Horoscopes | Week of March 20-26, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The week's somewhat volatile astrology situates you, Aries, in the center of its action… where you could serve as the unintended spark which sets a series of responses, retorts, and/or retaliations into motion, though having done nothing other than naturally being yourself. That Mercury-in-your-1st (an influence I described last week) is smashing right into the currently-ongoing T-square between Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto, turning every off-the-cuff exchange into a potential tinderbox of hasty conclusions, unwarranted extrapolations, and/or unforeseeable consequences. And you may well be the one who unwittingly throws the match that sets the whole thing off. Despite this possible volatility, however, I don't feel especially obliged to urge you to keep your mouth shut. Who says a healthy dose of excitational dynamism doesn't justify a few unsettling moments? Isn't that, in many ways, your role as a fire-starting Aries? The one context in which you might want to hold your tongue rather than 'naturally being yourself': whenever interacting with VIPs, managers, authority-figures, or officials who have the capacity to impose very undesirably disempowering 'consequences'.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don't seek from interpersonal dialogue or debate what's more a case for inner soul-searching, quiet observation, and/or devotional petition, Taurus. Beware of the misleading conviction which suggests the only honorable response to something that displeases or disturbs you is to loudly speak out about it. Those who hold a solid core of conscience know they needn't—in fact, mustn't—lurch or bluster at every provocation, lapse, or wrong. You will always find evidence of displeasing, disturbing behavior… and if this is a moral-authority marathon you wish to win (rather than the superficial sprint of keeping up proper appearances), you must reserve your energy for those moments when you're better equipped to argue your point, comprehend the ins and outs of someone else's competing argument (so you can adeptly take it apart), and control your temper. This is not one of those moments, in case you hadn't figured that out. What you can do really well right now, on the other hand, is cut private mystically-minded deals between you and (your version of) the Wise-and-Loving Universe to break down any unconscious barricades blocking you from fuller self-actualization.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There's both a liberating relief and a threat of hitting on some unforeseen nerve that comes from transparently airing your opinions and observations, Gemini, so all the contributing players can hear you with their own ears. No hearsay, no back-corner whispers, no assumptions. Of course, such unadulterated candidness will essentially take away your chance to craft particular variations of the message meant to appeal to particular sets of ears… forcing the opinions-and-observations to speak for themselves (rather than through a soft filter of person-specific spin), but at least getting 'em all out on the table. As far as the above-mentioned 'threat' is concerned, I think you'll probably have to accept there's no way to foresee what spontaneous remark or swift revelation is liable to tread on touchy ground. A certain leap of faith is required, insofar as any unexpectedly uncomfortable or intense responses you receive hold the very real promise of ultimately deepening an affinity or bond, provided the touchy parts are sufficiently worked through (not swept under the rug). However, if the affinity or bond was shaky in the first place… well, apparently that'll be 'on the table' now, too.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): No matter how cleanly you attempt to center all your public communications around the goal-at-hand and/or the management of any related responsibilities, Cancer, it's still likely that certain individuals may interpret your words as a direct threat to their existing position. But that's really not reason enough to abstain from sharing your thoughts… particularly when they may hold an innovative breakthrough or timely call-to-action that's just as likely to dazzle the big guns as it is to menace those who are (overtly or not) competing with you. Despite your protestations (voiced or internal), your audacious ingenuity does threaten them, though, let's be honest. The progressive changes you have in mind, if embraced and enacted, will necessarily alter their circumstances, too. But what's your other choice? Pass up a chance to propel your life ahead, fueled by your own go-getter enthusiasms, just to keep someone else appeased in their refusal to evolve? I thought you were trying to overcome those tendencies. Besides, the 'threat' you pose to their stagnation could actually assist their evolutionary progress… though don't expect them to be happy about it.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): With your eyes fixed out on that oh-so-bright horizon and your attentions happily hijacked by what's imminently coming up, Leo, it'll be very easy to stub a metaphorical toe on some stubborn stumbling-block right here where you are. Didn't notice the bumps on this ground you're still standing on? That's okay; thanks to the thump, you see 'em now. No reason to damper your overall enthusiasm, retreat to a safe-place, or cancel your plans. It's useful to learn where your eager interest in 'getting on with' your pursuit of this next adventure has overreached the bounds of realism… even if it means having to deal with dreaded chores, extenuating paperwork, uncompleted job-duties, and/or bodily-health concerns you'd prefer not to think about any more. Be suspicious of any self-generated impulse to devalue the importance of these relatively minor and/or context-specific to-do items, as if worrying about the so-called 'little shit' should come second to the 'really big stuff'. To live both satisfyingly and sustainably involves striking an equitable balance between the 'little' and the 'big'. A failure to consider one or the other will eventually cause a significant collapse, whether in satisfaction or sustainability.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Being this far 'in it' with a certain someone (and/or with your present fate inextricably tied to a certain situation), Virgo, you can plainly tell how hard it is to distinguish between (1) your wholly-independent viewpoint and (2) that which has been jointly created during this immersive process. We covered this a couple weeks back, when I'd advised you to quietly drop down into your own emotional truth, away from the influence of this person (and/or situation). We're coming back around now to reemphasizing an awareness of how 'my interests' and 'our interests' align, intersect, or clash… not from that quiet secluded room-of-one's-own, but while 'in it'. Look out for those vital moments when you suddenly realize you are on a similar page (even if you still describe it differently), you do appreciate how you've gradually influenced each other's thinking, and/or you want to be 'jointly creating' a life-vision. Of course, alternatively, the parallel contrasting realization(s) could abruptly emerge: You're tired of all this togetherness talking-and-thinking, you crave better interpersonal boundaries, and/or you miss being more autonomous.