CANCER HOROSCOPE

You've probably lost count of all the times you tried to make a creative project work. What should have been a no-brainer has turned into your biggest nightmare as it's resisted your best efforts to articulate it. For some reason the words escape you, the concept is hard to explain, or the result is a poor facsimile of what you see in your mind's eye. Nevertheless say “yes” when a boss or client asks you to return to the drawing board again on May 30th. Instead of another dead end you'll be surprised to find a sparkling idea where an uninspired concept used to be.

For the next 2 ½ years you'll find yourself at the beck and call of a demanding employer. Unfortunately, it won't be easy to tell if this person's demands are reasonable or not. If the demands are meaningful, then this will be a truly educational experience where you learn more than you ever could have before. If arbitrary then this could devolve into a tedious indentured servitude. Whether you're learning about what to do – or what NOT to do – this period will still be worth the travails. It's all meant to set you up for the day when you take on the mantle of authority.

The Full Moon in Scorpio on May 12th is making you feel more than just a little irritated. You're tired of being talked down to by fat cats who haven't moved off their laurels in dog's age. So is it your job to shake things up? You'll be sorely tempted to when the Sun conjoins Uranus, the planet of revolution and change on May 17th, but perhaps the greater revolution is a radical shift in perception. Stop trying to please people who can't be pleased and do what you think best. You'll be surprised by how quickly they come around to your way of thinking.

One could say you're finding your voice this week except for the fact you never really lost it. What went missing was your self-confidence and you'll regain that when Mercury enters the zodiac sign of Taurus on May 10th. It looks as if somebody who's made your life miserable for weeks is finally moving on. Not only were you angry at them for talking over you, but you were also frustrated with yourself for allowing it to happen. Thankfully these feelings will dissipate as you recover the pluck you had before this person entered your life. It will be nice to speak your mind again.

It's hard to wait – especially when the first quarter Moon in Leo on May 4th shows you champing at the bit. You've been on good behavior for longer than you care to admit; applauding the successes of those who don't really deserve it and smiling graciously as people who were behind you in line push to the front. Nevertheless biding your time is well-advised. You are playing the long game here and are strategically positioned for the next step up. Let everyone else chase after their sensational breakthroughs and one hit wonders. Your aim is to reach the top and to stay there.

Keep pushing for what you want. It may feel like you're getting dangerously close to imperiling what you've set up so far, but the New Moon in Taurus on April 27th shows you're on the right side of history. Either you see things much more clearly than your superiors do or you're willing to make the tough decisions that they keep sidestepping. This can only work out in your favor as long as you remain steadfast and patient. Continue doing what you're doing and you'll go from being forced to work with the short end of the stick to brandishing the better part of it.

The Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius coincides with a Sun/Mars square on April 20th. This is a closing cycle and not a beginning one which means you need to dump what's not working. It's not unlike cleaning out your closet. We begin by wanting to get rid of everything we never wear and wind up only throwing out a shirt and maybe a sock or two. You need to be unsentimental and relentless. This is bound to be emotionally exhausting, but if you apply the gardening rule that cutting back deadwood promotes new growth, then you'll see a tremendous bloom cycle in the coming weeks.

You never quite know what emotional space you'll be in from one day to the next. That's because your Ruling Planet, the Moon, cycles through all of the twelve zodiac signs in a single month. Sometimes you're rash and impulsive and sometimes you vacillate. The Full Moon in Libra on April 12th shows you carefully weighing the pros and cons of a long-term association in the balance to see if it's worth continuing or not. It looks like you're leaning towards ending things but a last minute save – in the form of an eleventh hour confession or heartfelt promise to reform – could change all that.

It takes a while for the planets to line up just right. Sometimes it's days; other times it's years. Lucky for you Mars's sextile to Uranus and then trine to Saturn on April 4th will finally deliver. Like storm clouds gathering on the horizon, you can expect Fortune's rains to refill your coffers and replenish the landscape of your parched hopes and wishes. But you must do more than sing and dance. You really must push yourself to cover as much ground as you can now. Jupiter's entrance into Cancer this June brings sustained support as long as you lift your sights and dare for more.

Putting yourself first has its price and that’s something you need to get used to. Cancer isn’t built this way. You constantly worry about hurting people’s feelings, if your criticism damaged a loved one for life, or if “selfish” actions have sown the seeds for future retaliation. The Solar Eclipse in Aries on March 29th shows that you’re playing in the big leagues now and have to “man up”; “man up” doesn’t mean being heartless (that will never happen; you’re too sensitive) but it does mean putting others second and that doesn’t have to be such a bad thing as long as you’re nice about it.