Karen Dalton, cancer. Photo illustration: by Preeti Kinha; Photos: Getty Images
Wednesday’s full moon in serious Capricorn marks the culmination of work you’ve been doing for a long time. Maybe a big creative project is nearing completion, maybe personal growth is finally paying off. This is not necessarily the end of anything, but a moment to acknowledge that you have come a long way and that your efforts have not been in vain. It’s also an opportunity to get clarity on where you want to go next. You may find that your desires have changed while you weren’t looking. If they have, take this chance to be brave and step into the unknown.
If you find yourself getting frustrated with your work, feeling undervalued about yourself and your abilities, the problem may be that you’re trying to do too much, too fast. When you set impossible goals or unreasonable deadlines for yourself, of course you will find yourself disappointed. You may worry that rushing is necessary. But time spent researching and learning is not wasted as you move forward, no matter how painstakingly so. This week, see what happens if you take things a little slower or commit to doing a little less. You may start to make the progress you’ve been wanting. It can be fun again.
You’re not easily shaken by rudeness or hostility, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for others to treat you badly. You can behave well in the most inhospitable environment, but that doesn’t make you any less deserving of affection and support. It’s easy to get used to things, lower your expectations and move on. However, this week it is important not to adapt so completely that you forget that it can be different. You have the strength within you to fight back, to demand better.
Everywhere you turn, you see people doing everything in their power to control each other’s lives, to shrink the universe of infinite possibilities to practically nothing. When you’re feeling pessimistic, you wonder if it’s worth resisting. But this week, your fatalism will fall away, and in its place will rise a wild, untamed stubbornness. No one can dictate your life or tell you what you are and are not capable of. You don’t know what the future holds, but you know it will be what you choose for yourself.
Everyone, no matter how wise, experienced or careful, sometimes needs a second opinion. We all get things wrong in ways that others can see but we can’t. The problem is that you can be a little stubborn in your desire to prove that you can succeed on your own. This week, seek help and feedback from people you trust. You don’t get extra credit for refusing offered help, or bonus points for finding the right answers yourself. Let others support you as you support them, and it will make both of you stronger in the end.
There are too many people who will try to convince you that you are a foolish idealist, believing that your life could be better, that trying to make a change is a waste of energy. They will argue that resignation is the only sensible option, that defeat is sober wisdom. When you are tired or discouraged, their arguments start to sound convincing. But you are more powerful than they realize. Stronger than you imagine. Don’t give up on your vision just because others aren’t brave enough to join you in it.
As the world around you manages to get even darker, you worry that it’s selfish to pay attention to your feelings. You can’t escape the suspicion that focusing on your own emotional needs means abandoning everything outside of you, that your personal healing or happiness can only come at the expense of the collective. But this need not be true; we experience the highs and lows of our humanity—from petty resentments to the thrill of new love—in good times and bad. There is no reason to feel guilty; everyone wins when we have space to take care of ourselves.
When you realize that you really were wrong or misjudged someone, then changing your mind is one of the great joys of living and growing old. But when others pressure you to change, it can make you want to bury yourself instead to protect your hard-won knowledge and experience of the world. This week you have more than enough reason to resist anyone who tries to pressure you. But don’t forget also how rewarding it is to develop and grow. Don’t be afraid of transformation. Make it happen on your terms.
Even though you intellectually know this isn’t true, there’s still a part of you that feels like your hardships are deserved. Try to remember that the state of the world is such that almost everyone is struggling right now – and you are not responsible for the state of the world. And even if you have made the wrong steps, what you need now is kindness, not accusations. This week, if you must, work on restoring your relationship with yourself. You can learn to be more forgiving, more generous. You deserve at least that much.
Lately, you can’t stop thinking about how much closer you would be to your goals if only you had started sooner. You regret all the time you could have spent developing certain skills, or building a community around you, or just making money. You dream about what might be different today if you had started work one, two or ten years earlier than you did. But it is important not to wallow in regret and allow your sad imaginations to prevent you from acting. It’s not too late to learn and grow, make a change (even a huge one).
You just want someone to present you with a set of definitive guidelines on how to do well and be a good person. Life would be so much easier if there was a single authority you could turn to for their stamp of approval, a way to get confirmation that you’re on the right track. Accept that there is no one right answer and that ultimately you will have to trust your own judgment and values. This week, try to let go of the idea that there is a standard of human perfection that you must live up to. All anyone can do is try and that’s what you do.
It’s exhausting feeling like you can never let your guard down, always afraid (and not without reason) that others will take advantage of you as soon as they get the chance. While there are certainly cruel and scary people in the world, it is not sustainable to live in a constant state of anxiety. This week it is crucial to find places where you will be taken care of, people to relax with. The world is full of dangers, but that doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of human connection. If anything, it means you need it more than ever.
Hard work can be satisfying, joyful. Although you may experience difficulties, you are still full of determination and you can say that you are doing exactly what you were meant to do. Lately, though, you’ve been feeling like you’re floundering, straining to the point of exhaustion without making much progress or enjoying the ride. This week, your natural inclination may be to push even harder than before and break your muscles. But consider instead that what you really need is a break – a moment to breathe, to refill your cup and remember what you’re really doing all this for.
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