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Horoscopes | Week of November 6-12, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Fast, clear-cut, and decisive doesn't equal comprehensive or thorough, Aries. Certainty can prove a dangerous trap, as it willfully blocks out all interloping insights that risk reminding us of the infinite incompleteness of any singular subject-position. You can do better than a nimble and defiant nipping-in-the-bud… not because you owe anybody anything more than that (or do you?), but in deference to your own actively-broadening awareness that other stuff can happen when you don't rush to slam doors, cut ties, or make your mind up. The fear you may lose something by sticking around a confusing spot too long is but one side of this perceptual coin. Perhaps there's also wisdom to gain, intimacy to share, or some hidden treasure to unearth, should you wait and watch and stumble or sputter or speak what's true, unsaddled by the self-imposed pressure to assert some supposedly worthiest version over every other. You're likelier to 'go wrong' by going anywhere else at the moment. The best rewards are sitting right here, albeit not in obvious view.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're at an amazing juncture, Taurus, in terms of what you can learn about your ongoing relationship patterns (and we're not just talking 'romance' here)… where you've held yourself back or fallen short in sharing your soul, what you gain from compromising or collaborating, how you directly improve the quality of others' lives through your presence and they yours, and what you might do even more of in the weeks to come to build on your successes. This is as close to an ideal moment for taking interpersonal risks—stepping closer, offering more, putting your heart even further on your sleeve—as you're going to get. At the same time, if you're not consciously attuning to thoughtful self-reflection, you'll be under high threat of overpowering a relational dynamic by fixating on the other person, what they have or haven't been doing, and what more you need from them… or else excessively accommodating their needs, while quietly resenting the sacrifice. Should those impulses crop up, please turn the focus back on yourself: No matter what they may be up to, you still play a critical part in how this is going down—and there's surely a lesson in it for you, if you're courageous enough.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To be your best self in any relational dynamic, Gemini, you must be careful not to tell the other person anything you won't be able to comfortably honor. Don't mistake this as some elementary piece of advice on the virtues of being truthful. You needn't hold a dishonest or deceptive intent to speak a spontaneous heartfelt sentiment that gives someone the wrong idea about your longer-range desires or overriding place-in-the-world. It could be your own passing devaluing of some conviction, aspiration, or attribute you possess that spurs you to behave as if this momentary interpersonal connection is more important than presenting a fuller version of yourself they might not like as much. Or perhaps you're somewhat ambivalent about how seriously to treat the potential ramifications of being held, to the letter, of whatever you say. If you're already wondering whether you'll have to cover your tracks, eat your words, or perpetuate a shifty or evasive posture once you've told them what they want to hear, maybe you should stop short of talking yourself into that corner.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There's lots to take pleasure in these days, Cancer, with only more to come… and at least one throbbing emotional ache, nagging inner irritant, or axe-to-grind that won't seem to let you forget it. Both, at the same time. No reason to choose. In fact, to do so would be to behave disingenuously with yourself, as if enough revelry or diversion could possibly erase that justifiably acute current of discontentment or hurt, or that somehow you'd be betraying your darker feelings by daring to have a little (or more-than-a-little) fun. An honest and aware existence necessarily comes with this whole damn menagerie of conflicting sense-messages, sometimes shuffling between bliss and despair in a matter of mere minutes, because life and death and joy and pain and love and hate all reside here together—and it shouldn't be any other way. Soldier through each difficult moment, knowing you've got plenty else in store besides just this and, in the meantime, it's critical to feel through what isn't so great. Savor the lovely moments, too, for they are food for your soul-strength… and you deserve a bounteous feast.

LEO (July 23-August 22): Look at this as a bright turning-point in the emerging realization that your inner comfort is just as important a consideration, Leo, as whether anyone else truly gets where you're coming from. Your best attempts at evoking in others an understanding of your present emotional reality may be hopelessly doomed to their mangled interpretation, which could easily result in an oddly snippy exchange or a tiff over some minor detail that really doesn't matter… not because either of you have anything but the kindest of intentions, but due to the irresolvable truth that, when it comes down to the core of our individual experience of this wacky reactivity-laden existence, we are each utterly alone in our perceptions. Don't take my pointing this out as an excuse for cynicism, though. It can be intensely freeing to, again, acknowledge how little control you have over the stories other people will tell themselves about your maneuvers or motivations. What better reason to pivot attention back to your own narrative structuring… and to imagine what specific turn-in-the-tale might deliver you to a more recognizably comfortable place in the months to come?

