Kate Bush, a lion. Photo-Illustration: by Preeti Kinha; Photos: Getty
A new moon in Leo on Thursday invites you to live boldly, even in undesirable or uninspiring circumstances. If you’ve recently put aside your needs and desires, to care for others or to deal with crises, personal or social, that the world keeps throwing at you, this is your chance to get them back. Then, later that afternoon, Jupiter retrograde begins. Over the next four months, the planet of growth and luck will appear to be moving backwards across the sky. This isn’t the best time to make significant progress toward your goals, but it’s an excellent time to reflect. Are you growing in a way that feels useful and authentic to your core self? If the answer is no, it may be clear that you are at a turning point, ready for a change. Know that you are not too late.
No one can avoid making mistakes from time to time, and for the most part, you’ve made peace with it. This week, however, you may find yourself doing more of them than you’re used to. You may find that you’ve misjudged someone or championed a bold new work strategy that ends up backfiring. It’s natural to get discouraged, to get frustrated with yourself, but really, you’re doing exactly what you need to do. Mistakes mean you’re trying, that you’re asking bigger and better questions, that you’re brave enough to aim for something wonderful. Don’t give up now.
It’s rewarding to know that the people in your life need you. It reminds you that your work and care is valued, that you have an important role to play in this interconnected world. Still, the pressure of others’ expectations can become too much. If you’re stressed this week, ask yourself if you’re also getting enough nutrition. This does not mean that all relationships are transactional, or that you should keep a record of the emotional debts you have. Only that, you can’t give forever without receiving love in return. Ask for what you need.
Lately, your mind has been buzzing with a constant awareness of how precarious happiness is in your life. You’re hyperaware that everything you’ve achieved and fought for can be undone, and everything you love could be taken out from under you. It’s an overwhelming and stressful mindset to maintain, so this week try to remember that the opposite is also true. If the good is impermanent, so is the bad. If sweetness is not assured, neither are greed and coldness. There are no foregone conclusions. The future can be bleak, or it can be more beautiful than you can imagine.
It takes openness and generosity of spirit, a genuine willingness to relate to the world, to recognize the beauty around you. You have this gift for spotting the best and most beautiful in other people. The problem is that you are not always able to see these same qualities in yourself. To a certain extent, this humility is admirable. But you also deserve to allow yourself kindness. You already know your weaknesses too well, with all the flaws you wish you could change. This week, find enough compassion and affection in your heart to spare some for yourself.
Wanting to be liked by those around you is not silly or shallow. As you know, it’s important to consider how your words and actions come across, to be aware that you’re part of a larger network of social connections. At a given moment, however, it is possible to give too much weight to the opinions and impressions of others; you stop listening to, let alone trusting, your own inner voice. This week, continue to consider the feelings of those around you. But if their judgments prevent you from being free or authentic, it’s okay to prioritize yourself.
Sometimes you feel like you’re the only person who takes any of the world’s problems seriously. On social media you see others enjoying their lives, laughing and joking like nothing is wrong, and it’s like they don’t care at all. It’s an unbearably lonely position to be in, imagining yourself alone in your anxiety. This week, remind yourself that we don’t all process stress, fear, or pain the same way, and one Instagram post doesn’t tell the whole story. The masks people wear in public don’t always reflect their true feelings. If you can start from the assumption that you are not alone, you will find that you have more allies than you think.
Even if you tend to be tired this week, try to give others the benefit of the doubt. Not necessarily those in positions of political power, but the regular people you run into throughout the day, in all their charming, confusing, and sometimes maddening humanity. Not because everyone is always good, nor because, as a good person, you owe them your good faith. Rather, everyone wins when we create opportunities for people to be good, honest, and brave. When you give others a chance to be their best, they might take advantage of it.
Some people’s natural talents shine through in times of change; some shine brighter when they feel more confident. It may seem unfair how everything keeps changing, hindering your ability to imagine, let alone build a long-term future. But this week, don’t assume you’re completely out of luck. Consider that you have gifts that you do not yet know, because you have never needed them before. Try to have faith that you are where you are meant to be and that you have important contributions to make, even if you are still figuring out what they are.
If it were up to you, you would always be learning, growing, experiencing more and more of the world. But no one, not even you, can live in a constant state of improvement. This week, pushing too far or too fast is likely to get you into trouble, draining your emotional resources and getting you entangled in projects and dramas that don’t interest you. Trying to do less can feel unnatural. do it the same You’ve been on the move for so long; you deserve some time to do nothing.
These days, nothing (not your job, not your friendships, not your hobbies) is easy. Even the most basic tasks seem to require more effort than before; there are so few activities that offer a direct sense of accomplishment. Adequate rest will help, but you also need reassurance that all this difficulty will be worth it in the end, that your efforts will not be wasted. This week, give yourself permission to go easy on yourself, or to cut corners, in areas that really don’t matter to you. Save your best energy for what’s most meaningful, so your work can pay off.
This week, you may be consumed by the need to write your own story, to determine your own future. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend all your time stewing and worrying, or grasping for a sense of control that remains just out of reach. No matter how hard you work, uncertainties persist; no matter how much authority you have, there will be other people more powerful than you. Instead, put your energy into building relationships. The rewards of human connection can surprise you and change everything, and no one can take that away.
It’s not easy to fight your insecurities. They are slippery and cunning, tenacious as weeds. This week, though, through some kind of magic, you’ll get a glimpse of just how powerful, how wonderful you are, and how weak the basis of your insecurities is in reality. You can love yourself bravely and generously, unapologetically. This feeling might not last forever. Learning to treat ourselves well is an ongoing process, which we have to learn over and over again, but we try to remember what this is like. Don’t forget that this kind of love exists.
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