Free People Horoscopes By Tracy Allen, Week Of August 18–24

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LEO

July 23–August 22

The biggest news for Leos this week: Your ruling planet the sun is leaving your sign and heading into your worth sector, turning your attention from the personal to the practical. It’s natural while the sun is in your sign to focus on yourself, but now you’re called to segue from who you are to what you’ve got going for you. Devote more energy in the coming month to tackling your finances and possessions and assessing what you value most. This is a good time of year to get your priorities in order. Consider whether or not you’re making full use of your talents. Is your self-worth rooted in a strong sense of your own innate value? It’s commendable to strive to continually improve yourself, but it’s also important to love yourself unconditionally, just as you are.

VIRGO

August 23–September 22

Having your ruler Mercury in your sign is a plus, but you’ll feel the effects of Merc’s battles with other planets this week. You can’t resist trying to get your point across, and yet you’re not likely to feel truly understood. If your goal is to connect with your significant other or a close friend, it may seem like they’re checked out in some way. With Neptune in your relationship angle and Uranus in your sharing sector, you’ve probably had some experiences of people being unreliable, unpredictable, deceptive, vague, detached, disappointing, needy or unstable—hopefully not all of the above! Creative self-expression is your best bet for a satisfying outlet now. And the sun’s entry into your sign is nudging you to focus on yourself for a bit. One major bonus of your birthday season: increased vitality.

LIBRA

September 23–October 22

Although amiable Venus is in your group zone, upping your desire to see people, she struggles with volatile Pluto in your emotions angle and cerebral Mercury in your seclusion sector this week. So your own inner state could keep you from feeling connected to people. You’re probably caught up in your own thoughts and perhaps experiencing some turbulent emotions—or maybe you’re just feeling low-energy and not in the best of moods. It might be a good idea to spend time by yourself now, processing your emotions, reflecting on the past, getting lost in your imagination, regenerating your spirit, sleeping and indulging in something self-soothing at home. As the sun moves into the last house in your chart, a period of recharging your battery is called for. Your year is wrapping up; seek closure on something.

SCORPIO

October 23–November 21

With several of the planets forming uncomfortable angles to each other, this could be a mildly frustrating week for all of us. But you can try to make the best of it by homing in on the awkward encounter between doer Mars in your sign and erratic Uranus in your efficiency zone. Given the nature of Uranus, you can hardly help the fact that your habits, time management, work ethic, productivity, skills improvement, health regimen and quality of work have perhaps been somewhat inconsistent. You’re apt to notice now that your efforts to apply your formidable will to remedying the situation are missing the mark. Try using this annoying discrepancy to figure out what you need to do differently. Spend a bit of time thinking up new objectives; that’s likely to ease your mind.

SAGITTARIUS

November 22–December 21

Professional plans and communication with a superior like your boss or your parent could be tricky this week, with Mercury in your ambition-and-authority angle fighting off several other planets. It may be difficult to conceptualize where you’re headed and what your main objectives are. An impulse to enjoy yourself and escape from such weighty matters is bound to prevent you from concentrating. A yearning for comfort and security and a desire for freedom could also distract you. But a determination to utilize absolutely everything you have going for you—potentially including financial resources, your many talents and your confidence—will stand you in good stead. The sun is climbing to the top of your chart now, signaling that it’s your turn to shine in a professional or public arena.

CAPRICORN

December 22–January 19

Expressing your opinions and beliefs could be more than a little problematic this week, thanks to Mercury’s run-ins with Neptune, Jupiter, Venus and Uranus. These planetary configurations don’t suggest anything dire, just annoying. Whether you’re seeking answers, meaning, agreement or support, your mind could get turned around and your words twisted. But thankfully, Merc is getting along well with one planet—Pluto in Capricorn. If you’re traveling this week, the trip can have a transformative effect on you. New experiences and people might also change you in some way. Conversely, the changes going on deep inside you may lead you to new knowledge, territory, people and activities. Closeness could be hard to come by, given Venus’s awkward angle with Pluto, but staying positive will offset the minor frustrations of the week.

