Horoscopes | Week of July 4-10, 2011

ARIES (March 21-April 19): More money comes from people choosing to give it to you, Aries, because you have successfully convinced them you have something of value they want to buy. Whether it be your earnest labor, the fruits of your artistry or some other commodified symbol of your novel approach, your vehicle to expanded wealth must possess this interpersonally-appealing quality. Too unfiltered an expression of pure self, alas, leaves little common-ground for your prospective audience or customer-base to grab onto. And so, here we go again, down the Saturn-in-your-7th road of reiterating the crucial role of solidly cooperative relationships in helping you manifest your dreams. There's just no getting around it, is there? This week, you've got a nice combo of astro-aspects supporting you in the presentation of your sales pitch. Consult the business experts, and they'll report you've only got two or three minutes to make your case, to summarize your greatness and ask 'em for a longer meeting. Follow this advice, and hit the pavement.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I was going to give you the old line that 'actions speak louder than words,' but I feel I must amend it, Taurus, in order to be as clear as possible. In truth, your words will speak more loudly… only, I'm not sure that excessive volume is going to win you any fans. If anything, the billowing impact of Jupiter and Pluto on any declarations you utter bears the potential to leave you coming off self-important or preachy. Therefore, I'd reserve this quality for use exclusively in loose, good-time settings, where this larger-than-life effect will keep all conversations lively and the laughter free-flowing. In more serious contexts, meanwhile, I suggest saying little… and quietly taking care of the business, without tooting your own horn or demanding much attention for what you've done. Maintain modesty, both in approach and self-image, in practical matters. Save the 'big personality' moments for your leisure pursuits.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Wherever you've let yourself inadvertently diverge from the fullest authenticity possible, reinitiate a self-directed disclosure of personal purpose. Use your persuasive grasp of wording, Gemini, to delicately reestablish what your central issue is… as opposed to, say, ceding the focus of the dialogue to their concerns, which only leaves you replying to questions that may seem to you to miss your entire intent. Without such necessary reframing, you'll be having the wrong discussion—one that isn't likely to resolve your sticking point. The reason you'd bother to make such a big deal out of this? In case I'm missing something here, you are fighting for the authority to choose for yourself how you seek to satisfy your leisure-time desires… a totally different approach than working with partly (or largely) dissatisfying circumstances you've inherited, based on who you're cavorting with.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You're carrying an undeniably magnetic charge these days, Cancer, which you can thank a 1st-house Venus for bestowing upon you (through the end of the month)… though this week, it could become almost too much of a good thing, should you find yourself in the covetous cross-hatches of an (excessively?) avid admirer. Demurely pretending not to notice or passively ignoring signs that someone is maybe transgressing your boundaries is not an adequate response. While this allure you're emitting can most certainly be worked to your advantage—if you consciously own its power, and use it to attract people and experiences that'll make you happy—you must concurrently beware of getting sucked into interpersonal push/pull games. At the barest hint that someone is advancing toward you based on misread signals, be direct in correcting the misperception and impressing upon them your limits. Instead of protecting their feelings, protect your emotional space.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): You're beginning to hit the stride of your window-of-opportunity (lasting until April 2012 or so) during which you can experience significant career growth or other expansions in your public position, based directly on an increase in the intensity-of-investment you bring to your daily doings. Gratefully chalk it up to a Jupiter-Pluto trine across your 10th/6th, the two houses associated with work and achievement. In the very-short term, however, you'll want to watch your mouth, Leo… and inhibit the free-flow of too many 'I' statements, which could give the wrong impression that it's more about emphasizing your self-importance than providing some worthwhile service or product to other people. There's a fine line between (1) evincing an enthusiasm necessary for expanding your success and (2) gloating about how amazing everything you touch ultimately proves to be. Inspire, without grandstanding. Promote lively conversation, without dominating. Aim high, without acting like you've already made it.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Should the urge arise to burrow more resolutely into beliefs you already held (a la 'I've been through this before, so I know how it ought to be done'), I strongly recommend pushing past your resistance to being shown a more up-to-date alternative. This isn't the time for digging your heels in, Virgo. Instead, if you can embrace a sincere vibe of experimentalism, it will ultimately lead to further refinement of your ideals—a personally beneficial result that won't be possible if, due to pride (disguised as 'passion'), you insist on your way or the highway. It just isn't smart to close yourself to outside input… especially not at this moment, when your mind is unusually receptive to incidental eye-openers. But if your ego would rather you appear knowledgeable than actually broaden your knowledge, you'll emerge with the same habits, which produce the same results, which reinforce the same habits, which produce the same results…

