BY ERIC FRANCIS COPPOLINO
ARIES — This week’s New Moon in the career and reputation angle of your solar chart will bring some reminder of what you can achieve, if you set your mind to it. Yet there are other elements in your chart that are reminding you to emphasize the collaborative aspects of any form of success. You have the potential to be one of those rare few people who can get along with a boss to the degree that you’re a collaborator. That makes you management material. For you, an element of this is understanding how to express your individuality in a professional environment, and where to draw the line on what you compromise. This is not as complicated as it’s often made out to be. If your values are in harmony with those of the organization and people you serve, it’s even easier. The solution to the puzzle is you get to do some combination of what you excel at, and what needs to be done.
TAURUS — Beliefs you held in the past are not automatically valid, but they are potentially so. You’ve entered a period of sorting out what is true for you and what is not; which ideas serve you and which do not. Be glad you’ll be moving on from many presumptions that have outgrown their use, or that never actually served a purpose. You get to be the arbiter of what is true, for you, and what is not. That does leave an open question: what if you’re wrong? This is why it helps to be open-minded. There are people around you, both those who are knowledgeable and those who have strong opinions. You can only benefit from listening to their ideas, considering them and evolving some new points of view — particularly if they’re people you disagree with. One of the themes of this new phase of your life is growth through learning. There’s no teacher like one you disagree with. And that might even be temporary.
GEMINI — Your chart looks like an all-night meeting of union bosses with top management in an effort to avert a strike. Every agreement seems up for renegotiation. That may be true, though you really must focus on what matters the most. There are many small matters you can compromise on, and several large ones that you cannot. By now you know the difference. However, if this is a business situation, don’t let on too soon what you’re willing to forego. What doesn’t matter much to you might be really important to someone else. If, however, this is a personal situation, you need to be more forthcoming and play your cards face-up from the beginning of the discussion. And you must ask others to do the same thing. It would appear that something has gone on way too long, and you must make a decision one way or the other.
CANCER — With six planets currently in your opposite sign, Capricorn, there’s no shortage of people in your life. One question is, what are they all doing there? Is everyone playing their appropriate role? Another question is, who’s in your life for the sole purpose of companionship? You need one or two people who are near you only because they like to be; your presence is their gain, and their presence is your gain. Consider the many people around you at the moment and ask if there’s anyone who fits this description. The relationship will probably not involve financial transactions; it will be a volunteer gig. You’ll have a much better picture of who is who after Tuesday’s New Moon helps clear the air. In this new era of your life, where personal relationships are such a high priority, it’s essential that you be able to assess the motives and agendas of the people close to you.
LEO — Your work life is busier than a flower shop before Valentine’s Day, though you must be careful not to burn out. You can do this by enforcing downtime, though you’re not the kind of person who likes to stop working before everything is done. Therefore, you must have your priorities, and be better at planning them. One thing that will help is being a little bit ahead of all tasks you know are imminent. Even if you have a paragraph of notes about what you need to get done and how you might do it, you’ll find that it happens easier when the time comes. The further ahead you stay, the easier your work life will be, and the easier it will be to stay in balance. Monday and Tuesday, ahead of the Capricorn New Moon, work on things you need to wrap up, bring to a conclusion or otherwise get off your desk. Then start again on Wednesday morning with a new list of priorities.
VIRGO — You may feel like your time is too scarce to take any kind of risks or to experiment with a creative leap, though that’s exactly what’s likely to work the best. If you’re trying to solve several problems at once, you might just discover that one solution applies to many of them. When everything is so compressed, you can save yourself time by looking for patterns in the seeming chaos. Does one particular theme keep coming up repeatedly? Another question to ask yourself is: have I solved this problem already? You might set this as the primary screen on your phone, so you’re reminded constantly. Meanwhile, don’t miss the creative opportunity at the center of the cyclone swirling around you. The planets have all swarmed into the house in your chart usually associated with gambling, art, sex and romance. If you take a playful approach and keep your sense of humor, you’ll work wonders.
