Eileen Chang, a Libra. Photo illustration: by Preeti Kinha; Photos: Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons
On Sunday night, a new moon in Libra prompts you to notice how your relationships have been out of balance lately: Are you giving more than you get in return? Have your friends supported you and cared for you in ways you didn’t reciprocate? No relationship is ever perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve yours. Under this moon, make a plan to make things right. Then, late Thursday night, Venus Libra enters, giving extra support to your quest for social harmony in the Libra season. The goal is not to keep score so that you can balance the emotional books exactly. Instead, try to take a global look at who is valued and who is left out, who gets more attention and who is ignored. Only when you recognize a problem, it becomes possible to solve it. Collaboration and mutual care are sustainable; you just need to get to work.
You think looking at your past is unnecessary at best, self-indulgent at worst. It’s more productive (and interesting) to focus on the here and now than to dwell on chapters closed behind you. For the most part, this attitude serves you well, but sometimes the call of the past is irresistible. Don’t make it hard on yourself this week if you’re heeding it. You will find value in looking back on past seasons of your life, feeling compassion for your younger self, and regretting the phases and relationships you have outgrown. You are not stupid or sentimental. Hindsight will give you the clarity you’ve been looking for.
You constantly strive to learn and discover, to deepen your understanding of the universe. But every now and then you worry that you’ve been too successful. Lately everything around you felt too familiar, the world suddenly bereft of its ancient mysteries and wonders. So this week your job is to find a way to make it interesting again. This can mean looking for unfamiliar people and places, topics, and activities that make you feel like a wide-eyed beginner. Or it could mean striving to see your life from a different perspective. Either way, the world (and your life) will turn you on again, and right now that’s what you need most.
When you’re trying to spark a new romantic relationship or strengthen a long-term one, your natural inclination is to use your charm, put yourself out there, and make your feelings clear. You work hard to bring light into the lives of loved ones, and you are good at it. And while it may seem counterintuitive, you can also strengthen relationships by receiving — by encouraging and accepting the generosity of others. People like to get attention, but they also like to feel needed. So don’t refuse their kindness and don’t pretend you don’t need it. Let them brighten up your life.
Remember to take risks and test your limits every now and then. Otherwise you would never know how much you are capable of or even who you really are. The problem is that you have to push yourself, take big leaps and sometimes fail. It’s not really fun, but it’s not a waste of time either. You find what you are willing to endure and what not. You discover what you can do without and what you really need. Try to trust that you are learning this week. You may not notice it yet, but you are becoming more and more powerful.
Despite knowing better on an intellectual level, part of you wonders if working harder is the solution to your problems. When things don’t go the way you hoped, you worry that it might be your fault for not trying hard enough. At best, this kind of thinking keeps you motivated, prevents you from giving up too soon. But more often it only serves to make you stressed. If a project or relationship feels like a constant struggle this week, take it as a sign to slow down, not push harder. You shouldn’t always have to work so hard.
You know very well how important it is to be open to criticism. Inviting input has made your work stronger; listening to your friends when they disagree with you has made your life better and more beautiful than it otherwise would have been. Nevertheless, remember this week that not all opinions are equally valid, nor are all guidelines equally useful. If you tried to follow everyone’s suggestions, you would be anxious and lost. Heed the advice you feel is helpful, given in good faith. Don’t feel guilty for ignoring the rest.
It sometimes feels like your whole life is devoted to fixing things, clearing up misunderstandings, calming rocky relationships, working on yourself for the sake of others. Improving the world is crucial, nice work. But this week, take a break from adjusting and correcting and improving. You don’t have to make your environment perfect before you can be happy, and you don’t have to erase all your flaws to be a good person. People love you; you can love yourself too.
Possessions, relationships, ideas – once someone or something enters your life, you are often reluctant to let it go. If you had to choose, you’d much rather hold on too tight than walk away too fast. But in the end it is impossible to keep going, to keep going through the world, to meet people, to have new experiences, without letting go of something else. While it’s comforting to keep every item you’ve ever loved close to you this week, don’t hold onto it this week just for the sake of it. You might find unexpected relief in those little endings, in letting go of what you no longer need.
This week you will be hesitant to face interpersonal conflict directly – not because you fear it, but because life is challenging enough and you are tired. It takes much less energy to ignore unpleasant news than to take it into account; it is almost always less tiring to walk away than to stay and fix things. But the easiest course of action is not always the best, and avoiding any difficulties or awkwardness now will only hurt you in the long run. Honest (albeit awkward) conversations will pay off in the end.
Some people hide negative or complicated feelings about their loved ones and only recognize the emotions that are good and sweet. Others, however, are quite the opposite: they feel completely comfortable discussing complaints and frustrations, but are surprisingly reserved when it comes to expressing affection openly. This week, don’t assume that the people you care about most know how you feel. Your love is deep and sincere, but that doesn’t mean others can always perceive it. However silly or unnatural or unnecessary it may seem, try to pronounce it.
You’re self-conscious enough to notice when words go unsaid, when others don’t fully express how they feel. Whether it’s because they’re deliberately cheating or withholding, or, more likely, because they’re afraid no one cares, you get to read between the lines. The problem is, you’re not as good at it as usual this week. Your normally sharp reading of the situation is a bit distorted. So for now, if you don’t get it, if there’s a subtext you’re wondering about, don’t assume it. You better ask directly.
Sometimes you worry about people like you just because of what you can do for them, give them. You can tell they welcome the support, kindness, and advice you offer, but do they appreciate you? Do they reciprocate? When they look at you, do they recognize how funny, charming and cool you are? Try to trust that your friends and partner really care about you, because they do, and they’re probably showing it to you in a hundred little ways already. But don’t be afraid to ask for reassurance if you need it. You are not stupid because you need love.
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Read the weekly horoscopes for the week of September 19, 2022. Next Sunday the weekly horoscopes for the week of October 3, 2022 will be online.
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