Horoscopes | Week of February 5-11, 2007

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You want an invigorating change of pace, don't you? Then go ahead and use your week to be completely irrational, a bit escapist (if you don't do anything too self-endangering), and even maybe a smidgeon less productive than usual. The planetary business in your 12th is all about enjoyment of bizarre activities that represent a total (though not permanent) departure from the usual state of affairs. Oftentimes, 12th-house astro-action impels us to get away from the rest of the world… so, in that state of seclusion, we can unzip our ego-skins and step out as nothing more than a beam of light. However, in your case, Aries, you'll be able to achieve the same condition while still among a group of friends or peers—simply by opting out of offering opinions, attempting to steer the ship, or caring what happens. The 'change of pace' is the freedom of just following along, going with the flow, virtually disappearing as a distinct entity… and being profoundly content with whatever. Of course, if don't consciously decide to seek out a little excitement, you might find yourself in the midst of some drama. That's your less-aware alter ego creating the excitement in another way; don't play like you're innocent in it, even if you don't quite understand your role in instigating.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This week is an excellent occasion for showing your favorite people how much you cherish their company… but not in the typical, predictable fashion. Trust me, your pals totally love it when you're at your zaniest. And with your ruler Venus conjunct Uranus in your 11th, it's all about reveling in the wilder side of your friendships. Plan a crazy evening out on the town with your loudest-and-loopiest guys or gals, or throw together an assortment of your motleyest crew, and watch 'em bounce off each other. Your goal should be to feel the least uptight possible… with not a single concern about what you've shown to whom. If the booze is flowing too freely, there's also the potential to get all gushy and silly, telling them all how much you love 'em (which, quite honestly, you shouldn't have to be drunk to do). As you've been reading this horoscope, Taurus, have any particular relationships popped into your head that wouldn't fare well in such devil-may-care circumstances? Take note of whomever in your life is the party pooper, the buzzkill or the unnecessarily squeaky wheel. Either you can get 'em to lighten up now… or they're sort of a lost cause, and you'll probably feel relieved to leave 'em behind. Most importantly, you must fight the stubbornness in you, whether it's remaining too steadfastly loyal to someone who no longer deserves it, too stuck in your patterns to bust out in unbridled craze, or too accustomed to hanging alone to take the social initiative. None of those are okay.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Public respect and admiration will fall at your feet, Gemini, as long as you flaunt what makes you different than the other kids on the playground. No fence-straddling, double-talking diplomacy is liable to get you half as far as placing a fat bet on either red or black and watching the ball spin round. Whether you like it or not, the tides are undeniably turning in your career and/or community reputation… and it's most likely to profit you directly when you surge with the coursing changes, rather than holding on for dear life. Be open to having your prescribed role totally rewritten, to heed new directives or handle different duties. All the while, bear in mind last week's missive on maintaining integrity in personal relationships… especially as a certain troublemaker is eagerly trying to get you on his/her side. The usual strategy of remaining non-committal, letting the mischief-maker think you might agree without actually going on record one way or the other, simply won't cut it. Even if it's merely a perception that you two are a team, it'll do harm to your credibility. And when he/she goes down, you're going down, too. As you negotiate this possible interpersonal turmoil, keep the long-term big-picture perspective firmly in your mind's forefront. You're only apt to jeopardize this fortuitous moment by fixating on little crap that won't matter a week from now, let alone in a year. In the spirit of Uranus, be an agent of radical revolution… and let the chips fall where they may.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Real, true, deep relationships—whether with the lucky god/goddess of your dreams, your trusty collaborator/colleague, or your new best friend—are all about learning to accept your differences. And this week, Cancer, provides a wonderful chance to see more fully into another person… to learn what makes 'em tick, and to learn how you can best serve to respect 'em as an individual. Come closer together. It's all right, that other human being won't bite you, if you snuggle in tighter and ask a couple probing questions you've been putting off but dying to have answered. In this intimate space, you'll need to work hard to listen (and really hear what's being said)… at the same time you take it in, without backing down from what's true for you, though they may collide uncomfortably. There's absolutely nothing wrong with letting awkward moments hang. (Far better, believe me, than just going along with what's said, implying it's also true for you… then regretting it later, and being forced to clumsily backpedal.) But this isn't just an opportunity to learn more about the other person. It's also a philosophical exercise in catching yourself in false assumptions… recognizing that meaning and value, self-esteem and security can appear in distinctly different packages, based upon who's the one defining them. Isn't it far better to toss it all out there and wade through the seemingly bottomless water, instead of universalizing everybody else's experience into your own presumptuous version, just because you were afraid to go there?

