Horoscopes | Week of September 3-9, 2012

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Practice caution with that particularly ruthless edge you're presently wielding, Aries, but don't surrender it altogether. This 8th-house-Mars energy is a godsend for thoroughly rooting out whatever may be obstructing a more comprehensive leap forward in your work life, like how sometimes a good session of vomiting is all we need to eject the toxins and gain ourselves a second wind. For its best effects, you must be prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done right… which sometimes means ripping the whole fucking thing apart and putting the pieces back together in a sleeker, shrewder format (then sweeping up the huge mess you made along the way). This gut-wrenching process also leaves you feeling satisfied that no stone has gone unturned, no opportunity for improvement passed up, and no bit of rot left to further deteriorate. Naturally, however, you can see how this same energy can manifest quite treacherously, should it end up turned against someone you're upset with and/or trying to get something from. Once you launch a campaign do whatever it takes to emerge on top, you might not stop until after your fangs are piercing their jugular.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): One person's 'emboldened demeanor' (that person being you, Taurus) could too easily strike somebody else as a combative attitude. And though you could make a reasonable case for their perceived misperception being their issue rather than yours, it still presents you with a problem when attempting to get on the same page. Dang that dastardly Mars-in-your-7th, sowing the seeds of interpersonal dissent or discontent, regardless of whether or not you're actually trying to argue or antagonize or poke in tender places. This week, his synergy with Mercury and Pluto only further amplifies the intensity with which you're conveying your opinions (again, intentional or not), making it seem to those less-self-assured and/or circumstantially-grumpy individuals subjected to your words that you are pontificating and/or hunting for a fight. An astro-climate that's ideal for capably getting your point across in writings or projects or personal creative-work, then, also threatens to sabotage such efforts in any one-on-one relationship contexts. Aim your energies accordingly.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The rare few folks who get to see the intimate dealings of the behind-closed-doors, private you—likely, only your family members, best friend, significant other, and/or housemate(s)—will be receiving a larger-than-usual eyeful of your unresolved feelings this week. But the big question, Gemini, is whether (1) they'll merely be bearing witness to your at-home ventings and purgings as caring spectator(s) or (2) they'll end up as target(s) of your exacerbated wrath. If we go with the first option, I believe you'll do the relationship(s) a great service, if you fully allow yourself to share the emotions… and to go into deep detail about whatever personal history of yours has invested this particular instance with so much rawness. (For a sign that loves telling stories, you Geminis have a funny way of omitting certain specifics that would better help us understand you.) However, if it ends up with the second option playing out, please be damn sure you are targeting the appropriate individual(s)—and not simply the one(s) you're most comfortable with spitting venom at. Wouldn't it be a bit unfair to turn some dumb molehill into a huge mountain, just because you're too afraid of scaling the real Everest in your life?

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don't indulge your mental wanderings so much that they convince you of a certain someone's 'hidden wants' or 'underlying motives', Cancer, when there's not a whole lot of concrete evidence to back up such a conclusion. If you're only talking about this someone with other people and/or constantly thinking up ways to please or displease 'em, you are missing a key element in your information-gathering: an actual discussion with the individual in question. But to ensure the discussion is productive, I encourage you not to lead with accusations or suspicions. Remember: If you've been 'inside your own head' too long on this issue, your instinctive starting-point may be several steps into a questionable scenario… which is sure to catch 'em off-guard, and likely to (understandably) spur defensiveness. Let the discussion unfold more naturally, moving it along gently, meandering into and out of topics, offering a lot of 'I'-statement sharing. Most important, however, is to start out presuming innocence on their end and/or a simple case of crossed wires. Your worries probably say more about you than they do about anything anyone else is manipulating or concealing.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): Let your desire for emotional independence propel your strategizing on both short- and long-term economic (and/or other practical) matters. Use your adamant refusal to lose that harrowing battle against your tough inner critic as your core motivation for committing to extra-serious work efforts, Leo, so you can prove, once and for all, you are able to adeptly steer your own destiny. These themes have already shown up in your recent horoscopes, sure… but by mid-week, you'll also have the positively reaffirming arrival of benefic-maiden Venus to your sign, where she'll stay nearly a month, polishing your shine and increasing your outward profile. Under Venus's glow, you may finally begin to get more distinct acknowledgment from others that they respect the work you've been putting in (presuming, of course, you have been)—which should hopefully provide the necessary fuel to power a continuance of these efforts. Though you're ultimately doing all this for yourself, it doesn't hurt to also get noticed for it.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): This is your week to lay it down, loud and clear, Virgo. Your logic-led speaking voice is a force to be reckoned with, resonating powerfully with the passion of somebody who (1) has thought long and hard about what you're saying (rather than letting hot air blow), and (2) deeply believes it to be a reflection of your true essence. Who could possibly contend with that? Pause at that rhetorical question for a moment, please. Once you realize that its actual answer would have to be 'nobody'—that is, nobody could adequately contend with your strength of expression—then perhaps you might glimpse the only potential downside of your current power-position. You could come off sounding so damn well-thought-out-and-confident, you leave no room for anyone else's feedback… as if your facts, figures and opinions create a totally watertight container that blocks out all input from the outside world. Yet, thanks to Jupiter in Gemini, tapping into your best professional luck continues to require a relative openness to alternatives, exceptions and grey-areas. With that in mind, treat your confident laying-it-down as a great first step, not the end-all-be-all on this issue, with more to come…

