astrobarry

You won't know whether to plant a wet one on him or punch him in the face. But you definitely will be interested in what he's doing. Plan on seeing him a lot this week. Otherwise, you'll be left to wonder-and get suspicious. Do it: Spend time together.

Just as you're reaching the limit to how much drama you can handle, an increase in workload steals your attention away. The timing couldn't be better. Focus on the practical nitty-gritty for a while, so the interpersonal stuff can simmer down. Do it: Attack the chore list.

Whatever has you feeling good is the right answer. And if you need to put someone in his place to make yourself happy, why wait a minute longer? With your love zone heating up, the next guy should be right around the corner. Do it: Choose you first.

Yes, you have permission to hide inside your house, if that's what sounds appealing. But make the most of your homebody days. Every ounce of effort you put toward improving where you live will provide that much more happiness. Do it: Tinker away at home.

Get out of your head, and back in step with the local happenings. Stop into your favourite haunts, for some much-needed face time with the regular characters. Brush up on the latest gossip-maybe even share a bit of your own. Do it: Reconnect socially.

Spend a few weeks sorting out your finances, and you'll be set to finish the year with a positive balance. Think ahead to all that holiday spending you must do, and plan for it now. It's better to be prepared than bankrupt. Do it: Budget your bucks.

After weeks of confusion, you're finally ready to roll your sleeves up and put everything back together again. Thankfully, you can expect more clarity and focus than you've had in a while. (Don't feel it yet? Don't worry, it's coming...) Do it: Get back to business.

You've reached a point where logic can no longer serve you. Don't fret, though. Your feelings are obviously leading you a certain direction, though your mind can't explain why. Follow their trail, even if you can't see too far ahead of you. Do it: Let intuition lead.

The problem's not with your message itself, but in how you're conveying it. If you still can't figure out why you're being consistently misread, ask for a trusted outsider's honest opinion on where you're going wrong. (Hint: A little small-talk wouldn't hurt.) Do it: Communicate sweetly.

Guilty of talking a good game (without putting actions behind it)? Commit to spending the near future aligning your outer life with your inner purpose. Start with your job, by asking yourself, "Do I believe in what I'm doing?" Do it: Reflect on career goals.

Enough is enough already. Fixating too much on "complications" can begin to feel claustrophobic. What else can you focus on? Your next big holiday? Your latest intellectual fascination? Anything that gets you outside the same old crap is worth considering. Do it: Think beyond today.

You're currently a magnet for scandal, attracting taboo topics and forbidden flirtations without even really trying. You'll be hard-pressed to ignore all the temptations. Just make sure no innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire. Do it: Be a good "bad girl".

astrobarry

Horoscopes Week of August 18 to August 24, 2008

By: astrobarry

Aries (March 21-April 19)
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Squeeze... hold... push... one more sit-up, one more leg-lift, one more stack of papers to be sent out or filed away, and one more big valiant effort made on your part... and yes, soon, Aries, the planets and I will let you off the big work hook. Already, this week, your ruler Mars is moving out of the get-your-shit-done-or-else 6th house -- and into the relationship-oriented region of your solar chart, where you'll have a hard time not caring what certain You-Know-Whos are doing with themselves. A week from now, he'll be joined by both Mercury and Venus, virtually ensuring that your next phase of time will largely involve realigning yourself to partner thinking, rather than the unilateral ‘must do my work!' mindset that you (presumably) fostered over these past several weeks. Suddenly, you'll have to answer to other people again -- and they to you -- in a fashion that can be both wholly enjoyable and a bit irksome, since togetherness is sometimes known to slow things down. In any case, you'll surely be glad to pop your head back out of the workshop, studio or cubicle, and get reacquainted with the important folks in your life. But for one more week, can you squeeze or hold or push just a smidgeon more? I know you can...

Well, if you're going to buck the trend of ‘safely belonging' by going against the crowd's idea of what's ‘appropriate' -- and/or if you're about to actually piss somebody off doing so -- at least make sure you have a really good time doing it. And perhaps more importantly, Taurus, do it because it feels so liberating to behave exactly how you really want to, appropriateness be damned. One thing's for sure: You will grab the attention of the person you're hoping will notice. Maybe in the process you'll ruffle feathers or offend sensibilities (that is, if you're going all out on the planets' assignment for you this week), but nobody's liable to get bored. Dare I ask the obvious, but who the hell cares if certain other folks are shocked by your provocative playfulness or the no-bones-about-it directness with which you outwardly state your opinions or desires? Their prudishness is their problem. Soon enough, you're going to find yourself neck-deep in a mountain of important items that will require you to, yet again, put the frivolity aside for a spell and get a shit-ton of stuff accomplished. Until then, make your free time count... and definitely go for ‘brash' over ‘bashful'.

That crazy world out there ain't gettin' any calmer any time sooner. In fact, Gemini, with Mars moving his butt out of your 4th house of private domestic affairs and into the fun-zone of the 5th, I'd expect your outside activity levels to soon razz back up to a more-usual high. That also means the household projects you're halfway through attending to (or just about to launch into) may soon find themselves returning to the bottom of the priority list, and the familial matters you've been delving into (instead of, say, returning every silly phone call or text message at lighting-speed) could lose their urgency midstream. So cherish those quiet (or not-so-quiet) moments at home when you can get ‘em, since the noisy hassles of a brisk social existence will soon be re-overtaking your life. Shift into overdrive on those projects and matters you imagined, with all sincere hope, you'd have more time to work on. Getting them to a completed state (or as close as possible) over the next week or two could save you the unnecessary burden of months of reminding yourself what you left hanging. Even as your social sensors are starting to pick up their signals, strong as ever once again, you might want to retreat from view just a little bit more... at least until you put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Changing your mind: It's not just a woman's (or a Gemini's) prerogative anymore. In fact, doing the opposite of what you said you were going to do way back when (a few weeks seems like an eternity these days, doesn't it?) may be the healthiest option out there. And grabbing straight for that activity you swore you'd never in a million years try can deliver quite a titillatingly cathartic sensation (not entirely unlike a long-called-for orgasm). Should someone present you a new way of looking at a certain situation, Cancer, please do not let your first reaction be to automatically dismiss it or start arguing why it could never be that way. (Okay, if that is your first reaction, at least push through to the second and/or third one.) Just because you wouldn't ever have dreamt it up yourself, that's no reason to resist. Many of the best ideas arise when something so oppositional to our already-agreed-upon stance presents itself that we are forced to contemplate (or yell and scream about) the differences... eventually leading us to go for the very 180-degrees-across-the-circle thing we started out claiming to detest. Even if your reversal isn't quite so dramatic (or even terribly significant), it's still your right to take it. Change your mind, if that's what you need to do. It is kind of fun to throw ‘em all off, don't you know...

If you believe in the value of planting seeds of intention, which, when left alone to sprout and shoot up and flower, eventually yield the fruits of our conscious energy... well, Leo, I'd suggest heading out to the backyard right now, digging a nice deep hole somewhere with good soil and plenty of sunlight, and sowing the first spores of what will later blossom into a healthy and productive money tree. With intentions, it's important to be as precise as possible about what you want (and, yes, please be careful what you wish for), while reserving enough wiggle-room for the universe to act in its mysterious ways (since it has access to a wiser logic than we mortals can understand). And don't forget to throw in the part about not doing harm to anyone else, nor inhibiting their free will in any way. Then, forget about the whole thing, a step in the process that should be relatively easy to do in the coming few weeks, as your schedule will shortly be jam-packed with casual dates and important meetings and silly evenings with friends and all other sorts of appointments with the parade of people who are dying to see you or who you are dying to see. Think of this horoscope as one last reminder to concentrate on laying the building blocks that, over time, will come to serve as a solid foundation for everything else you want to experience. You still have a few spare moments to attend to this stuff now. Pretty soon, you won't.

