HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 7): New faces, romance and the development of important business connections will electrify your scene this solar return. Also highlighted: the arrival of long-awaited amends, a race well-paced and squarely won, and the hands-on training you once only dreamed of being able to afford. Capricorn and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 17, 14, 4 and 44.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Maybe spirituality isn’t something you were born with but instead is like your style — a thing you make up as you go by experimenting to find out what works for you and what doesn’t.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Everything is evolving. You are getting wiser and more connected to others. There’s nothing profound in how this occurs. It happens over morning pleasantries, over a table or a text. It feels as natural as breathing.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Coincidences are worth exploring. For instance, when you keep running into the same stranger, strike up a conversation. There’s most likely something interesting that brings you to the same places.
CANCER (June 22-July 22): Some things can be safely delegated, and some just won’t be the same without you. Knowing the difference will be the key to your success. You’ll see progress; how deeply satisfying.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Born under the constellation that rules the heart, you really thrive on a day like today, when love is the only game in town. And whatever form it comes in will be OK by you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It can be a huge help to have a teacher. And the best teachers are often obstacles, enemies and mistakes. Therefore, though it may not feel like it while it’s happening, adversity is highly beneficial. It’s the stuff of greatness.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Everyone has their own idea about what an experience will be like. Enjoyment will be enhanced or diminished by these projections, so there’s a real benefit to getting ahead of this and figuring out what people expect going in.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): You won’t get caught up in the rush to join a particular quest, if for the simple reason that it defies your instinct. As a water sign, you are distinctively poised for the realization that you can’t miss the boat you’re already on.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): People who say “no judgment” are usually judging, just as people who say “you can trust me” are typically the ones you can’t. Today will represent rules, not exceptions.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A friendly feeling fills the day. You can help people, and they can help you, so circulate and make your business known. You’ll create all sorts of opportunity for you and yours.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your role as an advocate and protector will be emphasized. You’ll jump to the rescue of a loved one’s feelings or interests, or you’ll proactively help a loved one show up strong in the world.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You may encounter a nice storm of doubt, but it will pass like fast-moving weather. In the meantime, give as little voice to your fear as possible. Write it in a diary at most. You’ll be back to full confidence by evening.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: Bottom line up top, the tools we use to save time have made us ever more vulnerable to time theft. If you needed a reason to detach from your devices this week, the Mercury change will make a convincing argument for, at the very least, changing the notification settings on your phone. All interruptions take time — not only the time they actually take but the time on the margins when you’re adjusting your attention and then readjusting it to get back into what you were doing. Once you understand the real cost of distraction and how long it takes to settle deeply into the sort of powerful mindset that allows people to do their best work, it will seem very expensive to leave openings for distraction, and the efforts taken to avoid distraction will seem more than worthwhile.
Mercury moves into Scorpio this week, which is a rich opportunity for deep work. Because the digital age has already altered our brains to help us cope with a constant barrage of distraction, deep work is becoming an increasingly rare state to achieve, yet it’s not complicated to return to the riches that uninterrupted contemplation and labor can bring. Mercury’s shift into the soulful profundity of the Scorpio realm is an omen to favor all efforts made to protect and honor serious concentration.