BORN THIS WEEK:
Jasper Johns (May 15, 1930)
In contrast to the brash, objective, macho individualism of the abstract expressionists, Jasper Johns’ neo-Dadaist work is ironic, obscure, subjective, and totally Taurean. A precursor to the Pop artists, Johns elevated elemental symbols like the American flag and numbers to iconic status while obscuring associative assignations through lush, textural treatments of his paintings’ surfaces. Materiality is a Taurus watchword and Johns incorporated various media into his work. Only a Taurus could create a bull’s eye worth millions.
Aries
The universe wishes you to require no attention from anyone. That means, if someone brags about a project, you smile, nod, and don’t one-up them. You might also go out of your way to send notes or gifts to those who’ve been there for you in the past, some of whom you’d promised paybacks that you’ve yet to deliver. The full moon, Tuesday, in a T-square formation with the Sun and Neptune, urges you to balance your will with your want. In short, be smart: If you want to endear yourself to certain people or entities for personal gain then bend your will to satisfying their needs, as fatuous as you feel they are.
Taurus
As Mercury and Venus enter your sign now, you exude quiet composure, employing few words and meeting myriad obligations with decisive calm. Divining a middle ground in all things, you mediate opposing factions and keep a temperate head, partaking of untold pleasures without overindulging. You’ve had it with the emotional extremes of the recent past. Especially in relationships, you’re not so all-or-nothing. Mates are relieved to not have expectations for your every happiness heaped on them. And you must retie binds with those you carelessly discarded. The full moon, Tuesday, brings mutual forgiveness.
Gemini
So you’re entering a blue period. There are benefits. Though you may feel an underlying melancholy, it motivates you to reunite with old chums and to revisit creative projects you may’ve prematurely put out to pasture. You can’t turn back time, but you can pick up the pieces. In so doing, you discover, you bring so much more to the table now that the notion of lost time is a moot one. The Sun enters Gemini on the 21st signaling the end of the world to some. But you’re a poster child for new beginnings, coming out of the blue to prove to crackpots, near and far, that yours is a rational voice of hope and inspiration.
Cancer
Revelations can be alarming. You’re bopping along, minding your own beeswax, when suddenly, bam, you see an existing situation, one central to your life, for what it really is—not what it seemed. Illusions of those you’ve plopped onto pedestals shatter, and you’re overwhelmed with one aha moment after another. Fueled by the full moon Tuesday, you are on a mission to rip through pretense and attempts by others to scapegoat you. Where you might typically leave words unsaid or scores unsettled, for politics sake, you now call it all on the carpet, making it crystal: You’re an upright citizen who won’t let principles slide.
Leo
Reality seems to blur as you experience a spate of synchronic, even mystical moments. This “strange phenomena” isn’t so odd, really. In fact, once you get used to it, you may come to view it as symptomatic of underlying Truth: that life is miraculous, after all. It all starts with a magic Moon-Neptune mash-up, which gives life the quality of unfolding to your specifications. You think of someone, you bump into them. You hear someone loudly say “rhubarb” on the street, then it’s on the menu. To harness this power for more momentous good, repeat this mantra: I accept what is and welcome something better.
Virgo
No doubt you require some emotional rescue, and maybe a financial lifeline thrown in for good measure. With ruler Mercury and Venus entering Taurus now, your need for belonging is amped, but resist the urge to statically cling to the nearest warm body. When it comes to love and money, it is best to employ the law of attraction. But this is not the only cosmic law at work now. Mercury is a facilitator, urging you to clearly communicate your needs so that you bring desired—not just any old—people and situations to you. Verbalize, Virgo. In so doing, you’ll find you must first articulate hopes and wishes to yourself.
Libra
Uncharted territory beckons as you quest for new adventure. The cosmos expands your horizons, coaxing you out of the bondage of so-called security. The full moon opposes the Sun, Tuesday, with Neptune as the mediating planet. This pattern shows that transition is already in process and unfolding in a painless way. So don’t give in to knee-jerk fears of oblivion. They portray the shadow-side of the great foresight you possess. Keep looking to the bright side. That’s where you’ll find the next clues you seek on this treasure hunt called your life. Seeds you sow now shall be reaped by your birthday. Passport ready?
Scorpio
You’re a magnet for goodness, attracting sorely lacking funds and support for those in need, turning situations golden with innovative ideas and abiding optimism. Yes, you’re reading Scorpio’s horoscope. Why? Do does it sound too Pollyanna? Well, it just so happens to be more evident now that your underlying intentions have always been truly altruistic. With Pluto in a cheery formation with Mars, Mercury, and Venus, your usual dark and superior mask can’t hide your true identity as a golden ruler! Sorry. But this might cheer you up: Tuesday’s full Scorpion moon makes your quipping skills extra stinging.
Sagittarius
With a number of creative career directions to take, and limited (sense of?) time to decide, it can feel frantic choosing from among opportunities of equal interest and chances for success. But, in truth, any of these avenues can get you where you want to go. But when the Sadge Moon conjoins Pluto on Thursday, you best know where that is. Here’s a clue: It’s a “place” where you make a difference, any given day, doing what you (like to?) do anyway and getting paid for it. And one where you can, at a moment’s notice, lock the door and scoot away to places of combined relaxation, inspiration, and education.
Capricorn
We typically warn against spreading yourself too thin, but now the old adage—the more you have to do the more you can do—rings truer than true. What feels hectic today will, after the full moon Tuesday, morph into a groovy multitasking dynamic that carries you through the weekend. Signs show you’re putting on a dog-and-pony show of cosmic proportions, but instead of trying to conserve energy to do it all, give your all to it all. There is no natural law that says you can’t break world records, walk red carpets, win landmark cases, swing big-money deals, and achieve enlightenment, all in a short span of days.
Aquarius
They say life is sweet. Compared to what, we wonder. One thing’s certain: Simple pleasures are highlighted now as Taurus and Venus sashay into sensual Taurus. Creative interests and hobbies beckon, as working on them allows your mind to wander and gently alight on new goals and dreams emerging from the mist. Tuesday’s full moon will tug at your conscience over projects or courses of study you’ve yet to complete. The takeaway is: Roads not taken are still available for trailblazing. Meanwhile, keep shifting focus back onto routines, which are rituals in disguise, sanctifying your ability to live in the moment.
Pisces
As empathetic as you are, be cruel to be kind to save yourself and, ultimately, others any undue pain. The thrill of cutting some people loose notwithstanding, signs show that suffering so-called fools served your purposes. So before your karmic give-and-take meter indicates in the wrong direction, give credit and compensation owed for any advantages you took of those you’re now prepping for the discard pile. With the Capricorn Moon challenging Uranus, come Friday, the revenge of supposed nerds can be especially swift and terrible. So pay proper homage to the pocket-protecting population.
Writers and astrologers Stella Starsky and Quinn Cox are the internationally best-selling authors of Sextrology and Cosmic Coupling and have contributed to Paris Vogue, Allure, Elle and Style.com. They are metaphysical consultants in private practice. Their live musical comedy act of starry wit and social commentary is regularly staged at venerable venues like Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater in New York.
