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Horoscopes | Week of March 23-29, 2015

ARIES (March 21-April 19): It's time to start modestly pulling back a bit, Aries, tempering your most recent gung-ho fieriness with an attitudinal slowdown-letup-and-regroup. This transition began last week, with Venus leaving your sign and shifting into earthier territory… and it'll continue next week, once your ruling rhythm-maker Mars follows suit. Much of what you've needed to 'get going' has presumably gotten going (which doesn't necessarily mean it's done, just in motion)—and if it hasn't, this one last week of Mars-in-your-1st is a fine moment to light the fire and move it along. But here comes the period in which you must make sure it keeps going, acclimating to what's changed over the past month-or-so, repeatedly reminding yourself that this is how it's going to be now. 'Too much too fast' is not only a common problem for Aries generally speaking, but poses an exaggerated threat during this quickly-paced first-half of 2015. You need to time to digest, grow accustomed, fall into new patterns. Despite all your outward boldness, I know there's a tiny voice in your head wondering what the fuck you've done and how the hell you're going to handle all of it. That's a natural human voice (we've all got some version of it)… and that's who really wants a few moments to breathe, adjust, and compose itself before you take the next crazy set of big forward steps.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): For the week ahead, just glide along on your strength of character, Taurus, and you'll attract admiration for being that kind of stand-up guy/gal—without you having to make a big deal out of anything. In fact, holding a relatively receptive pose (while, of course, preserving good boundaries) will allow you to bask in the gentle confidence-boost provided by Venus-in-your-1st, quietly adjusting to a more optimistic mindset which will prepare you to soon take a few decisive action-steps. Please remember, for much of the past several weeks, you've been in a virtual holding-pattern… not that nothing significant has happened, but more that you've had less reliable a capacity to steer the course of such happenings than you ordinarily might. Come early next week, though, once Mars joins Venus in your sign, you'll be back in the driver's seat once again, with a renewed vigor to push along your priorities as you see fit, rather than remaining one moment longer at the mercy of others' contrasting agendas. With major astrological support for making self-assertive advances arriving so soon, then, I don't see a good reason for you to jump the gun right away (and risk accidentally misdirecting your firepower). Accept the ease generously offered by Venus now, and rally yourself for energized engagement next week.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If there's any critical move you feel you must imminently make (particularly with regards to any friend-group drama, community issue, or collective cause), please go ahead and do it this week, Gemini… with full knowledge that you're unlikely to receive much immediate feedback, whether positive or disappointing. Rather, actions taken now may leave a question-mark dangling in the air for another few weeks, a lapse which you needn't conclusively interpret as a reason to refrain from taking them. But if you're the kind of person who cannot tolerate a span of not-knowing—and if you're likely to hound any other relevant players for a swift response to relieve your uncertainty, though they may be unprepared or preoccupied by something else, only to end up annoying them and thus increasing the likelihood of an undesired result—then perhaps you ought to hold back on taking such an action until May, once assertive Mars lands in your sign. As of last week, Venus is already in your 12th house, and Mars joins early next week… shifts which shuffle you into something of a limbo phase where it can be hard to judge just how favorably (or not) your efforts are being received. Should you have any doubt about whether asserting yourself is the correct approach, it might be wiser to stall, in favor of further reflection. And who knows if others' behaviors might circumstantially change the playing-field in the meantime…?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Be out in the social flow, Cancer, surrounded by longtime pals, committed comrades, and engaging friends-to-be. Not only is this an auspicious moment for team activities, collective endeavors, and group fun (thanks, Venus-in-your-11th!), but there's also an intellectually and/or spiritually edifying potential in your openly participating in your community alongside a diversity of fellow human beings. You're especially receptive to being deeply touched, on a heart-chakra level, by exposure to others' first-person stories, ideals, beliefs, and passions… which, though they may diverge greatly from your own experiences, can go far in fostering a positive sense of sympathetic connection. It's one thing to claim you care about a certain cause, project, or principle, but it's something else entirely to feel the ultra-personal emotions which underscore why one ought to care about such things at all. I certainly don't need to lecture you Cancerians about what a powerful motivating factor sincere emotional compassion can be. Don't miss out, therefore, on this ripe occasion to compassionately connect with others… so profoundly, in fact, that it opens your mind, marries you to a larger movement, and, just maybe, brings you together in relationship with someone who'll add deep meaning to your life as never before.

