Horoscopes | Week of December 5-11, 2016

ARIES (March 21-April 19): No operating in a vacuum, please, Aries. Whether your peers are enthusiastically on board with your present approach to life or fervently opposed to how you're handling things, you need to know where your efforts will stand in relation to them. Perhaps their spirited support will synergistically stoke your fire, providing you the reassurance to more boldly take the reins. Maybe their passionate resistance will open your eyes to what you've been missing, ultimately improving your enterprise (though the resultant pause may prove irritating) by forcing you to include additional considerations… or maybe, once you've sincerely reflected on their interjected critique, you'll see it's your continued allegiance with them which needs addressing. Whatever the effect, this is the appropriate stage for exposing your intended vision to the workshop of social forces, allowing you to understand how effectively or insufficiently it speaks to other people's interests as well as your own. This is the time to cement your certainty, if in fact you're certain. And if you're not? It's time to let others point out the holes in your theories, so you can start figuring out how to seal 'em up, one by one.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're even more conspicuously on display at the moment than you recently have been, Taurus, even if you're not conscious of the spotlights aimed your way or the spectators gathered 'round to watch your dutiful performance. No need to flinch at this news, please. You are totally equipped to publicly model the type of esteemed mark-of-character that will leave others with a well-disposed impression of your capabilities… provided, of course, you're utterly aware that this is what you're supposed to be doing. As such, this is not a good moment for trying to sneak in a nasty dig, a vengeful aside, an extraneous show of power-tripping preeminence, or any gesture which could be construed as a muddying of the line between professional responsibility and personal beef. While I'd advise against moves which seek to reduce any genuinely complex matter into some oversimplified schematic that skims over the rift between competing interests, I must simultaneously warn against the opposite effect—namely, that you'll create needless complications for yourself by opening any can-of-worms which isn't directly relevant to handling the matter-at-hand. Put another way, strive to be seen as an earnest problem-solver rather than someone who simply wants to win.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): We may like to joke about you being multiple selves rather than a singular entity… but, despite the metaphoric aptness of describing your different context-specific personality-aspects as separate identities, you are in fact one person, Gemini, just like the rest of us. This is important to remember this week, as you're not in a very good position to hedge your bets, straddle the fence, or play both sides—not if you want to be seen as a credible partner or ally by someone who needs you to take a clear stand or make one decision over another. You cannot, for instance, turn left and then expect to receive all the perks available to you along the right-hand pathway. You can't say you dearly support a certain value or virtue, if you go on to behave in ways that violate its defining nature. Well, you could, of course… but it'll do great damage to others' trust in you, since it's hard to bank any reliable relational investment on somebody whose actions don't align with their words, or who can't be counted on to consistently hold the same belief across a variety of situations. Therefore, you may have to firmly and vocally choose either 'this' or 'that'. Otherwise, you might be passively choosing to undermine a certain relationship instead.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don't project yourself too far ahead, Cancer. That sort of future-tripping is not only going to fruitlessly fuel your anxieties about potentials which have not yet come to pass (and, for that matter, may never), but it'll also take you away from the here-and-now, where the fateful discussions and developments are still in the process of unfolding. If you're lost in your own head, you will be too apt to miss the subtle-but-ripe openings to reach a fuller grasp of the other party's position, to touch their soul with a radically frank confession, and/or to together clumsily muddle through the unexamined crannies of any stalemate until some cathartic integration is finally realized. You can't really be present with somebody else unless you immerse yourself in the moment you're sharing… and, during that integral time-outside-of-time (because, yes, time does real weird things when we're intensely interpersonally engaged), devote your fullest psychological effort to finding a meeting-place that adequately addresses both your interests. Be open to such moments bearing greater transformational prospects than anything you could come up with on your own.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Once Venus makes it to your relationship sector on Wednesday (Dec 7), Leo, you'll have an excellent chance to smooth over any interpersonal frictions which may've gotten stirred up during these past few weeks' worth of Mars inhabiting that same house (your solar 7th). When Venus is in your 7th, it naturally becomes much easier to attain a easygoing rapport with someone, to better understand their outlook and genuinely wish to behave in ways which suit it, and to value the mutual connection over the singular pursuit of one's individual interests. But though this is typically considered an auspicious relational astro-transit, you can go too far with it… if your desire to alleviate tension, demonstrate willingness to compromise, and/or make the other person happy inspires you to behave in ways that are inauthentic to who you genuinely are or what you sincerely want. With this week's Sun-Saturn conjunction in your 5th, you must, first and foremost, be true to yourself. If you're able to foster, finesse, or fix a certain relationship while simultaneously staying true to yourself, then go for it. If these two drives are in conflict with one another, alas, you should probably explore the dimension of this relational rift further, rather than rushing to superficially 'make it better'.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Just like we discussed last week, Virgo, ardently investing your everyday effort into the mundane chores, obligatory duties, and/or bodily self-tending rituals you hold full agency to impact is presently the best means for taking responsibility for your own well-being. It's a straightforward behavioral formula: You can effectively show your care for something by actually working for its betterment. (I probably don't have to explain that to you, right?) In this case, however, the 'something' you need to 'show care for' is you. With the Sun conjoining Saturn in your 4th, you're being tasked with prioritizing whatever will leave you more emotionally secure, nestled in a safe-zone where you're able to comfort yourself, and as fortified against feeling powerless as you possibly can… which you're likeliest to be successful at by simply doing work to concretely support these goals. Should you be put on the spot by someone who'd like to hijack your attention or otherwise intrude on this vital work, please feel free to tell them exactly what you're doing, and why—and then get back to doing it.