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): 'Pow! I'm neck-deep in this other person's luscious complexities… and about ready to dive under for a full-body dousing. Bam! I can't believe what we're about to do next… should I be terrified, or terrifically tempted? Oops! Where did my hat go? Where did my distinct, separate self go? How far have we drifted from home… and do I care? Shazam! It feels empowering to finally break that thick ice… and such a delightful surprise to find warm, gooey, delicious custard inside. Why did I wait so long? Slam! There goes the trap door to my old boring life, slamming itself shut for the last time. Why on earth would I ever go back? Ouch! It's only natural that, as I'm feverishly devouring this momentous moment, I was bound to bite the inside of my mouth. A little blood between "special friends" never hurt anyone. And another thing, since I've been walking around all day in someone else's shoes—a great way to get outside myself and really merge with this captivating creature—my heel is starting to get a tiny blister. Call it my battle scar. Ssshhh! Instead of trying to explain myself for the fiftieth time, I'm going to ask another question of you… then stay quiet, as you tell me words that'll make me very happy. Oooh! The bliss of today has swept me up. Let's worry about what we're going to do with it some another day.'

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Just like last week, your relationship life should be feeling lighter… and yet also continuing to be erratic. The pleasurable part of 'unstable' should be especially prominent now, with Venus and Uranus coming together in your 7th. But if you still have no idea what I'm talking about (and are getting a little sick of horoscopes about your friggin' relationships), then you're looking at it all wrong. First of all, we aren't just talking your primary romantic partnership when we're looking at the 7th house. So if things are relatively uneventful (or non-existent) in the love sector, take a gander at some other pairing—with a business associate, best friend, worst enemy, next-door neighbor, or evil twin. To properly channel the Venus-Uranus thing, you've got to be finding unusual pleasure in rattling and ruffling up something. And if you're still not seeing it, then go out and find it already. Ring up your single weirdest comrade, and ask him/her to do something social… better yet, let them choose the activity and setting. Also, it may be that you're so entrenched in 'the way things are' relationship-wise, you can only barely detect the tense dissatisfaction, covered up as it is by your acceptance of mediocrity. No, Virgo, you can do better than that. And what qualifies as 'better'? Anything different. Now, it's fair to warn you that emotions may be running high under this influence, possibly leading you or your other half to get all high-maintenance needy or go overboard with sticky declarations of love. While it might not be time to rush to the altar or the divorce court quite yet, there's some tiny glimpse of the real reality in there somewhere… and you'll have to deal with sometime.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Very few people can survive satisfactorily, let alone thrive, by doing almost the same thing everyday. And now that your ruler Venus has lined up with Uranus in your 6th house, where we face the daily drudgery of meeting our responsibilities and ensuring our physical vessels are healthy and efficient enough to keep going… it's high time to snip, supplement or rearrange that routine, so it's (gasp!) more pleasant and gratifying. That's right, Libra, we needn't equate discipline with drudgery. The difference between the two is a dual matter of (1) striving toward goals that'll leave you feeling valuable vs. digging a tunnel that leads nowhere, and (2) finding a Zen-like appreciation for the aesthetic gracefulness of close focus on simple tasks vs. staring at your feet and counting down the minutes 'til you're a day closer to death. Discipline, incidentally, can take any bizarre shape or contrary purpose you so choose… giving it a beautiful adaptability, despite its careful repetitive nature. Use it as your way out this week, by proposing a wildly inventive solution to some vexing problem that'll keep you 'on task—without leaving you wanting to bang your head against a wall, day in and day out. There may be some important conversations you should have, as a result of your proposal to move things around. But keep the discussion on course—you can quickly reach a point when it'll become too much talking, and no real action.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Your 5th house—the one that symbolizes love, creative self-expression, and our relationship with children—is lighting up with an electric Venus-Uranus conjunction, which strongly favors having a wonderful time being untraditional (or is it 'an untraditional time being wonderful'?). If there are children in your life, or if you need to reconnect with your own childlike essence, it's a week for introducing a new form of play… one that'll get you and/or the little tykes screaming and laughing in glee, as if more fun has never been had in the whole history of fun. If you're an artistic type, or if you are working on some project that's hit an apparent standstill, it's a week for scrambling up everything you've got so far… and approaching it from a whole different angle, though, on the surface, such an abrupt re-conceptualization threatens to be too chaotic to handle. Such chaos is a very sweet source of fresh inspiration. And of course, if it's love you're after… expect it to come in strange gestures, at off-the-beaten-track venues, or from potential suitors you wouldn't expect to be mad for you. Will you have the confidence to accept the oddness for what it is—to go so far as to actively search it out—even if you might've preferred a bouquet of roses, a quiet restaurant, and a dashing hero type? I hope so. If not, you might end up accidentally behaving rudely, due to your surprise at the weirdness of it all… and make a certain someone sorry they showed you their heart.