I'm already thinking that, once I inform you of my astro-take on your week ahead, Virgo, you're not going to believe me. I know the world inside your head has a tendency to obscure certain realities, due to the fact that you usually observe every one of your own little gestures and deeds from behind that (rather unforgiving) magnifying glass of yours. But here goes, anyhow: For one week only, you've been granted the gift of flawlessly crisp and cool communications. This ultra-rare honor entitles you to express your genuine sentiments with just enough specificity (but not so much that it makes anybody else nervous), and an added sparkle of likeability (to offset the chance someone might ‘take it wrong'), that you get your point across with the greatest surety and the least emotional fuss. Pretty awesome, eh? Don't waste it, then, on parroting diplomatically crafted scripts (‘stay on the official message'?) or lodging avoidant dodges so as not to actually say anything. This is your moment to show your true colors, your particular tastes and habits, what's actually on your mind. Worry about being real, not easy-going. (The ‘easy' part happens all by itself.) And though the inner magnifying-glass critic might attempt to faithlessly halt you, on the grounds that being so direct and pointed is too, well, direct and pointed, I say to ignore him. If you're ever planning to reveal an uncensored glimpse into your thought process, this is a prime week.

Your day, Libra, or (more properly) your series of many days, is well on its way to materializing... kicked off this week with the entry of Mars into your sign on Tuesday (Aug 19). Mercury and your ruling lady Venus follow next week, culminating in a super-empowering triple conjunction in your sign during the week of September 8. What this amounts to, in essence, is a glorious period of time for putting forth your greatest efforts of the year -- and it all starts to begin now. I'm not accidentally representing the Department of Redundancy Department when I use the phrase ‘starts to begin', since you're really not all the way into it until the end of next week. As such, there's still a lot of stuff that could unfold this week, due to larger forces totally beyond your control. (One possible manifestation: Due to Mars already being in your sign, others might subconsciously view you as a threat... and seek to undermine your burgeoning power before you have a chance to fully embrace it. They might succeed in the short-term, but they won't likely win the war.) Rather than fighting against any of it (literally or on the emotional level) and needlessly draining your strength, I suggest you hold your breath and simply let the waves hold you. Soon enough, you will make it back to shore... with ample opportunity to sort everything out (and then some). For now, just acclimate yourself.

In case you hadn't noticed, Scorpio, quite a few of your latest horoscopes have contended with questions about your relationship to the people surrounding you; ‘your social affiliations' might be a good phrase to summarize these concerns. But as the days turn into weeks and a new season flirts with unfolding, you're rapidly moving away from the relevance of such questions... if not away from the actual people themselves (whether temporarily or on a more lasting basis) that conjured their consideration in the first place. This isn't a matter of having ‘won' or ‘lost' either. It's merely a natural and periodic shift in gravity -- for a while you're in the center of interpersonal collaboration or controversy, and then you max out and start receding into the backdrop, for a bowlful of peace-and-quiet stew. That's how the tides work, after all. You're reaching that point when you've done just about everything to do in this certain circle of affairs (and if there's still a couple items remaining, hop to ‘em already)... because, aware of it or not, you've had just about enough. You crave one or two -- or a hundred -- steps in the other direction from all you've been caught in for the last two months. Rightfully so, my dear. Now, how to do it gracefully... ?

In light of the external signs revealed to you last week, with regards to your current professional or public-community status, you're well positioned to use your week ahead to proactively engage with whatever manifestations you're not so pleased with. For instance, Sagittarius, if you recently said more than you perhaps should have, you can freely admit that -- as well as explain the reasons why you wished you'd put it differently. Or if you received a less-than-stellar result or review, due to somehow having missed the mark with your actions, you might want to accept responsibility for the disappointment -- and, while you're at it, pledge to do a more comprehensive job next time. And wherever your hastiness or pride, immaturity or underestimation may've created an unintended mess that you now find yourself sitting in the middle of, this is your chance to clean it up. But a word of warning: When you go to ‘undo' your error, oversight or lapse in judgment, please be sure to take a drastically different approach. Otherwise, your similar efforts will lead to similarly unfortunate results. The biggest key here is humility... so if you can't quite see how to readdress the issue from a drastically different angle, consider asking advice from someone whose own ambitions are yielding observable success.

Chief strategist hat on, please. Start weaving your plan for world domination (or the closest thing to it in your immediate sphere of activity) now. You hold this capacity for constructing airtight methodologies (complete with contingency back-ups, even) that'll ensure, in advance, your staying power in whatever context you put your mind to it. This is a superb time to put it to work for you, Capricorn. Over the course of the next month, a flurry of 10th-house activity (first from Mars, then Mercury and Venus) will brighten your public image, in shades most flattering to whatever you decide (ahead of time) to present yourself as... so I think you'd better make the call as soon as possible (‘how do I want them to view me?'), so you can start crafting the impression right away. To folks of other zodiac tribes, this whole description might sound a bit... I don't know, contrived or engineered or a bit too calculating for their tastes. Ignore such self-righteous cries for so-called ‘authenticity', as if we don't all put on performances for everyone around us every damn day of our lives. There's nothing wrong with choosing a goal, then carrying out a structured series of actions designed to maximize one's chances of achieving it. And yes, it requires a huge amount of people-pleasing... which, contrary to the critics (envious, perhaps, that they can't sustain a strategy without spontaneous emotion getting in the way), doesn't necessarily imply inauthenticity. Why can't you be sincere, while, at the same time, stroking a few egos?

For the first time in what may seem like forever, that frustratingly complicated situation is beginning to clear itself up... thanks, in no large part (presumably), to the efforts you've put in to iron out some of the nastier kinks. (And if no effort has been made, the situation will still likely loosen up some, as a sheer factor of time passed... though the issues you neglected to resolve will follow you around, whether or not the current harbinger has been exed from your life.) There is light at the end of the tunnel, the reflection of bigger and brighter things you're due to focus yourself on, now that this crap is finally pulled together in a digestible package. This week is a wonderful one for uttering any last dangling remnants from the past couple months, knowing that, without full disclosure, you're still being a bit dishonest. Because the bulk of the complicating drama has already been played out, you're likelier to receive a more sympathetic (or at least wearied) ear to your concluding airings. Naturally, once you finally say it all, you'll be giving up your ability to tiptoe around the rules, loitering in the supposedly safe ‘fuzzy areas' that we create when omitting key pieces of info. Of course, if you've done your job, there's no need to loiter there... nor need you continue looking over your shoulder, to see if someone's about to find you out.

If, for one second, you honestly believe all the closets have been cleared out, the cobwebs removed and the skeletons hung out for all the neighbors to gawk out, I think you may be seriously kidding yourself, Pisces. But I'm not terribly concerned for you, alas, as you head into (yes, it's true) an even more intense few weeks ahead. Let me be clearer, however. The major surprises, explosions and/or upsets have, likelier than not, already taken place. This ‘intensity' I'm describing is more like the morbidly fascinating process of digesting the aftermath -- picking through the bones, sorting ‘keepers' out from the discard pile, shaking off the dust, and generally reorienting yourself to a new environment (whether literal or psychological). Such moments, though not always convenient or carefree, comprise some of the deeper, meatier and more meaningful ones we experience in life... as we're forced into confronting our most love/hate, do-or-die, what-have-I-got-to-lose realizations that represent what we're truly feeling when things stop being polite and start getting real. Be fearless, and embrace this process with unabashed eagerness. Despite what's considered acceptable among those who just don't ‘get' you, you live for this stuff. And for those of you not exactly vibing with what I wrote (as if no such intensity appears to be calling you), try looking at wherever your secret resentments or not-so-secret impatience is beginning to build up.

astrobarry

Horoscopes Week of August 11 to August 17, 2008

By: astrobarry

Aries (March 21-April 19)
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Back to work, Aries. Yes, you heard me right -- and my demanding commanding tone, too. This should not be surprising advice to read from me, if you'll recall my not-so-long-ago report on how July and August 08 are pivotal work months for you... with the potency to make or break your entire year, no exaggeration necessary. Well, according to my watch, you're still very much within range of those dates. And now, with the added assistance of Mercury and Venus in your 6th giving you a keen head for the details and (hopefully) an even greater appreciation for whatever you're working on, you're well-situated to reinvest your attentions full force, just in case they've temporarily drifted elsewhere. Your week ahead will be especially useful for tackling any steps that require you to meet with important people, represent yourself or your organization on a larger stage, or otherwise make impressive public appearances. Position yourself as being unquestionably reliable. (At this time, ignored responsibilities will reflect quite poorly on you for a while to come.) And whatever you do, don't use this opportunity for spouting self-aggrandizing statements about Purpose or Destiny (what they'd call ‘spewing hot air'). Not the moment for it, to be sure. You're definitely still in sweaty task-completion mode, rather than ready for elder-statesman speechmaking. Yet, it's another great week for making a big difference, as long as the appropriate efforts (and then some) are made.

