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Horoscopes | Week of September 11-17, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You did get my memo from last week, right? Just making sure you're following the very clear instructive, Aries, that it's time to get to work. It would be unfortunately way too easy to pretend you cannot hear this call, considering a happy-in-your-5th-house Venus is forming fire trines to both Saturn and Uranus this week… inviting you to thoroughly enjoy even more of whatever most genuinely warms your cockles, even as you've already had a plenty generous dose of it recently and now must attend to an increasingly urgent stack of errands, assignments, and obligations. So, while I won't tell you to altogether pass up any chances to affirm your love of life (and of those individuals and/or interests which make it so damn wonderful), you can't afford to let these pleasures dominate your week. Nor should you dare try to rush through your work, cut corners, or settle for lower-quality results, just because you'd rather be lounging with your sweetie or playing foosball. You've presently got the planetary goods to masterfully attack this load-of-labor to great effect, please know—as long as you don't lose your patience, your temper, or your focus.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The answer to your most recent problems (at least in the short-term) continues to involve affirming that which you value and cherish, Taurus, rather than pessimistically fixating on what has hindered, harmed, or disheartened you. This is not mere 'think positive' lip-service. On the heels of your hyperemotionalizing encounter with an unsettling insight you can't un-know, here comes an unreservedly rich and fertile phase of creative reinvention. Over the weeks to come, you'll hold an exceptional capacity to build atop whatever's been cleared out, as a result of now having acutely felt its incompatibility with your inner well-being, a new-and-improved version that better reflects your distinctive personality. But I recommend you build it brick by brick, with industrious care, and not rush to fill the empty spaces with makeshift fixes or cheap construction. Furthermore, I'd make sure you know exactly what you're working with… which means conducting a precise inventory of those most-critical ingredients of your happiest life that you already possess right now. Take stock of what you've got, in order to lift your spirits; if you keep cataloguing what you've lost, you'll only feel lacking.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Piggybacking on last week's edition, I'd be wary of trying to convince yourself 'everything's cool' when perhaps it's not quite so placid beneath your surface, Gemini. Though the easiest or most natural pathway through your week might seem to involve keeping up appearances and/or not rocking the boat, you may be underestimating the magnitude of certain emotional waves now cresting within your inner sanctum… and which, if left unchecked while you attempt to play it outwardly cool, could come crashing to the shore at a most inopportune moment and flood a supposedly unremarkable exchange with misplaced upset. Don't, therefore, turn your back on your internal currents, as if you're somehow more powerful in your self-control than these cresting tides. Please respect the potent feelings churning around inside you (even if you think you're being ridiculous and/or ought to be able to talk yourself out of your response-instincts)… and please treat yourself, as their living vessel, with the gentle self-protectiveness you deserve. If these feelings demand expression, take some time to figure out how to articulate them most accurately, rather than prematurely leaking an imprecise version that'll only unduly disconcert and/or confuse those who witness it.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It presently behooves you to keep the dialogue open, Cancer, rather than falsely assuming you know what the 'correct' outcome (whether in terms of your interests or some abstract conception of ethical righteousness) should be. Though you may believe you have a pretty good notion of where this all going and/or what certain players ought to receive as the most-fair effect of their actions or ideologies, you'll curtail or altogether shut down a still-productive exchange by prematurely imposing that self-decreed notion onto this interactive process. As long as you keep the talking going, you're essentially exposing yourself to an unqualified wealth of additional information being fed to you by sources who might not even know how valuable their offhand remarks or petty gossip might prove to be. On your end of the communications, meanwhile, you probably ought to strive to not jump too far ahead… to stay with each latest development or gain-in-knowledge as it transpires, certifying its validity with ungrasping follow-up questions, holding back too much free-flow commentary (other than what's needed to preserve their trust), and quietly thinking a lot about what's been said before taking any action.

LEO (July 23-August 22): This is your chance to pivot your attention back towards practical matters, Leo, but without slipping into 'sellout mode' (i.e., agreeing to participate in a role or routine that feels disingenuous to your true self) in an effort to prove your worth to those who may or may not have your best interests at heart. Because you're still holding certain astrological advantages, you should be able to present folks with realistic possibilities in which you both satisfy your earthly needs (and/or those of some larger enterprise) and retain the liberty to shine your brightest light out into the world, without having to don an ill-suited guise or pretend to be 'just like anyone else'. If you wisely decide to make such a proposal at such a fortuitous moment, however, please don't spontaneously wing your pitch. Go into any finance- or business-related conversation with the one or two points you hope to score clearly and concisely identified in advance, and keep returning to them whenever another party diverts, deflects, or distracts. Even if they are a decent person or trustworthy colleague, their stake in this is quite distinct from yours… and they may, consciously or not, attempt to curb your self-serving enthusiasm for motives or reasons you can't see or understand.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): With Mercury and Mars conjoining in your sign this week, Virgo, you'll be wielding a remarkable union of 'mind' (Mercury) and 'might' (Mars)… which means your ideas and analyses will come across strong and self-assured (though maybe also with a bit of a sharp edge), evidencing that you've thought about what you intend to do while concurrently demonstrating a willingness to put action behind your words. Though this is a winning combination that helps you take fullest advantage of this notably productive period, it might strike certain naysayers or nervous-nellies as too much. They may be oddly intimidated by your obvious masterfulness, and/or feel threatened by how your developing deeds will affect their lives. Perhaps you won't immediately see, know, or understand their reaction—and that could pose a risk to your potential reception, particularly if you've shifted from 'holding pattern' to 'full steam ahead' pretty quickly. However, Venus lands in your sign early next week, increasing the chance your efforts will be welcomed with open arms. For this week, then, you might flash them an unmistakable glimpse of your cards… but without full-on bombarding anyone with an overload of your plans and proposals and points-of-view.