Every Sunday, Claire Comstock-Gay reads the stars as Madame Clairevoyant and shares the weekly horoscope for each zodiac sign.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
The energy could feel a bit heavy this week with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars all in serious Capricorn. This might not be exactly fun — your responsibilities are likely to weigh on you more than usual — but it isn’t a bad thing, either. Now is the time to take a realistic view of your life without being swayed by unjustified optimism or excessive pessimism. Being completely honest with yourself is the first step toward making the change you need.
You try not to concern yourself with what anyone else thinks of you, but this week it’ll be hard not to worry about it. You’re all too aware that you aren’t living in a vacuum — the way others perceive you, and thus the way they treat you, shapes your experience of the world around you. Even so, this doesn’t mean you should go around chasing everyone else’s approval. If anything, it means the opposite: Be even more intentional about living authentically, because that’s what others respond to best.
You’re usually willing to give people the time they need to get the point. You understand that by showing others a little patience, you can build stronger relationships, communicate more clearly, and better enjoy one another’s company. But even so, your patience isn’t limitless, and this week you might get sick of meandering chats that never seem to get anywhere. You want people to be honest with you rather than making you guess. So if you want to get straight to the heart of the matter, you’ll have to take the initiative and guide the conversation yourself.
You’re sometimes uncomfortable when conversations get too tense or too serious. You prefer it when everyone is having a good time, and you’re good at changing the subject or cracking jokes to cut the tension. This week, though, remember that there’s nothing wrong with seriousness, that some topics demand it. Don’t rush to fill in any awkward silences or to steer the conversation away from delicate subjects. People can handle a bit of discomfort; your job isn’t to prevent it but to ride it out.
It’s easy to get along with everyone when you suppress your own needs and agree to whatever they want. Things get more difficult when you insist on being yourself: someone with a complicated personality, with thoughts and desires of your own. Sometimes you wonder whether life would be simpler if you just heeded everyone else’s ideas — but, really, that would be less satisfying for all of you. This week, remember that your goal shouldn’t be to be agreeable but to be genuine.
When you’re feeling pessimistic, you tell yourself that it’s too late to meaningfully change your life: You are who you are, and at this point there’s nothing you can do about it. Really, though, that isn’t true at all. You still have so much time to grow, to change your mind, to live different lives. The key is that none of it will happen overnight. If you want something different, you’ve got to work for it, and you might as well start putting in the work now.
You probably have a tendency to overschedule yourself. You like to be busy and to feel as though you’re using your time well, and one of the best ways to do this is to make sure that your calendar is full. Right now, though, you’ll benefit from some unscheduled time just for daydreaming, for wandering, for sitting around with your friends doing nothing at all. The best ideas will pop up when you’re “wasting” time; don’t make yourself so busy that you miss them.
Sometimes it feels as if you’re at everyone else’s beck and call. People seem to expect you to be constantly cheerful, constantly available, constantly on, and over time that wears on you. You have a deep well of emotions, and it’s frustrating when others seem to want to see only one side of you. In order to take good care of yourself, this week it might be necessary to disappoint the people around you. There’s nothing wrong with that — as much as you love them, you have a duty to yourself, too.
This week, your mind is likely to wander a bit, so it’s all the more important to be thoughtful about how you use your mental energy. The more attention you devote to petty dramas or mindless diversions, the more hollow and unsatisfying life will begin to feel. But on the flip side, by directing your attention to the things you truly care about — creative projects, relationships, causes — the richer even the most ordinary days will become.
You don’t tend to place much importance on your possessions; you’re probably the sort of person who’d rather spend money on experiences than things. But this week, just make sure you’re not neglecting your physical surroundings too much. Spending time in beautiful, well-ordered spaces can make your mind feel clearer and your day-to-day existence less stressful. Keep your sense of perspective — you know what truly matters to you, and it isn’t your belongings — but there’s nothing wrong with paying a bit of extra attention to your physical needs and comfort.
Self-reflection often strikes you as self-indulgent: It seems more useful, and certainly more enjoyable, to turn your powers of observation on the world around you. But sometimes it’s important to give yourself the same kind of attention you give others. You’re every bit as complicated as anyone else, and the more you take the time to truly get to know who you are and what makes you tick, the more likely you are to make good decisions in the days ahead.
Your mind is imaginative and unconventional, and because of this, you thrive when your daily life is relatively stable. The less you have to worry about what’s going to happen day-to-day, the more mental space you have to ponder the big questions and the safer you feel in taking risks of your own. But this week, just remember that you’ll never reach a point where life is completely static and free from surprises. So instead of trying to shield yourself from all unpredictability, just have faith that you’ve got what it takes to navigate it.
There will be plenty for you to do this week, but no matter how busy you get, make a point of setting aside some time to spend with the people you care about. Community matters so much to you, but it’s often the first thing that suffers when you become stressed and overwhelmed. And as much as your friends understand when you’re preoccupied with other, more urgent issues, they still miss you, and they’d appreciate a bit of extra time and attention now.
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Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of December 28. The weekly horoscopes for the week of January 11 will be online next Sunday.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.
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