Lucy Liu, a rifleman. Photo illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
On Monday, the full moon in Gemini brings surprises, chance encounters and strange coincidences. When you go out into the world, expect the unexpected. Expect adventure. Stay open to new possibilities and things might turn out better than you dared hope. Then, on Friday morning, Mercury enters disciplined Capricorn. While the planet of thought and communication was in permissive Sagittarius, it encouraged you to dream big without worrying about the practicalities. Now is the time to take off your rose-colored glasses, think honestly about the difficulties you face, and make a plan to overcome them.
There’s too much going on right now – too much news for you to keep up with, your ever-growing to-do list, and more invitations than you could possibly accept. Your task this week is to prioritize. There are certain tasks that absolutely must be done, and there are certain requests that you can’t reasonably say “no” to, but remember that sometimes you can and must say no. It’s up to you to make sure you focus your energy on what matters most to you. Don’t let anyone rule your life.
If you only focus on the big picture this week, you’re likely to be disappointed. There’s so much wrong in the world, and the change you’ve been working toward isn’t coming fast enough. But small moments of joy can still surprise you, and unexpectedly pleasant interactions with others can lift your spirits. And perhaps part of you feels that it is inappropriate to enjoy these experiences when there is still so much pain. But now make the most of the little things. Over time, it can help you move on so you can tackle the big things.
Your friendly nature means you can easily get along with most people. Although this is a gift, it does mean that sometimes being nice to people who don’t value you, who don’t listen to you, or who act like your perspective matters won’t get you anywhere. This week, don’t try so hard to approach or accommodate someone who wouldn’t do the same for you. Stop offering the best of yourself to those who have shown you they don’t deserve it. Instead, focus your energy on the people who reciprocate your kindness and make you feel valued.
Sometimes the world around you becomes so loud that you can hardly hear yourself think. Everyone else’s opinions crowd your mind; Your ideas (communicated so powerfully and passionately) push your ideas out of the way. Every now and then you need the solitude, the chance to let the whole chorus fade out, so you can remember what your voice sounds like. If you’re feeling overwhelmed this week, take time for yourself—even if it’s just a quick walk around the block and a few minutes in the next room. The distractions will disappear. You will be reminded of how you feel.
This week, you may notice more drama than usual in your social circles: people lashing out, hurting each other’s feelings, and generally making a mess. (There’s a good chance you’re doing some of this unintentionally, too.) It’s stressful for everyone, and you’re tempted to step in to fix things and get everyone up to speed. Do your best to resist. The more you try to fix other people’s emotions or tell them to behave, the worse it gets. Trust that you are doing your part to restore balance through friendly and supportive behavior.
True clarity is rare. Most of the time we muddle through as best we can, making decisions based on limited information, not knowing if we’re moving in the right direction or if it’s even the right time to take action. The constant uncertainty can be stressful. If you have the opportunity to take decisive action this week, take it. Seize the moment. You may be nervous or afraid of failure, but you can trust that this is your moment, and if you seize it wholeheartedly, you won’t go wrong.
It’s easy to recognize that there is a problem and acknowledge that you need a change when your life is completely desolate. When you’re just a little off, when you’re mostly fine, even happy, but you still feel like something’s missing, it’s much harder to motivate yourself to do something about it. You may convince yourself that you are just making up problems or that you are making it a bigger deal than it needs to be. This week, start taking your desires seriously. Listen to your desires. Life doesn’t have to be terrible for you to need more.
You feel a lot of shame for the things you’ve done “wrong” in life – not just the times you’ve hurt others, but also the times you’ve made stupid decisions, said words that you… regret, or have treated yourself unkindly. But punishing yourself for past mistakes doesn’t help anyone, and berating yourself for being imperfect won’t get you any closer to the goal. So this week, do what you can to get what you can right, and then move on. If you take responsibility for the present, you may find it easier to let go of at least some of the old shame.
They tend to believe that everyone is good deep down. And while that may be true, it doesn’t mean everyone is the same. People’s experiences, beliefs and personalities vary widely. Even those closest to you have the ability to surprise you. This week, the differences between you and your loved ones may become more apparent, and they may respond to situations in ways that you would not have predicted (and that you may not fully approve of). Remember, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you want to love people, you have to let them be who they are.
Today, the demands of daily life are overwhelming. If you had no job, no family responsibilities, and no bills to pay, you tell yourself, you would have adventures and change the world. Every now and then you ask yourself whether the life you are living now is even right for you. This week, remember what freedom feels like. You don’t have to do anything drastic; a foretaste is enough. By stepping out of your routine and breaking little rules, you remind yourself that life could be different. The freedom you’ve always dreamed of has always been there, you just have to be brave enough to seize it.
Chances are, you’ve been holding yourself back from the people you care about. Maybe you don’t want to burden them with your pain, you don’t trust them to understand, or you’re just at a loss for words. Your friends have enough problems of their own to deal with; You don’t want to put yours on the stack. This week, however, it’s better to express yourself, no matter how clumsily, than to hold it in any longer. You will be surprised at how good it feels and how eager and happy others are to support you.
You are not a perfectionist. You understand that life will always contain chaos and confusion as well as boredom and sadness, and you have done your best to adapt and build a tolerance. However, it is possible to become too good at enduring adversity. Because while perfection remains unattainable, the same cannot be said for change. If you are unhappy, remember this week that you are allowed to do something about it. You can make different decisions. You can fight to be treated better. You can join forces with other people to change the world together.
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