Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Trust is an exceedingly tricky thing. Once you’ve been burned a few times, it becomes more difficult to take that leap of faith and give someone the benefit of the doubt. It’s easy to become convinced no one deserves it. Some people do, though. You need to have more people you choose to trust in your life. Luckily, eminently qualified and generously willing friends are patiently standing by, and even putting themselves out there by offering their sincere support. If someone asks for your trust this week and you’re anything less than 80 percent convinced they don’t deserve it, please just go out on a limb and give it to them.

Gemini (May 21–June 20)

Like a song you can only remember the chorus to, or that name on the tip of your tongue, what you need to know is already in your head; you just can’t quite see it yet. Stop looking outside yourself for answers. The ones you’ll get that way simply won’t be the right ones. Your gut will tell you so, and you’ll end up feeling frustrated, thwarted, and more confused than before. This isn’t one of those things other people can really help you with, so there’s no point in wasting time seeking advice or new information. At this point, that’s just noise. Find someplace quiet enough to listen to yourself, not them.

Cancer (June 21–July 22)

It’s perfectly natural to focus on the negative when shit goes down. It’s still a bad habit, though, one that’s more likely to worsen a situation than improve it. Even in the worst of times, the blessings in your life outweigh the crap—by quite a bit! Notice that. You actually have a multitude of reasons to feel happy even during those seemingly high-stress moments. See if you can keep enough of those blessings in mind to keep a genuine smile on your face, even as you navigate the hurdles and stumbling blocks life throws your way. You’ll find, happily enough, that they’re much easier to jump over that way—which should be just one more reason to grin.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22)

I wonder how much the founders of the United States anticipated about the future of their new nation. Surely they could see its potential to grow beyond the original 13 states, but it was impossible to guess exactly how the country would grow and evolve. Instead of trying to anticipate every eventuality, they sought to create a structure that could accommodate change. With your future as uncertain (and promising) as it is, trying to plot out all possible courses would be a futile waste of time. Instead, try to set yourself up to be able to roll with anything. You’ll probably need to.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)

Ask and ye shall receive. It doesn’t always work that way, to be sure, but sometimes getting what you need is as simple as forthrightly and sincerely asking for it. It might not come naturally to you to just directly ask for what you want or need; you’re more used to doing things for yourself or going without them if you can’t get them on your own. That’s all the more reason to try to cultivate the habit of remembering you’re not all alone in the world, and that many people love you and are more than willing to fill in the gaps for you. Scrap the too-convoluted plans you’ve been hatching—the ones that very nearly require you to be in two places at once—and try it my way, instead. Just ask.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22)

Set a goal. Sometimes you’re excessively focused on the process and you forget about its conclusion. While I’m proud that you’re enlightened enough to remember and embrace that the journey is indeed more important than the destination, that doesn’t mean you should forgo having one entirely. Having a concrete, achievable end point can imbue that journey with meaning and depth it lacked before. Wandering aimlessly may have its appropriate place and time, but right now you’d better know where you’re going, how you plan on getting there, and when you’re due to arrive. If you don’t, stop in your tracks until you figure it out.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21)

Your fascinating tendency toward extremes isn’t useful right now. Find a more balanced approach, one that wouldn’t normally even occur to you (consult a Libra if necessary). For example, erecting an electrified fence and lining its borders with poison isn’t really the best solution to get rid of pests in your garden. Conversely, simply asking them to leave and not return, while much simpler, is no more appropriate. Find the middle path and walk it for a while. You’ll discover it’s far more likely to get you where you want to go than the routes you were considering before.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21)

Usually you’ve got amazing timing, but lately it’s been way off. What may have been a virtual treasure a while back is now no more valuable than an undiscovered trove of melted chocolate Easter eggs. Don’t beat yourself up about it, though. There are plenty of other riches to be found. This week is a great time to find them, too—but you have to get on the ball and shake off your recent setback very quickly. Instead of wasting time feeling bad about this dead end, and lamenting what you could have had, get going on the next quest, so you don’t get there too late, too.

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19)

I tend to think people look better without makeup. However, there are benefits to wearing a mask (which is all, essentially, makeup is) that you can’t reap any other way. This is a good week to change things up. If you’re used to always wearing a mask (even one as simple as lipstick and eyeliner) when you go out in the world, try going a week without one. If you’ve already shed the need for a mask to hide your “flaws,” donning one could serve a different purpose: revealing a deeper truth about yourself, one that is not otherwise apparent.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18)

Last night I dreamt my neighbor tearfully confessed he’d invented a deadly virus that had no cure. It had escaped its confines, and it was only a matter of time before it would virtually wipe out the human race. I fervently hope that no one out there is so malignly foolhardy to work on such a thing (even while I cynically believe that someone is). If you’ve got a potential Pandora’s box on your hands, get rid of it this week while you still can before some imbecile opens it. Even if the consequences are far less serious than human extinction (and here’s hoping they are), there’s really no need to risk them.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20)

Forego superstition. It’s holding you back. Here you are, worrying about the bad luck you might incur walking under a ladder, as if you weren’t about to climb the damn thing and face the very real possibility of falling off and breaking your neck. Quit worrying needlessly about stuff that will almost certainly never have any bearing on your life. Focus instead on avoiding accidents that are much more likely (and, luckily, avoidable). That’s a far more constructive use of your mental energy and time, since it will help you safely move forward, whereas paranoid worries about purely theoretical and unlikely events will, of course, only hold you back.

Aries (March 21–April 19)

After racing home at breakneck speed, hurling yourself breathlessly through the front door, and frantically securing its 23 locks and bolts, you discover that what you thought you were successfully fleeing is actually already inside, gleefully awaiting you, and you’ve just very securely locked yourself in with it. Since you obviously can’t run from this thing, you might as well deal with it. Whether it’s a zombie that must be cut up and buried in 46 different places before it will rest easily, or a fussy, judgmental in-law who needs to be sat down to tea, there’s no point in putting it off any longer. Get it done.