Aries (March 21–April 19)

Your tendency to rush enthusiastically headlong into things means that events can acquire quite a bit of momentum before you realize it was all a big mistake. By then you’ve already got the ball rolling so fast that it’s painful and nearly impossible to stop it. While you should be good at stopping a moving 50-car freight train through sheer force of will (you’ve done it so much by now), it’d still be preferable if you could learn to recognize more accurately those scenarios that will lead to bruised egos, regrets, and embarrassment before you stoke their furnaces and rev their engines. This week, work on that.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Some of your goals really don’t matter. That’s OK. If making the office’s biggest rubber-band ball gives you satisfaction, then have at it. However, when the bulk of your energy is devoted to these relatively meaningless pursuits, something might be up. Is it that you have nothing more important to command your attention? Or perhaps you’re worried you can’t hack the loftier items on your agenda? Mindless pleasure is fine; in fact, I highly recommend it. But make sure at least 51 percent of your attention and energy are devoted to more mindful pursuits.

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

Many plants grow better if you prune them. Getting rid of a bunch of dead stuff makes room for all the fresh new leaves to have unrestricted access to the sun. Your life could use a bit of pruning this spring. While you’re perfectly capable of growing and even thriving under current conditions, there are definitely things holding you back from reaching your full potential. You have the tools, you have the knowledge—isn’t it time you cut yourself free? If you hesitate because not everything you want to trim away is strictly dead, keep in mind that it could hit the ground, take root, and grow into a beautiful plant all on its own—and then everybody wins.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

This problem has wings and a homing instinct. You could throw it out the window of a moving car and it’d still find its way back to you. You’re approaching it all wrong; instead of just trying to get rid of and move past it, you may have to accept that this particular “problem” is here to stay. You might have to let it move in, give it some closet space and its own toothbrush, and learn how to live with it happily. This week, make some space to coexist with the stuff you’d rather get rid of, but just can’t. You may discover that giving it a little breathing room transforms it into something else entirely—something you might even enjoy having around.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

When loyalty and fairness come into conflict, you’ve got a massive problem. After all, these are two of your highest values. The situation gets more complicated when not demonstrating your loyalty could cost you the relationship. Then it’s not just choosing between ideals, but deciding which is more important—unbiased evenhandedness or the relationship itself. This is naturally a very tough call, which is why you shouldn’t rush the decision. Dithering forever isn’t an option, but you can certainly take this week to sleep on it a few times. Although either choice is one you’ll probably at least partially regret later, there’s one that’s certainly easier to live with. Don’t act until you’re sure which one that is.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Some people are truly disappointed and often thwarted when told they’re overreaching, in over their heads, or generally underqualified. You’re different. Since you believe nothing is beyond you, being told you can’t do something is usually a kick in the ass to prove the naysayers wrong. That frequently works out; unfortunately, sometimes your righteous glory is delayed temporarily or indefinitely. Luckily for you, one of those postponed moments is finally here; better late than never, right? Even though they may have forgotten telling you that you couldn’t do such a thing, it’ll still feel good when you yell “In your face, sucka!” and prove them wrong.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

As arbitrary and ridiculous as they are, it’s probably not always in your best interest to thwart certain societal or cultural standards every chance you get. What you’re contemplating is akin to showing up at the office in a toga to prove a point. While it doesn’t technically violate the dress code, it’s bound to get you all sorts of negative attention for lots of different reasons. Learning to pick your battles is important, and taking a stand here is not only silly, it’s almost meaningless. Let it go, and wait for a more opportune moment to stick to your guns and make your point.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Morality is definitely a complex issue: Do intentions matter more than results? Do the ends justify the means? Yet some things do not reside in the wide ethical gray area philosophers like to debate about—in the context of your life, they’re clearly “right” or “wrong.” If you find yourself on the wrong side of this tidy demarcation, you may be tempted to try to skew and scuff the line, and convince people you actually were in that murky gray zone. Since you weren’t, though, please resist the temptation to muddy the waters, and just own what you did.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

You can’t play on a seesaw without a partner. To get the delicious ups and downs that game provides, you need someone close to your weight. Only then can you help each other approach heights impossible to reach alone. Obviously, this is a metaphor, and the “weight” I refer to is a sense of respect, equality, and emotional connection. Is the person you’re with (or interested in) really a good match, or are you simply being blinded by a great set of legs or a beautiful smile? Find someone whom you’re not sure you’d win a game of tug-of-war against (and you’re not sure you’d lose), and then check to see if you like their smile.

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

How’s your present treating you? Some of you have a tendency to focus too intensely on the past or future, which somehow always rate better than what’s going on now. The illogic of that doesn’t seem to impinge on the habit—after all, the rosy futures you envision and the warm and fuzzy memories you cherish all take their turn in the spotlight of the present. This week, focus on bringing some of those hopeful, joyful, heartwarming feelings into each and every minute as it happens—and remember that this is at least something like the future you hoped for, and is also something you may look back upon and cherish later.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

Complaining is pretty much the last thing you want to do now. No one cares all that much if you think you’re miserable (in the grand scheme of things, you’re really not), and bitching about it might actually make things less likely to change. It’s not that anyone is necessarily out to get you or make you suffer; it’s simply that people have their own problems, and whining about yours is more likely to evoke resentment than sympathy. Buck up, suck it up, and get through it somehow, preferably with a smile on your face. That attitude will win you allies; wallowing in your dejection, only pity or scorn.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

Crossed wires (a misaddressed e-mail or wrong-number voice mail, for instance) could lead you to getting information not exactly intended for you this week. What you do with it must be guided not by the whorish gossipmonger in you, but instead by your most ethical and mature self. Resist the urge immediately to share or act upon the juicy tidbit that’s fallen into your lap; if concern for the person who accidentally spilled the beans doesn’t motivate you, let your highest ideals do so. Doing the right thing trumps being a living tabloid magazine, no matter how titillating—don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.