Cancer (June 21–July 22)

You can continue to flail ineffectively at the fly buzzing around your head. Alternatively, you could stoically try (and fail) to ignore it. Or you could take a minute to go get a flyswatter or some other appropriate tool and just make the problem go away once and for all. What’s it going to be? Would you rather keep wasting time and energy on a “solution” that’s both poorly thought out and never going to work? Or will you just go easy on yourself and take a moment to get the tools you need to address the problem once and for all?

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

Chicanery is not your usual way of doing things. You’re just not into tricking people; generally you’re happiest when you’re upfront and honest about everything, even when you know a little deceit could improve your situation tremendously. I respect that. There will be those in your life who counsel you otherwise, who may advocate and encourage your worst urges. They might even be right; following their advice could improve your situation. However, I urge you to ignore them anyway. Changing things up needs to be on your terms and using your methods. Until it feels 100 percent right, stick to the honest path you’ve walked so far.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Growing up is overrated. Always being responsible is dull. You need to redraw the line and cut yourself a little more slack. Make some more time to play, be silly, and have fun. Of course it’s possible to go too far in that direction, but I doubt that’ll happen to you. This week, shift your perspective a bit. Don’t make “getting things done” the be-all, end-all purpose of your existence. Rethink your priorities. If you can get to a point where “getting things done so I can have some fun” is your raison d’être, you’ll be doing just fine.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

A lie isn’t exactly a lie when it reveals a deeper truth. How is that possible? Isn’t the truth the deepest truth? Most of the time, sure. Sometimes, though, you have to do battle with assumptions and standards imposed on you against your will. They’re not fair, nor the least bit sensible. Letting people think something that allows you to escape such assumptions—and therefore be more yourself—is, in this case, perfectly acceptable. There will be a time when you can—and should—come clean, though. Don’t let it pass you by—or your helpful white lie will become something more malign.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Don’t get stuck. Just because something worked for you once is no reason to decide it’s the only tool you’ll use. If someone told you that you look great in that shirt, would you have trouble going out in any other outfit? Be glad something worked for you, but trust that a lot of other things will be nearly as wonderful, or possibly better. This week, steer clear of the tried and true. This is a great time for hopeful experiments. When some of them crash and burn (and they will), be graceful enough to have a good laugh about it—you can always go back to “whatever worked” a bit further down the line.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

If a gift comes with strings—even if they don’t appear until later—it’s no longer a gift. Obviously there’s no way to know, when accepting someone’s generosity, what it’ll be attached to a little further down the line. However, rest assured that unless obligations were in some way revealed before you accepted the present, you need pay them no mind. They can be safely and politely ignored or refused. That, my dear, is exactly how you should respond to any unagreed-to favors called in this week. That’s not your baggage; don’t get conned into picking it up.

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

You sometimes let effectiveness obscure ethics. Making “whatever works” morally OK is certainly one route to success, which many businesses have profited from tremendously. It’s also led to a host of problems that have gotten to the point of endangering our lives and our planet. Please don’t go there. You’re capable of doing perfectly well by adhering to both standard ethics and the whisperings of your own conscience. Losing touch with that intelligent inner voice might make you briefly wealthier, in the most literal sense—but your life will ultimately feel much poorer as a result.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

I heard you were Cleopatra in a past life. Sadly, I’ve heard that about any number of other people, too. I know you want to believe you’re special—and you are! However, you might not be quite so wonderful in exactly the ways you wish you were. This week, try to notice and attend to all the things that are actually and tangibly unique about you, instead of trying to convince yourself and others that all that other stuff—the Cleopatra fables and their ilk—is true. Concentrate on what is, not what could or should be. It’s not only more important; once you really look at it, you’ll notice it’s more interesting—and yes, special—than you thought.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

Sure, polyamorists have more complicated relationships: Instead of having to balance one other person’s needs with their own, they have to manage a few. However, for some people that could be exactly what fulfills them. Are you one of these? Imagine this: You’re bored or frustrated with your current partner. You could dump them and move on, or you could achieve a new balance that involves one or two more people, and ultimately end up still connected to your original partner years later, precisely because you didn’t limit yourself to them. Of course, that’s an extreme scenario, but it demonstrates my point: There are many more solutions and options than you were previously considering; get creative and open yourself to them.

Aries (March 21–April 19)

Goldilocks sneaks into the bears’ house. A picky little thing, she’s dissatisfied with almost everything she finds there, rejecting it until she finds the porridge and mattress that are “just right.” You’ve got a little bit of her excessively critical mentality right now. Not only are you helping yourself to stuff you haven’t really asked permission to have, you’re being incredibly judgmental about it. I don’t mind that you’re breaking (or at least bending) the rules a little, but this week at least have the courtesy to be humble, and grateful for whatever you get.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Consider your audience. Whenever you put something out into the world, you have to at least imagine how you hope it’ll be received. That’s not to say you should compromise who and what you are just to be more popular. Don’t be arbitrary about which path you take. There’s probably a surprisingly wide spectrum of choices available to you that could all be classified as authentic and true for you. Since it all fits who you are and where you’re at, why not choose the particular shade that’s most likely to get you what you want?

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

Going to the gym once a week is better than not going at all; however, if you really want to be able to see results, working out more often will obviously be much more effective. You can’t pair a lackadaisical attitude with a drive for dramatic outcomes; you’ll just be disappointed. Make sure your effort matches your goals this week. You can do that by upping the time and energy you put in until you can realistically expect something like what you’re hoping for—or by toning down your desires until you’ll be happy with the consequences of whatever effort you’re willing to put forth.