astrology

Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of January 23

Gertrude Stein, an Aquarius. Photo-Illustration: by Preeti Kinha; Photos Getty

The evening of Sunday the 22nd, chaos planet Uranus ends its retrograde, at which point no planets will be retrograde, a relatively rare occurrence. The celestial bodies are moving forward, and you can, too. It’s not that everything will suddenly, miraculously become easy, only that things have been exceptionally difficult lately (you weren’t imagining it) and now you’ve finally made it to the other side. Then, Thursday night, love planet Venus enters dreamy Pisces, where it will remain for the next month. This is one of the sweetest transits there is, so try to enjoy it. People are more openhearted, willing to see the good in one another. If you’ve been longing for tenderness, compassion, or forgiveness, the people in your life might finally be able to give it.

Weekly Horoscope Aries

Aries Weekly Horoscope

When you look around, it seems as if everybody else is doing a much better job of managing their lives than you are yours. You get the impression other people have figured out how to do their jobs well and enjoy a thriving social life— and date and exercise and rest and do the laundry and, and, and. But the truth is nobody feels as if they’re totally on top of it. We simply expect too much of ourselves. This week, give yourself permission to let the small things slide. Focus on what you truly care about and trust that, at least for now, that’s enough.

Weekly Horoscope Taurus

Taurus Weekly Horoscope

You try to insulate others from your feelings. You imagine that your sorrow or fear or regret can be only a burden, that the kindest thing you can do is tend to your healing and processing on your own time in private. But there’s a big difference between dumping on others and leaning on them. Asking for emotional support or a sympathetic ear isn’t unreasonable — it’s what friendship is built on. This week, do your best to trust that the people who love you can handle your feelings. You’re not in this alone.

Weekly Horoscope Gemini

Gemini Weekly Horoscope

When you express dissatisfaction with the shape or direction of your life, the response is often “Try harder.” And maybe this advice is helpful at times but not when you’re running on fumes just trying to get through each day. You can’t push yourself when you’re already at your limit; there’s no point in challenging yourself further when your plate’s more than full with the challenges the universe keeps serving up. This week, don’t let anyone convince you your problem is that you’re not working hard enough.

Weekly Horoscope Cancer

Cancer Weekly Horoscope

Sometimes big dreams seem like more trouble than they’re worth. Faced with enough disappointment, you start to wonder whether it wouldn’t be better to stop wanting so much, to quit striving and instead find a way to be content with what is. It’s a hard balance to get right, not driving yourself mad with yearning but not giving up on happiness and growth either. This week, hold on to your dreams for at least a little longer. You’ve come this far already.

Weekly Horoscope Leo

Leo Weekly Horoscope

When you’re unsure of yourself, it can be helpful to look outside yourself for reassurance. If the people around you think you’re special, then it must be true. If they believe you have something to offer, then you can believe it, too. It’s wonderful and natural to let the people you love pick you up when you’re feeling down. But it isn’t always possible (or necessary) to outsource your confidence. This week, you’ll find you can be self-assured just because. You don’t need anybody else’s validation or permission.

Weekly Horoscope Virgo

Virgo Weekly Horoscope

There are certain relationships in your life (not necessarily romantic ones) that are constant sources of tension. Even when you’re not actively in conflict with that person, they haunt your thoughts; you often find yourself arguing with them, trying to justify yourself to them, or simply trying to make sense of them. To a point, this is unavoidable. We can’t always control who takes up space in our lives. But this week, focus on pouring your energy into the bonds that make life better, not worse. Give your time and energy to the friends who make you feel like the best version of yourself.

Weekly Horoscope Libra

Libra Weekly Horoscope

It’s important to be intentional about tending to friendships. No matter how much you value community, it can be hard to find the energy for it when you’re busy with work, with family. You’re an incredible friend, but even you get distracted. So this week, make the time. Who needs to hear from you? Who do you miss? Who do you wish would pick up the phone and call you? The people you love will appreciate the thought and effort; more than that, feeling connected will nurture you, too.

Weekly Horoscope Scorpio

Scorpio Weekly Horoscope

It’s hard for you to ask for favors, partly because you can’t stand feeling vulnerable or indebted and partly because you rarely have faith anyone will come through for you. People are disorganized and unreliable, so it seems safer to do the job yourself. And when it comes to certain people, this is the wisest approach. But it’s also true that some of your friends have skills you lack. Some enjoy tackling the tasks you hate most. Collaboration doesn’t have to be stressful or transactional. This week, if you embrace it, it can be hugely productive.

Weekly Horoscope Sagittarius

Sagittarius Weekly Horoscope

Most of the time, you’re happy to go with the flow, taking new experiences in stride and meeting interesting people and seeing where you end up. Every so often, though, you start to imagine that you need to be more deliberate with your time — that you should strive to be a total original, the first, the best. But this kind of thinking will only bring you heartache and a sense of your own lacking. You don’t have to be the first or the best. Living a fulfilling life, whatever that means to you, is enough.

Weekly Horoscope Capricorn

Capricorn Weekly Horoscope

You relish the wins that don’t come too easily. You prefer the chase, the victories won through your own wits and wiles. Strokes of luck and successes that fall into your lap are worth less to you than the ones you had to fight for. But it doesn’t always have to be so hard, and there are no bonus points for making things more difficult for yourself than they already are. When ease comes your way, welcome it.

Weekly Horoscope Aquarius

Aquarius Weekly Horoscope

It’s difficult to accept that good ideas don’t always translate to good outcomes, that commitment doesn’t inevitably lead directly to the future you’ve imagined. You can work hard for months, even years, without appearing to make any headway. You’ll hit barriers that seem insurmountable, experience disappointments or rejections that look to spell the end of your dreams. But this week you’ll find that the universe still holds surprises and that all isn’t lost. Your efforts and planning weren’t in vain. They’ve been building up, and at long last a breakthrough is coming.

Weekly Horoscope Pisces

Pisces Weekly Horoscope

Over the course of your life, you’ve done plenty worth apologizing for; everyone has. Humans hurt one another’s feelings. We speak out of turn and we act in ways that are selfish, thoughtless, even cruel. When we do, an apology is called for. But this week, check that you’re not being too conciliatory. You don’t have to excuse yourself for being a person, for doing the best you can. You don’t have to feel guilty for expressing yourself or honoring your desires. Nobody can shame you for having a backbone.

Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of January 16. The weekly horoscopes for the week of January 30 will be online next Sunday.

Get Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, out now.

Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of January 23