Planet Waves Weekly Horoscope, July 30 – Aug. 6

Aries (March 20-April 19) — What you’re seeking is something within yourself. You may have the temptation to search in the world around you, though that’s not where you’ll find what you’re looking for. I believe that this is an engineered issue that in effect pits people against themselves. Turning this quest around, by which I mean inward, is one of the great achievements in anyone’s life, and what we might call the inner/outer issue is surely a meaningful one for you. The question translates to whether you’re a complete entity unto yourself. The outer search is a way of convincing yourself that you’re something other than whole and fulfilled. You might begin by pausing that; by giving your relationships a break; by at least committing to developing your inner journey. You might even remind yourself that you have one, and that it’s likely to be a longstanding commitment, often distracted by relationships in particular. You have what you need. You are what you need.

 

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You’re probably figuring out that the way to access your true brilliance and what some call talent is to go with your creative flow. Just let yourself be yourself and do what you feel like doing and you will come up with great ideas. The challenge, as you’ve encountered many times, involves this thing that is described as the inner critic. If not for this, you and many other people would be much happier and more productive, and access their flow of ideas with greater ease. You have more control over this than you may think. You could go a long way toward subverting this insidious thing by getting your hands into your work. By this I mean your hands rather than your mind. Your hands have no comment about how good or bad you supposedly are. Once you put your body into the material you’re working with, the problem is just about solved. You can supplant the after-the-fact qualitative assessment by counting what you’ve learned from any project, including the subtle points.

 

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’re being called to fulfill your mission in life, though that might be the nature of your crisis at the moment. You have so much going for you, and you know it. You have a genuine desire to succeed — and not only that, to do what you must do in order to succeed. Yet it would help if you focused your vision. Make an effort to be specific about what success would mean, and what it would entail. There seem to be two major forces at work here — one that is offering you clear ideas, and another that’s offering you an inspired but vague vision. The clear ideas come with questions, perhaps about your capabilities. The vague ideas are difficult to grasp and are easy to get lost in. So you might forget the whole idea of a goal for a while, and invest your energy gaining confidence in what you do, by doing more of it. I believe that the real issue is that you feel insecure, and this would undermine anyone. Therefore, practice — and keep your ears open for the sound of opportunity.

 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Friday’s Full Moon in Aquarius streaks across the resources angle of your chart — that is, your personal resources (Sun in Leo) and those that you share (Moon in Aquarius). It would be easy for you to overextend yourself. Therefore, even though you’re probably in a state of relative abundance, I suggest you conserve what you have, and more to the point, put it to work for yourself. Others are not as needy as they seem, or as they make themselves out to be. You on the other hand are both resourceful and generous with your resources. So take care of yourself, and as a general guide, take care of those who take care of you. If others invest in you, return the favor. But keep this all as close to home as you can. You are likely to have a diversity of needs and desires of your own that you have not attended to lately, and this would be a fine time to do so. Yes, you may seem to be under some pressure, which is the nature of the Full Moon. Clean sheets, a bath and a meal you cook for yourself will go a long way.

 

 

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Venus is now retrograde in your birth sign, a rare and beautiful theme. We could say many things about this, though the one overarching theme is: identify with your purpose. Embody what you do, and when you take action, let yourself be moved by the deepest core of who you are. That’s the intersection of Venus, the ruler of your 10th house, and your sign. I know that many people would have no idea what I’m saying, though your calling to do this is so clear and so bold that clearly you get it. What you’re doing is a combination of taking on your true mission and, at the same time, allowing yourself to identify fully with that mission. Work is not about going to work, doing something and leaving. For you, work must be a direct expression of your existence. While you can apply this to any activity, you might recognize along the journey of this Venus retrograde that you really need to do something more personally meaningful. And you would thank yourself for the rest of your life, if you chose that.

 

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — It’s as if something is trying to be born through you, but has retreated back in the direction of the cosmic womb. Instead of pushing harder, you might want to follow that thing in the direction that it’s headed — toward what some call the unconscious. Thing is, that’s far from the right word for this place, this source of so much vitality. I suggest you use the birth metaphor and consider the story of your own entry into the planet. What were the basic facts? What was the environment prior to your birth, and around the time of your emergence? This is called the ‘birth script’ — and in many ways it reveals the story of one’s life so far. This story has a way of repeating itself until it’s identified, worked with and resolved. Over the next few months many aspects of who you are will be emerging, one by one, from the cosmic womb into the light of day. It will be worth every bit of focus you put on relaxing and allowing this birth process to happen.

