Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

In relationships, we all should employ the campground rule: Pack out what you bring in and leave nothing behind. Ideally, we should endeavor to leave everyone we’re involved with better off than we found them. Sometimes this is impossible; nevertheless, I implore you—try your best. Naturally they’ll still have memories, like the ashes of campfires, that you can’t do much about, but there’s no excuse for leaving behind your trash or baggage. Nor is anyone else allowed to do that to you. Make sure you’re abiding by the campground rule, then you’ll be free to insist others do the same.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

There are those content to leave things well enough alone, even if they’re far from satisfactory, and there are those who’ll stir up shit at every opportunity. Most of us fall toward the middle of this spectrum, naturally, but let’s face it: You tend far more toward shit-stirring than biting your tongue. This is a fine tendency most of the time, and one I admire (though surely you know by now it earns you as many enemies as friends). The only problem is when you get involved after you’ve specifically been asked not to. You do this for lots of admirably well-intentioned reasons, and most of the time it works out for the best. Sometimes, though, it turns out to be a terrible mistake. The next time you’re asked to back off and butt out, seriously consider doing it.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

Here’s my take on the scenario you’re caught up in: While house hunting, you’ve come upon your dream home. It’s apparently perfect in every way, beautifully situated, and you can even afford it. What’s the problem? You. How I wish you could stop imagining the forgotten subterranean Indian graveyards or secret government caches of illicit nuclear waste you’re convinced are buried beneath it. There are no such things, at least not here and now, where you are. While the place certainly isn’t as perfect as it first appeared, it’s not hiding anything you can’t cope with. Seal the deal already.

Aries (March 21–April 19)

The idea you’re grappling with may be too big to deal with directly. If you were studying the sun, for example, gazing directly at it would swiftly curtail your examination, since you’d go blind. You’d need to use special tools—smoked lenses, pinhole cameras, or theoretical models, for example—to get the information you need. This too may require more outside aid and subtlety than you’re used to employing. However, how to go about it should be obvious once you’ve accepted that the direct approach—staring into the sun—is a bad plan. Since it’ll only take you about 10 minutes after that realization to come up with a good plan, that’s about the time you should implement it.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Above all, do no harm. So physicians swear. Nevertheless, of course, shit happens—to you as well as them. It’s admirable to at least try to do no harm, but in some situations we have to settle for doing the least amount of damage possible. When your car is headed for an inevitable collision, if you’re calm and collected enough to react properly, you aim for the place where you’ll do the least damage to others, as well as to your car and yourself, ideally preventing any loss of life. That’s how you need to view this situation. If doing no harm isn’t exactly a possibility, steer yourself in the direction where least harm is.

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

Per your New Year’s resolution, you’ve decided to erect boundaries delineating territory you now deem sacrosanct and inviolate. However, have you decided exactly how to keep trespassers out? A 10-foot stone wall, three feet thick and surmounted by razor wire? A chain-link fence, through which people could see and communicate? Or perhaps a quaint little white picket number—more like the idea of a fence than an actual barrier? Naturally, the fence you choose will have a profound influence on your relationships with your neighbors. As you build yours, please keep that in mind.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

It takes a certain kind of person to want to taxiderm a beloved pet after it’s died. I never thought of you as that kind of person, and yet here you are, attempting to stuff, mount, and preserve something that would really be better off buried or burned. It might feel comforting for a while to keep this replica of what you had, but I assure you it’s actually just a morbid way to keep from moving on. Please leave off your attempts to freeze something and keep it long past its due date. You won’t have any room in your house, heart, or fridge with that attitude, and as long as you don’t have room, nothing fresh, new, and delicious will be able to come in.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

Most smart social animals—and especially you loud Lions—realize that a good growl, or its equivalent, will suffice to keep them safe and out of bother the vast majority of the time. As usual, your roar is still mostly effective. Unfortunately, if you want your snarling warning to be taken seriously, you do occasionally have to make good on it, and bite. If you’re not prepared to do that, you might as well just roll over and bare your belly. If a bluff is all you can muster, you’re better off keeping it to yourself—since it will be called.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Don’t underestimate just how differently people can see things. Take something simple, like an apple. A fundamentalist might view it as the symbol of the knowledge of good and evil. A nutritionist would call it a good source of vitamins, pectin, and fiber. A metaphysicist might claim it was difficult to prove that the apple even exists. So you can see how different people, all purportedly talking about the same thing, could have entirely different conversations about it and never agree on a single point. Don’t be surprised when your own much more complex situations meet a similarly perplexing multiplicity of viewpoints. Your job: Find the single confluence point of all of them. There is one, and only one. Start looking for it.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Which would you prefer, having blurry vision prone to errors and misinterpretation, or wearing hideously unflattering glasses? Which, ultimately, is more important to you—the way you see the world or the way you’re seen by it? Sometimes in order to have clear perceptions, we have to assume very unlikable, even harsh positions. This week you get to choose which you’ll be: the sweet, blind, lovable fool or the merciless and somewhat horrible cynic. Only you can decide which would ultimately bring you more satisfaction, but you have to decide; you can’t be both.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

If you frequently reward your puppy with praise and affection when it comes when you call (and never call it over to punish it), it will tend to be more responsive to your summons later in life, too. It’s amazing how many people fail to arrive at this incredibly simple and commonsense causal connection. Are you one of them? I’m beginning to suspect you might be, considering how clueless you are about certain other ramifications of your actions. Use your brain, my dear, since your hopeful heart isn’t quite wise enough to figure out this shit for you. Anyone could tell you what will happen if you follow through on your current plans. If you aren’t sure, ask them.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

What will you do with your pocketful of extra cash? Spend it or save it for a rainy day? You have plenty of other things to occupy you at the moment, so there’s no pressing need to use it up. Then again, this kind of abundance has an inconvenient tendency to evaporate on its own, leaving you nothing fun to remember it by. It’s almost an impossible decision to make, and one you’re likely to find frustratingly difficult; nevertheless, how you dispense your surplus riches this week is likely to have a profound effect on the year ahead.