Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images
On Sunday morning, Pluto begins its six-month retrograde in Aquarius. As the planet of power and transformation starts moving backward, your efforts to exert control over your life (and the people around you) are likely to fall flat or lead to unintended consequences. Instead of trying even harder to assert your will, take a step back and use this time to reflect on what power you have and how you can use it for the greatest good. Then on Saturday morning, communication planet Mercury leaves Aries and moves into earthy Taurus. For the next two weeks, try to work through your problems deliberately and methodically. The slow and steady approach will get you to your destination just as promptly as frantically running around would — and you’ll enjoy the journey much more this way.
You’re not a pushover — far from it — but you’re also not rigid about doing things in a particular way. If a problem arises, you’ll adapt; if a friend prefers an alternative plan, you’ll probably try to accommodate them. This week, though, you might be more adamant about doing things your way, even to the point of irritating everyone around you. Just don’t be overly precious over details you don’t really care about: Insist on acting in accordance with your deeper values, but let some of your minor preferences go.
When a relationship is on rocky ground and you’re expecting a confrontation, you’re typically inclined to wait for the other person to initiate it. You spend your time rehearsing what you’ll say and mapping out talking points. It can be irritating, then, when they never actually get around to it. But this week, remember that you don’t have to wait: If you’ve got something to say, you’re allowed to make the first move.
This week, you could be a bit quieter than usual. While you might typically prefer to think through your ideas out loud, you don’t have the energy right now to engage in a spirited back-and-forth. Instead of sharing everything that pops into your head, you’re more inclined to keep quiet. Don’t push yourself to talk more if you’re just not feeling it. You might be surprised by the useful insights that arise when you think through your problems on your own, at least for now.
Sometimes, especially when the world seems particularly bleak, it hardly seems worth it to consider your own future. You’d rather use your limited energy to deal with the present, putting off the hard work of planning for things to come. But this week, steer yourself away from this mind-set. This is an ideal time for laying groundwork and making choices that’ll benefit you down the line. It might feel like a hassle at the moment, but ultimately, you won’t regret it.
You can be stubborn when the situation calls for it, but you’re also realistic enough to know when to give it up. If you can’t see any feasible way to reaching a goal, you won’t keep pushing indefinitely: You understand that sometimes, all you can do is quit. This week, though, you might suddenly think of a strategy you haven’t yet tried, a new idea that might actually work. Don’t be too proud to try again: Maybe things won’t work out, but there’s always the possibility that they will.
You understand — probably better than most people — that the small stuff genuinely matters. While others might be inclined to skim over inconvenient details, you see how even the tiniest mistakes can have outsize impacts. But this can also be incredibly stressful; when you demand perfection of yourself, you’ll inevitably fall short. This week, a shift in perspective might bring some comfort. If you’ll be better able to set your sights on the big picture, you may find that some of the little mistakes you’ve been agonizing over really aren’t as consequential as you feared.
Every relationship has its conflicts and rough spots — and most of the time, it’s possible to work through them. But even when you know that a serious conversation is long overdue, you can be hesitant to be the one to start it. Maybe you worry you won’t say the right thing and change the relationship irrevocably, or maybe you fear the rift is simply too deep. But you can only drag things out for so long. This week, you’ll be particularly grounded and strong, so you might as well take charge.
You tend to be frustrated by indecisiveness — in yourself and in others. While you don’t want people to act recklessly, you also don’t see the point in prolonging the decision-making process, which only adds unnecessary stress. But this week, you might benefit from taking some extra time to make up your mind, especially if anyone is pressuring you to act fast. You’re not being indecisive, just careful: Some things shouldn’t be rushed.
When you’re feeling particularly hard on yourself — as you might be this week — it’s easy to fixate on all the things you’ve gotten wrong in your life, all the important skills and experiences you’re lacking. You wish you’d made different choices earlier on, imagining that it’s too late now to make any changes. But remember that you still have time to change the path you’re on, or make amends for past mistakes. You’re not stuck; if you want to make a change, now is the time to think through how to take the first step.
You take your responsibilities seriously; as much as you value your relationships or general life satisfaction, you want to fulfill your obligations first, and only then spend your time on the fun stuff. The trouble with this approach is that it can mean you never have any time left for yourself. Work keeps multiplying, and if you’re not careful, it’ll elbow out everything else. So this week, prioritize play and fun in your life. Don’t wait until you’ve gotten everything else done: Put off everything else for now.
Lately, your mental energies have been a bit scattered — every idea seems to spark three more, and you’ve been bouncing between them all. This can be great for brainstorming but challenging when it’s time to buckle down and get results. But this week, your focus might finally return. You might make a concerted effort to block out the distractions, or your attention might naturally gravitate toward the people and projects you care most about.
It can feel like the only way to really learn new things is to put in a serious effort. You imagine you need to read deeply, travel widely, enroll in classes — and while part of you finds this appealing, another part is tired out by the very thought of it. But this week, it doesn’t need to be so complicated: You can learn so much just by listening to the people around you. Instead of going out of your way to have new experiences, just try to be a little more curious.
Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of April 27th. The weekly horoscopes for the week of May 11th will be online next Sunday.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.
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