Halsey, a Libra.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
The solar eclipse in Libra brings new energy to your life today, especially if you’ve felt stuck in a rut. Sometimes, change feels impossible, but new insights and a new perspective can offer a fresh sense of possibility. Just be cautious about making big moves immediately. This eclipse brings strong emotions, but not necessarily clear ones; give yourself some time to process them before taking action.
In social settings, it can occasionally feel that you do a disproportionate share of the work. You’re the one who comes up with the best ideas, who makes everyone laugh, who ensures exciting things actually happen. While it can be flattering, you sometimes wish everyone else was on your level. Today, though, if you stay patient — and don’t expect everyone else to do things exactly how you would — you’ll find that other people are able to take on much more than you thought they could. Give others a chance to step up, and they’ll shine.
It often feels that you’re not living up to your potential. If asked, you’d probably struggle to define what would be “enough” — and this is a good sign that you’re asking far too much of yourself. Today, as you set goals for the weeks ahead, make sure that you’re planning realistically. You have your own role to play in the world; it’s not your job to take on everyone else’s roles, too. Challenge yourself, but don’t demand the impossible.
It can be stressful or stifling to think too deeply about how your words and actions affect others. No matter how diligently you try to make a good impression, you can’t control whether other people will like — or simply understand — you. But today, if you stop worrying about how everyone else sees you and simply express yourself in a way that feels right, you might forge even stronger connections.
Today, you might feel haunted by your flaws, shortcomings, or past mistakes. As you look back, it seems heartbreakingly clear what you should have done differently, and it’s easy to criticize yourself for not having seen it at the time. But try to be a little gentler: Mistakes are necessary, frustrating and painful though they can be. Also try not to dramatically overcorrect the things you think are “wrong” about you: Though it feels like you’re seeing your faults with searing clarity, you’re probably being much harsher than necessary. You’ve learned from the past and you’re learning still, which is more than many people can say.
Sometimes, the world around you seems orderly and predictable. For better or for worse, you can trust that events will unfold the way you expect them to, and people will behave just as you assumed they would. Today, though, be prepared for a surprise or two. Don’t ignore the things that go against your preconceived notions about the world; instead, let them ignite your curiosity. Pay attention and ask questions. Your job isn’t to know what it all means in the bigger picture, yet, but to notice and honor the ways that people can surprise you.
Whether you’re juggling a dozen competing priorities or simply trying to get through the day, it’s easy to believe that things like pleasure don’t really matter. In the face of the sheer volume of work that needs to get done, wanting to enjoy yourself on occasion can seem selfish. But while desire isn’t the only thing that matters, it’s not nothing, either. If you always ignore what you want to do in favor of what you think you should do, you’ll miss out on valuable insights and experiences. So just for today, try to focus more on what feels good.
You suspect, sometimes, that people — even the ones who love you most — take you for granted. You’re so good at navigating social situations that they assume it doesn’t require any effort, so skilled at setting others at ease that nobody wonders whether you could use any extra consideration. You make a point of treating everyone else fairly, but today, make sure that you’re not short-changing yourself. You dream about more than just making other people happy—you have your own ambitions, too, and they’re bigger than anyone else realizes. Reserve some of your energy for yourself.
Delving into your past can sometimes be too painful to feel worthwhile, even for someone as courageous as you. It seems easier to close the door on what’s over with — but that only hides the feelings; it doesn’t actually fix anything. Today, you may find that it’s finally time to face the unresolved issues, the emotions that continue to unsettle you, or the relationships that never found closure. Don’t pretend you’re fine if you’re not. Admitting to yourself that the hurt still lingers can make it possible to finally move forward.
Much of the time, you’re focused on setting yourself apart from the group. It’s not that you’re trying to be better than anybody else, only that you want to sharpen and refine your singular qualities. Today, though, take a break from that. Instead, pay attention to the things you have in common with your friends, to the emotions and goals and experiences you all share. You’re not exactly like everyone else, but sometimes there’s a sense of peace in remembering that others have been where you are, that you’re not alone.
Your competitive streak has served you well — when you struggle to muster up enough inner motivation to get the job done, your desire not to let anyone get the better of you provides the boost you need. But today, trying to achieve more than the people around you is more likely to lead to burnout than success. Make a point of working with, not against, others, and you’ll end up accomplishing more (and having more fun) than any of you would have on your own.
Lately, you feel out of step with everyone around you. Nobody else seems to understand what you want or where you’re coming from, and you fear that if you’re ever going to live the life that you dream of, you’ll have to do it alone. But today, you could meet someone new who’s perfectly on your wavelength, or you could discover that someone already in your life understands you much better than you realized. Either way, you may find that you’re not doomed to loneliness the way you feared: There are people ready and willing to travel alongside you.
Other people don’t always know what they want, let alone how to ask for it. But even when they hardly know themselves, you can often see what they need, and you’re happy to offer it when you can. Sometimes, though, this means that you hardly have time to think about your bigger picture goals, and you end up feeling resentful. So today, take a step back. You may worry that it’s selfish to say no to people, but asserting your boundaries will make for stronger relationships in the long run.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.