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Because all the most progressive action in your life will now be transpiring behind the scenes for the next little while, Libra, you must therefore be shrewd enough not to jump or dart or otherwise react too resoundingly based on what you're seeing out in the world. I won't go so far as to categorize these visible external developments as 'mirages' or other signs of the unreal (because, well, I do mostly believe in the existence of a concrete reality), but I will tell you not to trust you understand what they mean to you. Determinations of 'good' or 'bad' luck you make related to any such outside event, at this particular point in your life, would be short-sighted and potentially inaccurate. Add to that a temporary decrease in your capacity to effectively steer yourself in the (ahem) 'right direction' in response to what you think is going on out there, and you've got a perfect recipe for misguided action. So, despite all temptations, keep concentrating on the behind-the-scenes stuff you know you need to deal with at the moment… all while practicing a mindful self-discipline, based in the faith that you'll be okay if you don't 'do something' about what appears to be happening outside your immediate sphere-of-consciousness.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Take active steps to reach out to those friends, colleagues, or community-mates, Scorpio, who presently show the greatest promise of being true to their word, loyal in their allegiance to the common cause or shared objective, and clear about who they are and aren't. Your aim in this, for the record, would be to either build new bridges or test the current efficacy of already-existing ones… and I urge you to do this, in part, as a technique to counteract any rising impulse to aggressively or vindictively come after someone else who's proving to be unreliable, inauthentic, or deceptive. Despite whatever feelings you're harboring, it'd be wiser to constructively validate those social relations that'll continue to serve you for this next length of time than to expend your energy on criticizing or antagonizing the folks who've shown their limitations or let you down. Keep this in mind as you probe the latest thinking of your most-promising allies, especially when it comes to discussing those characters you aren't so keen on. Don't, for instance, assume they share your unfavorable opinions. Instead, be conservative in how you dole out remarks about other players; let your chums lead any such conversations, while you collect info.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): You're at a rather impactful reputation-building moment, Sagittarius… which also means you don't have a ton of room for error, in terms of what you're putting out into the public discourse. Because you face certain expectations that you'll intentionally model a type of outward leadership which best aligns with your truest ambitions and ideals, it doesn't seem like you have the choice to ride this moment out 'doing nothing' (although why would you squander this golden opportunity?). At the same time, you must be careful not to overshoot any marks, overstate your capabilities, or exaggerate the current conditions. It'll prove more advantageous to assuredly attain more modest gains, without having to stretch already-strapped resources to a potential breaking-point or fake it in hopes you'll make it, than to reach too far for a lofty goal that's still several steps away and end up falling short. By sticking to what you're sure about (because you have the facts, experience, and/or an established process to back it up), you can be more confidently assertive in your carriage… and others will take note accordingly.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Now is the right time to work through any integrity-related stumbling-blocks, Capricorn, and/or to fight, with the utmost intellectual rigor you can muster, on behalf of what you find the most uprightly correct way forward. This recent phase of productively dwelling in the uncertainty, holding space for others' differing takes or divergent interests, and inviting this enmeshment to organically amass its messiness is indeed, at last, coming to its close. In its place arrives the follow-up task of 'cleaning up' your direct involvement… a call for you to start more emphatically asserting the decisions you've made about what matters most to you, so all this will ultimately prove to have been 'much ado' about something (rather than nothing). Though this is essentially a matter of you laying down whatever line(s) you refuse to cross, I wouldn't recommend flatly and firming drawing that line in the sand in one fail swoop. Instead, conceive of this process as unfolding over several weeks, inch by inch, as a carefully-laid-out case. For the immediate moment, it's enough to proudly present a pillar or two of your overall vision for what you do value… as a prelude to later stating what you won't stand for any longer.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Nothing's necessarily 'off-limits' when engineering your next moves in whatever delicate negotiation, gut-wrenching conversation, or intimacy-building exercise is beginning to consume a larger chunk of your attention, Aquarius. That isn't an invitation for you to fight dirty or maliciously cause another person harm, let me be clear… though it is meant to spur you to consider everything that's at play, including the other party's psychological makeup and how it likely impacts their motives, methods, and modes-of-conduct. In other words, don't be naive in assuming anyone else will proceed as fairly or faithfully as you would—and, therefore, be doubly sure to cover your ass (instead of revealing its every dimension in some show of unmitigated generosity). Likewise, don't pretend away the existence of your own emotional triggers (under a mistaken belief that you're always impeccably reasonable), only to expose yourself to their certain provocations and end up reacting like a lunatic right when it least serves you. By telling you nothing's off-limits, I'm encouraging you to look at any other person's entire self in your assessment of the situation—and yours as well—instead of unwisely expecting its handling will be limited to only directly relevant details.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Don't be afraid to let your discontent with a certain someone (and/or with the usual interpersonal dynamics you enable with your behavior) come all the way up, Pisces. This is an exceptionally appropriate time for addressing what isn't functioning to your satisfaction in a key relationship, clarifying your expectations of another person, and/or fighting for what you want out of all this even if it puts you at odds with a certain someone. However, the astrology undeniably favors some tactics over others. For example, a flagrant display of undifferentiated emotion (even if justified) is less likely to get your concerns legitimately heard by the other person than a well-thought-out detailing of specific illustrative instances, coupled with a reasonable proposal of some potential remedy. Likewise, you must rise to the challenge of meeting their objections—which could be craftily phrased to shift the subject and/or bait you into a hysterical response—by capably holding your focus on that which matters to you. If you want to achieve a tangible advance, stick close to the immediate aim(s) you defined… and steer clear of rhetorical turns that'll make this an impossible-to-parse referendum on the everythingness of everything between you.