Have you forgotten to schedule yourself some fun again? Do you find yourself so laden with the burdensome requirements of all the roles you've agreed to take on that, now, you have no time left for just being yourself? Have you lost that lovin' feeling? Well, Taurus, far be it for me to belabor a point (why say it only once when you can say it thrice?), but you're flirting with the worst trappings of a joyless life if you won't face up to your duty to simply enjoy yourself. I intend to sound dramatic when I inform you: You cannot afford to rank your own pleasure low on the priority list. (Behind visiting the dentist and washing the car, even?) Carving out a non-negotiable niche for purely personal considerations is a necessary battle to fight in your war for a noble existence. In the other corner, vying to blacken your heart with passive-aggressive dissatisfaction, are the myriad ways you imagine yourself as beholden to others' dictates and demands (or those you've internalized as all that you're ‘supposed to be doing', among which ‘catering to selfish delights' apparently isn't one). Don't let the dreaded Them win. The only path to victory is insisting on your own contentment. Even if you have to squeeze it all into half-an-hour a day, make those thirty minutes unabashedly yours -- and make ‘em count. It's amazing how much personal joy you can concentrate into tiny spaces, if you plan accordingly... and care enough.

When I tell you to keep to yourself this week, Gemini, it's only because I want you to minimize the potential for excessive exchanges of emotion with others... merely to save yourself the pointless headache. Looking out for your need to relax is the single most important thing right now, and I simply cannot see how exposure to anybody who might vie for your attention to what they want from you could possibly be ‘relaxing'. I'm no dummy, though, and I understand the appeal. What we often find entertaining or exhilarating (the presumptive reason you'd seek out others' company, correct?) isn't exactly the most appropriate vehicle for quietly unwinding, now, is it? So though your inner-child social butterfly (a bit of a rambunctious rascal, to be sure) may prefer the stimulation to the silence at absolutely any cost, you're not doing your spirit any favors by sustaining the noise at normal levels. Until you steal a few quiet ‘me' moments, you might actually neglect to notice how maxed out you really are. Relax first, my dear... and ask questions later. If that requires taking a smidgeon of space from your sweetie or saying no to frantic friends or family, so be it. You'll be better because of it, a week or two down the line.

The luminary ruler of your life, the lovely and vivacious moon, faces her very own eclipsing late in the week... and in the days of psychic buildup leading into it (palpable to you and, oddly, Aquarians more than anybody else), you could find yourself tapping into an intuitive stream of other folks' feelings, the one they usually prefer to keep hidden. Treat these traces with the respect they warrant. Acknowledge them as they pass you by, but don't cling. When you stumble upon glimpses of their secret resentments, lusts, panics or outrages, you can't know their full context... how small a proportion of their overall attitudes these may comprise, whether they're relatively permanent or fleeting and inconsequential, or even if your pals themselves are fully conscious of ‘em. Please do not assume you grasp where they're coming from, then, my dear Cancer -- even if your intention is to ‘help' them deal with whatever internal unsettling you're whiffing off ‘em. If you've got questions, by all means, ask. But take them at their word. Though you may suspect more than is being said, you can't make a case on reasonable suspicion alone. Another day, or even a different hour, and that which you absolutely know in your gut to be the truth about them may be very far from the shifted reality because, of course, feelings are just like that. They move and morph and misrepresent themselves at every turn, by their very nature.

Hang on to your hat, Leo... especially if it's your hat, dammit, and you might just need it for some important head-covering soon enough. In fact, this isn't the time to let any prospective tools or treasures slip out of your sight, according to some naïve share-and-share-alike logic that's really functioning as a cover for underlying carelessness. You've entered a phase in which it's crucial to reserve your time, money and resources for only the most practical purposes -- and particularly those that directly serve your own bottom-line interests. Haven't you read the news lately? Don't you know how wise it is to consider the future, which, with each passing headline of doom-and-gloom economics (at least in the countries I frequent), continues to appear shakier and shakier? Even if your personal situation doesn't appear immediately so bleak, it certainly wouldn't hurt to put a temporary cap on extravagant spending and excessive partying, in support of Backup Plans B, C and D. And while I'm not suggesting turning a total blind eye or cold back to seriously needy friends or loved ones, this probably isn't the best time for indiscriminate generosity. They've got to really need it, and you've got to really have it at your disposal. (Gestures, meanwhile, made simply to come off as the shining-armor-clad savior and/or in order to hook someone into a strings-invisible-but-still-attached ‘agreement' are not currently called for, nor favored by the planets.) Poor distributional choices made now could mess you up for a long time. Good ones, on the other hand, might just prove a miraculous investment with copious dividends.

Wield your gorgeousness of character like a pediatric heart surgeon would his scalpel: delicately, with the awesome awareness that your diehard meticulousness can and will save lives. Dare I assist in bloating your head to record proportions (humble Virgo? never!), but in matters such as those you're now facing -- where excellence in accuracy and level-headedness is tantamount to overall success -- few approach perfection (dangerous word, I know) as closely as you do. Trust in yourself to react in infinitesimally small but exact measures, rather than with clumsy drippy brushstrokes, to barely perceptible shifts in the wind... but refuse to believe anything can really get you down. Sure, there will be obstacles (or maybe there's a less obstinate word to use?) that appear in your path, as there'd be for anyone. Yet, you've got Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn all on your side, and what pesky gnat of a problem could possibly contend with all that planetary power? Indeed, your most defining characteristics (those which in other circumstances might seem reason enough to criticize yourself, or to shamefully swallow others' criticisms) are the very qualities that make you such a force to reckon with currently. (Your biggest enemy? Ghosts from the past. But aren't they already dead?) Hold your own, defiantly. This is your life. Live it exactly as you please.

You see the phantom motion in the corners of your peripheral vision, but when you turn to face it right on, there's nothing there. The elves and faeries who animate your house during shadowy dusk or late-night gray don't like to have the light shined on ‘em, and are apt to disappear back into nothingness just as quickly... playing as if everything that exists in our world is only that which can be touched, tasted, or tested in laboratories. I hope, for the sake of your spirit's need to entertain the possibility of more, that you're willing to consider the passing glances into Wonderland as something real -- though, likelier than not, you might also dismiss them as fantasy when letting your logical mind rule the roost. See, Libra, despite what the totalitarian rationalists dictate, it absolutely is possible to both believe and disbelieve in unexplainable phenomena at the same time. It all comes down to intention. While I wouldn't necessarily advocate such an unwavering faith in the factual actuality of mystical creatures literally whispering wisdoms into your ear at night that you stay up late trying to snag photos you can send to Scientific American as publishable proof, I do however advise you to listen to what they're whispering. Why not take the crumbs of profound knowledge where you can find ‘em, even when you couldn't possibly explain to an uncompromisingly skeptical crowd how you know what you know (or even be sure of all its dimensions yourself)? Don't waste the goodies that have presented themselves at your proverbial doorstep, on the wings of angels or from the mouths of dead loved ones showing up in your dreams. It'll be our little secret where they came from, I swear...

Look around, one more time, at all the people surrounding you. If the circumstances you share with them are presently to your liking, you have a collective obligation to celebrate. You have confidently proven the worthiness of binding together toward common ideals, and mustn't let the triumph sneak modestly by. But if you're still displeased with the results you're seeing, Scorpio, then you've also surely realized that something's got to give. That's because (pardon my blunt straight-talk) you're unlikely to ever get what you want with the current team roster... unless, that is, you're just being so rottenly stubborn in your refusal to blend your ideas into theirs (‘I thought of it first... and better!') or soften your tone for better group dynamics. Assuming you have done your darnedest to compromise, communicate and consider alternatives, yet symptoms of discord and dissatisfaction continue to be evident, what's really left to do? Waiting for them to change will turn you blue in the face, while trying to go around them shall only yield further incompatibility. Maybe it's time to admit you're on the wrong team. Déjà vu? It's been a month since I proffered virtually identical advice. If nothing's improved yet, it probably won't.

