HOOPLA HOROSCOPES. WEEK OF AUGUST 9

Your weekly Hoopla Horoscopes, brought to you by prophet, astrologer and natural-born storyteller, Rob Brezny.

Week beginning August 9, 2012

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When Tchaikovsky wrote the musical score for his famous *1812 Overture,* it included 16 cannon shots. Literally. These blasts weren’t supposed to be made by, say, a sledgehammer pounded against a wooden mallet, but rather by the detonation of an actual cannon. As crazy as that is, you’ve got to admire Tchaikovsky’s creative gall. He was going way out of the box, calling on a source of sound no other composer had ever done. In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to be inspired by his example, Leo. In your own chosen field, mess with the rules about how to play in your chosen field.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “And if nothing is repeated in the same way,” says poet Antonio Porchia, “all things are last things.” That’s a good principle to adapt for your own purposes, Virgo. A few weeks from now, I bet you’ll be enmeshed in an orgy of novelty, creating yourself from scratch and exploring experiences you’ve never heard of before. But in the meantime, as you bring this cycle to a close, be equally inventive about how you finish things off. Don’t imitate the approach you used in tying up loose ends in the past. Don’t put stale, boring karma to rest in stale, boring ways. Nothing repeated! All things last things!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): All of us feel bad sometimes — sad, discouraged, helpless, unloved, and all the rest. It’s a natural part of being human. Here’s the good news: I am not predicting you will go through a phase like that anytime soon. Here’s the even better news: The coming week will be an excellent time to come up with effective strategies for what to do in the future when you go through a rough period. For example, instead of wallowing in self-pity or berating yourself for your weakness, maybe you can resolve, next time, to amble aimlessly out in nature, dance to cathartic music for three hours, or go to the gym and smack around a punching bag.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When a domesticated weasel captures some treasure or beats out a competitor for food, it performs a celebratory dance that’s referred to as the “weasel war dance.” During this triumphant display, it might hiss, arch its back, fluff out its tail, and hop around madly. I encourage you to come up with your own private version of this ritual, Scorpio. It can be more dignified if you like: snapping your fingers, singing a magical phrase, or raising your arms in a V-for-victory gesture. Whatever you choose, do it after every accomplishment, no matter how small: buying groceries, arriving at an appointment on time, getting a good new idea, or any other success.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): One out of every four of us is afraid that we have missed our calling — that we have misread our soul’s code and failed to identify the labor of love that would provide our ultimate fuel for living. If you’re among this deprived group, I have good news: The next six weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problem — to leave the niche where you don’t belong and go off to create a new power spot. And if you are among the 75 percent of us who are confident you’ve found your vocation, the next six weeks will be prime time to boost your efforts to a higher level.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You can take this as a metaphor if you like, but I’m getting a psychic impression that you will soon be drawing on the energy of one of your past lives. Will it be a 13th-century Chinese lute player or a kitchen maid from 15th-century France? Will you be high on the vitality you had when you were a Yoruba priest living in West Africa 300 years ago or when you were a 16th-century Guarani herbalist in what’s now Paraguay? I invite you to play with fantasies like these, even if you don’t believe they’re literally true. You might be surprised at the boost you get from imagining yourself alive in a different body and historical era.