Horoscopes | Week of April 24-30, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): A developing conjunction between still-retrograde Mercury and rabble-rousing Uranus in your sign, Aries, makes you something of a live wire this week—shocking, electrifying, creator-of-sparks, and a threat that could burn the whole place down if not handled with care. But that portrait I painted isn't entirely off-the-mark in describing your sign in general… if certain social mores or protocols of appropriate behavior weren't a productively restraining influence on your feral nature. To be clear, 'productively restraining' means I think there are good reasons (which I won't detail here) why we mustn't be as uncompromisingly fierce or fiery in every moment as we might wish. So, at a moment such as this when your usual self-restraints (i.e., whatever level of self-control you typically keep yourself tuned to) aren't buckled quite as safely-and-snugly, you'll be able to experience a much greater freedom of expression (which could feel so thrilling that you never want to hold yourself back again!)… and, at the same time, you'll be under a greater hazard of recklessly igniting some shit you maybe hadn't meant to set aflame.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): During yet another week when accidental utterances, swift reversals, or unanticipated newsflashes threaten to significantly alter your viewpoint, Taurus, please do your damnedest to make sure it's not your swashbuckling impudence, careless handling, or impatient temper which is the source of the jolt. Though none of these traits are especially characteristic of you under typical circumstances, your fuse is short right now—and the potential impact from letting it burn uncontrolled could be messier than you'd want, since it's unclear exactly what might explode in reaction. One way to talk yourself out of any hasty mouthings-off or retaliatory deeds: Think about how the possible ripples-of-consequence could hit your pocketbook, your standing in relation to a key partner (who might suffer collateral damage), and/or your credibility among anyone watching how you conduct yourself. A less-risky way of playing out this astrology is to let someone else commit the startling deed or declaration… and to allow it to startle you, whether happily or disappointingly, into a perspective-transforming epiphany.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): No matter how you spin your message, Gemini, your attempts to speak with the delicate finesse that'll yield the broadest appeal for your ideas still won't come off as diplomatic in tone as you might like. The current conditions of communicator-planet Mercury (retrograde and conjunct Uranus) make it likelier that any preferences, partialities, or partisan blindspots will emanate through your words and into the public arena whether intended to or not. Though this isn't especially good news if you're trying to play to the middle or soften your sharpest positions beneath a cloak of phrasings-which-pander, such inadvertent revelations of your truest sentiment can ultimately work to your benefit (after the initial phase of uneasy vulnerability). Fragile relational bonds which might otherwise be predicated on steering clear of certain topics perhaps won't survive this uncensored peek into your mind, but should you be censoring yourself to protect a connection not strong enough to weather the truth of your differences? Those worth protecting, on the other hand, can surely accommodate further discussion about anything you might've handled indelicately.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your loose lips may not sink the entire ship, Cancer, but they could well ratchet up any underlying tensions between you and those with commanding influence. Mercury retrograde joins Uranus in your 10th, a combination that can incite unwitting public blunders, professional missteps, and/or the unexpected dissemination of some offhand statement you hadn't meant for everyone to hear. Of course, this same astro-influence could instead bring a sudden malfunction, rearranging, structural change, or urgent public-relations matter unrelated to anything you did wrong… but nonetheless your response will be critical to whether it's ultimately handled with panache, or if the 'solution' ends up being worse than the original problem. Whatever the case, you'll have to think on your feet, while still keeping them firmly planted on the ground. Though possible fixes or best-ways-forward may magically pop into your head, you should slow the process between 'brain-flash' and 'outward divulgence' enough so that you can properly vet any idea, walking yourself through the steps of how it would actually work.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Though this whole extended moment may feel like little more than a bunch of second-guessing self-doubt, Leo, it's in fact your golden chance to work out any kinks in your current life-directional course. I don't necessarily recommend sudden immersion in a far-reaching program that promises to 'put everything into perspective', last-minute unplanned-for departures to impractical and/or exotic destinations, or any abrupt turn which drops you off the radar that's been tracking a certain progress. Yet, the impulse drawing you to such divergences isn't random. That hunger for an infusion of re-inspiring determination from some radical rerouting is your clue that something about a current activity or involvement is probably sapping your inspiration, or you wouldn't be looking for greater meaning elsewhere. Though blindly following this sort of impulse could bring more chaos than clarity, paying attention to it might be a good next-step in addressing whatever's creating this undercurrent of discouraging discontentment. (Unless your problem is impatience, in which case you'll just have to wait.)

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Who can you continue to develop intimacy, trust, depth, and a mutually profitable future with, Virgo? Whose psychological tangles or unhealed wounds may be obstructing the progress? Before you point either a longing or a blaming finger at anybody else, start by assessing how answers to these questions might apply to you. Your subject-position in this is not 'observer', but 'co-participant'. I wonder if it's even possible to separate your behavior from its interplay with the whole dynamic you're playing out with this person (or entity). However, your feelings remain your own… and they alone can expertly guide this latter phase of a process that's already been underway for a couple months. The only specific 'outcome' to push towards: to the next chapter, conclusively, whatever it may be. This week, notice how any surprise disclosures or sudden turns in the conversation rouse a particular feeling in your body (e.g., excitement, dread, shame, relief, hope). Would you want more of what this glimpse-of-emotion appears to promise, should you carry on in this arrangement together?