 

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You often walk a fine line between being a someone who is well-respected and well-regarded in your community, and not giving a toss what people think. I would propose that the two are aspects of the same personal quality that you possess. Your independence is one of your most endearing qualities, and thanks to Venus retrograde you are getting an opportunity to explore this. I would propose that it’s pretense in any form that leads to people feeling uncomfortable or out of place in any social situation, or in a relationship. It’s pretense that eats at confidence, and that makes almost any conversation seem unwieldy. It’s the feeling of judging yourself that leads to the sensation of others judging you. In the coming weeks, you will have a series of glorious opportunities to burst through this whole realm of existence. In the end, what you’ll learn is how to get out of your own way and let your light shine. When in doubt, be bold — or said another way, a little bolder than you think you can.

 

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — By all rights this should be a time of achievement for you, and of being recognized for what you’re the best at. Yet there seems to be something holding you back; possibly something in a relationship, or more precisely, something you’re holding onto involving a partner or collaborator. On one level this is a complex situation, though ultimately the way to resolve it is to go beyond the past. But here’s where the plot thickens: What past, exactly, are you trying to go beyond? In other words, how far back does this go? Track your current scenario as it’s manifested other times before. Once you see that this is a pattern, you’re likely to un-snag yourself of that one lingering insecurity. That, in turn, will help you remember and claim some key achievements of that past. These will remind you that you’ve been through this territory before and come out on top of your game.

 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may be wondering when the time is right to put your plan into motion, and if so I would say right now. It’s true that you may be experiencing some kind of complication. Yet in truth it’s an opportunity to make your way in the world. Yes, this may be disguised as a riddle or a paradox of some kind. Yet you are headed in a clear direction despite this appearance. Whatever you’re now experiencing is a reminder to attend to the details of your work, and of your life. You cannot delegate that which absolutely must be done correctly. Even if you’re being assisted by some kind of professional, you must take full responsibility for every step of the project. Even as you put your inner control freak to work, it’s essential that you do one thing even better — take command of your vision. You are in a rare, formative moment where you get to accept full responsibility for your life, in the happiest possible way.

 

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You seem to be in a position when you must make use of someone else’s resources — be they of your family, of another person, or of the community. But I don’t believe you need as much help as you think. It would help immensely if you were to apply your considerable ingenuity to the situation. You’ll likely figure out that some form of cooperation is in order, though that’s been true all your life. You are resourceful only to the extent that you can cooperate, collaborate and co-create with others. You may have the idea that you can ‘go it alone’, though that’s not true of any individual or any economy. Ask yourself questions such as how you can be of support to the people around you, and how they can be of support to you in a way that is mutually beneficial. This counts for everyone in your life; everyone you encounter, or who encounters you. Indeed, it’s a central question of your existence.

 

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Friday’s magnificent Full Moon in your birth sign is offering you some unusual ability to spark or initiate events, with very little effort on your part. You might say you live in a moment of the small cause with the big effect. Therefore, be conscious, and a little cautious. Understand your intentions and consider the law of unintended consequences. By all of this, I mean apply your power gently, including the power of thought and of reasoning. A little goes a long way. Rely on the power of suggestion rather than of persuasion. Assume others know you’re right without having to say so yourself. Politely inquire what others know rather than telling them what you know. Remind others of the authority they have rather than the authority you have. You can afford to do this, as you hold considerable sway over the situations in your life. Though many things are moving around you, you remain stable, and it would be wise to remind yourself of that fact.

 

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You can turn any situation to your advantage. In fact, that situation is likely to turn to your advantage, if you let it. For this to work you need to keep in a positive state of mind, and not be deterred by others who might be polarized in other directions. Positive, in part, means focusing on the present. There are people in your environment who cannot get their heads or their feelings out of the past. This will not work for you; it never did. Yet focusing on what is happening now, and on who people are now, and what they say now, will provide all the information you need. Proceed from moment to moment, individual to individual, circumstance to circumstance, and you cannot go wrong. You have, if you tune in, a kind of clairvoyance available, which will tip you off to just about any situation where you need to understand the dynamics. Pay attention — to your senses and to your mind.