Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Your life is like a beach town. There are months when it’s bustling, packed to the gills with people on vacation, eager to have a good time. Then there are times when even some of the most stalwart folk abandon the place, leaving it a virtual ghost town of boarded-up shops and desolate, empty streets. Unlike a beach town, though, it’s sometimes hard to predict when the peak season is due, since there are practically no external signs (like nice weather). Not this time, however. Unboard those shops and buy a new surfboard. Come this week, you’re open for business, and ready for fun.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

People want to believe in ghosts, UFOs, and yeti (and astrology, for that matter), and do, despite having little to no tangible proof that they’re real. I believe we have a hunger for mystery and wonder in our lives; they’re as essential as water and as satisfying as chocolate. What looks like depression is often actually acute wonder deprivation. When people don’t have enough mystery in their lives, they end up shuffling dully through a gray doldrums from which it’s hard to escape. Is your world feeling a little lackluster? Find something you can’t quite understand and embrace it, before it’s too late.

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Parents who diligently keep their kids perfectly safe and sated often end up with boring, entitled kids. Children who’ve suffered hardship and risk are more likely to become motivated, generous, rugged, and inspired. It’s hard to not protect those you love from every bit of hurt they might suffer, but it’s important to let them stick their hands in the flame once in a while. Pain tempers people, and teaches them how to properly dream (I’ve met more than one pampered child whose greatest aspiration was to become a manager). This week, please keep that in mind. When it comes time to stand between someone and some kind of pain that might actually be good for them, please step aside.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

Some people’s Achilles’ heels are more obvious than others’. When someone has an addiction to alcohol or abusive partners, it’s easy to spot—though figuring out what to do about it is often still a quandary. Other personal weaknesses are more subtle and subversive. This week, however, you have the unique perspective that puts you in a position to help someone resist or get a handle on their failings. This week, someone teetering on the brink of succumbing to their internal darkness might reach out a hand that only you can grab. Therefore, please stay alert, keep your center of gravity low, and don’t let them fall.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

Some people confuse being vulnerable with being weak. They see you sensitive, impressionable Fish as feeble because you have a hard time shielding yourself from the world. The reality is that for the most part, that’s made you stronger, even if it doesn’t always look that way. Someone who puts up walls between herself and the parts of the world she doesn’t like is only fine until something knocks down the walls. Then she falls apart. Even though to some eyes you seem perpetually on the brink of falling apart, you never quite do. That, as we both know, is strength. This week, help someone who’s judged you wrongly see it that way, too.

Aries (March 21–April 19)

This week, kiss people’s scars. Cherish them for having suffered and still being able to hope, dream, and love. Everyone’s endured mountains of hurt; every beam of light they can allow to shine past all that occluding emotional scar tissue is a kind of a miracle. Remember that. Pour adoration on patched, once-broken hearts. Experience is sexy, especially when it makes someone funnier, stronger, and more vivid. Beautiful, innocent, unscarred youth already gets enough attention. This week, please focus on the more battered, bruised, and brave beauties in your life.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

I enjoy flavored water, despite my rational mind, which points out that most of them taste like (and essentially are) watered-down Kool-Aid. Still, that little bit of added sugar can help me down several liters a day; when drinking pure water, despite my intentions, I have a hard time managing one. Being absolutely disciplined and pure regarding your intentions is all well and good, if you can manage it, but it’s not always possible. This week, use a little sugar to get the medicine to go down, if you have to. It’s better than not taking it at all.

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

You’re quite likely to rub elbows with someone you admire this week. Make sure you notice. Lately, you’ve been so involved with the business inside your own head that you’ve missed some truly fascinating things that have happened right in front of your own nose. This could be one of them. I know your busy brain is a compelling and exciting place to live, but so is your world, if you care to notice. You’ve developed a bad habit of ignoring all but the most pressing and urgent stimulus in front of you. Unlearning that may be a lengthy and difficult process, but it needs to be done. Beginning that process is this week’s task, and the reward is being able to get close to one of your heroes. Missing that would suck, so don’t.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

A gemstone can be cut any number of ways that would completely alter its appearance. Sometimes those cuts can make it look fake, pretentious, or worse. Nature has its own charm, too, and occasionally it’s best to leave it alone. This week, if you find a diamond in the rough, don’t take it home to clean it up and polish it. Leave it where it is, and enjoy it just as you found it. Remember, once you take away those rough edges, you can never have them back. Are you really sure you’ll still love that sparkling treasure without them? I’m not. Best leave it be.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

Mind your own business. Leos can be terrible gossips and love having their fingers in lots of pots and expressing their opinions about virtually everything. Sometimes that’s hilarious, interesting, and brilliant. Sometimes it’s just nosy and annoying. Learning to recognize which is which, and where to draw the line, is an important lesson right now. It turns out yours is in the wrong place. This week, see if you can figure out where it really belongs. You’ll know it’s in the right place when you start being privy to even more secrets and juicy gossip than before—because people have learned they can actually trust you with them.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Don’t confuse need with love. That’s a dangerous Virgo tendency. You’re needed by many people. That’s what you get for being so generous with your time and energy. To be fair, you’re loved by many of them. But there are those who are just using you; the second you cease being useful to them, they’ll ditch you. It may be depressing to think about, but it’s important to learn how to discern which kind of person is which. This week, if someone presents you with demands that essentially boil down to “put out or get out,” please get out—and don’t look back.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

A little bit of dysfunction is natural with any group of people, especially if they come from many different backgrounds and perspectives. While I admire your diplomatic instinct and your determination to smooth over and resolve any conflict, I’m afraid you might be too driven in this regard. Not every clash of wills or difference of opinions has to be moderated and addressed. Sometimes people have to hash it out on their own, and they won’t appreciate you getting in the way of that. This week, work on recognizing when your input is desired, and when people would rather you simply butt out.