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Horoscopes | Week of May 30-June 5, 2016

ARIES (March 21-April 19): An openness to other people and their many-splendored ideas, stories, and suggestions, Aries, is not only an excellent way to expose yourself to alternative methods, viewpoints, and strategies for everyday life. It's also, more subtly, a practice in compassionate receptivity to the varieties of human experience… which is not innately a trademark of the Aries condition, though that doesn't mean you aren't perfectly capable of putting yourself aside long enough to vibe into what it might be like to live very differently than you do. However, you must be willing to suspend first-impulse judgments (even if, in your case, they often steer you in the right direction) and hang with the conversation (even when it seems to muddle or meander its way here, there, and everywhere), in a spirit of respectful learning. Rather than too hastily dismissing what someone's sharing as soon as you've decided it doesn't apply to you, goes against fundamentals you were taught, and/or seems like a giant waste-of-time, just sincerely take it in. Then, these additional concepts will be floating around your consciousness, where they might later prove to be of some practical use… perhaps not as a wholesale life-philosophy you can appropriate, but to be adaptively adopted in more modest ways that improve your day-to-day flow. You never know which raw materials, collected even in the least 'relevant' or 'meaningful' of contexts, could be refashioned into something that really works for you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): While it remains a good time to restate whatever integrity-based stance is relevant to moving beyond recent interpersonal confusion and/or friction, Taurus, I must also add a caution against doubling-down on any totally inflexible or uncompromising position which might pointlessly eat into your personal profit-margin. You're in a moment when your financial standing and/or sense of practical self-worth is likelier than usual to attract beneficial boosts… but only if you don't make it harder on yourself than it need be. As long as you're unduly concerned with dealing that certain someone a knockout punch—and, let's be honest, you may well succeed at that (so be careful what you wish for)—you therefore aren't paying enough attention to your own material self-interests, independent of what anybody else is doing. The next time you think to poke another person, stalk them on social media, lay bait you know they'll fall right into, and/or pick right back up where you left off, perhaps you should instead consider making a list of tangible ways in which you might immediately open another income-stream, tap an underutilized personal resource, better organize your economic picture, and/or vie for some future lucrative potential. Besides, should you press your point too relentlessly or vengefully, don't think for a second that other people won't be watching… and judging.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Under this astrology, your problem shouldn't be a lack of choices or possibilities, Gemini. The Sun/Venus conjunction in your 1st is definitely encouraging you to consider your options (rather than accepting that the way it's been is the way it should continue to be)… with one foot grounded in the necessity that you confirm the real-world viability (and potential consequences) of any one particular option, leaving the other free to imagine, envision, and invent. It's critical to include devil's-advocate pragmatism in this balancing-act, due to a current excess of romanticizing logic which might allege that unquestioned belief-in-yourself is the primary factor in achieving great feats. While obviously an important component, inner faith won't get the job done in itself. What about, for instance, questions about whether an aspiration is so grand or utterly outside your existing experience that the sheer amount of sustained worldly effort required might actually engulf you? Besides, any sustained analysis is likely to show that certain options are incompatible with your continued participation in an important relationship (and/or a preferred way-of-relating)—though whether respecting the relationship at all costs (even if it curtails your possibilities) or challenging the relational status-quo for self-serving purposes is the right choice is your call to make. Weigh all the contrasting considerations; no wishful thinking please.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): At least one magic door really is opening, Cancer, just like I told you last week so this is no time to be ruthlessly skeptical about there being more than just what you can verifiably comprehend. One of the likelier vehicles through which this magic-door energy may make itself known: familiar-seeming strangers, random acquaintances you haven't seen in years, and/or characters in your local 'hood uncannily speaking just the words you needed to hear at just that moment, offering literal answers to dilemmas you prayed on, and/or affirming a recurring thematic thread that's been weaving itself through your recent encounters. Don't dismiss these beautiful moments as mere coincidence, unless you're so totally invested in this idea of perceptible material reality as the only dimension of existence (which begs the question of why you're reading a horoscope) that you can't suspend your disbelief long enough to enjoy a touch of synchronistic mystery. To proactively attract this energy, you'll of course need to not rush through your days as if they're merely a regimen of assigned tasks to complete and check off. Harboring such an attitude, you probably wouldn't even notice if the great Angel of Mercy tapped you on your shoulder, told you of your exquisite future, and relieved your every worry. But just because this magic door's revealing itself, that doesn't mean you should just mindlessly bound through it… not without doing a bit more investigation about where it might lead.

