HOOPLA HOROSCOPES. WEEK OF JULY 5

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

Week beginning July 5, 2012

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The epic breadth of your imagination is legendary. Is there anyone else who can wander around the world without ever once leaving your home? Is there anyone else who can reincarnate twice in the span of few weeks without having to go through the hassle of actually dying? And yet now and then there do come times when your fantasies should be set aside so that you may soak up the teachings that flow your way when you physically venture outside of your comfort zone. Now is such a moment, my fellow Cancerian. Please don’t take a merely virtual break in the action. Get yourself away from it all, even if it’s only to the marvelous diversion or magic sanctuary on the other side of town.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In Norse mythology, Fenrir was a big bad wolf that the gods were eager to keep tied up. In the beginning they tried to do it with metal chains, but the beast broke free. Then they commissioned the dwarves to weave a shackle out of six impossible things: a bear’s sinews, a bird’s spit, a fish’s breath, a mountain’s root, a woman’s beard, and the sound a cat’s paws made as it walked. This magic fetter was no thicker than a silk ribbon, but it worked very well. Fenrir couldn’t escape from it. I invite you to take inspiration from this story, Leo. As you deal with your current dilemma, don’t try to fight strength with strength. Instead, use art, craft, subtlety, and even trickery. I doubt you’ll need to gather as many as six impossible things. Three will probably be enough. Two might even work fine.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): This is a time when your personal actions will have more power than usual to affect the world around you. The ripples you set in motion could ultimately touch people you don’t even know and transform situations you’re not part of. That’s a lot of responsibility! I suggest, therefore, that you be on your best behavior. Not necessarily your mildest, most polite behavior, mind you. Rather, be brave, impeccable, full of integrity, and a little wild.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Goldfish that are confined in small aquariums stay small. Those that spend their lives in ponds get much bigger. What can we conclude from these facts? The size and growth rate of goldfish are directly related to their environment. I’d like to suggest that a similar principle will apply to you Librans in the next ten months. If you want to take maximum advantage of your potential, you will be wise to put yourself in spacious situations that encourage you to expand. For an extra boost, surround yourself with broad-minded, uninhibited people who have worked hard to heal their wounds.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Over the years, you’ve explored some pretty exotic, even strange ideas about what characterizes a good time. In the coming days, I’m guessing you will add to your colorful tradition with some rather unprecedented variations on the definition of “pleasure” and “happiness.” I don’t mean to imply that this is a problem. Not at all. To paraphrase the Wiccan credo, as long as it harms no one (including yourself), anything goes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There come times in your life when you have a sacred duty to be open to interesting tangents and creative diversions; times when it makes sense to wander around aimlessly with wonder in your eyes and be alert for unexpected clues that grab your attention. But this is not one of those times, in my opinion. Rather, you really do need to stay focused on what you promised yourself you would concentrate on. The temptation may be high to send out sprays of arrows at several different targets. But I hope that instead you stick to one target and take careful aim with your best shots.