Tag: dec..

Maggie Smith, a Capricorn.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images

As Venus and Uranus square off tonight (in Aquarius and Taurus, respectively), any latent restlessness or boredom will be amplified, and you’ll feel an urgent need to shake things up. It might be tempting to try to suppress this energy entirely — or, conversely, to decide you need to transform everything in one fell swoop. Neither path is likely to turn out well, so your challenge is to find some healthy middle ground. Honor your need for change without destroying the parts of your life that you value as they are.

You aren’t someone who waits around for opportunities to come to you. You’d rather go out and create your own luck. Sometimes this helps you live the vibrant and exciting life you want; other times, though, it means you end up working much harder than you need to. It might pay to hang back a bit today. That’s not to say you should be passive — just patient. If you keep your eyes open and wait for the right moment to act, instead of rushing in head first, you’ll get what you want — and you won’t wear yourself out so quickly.

You’re not the sort of person who gravitates toward quick fixes. You understand that if you want results, you’ve got to put in effort steadily over time. Instead of waiting for a lucky break, you’d rather put your faith in discipline and good habits. Even so, inspiration occasionally does strike: If a brilliant idea or great opportunity falls into your lap today, take advantage of it, even if it disrupts your old expectations. Sometimes it’s best to stick to the plan, but there are other times when your best move is to be adventurous.

You like to think of yourself as open-minded, and for the most part, you are. But everybody has their preferences and biases — even you. You might have a chance to try something truly new to you, or to connect with a person who might never normally catch your attention. If you keep an open heart and approach the unfamiliar with genuine curiosity, you’ll expand your horizons. More importantly, if you’re willing to sit with uncertainty, you’ll discover that you still have things to learn about yourself.

You understand — perhaps better than most people — that nobody’s truly self-sufficient. We all depend on each other for support, from material assistance to simple human kindness. Sometimes, though, it feels frustratingly difficult to actually find the help you need. Everybody’s stretched thin dealing with their own problems; they don’t always have the time or energy to show up for you. Some of your friends might disappoint you, but today, you could be pleasantly surprised by the people who come to your aid when you need it most.

It might be tempting to act out today, if only to prove that you can (to others and yourself). You want to assert your independence, to demonstrate that you’re not as predictable or as easily managed as others seem to think. A bit of rebelliousness is a good thing. But be careful not to get so focused on confusing or disrupting others that you end up creating more problems for yourself. Don’t stir things up for the fun of it: Make sure you have a greater purpose.

You’re diligent and thorough, but sometimes you look up and wonder what all your hard work has actually gotten you. You’re constantly exhausting yourself, making sure everything gets done properly. Lately, you wonder what the point of it all is because you feel like you’re hardly any further along than where you started. Be open to different strategies today, even the ones that seem silly or weird. Instead of doing things the same way you always have, see what happens if you take a risk and experiment with something new.

When you’re stressed or overwhelmed and you know you’re not acting your best, you try to keep everyone in your life at arms’ length. Asking for support would mean you’d have to let others in, showing them the side of you that’s cranky or bitter or scared; you’d rather deal with your problems alone. Today, though, you might be surprised to find that your friends know you better than you sometimes give them credit for. You don’t hide your bad moods as well as you think — but know that the people close to you love you anyway.

Most of the time, your instincts about people are spot on. You can tell when a friend is upset or worried or keeping a secret, so it’s not easy to surprise you. But everybody seems to be acting unpredictably today, and it could make you fear that you no longer know what or who you can rely on. Try to see this as a chance to deepen your relationships. You can’t control the people around you, but you can love them regardless, surprises and imperfections and all.

No matter how carefully you’ve made your plans, you should expect a disruption or two today. It’s not your fault. Some days are just like that — the energy is weird, and there are too many unknown factors at play. The more you try to force your schedule back on track, the more stressed you’ll be. But if you can let go and follow the day where it leads you, the detours and interruptions could turn out to be surprisingly enjoyable.

While you’re generous when the situation calls for it, you don’t tend to be extravagant. You understand that time, energy, and money are limited resources, and you do your best to use them with care. But you could be uncharacteristically reckless today: You want to make the most of what you have and enjoy your life now. Give yourself permission to be a bit less cautious than usual. Avoid going too wild, but remember that life is for living: You don’t have to save it all up for later.

Idealistic as you are, you still understand that reality isn’t perfect. Over time, you’ve made compromises and adjusted your expectations to create a life that’s good enough. That no longer seems sufficient; you want more. You might want to shake up your home life, ending old relationships or starting new ones. Be careful not to act too recklessly: In your urgent desire to do something, it’ll be all too easy to make a move you’ll end up regretting. If you’re going to be bold, make sure you’ve got a plan in place first.

Every so often, you need a break from the stresses of life; time to lounge around, take it easy, do only the things you want to do. But it can be hard to tell when this is genuinely what you need, and when you’re simply avoiding everything out of a sense of inertia. Today, no matter how much you try to avoid your friends or your obligations, the world will keep popping in with unexpected invitations and opportunities — and as cozy as you are in your private cocoon, you’ll be happier in the long run if you get back out there.

Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.