Horoscopes (July 31-Aug. 6)

James Noellert

It looks to me like you can't get there from here. In some cases, an opportunity has reached its expiration date. Either way, you are sitting here wondering why nothing seems to budge. Sometimes life keeps us under certain constraints. This pushes us to get to the bottom of whatever we have yet to see about ourselves. Once we dig deep enough to see the light, the obstacles disappear. And then there are times when our blind spots keep us barking up the wrong tree. When that is the case, it's time to let go, let God, and find another reason for living.

You are so psyched about the way things have turned out. God knows what happened, but something clicked or something shifted and you decided to get out of your own way. Plans to reconnect with others are up in the air. Keep your options loose and be open to the fact that life could be calling you to move onto a completely different track. Issues from the past keep you thinking that you need to remain in that groove or stay inside the lines in order to succeed. A pinch of common sense should tell you that if you stay inside the lines, you will fall asleep at the switch.

Things have come down to the wire, and it feels like everything is at stake. What happens next is your call, but it may not look that way when the time comes. Too many things have changed for you to expect anything in your outer reality not to be altered by it. Others don't know what to make of you. Their confusion comes from no longer knowing where they stand; because so much of what they think they need depends on you. Maybe it does and maybe it doesn't; that's their business. Standing at the crossroads, the best direction to take is the one that feels right to you.

You have a lot going for you. It may not seem like much right now, but the idea that things are just about to go to a whole new level is giving life to oceans of potential. In so many ways, you are ready for something new. The part of you that is content with the way things are is less aware of who you really are and what you really came here to do. Whatever is right there in front of you, right now, is where your attention needs to be. If you can keep your focus there, and begin to see that the whole world can be found in it, you will turn this into your own private miracle.

You've got a situation that has reached the point where you have to decide if there's anything worth holding onto here. Very few of us know how to handle ourselves when it comes time to quit. Nothing I tell you is going to give you any more certainty than you can give yourself. For now, it might be good for you to wait and see; because there are signs that whatever you're waiting for is there for you. In the meantime, pay attention to the things that make your life meaningful, and don't let other people and their "stuff" keep you from being all that you can be.

You've got a lot of pressure coming from multiple sources. At times like this, it gets much harder to stay in touch with the things that make life worthwhile. Between more work than you can handle, and the onslaught of family pressures, and/or personal issues that can't be addressed when the glare of expectation forces you to be constantly on your toes, you are out straight. In some cases you've become so inured to these influences it feels normal. To say that it's time for a break is an understatement. If that is impossible, do your best to scale down your schedule and learn how to say "No" to people and things that sap your strength and deplete your heart and soul.

High-maintenance individuals have you by the shorthairs; it looks to me like you're the world's leading codependent, or you're being put to the test by people who transfer half of what they need to be doing for themselves onto you. If this is happening at work, good luck; you may have to play it cool and suck it up on the altar of gainful employment. If it is twisting up your personal affairs, how you handle it is up to you. It may be necessary, for the sake of your own sanity, to lay down some new ground rules and draw the line on what you are no longer willing to accept.

You can't worry too much about keeping everything under control. At times like this, it's enough to show up and keep the light on. The influx of changes that have come down in the last two years will not let up. If you think this is all going to settle down and get back to normal, you aren't paying attention to the way things are. You are not alone; all of us are going nuts trying to maintain. Instead of thinking you're the only one in the room who hasn't figured out how to weather the winds of change, it might be time to relax and figure out how to go with the flow.

You are stuck in some sort of limbo that keeps you from living fully and completely. This isn't you. Your more adventuresome self has gotten lost in the shuffle of ordinary things. Getting back into a good groove doesn't have to involve too many wild and crazy adjustments. With you guys, it's usually about locating the meaning in it all. So, what has meaning for you? At the end of the day, where do you find it? What do you love more than anything? This could be about reclaiming a reason for living that has something to do both with things that are real, and with you and your truth.

If you feel like you're riding the fine line that keeps life on the edge of one extreme or another, you can take comfort in the fact that you've had enough experience to know how to do this. Getting through anything is usually just a matter of accepting whatever the situation demands and doing whatever it takes to find the lesson in it. There's some big stuff on the line for many of you. In all things, it's going to come down to your ability to weather the storm and your ability to use your inner intelligence to transform all this intensity into something totally miraculous.

You keep pushing the envelope. There's nothing wrong with testing your limits, but it's always wise to stop long enough to look at what it gets you. For some of you, the faith that you can get anything to happen will pan out in the long run. For others? It looks to me like you would do well to ease up and accept the fact that enough is enough. For the next few weeks, the need to be aware of the gap that exists between calling it quits and the desire to keep going is paramount. Don't look to others for advice. This is one of those milestones where everything is up to you.

So much is getting stirred. The way you respond to it is what matters most. What worked in the past won't do you much good in this situation. In a lot of ways, the fates are testing you to see if you have learned how to approach life from an angle that has more to do with who you are now. If you are confused, it's because you're still operating from the old angle. It comes down to adjusting to what's right in front of you and daring to be powerful enough to take it on. Don't waste a minute being a wuss about this. There's a bigger pair of shoes waiting for you to step into them.

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