Astrologer and Cut columnist Claire Comstock-Gay reads the stars as Madame Clairevoyant.
Pamela Anderson, a Cancer.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
Today, Venus in Virgo and Chiron in Taurus could help you cultivate empathy for the frustrating people in your life — and, just as importantly, for the parts of yourself you find annoying or embarrassing. Rather than trying to fix others’ shortcomings, or tormenting yourself over your perceived imperfections, now is a good time to be more accepting. The big problems might still need your attention, but giving yourself permission to let go of the small ones will be a huge relief.
When people speak harshly in the heat of the moment, you try not to take it to heart — you’ve spoken out of turn plenty of times, too, and you understand that sometimes people are just blowing off steam. Every so often, though, your friends’ words cut deeper than they intend, hurting your feelings in a way you can’t shake off. People’s thoughtless words can cause lasting insecurities; today, try to notice where you’ve internalized unhelpful or untrue comments, and finally let it go.
You do your best to learn from your mistakes; if you can take something useful away from your experiences of disappointment and rejection, then at least they won’t have been in vain. Just remember that sometimes it’s possible to take away the wrong lessons, to let life’s painful moments bring out the worst in you. Today, you have a chance to make sure that you’re letting your experiences — especially the negative ones — make you braver, more thoughtful, or more compassionate. And if you don’t like the direction you’ve been moving in, now’s the time to course correct.
In general, you’re good at investigating your emotions, digging into them until you figure out why you feel the way you do — and more importantly, what you might be able to do about it. At a certain point, though, all of that mental work gets draining; your emotions aren’t always tidy and logical, and sometimes no amount of analysis will satisfy you or make you feel any better. So today, take a break from thinking so hard, and just feel what you feel. For now, at least, there’s no need to justify yourself.
When life doesn’t work out as you expected, it’s easy to take it personally, as though the universe itself was determined to make you look foolish. If you projected confidence to the people around you, it can be embarrassing when things go in a different direction. But really, nobody can see or control the future; all you can do is make the most of the circumstances you’re given. Today, stop expecting your life to unfold in a tidy, linear fashion, and just give yourself permission to figure it out as you go.
Some people insist that they don’t care what others think of them, that no one else’s opinion really matters, but you know better. You understand that when you come across well to others, it can result in better treatment and more opportunities — and that if they don’t like you, for whatever reason, it can materially harm your quality of life. Today, just make sure that you’re not letting other people’s opinions take over your life completely. Not everyone will like you, no matter what you do, so focus on living in a way that feels right to you, not in a way that you think will impress others.
Being pessimistic about the future can feel like the best way to protect yourself from disappointment. You imagine that if you’re already expecting the worst, then it won’t feel so bad when it comes to pass. But just because this seems logical, it doesn’t necessarily play out that way; at a certain point, relentless cynicism doesn’t do anything to shield your feelings, it only makes you miserable. Good outcomes are far from guaranteed — you know this already, and there’s no point arguing — but at least have faith that they’re possible.
Sometimes, it feels strangely good to imagine that there’s nothing you can do to change the outcome of a situation. If you’re powerless, then there’s no need to worry so much, no point in beating yourself up over failing to fix everyone’s problems. And up to a point, this kind of acceptance is valuable, it can help you go on living without losing your mind. Today, just make sure that you’re not disregarding the power you do have. Maybe you can’t save the world, but there are still meaningful actions you can take — and you’ll feel much better when you do.
In theory, you understand that you can’t expect to be universally beloved, and that there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s not easy to be so laid back about it in practice. When you sense that someone dislikes you, part of you wants to know why, to address their concerns, to make them like you, or at least respect you, through sheer force of will. Today, though, don’t waste your energy on the people you need to work so hard to convince. Focus on the people who make you feel good about yourself.
You tend to imagine that once you decide on a goal, things should fall into place as you go. If you don’t have a plan, you can simply start moving and figure it out along the way. And maybe that works sometimes, but other times, you only end up stuck, or wasting valuable time on detours you could have avoided with a little foresight. Today, take some time to figure out how you’re going to get to your destination. Even if you end up needing to make some adjustments, you’ll still get there faster than if you decided to just wing it.
It can sometimes seem simplest to do what’s expected of you, even when you have different ideas. Rebelling against convention often seems to create more trouble than it’s worth, and prefer not to make your life more difficult than it needs to be. Today, though, don’t do what you’re told simply because you’re scared of what might happen if you were to break the rules. Don’t assume that others know best and you need to listen: The best thing you can do right now is use your creativity to the fullest and do things your way.
When you ask for others’ advice, only to be steered in the wrong direction, it’s easy to feel foolish for listening to them in the first place. You tell yourself that you shouldn’t have put your faith in anyone else, that the only person you can truly trust is yourself. But today, try to be a bit more forgiving. Other people will get things wrong sometimes — but then, you will too. Just because your friends aren’t infallible, that doesn’t mean they’re never worth listening to.
Today, you might struggle to make yourself understood to the people around you. You might start to worry that your ideas are too out-there for anyone to ever get it — or worse, that people don’t even care enough to listen. But right now, it’s important not to assume bad faith. Chances are, people are trying their best. It might take a while to find common ground, or to learn to communicate in ways that will get through, but if you keep trying to connect you’ll get there eventually.
Get Madame Clairevoyant delivered to your inbox
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.
Related
