Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Libra.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
This morning, the sun in Libra squares off with action planet Mars, which means you can expect some kind of conflict. It could be internal — a battle between your desires and your better judgment — or it might take the form of an argument with someone in your life. Trying to avoid discomfort altogether is only likely to make things worse, so focus instead on working through it productively.
You can’t stand it when others won’t be honest about how they’re feeling. If a friend is mad at you, you’d prefer it if they just said so; tiptoeing around the problem only wastes time. In return, you try to give people the honor of being straightforward with them, too. Today, though, what feels to you like simple assertiveness might come across as aggression. That doesn’t mean you should hide your feelings; just be aware that your words might not be taken as you intend them, and be prepared to adjust accordingly.
If you’re facing a tough choice today, it could be unusually difficult to make up your mind. You keep going back and forth, talking yourself into a decision and then changing your mind. All the options have pros and cons, so how are you supposed to pick? One strategy would be to choose at random — but a better one, probably, is to find something else to occupy you. Take your mind off the issue, at least for a little while, and it’ll probably be clearer when you return.
When people disagree with you, you try to keep an open mind. For the most part, this doesn’t feel unfair or burdensome — you enjoy being pushed to refine your opinions. Today, though, no matter how well-founded your views are, someone is probably going to disagree. It likely has nothing to do with what you’re saying and everything to do with their bad mood. While it’s always helpful to listen to criticism when it’s offered in good faith, there’s no need to humor people who are only unleashing their frustration on you.
Today, it could be easier than usual to blame yourself for everything that’s difficult or unsatisfying in your life. If you had made better decisions in the past, you imagine, or if you were simply a better person, your current problems wouldn’t exist. You’d be happy. But as much as it’s useful to hold yourself accountable, there are some things that simply aren’t your fault. You can’t control the world you live in — all you can do is make the best of the imperfect choices you’ve been given, and you’re doing that now.
It’s healthy and normal not to agree with your friends about every tiny thing. As long as you’re aligned on what really matters, some debate over the details can be fun. Today, though, expressing your honest opinion — especially about important topics, but even about the small stuff — might rub people the wrong way. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it, but it’s up to you to decide if the potential drama is worth it.
This could be one of those days where everything just feels a little off. Your clothes don’t seem to fit right, or your morning gets off to an annoyingly slow start, or the people around you just get on your nerves. It’s easy to assume that this is indicative of some deeper problem in your life, or to tell yourself that you can’t do anything right, but it isn’t true. You’re as smart and as competent as ever; some days are just like this. Things will get back on track before you know it.
If you get drawn into a frustrating argument today, your first impulse might be to play peacemaker. Instead of fighting fire with fire, you do your best to be conciliatory and put out the flames. But right now, there’s a good chance that won’t work. It might even do the opposite; the more you try to appease the other person, the more irritated they get. So instead of backing down, be assertive. If conflict is going to be happening either way, you might as well stand up for yourself.
Everything might feel like the end of the world today. Little mistakes seem like disasters; when your friends are thoughtless or distracted, you worry they secretly hate you. Reflecting on the problems you’re facing can be useful, but catastrophizing isn’t. Try to take a step back. There’s plenty that’s wrong with the world, and plenty you can personally resolve to work on, but a lot of problems truly aren’t as bad as you fear.
Most of the time, you’re pretty easygoing: You trust that people tend to be doing their best in difficult circumstances, and you’re willing to forgive and forget. Today, though, it could be easy to get drawn into other people’s dramas. You might not have a stake in the fight, but if your friend does, you’ll take up the cause on their behalf. It’s a noble impulse, and standing up for someone else is one of the best things you can do — just be careful not to unnecessarily escalate things.
Even the people you love most can get on your nerves sometimes. Their lovable quirks become irritating; flaws you usually accept become too much for you. Today, especially, you might have a hard time staying kind and understanding. There’s a part of you that wants to change your friends, to help them fix their shortcomings — but don’t give in to this impulse. Trying to change people never works, and will only damage the relationship. All you can do is love people as they are — and if that’s too much for you right now, then take some space until this mood has passed.
It might feel like nothing is going according to plan today. Maybe other people keep interrupting your routines; maybe your own distractibility is the issue. Either way, it’s incredibly frustrating. But try to remember that you don’t always like your routines that much: They get boring, and you chafe against the predictability of it all. Annoying as it is to have your plans derailed, it might end up opening the door to a more interesting day than you would have had otherwise.
Today, everything seems to fall short of your expectations. Your relationships don’t measure up, your career seems lackluster, your life as a whole can’t compare to the one you imagine you should be living. But of course everything’s going to come up short in comparison to your fantasies. Try to remember that the ideal you’re imagining doesn’t actually exist. If you stop comparing everything to it, then you can finally start seeing your life clearly, appreciating what’s best about it, and making tangible changes to what’s not working.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.