On Wednesday evening, Mercury (still retrograde until the 28th) moves backward from detail-oriented Virgo into expressive Leo. Your thinking grows more confident and your communication more stylish and inspiring, but misunderstandings have the potential to be more dramatic. It’s easy to blow minor disagreements way out of proportion, and your ego might create unnecessary problems. Make an extra effort not to jump to conclusions, and instead listen to others patiently, with an open mind. In the meantime, find the weekly horoscope for each zodiac sign below.
Some people are good at adapting to any setting, company, or situation they find themselves in; they know how to read the room and adjust accordingly. You, on the other hand, prefer to assert yourself as you are and change the world around you if necessary. You might find that difficult this week. Maybe your jokes or provocations aren’t landing, maybe the people around you are set in their ways, or the deck is just stacked against you for now. Don’t worry: It won’t be this way forever. Keep trying, and you’ll feel a shift soon.
When you’re working toward a goal you truly care about, you can be incredibly focused. You know how to push distractions to the side and move forward with single-mindedness and purpose. Most of the time, this persistence serves you well, but occasionally, you fixate so intently on the matter at hand that you lose sight of all else. Take a step back from whatever you’re working on right now. Your life is more than this one project, this one moment. Don’t neglect the parts of it that are joyful, unproductive, fun.
If you follow your curiosity this week, it’ll lead you fascinating places. Asking questions you don’t already know the answers to, accepting invitations that take you outside your comfort zone, approaching the unfamiliar with an authentic desire to learn — all of this will expand your mind, sure, but it will also be fun. A word of caution, though: Be thoughtful about what you do with all the new information that’s coming your way. During Mercury retrograde, it’s easy to draw the wrong conclusions or put the pieces together in ways that don’t quite fit. Give it more time before you rush into action.
Sometimes your worries are vague and existential. You’re afraid you’re on the wrong path, or you’re wasting your gifts, or you should somehow be doing more with your life. But even if you’re right, it’s almost impossible to solve problems like these — they’re too broad, too nebulous to get a handle on. So this week, turn your attention to the things in life you can see and touch and name. If you focus on the matters that are within your power to change, you’ll slowly but surely affect the bigger arc of your life, too.
When you act according to your principles and let your heart guide you, you’re unstoppable. You don’t wait for anybody else’s permission to act, and no amount of judgment from others can dissuade you or stand in your way. But when you’re less clear in your purpose, or when you have doubts about your actions (no matter how small), you begin to feel insecure. Other people’s criticisms starts to get under your skin. Pay attention to the moments when you feel defensive: They could signal that it’s time to change course.
As much as you value human connection, you also understand that not everything needs to be shared. Not every piece of gossip needs to be circulated among the whole neighborhood; some petty feelings and minor gripes are better kept to yourself. In this moment, especially, your instinct is probably to hold back. The trouble is that in the absence of communication, misunderstandings are likely to fill the empty space. People will come up with their own theories, and they aren’t always going to be correct, so don’t hesitate to step in and set the record straight.
You have an unusually clear self-image. You’re thoughtful and reflective enough to see your strengths and flaws accurately and to understand how you fit into the world around you. Most of the time, your picture of yourself matches with the ways that others see you. But not always. Sometimes, you’re surprised to find that, for better or worse, they see a completely different person when they look at you. Trust your own assessment, but when others see you as braver or wiser or more beautiful than you think you are, consider that they could be right.
When it comes to your big life ambitions, it might feel like you’ve been moving backward recently. No matter how hard you work or how carefully you plan, it seems impossible to get traction. But consider that your perception of the situation may not reflect the reality of it. Progress rarely happens in a linear fashion — it’s surprising and irregular. The biggest leaps forward can happen after weeks or months when nothing goes on at all. Trust that you’re making headway, even if you can’t see it yet.
It’s particularly important that you tend to the practical matters in your life this week. Staying organized, managing your schedule, and double-checking your work to catch any mistakes isn’t especially exciting or rewarding, but it’ll save you from all kinds of headaches down the road. Give yourself permission to daydream during the mundane work, too. Give in to your beautiful flights of fancy. Devote yourself to your wildest plans for the future. Sometimes, the day-to-day is boring (it’s inevitable and can’t be helped), but it won’t always be, and when the fun times roll around again, you’ll be ready.
If you can let go of your preconceived ideas about people this week, you’ll be able to see them in a whole new light. Maybe you’ll witness acquaintances acting with more kindness or integrity than you would have given them credit for, or you’ll hear stories that upend previous assumptions. Keep an open mind, and you’ll be surprised for the better. The one exception is to stay a little skeptical of any gossip that comes your way. Don’t take it too seriously, unless it comes with proof; it’s much too easy for wires to get crossed right now.
You need to know that you have choices in life, that if you become intolerably bored or fed up, there are other possibilities available to you. With too many options available to you, though, you begin to feel stuck: Weighing up all the pros and cons becomes an insurmountable task, and it seems safer to do nothing. But while inaction may be — or at least feel — safer, that doesn’t mean it’ll make you happy. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to make the perfect choice. When the alternative is doing nothing, making any decision can be enough to free you from your rut.
Even if you think you’ve anticipated every contingency, it’s possible that your plans will go sideways or your routines will break down this week. Don’t beat yourself up — the universe is unpredictable and it isn’t your fault. The key is to stay flexible and not to lose faith in yourself. If the plans shift, then shift with them. If unexpected issues pop up, roll with the changes. You’re resourceful and you know how to think on your feet. There’s nothing that you won’t be able to handle as long as you remain confident.
Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of August 4. The weekly horoscopes for the week of August 18 will be online next Sunday.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.