Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Getty Images
On Sunday afternoon, the sun enters rebellious and idealistic Aquarius. This week, it’s time to step away from the tactics that haven’t worked for you in the past, away from the conventional relationship dynamics that have left you unsatisfied, away from the traditional milestones of “success.” Nobody else can tell you how to think or what to strive for — at least not if you don’t let them. Hold tight to your independence. Make the most of it.
You don’t always want the headache of dealing with other people, but this week, it’ll be more than worth it. If your friends require some extra emotional energy from you, they’ll return the favor with much-needed kindness and support. If your community seems to be a place filled with silly or annoying drama, don’t forget that it’s also a space where you can forge the connections that make your dreams possible. As frustrating as human relationships can be, don’t turn away from them; they’ll enrich your life.
Sometimes, you feel trapped by everybody else’s expectations, caught up in their ideas about what constitutes a good life. The problem isn’t that you’re meek or obedient, but rather that you aren’t quite sure what you’d do if you could break from convention. It’s stressful to know that you could do anything; falling back on tradition can be comforting. This week, though, don’t do anything solely because that’s how everyone’s always done it before. You’ll be able to source the courage and creativity to try something new; don’t let it go to waste.
You understand that life can be chaotic; the more you try to force it to follow a linear trajectory, the more likely it is to buck your expectations. So instead of putting too much stock into any overarching narrative, you try to focus on finding meaning in the everyday. But right now, that might not feel like enough: You want all the little moments of fulfillment to add up to something more. So spend some time reflecting on your sense of purpose this week. Your path might be winding, but that doesn’t mean you’re not building toward something greater.
Some people seem afraid to rely on others, as if receiving any kind of assistance makes their own accomplishments count for less, or accepting a favor puts them at a disadvantage. You, on the other hand, probably understand that we’re all interdependent. You know that leaning on your support system makes you stronger, not weaker. Just don’t lose sight of your own power this week. If your community seems less dependable than usual, remember that, no matter what, you can always count on yourself.
You’re bright and creative, and you’re never short of ideas, opinions, and plans for the future. But every so often, you start to get bored with yourself. Your brain seems to operate so predictably, and you want something new. This week, the answer could be to find someone else to collaborate with. When you brainstorm with a friend, you’ll come up with ideas neither of you would have landed on alone. Talking through fuzzy concepts with somebody as smart and imaginative as you will push the both of you further — and you’ll have fun doing it.
You understand that life’s small, tedious tasks are important, so no matter how uninspiring something is, you still give it your best effort. You care about the process, not just the outcome; if you’re going to bother doing a job, you want to do it right. This week, make sure you’re applying this approach not just to the work you have to do, but also to the things you do for fun. Don’t save all of your attention for the “serious” parts of life — save some to devote to your hobbies and creative projects, too.
You’re not typically someone to deal in absolutes. You recognize that people have good and bad in them, and you’re often more interested in exploring the nuances than in making a definitive judgment. But this week, experiment with taking bigger stands. Sometimes it’s refreshing to stop worrying about all the details and complexities. For now, you don’t have to lay out your thoughts perfectly, or account for every possible exception to the rule. Instead of hedging or tiptoeing around it, just say what you believe.
It often seems like the only way to find a community is to learn how to blend in with the people around you. You fear that if you want to feel a sense of belonging, you’ll have to sand off your edges and conceal the things that make you who you are. But ultimately, even if you do manage to “fit in,” you won’t feel secure or happy. This week, if you quit making so many concessions to everyone else’s opinions, you’ll feel much freer — and you’ll find people who appreciate you for you.
You don’t want others to think you’re lazy or undisciplined, so you often pressure yourself to work hard and follow through on your ideas. But you’ll be happier this week — and more productive in the long run — if you forget about all that for now. Give yourself permission to wander, to test out wild ideas, to start projects only to quit them soon after. It’s unreasonable to expect all your experiments to be successful; what’s important now is simply to try new things and see what happens.
When you want to transform your life, it’s easy to get stuck in the planning stage. You run yourself ragged trying to strategize, to anticipate obstacles, to chart a course that’ll safely carry you to your intended destination. But after all that work, you’re still no further along; foolproof plans don’t exist in a world that’s constantly changing. This week, consider that maybe you’ve done enough thinking; at this point, you’ll have to trust yourself to finally take the first step.
You’re firm and unwavering in your convictions. When it comes to your actions, on the other hand, you’re less certain. It’s so difficult to know the best way to put your principles into practice; you worry that even the smallest step you take will have unintended consequences. Sometimes, this makes it hard to do anything at all — but this week, you might find the clarity you need to get moving. You can’t see into the future, but you know what you need to do in this moment, and for now, that can be enough.
You’re thoughtful and empathetic; you care about other people’s insights, and you’ve learned a lot from them in the past. But sometimes, this means that you internalize other people’s opinions without even realizing it. This week, it might be helpful to log off the internet, clear your calendar, and spend some time with yourself and your own thoughts. Everybody has their opinions about what life’s most worthy pursuits are; your challenge is to create enough space in your head that you can stop worrying about everyone else’s values and get back in touch with yours.
Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of January 12. The weekly horoscopes for the week of February 2 will be online next Sunday.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.