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Maximize self-preservation; minimize any makings of a 'big splash'. Lay low on the public front, and get the most from behind-the-scenes moments of personal reflection. You need not give into pressures to formulate and/or announce a coherent viewpoint, Libra, if you have yet to organically arrive at one… as I suspect you probably haven't. The astute among you probably comprehend that, for you, there's a good reason behind this still-unformed opinion: The issue is much more complicated, particularly on the emotional level, than it may appear to anybody else—and it isn't likely to help your process to make these complications transparent to those who may be watching and/or waiting. Your mindset will greatly benefit from further incubation time… as well as from you dedicating some immediate initiative to resolving a few simpler matters, wholly unrelated to whatever others might be expecting or anticipating from you. Hold steady, so as to most securely situate yourself in the present moment, the place from which our best realizations emerge most effortlessly, simply because we aren't trying to project ourselves anywhere else.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Between this week and next, I suspect you'll begin to glimpse encouraging signs in your professional (or public-world) zone, courtesy of Venus's arrival to your solar 10th… though this should hardly be seen as an invitation to back off from the mighty push and/or rest on your laurels. Keep on going, Scorpio, using every reassuring response or bit of recognition as one more opening, into which you can masterfully insert your will and create further opportunities atop those which are already manifesting. The sly communicative advantage I described last week also remains yours: You have a temporarily enhanced ability to advance your personally-desired agenda by instinctively wrapping it in language that appeals to your audience. Be careful, therefore, not to purposely fool anyone into accepting an incomplete and/or somewhat faulty understanding of what's really going on. Such maneuvers may get you what you want in the short-term, sure, but will likely cause a later conversational upset (once the full story comes out) at a most inconvenient moment. Persuasive as you are, you shouldn't need to mislead in order to get anyone on board.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Sticking close to the 'official party-line' in all public communications, Sagittarius, doesn't necessarily mean that everything you do must be precisely aligned with what The Powers That Be are hearing from your lips. It does imply, however, that you ought not to veer a single inch from what has already been accepted as fact or the agreed-upon premise in all relevant discussions… not only with higher-ups, but with peers as well. Behind the scenes, you may be gingerly devising how best to uncover, outdo or overthrow whichever elements stand in your path to a firmer grasp on your own power in this situation, but nobody needs to know. Right now, it's still a quiet matter of arranging all the pieces in a row… in advance of a later moment when those pieces will so conspicuously argue your point by themselves, you won't have to bother explaining how the dots connect (and thus can more successfully keep the proverbial blood off your hands). Loose lips at this juncture, possibly egged on by a too-curious chit-chatter, will prematurely blow your wad.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Are you dauntlessly leading your team, Capricorn… or just making yourself an annoying thorn-in-the-side of those who wish you'd shut your damn mouth already? There is often a fine line between being (1) the service-oriented individual who voluntarily takes on responsibility for rallying the troops, even when such a role threatens to attract unpopularity, and (2) the preachy commander who claims to know what's best for everybody, and will not hesitate to let it be known. I wish you the interpersonal wisdom to stay on the sympathetic side of this line, enabling you to still call it like you see it but maintain a courteous tone that demonstrates consideration for all personality-types (including, yes, the ultra-sensitive ones). I must again reiterate how the present astrological line-up—which now features a three-way flow between Mercury, Mars, and your ongoing 1st-house resident Pluto—tinges your every move with added emphasis and potency, regardless of whether you intend to come across so strongly or not. You'll have a hard time with attempts to come off subtly, to downplay your interests or blend into the background… no matter what. Please keep reminding yourself how that might impact your fellow community-members.

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Lead the forward march of progress in your career and/or other public-world contributions… and with that, Aquarius, please don't let fears of a gutsy reality-check conversation (and all the stark acceptances that might emerge from it) keep you from continuing onward. While you needn't achieve or agree upon anything at this very moment (review last week's edition), you really should stay actively engaged in such sensitive talks, just to keep the process moving. The worst thing you could do, on the other hand, is retreat into a dark corner of your own making, where your most dreaded hypothetical scenarios will gorily play themselves out in your wicked imaginations… leaving the menacing figure(s) at the core of your fears absolutely no opportunity to show they're not so menacing after all. On Thursday (Sep 6), Venus enters your one-on-one relationship house (the solar 7th), where she'll amp up your persuasive likability factor—a pleasant astro-influence that'll help bridge any real or perceived gaps in understanding between you and another person. As long as you display willingness to wade through these potentially challenging waters, that gesture will go far to signal your ultimately fruitful intentions in their eyes… and it gets easier from there.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Though your interpersonal communications continue to be strongly colored by emotion, Pisces, it's becoming increasingly important that you valiantly attempt to get your main point across… even under the likelihood your succinct phrasings may get sidetracked or hijacked by your innate concern for not upsetting anyone. You can't legitimately stand for anything if you're already ducking or bending at odd angles to maintain a certain relational peace (which isn't actually all that peaceful for you, if you're battling yourself over a belief you're too nervous to express). To strengthen your backbone, then, you might want to deeply consider what kind of person you'll be implicitly identifying yourself as by not fighting for what you know is right, just to ward off the anticipated pushback from a loved one. By all appearances, you'll have become someone willing to sell out your own integrity, in order to show loyalty… in an alliance, mind you, that's obviously fairly tenuous, since you apparently must sell yourself out to preserve it.