Stop talking and thinking, scheming and maneuvering, long enough to just take in the external signs. What's going on here? How has your position risen or slipped? Where have you seen measurable evidence of good results, and where is the progress visibly lacking? No matter what the specifics of your case may be, Sagittarius, this is no fluke. It is a weigh-station, a junction, a crossroads. Any honors you're now receiving were clearly and unequivocally earned through hard work. They are yours to keep, and should not be expected to float away on the next change in tide. Yet, if you're presently hitting a wall, it is a seriously solid one. That doesn't mean you absolutely won't be able to climb your way over, dig your way under, or find another way around... eventually. But it will take even more effort than you've already put forth, and/or in a radically different manner, since what you've been doing obviously isn't working. (I say that without judging your character, but purely on the nuts-and-bolts functional level. It's not an excuse to beat up on yourself, just to examine your process.) Think of this as nothing beyond a brilliantly informative update... and an ideal chance to reexamine whether this goal, this job or affiliation, is really right for you (and worth all that it requires). The decision is yours, of course, but if you're going to stick with it, make a decisive recommitment. Apparently you still have a ways to go. (P.S. Angrily confronting others about what's not happening for you will not help your case. In fact, it's probably a glaring example of why it's not happening.)

Let's give one more round of applause to the concept of personal ethics... and to hell with those who wouldn't recognize a matter of principle if it jumped up and bit ‘em. We have conducted a series of carefully controlled experiments on the state of internal well-being among those who must make choices every day (and who doesn't?), and our statistics yield a result consistent with the hypothesis that living according to a coherent system of beliefs makes a person happier and healthier. Who are you to argue with such proof, Capricorn? Ignore the voices of fearful meekness that'd convince you not to bother making a big deal, when it's your sense of everything right in this world that's at stake... and nothing less. Yes, you should make the deal, brave defender of justice. Stands such as these, no matter how small or ‘irrelevant' (according to anyone too put out by the inconvenient delays to hold much respect for integrity), will indeed build upon themselves for a life you'll be proud to lead. However, lapses of a similar vein -- that is, not accepting responsibility for the ripples of consequence created when we overlook correctitude to speed things along or reap selfish gain -- form a slippery slope that, before you know it, can lead to rotting morality, a reputation of ill repute and/or the inability to sleep at night. Taking the time to fight the battle when it really matters to you won't, in fact, sap your energy. If anything, it'll pump you up.

If you're comfortable with the current level of intensity in the hottest-button relationship(s) in your life, then you've obviously done a good job of managing your involvement so that you (1) successfully held the boundary at a point appropriate to your desires and/or (2) put in the personal work, warts and all, needed to achieve intimacy without feeling threatened. Kudos for knowing your interpersonal capabilities (or at least being willing to learn more about ‘em)... for allowing yourself to be vulnerable when necessary, but never past the limit that's right for you. But, Aquarius, if your cage of sanity is being rattled to the point of way too much, you should probably put a stop to the no-holds-barred behavior -- on both your parts, of course, since it does take two to tango. If a certain situation is taking over your life, distracting you from everyone and everything else, you aren't being a responsible participant. Take a step back. Freeze the whole thing out for a while, if you have to. Don't, however, fool yourself into thinking there will be no drawback to getting in way over your head... as if ‘oops, we got carried away!' is any defense at all. Every moment not spent cleaning it up will only make it that much messier.

Whether or not any of us thinks it's fair, we most certainly are judged by the company we keep (sorry, McCain and Obama)... and I'm not even sure that's such a bad thing. When we hitch our car to someone else's locomotive, through friendship or professional allegiance or romantic love, we tacitly agree to share responsibility for where that train is heading... for carrying the freedom fighters to their liberatory bliss, the goods to their homes on store shelves or as donation relief, or the unlucky souls to their final resting place. We were there, after all. We went along with it, didn't we? So, Pisces, solidify your links to those peers and allies of whom you're most proud. Your very acquaintance with them will lift you up, both by inspiration and literal designation of your efforts. You need each other to stay strong. But if you're going along with folks who don't authentically represent what you purport to be about, don't think you can get away with ‘loving the sinner' while ‘hating the sin' -- not without dirtying your own hands. Sometimes, we have to pick sides... not necessarily out of judging others for being less than we are (so you needn't hang anyone out to dry, not to worry), but in order to save ourselves from the unavoidable contagion of alliances imprudent in light of who we want to be. Accessories to crimes are still criminals, by the rule of law, though they may never break a window or pull a trigger.

astrobarry

Horoscopes Week of August 4 to August 10, '08

By: astrobarry

Aries (March 21-April 19)
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Pisces (February 19-March 20)

With your ruler Mars facing off against the anything-goes disobedience of Uranus, the risk of unexpected happenings shoots way up this week. In particular, you're unusually vulnerable to making careless moves or wearing your energies down, if you aren't especially respectful of your subtle physical rhythms. That necessitates you slowing down long enough to reflect on whether a given action holds more potential risk than is really worth taking on (knowing that this isn't the week to push your luck)... and paying close attention to the internal signal of ‘enough is enough', so you don't insist on sticking it out an extra couple hours, only to wake up in the morning with a nasty cold or a terrible urge to play hooky. Much wisdom will rest on you determining the limits to what you can do -- and not daring to pit your modest human self against forces too large to contend with single-handedly. If you're wondering whether you've bitten off more than you can chew, you probably have. Pick a different week to pull an all-nighter or scale Kilimanjaro. For this week, play it on the safe side, and take super-tender care with your body. It's the only one you've got.

A refined take on long-chewed-on feelings finally starts to take hold. This leads, by logical extension, to your reinvigorated resolution to finally do something about it. You'll show them, won't you? They've got it coming to ‘em. They need to be exposed to the consequences of their actions, or they'll never learn. Isn't that right, Taurus? While I'm quite sure that (if you've at last reached this ‘a-ha' moment and can't just sit on it) you feel the righteousness of what you're about to ‘teach' coursing through your blood, I'm not convinced you have to rush headfirst into the response (or is that revenge?) phase. Perhaps you might care to allow these latest realizations time to sink all the way in... before you do something rash? The planets (egged on by a Mars-Uranus opposition) will certainly be tempting you in the opposite direction -- to behave outrageously, if only to make some rebellious point about them ‘not messing' with you. But where does that leave you after the initial scent of vindication wafts past? Unfortunately, in a position where the ‘statement' you just made may ultimately prove misleading, at least in terms of what you want on a longer-term basis. You may have successfully vented your frustration all right... but at a much higher cost than you need pay.

It's really not like you to miss the point. They can accuse you of a lot of things (some of which you'd probably have to plead ‘no contest'), but cluelessness is not one of ‘em, Gemini. (If anything, you can be too quick for your own good.) Yet, you could find folks looking at you with a weird blend of confusion and impatience... once, that is, you respond to what they're telling you with questions or remarks which appear to ignore their main purpose, to instead fixate on some tiny detail largely irrelevant to the topic they're seeking feedback on. (For example, they relate an involved tale about their latest romantic entanglements... and you can't get past the fact they wore khakis to a nightclub or drank fuzzy navels all night.) For the record, I do not think you're dim -- merely distracted by more personal concerns, and thus less aware when your lines of interpersonal connection get crossed. (In other words, you're in your own head. That makes it harder to get into theirs.) If you totally lose sight of the drift they're trying to convey, it's no big whoop. Humbly apologize, and acknowledge you're probably not in the best mindspace to listen well. Of course, it might also mean you have some talking to do... or how else will you clear this stuff out of your mind?

You're hot on the trail of a potentially lucrative opportunity, Cancer... but as profitable a circumstance as this could prove to be, it's also just as likely to slip through your fingers if you aren't fully prepared to grab it in full ‘gotcha!' mode when the time is right. That means you must, vocally and without blushing timidity, throw yourself into the running. Your sudden entrée as a serious contender may indeed surprise those in charge. (There's probably at least one player who hasn't even considered your involvement as a possibility.) Yet, a no-holds-barred announcement of your intentions will surely open their eyes to you as an option. Furthermore, you shouldn't be afraid of ‘rocking the boat' -- for instance, interrupting their sales pitch to ask clarifying questions or holding out on one seemingly inconsequential condition -- in the process of trying to cinch the deal. If these matters are important for you to address, then they need to be addressed. Otherwise, should you secure the gig under the fishy auspices of ‘don't ask, don't tell', you've essentially agreed to an arrangement that doesn't value the importance of those things you find important... and therefore won't likely be an especially respectful situation to be in.

