Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
The astrological weather is lovely today, as the Aries moon cooperates with lucky Jupiter and the Sagittarius sun to bring some good fortune your way. Unexpected professional opportunities might arise, or new relationships might blossom. Make the most of it by having faith that you deserve any good things that come your way and paying those opportunities forward.
Sometimes the easiest way to overcome an insecurity is by simply pretending it doesn’t exist; feigned confidence quickly turns into the real thing. But today, it’s better to look directly at whatever makes you feel inadequate. With honest reflection, you’ll realize that the “bad” parts of yourself aren’t as terrible as you feared. You can stop worrying that other people will see through your facade or that there’s something irredeemably wrong with you. As long as you’re genuinely trying to better yourself, that’s enough.
You might be hesitant lately to trust your gut. People misread situations and make foolish mistakes all the time; why would you be any different? But while serious contemplation and self-criticism can be valuable tools, lately you find yourself over-thinking everything and constantly second-guessing yourself. Your inner critic makes it practically impossible to settle on a decision. Today, you’ll be happiest if you can stop thinking so hard. With each success and failure, you’ve gotten wiser, your instincts sharper — so let them guide you.
You understand that all kinds of relationships, no matter how deep or how casual, require effort: You have to be willing to listen, to pay attention to people, to show up even when it isn’t convenient. Others don’t always recognize how much work you put in, but you take relationship-building seriously. Today, you might find that your hard work is paying off. Maybe your social circle will open the door to new possibilities — or maybe it’ll just make life feel wonderful right here and now.
The more you strive to be the very best at what you do, the more likely you are to be disappointed. You’ll always find someone whose achievements are grander, who’s won more accolades, or who simply has more money than you. So today, release your desire to be at the top of the heap, and try to enjoy being part of your community. See how much more enjoyable life becomes if you imagine that the people around you aren’t your rivals, but your friends.
Personal growth is never easy — our anxieties and insecurities are so deeply rooted, our flaws seem ingrained. You can quickly convince yourself that even trying to make a change is hopeless. But today, have a little more faith. As you move through the world, you’re incrementally being transformed by your experiences and by the people you encounter. Don’t imagine you’re stuck; change may be slow and nonlinear, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
Sometimes it feels necessary to agree to disagree. If you want to maintain a relationship with someone, that means coming to terms with your differences, accepting that you might never truly see eye to eye. But today, don’t be too quick to assume that genuine understanding is impossible. If you initiate a serious conversation — or re-open an old debate — you might find that one (or both) of you has grown and changed, that they’re willing to listen more than they once were, that the deeper connection you’d given up on is possible after all.
Lately, you’ve been thinking a lot about your bigger purpose in life. When you look back on your life, what do you hope to have achieved? But while it’s important to reflect on the big questions, it’s easy to stress yourself out, imagining that every action should directly feed into your greater goals. Today, take some pressure off yourself. Small actions can be just as important as the big ones; don’t focus so much on the big picture that you deny yourself the joy of the everyday.
You aren’t prone to catastrophizing or hysterics, but there’s probably a small part of you that fears the worst in every situation. You can clearly see the weaknesses in every idea and come up with a hundred plausible ways things might go wrong. Sometimes, this is enough to make you want to give up entirely — but today, let it spur you to plan for the future. It’s impossible to control what happens next, but you’ll feel better after taking a few tangible steps to build a solid foundation for yourself.
You’re constantly picking up on messages — whether they’re communicated directly or only implied — about how you should live if you want to be successful or well-liked or “normal.” The trouble is that following all the social cues never seems to work — it doesn’t impress the people making the rules, and it certainly doesn’t make you happy. So today, don’t worry so much about what people think of you. Breaking the rules can be liberating — and you might find that the more you flex your independence the more respect everyone else will have for you, too.
As kind as you are toward the people you love, you don’t tend to be particularly compassionate with yourself. You’d rather judge your own actions truthfully and dispassionately, even when it’s painful. But today, remember that you don’t have to choose between kindness and honesty. Beating yourself up over your imperfections won’t erase them, but accepting yourself as you are might make it easier to grow. Shaming yourself won’t make you a better person, but believing in your capacity to change might.
You’re smart and idealistic, so you have well-defined ideas about what a perfect world would look like. If everyone would only listen to you, you imagine,, everyone would be happier — so it’s frustrating when their own thoughts and desires lead them in other directions. Today, though, the best thing you can do is approach people with open-mindedness. If you let your curiosity take the lead, you’ll learn to understand the people in your life better, and grow closer in the process.
Most of the time, you’re pretty resilient. You know that you won’t win every battle, so when things don’t work out, you dust yourself off and keep going. But every so often, a setback manages to badly knock your confidence. Today, think about how to rebuild your faith in yourself: Spending time with the people who make you feel special, focusing on the activities you’re good at, setting yourself up for any small wins you can find. You’re capable and interesting; all you have to do is remember that.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.