose. Let other people's impacts remind you of what's most important, whether through their good example or by the contrast their petty or inconsequential motives create alongside yours. Bodily activity, again, is a requisite piece to allowing yourself the capacity to move through. Whatever may still be unsettling you is not some nervous twitch or badge of shame to secretly endure, but an inertia-defying stimulus designed to stir your inner risk-taker. The emotional turbulence is an undeniable call to action. Confrontations with the internal face of personal dissatisfaction are the foreshadowing indicator of a thrust to create something better, self-driven, so much more gratifying… an assessment carried out by how much happier you'll feel in the act. Yes, you are traveling from inner unrest to externalized response-mode. Discontent is your fuel, personal style the vehicle: Drive it somewhere that'll make you grin.