LEO (July 23-August 22): How do you zealously reach for greater public success, professional satisfaction, and/or proud achievement without coming on too strong, cocky, or overbearing, Leo? There's no easy answer to this question, though it behooves you to stay conscious of not bumping too hard against either extreme. On the one hand, this is too precious a moment to waste with self-effacing restraint, insecurity, or complacency. The power-players, taste-makers, movers, and shakers are looking for someone who makes a memorable impression… who anybody couldn't help but notice was there, emanating a personality that's authentically and unmistakably themselves… and who (as we discussed last week) can be relied upon to present a steady self-image over a length of time. Yet, on the other hand, too much 'Personality!' can overwhelm the practical considerations at play for those looking out for the health of their business, organization, reputation, and/or cause, leaving them to wonder whether collaborating with you would relegate them to a supporting role in your showcase. Instead of assuming to know what they're looking for from you (or never bothering to reflect on it, so busy as you are with just being your charming self), ask them to describe their relevant intentions and ideals. Not only will they then feed you instructions on how to keep 'em happy, but you'll demonstrate a capacity for responsiveness, a highly desirable trait.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): What if, rather than thinking you must 'figure out' all the angles of your complex feelings about it before discussing that certain topic with a certain someone, you just talked everything out together, Virgo… and let all the internally-contradictory sentiments, mixed emotions, fears and concerns and worries sit there, without being critically picked apart or judged for their 'appropriateness', in the full vulnerable glory of your honesty? What if 'figuring it out' first will actually inhibit your capacity to attain greater personal satisfaction, by circumventing the other person's opportunity to offer you understanding and encouragement in your pursuit of it? What if, in the course of an open-ended conversation, they actually let you off the hook… relieving you of a self-imposed stress or guilt that, all this time, you've been unfairly attributing to them? There are no guarantees any particular discussion will yield such surprisingly hopeful results (which is why these are all framed as rhetorical questions rather than statements-of-certainty), but I can ensure a willingness to expose yourself in this manner will provide you gobs of useful insight into how much sincere intimacy this relationship is able to sustain. And from the most principled perspective, isn't that relational insight worth the risk to your comfort-zone—particularly if you're investing so much emotional energy trying to 'figure out' your standing?

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Please don't bother trying to put a falsely fine finish on it, Libra, if there are stray threads or unanswered questions or impolite emotions protruding from your energy-field. You certainly needn't go into great detail (or any detail at all, in fact) about what exactly is so vexingly unresolved, confusing, or potentially perilous (or perilous-seeming, at least), but it definitely doesn't serve your best interests to file it away in the 'Deal With It (Much) Later' folder and feign unreserved enthusiasm about something else you honestly give much less of a crap about. Truth be told, whether or not it feels awesome, you're presently in a great position for wading through these uncertain waters at a measured pace—instead of, say, frantically paddling to any land you can reach, just so you can claim to be 'safely ashore' (even if it's the wrong shore)—with an attitude of psychological curiosity. You aren't unsettled for no reason, after all. There's a treasure-chest of valuable emotional material buried here, though you'll have to sift through your ego's misleading self-talk (which keeps throwing out incorrect statements, simplifications, and/or echoes-from-the-past in an effort to 'explain' why you're feeling as you do) to get to the real information. Of course, if you did decide to share all this with a partner, close friend, or confidante, it might help you more quickly and accurately move through the sifting process…

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): The astrology now falling into place situates you, dear Scorpio, in an excellent spot for charming the pants off whomever you set your sights on. That said, not everyone is a well-fitting subject for your charismatic efforts… and especially not those who deliberately cast an air of mystique around them (or is that just smoke and mirrors?), since the last thing you need is an interpersonal dalliance in which you're regularly left to wonder what the hell they're thinking, feeling, and/or doing. Individuals who are most suitable for a present investment of your interest, time, and affection ought to provide you something reassuring, straightforward, and easy to enjoy—not another muddling knot of conflicted feelings you must spend a lot of psychic energy trying to untangle. Every extra ounce of earnest effort should still be going toward career/reputation-building concerns, and the last thing you need when you're not working is to expend more effort trying to determine what's on someone else's mind and/or what's in their heart. At this juncture, the most productive relational affair(s) to involve yourself in won't compete with your throbbing life-goals, but simply complement them… helping you keep a healthy work/play balance rather than causing a bumpy teeter-totter effect between the two.