Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Like you, I cherish beauty, Libra. But I don’t get hung up on prettiness like some of you do. Evolved Libras have learned not to seek beauty but simply to see it in everything. They know that ugly can also be beautiful, and that grace and loveliness can be found in surprising places. Those are the kinds of places you’ll have to learn to look in this week if you haven’t already because the surface of your surroundings won’t be obviously charming. The splendor you’re privy to at the moment is buried so far it’s invisible unless you’re patient and determined enough to find it. Are you?

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

You don’t often make snap judgments about people you’ve just met, but it does happen, and what’s more, you do, occasionally, screw it up. This may come as news to some of you because it’s rare that you ever look back to realize your mistake. Instead you stumble onward, oblivious to the coolness, beauty, inspiration or brilliant sex you’re missing out on because of your error. But you don’t have to lose out. Check yourself. In fact, that’s just what this week is good for: reconsidering previously-held opinions, especially about others, and delivering at least a couple of second chances. 

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

You’ve essentially taken your message to the fanciest place you could reach. Your art—whatever form it takes—is sitting on blank white walls in an art gallery being half-contemplated by rich art snobs over idle conversation and plastic cups of wine. That’s all fine, but it’s hardly what you originally aimed for when you began this venture. What you need to do is take your message to the streets. Go buy some spray paint and cover the walls with graffiti—or whatever equivalent action works for you. This week, proclaim your ideas loudly (but intelligently, please) to those who need them, not just those who can afford them.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Put a carnival mask on a Capricorn and he or she usually go delightfully (and delightedly) insane. So few and far between are the opportunities for you to bust out of your attractive and well-fitting shell that whenever you get the chance to do so, you grab it and run with it, further and faster than even the craziest party animal you know. This is essential for you (hangovers aside). Without these occasional chances to go wild, all the time you spend being productive and efficient will quite simply stifle your soul. Usually you wait for these rare chances to just come along; this week, however, seek one out.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

With our addictions to cellphones, iPods and laptops, we’re already halfway toward becoming full-fledged, technology-dependent cyborgs. I have no objection; I’m on a laptop right now with a cellphone and iPod in each pocket. It’s important to remember, though, that the point of all these things is (or at least should be) to bring us all closer to each other, to help us share art, music and ideas with our fellow humans. Are yours serving that purpose or isolating you? Your cyborg extensions ought to make you more human, not less. This week, make sure they start doing so.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

If you were somehow translated into medieval times, you’d be branded a witch and probably burned at the stake. Your knowledge alone would be enough; if you had something as miraculous as an iPod or laptop with you, forget it. See? It’s all a matter of perspective. Your basic knowledge and abilities would be terrifying indicators of black magic. Similarly, ideas that frighten you now are things we may embrace in the future. You forward-thinkers are already aware of this on some level. This week’s task is getting the rest of us to open our minds to it.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

No one really knows the point of life or death, but when I’m assailed by doubts I find comfort in a curious mix of logic and faith. For instance, if we have souls that somehow cycle through life after life, the only way it could function, logistically, is if we had no memory of the lives that came before; more than a hint of recall of our previous incarnations could keep us from fully experiencing and embracing our new ones. I combine this logical conclusion with a leap of faith—that the universe is an ultimately benevolent place that makes sense—and feel truly comforted. Most Aries, being both powerfully intellectual and emotional, feel uncomfortable in the province of pure religion or science. Somehow combining the two might yield the “solution” to your current problem.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Your average American landfill would be considered a treasure trove of useful and usable items to poor folk from your average Third World country. I think this is one of the areas where we fall most short of setting the right example: transforming our relative wealth into a smaller footprint on the earth, not a greater one. We can afford to, after all. You, too, can afford to make an extra effort to have less impact on others. It’s a luxury and a responsibility to compensate for those who have neither. Please embrace and accept it.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

I heard about a social experiment regarding kindness and a willingness to help strangers. A woman would pass by a phone booth as the person using it emerged, hitting a trick switch on her briefcase which caused it to fall open, spilling its contents onto the sidewalk. The point was to determine how many people would stop to help her. The phone itself was rigged to return the money to the person using it about half the time. The vast majority of those who got their change back stopped to help. Most of those who got nothing didn’t stop. I mention this fascinating insight into human nature to remind you of the ripple effect even the smallest kindness can have, and vice versa. This is important information considering this week’s events.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Nearly every Cancer has what I call a “Cinderella” phase of his or her life, where they, for whatever reason, subverts most or all of their own desires (either by choice or against her will) in order to please another. Growing out of this unhealthy chapter is an important milestone in each Cancer’s life. Don’t get me wrong; You should never sacrifice so much for someone else like that. But learning to unselfishly put aside some of your own desires in order to give something to someone else can be extremely rewarding, especially this week.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

There are scientists studying everything from a cure for cancer, to the lifecycles of dinosaurs, to how to prevent flatulence, and the list goes on to even more unbelievably obscure topics. But these specialized interests didn’t evolve overnight. All these men and women began by studying the foundations of science and what we already know and gradually refined their areas of interest until they concerned just one or two things. You, too, have become just that specialized, only, just like the poor fellow studying the meaning of dog barks (he concluded they don’t necessarily mean anything), you’ve driven into a dead end. It’s now time to back up and branch out again, just a little, until your new path appears.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You need people. This is no criticism; Leos need people to admire them, Geminis need people to listen to them, and Aries need people to entertain them. You need people to need you. This makes you seem very evolved and selfless to some, and in some ways you are. But the true sign of an evolved Virgo is one who knows how to serve others and herself—at the same time, somehow being just as available as she always is to those who need her, while simultaneously doing what she can to prevent her own deprivation and suffering. How close are you to that example? This week is your chance to get quite a bit closer.