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Why not finally give in? Wherever the long-standing feud or pink-elephant batch of unresolved feelings stands out in your life, give yourself permission to release the old hurts and move on… that is, if you're sincerely interested in your own peace-of-mind, rather than holding tight to some outdated need to 'make them understand' or 'give them a taste of their own medicine'. This is an ideal moment to be the bigger person and put the past behind you. (By the way, no good will come from telling them, 'I'm going to be the bigger person here.' Those are still uppity fighting-words.) Remind yourself that forgiving doesn't mean you're excusing someone else's behavior. Rather, it's about setting yourself free—a feeling that feels really damn good. If it's not another person, then maybe it's you who needs to be let off the hook, particularly if you refuse to let go of a certain regret or nagging what-if that's keeping you from the here-and-now. For everything that could've been better (or so you imagine) if only it had gone a different way, there's something else wonderful right in front of your face. The sooner you enjoy the reality you've got now, despite its problems, the less that residual anger will block you from continuing to move. And this year, Sagittarius, you need as much room to move as possible.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): After countless episodes of putting off sincere offers from friends or casual acquaintances, maybe this is the week to finally take 'em up on it. Socializing is where it's at, if you want to flow with the astro-currents. Couple (1) a passing increase in tolerance, or dare I call it 'desire', for stimulating spurts of social frivolity with (2) a resonant realization of all the good that can come from embracing the unknown… and you've got a recipe for fearless fun. Beyond all else, spend some time getting out and about, and you'll have a more wonderful experience than usual gabbing it up with everyone you meet. At every chance, remind yourself not to take any puzzling remarks or pregnant pauses personally—the mood will remain as light as you allow it to. But once you get caught up in conversations, you won't be able to anticipate where they'll go next… and oh my gosh, what fun is that! Leave your mind open to learning a silly fact or two, stumbling upon a new interest to read up on later, or entertaining a lively connection you hadn't planned on enjoying so much. And that friend-of-a-friend or almost-stranger with whom you've shared the witty repartee or a couple chummy belly laughs… well, he or she could end up becoming your next bosom buddy. The fast times don't have to end this week, don't you know… and, it turns out, you're a more charming extrovert than you'd recalled.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): If you don't stay on your toes, my fair Aquarian, you're likely to end up in one of those autopilot conflicts where you find yourself acting out a familiar role… without necessarily having consciously chosen it, and perhaps without caring much about the very thing you're suddenly arguing over. How powerful it would be for you, if faced with such a situation, to let the wiser You take over… and halt the disagreement midstream, by admitting you'd momentarily succumbed to habit but don't actually want to continue down that path. Not only will you totally disarm the other party (and consequently 'win' the ultimate victory by not fighting), but you'll also make a meaningful statement of humility that has the potential to shift old patterns. In other unrelated news, you also have a wonderful opportunity to increase your cash flow or otherwise find unique new ways of investing what you've already got, thanks to a Venus-Uranus conjunction in your 2nd. In order to reap the prized goods, however, you'll have to take a crazy risk—with the knowledge it could, alternatively, blow up in your face. Are you up for a gamble? Ask more than one friend what they think before taking the plunge. In the end, though, it's about following your gut.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Throughout this whole phase of your life, with revolutionary Uranus in your sign dominating the scene, the greatest rewards come from trusting your irrational instincts enough to leap off mountainsides… without worrying about where you'll land. The thrill of being in the air, aloft and without attachment, is a joy in itself—not to mention that fresh, insightful perspective you'll have from seeing everything in your life shaken, rattled, rocked and rolled. This week, as Venus conjoins with Uranus, is especially fruitful for following the wackiest, wildest guiding lights in your mind's sky. However you can upsetting the usual flow of things, it'll really work to your advantage… particularly when it comes to your career, where your greatest Jupiter-inspired growth for '07 resides. Don't fret, of course, if it doesn't seem like such rascally rebellion is working for you—it may take some time before you can glimpse the good fortune you'll reap by refusing to continue on the straight-and-narrow. Go on, and stir up the pot. That weightlessness you feel is your next incarnation leaving the old self behind. There's nothing to fear, just because it's a big fat unknown.