Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
On Tuesday, Pluto finally leaves Capricorn, which it’s moved through since 2008, shaking up structures and traditions. The intense planet of transformation and rebirth now enters revolutionary Aquarius, where it’ll stay until 2043, transforming communities, the role technology plays in our lives, and our collective ideals. Then on Thursday afternoon, Sagittarius season begins. You could feel an unexpected boost of optimism — not because you’re naïve or unaware of the challenges ahead, but because you’re brave enough to keep dreaming, keep adventuring, keep trying, in spite of them.
Some people are constantly worrying about problems that haven’t happened yet — that might not ever happen. You, though, are good at staying grounded. There’s enough to do right here and now, so why stress yourself out about some hazy, undefined tomorrow? This week, though, it might be helpful to think a bit further into the future. Life isn’t just about responding to crises as they arise: You have a bigger purpose, so think beyond the immediate and toward the long-term.
Sometimes, you despair of ever really changing. Your flaws feel too baked in, your weaknesses insurmountable. Constantly straining against the parts of yourself you don’t like seems like a waste of time; you’d rather learn to work around them. But this week, you might feel more optimistic that with a little effort, you can make a change. Grab this energy and run with it: It is possible to change, at least to an extent, and if you’ve got bad habits, now is as good a time as any to finally kick them.
You know that you can’t go through life alone: You rely on your community to help you learn and grow and make the most of life. Sometimes, though, the most helpful people aren’t the ones who unquestioningly support you, but the ones who challenge you. This week, especially, what you need might not be tender care, but a little healthy competition. Rivalries can spur you on, encourage you to take productive risks, and help you to see yourself clearly. It’s not always comfortable or easy, but it might be exactly what you need.
This week, your ambitions might shine bigger and brighter than ever. The more dangerous and uncertain the future seems, the more possible — even prudent — it seems to release your hang-ups and just go for what you really want. But you’re wise enough to know that it rarely works to try to do everything at once. You’ve got to lay the groundwork first, making plans or building skills or connecting with the right people. Right now, focus on doing all the small, potentially boring tasks that will help you to go the distance.
You have a deep-seated longing to be seen and admired. But at the same time, you don’t want to outshine the people around you, and it can be hard to balance these two conflicting desires. This week, the inner tension could ease. Remember that you deserve to shine — and also that your happiness doesn’t have to come at the expense of anyone else’s. You’ve been through a period of self-doubt lately, maybe, but now you’re coming out on the other side, wiser, more self-assured, and more yourself than ever.
Lately, you’ve been doing your best to believe you can actually make a difference in the world. Sometimes you succeed, but sometimes it’s a struggle; in your more pessimistic moments, you feel certain that nothing you can do — however caring or brave — actually counts. But this week, reject the idea that you’re powerless. Don’t wait for some kind of “proof” that your actions matter. If you carry yourself like your own small life is important, soon enough you’ll find that it’s true.
Predictability can often be comforting, but lately, it only makes you bored. Day after day, you see the same people, move through the same surroundings, carry out the same tasks, and you’ve been getting irritated by all of it. You might imagine that the excitement or sense of purpose you want can be found somewhere far away — but this week, everything you want is likely hiding somewhere nearby. There’s so much to learn and experience right where you are, you only have to figure out how to look for it.
The more urgent your problems seem, the harder it is to take a smart and measured approach. Even if you’re a cautious person by nature, you get so stressed that you start rushing around and making reactive decisions. This week, the best thing you can do is take a step back and focus on the long haul. If you focus on building slowly and carefully, and making decisions that are thoughtful and in line with your values, you’ll end up with a sturdy foundation for the life you want.
You do your best to learn from the past and plan for the future. Sometimes, though, you get so caught up in previous failures (or successes), or so worried about possible problems down the road, that you lose sight of the story unfolding right now. This week, do your best to ground yourself in the world as it exists around you, in all that’s happening in this moment. Forget about what has worked for you in the past, forget about the life you plan to live at some unspecified date in the future, and focus on the now.
You probably aren’t someone who lets go of things easily. The more effort you’ve put into a job or relationship, the more stubbornly you’ll hold onto it, even after it’s become clear that things aren’t panning out the way you’d hoped. But while your persistence can be a wonderful thing, at a certain point, it holds you back. You put so much energy into salvaging the old dream that you can’t imagine anything new. This week, make a point of releasing what isn’t working — even if it’s painful — to make room in your life for something better.
If you’re feeling stuck or unsure of what to do, this week, it might help to broaden your time frame. Instead of worrying about what happens today or tomorrow, think about where you’d like to be five years (or even more) from now. You don’t need immediate gratification — you’re thinking bigger than that. You’re planting seeds for the future, and while they might not grow right away, you can trust that things are happening under the surface, and that sooner or later, you’ll get results.
You tend to chafe when others tell you to be practical. No matter how well intentioned they are, it sounds like they’re telling you to give up on your principles, stop trying to make the world better, and accept everything ugly and unjust in the world around you. This week, hold tight to your ideals — but make a point to find tangible steps you can take to move toward them. Dreaming is important, but your practical, real-world actions, no matter how small, are necessary too.
Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of November 10. The weekly horoscopes for the week of November 24 will be online next Sunday.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.