ARIES (March 21-April 19): I suspect you'll be a genius of
awkwardness in the coming week, Aries. What that means is that you'll have a
knack for doing the half-right thing at the half-right time--and yet that's
exactly what'll be necessary in order to bring about unexpected outcomes that
are in everyone's best interests. In the short run you may make a perfect mess,
but I bet that will ultimately add more beauty and intrigue to the big picture.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Dear Grandma and Grandpa of the
Taurus this horoscope has been prepared for: I'm hoping you will bring your
helpful influence to bear on our little darling's dilemma. I know that in your
own past you once had to navigate your way through complications similar to
those that Taurus is now facing. So even if you have died and are in spirit
form, please bestow your advice and encouragement, whether that's delivered by
phone, via telepathy, in dreams, or in person. One more thing: Please don't let
your wise blessing get tainted by any lingering disapproval you might be
harboring about the path our beloved Taurus has chosen. This is a time for your
smart love, not your judgment.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the language of archetypal
psychology, the term
hierosgamos
means
"sacred marriage." It may refer to a literal coming together of two
people whose bond is a gift to God. Their love for each other serves as an
inspiration to their community and galvanizes them both to express their
wildest beauty. Because their union is dedicated to a higher cause beyond their
personal happiness, they strive with ingenious devotion to transmute the dark,
unripe aspects of their own nature. The term
hierosgamos
also has a bigger meaning, beyond the enlightened relationship
of two intelligent people. It may refer to any merger of opposites that's
precipitated through divine grace and that unleashes surprising healing in all
directions. In the coming weeks, Gemini, you are a prime candidate to
experience at least a metaphorical version of
hierosgamos
.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "A quiet evening alone with
friends can be an ecstatic experience for Cancerians," say Gary
Goldschneider and Joost Elffers in their book
The Secret Language of
Birthdays
. "Yet many born under this
sign have strange aspects to their personalities which must be periodically
revealed in public." I suspect this description will be particularly apt
in the coming weeks. You may feel an irresistible urge to express your
eccentricities to a bigger audience. My advice is to make definite plans to
unveil the most interesting versions of your oddness at times and places of
your choosing. That way it won't unexpectedly pop out half-cocked when it might
cause embarrassment.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "The lover knows much more about
absolute good and universal beauty than any logician or theologian," wrote
philosopher George Santayana. I agree with him. That's why, as I analyze the
astrological omens, I can confidently predict that you will have the right to
claim all of the following titles in the coming weeks: the Beguiler with the
Most Enticing Ideals, the Moral Authority with the Most Trustworthy Allure, and
the Charmer with the Most Ethical Temptations.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel,"
a wicked stepmother convinces her husband that the only way the two of them
will survive poverty and starvation is to take his children deep into the woods
and abandon them. That way there'll be two fewer mouths to feed. The kids
overhear the plan, and as the adults lead them into the middle of nowhere,
Hansel, the son, surreptitiously leaves a trail of white stones. This allows
him and his sister Gretel to find their way back home later. The stepmom is
chagrined. A few weeks thereafter, she once again convinces her spouse to leave
the children in the wastes. This time Hansel drops breadcrumbs to mark the
path, but they're eaten by birds and the kids have no way to get back. Moral of
the story: When you get sucked away from your source, leave clues that are more
like stones, not crumbs. Alternative moral of the story: Don't return to a
source that doesn't want you there.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "The ancient Greeks knew that
learning comes from playing," writes Roger von Oech in his book
A Whack
on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
. Their word for education,
paideia
, he says, was close to their word for play,
paidia
. Your next assignment, Libra, is right in line with
this theme. First, identify the teachings that will be most important for you
to master in 2007. Second, figure out how to include play as a major component
of your learning process.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You know those fuel-delivery planes
capable of pumping gas into a larger plane that's already aloft? I think you'd
benefit from enlisting the services of their metaphorical equivalent in the
coming week. Given how high and fast you're soaring, it would be a shame for
you to have to come all the way down to earth to fill up your tank. And yet
it's clear to me that one way or another, you're going to have to replenish
your supply of propellant.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Whether we are on the
threshold of a Golden Age or on the brink of a global cataclysm that will
extinguish our civilization is not only unknowable, but undecided," said
Edward Cornish, President of the World Future Society. I bet that in the past
year you've had comparable fantasies about the fate of your own personal
destiny, Sagittarius. At times, it must have seemed as if you were teetering on
the brink of a sulfurous abyss that was within shouting distance of the yellow
brick road to paradise. Talk about conflicting emotions! But now that
crazy-making chapter of your life story is coming to an end. No more teetering
for you. No more inhaling noxious fumes from the infernal regions. I believe
you have already been offered or will soon be offered an escort to the
beginning of the yellow brick road. Let's hope you're not so addicted to the
fascinating glamour of your pain that you turn down the escort.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "The problem, if you love
it," said Jiddu Krishnamurti, "is as beautiful as the sunset."
He did not mean this ironically, nor was he indulging in sentimental
wish-fulfillment. He was one of the toughest-minded spiritual teachers ever
born. As you slip into a phase when your problems are especially gorgeous and
entertaining, Capricorn, I urge you to remind yourself of his wise thought at
least five times a day. Here's a second nugget for you to chew on often. It's a
lyrical, hard-assed Zen proverb: "The obstacle
is
the path."
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your assignment in the coming
weeks, Aquarius, is to become a coordinator of synchronicity and director of
synergy in all the environments where you hang out. To begin, remind yourself
of what those terms mean. Synchronicity is the wonderfully spooky feeling that
comes when two or more events occur in a way that might superficially seem to
be mere coincidence, but that is actually a sign of a deeper underlying pattern
that transcends rational understanding. Synergy is when two power sources
collaborate on a surprisingly energetic creation in which the whole is greater
than the sum of the parts. (For more ideas on synchronicity and synergy, go to
http://tinyurl.com/d2jqb and http://tinyurl.com/mows3.)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you want to be in perfect
alignment with the astrological omens, you will live your life in the coming
weeks with a restless confidence that bigger is better. You'll risk going over
the top, digging too deep, and stretching your limits beyond the comfort level.
I suspect you'll even begin to resonate with the description once applied to
Hong Kong by its last governor: "sparkling, noisy, argumentative,
handsome, cluttered, exotic, international—all the things a great city
should be."
Homework: Are you ready for an orgy of gratitude? Identify at least 10 of your best blessings; more is better. Tell me all about it by going to http://realastrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."