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Keep following last week's guidance to the letter, Libra, if you want the ongoing dialogue to yield a productive outcome (i.e., provide you the clarity required for 'taking the next step' or 'moving on'). With Mercury-in-your-7th conjoining wild-card Uranus and bouncing off both Jupiter and Pluto, this week's developments could bring a quantum-leap advance, thanks to one or both of you smashing through any stagnant tensions with a disclosure that suddenly puts everything into starker perspective. Or the sudden shift will merely manifest through one or both of you uttering shocking statements, reactionary outcries, or low-blow blow-ups which don't 'produce' anything other than more chaos or hard feelings. This latter possibility should be read, then, as a caution against you interjecting any hasty feedback if confronted by a surprise divulgence or otherwise backed into a corner: Your impulsive first-reaction just might betray more complicated emotional responses lurking deeper within you, as if it's more important for you to 'save face' than to respect what you've had with this person, even if it's in an unsettling transition.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): As long as you instinctively know your brave new idea is sure to work at least as well as the current solutions (if not so much better), Scorpio, then it probably is worth the potentially belabored or contentious conversation required to get other key players on board. Common sense ought to tell you that the more inventive, offbeat, and/or astoundingly simple-sounding your suggestions seem to those who are set in their ways, the harder it'll be to crack the hardened shell of their unexamined assumptions and get 'em to see the revolutionary value of a different way. I must warn you about this possible difficulty in recruiting the necessary support so that it doesn't come as a total shock, considering you might otherwise expect everyone else to be as authentically enthused about enhancing the efficiency and/or effectiveness of existing methods (because why wouldn't they be?!?). Their potential resistance could merely be an understandable first-reaction to 'too much, too soon'… or else they're taking your ambitious productivity-minded advances personally. To prove it's not 'personal', you may have to give 'em more personal attention than you otherwise would.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Startling live-wire revelations about your preferences spring forth, Sagittarius, through being so swift and extemporaneous with your utterances and realizations. It just popped up and bit me. Right in front of my nose this whole time, and just as obvious, if only I'd been able to see. But certain situations don't lend themselves as well to on-the-spot discoveries, which, though illuminating to you, could altogether rankle or stun the other person(s) who's witness to the eureka you can't un-divulge. In professional contexts, for instance, you might hope to stumble onto any new insights into your aspirations not while in the company of bosses or partners who'll be affected. Those are the kind of truths you'd probably want a few moments to digest—and to strategize the shrewdest, most considerate manner for sharing—before freely exposing. The same logic applies if your personal discovery will likely lead to you wishing to change the rules or patterns in a certain collaboration or coupling. Alas, you may not get the luxury of such foresight. As I said, these conversations can come on quick.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Suddenly coming to understand what your own emotional freedom looks like, Capricorn, can be a wildly thrilling and disorienting experience. For somebody so well-controlled, dutybound, and accountable to the protocols with which you were raised, you're lately turning over a new leaf radically based in deciding for yourself how a 'successful' life should feel. The relevant realizations may be broad in scope—an inner integrity-instinct you can no longer ignore, a line never to cross again, a defining value you choose to defend forevermore. Or they could play out through granting yourself relatively modest latitudes in not carrying out certain tasks, practices, or premises in the exact way you were trained to believe is 'just how it's done'. Whatever the case, please know there is no official announcement to be made… simply a different manner with which to carry yourself, looser, less inwardly beholden to 'official rules and regulations' of appropriate behavior, more intent on creating an unapologetically self-suiting home in the world. The only reason to openly talk about it? If you're challenged on your free right to disconnect from any ties that restrictively bind.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Unfettering yourself from aiming for particular social outcomes, Aquarius, will enable you to better enjoy the electrifying surprises of stumbling together upon common passions, complimentary ideas and aspirations, or conversational chemistry with a new acquaintance, longlost pal, or no-longer-so-strange stranger. It'll also increase the odds of inadvertently colliding with a side of someone else's personality you hadn't even known existed (and certainly didn't bank on meeting), when one or the other of you unsuspectingly veers into controversial and/or contested territory. That's the flip-side of surprises, though: You can't know what to expect, nor whether it'll prove delightful or upsetting. Which, of course, opens up the other increase-in-odds—that you'll become so unduly consumed with trying to steer clear of certain topics or triggers (while socially 'unfettering' yourself? how is that possible?), you end up manifesting the very outcome you'd wished to avoid, much in the way a so-called 'innocent' strives so hard to perform their innocence that they come off looking very guilty. And still, the high possibility of pleasant surprises lingers tantalizingly enough to justify the risks.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Don't indulge narrow thinking, Pisces, when it comes to how you manage your money situation and/or other practical considerations in your life. There may be an innovative solution or radical departure sitting right in front of your face, waiting to be acknowledged and deployed. There could be some do-it-yourself action you've hesitated to take until now, in fear of putting yourself so unabashedly out there. (Maybe asking for help is part of all this?) To bust out of a narrow outlook, you might even need to push beyond a potent stream of peer pressure (one that's perhaps not even fully visible to you) which would otherwise have you believing this (whatever 'this' may be) is not something 'people like us' (ahem) do. You can't worry about how handling your personal business however you feel you must will reflect on you in the eyes of folks (real or hypothetical) seemingly more interested in monitoring strict social conformity than supporting individualistic self-sufficiency. One caveat, though: If that 'innovative solution' or 'radical departure' happens to be incredibly financially risky or otherwise foolhardy, you might want to think it through a bit more first. Aren't sure? Ask your most responsible-but-not-uptight friend(s).