Oh, you'll catch their eye... don't you worry about that, Leo. You're presently holding every weapon in the arsenal one might use to attract a steady stream of gorgeous suitors, eager for their chance to woo such a charmer as yourself. But an appealing surface will only get you as far as ‘hello'. It's how you act after they're taken notice that'll determine whether you reel ‘em in -- or turn ‘em off. That said, you'd better have the personality goods to back up those first impressions... or you'll shut down their interest as soon as you mutter that first uninviting remark or start nervously yammering on and on about how great you are. Though you may smartly choose to give off a well-put-together persona (because, hell, who doesn't want to look like a hottie?), you should also be willing to expose who you really are. Or do you want them to see you as a nice-looking clothes-hanger... with very little else to offer upon first meeting or casual conversation? Rather than upholding a too-perfect front, reveal glimpses of your inner dork. The days of repressing your true disposition, in order to appear ‘cool' to the narrow segment of the population who considers themselves ‘supercool', went out of fashion back in junior-high.

In an uncharacteristically brazen display of the proverbial ‘fighting to the death' (though hopefully without any actual deaths), you may find you need to stand very tall and strong... in order to signal to everyone within a 100-mile radius that you absolutely refuse to be shaken. (Such bravado is required for passing the test of how seriously you're taking all this.) I'm trying to rally your fiercest ferocity, Virgo, because you just might encounter powerful opposition or an apparent deal-breaking obstacle... and you mustn't let such challenges chip away at your confidence. If you're properly thinking everything through, you could well discover that the forces thwarting your easy advance are totally beyond your control -- and therefore logic would seem to lead to retreat as the best response. But logic isn't the fellow you want leading the troops into battles all by his lonesome. You need the guy with the fire in his belly and the image of overflowing treasure chests filling his mind. He's the one already on his feet, ready to find any back-door or kitchen-window breach in the otherwise water-tight blockade. That insistent warrior knows full well: If one plan gets dashed, there's always another way.

You'll make a great confidante or second-in-command to the friends you most value this week... when you can expect to genuinely enjoy playing the role of sounding-board, conscience and proxy-sanity, in support of someone whose vision you can wholeheartedly endorse. You currently possess a knack for getting inside their head, and, as such, you'll instinctively grasp what they're trying get across -- and notice what unspoken assumptions they're making, so you can confirm the accuracy of all the necessary details. You also innately understand which of their psychological issues are at play, enabling you to tell ‘em exactly what they need to hear to cut off their self-defeating worries. Plus, with the planets as they are, you have no compelling reason to get attached to a particular plan or protocol... making it that much easier for you to happily groove with whatever changes present themselves, and to help your pals cope with being just as flexible. Basically, if you could follow a single guideline in your friendships this week, it'd go something like this: Don't make a big deal about anything, and be cool with whatever. Not only does this path of least resistance require essentially no forethought, it'll also keep you out of trouble.

The kind of expletive-filled quote I wanted to write here (which, for once, I convinced myself wasn't an integral part of the horoscope) is the sort of mouthing-off we could only attribute to your inner thrasher, Scorpio... the one who only comes out after every possible polite move has already been tried, to no great effect, and you realize you're tired of pussy-footing around. And such ‘adult' words are precisely what's apt to stream forth from you if, after all the concessions and compromises you've made to the other players to keep ‘em happy, they still shoot their dirty looks or envious attitudes at you. Nobody would be surprised to learn you've had it up to here (and then some) with ‘playing nice'. But considering how important a role the interpersonal politics have taken in this current endeavor, there's no question you're in a tough spot. Can you forgive them their bad reactions or petty trifling, just so you may continue pursuing your pre-established goals? Or have you finally hit your limit and, therefore, need to let your pent-up gripes gush out... without worrying about whether you're taken the appropriate tone or waited your official turn to speak? If you are indeed ready to dispense with sensitivity and let ‘em have it, don't be taken aback if everything between you blows up.

Count yourself lucky if the scene within which you're working still provides enough excitement to keep your fires burning. But when the world we inhabit (consisting of a mere sliver of that great big world out there) demonstrates it isn't ready for the revolution we're in the midst of birthing, we mustn't stop our metamorphosis in its tracks. Instead, we speed a hasty trail to the fortress gates, turn back for one last wave at the good folks we're about to leave behind, and get on with the revolution. But then again, we won't want to squander our newfound liberation on rehashing those same old grievances we harbor toward the ‘old' way of doing things -- or else why bother leaving at all, only to bring the frustration with us? There is nothing inherently wrong with whatever status-quo situation apparently isn't able to contain your growing pangs, Sagittarius. It's just not right for you. So you bear no crusader's duty to overthrow the whole damn thing, from CEO to mail clerk and everything in between. Why spoil something that may be perfectly acceptable to plenty of other folks? If your grounds for dissatisfaction truly center on not getting the individual freedom you crave, then take the damn freedom already... the freedom to leap forward into your personal revolution with no strings, that is, and not the freedom to continue obsessing about somebody else's shortcomings.

Per last week's endorsement of simplifying the situation (by any means necessary, no less), you're slated for one more week of trudging across bumpy terrain so you may gain greater clarity on where to go from here. We are all adults here, Capricorn. We can get behind the ‘rough-and-tumble' approach, if it'll reap the results that a certain arm's-length standoffishness could never produce. We have no problem becoming a little dirty and sweaty (or even a lot), when it feels like the efforts are actually contributing to something. But what we don't have a need for, this far along in the process, are attempts by any individuals (yourself included) to control the proceedings by deciding in one's own head how things should go down... and then sneakily steering the conversation in that direction. Forestall the judgment calls long enough to actually talk to each other, experiencing whatever feelings come up along the way. Do your damnedest not to attempt communications from a place of already assuming to know what conclusion you want. (Such expectations will make it difficult to listen with an open heart.) Dwell in the not-knowing. You can analyze meanings next week.

I don't ordinarily offer this sort of advice, Aquarius... but a little voice inside is telling me it could prove strangely fitting this week, so I feel obliged to share it. Here goes: Don't shy away from spinning your message so that it hits their ears just so, massaging it to maximize the likelihood of getting the very reaction you most desire. Is that calculating? Perhaps. Is that insincere? Not if you aren't purposely withholding facts that, were they to be disclosed, would generate an entirely different response. I'm not counseling you to alter the truth in any way -- simply to present it in a tone that plays to their current psychological state, pushing the right buttons and avoiding certain phrases so as to reflect your sympathies. The main reason I'd typically hesitate to guide you down this path is because, when it comes to consciously engineering your attitude to create a desired effect, there's a very fine line between strategic forethought and outright manipulation. And one of the main distinctions? Whether your investment in the situation is (1) out in the open, above-board, and generally uninvolved with who holds the most powerful hand, or (2) secretive, lacking ethical integrity, and mostly in it to win it, no matter the cost.

