Horoscopes | Week of June 5-11, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Utilize any developing emotional agitation and/or domestic unrest as fodder for inspiring a better grasp on your finances or other material realities, Aries. But don't let it leak too excessively into your social interactions, turning what might otherwise be an excellent chance to genially connect with pals or folks-about-town into an awkward situation where the other person isn't quite sure how to respond. I'm not saying you can't talk about what's up with you, of course. However, if you're expecting a friendly conversation to yield a solution to your disgruntlement—when you're far likelier to positively shift your energy by actively doing something that'll stabilize some area of your life, rather than just talking about how upset you are—you may be laying a heavier trip on the exchange than it can constructively bear. Take the agitating matter into your own hands, some way or another. (If you rely on someone else to pep you up, you'll probably end up disagreeing with their angle anyhow.) Meanwhile, use the conversational Mercury-Jupiter mojo to get to know a certain scintillating someone better than you do… expressing your interest in them rather than some less-inviting vein of exasperation.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A switch is blessedly flipping (as I discussed last week), Taurus… and by Tuesday (Jun 6), once both Venus and Mercury have moved into spots they'll be much happier occupying, you should expect an auspicious window of masterful self-securing to open itself invitingly to you. Especially during this week and next, your top priorities should be to follow up with any irons you've had in the proverbial fire, to touch base with any folks you'd like to 'do business with' (professionally or personally), and/or to tactfully propose various concepts to various stakeholders to see which seem to generate immediate positive feedback (and which don't). This is hardly the time to be reserved, reticent, or retreat-focused. This is the fulcrum-moment of your whole year, after all… the critical opportunity to emerge from that prolonged first-chunk-of-'17 incubation period, and to dash into your rest-of-'17 manifestation work. Nobody in this horoscope column will tell you to button your lip, hold your horses, or bide your time during this next here-and-now. In fact, you'd be silly not to forge boldly ahead with something personally profitable, progressive, or future-oriented, now that Venus is yours through the first week of July.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The information-processing wordsmith-planet (and your ruler) Mercury returns home to your sign this week (on Tue Jun 6), Gemini… and quickly grants you a broader-band capacity to deftly handle the multitude of check-ins, follow-ups, let-you-knows, and get-to-know-you-betters you've probably been meaning to deal with for a few weeks now. Likewise, as far as finally discussing items you haven't yet made public and/or confronted a certain someone with, this is the time to hop on it. Don't hold yourself back either, when it comes to unabashedly owning what you really want out of a situation (even if you might not successfully clinch it); mincing or muddling your words only lessens the precision with which you're presenting the desires you hope will be met. Be snappy about it, too: Mercury's moving pretty fast these days, only spending a mere two weeks in the Gemini zone this go-around. While it's not like you can't continue tackling Mercury business once it's passed along, you'll be able to manage a whole lot more of it a whole lot faster during this short span. One last thing: Concentrate more on the acts of transmission and exchange themselves, rather than the reception you perceive you're getting. It might take a few weeks to glimpse the principal benefits materializing.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The odd astrological combination of hosting Mars in your home-sign while Mercury's sliding into your 12th, Cancer, means you'll be wielding a very strong 'make-things-happen' energetic… but not necessarily an adroit verbal articulateness to go with it. In other words, your tongue could find itself tied up in knots trying to explain your ideas or intentions to others, while your actions will speak them much more clearly and loudly. Be mindful, therefore, of not spinning a first-person tale that describes your current status in the most unflaggingly flattering, optimistic, or virtuous of terms—not when there's a palpably antsy, assertive, and/or self-serving undercurrent to your behavior that tells a different story. Should you need to muster a certain air of diplomacy or nonchalance, therefore, please don't attempt to pull it off yourself. Lean on those colleagues or chums who get where you're coming from to work the spin, while you either smile and nod or disappear from the scene altogether. You've got plenty of other fish to fry, obviously… and, for the immediate moment, I recommend sticking to any task or interest which won't require gobs of conversation or interaction with others in order for you to make great strides with it.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): With Venus aiming up into your solar 10th this week, Leo, your public profile's rising again… not necessarily for anything new that you're doing, but for the overall consistency-of-self which you model (intending to or not) by just continuing to be you, even as circumstances change. You are, of course, doing new things (or, at least, are just about to); they're merely in too nascent or crude a form at this stage to expose their delicacy to conspicuous attention. As such, you'll want to straddle the line between (1) basking in the admiration and love that colleagues or clients or audience-members feel for you, as you graciously receive the benefits of this loyalty you've earned, and (2) unassumingly tinkering behind the scenes on whatever 'next-leg-of-the-journey' enterprise may eventually develop into another impressive achievement, but still has a long way to go before inviting others' judgments on it. Rely on your social-positioning skills to navigate this channel: a bit of resting-on-laurels here, a touch of slyly evasive hyping-up there, pivoting away from anything too intrusive or detailed.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): It's as if your vehicle's been all gassed up and your thinking-cap's back on nice and tight… and, with everything in as tiptop shape as it's going to get for now, you really haven't a single good reason to drag your feet any longer, Virgo. Perhaps your best way to start, then, might involve studying the map, roughly diagramming the specific turns or tasks in your travel-plan, reaching out to those important contacts with critical roles to play, and lining up the pressing questions and pivotal disclosures you'll need to communicate in the days and weeks ahead. Meanwhile, please stop looking behind you for something you might've missed. It's pretty impossible to account for everything. And besides, there will be many chances to make up for losses or lacks further up the road—not replacements, mind you, but novel additions and unanticipated expansions, maybe even changes in your own desire-structure which soften the blow of what used to be. 'Further up the road' is the promise that's supposed to get you going. Be ready to battle off with any friends, peers, or community-mates who'd seek to block your passage forward.