This Week's Horoscope

| 16 Feb 2015 | 04:28

    Aries (March 21-April 19) My prescription for what ails you: Find someplace to play in the snow. Construct snow forts and pelt siblings, friends, mailmen and old ladies with equal glee. Make snow angels and stare at the stars. Get a handful of icy wetness shoved down the back of your snowsuit by the neighborhood bully. Exhaust yourself by hauling your sled up the hill, repeatedly, just to hurl yourself down it again. I guarantee, the warm, dry clothes?and everything else you've lately taken for granted?will glow with comfort after you peel off the cold, wet clothes you played in all day. The newfound peace over hot cocoa?hot on the heels of a frenzied snow war?will teach you to appreciate the harmonies in your life, not the few missed notes. Taurus (April 20-May 20) You're capable of accomplishing just as much as your fellow Earth signs, though your methods differ. Virgo flits constantly from duty to duty, as quick and nervous as a hummingbird. Capricorn executes tasks as calmly and efficiently as a robot. You need a little more time to get going. Like your animal symbol, the bull, you know all too well the pleasures of relaxing in the shade of a cork tree and chewing your cud. But once in motion, you're nearly impossible to stop. Since the obligations of the month ahead aren't going to complete themselves, you might want to start stretching your legs and sharpening your horns: it's almost time for a full-on charge. Gemini (May 21-June 20) As I lay on the beach puffing a spliff, contemplating the graceful, uneven spill of the Milky Way, admiring the easy poise of the constellation Sagittarius?the archer?I thought of you. You aim words like arrows with the righteous surety and focus of Robin Hood. You hit your targets more often than not. But sometimes your barbed arrows fail to penetrate to the heart. Now that you've perfected your targeting skills, concentrate on the quality of your projectiles. In this case, the words with the most power to wound or heal are those that are true. Cancer (June 21-July 22) The world ain't always such a comfortable place. Your feet ache from standing in lines, your ass is punished by hard plastic seats, noise pollution can violate even the privacy of your thoughts. That's why it's so easy to understand and appreciate your powerful nesting instinct, your inordinate fondness for an abundance of pillows, thick, terry cloth bathrobes, hot bubble baths, good food, mellow wine and tender romance. You're just trying to make a few soft places in a sometimes hard, angular and imposing world. This week, you're likely to miss the cozy nooks you've created for yourself?but not that much, as you'll be busy discovering and enjoying some of the sweet comfort zones made by other homebodies like you. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) When I used to visit his farm as a young child, my grandfather spoiled me. He baited me with the taste of the sugar at the bottom of his coffee cup and entertained me by "putting the chickens to sleep" by swinging them around in his hands. I followed him around with the loyalty and affection of a lovesick puppy. It's in this spirit that I wish you to practice your leadership. Give people what they want. I'm not talking "stuff," I'm talking experiences. Use that famous creativity. Make shit happen for someone besides yourself this week. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Usually, you spend your days busily zooming from one responsibility to the next. You respond to the needs and demands of others like a good worker bee in a well-ordered hive responds to the instructions of her fellows. She dutifully?one could even say delightedly?flies to the flowers as directed and gathers the nectar she's supposed to collect. But when you're conked on the head by the plummeting coconut of one of your own desires, you end up buzzing around in confused circles for a while. That's what you've been up to, lately. But now that you've had time to recover from the impact of this want that has made itself so forcefully known, what are you going to do about it? Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) What do you see when you look in the mirror? Ignore the mirror itself?it doesn't matter if it's antique glass in a gilt frame or a dirty puddle on the street. Disregard your physical beauty (just for a second!) as well. We all know already that you look incredible as a matter of course. Look at your eyes. Is the look in them kind? Bold? Real? Or is it self-indulgent, lazy, bored? Most importantly, is what's shining out from the inside of you adding to or detracting from your beauty? Once you've figured that out, you can make the necessary changes that will increase the sum total of your gorgeousness. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Sometimes you feel like the bride who got left at the altar. All done up, feeling as precious and special as an angel, only to be let down by the one you counted on the most?be it your lover, parent or god. When you're left holding the bouquet?again?without a ring or a promise or a hint of solace, it's tempting to never trust anyone again. Please resist. Because if you succumb to such a heart-deadening motivation?they've won. And those who break trust don't deserve to win?only those who keep it, and are willing to try it, again and again. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Write a love letter to someone dead. Not necessarily anyone you knew?just a person who touched you in one way or another. It could be someone who croaked before you were even born. But honor them?sing a duet with the voice they left behind, write a sequel to the book that moved you. If you can succeed in honoring the lives of all those who've gone before, and appreciating the valuable pieces of themselves they've left us, the meaning of your own life (and death) is sure to increase. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) This is a good week to start growing a 'fro that requires you to duck to pass through doorways, or to wear padded underwear or shoes three sizes too large. In fact, anything that helps you to take up more space than you're accustomed to would be good. I perceive that your achievements have been limited, compromised?not by your ability or efficiency, but by not giving yourself enough room to move. This week, get used to taking the space you need to do what you gotta do. Aquarius (Jan. 20?Feb. 18) The lecturer described the significance of colors in traditional Indian Kathakali dancing (from the state of Kerala) by explaining that the protagonist of the story had a green face because "all of Kerala is green. Therefore he must be good." He made the assumption that "what is" is good. This tendency to view one's natural surroundings ("what is") as positive is one I wish you'd emulate. Lately you've been looking at your environment in terms of things you wish you could change, instead of things you could learn?or remember how?to enjoy. Caeriel@yahoo.com