(1) If you think you're reached a lasting agreement, you're wrong. (2) Just because they said one thing, that doesn't mean you must say the other. You don't have to say anything at all. Hell, you don't even have to listen. (3) Nobody owns a monopoly on the facts. But you can imagine how one might draw such a conclusion, considering two of you claim to have such a lock on ‘the facts'... and yet totally contradict each other. (4) Everything that drives you crazy about them also subconsciously drives you crazy about you. (5) If you genuinely want to knock ‘em out for good -- and let me be clear: I doubt that you do -- just go for one swift ugly blow in the gut, then run like hell. (Isn't that what you'd do if you were trying to escape from an actual attack?) (6) You're under no obligation to play any interpersonal ping-pong at all. Sidestep the drama altogether, simply by attending to the all those easy-to-solve problems and almost-finished tasks at work. Choose finite projects you can finish in one or two sittings. These small accomplishments will make you feel good about yourself... in a way that harping on the back-and-forth gripes never could. (7) If you don't like something, change it.

astrobarry

Horoscopes Week of July 28 to August 3, 2008

By: astrobarry

Aries (March 21-April 19)
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Very briefly now, go ahead and celebrate your past few weeks: the opportunities to test your endurance (and the occasions in which you appeared to falter with it), the impetus to keep on going for reasons that'll prove so very worthwhile later (and the periodic flicker of your flame as it ponders extinguishing itself), and the encroaching lures that remind you how it's much more natural for you to simply follow impulses when they strike (though, were you to follow ‘em all the time, you'd have few palpable progress-markers to show for yourself). This is a monumental marker, Aries. Cut a couple of your shifts short, so you might have some fun and spread your infectious upbeat energy like wildfire. As long as you're enjoying yourself, those who might resist you will fade nonchalantly into the background. And in this height of blowing off some hard-earned steam, please acknowledge the reality of: You can't go on like this forever. Change is a more natural state of affairs than wrinkle-free continuance. As soon as these upcoming few weeks, you'll encounter compelling (conspicuous, even) reasons why the patterns you've only recently developed can't be maintained much longer unless something gives. Perhaps you will run out of time or resources, be pulled away by personal mini-crises or so-called family ‘emergencies', find yourself at a lull in the process without clear instructions on the next step, or turn painfully bored and antsy, enough so you subconsciously search for ways to sabotage the stability. Whatever the case, you must figure out how to simultaneously (1) shift along with the shifting circumstances, so as to make space for the new variables, and (2) still stay basically on-course, though a detour or two need be adopted. Throwing in your tiles and starting again from scratch is, however, an entirely wasteful and thus unwise option.

Nostalgia is theoretically quite comforting, wrapping us as it does snugly within its cushions of familiarity, lovingly hugging each curve on us it knows so well, like that perfectly-worn-in sweatshirt we've been wearing around the house since seventh grade. Of course, dare we leave the house in it, we may well appear to others like somebody who, er, has been wearing the same sweatshirt for twenty years... and who's probably way overdue to shop for some new clothes. So, Taurus, while it makes total sense that sentimental yearnings for fond memories might sneak up on you during this eclipse-charged week ahead, you can't exactly put ‘em on like nothing's changed and magically transport yourself back in time. Your life exists here and now, not there and then. Yet, such nostalgia gushes forth from the crevices of our mind for a good reason -- we must remember, thoughts that seem to simply ‘pop in' are never as random as we might assume. Why, you might ask yourself, do the emotional traces from that certain time period still hold such appeal? You'll need to understand the source-material of this undertow, if you hope to integrate those past sensations you're missing into the fabric of your current existence. Concisely put, that's because you can only go forward, never back... and thus, to legitimately recapture those glories from another time, you must find ways to incorporate bits of that idealized ‘old you' into today's new-and-improved version. While you may powerfully crave the safe warmth that old worn-out sweatshirt would provide, you can also find similarly comfortable garments in more up-to-date styles... so that nobody could rightfully confuse you with some quaint kitschy relic from yesteryear.

According to the traditional average-TV-sitcom mold, the hilarious pitfalls we find ourselves confronting week in and week out are often resolved within a tidy half-hour or so, complete with heartwarming moral instructives the whole family can enjoy. But barring the occasional serialized-romance thread (‘will Sam and Diane end up together after all?'), there's little cumulative development of self-regulating ethical guidelines that the protagonist can observe so as to avoid winding up in the same (or an eerily similar) situation. (That's why it'd probably be frustrating to befriend one of these sitcom characters in real life -- they never seem to learn anything.) In your own life, however, I must assume the main player (which, of course, is you) is less superficial than that. For you, the star of the show, I expect there to be continuous strands of meaning running through the stream of absurd exchanges and crazy antics that comprise season after season of sidesplitting episodes. It all adds up to something, right, Gemini? You are becoming wiser in the ways of people, aren't you... so that, over time, you'll come to minimize the embarrassing moments and chaotic misunderstandings, simply by developing a few key rules of restraint you obey to the letter, thus minimizing the possibility that you will somehow cause the chaos or embarrassment? Skimming along from one disconnected vignette to another, without any self-integrating effort to tie ‘em all together in this way or that, will leave you surfing on the mere surfaces of existence.

A huge impact could stem from your basic act of saying no to someone who ordinarily gets most everything they want from you... if the utterance also serves as an empowering ‘yes' to yourself. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing what you need ahead of what others are asking of you. What's more, you don't actually require a thorough explanation for why you might choose to say no. It's your prerogative, Cancer, to make decisions that suit you... for no other reason than sheer preference. But if you need greater incentive, how about reflecting on the quiet resentment you're liable to develop, should you keep on making overly generous gestures at the expense of taking care of your own security? Such quiet resentment is a dangerous thing to leave unattended. Its terrorizing tentacles can sneak into your subconscious, spurring you to grumble about everything you're forced to do on a daily basis (and to wonder about what you are actually getting from it) -- when, far from being a powerless victim in this circumstance, you've sort of set yourself up for it. And all this, just so they might perceive you as ‘such a nice guy / girl'? (If they could only hear the not-so-nice things you're silently saying to yourself, they might think otherwise.) Perhaps a certain ‘no' here and there has now proven to be long overdue, if you've given ‘em just about enough of your time or energy (or money!). You only have so much to go around. Shouldn't you get first dibs?

A solar eclipse in your sign, like the one occurring this Friday (Aug 1) morning, often indicates you're at a major turning point. (This is especially so if your birthday falls during the second half of this week.) The page is about to turn (if it hasn't already) to the next chapter of your life, as clearly evidenced by an acceleration of external events that are carrying you along with seemingly little effort on your part. As you ride these shifting tides, you need not fear the loss of solid ground beneath your toes. Put enough attention toward sharp observation, and you'll spy powerful signs of which direction everything is moving. And while it may seem dramatic or abrupt, this trend is merely the logical end to actions put into motion quite a while ago. (Ever heard, ‘Be careful what you wish for'?) At this point, then, in light of the evolving situation that's rapidly unfolding even as you read these words, your most important judgments to make will center on this question: how to balance your independence (as required by the new terms of your changing position) with relationship commitments to others (including your spouse or romantic partner, business associate and/or closest chum). Left to their own devices, the narrative developments would undoubtedly serve to draw you and that certain someone either closer together or further apart. Where you come in, Leo, is in deciding whether to assert your interpersonal desires into that equation... thus consciously interrupting the direction it might naturally flow between you two, due to you wanting to make sure the relationship is prioritized (‘yes, I want to grow closer together!') or sped toward dissolution (‘no, I'm pretty much done with ‘em!'). Against this transforming backdrop, it's on you to step toward or away from those interpersonal connections that'll be necessarily affected.

Breathe in the compassion. Breathe out the indignation. Perhaps they have no clue just how hysterical they've become... just how outlandish are their responses to rather reasonable-sized problems... or just how crazy-making is the energy that's emanating off of ‘em. Perhaps they just don't get it. But is that any justification for leaving yourself in the line of fire, Virgo, when your tempered rationality is likelier to be dominated by their emotional exaggeration than to bear much persuasive power toward deescalating the fevered pitch? Who needs the extra aggravation, anyway? If (or should I say when?) the people around you start freaking the fuck out, give them plenty of space to do so. Adjust your course and, if need be, proceed several hundred feet away from the center of the mania, if that's what it'll take to sidestep their chaos. Without proper care taken to secure yourself a peaceful time-out from the eclipse-whipped froth that's got everybody foaming at the mouth, you'll be too vulnerable to the ferocious undertow. Unless you actively move to prevent it, you will keep swept up in their melodramatic ‘crises' (or so they'd have us interpret the recent events)... and consequently end up stressed out, due to no compelling relevance to the situation of your own life. So avoid the lunacy altogether, if you can. One quick glance in their shifty ears (or one psychic whiff of their unstable ch'i field) will provide the necessary advance warning.

