Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
Mars, the planet of action and drive, has been in Cancer for the past two months, encouraging you to take an indirect, self-effacing, even defensive attitude toward your goals. But tonight, Mars enters proud and confident Leo, where it’ll stay until early January. Stop convincing yourself that you’re asking for too much, or that you don’t “deserve” your dream life. This is the time to go after what you really want — the more ambitious, the better.
It’s impossible to consistently work at 100 percent capacity and enjoy your social life to the fullest and rest as much as you need. But this week, you might be tempted to try to do it all, anyway. With so much you want to achieve and experience, and so few hours in the day, the only solution is to fill every minute of your day, to push yourself well past your limits. But be careful not to overdo it. You’ll quickly burn out trying to do everything, so set your priorities and let some things go.
People are always telling you to get over from the past, to accept that what’s done is done, to forgive and forget. But all their advice probably doesn’t work for you. You have a long memory, and you can’t just pretend that things just didn’t happen. In order to truly move forward, you need real closure — and this week, you could have a chance to get it. Don’t push yourself to move on before you’re ready.
You’re bursting with brilliant ideas and plans for the future. The problem is that your thinking can be complex and nonlinear; while it makes total sense to you, it can be hard to explain yourself clearly and concisely to others. If you’ve been struggling to make your case to someone or persuade them to give you a chance, try again. You may find it easier now to present your thoughts in a way that makes others want to be in your orbit.
The more it seems like someone is underestimating you, the more motivated you might be to prove yourself, this week. You know that you’re smart and capable, and you’re hell-bent right now on getting others to recognize it, too. But try to remember that other people’s opinions aren’t as important as you’re making them out to be. Don’t stress yourself out trying to gain the approval of people you don’t actually like or respect. Focus on becoming the person you want to be, and trust that the recognition you want will follow.
You’re hard to intimidate, too confident and self-assured to let anyone else push you around. Sometimes, though, you avoid conflict not because you’re afraid but because you’re tired. When you’re worn out enough, you’ll choose to avoid all unnecessary hassle, even if it means losing the battle or letting somebody else get their way. But this week, your energy will come back. You’ve been resting up, and now it’s time to start fighting again.
Sometimes, it feels like nothing you do actually counts unless you make a whole show of it. If nobody sees you working hard, they assume that you must be lazy. If they don’t personally witness you contributing to a larger effort, they jump to the conclusion that you haven’t done your fair share. It’s frustrating to feel like the performance is more important than the work itself — so this week, give yourself permission to stop performing. You might not get all the credit you deserve, but you’ll know you’ve done what matters to you, and right now, that’s enough.
Everyone has limits, and you’ve done your best to make peace with yours — but even so, you might find them immensely frustrating. You wish you had more knowledge or more skills or simply more time than you do. This week, the way to overcome your limitations is to collaborate with people in your community. Other people have the skills you’re missing, just as you possess skills that they don’t. You can bolster each other in the places you’re weak.
You might be quick to feel disrespected by others this week: Maybe they seem not to recognize your accomplishments or experience, maybe they’re constantly speaking over you, maybe it’s just a vibe. It’s possible that you genuinely are being treated poorly — but it’s also possible that you’re oversensitive right now, picking up on slights where none really exist. Try not to fly off the handle: If you give people the benefit of the doubt where you can, you’ll be glad you did.
Much of the time, you’re willing to hear opposing viewpoints. Maybe you only differ on small points, or maybe you deeply disagree with what the other person is saying — either way, there’s a part of you that keeps listening because you’re curious about what they’ll say next. This week, though, you might lose all patience for friendly debate. So don’t hesitate to jump into the fray — you’re probably even better at arguing than usual now, and you can use this power for good.
As much as you strive to be generous, it’s hard sometimes. You worry you’ll give too much to the wrong people, that others will somehow get one over on you, that you’ll end up with the short end of the stick. But while these are valid concerns, try to set them aside this week. Worrying about whether or not things are exactly equal will only drain your energy and harden your heart. Focus instead on giving what you can and asking for what you need. Don’t fret about the details.
No relationships — no lasting or genuine ones, anyway — can exist without conflict. No matter how much two people care about each other, they won’t always see eye to eye. People have different personalities and experiences, and this week, all of those differences could create friction between you and someone you love. Whether that friction is generative and exciting, or stressful and draining, depends on how you choose to handle it.
This week, you might find that your usual work goes by faster than usual, or that it simply doesn’t capture your attention the way it normally does. Either way, you’ll be left with extra energy to burn — and if you’re not careful, you’ll use it to pick fights or start drama. Your challenge is to find productive uses for the fire inside you. Take on a task you’ve been too intimidated to start, or begin work on a creative project. Find something that makes you feel like your efforts actually matter.
Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of October 27th. The weekly horoscopes for the week of November 10th will be online next Sunday.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.