AQUARIUS

January 20–February 18

With Mercury in your sharing sector, you may feel like confiding in someone, or you could be involved in a financial negotiation. But considering Mercury’s many disagreements with other planets this week, it’s possible that you’ll run into trouble concerning money, trust, sex, closeness, jealousy or possessiveness. Murky self-worth or financial unawareness might pose a problem, and exceedingly high expectations of others, anxiety or a short attention span could also be contributing factors. However, Merc is harmonizing with profound Pluto in your subconscious house, suggesting that self-reflection is the way to go. Turn inward and get in touch with hidden parts of yourself. Deep introspection will help you to transform now. Have the strength to excavate what is buried in your psyche in order to heal and move on.

PISCES

February 19–March 20

With Mercury in your relationship angle opposing Neptune in Pisces this week, it could be hard to understand someone—or vice versa. Thanks to Neptune, chances are you’re giving off a confusing vibe at times and are unable to see it. Self-deception, escapism, spaciness, confusion, evasiveness, idealism, disillusionment or a self-defeating attitude could contribute to the problem. It’s important for you to try to grasp the impression you give others and the energy you put out into the world. Work on knowing yourself well, developing a more realistic view of who you are. That will help you to project a clearer image to others. A conversation or interaction with someone can point to your personal issues now. Find the lesson in it. Group relations and networking are apt to be productive, so get out there and mingle.

ARIES

March 21–April 19

Mercury’s presence in your efficiency zone makes this a good time to engage in something requiring mental effort. But Merc’s struggles with various other planets this week suggest you’ll have trouble staying focused. Daydreaming, a desire to play, a short attention span and putting a romantic relationship before duty could cause you to veer off track. Moments of concentration promise to be quite productive, though, since Merc is collaborating with Pluto in your ambition angle. Cerebral work can have a positive impact on your career now. Think through the details of a shift in your life direction, and you’re likely to come up with a plan with depth and purpose. A Mars-Uranus clash implies that your antsiness, independence or anxiety could derail a partnership. Wait-and-see isn’t easy for you, but sometimes it’s the best approach.

TAURUS

April 20–May 20

You’ll feel like expressing yourself in a whimsical, humorous, affectionate, creative or romantic way this week, but may have trouble conveying what’s inside you. Don’t dwell on the reception you receive from others. Play around with thoughts in your head, for your own entertainment or for the sake of finding deeper meaning. This is a good time to write something you’d like others to read, since wordsmith Mercury in your creativity house is synced with powerful Pluto in your publishing sector. Pluto’s encounter with Venus suggests a desire for comfort, peace and security is clashing with the knowledge that you must spread your wings and continue to grow. It could play out as wanting to stay home but having to go somewhere. Symbolically, it’s also about staying in one place versus going on life’s journey that entails change.

GEMINI

May 21–June 20

Your ruler Mercury is at the bottom of your chart, putting you in touch with your emotions, but it’s battling several other planets this week, which will probably affect your mood. Career confusion, unrealistic expectations, unpredictable people, overreaching, rebelling against groupthink—any of these could play into your discontent. But Merc is harmonizing with Pluto in your depth sector, so sharing your feelings with someone you trust will help. Introspection could bring meaningful insight into yourself that enables you to make a psychological shift. In addition, doing intensive research would be productive and give you a feeling of deep satisfaction. A Mars-Uranus conflict indicates that you want to do things a particular way but can’t get people on the same page. Don’t try. Do your thing, and let people do theirs.

CANCER

June 21–July 22

With Mercury in your cognition-and-communication house, you probably have plenty on your mind, no shortage of things to say and lots of people to see. You may also be in the mood to go somewhere different. But Merc’s skirmishes with other planets this week make thinking, talking, interacting and traveling less than straightforward. Pondering a relationship or having a dialogue with someone close to you will hopefully be the exception, yielding worthwhile results. Mars runs into a conflict with Uranus that implies your efforts to enjoy yourself could be thwarted by an authority figure or by a career-related snag. You might also be trying to pursue more creative work and feel frustrated by not knowing where you’re headed. If you’re flexible, you’ll ride out the minor speed bumps in your week with relative ease.