Weekly Horoscopes for the Week of September 12 by the Cut

War correspondent Marguerite Higgins, a Virgo.
Photo-Illustration: by Preeti Kinha; Photos: Getty

As this week begins, you may still be feeling the effects of Saturday’s full moon in Pisces. Barriers between you and the ones you love seemed at last to come down; roadblocks holding you back seemed to dissolve. It isn’t possible to hold onto this magical feeling forever, but try to for now. Stay connected to the side of yourself that’s compassionate instead of petty, imaginative instead of closed off. Life is not easy — Mercury is still retrograde, after all — but if you keep trying to approach the world, and the people in it, with an open heart, you’ll be better for it in the end.

There are times, like this week, when you miss the way you used to be: inexperienced but brave, reckless but pure of heart. These days, you feel like you’ve seen and experienced too much suffering to ever be truly fearless again. You’ve lost your old sense of limitless potential, and just feel cautious, contained. But it won’t always be like this. Your hard-won wisdom will remain, but your old wildness will come back to you eventually. The universe still holds wonderful possibilities — and they may not be infinite, but they’ll still surprise and amaze you.

You’ve already survived enough hardship and pain that many of your old fears no longer have any hold on you. It’s enough to make you believe — or want to — that you aren’t afraid of anything at all. But even if there’s not a soul on Earth left who can truly intimidate you, there are still other things that scare you: failure, loneliness, the uncertain future. This week, you have the chance to look at your fear head-on. You already know that you’re brave enough to face down all kinds of obstacles — so give yourself the chance to face this one, too.

Lately, you feel as though you’re doing everything according to other people’s schedules. When you want to take action, you’re stuck waiting for someone else to be ready. When you want to slow down, they persuade you to jump into action, to treat their urgent situations as your own. This week, do your best to honor your own rhythms, even if it causes some social awkwardness. As humans, we make compromises constantly — but it’s not fair or right for your own needs to come in last every time.

Caring deeply about other people doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to care about yourself, too — but it can feel that way. There’s a part of you that feels strangely apologetic for having a rich inner world that belongs to you alone, that feels guilt for not working and fighting and loving harder. This week, remember that you do not have to be “useful” in every moment of your life. Being human is about more than just being productive or “good.” Sometimes, it’s just about the beautiful, pointless pleasures of being alive.

You’re idealistic at heart, and have a strong and…