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): If you are faithfully seeing this conversation through, Libra, this could be a momentous week in its unfolding… due, specifically, to a pressure having built up to such a degree that certain sentiments or pieces of relevant information simply cannot be held back any longer, and so they come rolling forth in a single spontaneous blurting-out. Obvious follow-up questions: Who's been the one holding something back, the other person or you? Why has this particularity been held back until now? And, perhaps most critical to how your week ends up, was the 'spontaneous blurting-out' a conscious intent (on your or their part) to courageously move forward into greater transparency—or did it slip out in anger, fear, panic, or self-defense? This last bit really does go far in determining whether the week's momentousness is a breakthrough or a breakdown… mainly because it profoundly matters whether you mutually intend to share more about yourselves with each other (even if it happens clumsily and/or brings a temporary sting) or if one of you, in a heated moment, gets exposed in your ongoing withholding.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Roll with the methodological snafus, mechanical breakdowns, and/or bodily hiccups, Scorpio, rather than overreacting with a jerky expression of restless insistence, accusatory criticism, or brute force. Just because your operative capacity to 'make it work' with the technique or timing you'd hoped for may become frazzled or foiled, that's not an invitation to jeopardize the whole project or program with a hasty Merc-rx-conjunct-Uranus response. While an abrupt departure from the existing approach might indeed prove warranted, it wouldn't be wise to seek such a breakthrough by frantically trying out possible fixes under the immediate heat of duress… not without a critical few-moments' pause, to consider what else might potentially get forgotten, mangled, or destroyed in the process, as an undesired side-effect. It'd be better not to advance quite as quickly or efficiently—despite the inconvenience and irritation—than to miscalculate a supposed solution and end up getting knocked back a step or four. Even in light of the likely need for improvised innovation, whatever you do shouldn't lose you any solid ground.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): What sounds attractive, appealing, or enjoyable in an excitedly frisky moment, Sagittarius, may or may not be especially well-suited to the person you're in the hard-earned process of becoming. Well, is it or isn't it? Just inserting that question into your consciousness now—rather than letting a heated impulse, despite its tempting allure, carry you away on its jet-propulsive thrust—ought to be enough to at least force a pause in advance of any diving-in. And once the question's been asked, you'd be willfully thoughtless not to ponder potential answers… including one (or more) which might allow you to somehow moderate or modify an otherwise risky behavior or over-the-top pursuit so it doesn't disrupt your longer-term trajectory. Though of course your horoscope applies specifically to this week's astrology, there is a more broadly applicable lesson to be learned here: You can simultaneously rein yourself in, to a fair degree, and still let loose in celebration of life's in-the-moment pleasures and possibilities. It all boils down to learning how to constructively impose that reflective pause at the appropriate moment of your decision-making.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Who knows what exactly might prompt your sudden rethinking, Capricorn… but it's a wonder of human perception and sense-making that we could attentively gaze at the same situation for so long and then, one day, spontaneously see something about it that changes our entire perspective forevermore. That's the sort of private-processing 'eureka!' which your week's astrology undeniably favors. However, the very fact of my reporting this to you might inspire you to hunt far and wide for a new insight—and that could cause you to miss it, just the way some folks have the hardest time forcing their eyes to adjust their focus so it reveals the optical illusion they're so desperate for a glimpse of, while others' eyes naturally fall into it. Your best bet for 'seeing' it will come from a simple commitment to pay close attention, during the week ahead, to any observation (whether straight-on or through peripheral vision) which spurs a double-take, a novel inquiry, or a fresh interpretation of the scene. Don't cling to it; just notice how it opens a new channel of understanding. Explore this channel on your own first, before discussing its potential ramifications with anyone.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): In any and every situation, please don't forget who you're talking to, Aquarius. As authentic as one can possibly be in the world, we still automatically present certain angles of our being to certain people based upon who they are to us. That is natural human behavior for anybody who is empathetic, responsive, and considerate to others. During a week when retrograde Mercury is even more erratic in its unpredictability, however, you could easily become so caught up in a lively or stimulating interaction, you hastily overlook the specific traits and/or social-identity qualifiers which characterize the other person(s) you're interacting with… in the process, haphazardly stepping on toes or offending sensibilities without the slightest intent to do so, merely because you were really into going on and on about your experience, understanding, or opinion. The behavioral possibility I just described wouldn't be some horrible transgression, of course, in the right company—in fact, it's just how free self-expression works when you're among friends. With the wrong folks, though, it could altogether demolish that moment's rapport… maybe even permanently burn a bridge, depending on who you're talking to.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Beware of just jumping in with help, Pisces, before stopping to consider how else you would otherwise use those resources. What self-supporting project or purpose of yours won't get the time, attention, energy, and/or financial investment you'd instead spend on playing the hero? I pose that question to deliberately frame your considerations against the limits of earthly reality and the corresponding need to allocate assets wisely: If you put your 'money' (literal or proverbial) in one place, it cannot simultaneously be in another place. You could sprinkle small bits here and there, of course… but will spreading that contribution around too thinly leave it insufficient for doing much good anywhere? Hopefully, by even raising this issue, I'll inspire you to think twice. Please remember, again: You are trying to accomplish something of unquestioned personal importance out in the world, while this unanticipated circumstance (whatever it may be) might only be a relatively minor blip on the big-picture radar. Devote your valuable resources to what you're now proving is most valuable to you, on an ongoing basis.