Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
As the moon moves through practical, disciplined Capricorn today, you may feel more serious, even more pessimistic, than usual. It’s difficult now to put a positive spin on things; no amount of comforting words will make you feel better about a bad situation. Sometimes, though, a dose of hard-edged realism is just what’s needed to create lasting change.
You’re probably not the sort of person who always tries to plan three steps ahead: Why make things complicated when you could simply deal with issues as they arise? Today, though, a bit of advance planning will do you good. You don’t need to fuss over every tiny detail; just give some thought to where you hope to be a year from now. The universe won’t simply carry you there on its own, so you should take matters into your own hands.
What you need most today is a sense of possibility. Even if life feels small or stressful or boring right now, you need to believe there’s more out there. The good news is you’re more than capable of changing your life; it may happen more slowly than you’d like, but it’ll happen. Take a chance, talk to somebody new, apply for a dream job you don’t think you’re qualified for — why not? You never know which random risk will be the one that changes everything.
You understand that not everything in life has to be especially meaningful. It’s healthy to prioritize pleasure sometimes, to maintain some relationships not because they’re deep and intimate but because they’re fun. But your insistence on the importance of levity and play means others don’t take you seriously when it counts — sometimes even you don’t take yourself seriously. Just because you know how to laugh at yourself, that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a life filled with meaning and purpose.
The more earnestly you connect with people today, the more those people will push you to reevaluate your ideas, plans, and assumptions about the world. Your initial reaction may be to dig in your heels, but you’ll be happier in the long run if you stay open. Let others challenge you as long as they’re doing so in good faith. Heartfelt encounters with other people will help you grow into the person you were meant to be. Don’t be too proud or too fearful to let your mind be changed.
Sometimes, you think so intently about a decision that it becomes impossible to take action: You’re too tangled up in what-ifs, too worried about the cascading effects of every choice you make. Today, try to set all of that aside. You can’t know what the future’s going to bring, so for now, at least, just focus on the task at hand. Each step leads to the next, and before you know it, you’ll get where you wanted to be all along.
Confidence is a funny thing: It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your successes or failures. The smartest, coolest, most successful people are often the ones who doubt themselves the most; the people with nothing to show for themselves can seem more self-assured than anyone. If you’ve had trouble believing in yourself lately, today you might finally tune back into your confidence. You don’t have to prove anything. You only have to love and trust yourself.
You understand — probably more than most people — that humans were never meant to be totally self-sufficient. We’re social animals. In practical terms, this means you’re dedicated to building community and caring for the people around you. But you forget sometimes that it works both ways. Don’t be afraid to lean on your support system today. Your life is full of people who want to help you. They may just need to be asked.
Life’s likely to feel hectic today as you balance competing obligations and conflicting impulses. Your thoughts, normally so focused, are scattered; your desires are pulling you in a dozen directions. Frustrating as this is, you’ll only feel worse if you try to force your mind to be more orderly. Instead, accept that this is a day for wandering and following your curiosity where it leads.
While some people are happiest inside their comfort zone, too much familiarity and predictability just makes you feel restless and bored. You need variety. Today, though, take a break from new experiences and check in on the support network that holds you up. When you know you have a soft place to land, it becomes possible to take bigger, more exciting risks. Tend to your foundations for now so you can focus on adventure later.
Most of the time, you manage to keep a healthy perspective on your emotions. You recognize that they’re important, but emotions are one source of information — not the final word. Today, though, you may find it harder to keep this distance. Comments you would normally ignore now cut to the quick; disappointments you’d typically shake off feel like the end of the world. But it isn’t all bad: Maybe you feel hurt more acutely, but you’ll feel joy more intensely, too.
You’ve been impossibly busy lately, striving to do your job well, to care for the people in your life, to manage all the bills and housework. And though you’ve been doing a wonderful job, it has taken a toll. Nobody can keep up this level of activity forever. Make a point to carve out some alone time, even if only for a few minutes today. Instead of prioritizing your external obligations, take a moment to do what feels good to you.
You’re unusually sensitive to the emotions of the people around you: You easily pick up on subtext, and it’s clear to you what others are feeling. Your intuitiveness makes you a good friend, but sometimes it makes you lose sight of your feelings and opinions, especially when they diverge from those of the people around you. So today, remember your individuality. You’re not a carbon copy of everyone else in your social circle, and you don’t have to be to stay in your friends’ good graces.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.