Horoscopes | Week of November 27-December 3, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): As Mars-in-your-7th opposes that still-up-in-your-kool-aid Uranus, Aries, the risk of unexpected, jarring, and/or explosive interpersonal conflict is unambiguously running high. I won't, however, deign to suggest this isn't as it should be. You may indeed have a valid point to press, stake to assert, and/or desire to satisfy which a certain relational dynamic is frustrating or thwarting… and it makes perfect sense to wish to battle on its behalf, even if it puts you at direct odds with that certain someone, with potentially irreversible consequences. The caution I'll issue, then, isn't about the heightened risk of conflict itself, but rather the moral or philosophic framework with which you're conceiving of this fight. Perhaps you don't hold the nobler understanding or higher-ground stance you think you do. Maybe this isn't as squarely black-or-white as you've told yourself, at least on any (ahem) 'objective' level. It could merely be case of what you want clashing with what they want… which, for the record, is no less worthy of fighting for. But should you express yourself as if you have some ethical superiority, you'll actually make your argument more vulnerable to effective critique.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Over these next few weeks, Taurus, how you calmly restate or archly defend, further expound upon or regretfully back away from, rescind or attempt to renegotiate the details of whatever delicate, difficult, and/or controversial matters were recently raised will powerfully determine the relative intensity and emotional tone of your entanglement in all this. Do you want to get further into it, because you see a more lucrative and/or psychologically rewarding future for yourself through cultivating this collaboration, even when the going gets tough? If so, keep at it please. Or are you trying to extricate yourself from a hands-tying situation, to buy yourself that brighter future through increasing autonomy? If you're seeking greater autonomous responsibility over your life, that necessarily warrants accepting accountability for your fair share of this self-hindering dynamic. By insistently including, implicating, or inciting the other party in the narrative you're pushing, you're only continuing to link your fate with theirs.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To clarify last week's horoscope, Gemini, any conversation with someone who's a critical collaborator, a long-term presence, or an involvement you're invested in developing further should be thought of an ongoing process, rather than some singular moment-of-reckoning followed by a passive sliding-back into don't-ask-don't-tell territory. With Mercury turning retrograde alongside Saturn in your one-on-one relationship house (the 7th), it'd be understandable if you were moved to amend a prior statement, say what you didn't say earlier, reply to the other person's thoughts with a seemingly changed mind, and/or wonder what the hell to do now. Please conduct these reworkings and reconsiderations aloud, in active dialogue with them and in full transparency, so that this process continues to provide you both more information about your evolving dynamic rather than less. The exception to this rule? If you're sure you want to separate from them, your Mercury-rx challenge is to not go back on your intention because continuing to talk to them may weaken your resolve.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Even as your mind grapples with logistical complications, health concerns, and/or hiccups in an everyday duty, Cancer, leave a bit of perspectival space for an expected emotional swell as the luminous Moon waxes toward its Sunday (Dec 3) fullness. During your hours of designated productivity, you'll probably want to stay focused on untangling a certain work-related knot, tending to your bodily needs, and/or maintaining steady rhythms even as obstacles or about-faces are thrown at you. But when you don't have something specific and timely to handle, I advise treating yourself with exceptional kindness and a gentle touch. Feelings could rise which rile you up or get you down, leading you to believe you must therefore do something as a response… though taking such an action is liable to upset that rhythmic steadiness presently required of you on the mundane plane. Like an unenlightened monkey-mind thought that penetrates into the meditative state you're attempting to achieve, such feelings should be greeted and honored without attachment… then allowed to float through your consciousness, and likely back out of it again, no responsive deed required for now.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): With Venus headed to your 5th by week's-end, Leo, one might presume you'll be collecting a lot more recreational giggles, romantic tingles, and/or artistically-inspiring sparks in the near-term. But while that presumption could well bear out to your liking, it probably won't happen as easily as it otherwise would if the conjoined unit of Saturn and a now-retrograde Mercury wasn't hovering in this same zodiacal zone. The upshot: Only certain people, places, and participations are liable to prove sufficiently pleasing to justify your attention (whereas ordinarily you might be able to happily make the most of nearly anything less than ideally enthusing)—and such appraisals of what's pleasing you could change from one day to the next, because you took a taste and didn't like it as much as you'd imagined and/or something better, different, or unexpected showed up. To be most authentic, then, you may have to issue a deferral or rejection so you don't waste your time on stuff you don't care about. If so, please be nice about it… and also, perhaps, somewhat tentative, should your assessment soon change once again.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Conceive of these next weeks of Mercury-retrograde-in-your-4th as your period of making sure, Virgo. You think you know how you feel—and you may well be correct—but you probably want to give those thoughts and feelings a fair chance to show their lasting-power over the course of a few more circumstantial developments and mood-shifts. It'll be hard not to begin taking actions which directly facilitate or hasten some decision you're now arriving at (for how else would practically-minded folks like you respond to a significant emotional awakening other than doing something constructive?). But don't be surprised if certain others who are intricately and/or intimately entwined in your life notice the drift of these latest actions… and are naturally curious about what they might mean for your intricately-and/or-intimately-entwined destiny. Are you ready to show them your cards yet, even as you're still discerning which to hold and to discard or how best to arrange them into a winning hand? Your actions speak, too.