It must feel like such a major relief to hand over control to someone you trust... leaving you with the freedom to cruise by with relatively little effort. And even if the temptation to cede the steering wheel isn't dominating enough to overpower your spark of independence, you must at least enjoy sharing the responsibility for step-taking and decision-making with others. Well, you Librans are not exactly the type to determine your preferences in a vacuum, shielded from outside perspective. You need to know what they think, if only to provide you a good starting-point in your reflections (if not as the ideal example of everything you don't want to do). But let's be clear, that doesn't make you weak in personality or too easily influenced by what other people -- only someone who is prone to distinguish yourself as an individual through dialogue, an ongoing act of comparing and contrasting that helps you zero in on your truth. (This method of self-definition, incidentally, is no less legitimate than any other.) Your week ahead will provide hands-on instruction into how this all works, with plenty of relaxed opportunities to let others take the lead... while you observe how the ‘following' makes you feel about whatever issue you're following their lead on. If you're peacefully content about it, then you can safely assume you do authentically share their attitude. Yet, if instead you're nervous or uncomfortable, you'll have discovered at least one area in which you two diverge -- a fact you should remember for future use. When the nervousness comes over you, it's also a clue not to go along for their ride, lest they commit you to something you'll come to regret later.

You've been working your butt off to get to this pivotal juncture in the process. And we all know there's no real point to working that hard unless you go all the way with it, right? It's no wonder, then, that you really really really care about what happens next... and, as a result, are likely harboring a fairly serious case of the short-tempered jitters, which flares up at any sign that things won't head in your desired direction. So go on and take your shot, Scorpio. Reach for that most treasured slot, squelching any self-doubt that might otherwise stop you in your tracks, and see how it plays out. But ultimately, alas, there are no guarantees... and if you know what's truly good for you, you're preparing for every possible outcome. Yet, as the final results are starting to trickle in, I must clue you in to the late-breaking news with the potential to change everything. Here goes: It doesn't really matter what happens. Well, of course, it does matter... insofar as the immediate ego triumph or defeat is concerned. In the end, though, you won't necessarily find greater satisfaction and self-acceptance by succeeding at what you set out to do -- if, once the initial thrill wears off, you end up right back on the ladder again, fighting your way one more rung upwards. Likewise, you won't be forever deflated and dismayed, should you not emerge victorious; following the immediate sting, you'll have to gather yourself together and find renewed inspiration in some other quest. In both cases, however, the longer-lasting and further-reaching upshot rests on your emotional process of coming to grips with however it turns out... and, surprisingly, not the result itself.

It's not like you to be particularly subtle about what you believe to be right. So if you're beating around the bush now, Sagittarius, you must have a good reason. Maybe your attempts at diplomatic downplaying are a response to my past few weeks' horoscopes, which seem to call for striking a precarious balance between respecting authority and ‘getting to the bottom of it all', all while being straightforward but not too demanding. (Talk about walking a tightrope.) Perhaps you're mincing your words with the hope you can save a tentative relationship or tempting opportunity. But to call a spade the spade it is, you are holding onto a very hot potato by wishing others to intuit those unspoken truths hiding between your lines of what's ‘officially' out there. At some future point, on a day when you're not feeling especially up for holding your tongue, you will let your actual feelings come ripping forth. And if they never fully understood where you were coming from before, they will surely be shocked into understanding then... but not without a corresponding sense of having been betrayed, due to you not being perfectly forthright from the get-go. The relationship, the opportunity, whatever you tried to save -- little chance it'll withstand that eventual shock. As such, you might as well quit the efforts to forestall the inevitable. If the circumstances can't contain your authentic opinionated self, then why bother maintaining ‘em at such a delicate equilibrium? Let ‘em take you or leave you, based on what's real... but don't leave ‘em in the dark.

Simplification is definitely the way to go, Capricorn. But before you jump too quickly into snipping cords, halting conversations or excusing yourself from headache-spawning interpersonal negotiations, I'd advise you to hold off until you've read the fine print on this one. That is, in order to simplify the situation, you'll first have to dive headfirst into the storm... and address all those messy little loose-ends, in order to ensure no slippery variables are remaining, lest they leak back in later on and reignite the blaze. If you really want to clean it up, it's essential to get everything out on the table... even if it requires one or both of you to make an uncomfortable admission. (Now you realize why it's one thing to claim to want a resolution -- and another thing entirely, when that much-ballyhooed resolution must come through one's own awkward revelations.) Yet, until you put words to that which hangs heavy in the room as long as it goes undiscussed, you'll be stuck in exactly the same place you've been for a while now. No pain, no gain. No serious simplification's likely to occur, until all the scattered complexities are identified and given name to. Oddly, however, the minute you bravely launch into the very conversation you really don't want to have (mainly because the whole idea of it just seems like a huge pain-in-the-ass), you'll already feel the knots of interpenetrating emotion untying themselves as, for the first time in a while, you state exactly what's true for you... and let the rest go.

Flooded with fresh data about that guy or girl who's been by your side or in your thoughts, you will see him/her more closely and clearly than ever... in all their splendor and glory, with best assets lit up in neon brightness and unflattering scars just as glaringly visible. Here's that further info you've said you needed, in order to square up your inconclusive wonderings about him/her. And the only thing left to cloud your impressions of the relationship now? Your own hopes, wishes and fears... things which are typically based on whatever projections we put upon our dearly beloved, potentially mangling and mutating ‘em to a point beyond recognition. So take yourself out of the mix for a moment, Aquarius, and just look at what actually exists between you two. Are you growing closer than ever, or are you on your last legs? Is there work in progress, and/or is an eventual end inevitable? I firmly believe that, recent ‘bursts of super-potent emotion' aside, you can get a vividly accurate sense of where this is all headed with You-Know-Who -- if you actually want to know. Of course, often we don't. Our purposeful ignorance suspends the romance in place, while too unflinching a glimpse of reality would threaten to crush the pleasure in today's fix. However, at this point, it behooves you to embrace the clarity. Don't be afraid to take in the full picture because it just might be close enough to ‘pretty perfect' that it triggers your rebellious side. Maybe it's time to stop resisting the long-term vision. Likewise, don't be afraid to gape at the words if this is the final chapter, written out longhand on the wall for all to see. Maybe it's time to embrace the cyclic nature of life and bury the bones already, so, soon enough, a new sapling can sprout.

Just when you're within millimeters of sliding into the deflating belief that it doesn't really matter what you do -- that the world is full of forces so much more tremendous than anything a single person can muster, and that, in your brief-but-rich handful of decades of wanderings through its endless coterie of backdrops, you can only hope to meet a few worthy faces and touch a few lives because, after all, any other goal is too fraught with latent disappointment -- I appear on the scene to talk you out of that silly line of thought. This isn't entirely dissimilar to me showing up at the 32nd-story office, just in time to seduce a suicidal acquaintance away from the ledge and back into the window since, likelier than not, the rotten mood that drew him out there will pass quicker than another full trip around the wheel of reincarnation. Only difference is: You're not about to jump to your death (I presume), merely to resign yourself to a haphazard ‘hands-off' orientation that affirms the pointlessness of bothering to try. But I say that's nearly as tragic, Pisces. Emotional fluctuations (or a short attention span) are no excuse to throw in the towel. And you are lying to yourself, should you conclude that you hold very little power to effect the results you want... especially if all you're focusing on is everything that's ‘stacked against you' (as you see it, that is). Everything you do -- and even what you think -- definitely does matter. While you may not know exactly how you're going to get from here to there, you must insist without hesitation that it's possible... and that your efforts can and will make all the difference. You weren't put here in a flesh-and-bones body on this weird and wacky planet, simply to remain powerless to do a damn thing. So even in the most furiously dead-end situation, life is challenging you to find some active step to take, one that doesn't rest solely on surrender.

astrobarry

Horoscopes Week of July 21 to July 27, 2008

By: astrobarry

Aries (March 21-April 19)
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Presuming that you have, in fact, been pouring your heart and soul into those pieces of work you're supposed to be working on... well, then, you're certainly due for some recognition, aren't you? (This is not the same thing as being due for a break, which you aren't.) But you'll be waiting a long time for the relevant bosses, team members, loved ones or other folks impacted by your diligent efforts to notice all that sweat equity you're investing -- if, that is, you don't talk up your good deeds. Feel absolutely no shame in showing off the fruits of your proud labor. Tooting your own horn only becomes distasteful when it's a substitute for continuing the actual work, as if you might legitimately be permitted to rest on the laurels of a few-weeks'-toil for a long while to come (which you're not). If you are, as I've already advised, irreversibly committed to staying the course for another several weeks, in order so you might later enjoy greater success thanks to having postponed your immediate gratification, then you may at least indulge in a small amount of self-congratulating. You should celebrate the fact that you're sticking with it... so long as the celebration doesn't distract you from the disciplined approach that's itself the cause for celebrating.

