Your Weekly Horoscopes by Madame Clairevoyant: October 20–27

On Tuesday evening, the Sun leaves diplomatic Libra and enters strong-willed, provocative Scorpio. During the next month, everyone’s emotions and relationships — yours included — are likely to get more intense. Nobody’s likely to be satisfied by polite lies or superficial small talk. If you’re committed to keeping up appearances, Scorpio season can be difficult. But if you’re ready for the truth, it can be a satisfying, even transformative time.

You try not to be overly self-critical — everyone has their flaws, and even if you could get rid of yours, you’d probably sand off everything that makes you interesting. But while there’s nothing you need to change about who you are deep down, that doesn’t mean there aren’t habits you wouldn’t change if given the opportunity. And this week, it becomes easier to transform the patterns or relationship dynamics that are making your life harder. You aren’t stuck, and if you’re yearning for something new, now’s a good time to make it happen.

The quickest path to frustration is to try to be universally loved. It’s just not possible — no matter what you do, there will always be someone who can find something to dislike — and in the attempt, you’ll only suppress your most unique qualities. This week, your job is to stop trying to be everyone’s favorite. You don’t need to be adored by everyone; your own inner circle is enough. Accept your authentic self, and trust that the people who get it will get it.

On the one hand, you recognize that appreciating the small moments is one of the best ways to find happiness in life. On the other, sometimes it feels like your life is only small moments — and no matter how lovely they can be, you still wish they added up to something more. You’ve been wondering whether you need to make a dramatic change in order to find the meaning you’re so hungry for. This week, though, if you treat the seemingly insignificant experiences and interactions with more seriousness, a greater story might begin to emerge.

It can be challenging to figure out how much of yourself to share. Left to your own devices, you’d probably be just as happy keeping all your thoughts and feelings to yourself — it feels less vulnerable that way, and you enjoy your own company. At the same time, though, you recognize that relationships require some give-and-take and that talking things through with others can be useful. This week, your job is to find the right balance: It isn’t necessary to share everything, especially with new people, but don’t discount the power of opening up.

It can be hard to have faith in yourself when you’re out of step with the people around you. If you want a different kind of life than your friends do, or if your values don’t seem to align with theirs, it’s hard not to wonder whether you’re the one who needs to shape up. But there’s nothing wrong with taking your own path, even if it’s a solitary one. You know who you are and what you want; trust yourself.

The busier you get, the easier it is to neglect your relationships. It’s not that you don’t care — there simply just isn’t enough time to do everything. By the end of the day, sometimes all you want is to decompress by yourself. The people who love you won’t hold it against you, but eventually it’s necessary to rebuild connections that have weakened. Remind your friends that you care about them. Make a point of spending time in your community. No matter how busy you are, you’ll be glad you put in the effort.

There’s more than one path to happiness. The world is full of fascinating people and exciting opportunities, and if you miss one, it isn’t the end. At the same time, that doesn’t mean that big breaks come along every day. Today, you might find yourself feeling unusually possessive over the good things in your life. Be mindful not to suffocate the people you love, but let them know how much you care. Recognize the value of what you’ve got, and hold on tight.

In order to learn what kind of life you want, it helps to try new things. By testing out different ways to live, you discover what makes you feel happiest, most confident, most like yourself. Sometimes, though, you get pulled off track by a job, relationship, or friend group that ends up not being right for you. It doesn’t mean it was a mistake to try; you’ve gained valuable clarity, and you can make more informed choices moving forward. This week, it’s possible to take what you’ve learned and reassess what’s next.

Most of the time, you act decisively — you’d rather make a quick choice than a perfect one. But occasionally, when faced with a truly important decision, you hesitate to settle on any of the choices in front of you. As long as you don’t commit to one, all the options still remain open to you. But at a certain point, it becomes impossible to keep this up. You’ve done enough ruminating; you know all the pros and cons by now. You don’t have to take action yet if you’re not ready, but at the very least, come to an inner resolve.

You’re good at looking ahead to the future, but it’s easy to get so wrapped up in milestones and accomplishments that you forget about the other things that matter. This week, think about the goals that have nothing to do with your outward achievements. Think about the kind of person you hope to be, or the kind of life you hope to look back on, and start taking steps to be that person now.

Sometimes it’s nice to fly under the radar. If nobody’s paying much attention to you, you’re free to do as you like; it becomes much easier to break a rule or two. This week, though, it might not feel so good to be ignored. You want recognition for your ideas and credit for your hard work. You might have to make some noise, but if others don’t notice how wonderful you are, it’s up to you to show them.

Your imagination is vivid enough that simply thinking about doing something new can be almost as rewarding as actually doing it. And while taking action in the real world can be risky and unpredictable, staying in the realm of imagination is safe; you remain in control. This week, though, it’s important to be brave and really do the things you’ve been dreaming of — or at least take the first step. It might not work out exactly the way you envisioned, but that’s part of the journey.

Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of October 13th. The weekly horoscopes for the week of October 27th will be online next Sunday.

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