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): It's not always even what you say, Libra, but how you say it—or, perhaps even more precisely, your motive behind saying it at all. None of these general truisms should come as a big surprise to you, smooth social-being that you are. What is news, however, is your temporary inability to conceal the aims, intentions, and desires underscoring your every utterance, no matter how sharp your conversational game. With the double-whammy of (1) that Mars-in-your-1st facing off against disruptive Uranus, longtime resident of your relationship house, and (2) Mercury flipping to retrogradeness in your small-talk sector, you presently lack the controlled carriage and compromising attitude you typically bring to the table. My advice? Well, it really depends, again, on your motive. And if it's a self-assertive one, I strongly recommend being as direct as you possibly can. If you're trying to play someone like a fiddle, they will likely figure it out… and most folks don't like when they're being played. Actually, being more direct than usual about your doubts, misgivings, and mixed feelings is probably best, too, provided you leave room for further open-ended discussion.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): For the moment, imagine you are the Chief Operations Officer of the 'business' which is comprised of the various facets of your many-sided personality, Scorpio… and one of the most vital members of your team is currently experiencing a surge of anticipatory zeal about what's imminently headed down the pipeline. Obviously, this reservoir of enthusiasm will ultimately prove valuable to the 'business'. But in its immediate form, it mostly exists in a fantastical realm of images and ideals, still unbound by the rules and restrictions of concrete manifestation. (Harsher critics might describe it as somewhat manic, even.) Now, as a logistics-and-economics-minded executive charged with keeping this whole enterprise running, you'll want to (1) preserve this vital teammate's precious zeal by not trying to squelch it with punitive pragmatism, while simultaneously (2) urging them strongly to bide enough time to ground their dynamic vision with some moderating material-plane planning. Why? Because if this zealous facet of your personality did everything exactly as it wanted, right here and right now, it might sink the whole ship. Manage yourself accordingly.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Okay, Sagittarius, at the very end of the week, Mercury will be turning retrograde in your sign. You ought to know the drill by now—beware of careless communications, sloppy handling of details, and other transactional snags—and it wouldn't hurt to re-read last week's horoscope either. On top of the standard retrograde mischief, Mercury's also lingering in a protracted conjunction with Saturn, that planetary dispenser-of-reaped-results which is thisclose to wrapping up its nearly-three-year-long transit through Sagittarius… which tells us there's a direct connection between (1) how adeptly or ineptly you navigate these next few weeks, by responsibly managing your mouth and reading all the fine-print and not rushing impatiently through the particularities of life, and (2) how effectively you've risen to the challenge of 'growing up' (whatever that means to you) or ignorantly refused to heed the pressures to do so since 2015. In other words, your responses to the 'little shit' will speak volumes about your overall maturity and fitness. At least you'll have benefic Venus on your side (starting Fri Dec 1), making it easier to receive it all with a cheery attitude… or to gloss over any serious reality-checks with precariously happy avoidance.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Your whole outer-world existence remains an exercise in self-restraint, just as we discussed last time, Capricorn… even as this week's Mars-Uranus opposition across your 10th/4th goads you to respond snippily or impetuously to professional struggles, challenges with authority, and/or threats to your good standing. Please be aware that your reactive instincts will be extra-triggery, and not necessarily with precise relevance and/or in direct proportion to the actual struggle, challenge, or threat in front of you. All the while, your inner reflections are both (1) all over the map, as you look back on the recent months' losses and shakeouts from one angle and then another, (2) slowly cohering into a grand slate-clearing understanding of what you're leaving behind as a result of all that, in preparation to earnestly 'begin again anew' again. A snippy or impetuous response on your part now could needlessly change the playing-field once more, just as you're barely starting to regain your bearings.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): You couldn't possibly say all the right things according to all the people's judgments, Aquarius, or you'd be a rather bland and opinionless person—who, still, a certain population would find totally unlikable—and that's just not you. So please don't waste your breath trying to correct unfavorable impressions of you, properly qualify or contextualize statements which were taken wrong, or pretend you believe something other than you do, merely for the benefit of acquaintances, colleagues, or community-members who don't truly appreciate your vibe or share your worldview. It's okay to mindfully focalize your social energies on those who return the investment, whose presence and feedback rejuvenate and reinspire you, rather than sapping your source with efforts to woo or wow those who either don't give much back or actively hinder your confidence. For you to continue cruising along what appears to be an upswing, you certainly don't need others' flat, soggy, or discouraging influences weighing you down.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): The next chapter of your career-zone (and/or public-sphere) success won't be based in your being perfect, Pisces—doesn't everyone know how flawed and fallible each of us ultimately is?—but in how assuredly you handle the snafus, acknowledge any role you play (but not to the point of self-shaming), and keep on going. You can't afford to crumble or freeze when the road gets a little (or a lot) bumpy… nor can the organization and its members who are relying on you afford for you to dart out on your duties. Even in the likely face of financial pressures, adversarial feedback, and/or your own grave fears of disappointing other players, you've really got to give it your all. There are no guarantees you'll make it to your intended destination (for who knows what the fuck will happen along the way?), but, equally so, there's no guarantee you could continue to safely hang out too much longer where you're been. By that analysis, it's actually riskier to stay put than to give this onward-ho your best shot. Don't worry about apparent pace of progress (there's always an unexpected glitch), as long as you're moving.