Excitability will be your clue you're doing something that actually matters to you, which is why your participation in said activity will likely amp up your physical energy with enthusiastic adrenaline... and which is also why your anxieties could also go up, considering you want it to things to go well since it does matter that much. So when you find yourself becoming more ‘excitable', Taurus, roll with it. But to best use this hopped-up, spazzed-out vibe, you've got to be willing to dive right in... rather than, say, cautiously considering every step to the point where you're afraid to actually take it. Caution, in this most debilitating form, has very few helpful applications this week, especially when it comes to your involvements with the activity that has you all excited. After all, the excitement means you can hardly wait to get into it. Then, why wait? Anxiety, meanwhile, signals that you need to get out of your head -- and onto your feet, ready for action. Literal physical motion is the best antidote to internal freak-outs. When in doubt, take on another helping of the manual labor required to move everything along. (Silently reflecting on whether it's the ‘right' timing for this phase of the labor is already taking you out of your body.) There's really nothing left to do but the doing.

If you think you can have a sweet superficial chat with a certain You-Know-Who, when, at the same time, you have a bunch of more complicated stuff on your mind that you'd rather not discuss with ‘em, you're totally kidding yourself. How can you imagine you won't spill your guts, Gemini? Once you start talking, you won't be able to stop... or at least you won't want to. And it's definitely worth considering whether the things you're liable to say will likely further complicate the complicated situation. The current reactions you're having, real and profound as they may be, could just as easily fade away by next week or the following one. But based on the intensity you'll inescapably express, should you opt to talk this out with the person in question, they might mistakenly assume you feel like this all the time... and treat this passing pothole as a more lasting trouble. In other words, if you're too indiscriminate in how much you vent -- and especially to whom -- you'll end up creating more of the very thing you're complaining about. So if you're not in the mood to bare your soul (or wise enough to know that, despite the temptation, you're better off not running your mouth in this case), then funnel all your attention into your job or other such routine concerns. Not only are these ‘safer' places to channel your mental energy, but the simple act of changing your focus will do more to settle your stirred-up soul than continuing to talk incessantly about what's stirring you up.

‘I need to know now!' their tense voice (or desperate eye contact) cries out to you. But who needs to know now, Cancer? Is it you? Because if it isn't, I see no reason why you should adopt their sense of urgency as your own. And that means resisting others' pressures to make up your mind, if you still haven't decided. Better yet, respond by asking more questions. Push on the places where certain details haven't yet been fleshed out, and watch ‘em squirm... not because you're some sort of closet sadist (you're not, are you?) but in a mischievously helpful fashion, yanking the covers off the very reason why maybe, just maybe, everybody should just slow this train down for a hot minute. Think of yourself as the benevolent voice of alternatives (any and every alternative!), ready to offer up a cavalcade of previously unentertained suggestions or play devil's advocate when encountering anybody feeling stuck, fed up, overly confident or too impatient to care about getting it right. At this point, there's really no convincing excuse for closing off all the other options. The decisiveness that certain folks are obviously searching for will arrive soon enough. So why be premature in calling it said and done? Have fun with dodging the dotted line. It's not quite time to sign.

There's really no need to hurry on ahead, though your instincts might tell you to keep on pushin' the pedal to the metal so as to maintain the momentum you've already got going. If you're facing no unmovable deadlines that must be met, please feel free to postpone further important dealings until next week, once Mercury has settled into your sign and your head will be more securely screwed on. At the same time you're enjoying an influx of fresh new spins on long-standing circumstances, your mind is so steeped in excitedly entertaining the possibilities, it'll have a hard time tapping into its analytic side... and thus could be blindsided by all the functional reasons why the plan, in its current form, might not actually work. What I'm trying to tell you, Leo, is: Don't stress about that stuff right now. Come next week, you'll be in a far better position to mold your creative raw-material into workable shape. And in the meantime? Go ahead and coast. Let up on the internal gears, and give ‘em a little rest. You've already proven to yourself that you're suffering no shortage of ideas. Though you'll unarguably need to face certain logistical questions ahead, this is actually a good problem to have: the challenge of figuring out how to enact your vision in the real world.

After a past couple weeks that might've seemed like something of a test, you're due to tap into a wider-angle optimism... an outlook based upon the increasing self-confidence that's (hopefully) come from proving you can indeed make the ‘wisest' decisions for yourself, when need be. Once you can concretize and integrate this faith in yourself -- that, no matter what, your problem-solving practicality will always jump to your own rescue -- you're then better able to reach ever further out onto the limb of scary-but-so-desirable risk, reassured that you can always get yourself out of the situation if it doesn't end up working for you. Too much by-the-books pragmatism, alas, can stand in the way of your imagination, Virgo. How can your inner creative-visionary feel free enough to dream up a dramatically more fulfilling future for yourself (even if you're already ‘perfectly fine'), if you're always already worrying about how to make it happen or all the possible process-oriented problems that might present themselves? Sure, once you get to the ‘implementation' stage, those types of thoughts will come in very handy. But before you get to that point, you have to allow yourself to simply dream. That is, to dream big. Believing that dreams can come true -- and, in fact, do all the time -- is the first step.

It's important not to fight, if you aren't exactly clear on what you're fighting about. And if such an unspecific battle threatens to break out with somebody you actually care greatly for (e.g., your honey, your good friend, a family member), don't discount the real possibility that these frustrations are really a cover for missing each other. You two might, in fact, be struggling to find time for each other... and the annoying cat-and-mouse game is merely playing out as a convenient exchange of blame, where the little annoyances you'd ordinarily forgive have suddenly become supposed ‘issues'. Why project it outward, making the other person ‘wrong', when you could just accept the temporary gap and live with it for now? (A little personal space isn't such a bad thing anyhow.) It's also important to hold your worries about work or other duties you haven't yet completed (see last week's segment) at arm's length... recognizing them for what they are, rather than conflating ‘em with the interpersonal garbage and unnecessarily throwing wood on the fire. I cannot reassure you enough times that any extra moodiness, confusion or angst you're enduring at the current moment is unlikely to last more than another few weeks. By early September, this will all seem like ancient history.

Make it ‘bigger than you'. What I mean by that, Scorpio, is a suggestion not to permit the frivolous shit to devolve into personal beef with someone -- or, for that matter, into someone's personal beef with you. That's so not where you need to be focused right now. Do what you can to open up any potentially problematic exchanges into a larger discussion... drawing other voices in (and consequently deescalating the tension), describing the matter at hand in impersonal terms (to take any finger-pointing off the agenda), or otherwise waxing philosophic with inconclusive conclusions and zenlike answers-that-are-questions. Take interactions that seem to be headed in one or another clear direction, and shuffle the puzzle-pieces so that any way may seem as appealing as the next. That way, the whole lingering intensity is brought down several notches. However, if you don't think you can pull it off -- and if the peer pressure is really starting to drive you nuts -- maybe you just need to take a few moments away from the whole thing. If you can't see a way around your urge to rain on everybody else's parade, why not just zoom off for a bit? You all can fill each other in on the details when you get back... once what currently seems like a big deal will no longer get you as riled.

With a strategic regrouping on your part, this could prove to be quite a profitable week for you. Rather than give off a near-menacing strength of authority (and cross that unpopular line between ‘confidence' and ‘arrogance') and the Machiavellian willingness to do ‘whatever it'll take', make a much more focused grab for a particular set of expanded duties, a certain extra shift, or a clearly outlined role that's only one or two steps beyond what you're currently doing. It's far easier for a person-in-power to say yes to a person who's asking for something that's been distinctly defined... and which has built-in limits in place (as opposed to a ‘blank check' sort of anything-goes feel). You'll also get further by being unambiguously straightforward, rather than imagining you can slyly fish for an offer without your hidden motivations being detected. Be forthright in explaining exactly why the move you're desiring will benefit them (because they'll obviously be already aware of how it benefits you), and it'll be much harder for them to disagree. You'll win the case by putting it in nuts-and-bolts terms that speak to their bottom line. However, if you think they'll be swayed merely by your heartfelt repetitions of why this means so much to you and how very badly you want it, you've got another thing coming.