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): It's your job, Libra, to be out and about amongst the people whose company you enjoy the most… initiating the social plans, offering strongly persuasive suggestions about what activities those plans should include, and taking care to visibly demonstrate your present-moment absorption in whatever they're discussing with you. It really doesn't matter if your own thoughts about your own life still aren't in quite the right shape for confident externalized sharing. It's also your job to continue squeezing the most joyous companionship out of your fellow earthlings even when your mind is consumed with other less-immediately-joyful preoccupations. This is a job which entails utilizing your keen conversational skills to head off any threatened turn toward topics you'd prefer not to delve into, without giving off any hint that you're intently trying to avoid such off-limits zones… but it's one which you're thankfully pretty damn skilled at. A main point to draw from this week's horoscope, then, is that you can (and should) still seek to fill your time with both entertaining pursuits and delightful people to pursue them with (maybe even a drop or two of romantic intrigue?), regardless of what else may also be going on in your life.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): This is one of those 'taking stock' junctures, Scorpio, where you step back from too much willful pressing-onward out in the world… and instead take a few moments to assess what you've got (e.g., in the bank, on your official list of earned skills and practical resources, up your sleeve for a rainy day, as a heart-quality you can always draw upon for grounding). Please understand this as a business-minded exercise in inventorying—in objectively assessing what you have and don't have—rather than an excuse to indulge in emotional self-shaming, should you need to confront a lack of something you really wish you possessed. Though your feelings may generally point you to circumstances that probably warrant some remedial attention, they won't give you an especially clear view of which actual functional details needs to be addressed, and in what specific business-handling fashion. You must be strive to look at this inventory without judgment, but merely as information to guide your next steps (especially on the money front). For the record, this task also involves not undervaluing or downplaying what you have earned, accomplished, and/or amassed. Excessive modesty is a self-defeating distraction when it comes to knowing your true standing.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): With the Sun conjoining Saturn in your sign this week, Sagittarius, the most basic advice I could give would involve simply being your best self. I know that's fairly general guidance, so let's put it in a broader context: During your week ahead, look for symbolic signs, critical crossroads, and/or situations which test your loyalty to your own stated intentions… any of which should be understood as encapsulating progress-marker glimpses at how well you're handling the heightened pressure to behave wisely, maturely, and/or with your longer-range aims constantly in mind, a result of Saturn's ongoing transit through Sagittarius (Dec 2014-Dec 2017). These most-relevant glimpses will present you a golden chance to acknowledge the progress you've worked to attain over these past couple years (since it's important to proactively recognize how we evolve over time)… and/or an excellent opportunity to make a gentle-but-firm course correction, should you now notice how a prior action led you to some currently dissatisfying circumstance. By the way, this self-reflective looking-around needn't be a solitary affair: Hearing what other people have to say about this moment's snapshot of your life could prove rather illuminating.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Keep your own economic stakes and/or other practical concerns first and foremost in mind, Capricorn, before you become too loose-lipped about your intentions with those who, despite offering their superficial blessings, may end up using all that information you're feeding them as justification to compete, undermine, and/or shit-talk. Please be discerning about who you tell what, since certain folks who aren't particularly aligned with your worldview are liable to (deliberately or not) pervert their perception of you to fit some narrative they're telling themselves, which may be neither accurate nor especially flattering. Though perhaps you wish it weren't the case, you probably do need to uphold a fairly firm boundary of self-protection… mainly in an effort to stay focused on the items of business that serve your earthly self-reliance, preserving as much of your energy as possible for your own use, by preventing the sort of unconscious leakages which occur when we allow incidental characters too far into our psychic field for no good reason. Casual conversation is not currently an appropriate venue for sharing your significant life-plans.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): I'm happy to report you'll be riding out the remainder of '16 with Venus in your sign, Aquarius… which means you can count on the rest of the world to respond to you with a modestly more agreeable, appreciative, or affectionate a reception than you'd otherwise enjoy. That's good news, right? Add the fact you've also still got two more weeks of Mars occupying your zodiac-sector, and you're well-positioned to finally receive some visibly encouraging results from any recent bold leads or self-advancing actions you've taken. That hopefully ought to offer you symbolic incentive to continue with what you've been doing, now that you'll be starting to see the early fruits of your labor. In the meantime, if, over these Venus-kissed weeks ahead, you also notice you're simply not getting anywhere productive, affirming, or fulfilling with certain friendships or social affiliations you'd already been questioning, this may be your pivotal moment to acknowledge the writing on that wall. That realization needn't cause some dramatic parting-of-ways, or even any outward encounter at all… merely awareness that, if an association isn't invoking especially good feelings even when Venus is on your side, it may have run its course.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): With Venus now joining Mars in your solar 12th (which I described last week), you're in an even more pronounced moment of anticipatory limbo than you already were, Pisces. This is neither a 'good' nor a 'bad' influence to be under, for the record… provided you rightly understand that its best expressions are oriented toward mindful pauses, careful hands-off observations, and/or mystical intention-setting exercises. In other words, please don't try to 'make things happen' out in the world. If it's really important to you, you should just quietly keep jazzing yourself up about it for now… and plan to launch into its real-life actualization once Mars hits your sign (starting Dec 19). However, though I discourage you from making efforts to advance any endeavors at this time, I do urge you to dutifully manage those undertakings and areas-of-responsibility which are already under your supervision—even if you suspect certain changes are swirling in the air and/or you might soon (for one reason or another) no longer be managing those duties. For now, it remains your obligation. Don't jump the gun by behaving like the next chapter is already here. Remember you're still in limbo.