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): You're in a bit of a sweet spot, Libra, as Jupiter stations back to direct motion in your 1st and revisits windows-of-opportunity which were opened, but not yet fully exploited, over recent months. A big part of your current go-getter effectiveness will stem from your ability to hold space for others' discomforts, confusions, uncertainties, and kneejerk reactions… while remaining coolly (though not uncompassionately) on message, without buckling under the psychic pressure of their psychological baggage. I may've made this exercise in holding space sounds harder than it is, though. You are not only totally equipped for it, but you could also majorly profit (in one way or another) from this energetic investment. Think of this as you practicing a form of ambitious leadership, wherein you do some heavy relational lifting (by patiently bearing witness to collaborators' full selves) in shrewd unapologetic exchange for a leg-up from them in support of your larger goal. All the while, continue framing the issues-at-hand from the broadest perspective possible—beyond either your or their ego-stakes, but in terms of fair principle and future potential.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Your current shift toward whatever's 'next' (which I described last week) looks very likely to involve other people and/or one certain special someone, Scorpio, thanks to a happy Venus-in-your-7th playing nicely with Mars-in-your-9th. Where you've lately been consumed with perfecting your work processes and/or personal-care practices (and not so hunky-dory with those who you've felt threatened your capacity to do so), your blinders are now lifting and your intensity-level lightening up… allowing you a stellar chance to reconnect with close pals, smooth over any ruffled feathers, and/or woo that someone you've had your eye on. As far as such interpersonal dealings go, be consciously forward-thinking—based on where you see yourself going as the year rides on—rather than constantly referring back to how things have been. Where you find yourself stuck with this, try being forthright with your companion(s) about what's stopping you up… not from a place of complaint or hopelessness, but from a position of growth-oriented self-consciousness, demonstrating an honest dedication to working through your shit. Sharing this mix of vulnerability and confidence is a powerful intimacy-fostering move.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): You're due to relish those thrills of effective labor, Sagittarius, which are only available to us when we're willing to go all the way to the core of a piece-of-work we're engaged with… to refuse the shortcuts of half-assed efforts or superficial solutions, in favor of ripping through the guts for a tougher-and-truer response. This will apply foremost to concrete tasks which, to be done properly, may require a fuller dismantling of the existing work-practices (to root out any dangerously rotting planks within the process) and/or a difficult toe-to-toe with someone who's resistant to confronting what's really wrong. Interestingly, it also applies to any interpersonal work in which you and a certain individual must figure out how to better mesh your daily routines, but can only effectively do so by addressing the deeper differences in your personalities, psychologies, and/or upbringings. The good news? Mercury's in your 7th now, making it easier to genuinely hear the other person's thoughts, and to communicate yours for maximal receptivity. The risk therein? The communications could go too 'smoothly' if you aren't willing to voice that one most-complicating emotional sentiment.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): The now-emerging alliance between Venus and Mars bodes quite well for you, Capricorn, if you emphatically take the relational lead with those you'd seek to spend more time with… and show them, by example, what exactly you might do to create the most immediate joy out of your togetherness. Anchor your interpersonal outreach in genuine love for whatever pastime or pursuit you'd most want to share with them, so they can catch a glimpse of the less-enterprising and more-leisurely you, rather than contriving an activity or attitude you imagine will impress them. Your impromptu pleasure should prove rather infectious, if they are indeed on your wavelength. And if they're not? You'll probably receive the rebuffing pretty clearly… and it'll be on you not to push back against the dissuading feedback to the point where a full-on conflict arises. Mars-in-your-7th is not only an encouragement to 'take the relational lead'; it can also be an indicator of interpersonal conflict, should your agenda bump up against another's competing one. Would you waste Venus-in-your-5th's promise of enhanced leisure-time enjoyment by trying to force someone else to come along if they're not into it?

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): You've got no shortage of work that's piled up and begs for your prompt attention, Aquarius. But thankfully, you're also being gifted with an increase in productive capacity… which means you'll be able to get more done, particularly if you rightly understand the direct link between checking items off the list and carving yourself out a larger slice of inner peace. Yes, I attest that working harder will leave you feeling calmer (provided, of course, you don't overtax your bodily aptitudes and end up injured or exhausted). Whether the required effort will clear your home of sanity-obstructions, get a family obligation off your back, and/or alleviate the guilt of what you haven't dealt with for too long now, each accomplished task will be banked like a sigh of existential relief. Though you should find yourself pretty busy if you follow this guidance, you will still find the initiative to simultaneously narrate your adventures-in-productivity, for the benefit of those who sincerely wish to know what's up with you. Being transparent about the labor you're carrying out, to ultimately support your own well-being, is an act of creative modeling.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): It's definitely a moment for investing more active intent into your leisure-time pleasures, Pisces… not with any sense of duty (as if this were yet another item to check off your endless chore-list), but because you're probably feeling damn ready to unlatch your release valve, put on your party shoes, and dance the jig of 'I deserve to celebrate!' I encourage you to select the setting, the activity, and the companion(s) of your liking, instead of just hooking into an existing plan that isn't as personally enthusing but sounds merely 'fun enough, I guess'. This increases the likelihood you'll get the most bang for your buck out of your precious off-duty hours, since you're sure to be doing something you actually want to do. To open even wider to pleasant surprises you hadn't banked on, I'd suggest situating yourself in a social context where running into familiar faces, reconnecting with old acquaintances, and/or striking up lively chat with strangers is a possibility. If instead you keep to yourself too seclusively, you'll be more prone to unconstructively fuel an internal script of self-sealing anxieties than to steal the relaxation you purport to crave. It'll probably be more psychically 'relaxing' to kiki with friends.