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Saying less will naturally create more distance, Virgo. It's up to you whether that's an advisable aim on your part. The answer should depend on what's most supportive of your continually-improving emotional health. Do you need more autonomy, in order to responsibly differentiate your innermost desires from the psychic pull of a certain someone's sway over your feelings, dutiful as are you to keeping them comfortable and content? Or do you crave greater connectedness, a relationally-rooted reprieve from the existential isolation of quietly bearing all burdens by yourself, which would necessitate an active reaching-out? If you sense you're coming to a realization that might put you at odds with a central character in your life, it may be momentarily helpful to allow a distance to open up, so you might further probe your most-pertinent feelings without the pressures of immediately worrying about theirs. But if a too-familiar refrain of lonely, hopeless, lost, or stuck has again reasserted its presence, staying distant is probably the last instinct you ought to indulge.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Watch your bodily impulses and rhythms, Libra, during this week when subtle energetic stresses or strains could sneak up on you and sap your stamina. Haven't you noticed yourself operating at a more initiative-demanding frequency? Did you really think your recently-intensified productive capacity doesn't come at a potential cost? Your physical self can't help but follow that basic equation of earthly functionality: Only a certain amount of concretely usable resources is available for you to draw from, and you have to both budget their utilization accordingly and account for when and how those coffers will be replenished. It's probably time to take stock of what's left, and to divvy it up based on prioritized levels of urgency and significance, rather than continuing to tirelessly borrow against rapidly-depleting stores. But lest you rashly conclude this is a recipe for decreasing dividends, please think again. You are rich with all you need to persist… provided you spend it in all the right places, in moderate doses, and with the understanding that shrewdly forgoing certain activities would signal 'success' rather than 'failure' on your part.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): With Venus jazzing up your sign with its irresistible allure for these next few weeks, you'll be in an even better position to work your connections, woo your admirers, and charm your way into promising favor, Scorpio. Having both benefics now batting for your team (the other being Jupiter) is as if bearing a blessing of celestial accentuation: Your every effort at making a good impression will be helped along, amplified, even exaggerated in its outward impact by this jet-stream of synergistic support. I must counter this good news, then, with a warning against overshooting your mark. Don't underestimate the strength behind even your smallest gestures, like an athlete who slams the game-ball way out of bounds, performing like a powerhouse but miscalculating your aim. Mars still occupying your 12th continues to make me a bit nervous, for it can foster somewhat unrealistic understandings of what's concretely possible… and thus further inspire you to misjudge how far is too far. Under the potential excesses of this ultra-'fortunate' astrology, a little goes a long way.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Much of what's now happening around you, Sagittarius, may appear to be more directly relevant or applicable to your imminent destiny than it in fact is. The level of performative spectacle is running pretty high in a certain milieu you belong to, and it probably seems essential you get yourself on the record as clearly taking a side. But the rhetorical impulse to sound off is largely a social-intellectual one on your part… and while it may feel fleetingly freeing for you to tell everyone what you think, there's also a harder-to-detect undertone of reluctance, uncertainty, or doubt about how such hard-line stances may impact you emotionally. Let me gently suggest you might be harboring a faint current of disappointment, regret, or grief about what you must personally give up by being so opinionated or outspoken. Is this reason in itself to change your methods of eager engagement? Not at all. (It's hard to imagine you suddenly not having strong opinions or choosing to keep them quiet.) But maybe certain hot-button issues (which aren't actually that personally pertinent to you) don't require your weighing-in… because, perhaps, you'd rather save yourself from an underlying upset.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Though it's likely you're still contending with heightened demands, stresses, or power-struggles in your professional (and/or public-world) zone, Capricorn, please don't let the weight of that on your shoulders cause you to overlook the camaraderie, friendship, and support that's all around you. You needn't fuel any distorted self-perception that you alone bear this responsibility, you must rely solely on your own indomitable capabilities, and nobody could possibly understand the burden you're carrying. You may really be that competent and dependable, and you still wouldn't need to insist on assuming every last bit of emotional accountability. Let's be clear, the impulse to take it on all yourself is at least partly motivated by the feeling-need to spare everyone else the worry. But thankfully, you aren't facing this alone. Even if the buck does stop with you, there are right now caring and trusty folks nearby who are both willing and able to actively help, to listen and affirm, to vent at or commiserate with, to reflect back at you what you maybe aren't seeing… and to witness you, as ally or co-conspirator, in your full splendor and glory.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): As Venus moves into your 10th to join Jupiter for a double-dose of public-sphere beneficence, make your mark as someone with an explicitly principled vision for the future, Aquarius. In assuming a leadership stance (whether it's yours by assigned position or you've taken it upon yourself to model a certain type of exemplary behavior), please don't take for granted that everyone is operating under the same guiding premise. Articulate the reason(s) aloud, as if to restate what all parties should already know about what you're jointly doing (minus any haughty tone which implies it ought to be obvious)… adding your subtle touch of extra-inspirational marketing spin, in hopes it might stir a comradely commitment amongst your colleagues to stay this course, for the purpose of creating something better than what's come before. Your own authoritative advantages will stem from your visibly embodying a fearless embrace of the new, the unknown, the beyond—and all the graceless stumbling that comes with it. (Just don't forget to ask yourself what specifically you're going to get out of it.)

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Any unrelenting relics of the Mars-in-the-8th urge to fight, that impulse to go in for the kill and not stop battering until blood is drawn, may not legitimately belong to you, dear Pisces. Not to imply you can't hold your own in a battle of wills, but I wonder whether you aren't just responding in kind to combative instincts that don't originate in your heart. Your future sense of either moral relief or nagging regret may hinge on whether you kicked someone when they were down or resisted that vengeful act… reflexively played your part in some pre-scripted tale of star-crossed accomplices or saw beyond the formulaic tropes and improvised a more original ending to this scene. There must exist the sincere promise of a rosier outcome if it's even worth imbuing your next move with such emotion. If you'd merely be posturing, threatening, one-upping, or causing retaliatory harm, the expense of psychic energy will far outweigh any fleeting glee. Save it for whatever's coming up, a next great hope, and/or better-suited to your life-goals than this.