Horoscopes (Aug. 2-8)

LEO (July 21-Aug. 20): Well here you are; ready for anything. This could turn out to be a dream come true, but don’t discount the idea that your hopes are a hell of a lot higher than what you are about to experience. You need to keep your feet on the ground and be careful not to put too much faith in the wrong people. Too much Pie-in-the-Sky is a big “No-No” right now. Keep things simple. Just follow your heart. Some of you are getting hassled by lesser mortals. Their motives are sketchy at best. These days there is no room for that kind of manipulation. Never fear. You will be vindicated in no time.

VIRGO (Aug. 21-Sept. 20): The work component is amping up in a huge way. As far as you guys are concerned, this is where you get to find yourself. When your beautiful heart gets to the place where you feel lost, you can sometimes go totally overboard and work at the expense of your health. Lately the past, and many things that are hard for you to reckon with, have been boiling over. To ignore, or try to shove any of it under the rug, is foolish. In this polarized reality, half of who we are is dark; 50 percent of your creativity lives there. Don’t let your perfection trips keep you from embracing it.

LIBRA (Sept. 21-Oct. 20): The master plan never looks the way we expect it to. If you think you’ve got this all figured out, guess again. Right now, your life is about letting go and letting God show you that it’s easier to stay in the moment if you want to stay current with what’s going on. The things that looked a hell of a lot worse a few months ago have arranged themselves into a ‘neater’ sort of mess and you seem to be OK with all of it; including whatever it takes to be accountable for the part you played in all of this. An open heart is crucial to every aspect of your growth process. Keep it up.

SCORPIO (Oct. 21-Nov. 20): The act of coming into your own isn’t necessarily a walk in the park. Watching the layers peel off, you notice that others are confused by this change you’re going through. They don’t teach us how to deal with these things in school, and the things that make us smart often have more to do with the emotional component than they do with our resume or our credentials. You can’t figure out why this is so hard. That’s OK. As you get closer to the truth of what’s going on you will start to unravel some of the deeper mysteries that surround the feeling that you’re about to explode.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 21-Dec. 20): Your friends have been dropping like flies. It’s hard for you to know why. As you do your best to deal with the sense of heartbreak and rejection it becomes important to harness your amazing ability to see the forest for the trees. In cycles every aspect of our experience gets overhauled. When this happens what appears to be falling away is actually making way for something new and better to enter. If you look around, a whole new raft of people are floating into your space. Open your heart to their input, and don’t get stuck mourning over what is going out with the tide.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 21-Jan. 20): You keep pushing this rock up a hill. In some cases it’s clear to me that persistence will pay off. In other cases? The stubborn adherence to goals that have nothing to justify the effort is just plain stupid. Those of you who have woken up inside, and are free of the lies that prevent all good things from coming to fruition, will be free and clear within one year. If you are in the stubborn category, and your denial mechanisms only serve to keep you convinced that you are right about things that have “wrong” written all over them, it’s time to smarten up and change your ways.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 20): A trip to the movies would be less interesting than the one you’re in. How things got this crazy is hard to figure but, as long as you’re willing to roll with the punches it’ll work out just fine. For the next few months life is going to be about noticing your behavior in situations that involve invasive people and over-the-top expectations. The tendency to be a soft touch could see you falling prey to those who can’t take care of themselves, or who use you as a means to an end. It’s time to consider your own worth and be clear about where you stop and other people begin.

PISCES (Feb. 21-March 20): No one needs to tell you that people have a tendency to take advantage of your goodness and generosity. In many cases, those closest to you are the main culprits. It’s totally OK to keep on giving, but when it gets to the point where it hurts you to persist, it’s best to let the element of discernment kick in. Be mindful of what you give, but be wise enough to keep an eye on what you get in return. There are other aspects of your reality that could use a little pick-me-up: you know what they involve. The outer stuff will keep. Don’t procrastinate when it comes to your inner work.

ARIES (March 21- April 20): You, of all people, are totally aware of how amazing you are. Your gifts are endless, and your ability to hold space for the light, in the middle of the deepest darkness, is your strong suit. For the next few weeks, multiple forces will test your courage and your endless strength. Within that it is vital that you get your ego out of the way and remain in a state of total integrity. If there are forces that have the capacity to disarm you right now, they will come from external sources that could drag you down, or trick you into believing you are less than you are. Keep the faith, my friend.

TAURUS (April 21 -May 20): What were you thinking? If you thought this would be easy, you’re getting a taste of more than you bargained for. What you’re looking at right now isn’t measuring up. If you can’t see the beauty in what you’ve created, it’s time to recharge your point of view and find the light here. It isn’t your usual style to be hypercritical. Some part of you must have expected more, or expected something different. P.S.: here you are, left with what you’ve got. Happiness is all about “loving what is.” Look for what’s perfect in your situation and learn to make the best of it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You have no way of knowing what’ll happen next because things have shifted into a neutral zone that disallows any sense of certainty. This is feeling either good or bad, depending on how you roll. The tendency to have a problem with life whenever your pictures aren’t perfect has many of you whining about the fact that they aren’t looking the way you want them to at the moment. If that’s how it is, it’s time to start looking at what’s in front of you instead of what you had in mind. Get over the need to control everything. Letting it go is always where things are at for you guys.

CANCER (June 21-July 20): Sitting here in limbo, all by yourself, what seems a little lonely and strange is in fact a chance to get into your own thing. Being someone who is always there for other people, and who slips into codependence whenever duty calls, for the next week or two, the waters of the Red Sea will part and open the space for you to give to yourself. Believe it or not, inside this emptiness the creative urge is working overtime. In the stillness of your own heart, and in the silence that comes when the wine glasses stop tinkling and the conversation stops, you are about to begin, all over again.