ARIES “If you never lose, no one will ever find out that you’re a sore loser!” And fair enough, you love competition and winning even more so, giving every challenge you’re faced with your 120%. Consequently, you do indeed end up winning more often than not. Good on you! Just be aware, that there’s a price to every victory – “winning the battle but losing the war” and all that jazz… But seriously, your focus on speed over attention to detail may win you the race but might just come back to bite you in the long run. Pun intended. Bad jokes aside, as important as trailblazers are to any cause, it is just as, if not more important to secure any gains made against any new Anita Bryant types!
Taurus Whether or not slow and steady wins the race is one question; whether or not that even matters another. There is a distinct beauty in doing things at your own pace – and that’s not even talking about all the flowers you get to enjoy along the road! Ironically, it can bring a certain laid-backness to what is often perceived as your “stubborn dedication”. Because as practical and down-to-earth as you may seem, you have a very deep sense of appreciation for beauty and sensuality. And rightfully so: isn’t beauty that which makes life worth living? Joy and enjoyment are, ultimately, a form of resistance — an unfortunately needed one in times when queer existence is being increasingly threatened…
Gemini “Panta rei” – “everything flows”, meaning life itself is constant change and, in reverse, stagnation is death. That may be putting it a bit drastically, but it sure seems like the message you, more so than anyone else, have internalized. Haters may call you “two-faced” or “mercurial” or other things in that vein, but ultimately, even that recognizes your adaptability, spontaneity, and ability to quickly analyze things from different perspectives! That said, you do have a certain tendency to move too fast and leave things unfinished left and right… which might strain your relationships. A little more consistency might make things easier for those around you. And objectively speaking, trying on new pronouns every week might be a bit much for anyone to keep up with!
Cancer It’s a bit ironic how prone to codependency someone as self-protective as you can be! No shade, though, it’s almost a (negative) cliché, especially for sapphics! It’s somewhat understandable, really, seeing how your nurturing tendencies push you toward a caretaker role and how hard it can be for you to let people in… The latter makes it especially hard to accept that, no, you were wrong and how reality and your mental image may be quite distinct. But as tough as that pill may be to swallow, there is no point in desperately clinging to a situation that is only hurting you just to keep the dream alive a little longer… And yes, learning how to set healthy boundaries is hard, but the alternative is either lingering in unhealthy compromise or hiding yourself away behind ever-growing walls and, let’s face it, is that what you really want?
Leo You certainly live your life as the main character, and that is definitely a quality that more people should possess, or that might at least help lead happier lives. That said, expecting others to treat you like the main character might be a little less productive… But – as with pretty much everything else – this is not something that you like to hear nor, let’s face it, something that you’ll listen to. Granted, facing tough realities is never pleasant and people need to make their own mistakes in order to learn from them, but even that may be difficult to square with your sense of pride! As entrenched as your flair for the dramatic may be, there is no point in going full-on tragedy and sticking it out until the bitter end. Because there is literally no such thing. In other words, sometimes it might just pay off in the long run to listen to the queer elders in your community – as tough as it may be to let them have the limelight every now and then.
Virgo Don’t let the haters get to you, alright? Sure, some may be put off by what they perceive as your “all work no fun” attitude, but if they can’t see how kind, loyal and patient you are as a friend or partner – not to mention that you seem to always have a solution to offer if needed – it’s their loss! And yes, this also and especially applies to your biggest hater of all: your inner critic! “Flaws are not defects” – this applies both to yourself and to those around you! Self-compassion is especially important in what looks like increasingly scary times for the queer community… No point in overthinking it, though; rather, it might just be more productive to find the beauty in imperfections and build community rather than (over)focusing on what could be – both the good and the bad!
Libra Let’s get “straight” to it, shall we? Not everyone will like you. That’s just not possible. And though this might be hard for you to accept, it’s ok! While there is of course nothing wrong with wanting to be liked by “people”, whether they like you or not doesn’t dictate your worth! So, no point in bending yourself out of shape just to please people you’ll never win over, no matter what! Try focusing instead on your found family rather than expending your energy on futile attempts at garnering acceptance from lost causes, on genuine emotional connection rather than popularity. In other words, rather than trying to make those feel special who don’t deserve it, give your time and attention to those who make you feel special! Because you deserve it!
Scorpio Honesty and openness should be a two-way street, you know? That’s not to say you’re dishonest, mind you, but rather that, while you yourself seem allergic to people not being straightforward with you, you yourself tend to be quite secretive…However, neither of those things are bad per se, but, on the opposite, quite relatable in a community in which trauma is still all too common! And no, this is not about hypocrisy – people are complex, after all! Rather, the deep emotional connections that you crave, are difficult to build on foundation other than mutual trust and openness. No one will deny that that may lead to hurt, but walling yourself off eternally is no way of living and don’t forget that you have people in your life who care about you, so you won’t have to bear it all on your own should it come to it!
Sagittarius Remember the saying “curiosity killed the cat”? Not that anything would ever be able to curb your insatiable curiosity in the slightest… But be mindful, you might end up biting off more than you can chew – and probably have already done so in the past! No point in dwelling too much on that, considering your ability to take more or less nothing (too) seriously and your focus on the inevitable mutability of all things have so far enabled you to keep moving no matter what. Try not to simply brush off the past either! Wounds left untended may just fester and you might not immediately notice when you cross the line between your signature shade-throwing and spewing rancor… And life is, ultimately, just simply too short for bitterness and regrets! Especially since, unlike cats, you only get one life!
Capricorn You sure know what you want and you know that you’ll get there! Eventually, as long and whatever it may take! And while it’s definitely always refreshing to meet someone who doesn’t just talk a big game but does their absolute darndest to live their dream, it also comes with a certain single-mindedness. As in you won’t even try to stop and smell the flower along the road because what flowers? In other words, you tend to be so focused on your goals that you sometimes seem completely unable to appreciate the present moment – both the good and the bad. This begs the question: what will you do once you get there? Just chase the next peak? What will have been the point of it all if you haven’t enjoyed the journey at least a little? Try comparing it to the duality of pride: yes, it should be a riot, be political, since there’s still so much to be done, but it’s also important for it to be a celebration!
Aquarius For someone as intellectually curious as yourself, it can be surprisingly hard to change your mind once it’s made up. And it’s not as if it were simply stubbornness either: it’s also the expression of the deeply-held convictions that serve as your driving force! That said, as you probably know best, every idea and every conviction deserves to be critically questioned and that includes your own – as hard as it may be to change perspectives once you’re committed to an intellectual framework! This is even more important considering how there just are things that cannot be only understood through intellect but may need a more empathy- or intuition-based approach! And who knows? You might just get a better understanding of the “new”, more “outlandish” gender identities popping up these days if you approach the topic from your own love for non-conformity!
Pisces The first rule when saving a drowning person is to be sure that it won’t endanger you in the process! Because no one will be served by suddenly having two people drown instead of just one! So, yes, there is in fact such a thing as too much selflessness and, ironically maybe if we’re being real about it, theirs is something inherently selfish to willing martyrdom… Especially so seeing how these things are not quite black and white, à la selfishness bad – selflessness good! It’s all about the just measure in the end, as the above-mentioned example person might illustrate! In other words, in order to play the part of the caretaker effectively, you might need to learn a bit better how to take care of yourself first! And never forget that a partnership should be a two-way street, lest there be resentment slowly building on one or more sides…
Illustrations: Viktoria Mladenovski