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): I'm sure you remember last week's edition, as it indicated goodness was afoot in your career (or other outer-world achievement) zone, courtesy of your reigning-queen Venus. Those words still apply, Libra, provided your hunger for the crown-jewels is fervent enough to overcome any inherited self-disempowerment tendencies. How badly do you want it, anyway? While staying mindful of your motivating passions (so you never forget why it's so important to you to pull off this grand caper), you'll also want to preserve a precise laser-focus in the words you use to enlist others' favor. Play up the win-win factors, from the explicit angle of 'doing what's ethically correct'; it's a locution style that's hard to argue with. So too will your personal ambitions sound less self-serving and more admirable, once you phrase them in terms of how your efforts are driven by a commitment to justice and integrity. They'll sign on in support of your shared beliefs… and, in the end, help you attain your own goals too.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Any pronouncements you make will reverberate through the valleys, carrying your voiced opinions farther and wider than they might ordinarily travel. Therefore, Scorpio, be sure they convey a properly progressive tone… an indication that you are ready and willing to risk your own day-to-day earthly comfort, to shake up the mindlessness of dull routine, in order to jolt the process forward. But be aware, due to the higher-than-usual public exposure of what you go on record saying, it behooves you to leave out the references to specific individuals. Even if they've earned the unfavorable reputation you'd like to brand them with, you won't look good badmouthing anybody. (Likewise, too much personal flattery could also come back to bite you, if the person later proves not to have warranted your glowing review.) It's not that you'd be giving anyone a free ride on their mess-ups or neglecting to recognize 'em for their good deeds. You'll simply be deploying explicitly political language, to ward off the possibility of developing secret enmity aimed at you for 'making it personal'.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Your mode of airing any disagreements or waging any battles, Sagittarius, should be considered against a backdrop of self-protective pragmatism. You can't afford to gamble your personal productivity and profitability by rashly making a point… not when, if you choose your philosophic basis of argument wisely (i.e., phrasing things in terms of general principles rather than specific jabs), you can hold your ground interpersonally and still look out for your future economic positioning. That said, I am slightly worried about the bait being laid by Venus (who opposes Pluto and square Uranus from your solar 8th): Without a doubt, the drama of continuing to engage in this emotional one-upmanship has its appeal (whether or not you're conscious of its magnetic pull on your attentions). Just know, though, should things feel like they're heating up, that's because you're playing with fire.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): The planets inform me that you, Capricorn, are something of a powerhouse this week. On the work/productivity front, a fortifying Mars-Saturn trine grants you the perseverance to tackle big projects, in large chunks of sustained labor. Whatever you accomplish under this influence should have an especially sturdy result (presuming you saw it all the way through, rather than cut corners), which you can reliably bank your industrious reputation on. Don't paper over potential problems; if, along the way, you see something that needs fixing, please attend to the glitch at its root. And on the interpersonal front, Venus in your 7th plays off the Jupiter-Pluto trine, bringing a captivating charisma to all your exchanges. To a large degree, you have the upper hand… and can fairly easily mold the dynamic to suit your pleasures. Should you let this charismatic charge go to your head, you'll could come off pompous and overbearing—which will surely put some people off, though, admittedly, plenty of other folks get into that sort of thing.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): If you've been meaning to recruit allies, explain key details about yourself and your life-philosophy, and/or otherwise persuade someone to see things more like you do, the week ahead provides you a great chance to get it happening. Communication-maven Mercury has made it to your relationship-oriented 7th, Aquarius, where he helps you 'get into the other person's head', while presently forming supportive aspects to Mars, Saturn and Uranus. The likeliest obstacle? An emotionally-inspired belief on your part that such reachings-out are somehow a waste of your time, because either you have 'real work' you'd rather be doing (bah!) or you're needlessly cynical about what might be accomplished. While of course interpersonal engagement ought to be balanced with sufficient alone-time, too much solitary self-referencing may only serve to de-motivate you from daring to have the conversation.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Though it's possibly, likely even, that you lately find yourself absorbed by some deliciously scandalous or transgressive pleasure, this is not the arena that most demands your personal-work attentions. So enjoy whatever's wetting your proverbial whistle, Pisces, but please know you're simultaneously being charged with a wholly personal responsibility to yourself… which may or may not have any relevance to your whistle-wetting shenanigans. This all-important duty? To galvanize and gather a core of inner strength, the purpose of which is to ensure you're anchored within unambiguously safe interpersonal boundaries. This relates specifically to any pledges you may have made to yourself, whether to foster or to discourage certain behaviors… commitments that could be in jeopardy due to others' disrespectful enticements. Freely mingle with whomever—if, and only if, it doesn't infringe on your ability to keep your private promise(s) to your inner protector-guardian.