Aries (March 20-April 19) — Venus in your birth sign is a reminder to aspire to what you want, rather than waiting for them to come to you. Yes, your charisma is at a peak, which will make you that much more appealing. Yet with so much activity in your sign this week, including Mercury retrograde ending, you must stay in the driver’s seat. Speaking of Mercury, be ready to change your mind if you get new information about something. Once you’ve confirmed a particular matter to be true or false, valid or not, apply that to all of your thinking and act in a way consistent with what you’ve learned. Writing your plans down, and finding the flaw in your scheme will save you time and energy as the week progresses. Make a game out of discovering you were wrong, and then take the opportunity to set things right.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Many mysteries will unravel this week, giving you a newfound sense of confidence. Yes, your mind is still a somewhat cryptic thing at the moment, though your passion for self-discovery is serving you well. It’s true that under the current astrology, you could be getting flashes of anxiety or uncertainty, though these will respond well to a conscious decision-making process. If you start to feel like your life is out of control, respond by getting your priorities in order. Decide consciously what matters the most, and take care of that first and best. If something is clogging your schedule and you have that anxious feeling of wondering how you’ll get it all done, pick something and move it to next week. This process will show you that you’re really the one who is living your life.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — A strange Mercury retrograde ends this week. What made it strange is that the messenger of the Gods (which happens to be your ruling planet) is aligned with the very rare Uranus-Eris conjunction. That conjunction is the sign of our times: of the chaos and confusion and unpredictability. And now you, symbolized by Mercury, align with the wave-making machine at the core of the collective psyche. What I’m getting at here is that you have a rare opportunity to know, firsthand, what’s actually happening in the world around you. Whether for the purpose of business, art, storytelling, inventing something, or having fun, you’re the person with your finger on the pulse. There may be a few surprises in store for you this week, though if you’re flexible and keep an open mind, the world is your oyster. Just one other thing: above all else, please be friendly and accommodating.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You’re aligned with some rare astrology that could bring exciting news on the career front. The key to your success is your professionalism. That begins and ends with appearances, and covers quality work, timeliness and overall impeccability. If you’re the one who comes through when everyone else flakes out, you’ll be headed straight to the top. The important thing is to downplay all these things. Be the kind of talent who is a humble servant of the whole, who respects your superior officers, and who is always willing to go the extra mile or two. The astrology of this week points to an unexpected opportunity that comes your way, so stay on top of your schedule and make sure you don’t miss a single email or phone call. Check, double check and triple check — and if you’re expecting something that has not arrived, politely follow up.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Not everything you believe is true, and that’s a beautiful thing. Be happy when a discovery proves you didn’t quite have the story right, because then you’ll have the information that you need. When investigating something, do the extra research. Dig back onto page five of the search results, read the forums, read the reviews and study the comments. In the spirit of investigative reporting, pick up business cards you see lying on the street, skim through newspapers and magazines and generally, cast a wide net for what you’re looking for: but be attentive to the smallest details. This effort will pay off with a timely discovery that gives you the advantage you need. If I were writing this horoscope in 1960, I might also say, “look for a letter from a pen pal abroad,” though in 2017 I’ll say, reach out to your friends in other countries. It’ll be more fun than going to the movies.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You must be absolutely attentive to financial transactions this week, whether we’re talking about a swipe of your debit card to buy coffee or some important arrangements or decisions you make with close partners or loved ones. It would, actually, be better to put off any final decisions on genuinely important matters until next week, when Mercury retrograde has untangled itself. However, this week is perfect for fact-finding, goal-setting and generally getting yourself organized. The chances are that there’s absolutely no rush, and that any time pressure you’re feeling is merely an artifact of your overly active mind. Speaking of which, for the next while you would do well to engage in a program of taking a broad view of the world, of people and of yourself. Resist the temptation to judge, see the humor in everything and keep back from what’s not your business.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Venus now in your opposite sign has you in what I call “True Mirror” territory. Imagine you can look into a reflection that shows you a real image of yourself rather than a flipped mirror-image. You might say that the past two or three months of your life have, with each passing day, been trying to show you just that. The thing about the true reflection is that you will feel so much more at ease looking into it. You’ll see a face that’s both unfamiliar and yet more in harmony with who you are. These reflections will come in the form of people and events that serve to undermine any negativity you were carrying. This of all weeks, see the good in people, be flexible, and offer yourself to be helpful. Be the person who cuts others some slack, and round your bill for services down rather than up.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — This promises to be an interesting week at work, and will call forth your truly impressive psychological skills. If you can remember to be the keen observer that you are, and put a long delay in place before you react to anything emotionally, you’ll get to be the person with the solutions. That’s an excellent thing because there are others likely to perceive quite a few problems that, to you, are on the level of simple arithmetic. As part of your psychological approach, give others as much credit as possible. Don’t even worry about whether you’re seen as the one who resolved the schedule conflict, fixed the printer or brokered peace when everyone else wanted to argue. You have a bigger, wider and more relevant agenda, and that’s the thing to focus on. Part of that includes living in a wholly functional environment. Rare as it is, there is such a thing.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — There’s a creative solution to everything; creative means based on ideas rather than on labor. It means looking at every situation from at least three different angles, so that you can take a novel approach. At the moment, novel translates into efficiency: many problems that seem to be lingering around were already solved, or the solution is close at hand. One thing to be mindful of is the law of unintended consequences. Look at the results of any seeming solution in terms of the negative and the positive effects. The right solution has no unintended negative effects, and will expand to have a positive effect on related issues. Remember that even simple problems can have several correct answers, and you want the one that serves you the very best. All that said, if you consider yourself an artist of any stripe, this is a particularly rich week to do your most innovative work or have the big breakthrough. Stay focused and use your time well.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There’s a way to be a positive influence on your family without getting all tangled up in their baldly neurotic tendencies. By that I mean that their self-defeating, time-wasting tendencies have nothing to do with you, though the benefit to the situation is that you’re getting an excellent inventory of everything that you don’t want to be, or become. Your appropriate role is to set a positive example of appropriateness and self-esteem. That specifically precludes getting too involved in the discussion, or having it in any way distract you from your affairs. Where a young person is involved, make sure you take a balanced approach. It’s possible that they’re a victim of circumstances and adults who cannot keep a grip. It’s also possible that they’re up to some mischief of their own. Hence, invest your energy in getting the facts — and deal with people one-on-one rather than in groups.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You can be a lot brassier in your thinking process. Most of what passes for thought barely sheds enough light to cast a shadow, though your mind is boldly illuminated right now. You can see through the seeming complexity of things, into their essence. That doesn’t mean “seeing things simply” but more accurately, observing the affairs of the world in a way that emphasizes elegance and the interconnectedness of what seems to be separate. One trick to doing this is, when everyone else is fixated on the figure dancing before them, look off to the sides and into the background and study the environment. When everyone is staring at the stage, turn around and look at the audience. Most situations, problems and puzzles can be solved much more easily by making this kind of move, particularly since so few people have even heard of it, much less bother with it.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This week, finances come back into focus. Make sure you stay ahead of your work, get enough sleep and keep a handle on your personal life, because you will want as few distractions as possible. You’ll have some obvious opportunities to improve your lot in life, or build your business, and then there will be some downright odd ones that come your way. Listen to every proposal carefully, and signal to people that you take them seriously. Two things that are non-debatable points are your talent and resourcefulness. You simply must have confidence in yourself, which means trusting that you can not just handle anything that comes your way, but also maximize the situation. In support of this, install a delay before you say yes to anything. You’re likely to forget some important point of compensation or benefit, and it’ll be much more difficult to renegotiate than it will be to get in during the first round.