Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of September 8–14

In the small hours of Monday morning, Mercury enters Virgo, where it will stay until September 26. The planet of thought and communication feels right at home in this smart and analytical sign, making this a great time for projects that require focus, precision, and an attention to detail. The downside, however, is that you’re likely to be unnecessarily hard on yourself for any mistakes you make, no matter how small. Don’t let perfectionism stand in your way: Your best is more than good enough right now. In the meantime, find the weekly horoscope for each zodiac sign, below.

You may be a hard worker, but you’re not always the most organized in your approach. Instead of creating a long-term plan, or coming up with a strategy and sticking to it, you prefer to take on tasks when the mood strikes you, dealing with any issues as they arise. Most of the time, this works perfectly well — why worry about problems that haven’t actually happened yet? This week, though, you may feel a surprising and welcome boost to your competence and efficiency. Planning for the future and taking care of business in a methodical manner will be easier now. Make the most of it.

Your dependable nature can be a source of great comfort; no matter what else happens, you know you can rely on yourself. Occasionally, though, you start to get sick of your own thoughts, which always seem to travel well-worn paths, bumping you up against the same barriers and dead ends. It’s hard to change your life when you struggle to change your mind. But this week, you have the opportunity to expand your thinking. Ask questions that lead you in unexpected directions. Engage in conversations that have the potential to surprise you. Change is possible. You just have to be open to it.

You’re not shy about asking for other people’s thoughts when struggling to make a decision. As far as you’re concerned, the more information you can gather, the better. You might not heed everyone’s advice, but you’re still curious to hear it. Right now, though, all that noise is likely only going to get in the way. The truth is, you don’t need to hear what everyone else has to say about your life. You only need to know how you feel. Spending time reflecting privately may be the only way to get the answers you’re looking for this week.

Lately, you’ve been consumed by life’s big questions: What is your greater purpose, what will it take for you to be happy, what kind of person do you want to be? But abstract questions like these are hard to get a handle on, and harder still to act on. If you’ve been feeling frustrated or stuck, move your focus from intangible issues to practical ones: Rearrange your schedule; talk through a small conflict with a friend or neighbor; clean your kitchen. Put your life in order in small ways, and it’ll get you closer to the bigger answers you seek.

You might be frustrated by a project that’s not delivering results quickly enough or an ambition that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere this week. At this point, you might even feel ready to give up. While quitting can sometimes be the wisest option, this isn’t the time to do it recklessly. Don’t throw away all your hard work on an impulse. First, make sure you’ve done all you can. If a different approach, a new source of support, or simply a bit more time might make a difference, give it a shot. Your dreams deserve a chance.

People are constantly advising you to be confident, to ask for what you want, to be yourself. The trouble is that, in your experience, others don’t always respond well to self-assurance. Sometimes being clear and unapologetic about your expectations seems to rub others the wrong way; even when it doesn’t, there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get what you’re asking for. But direct communication is worth it, even if it’s uncomfortable or leads to conflict. Be kind — but don’t worry so much about being likable.

Relationships require honesty, but nobody, not even you, can be a completely open book. Like everyone, you keep certain things hidden — emotional vulnerabilities, secret pie-in-the-sky ambitions, past failures — and there’s nothing wrong with that. You deserve your privacy. Eventually, though, it becomes stressful and exhausting to carry all that baggage on your own. Now could be the right time to open up to someone you trust. It’ll be a relief to share, and the people who love you will respond with more support generosity than you fear.

It can be hard not to feel intense pessimism when you try to imagine the future, whether your personal future or our collective one. Everything seems to be trending downward, and you see fewer and fewer opportunities to thrive. You want to believe those who say otherwise, but it’s hard to hold on to any hope. In spite of all that, try to have faith anyway. The world is changing all the time, in beautifully unpredictable ways. Don’t give up now: The more you behave like a better future is possible, the more it will be.

Your responsibilities may weigh on you this week. You’re feeling pressure to complete every task without a mistake, to give all you have to the people you care about, to save the world single-handedly. People have high expectations of you, and you’re worried about letting them down. But most (if not all) of the pressure you feel comes from yourself, which means that the only person who can cut you a break is you. Stop pushing yourself so hard. You don’t have to do everything; it’s enough just to do your part.

You aren’t one to play it safe or go for the easy option; you understand that life is hard no matter what, so why not go for what you really want? If you’re not aiming for your biggest dreams, then what’s the point of all that effort? But don’t dismiss the stuff that does come easily. Activities don’t have to be challenging to be worthwhile; relationships don’t have to require tons of work to bring value to your life. You’re destined for great things, yes, but you deserve to have a little fun along the way.

Some people are scared to let too much of their true selves show, preferring not to make waves or break from the crowd. You couldn’t be more different: You’d much rather be seen as strange than dull or conventional. The trouble is that it can be hard to find others willing to meet you where you are. This week, it may be a bit easier to find the kind of human connection you’re longing for. If you refuse to hide who you really are, you’ll create space for the people around you to do the same.

Your unselfish nature often means that you don’t find much of a thrill in negotiations. If you’re able to give somebody what they want, why wouldn’t you? If their first offer is decent enough, why would you hold out for more? Usually, your generosity benefits everyone; occasionally, though, it means that you end up giving more than you have or accepting less than you need. Don’t be afraid to go back and forth a bit. It’s possible to find a resolution that genuinely works for everyone but only if you take the time to work it out together.

Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of September 1. The weekly horoscopes for the week of September 15 will be online next Sunday.

Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.