Taurus (April 20-May 20)When the bandwidth of your communication with someone has dwindled to dial-up, you need to find a way to get broadband access back. Unfortunately, something’s gone awry here, so you’re not likely to get a lot of help from the other person involved—they’re probably feeling mostly bewildered, helpless, and frustrated. I bet you feel that stuff, too, but this is one of those times when you’ll have to be the one who tries to push past that stuff. That feels like a lot of work, I know. Try to forget about that whole ideal of someone meeting you halfway, and just settle for a meeting, even if you have to do most of the legwork. It’s better than the alternative, trust me. Gemini (May 21-June 20)Your ego is your greatest enemy this week. That pride is bound to get you into all kinds of trouble. Yes, it may be galling to discover that you have to do things you don’t want to do, or that you consider “beneath you,” but failing to do those things doesn’t change the reality of the situation. If you can’t be bothered, you will probably be replaced. If you’re okay with that, then go ahead and cling to your pride. Hopefully it’ll keep you afloat when other aspects of your life come crashing down. If you let go of it now, though, you’re less likely to have to survive a metaphorical tsunami.Cancer (June 21-July 22)I wish there were some universally charming, witty, graceful way to deal with the moronic boneheads you have to occasionally encounter, but there isn’t. There is a generally ineffective and stupid way to deal with them—and that is to allow them to ruffle your feathers and make you upset. Unfortunately, that’s frequently the tack you’ve been taking lately. Try to shake it off and regroup, and reload your awesome sense of humor. You can’t do much about how idiotic some people are, but you can remember to laugh about it. And that’s a whole lot better than crying about it.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)Leos, especially young Leos, are so eager to be liked and accepted that sometimes you’ll bend over backwards in order to fulfill people’s assumptions about you. Afterwards, you often regret or feel bad about it. Stick to your guns. One of your great strengths is powerful self-knowledge and expression. Bending that to suit others’ perceptions is a huge, pointless waste of time. Be who you are. It’s incredibly freeing to accept that numerous people will like you more, for that, even though a handful won’t like you at all. You’re great. Most of us know it. Now prove you know it.Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)There are people in your life whose behavior is so far beyond the pale that it feels like there’s no reasonable way to deal with them. That may very well be true. Of course, the normal solution for such difficult people is to simply walk away from them and not interact with them any more. However, sometimes that’s easier said than done, and in some cases, not easily possible (when they’re your in-laws, for example). If that’s the situation you find yourself in, it’s still best to stay as uninvolved as possible. There’s a way to draw firm, clear boundaries without being mean or awful. Find it.Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)You love being a good friend, and it’s wonderful how people can rely on you. However, there are times when your own needs or plans must and should take precedent. You can’t always drop everything and come running every time your friend calls. This week, you may have to fail to come through for someone because life has intervened. They need to understand that—and so do you. Feeling guilty about it serves no one. You’ll probably come through next time, as you have so many times before, so stop feeling bad about this time, and get on with your life.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)You feel everything so deeply and intensely that sometimes it’s hard for others to really help you. You’re swimming in depths only the Loch Ness monster could reach, so it may very well be entirely up to you to find your way back to the surface where someone can throw you a life ring buoy and help tow you to drier ground. There are plenty of people on shore with floaties in hand, just waiting for you to bob to the surface. Why don’t you at least head in that direction? You’ve hung out down here long enough.Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)Your ideas about yourself, while accurate, may not always be in your own best interest. Being willing to change or experiment is something that children and teenagers do freely and enthusiastically, but adults are more resistant to. Be playful and allow yourself to constantly test the boundaries of who you are. What was true five years ago may no longer be the case. If you’ve decided to stop growing and changing, you’ve decided to stop living. I hope that’s never the case. Since this week provides ample opportunities to expand the horizons of who you are or could be, please seize them.Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)This week is all about being more open-minded and less snobbish than you have been in the past. Being willing to overlook minor flaws (which are often inflated in others’ minds to be major shortcomings) will not only make you a better, more gracious, and happier person, it’ll also make you a lot less lonely. Much of your isolation is self-imposed, because people don’t always meet your exacting standards. Relax those standards and focus on less superficial traits, and you will find that the overall quality of your life goes up, not down—despite allowing so many “lower-quality” people into it.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)While it’s certainly safer to expect and prepare for the worst possible outcome (which ensures that most of your surprises will be pleasant ones), it does make for a rather grim, pessimistic outlook on life. What happened to also hoping for the best? Somehow, you’ve lost sight of that, and it’s an important part of the equation. Sure, girding yourself for a worst-case scenario is fine, but remember to envision and aim for a best-case scenario while you’re at it. If you do so, it just might happen—but if you’re not even looking for it, you probably won’t even see it. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)Make yourself busier. Slowing down may work for some people (and might even be the right solution for you, at times), it’s not the correct solution right now. You have too much time to think at the moment, and your busy mind has certainly taken advantage of it. Time to cut it off. Many of your problems only seem so insurmountable because you actually have too many hours to dwell upon them. Get busier, and several of them might just evaporate. Even if they don’t disappear completely, they’ll almost certainly shrink to a much more manageable size. Aries (March 21-April 19)Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say—but it’s also contained other places. Having a high degree of confidence (not arrogance; be careful, Aries) can make you a million times more attractive to quality people. Winning the genetic lottery is only part of the picture—being proud of who you are ultimately counts for a whole lot more. This week, instead of worrying about all the superficial stuff that you may not be as happy with, own who you are and all the wonderful qualities you actually have. Turn up the shine, and watch how people respond. You’ll be pretty pleased.sign.language.astrology@gmail.com