LEO (July 23-August 22): Don't start from a place of self-assured certainty about what your role in the larger operation should be, Leo. Rather, let the collective interpersonal rhythms of that 'larger operation' wash over you… making no assumptions about whether it all might function better if handled as you would (maybe they know more than you do about it?), or even whether the other players share similar psychological motives to yours (newsflash: they definitely don't) which would explain their puzzling attitudes or methods. Currently, your own personal growth—in practical skills, in earned confidence, in cash and/or prizes—actively depends on social flexibility. For the record, that isn't the same thing as just diving into whatever everyone else is doing, hook-line-and-sinker. It's perfectly reasonable you might notice certain trends among the group aren't your authentic cup-of-tea (we covered this last week). Noticing, however, needn't entail immediate action or commentary. Far better to instead inquire into those currents, quirks, or conventions that don't appeal and/or make sense to you. This will help you to follow their chain-of-logic to the conclusions they've drawn (and hopefully eliminate any projections you may be bringing to your attempt to understand)… and to make better-informed decisions about where you do or don't fit in.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): While, on one hand, you're having an expressly advantageous moment in terms of professional possibility and/or public reputation (as I mentioned last time), Virgo, you must also guard against committing more of yourself than, in your heart-of-hearts, you really want to give. This is still an excellent time to try on new guises (both specifically in career contexts and more broadly), to explore what else may be worthwhile to consider as a stretch, a challenge, and/or an evolutionary development. And how could you know in advance whether such an untested potential will ultimately prove to be satisfying or just a big fat drag? Even asking that question suggests personal satisfaction should be a primary decision-making factor… and, frankly, I do worry about your capacity to take on more and more responsibility (because it equals more and more opportunity, of course!), without much concern for whether it contributes to your emotional well-being or instead fuels your inner angst. Similarly, exploiting this opportunity to its unabashed fullest could contribute to some potentially problematic interpersonal issue, either setting you up to sacrifice too much for a key partner or stakeholder and/or causing you to unintentionally neglect an important personal relationship. You still ought to strike while the iron's hot, but without promising the whole farm straight out of the gate—and then, slowly over time, realizing you're unsure you want to deliver.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): At this point, Libra, it's critical to grant yourself free license to dream about possible departures from 'the future that's already been mapped out for you'… especially if that pre-established scenario feels rather like a lifeless workplan, while these alternative possibilities promise to show you, teach you, inspire you, and/or instill you with greater purpose. This reflective freedom helps lay the groundwork for that exciting identity-broadening year you've got in store beginning in September, once Jupiter hits your sign: the premier astrological encouragement to see yourself as more than who you'd previously thought you were. Admittedly, any (or all) of these horizon-blasting departures may seem pretty far from your present context, and you might have little-to-no idea of how to functionally make such a thing happen. You must explicitly acknowledge this fact to yourself—what the everyday reality of this other way-of-being would look like is still quite fuzzy—or you could show up to this next round-of-life unprepared. Over the coming months, you'll need to do your research, read articles or books, compare and contrast options… and talk to a lot of people about a lot of details. But here's the hitch: A good portion of those people might prove discouraging naysayers, trying to convince you why you shouldn't go this or that direction, offering more (ahem) 'advice' than you wanted, and/or saddling you with their projected fears. You've still got to have these conversations, though, for a good portion of them will also prove useful. It's your job to sort the help from the hindrance.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): At this transitional juncture, it's shrewder to straddle the line between two (or more) partially-realized potentials than to altogether shut one (or more) down before you've seen what could still develop, Scorpio. Might I remind you that self-starter Mars is back in your sign for the next two months (albeit retrograde during the whole first one)… which indicates you have a fiercer-than-usual capacity to fight for the reality you want (and therefore implies this isn't the time to settle, surrender, or quit)? Yes, to simultaneously straddle multiple subject-positions is absolutely more complicating. But why would a Scorpio ever opt for the easy way out, especially when the far-greater prize of fuller self-fulfillment is realistically within your grasp? You're presently at a higher-than-comfortable risk of unwittingly sacrificing a fair amount of personal preference, style, and/or free-expression in order to simplify your life-circumstances—not in itself a problem until, perhaps, after you've (re)stabilized your ship and realized what you've lost, at which point it then is a problem. To make matters more confusing, I wouldn't blindly accept friends' or colleagues' counsel about your next moves: Simply put, they cannot comprehend the specific creative tradeoffs you'd be signing on for, since each person's situation is distinct. Only you know what you really want… and only you can figure out how to mesh your divergent desires into an unique game-plan just for you.