LIBRA — Don’t worry too much if things seem to be going out of control where a family or household matter is concerned. You’re somewhat above the fray, and current developments are unlikely to impact your life negatively. However, you might continue your project of creating some boundaries and a degree of emotional distance from people who struggle to keep their act together. You will feel well guided by having your priorities in order, which at the moment means taking care of money first. At this point in your life, next month’s rent, next week’s groceries and one fun night out should not even be a consideration. You can do a lot better than that, if you make financial solvency and success top-level priorities. Emotional independence and financial independence are closely related. You have your own feelings. You need your own money, your own schedule and your own room.
SCORPIO — Set high goals this week, even some you would love to accomplish but which seem impossible based on your current skills and resources. Your chart describes a straight line from your intentions to the means to make them happen. But the way you set the plan in motion is by taking action. This is not about planning, or planning to plan, or considering a proposal to contemplate something. Choose something you actually want to do, and do it. It could be artistic, professional, or deeply intimate. You might want to overcome a fear or an insecurity. You might have an interest in a person. All that matters is that it matter to you, and that you muster up the courage to dare. Right now most of society is caught in a head-trip, or basking gleefully in their anxieties. You of all people have the power to get over yourself, and you of all people will love that you did.
SAGITTARIUS — Vesta, perhaps the most profound asteroid, has just entered your sign. This indicates a special mission of some kind, which may relate to a way you help certain individuals in your life. Vesta puts an unusual filter in front of relationships, which often translates into understanding how you can serve others rather than how they can serve you. Look for all the aspects of your life that will benefit from your devotion, which is an approach to service that genuinely can be called spiritual. It matters less what you do and more the approach you take to doing it. Set aside the drive for personal gain and you will help make improvements in the lives of people around you. Wherever something is going wrong, commit yourself to holding open the space for the right thing to happen. Just your awareness will have a positive impact on whatever you perceive; and carefully chosen, selected actions will make a true difference.
CAPRICORN — This week, a rare alignment between Jupiter in Scorpio and Pluto in your birth sign presents some unusual opportunity for success. You’ve had a taste of this the past week to 10 days, and you may already be on a roll. Think in terms of what biologists call a symbiotic relationship. What works for you must work for others, and what works for them will work for you. If you find yourself in a competitive environment, where one person’s loss is another’s gain, you definitely want to shift that, because that’s far from the spirit of your chart. Make sure you’re not the one competing, or believing that there’s some shortage of resources or potential. There is no lack — there’s plenty to go around. However, your clarity of mind, your honest intentions and your sincere choices make all the difference. Just remind yourself regularly: another person’s lack or loss is never your gain.
AQUARIUS — A rather unusual collection of planets in Capricorn has you in a rather unusual state of mind. Your dreams will best reveal what’s going on in the hidden aspects of your life. Pay attention to what they’re telling you, remembering that every figure and object in every dream is actually another symbol for you. If you dream of a tiger, you’re the tiger. If you dream of a construction project, you’re the thing being built, and the one doing the building. This astrology may be pushing up your anxiety level. Rather than suppress any fear or concerns, make an inventory of what they are, preferably on paper, so you can come back to it. Keeping written notes will also serve your dream work. Whatever you may be feeling, your mind is bubbling over with potential, and you have plenty of energy. Get clear with yourself, focus yourself and commit to learning, and this week alone you’ll get the gains of five years of therapy.
PISCES — Keep yourself and your projects where people can see you. Do this no matter how busy you may be. Keep putting your best work into the public eye, and put your body where you can have face-to-face conversations in a social setting. You don’t need a specific goal or agenda for doing this. Just be sincere, have a good time, and trust the topics of conversation that come up. If you’re in a room full of people, do your best to meet every single one of them, and check the vibes. The deepest harmony you can feel with someone is on the spiritual level — that ultimately means a mutual understanding of the purpose of life. There’s no way to fake this meaningfully; and don’t accept imitations or substitutes. When you are making contact with someone, you will know it and feel it. And the most likely place to make that contact is outside your home, where people gather specifically for a social purpose.