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Wanting it to happen your way, with your one-of-a-kind style radiating off of it—and wanting to gleefully tell everyone how proud you are that, yes, it is happening just as you'd hoped—is a most natural hankering, Sagittarius. And furthermore, it's one which you should presently feel no inhibiting shame about wholeheartedly embracing. But at the very same time, your week ahead represents a turning-point in your creative process… nudging you from your novel nascent-stage excitement on to the not-always-as-spectacularly-dynamic phase of continuing it along, which will probably require a lot of essential repetitions, close-detail scrutiny, functionality tests, and other routine (if not bordering on totally tedious) tasks that could test your patience. It's nothing you can't handle, of course, though these time-to-make-it-real weeks ahead may prove far less fun than the preceding ones. While holding your vision for what'll happen after this constructive phase is complete remains important, too much preoccupation about the future will pull you away from the present—and make it a lot harder to get your necessary work done. The grandest monuments are built one brick at a time, with maximal staying-power in mind.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Enjoy your escalating slide down the scrumptiously slippery slope of a whole lot more 'I-don't-give-a-crap'-style good times, Capricorn. Over the course of this week and into next, thanks to an increasingly earthy astro-vibe (which makes it that much easier for you to cut through the groundless feverishness and hyped-up noise that's been grating on your nerves in recent weeks), you should hopefully be slipping into a more stubbornly self-gratifying groove… one which dares you to respond to unpleasant influences with a basic refusal to participate, on the basis of you preferring to do what you want instead. This plain prioritizing-of-personal-preferences strategy is likeliest to cause undue complications amongst those you're already intimately involved with, for they're the ones likeliest to see through your stubborn self-protective stance and be able to appeal to your more interpersonally conscientious side—and that's, of course, appropriate because they're also the ones who (presumably) you genuinely do enjoy. As far as the general public is concerned, however, those whose behaviors are incompatible with what makes you happy are liable to simply stay away, whether in disinterest or fear. And those whose behaviors are compatible? Don't be startled to see them flocking to you, whether in admiration or desire.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Little by little, continuing shifts in the astrological mood are making it increasingly possible for you to carve out a few more down-time moments to yourself, Aquarius. In the weeks to come, I see your attentions being redirected closer to home, whether in terms of your literal domestic sphere or just more subjective or inward in scope… though that's not to say there won't still be certain folks loudly vying for your notice. If you wish for this astro-transition to actually buy you that much-desired soul-soothing retreat, therefore, you probably shouldn't just disappear without comment—not if you don't want those demanding individuals to respond by getting louder, greedier, and more annoying. How can you expect them to correctly interpret your disappearing act as a cry for personal space, especially if they haven't yet noticed your already-less-than-welcoming reception? Subtlety will not be your best tactic in this case, if you're trying to get someone else to respect your wishes. There is absolutely no harm in clearly expressing your unavailability… and while you're under no obligation to explain the emotional-self-care reasons behind it, you're likelier to come off as a sensitive soul (rather than a chilly self-involved asshole) if you choose to do so. Another possible approach: Make a concrete plan for a future date with them, three or more weeks from now; then, exhale.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Open yourself up to outside interaction and input, Pisces, but not so much so that you obediently bow to any-and-everyone else's influences and opinions. Please remember, just because another person may have a louder voice, a more confident(-seeming) stance, and/or a lengthier history with the relevant issues, that doesn't make your ideas and experiences any less rich or insightful. Oftentimes, the individual with the glaring lack of so-called 'expertise' is the one best equipped to look at a situation with innovative eyes, uncontaminated by familiar 'conventional wisdom' which immediately already blinds us to other ways it could be handled. By the way, in this hypothetical scenario, it's you with the wide-eyed freshness… yet, without a certain amount of self-assured faith in the value of what you know (because it may be different from what others know, though not necessarily 'less'), you might instead show up to potentially fertile conversations cloaked in a distracting garb of insecurity. Don't think of the suggestions, clarifications, objections, or corrections offered to you as belittling proof of your inadequacy, then. Step back from any self-judgment, and instead participate with avid curiosity. It'll only help your development to more thoroughly understand the official expertise or conventional wisdom—even if only so you can later cherry-pick the bits you like, do it one better, or discard it altogether.