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): This is an excellent moment to swivel your attention back towards your most vital relationships and collaborations, Sagittarius, and towards other people in general. Venus's transit through the 7th (as you're currently enjoying) eases your capacity for accommodating others' preferences, understanding their interests, and/or doing whatever's likeliest to make them feel good. Venus's opposition to Saturn-in-your-1st, however, suggests you might have a trickier-than-usual time with such interpersonal adaptability… because either you're still too utterly consumed with manifesting your own grand self-reconstruction plan to properly consider their concerns and/or your cursory acquiescence to their desires threatens to undermine your own authenticity. Think of this, then, as a lesson in how to carefully balance 'self' vs. 'other', independence vs. relationality. The only 'wrong' solution is to totally favor one extreme and ignore the other; all the 'right' approaches involve finding the proper middle-ground. That said, according to recent months' astro-trends, you are probably more prone to favoring 'self' over 'other' these days—especially if you're thoroughly involved with growing your career and/or spreading your good word—so any renewed commitment to interpersonal generosity would presumably be well-received.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Find your series of small joys in the modest bits of improvement, progress, productivity, and good-health you can create right now with your own tangible efforts, Capricorn… and don't let fears and uncertainties about the bigger-picture level (i.e., life-direction questions or higher-purpose dilemmas which can't immediately be worked out) rob you of them. Please hold yourself to fairly modest expectations of what you should and shouldn't have 'figured out by now'. Opening up conversational discourses and/or your private philosophic deliberations too wide is likelier to overwhelm you with the scope of its unresolved variables than to offer much in the way of clarifying perspective. Focus on just this week, or even just each today as it comes. You won't somehow find yourself suddenly aimless, just because you stopped thinking about the future ('next month! next year! next decade!') for a little while. There's really little threat of that happening. A closer-up engagement with the here-and-now will also, as a result, allow you to participate more fully and presently in all the myriad interpersonal exchanges which transpire during the course of any given week or day. Don't forget those small joys, too. If you get a couple pressing items accomplished, treat your body to a little extra health-promoting attention, and swap a few smiley social sentiments with the folks you serendipitously encounter, I'd call it a successful day.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Let whatever brings you pleasure—the entertaining activities, the gorgeous art-forms, the giggly friends and goofy crushes—lead you through your week, Aquarius. You need more of this, dare I mention. It's not merely that these pleasurable experiences and contacts provide you a foil for a recent inner-seriousness streak (which, truth be told, can be rather instructive if it helps you deconstruct any phantom anxieties or panics into their psychologically-inherited constituent-parts). The pleasure-bits can actually fuse themselves with the shadow, the melding-together of which could help you finally draw conclusions out of all this brooding… a synthesis born from realizing how to turns your particular depths and dark-sides into fertile fodder for your unique expressions of leisure-time life-force. Or put more simply: Doing more of what you love will aid you in better integrating the less-loving parts of yourself. All of this, incidentally, will not resolve the larger question of how this better-integrated you is supposed to interface with a changing social environment and its cast of characters. For now, don't worry about figuring that out. However, please do take note of instances where peer pressure (real or imagined) threatens to keep you from doing what'll bring you pleasure. That's telling you something about those 'peers'.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Sometimes, the best way for a sensitive sympathetic soul like you, Pisces, to dodge the tendency to suit everyone else's interests but your own is to simply stay away from them. I say this not in a spirit of escapist avoidance, though, but as an encouragement to take care of your own needs. With the Sun and Venus now in your solar 4th, pleasantness can be most easily attained on the domestic front, behind closed doors, comfortably nestled at home, and away from the madding crowd of folks who, even if they're perfectly innocent or adoring (though plenty are not) can't help but project or expect or inquire or demand. A fair amount of alone-time could prove quite regenerating… while, if you feel you'd rather feed the social bug, you might consider inviting pals over to your place (where you have control over the environment and can minimize the likelihood of outside influences contaminating your energy-field). The most probable killjoy? That impending sense of ceaseless outside responsibility, threatening to invade your off-time with stresses, courtesy of a challenging assignment, a difficult boss, an ongoing ambition, and/or a sobering reality-check crossroads. Here's the thing, though: It's on you to establish the boundary between your public and private lives. If you don't, expect them to keep encroaching upon one another.