Weekly Horoscopes for the Week of December 12 by the Cut

Sinéad O’Connor, a Sagittarius.
Photo-Illustration: by Preeti Kinha; Photos: Getty Images

This week, the waning moon sets the scene for personal reflection as it moves through Leo, Virgo, and Libra. This is your time to process last week’s chaotic full moon and to make peace with the ways that it disrupted your life. Remember that Mars will remain retrograde through mid-January, so your motivation is likely to be low and your desires murky. Plans you make right now likely won’t pan out — at least, not in the ways that you intend and hope. So give yourself permission to take your foot off the gas. You’re more than your productivity, your résumé, your biggest achievements; be gentle with yourself.

This week, expect to be surprised. Friends you didn’t consider particularly funny might suddenly make you laugh; acquaintances you thought hardly cared about you will show up to fight on your behalf. Let this be a reminder that you too can be unpredictable in wonderful ways. The people around you think they know exactly what you’re made of, but chances are they’re missing something important. (You’re probably underestimating yourself, too.) You can be braver or sweeter or cooler than anyone is expecting. Make the most of it.

Like everybody does at times, you’ve been feeling as if the world is determined to chip away at your confidence. Loneliness, stress, and disappointment all add up to you doubting yourself. This week, the key is not to sit around and wait for your life or your mood to turn around. If you want your old self-assuredness back, you have to rebuild it, piece by piece. Take on small challenges, then bigger ones. Act like the bravest version of yourself, even if you don’t feel especially courageous. You can prove to yourself that you’re equal to any obstacle.

Lately you’ve been trying to assert your boundaries, but it’s not easy. When you’re used to putting a friend or partner’s preferences, desires, or values ahead of your own, it’s hard not to feel guilty about standing up for yourself. And when others have grown comfortable with this dynamic, they don’t always react well when you start to say no. When you attempt to change established relationship patterns, conflict often follows. This week, don’t shy away from it. Don’t be needlessly combative, obviously, but you don’t have to be nice all the time, either. You deserve relationships that support and affirm you.

If you want to grow as a person, to become kinder or wiser, or develop new skills, you can’t only be receptive to praise. You have to accept criticism, too. You know this, and so you’ve done your best to develop a thick skin, to learn to take in unflattering feedback. This week, though, it’s important to remember that not every judgment is worth your careful consideration. Some people don’t have the experience or perspective needed to be constructive. Certain others don’t have your best interests in…