Aries (March 21–April 19)

Physical intimacy is a great way to feel close to someone quickly, but it’s remarkably uninformative when it comes to ascertaining their true character. It may seem like a great shortcut (and it can certainly open some doors), but don’t confuse yourself by deciding that you and your cuddle-buddy are truly tight yet. You may be tempted just to spout all your secrets in a peaceful moment of post-coital bliss, and maybe you should (as this is where real intimacy will come from)—just make sure the other person wants to hear them and can actually be trusted with them.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Sometimes the right choice is so obvious that you have to choose it, even if it seems dumb or shortsighted or you have absolutely no idea how you’ll make it work. Don’t deny what you already know just because your well-intentioned mind (or friends) are trying to convince you of something else. This is a good time to trust your gut or heart, even when they conflict with your brain’s (probably correct) assessment that it’d be smarter to do something else. Doing the smart thing is best in most circumstances, but there are exceptions. Choosing these correctly is what will make your life, well, exceptional.

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

There’s a difference between passing the time and making the most of it. Naturally, much of life we end up just allowing to pass by in a mostly unremarkable way. No need to beat yourself up over it, but there’s also no need to settle for that. While for most of us it’s probably impossible to be perpetually conscious, present, and in constructive and creative control of every minute, most of us could easily shift the balance a bit. This week, give your soul two more hours than it usually gets; try to do something you can sustain next week, and the next, ad infinitum.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

500 yards from the finish line in an epic road race, you get a flat tire. Do you soldier on and just roll across it with a bum wheel? Probably. How about if the flat occurs a mile from the end, or five, or 20? At some point you’d make a decision to stop and fix the damn thing before proceeding. It’s all about guessing what will be best in the long and short run (and acknowledging that there’s frequently a conflict between the two). Where do you draw that line between “make do” and “make it right?” This week, like it or not, you’ll need to figure that out.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

The QWERTY layout of most modern keyboards is inefficient and counterintuitive by design. An early version of the typewriter jammed up if the keys were pressed in rapid succession, so its inventor sought a way to slow typists down. He came up with the layout we currently use, which makes many of the most-used keys harder to reach, so his invention would work as intended. Now we’re more or less stuck with it. You, too, sort of put up obstacles to your own evolution, way back when, to slow it down. You had good reasons at the time, but they’re no longer valid. Luckily you don’t have an entire industry stopping you from getting rid of them and adopting something more intuitive and efficient. Please do.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

For the sake of argument, let’s say there are essentially three ways you can present this situation: the bald truth, an outright lie, or a selective, carefully edited version of the truth. For the moment, remove moral considerations from the equation so you can look at this logically. Which approach, given the person you’re dealing with, is most likely to produce the result you want? If you’re honest with yourself, you know exactly what will do the trick. Now add ethics back in. Are you willing to do what it takes? If not, walk away now before it’s too late.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Each and every one of us, when we die, will leave a legacy of words, ideas, and images that will linger long after we’re dust, helping to shape the future, or define an era from the past, or both. Thus, choosing which ideas we put forth into the world, which ones we choose to nurture and propagate, is far more important than a lot of the other stuff we end up paying attention to. What, exactly, are you putting out there? What kind of world are you helping to create? You may think the things you say don’t matter much—but they do. Choose well.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Sometimes you remind me of a dog whose tail has been severely docked. With only the tiniest stub to wag, he’s somewhat limited when it comes to communicating his state of mind to the world. Luckily, unlike that poor pup, you don’t need to be so handicapped. You can, essentially, grow your tail back. That takes time, though, and is almost like learning a whole new language. Don’t expect overnight results. Still, despite the slowness of the process, widening your avenues of communication with the world is well worth your while. Get started.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

The game you’re playing now is akin to removing support structures from a building one at a time to see how many you can take out before the whole thing comes tumbling down. The main problem, of course, is that you won’t know when you’ve gone too far until it’s too late, and people have gotten hurt. At that point you’re left with nothing more than a pile of rubble. Do you really want to push this thing? Trust me when I say that you won’t be able to stop in time, even if you think you can. I’d say leave now while it’s still standing; or if you’re going to stay, build it up to make it stronger, rather than slowly picking it apart.

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

Sometimes rejection happens because of things you can’t easily control. If someone thinks you’re boring or you smell bad, there are things you can do to control or “correct” those things, but is it really worth it? It’s one thing if someone’s not into you because they have the wrong idea about you, but quite another if you’re just not to their taste. Ultimately you want someone who thinks you’re interesting and likes the way you smell, not someone who needs to be convinced of those things, or for whom you need to put on a mask (or a masking scent). Improve yourself to become a better version of you according to your own standards, not someone else’s.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

Naturally, external factors will always exert some degree of influence over your well-being; the question is, how much? If you’re always sad when it rains and always happy on sunny days, I’d wager you’re probably letting the outside world determine too much of your state of mind. Then again, if you catch pneumonia because you’re simply too stubborn to acknowledge the weather long enough to acquire and use an umbrella, that’s kind of messed up, too. There’s a balance between being too sensitive and too impervious; this week, see if you can find it.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

You’re far more likely to be accidentally mean than deliberately malicious. What’s often interpreted as callous insensitivity is mostly just innocent cluelessness. Just because your intentions weren’t consciously malign, though, doesn’t let you off the hook. You still hurt someone. If you’re clumsy with your car and run over a dog, the dog’s still dead, even if it was just a lapse in concentration or a momentary fumble. The right thing to do is to take responsibility for the consequences of what you’ve done, regardless of how they came about, and earnestly try to make amends.