**SCORPIO**
*(October 23 to November 21)*
Happy birthday, Scorpio! This month, remember that the aspect we find most disgusting about ourselves in an emotional sense might actually be the most beautiful thing about us when that thing isn’t warped by fear. Also, the deeper we go in exposing our feelings, the more we reveal the universal facets of the self: those qualities that connect us to others rather than pushing them away.
**SAGITTARIUS**
*(November 22 to December 21)*
Surrendering is not the worst thing that can happen to us — often, it’s the best. But how do we surrender? Letting go seems nebulous, lofty, and like something other people can do, but not you. The thing is that we aren’t ready to let go until the moment we’re ready to let go. Are you ready?
**CAPRICORN**
*(December 22 to January 19)*
I wouldn’t say that you are the most self-conscious of all the signs when it comes to asking for help but rather that you simply never think to do it. This month, remember that you can ask for help when things feel overwhelming. By asking for it, you are actually giving another person the gift of letting them know you trust them — and also giving them the ability to feel meaningful.
**AQUARIUS**
*(January 20 to February 18)*
When it comes to trolls online, I’m all about ignoring them. Ignore ignore ignore. But when it comes to trolls in real life, sometimes you can’t escape a situation. So what do you do? Do you fight the trolls? Hell no! You troll the trolls.
**PISCES**
*(February 19 to March 20)*
If you’re wondering why it feels like you’re looking through a dirty car windshield that, despite all your best efforts to clean it, remains dirty, consider this: You’ve been doing a whole lot of work on the outside. But what might be required is simply a thorough wipe-down on the inside.
**ARIES**
*(March 21 to April 19)*
So many of the problems in the world come from people who believe they are totally right. This month, let yourself off the hook from having to ever be right at all. In fact, look to be wrong. Being wrong feels really good when you aren’t wedded to your position. Another expression for this is the “beginner’s mind.” If the idea of this sounds awful to you, maybe just start by being wrong in one situation and seeing what happens.
**TAURUS**
*(April 20 to May 20)*
I’ve been listening to the Stephen Stills song “Love the One You’re With” a lot lately. (I live in California, where it’s very clearly not the ’60s anymore, but I like to pretend it still is.) The song is an ode to free love and fucking the one who is right beside you. But it’s also a pre-social-media anthem about being present for the one beside you, without distractions from other people who aren’t in the room. Try that this month.
**GEMINI**
*(May 21 to June 20)*
I’m not saying that everything happens for a reason, because really, how should I know? But I will say this: When you act as if the present moment is exactly as it should be, even if you wish it were otherwise, you’ll have a much better time.
**CANCER**
*(June 21 to July 22)*
If you aren’t praying for your haters, start praying for your haters! It’s kind of the best! First of all, your prayers are more about setting yourself free than anything to do with the people in them. And let’s be honest, in the end, who gives a fuck about them anyway? This is for you. An easy prayer is to simply say, “May they be happy, may they be healthy, may they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering, may they live in peace and ease, may they have a compassionate heart.”
**LEO**
*(July 23 to August 22)*
People say that feelings aren’t facts, but sometimes they really come close. This month, pay attention to any feelings that you squash down and ask yourself why you are squashing them. Are you afraid that they will hurt you? That you will get trapped in an undesirable emotional state? I’m not saying you have to feel the feeling. Go ahead and escape it if you want! But first, make a quick note of what it is and why you want out.
**VIRGO**
*(August 23 to September 22)*
I have a friend who says she has been completely healed of some very painful behavior patterns. I believe that is true for her, and I’ve seen it happen in my own life — or at least I’ve seen myself go into remission. But there are also certain pockets of my life that I withhold and just think, *No, this will never get better.* This month, perhaps you and I, as fellow Virgos, can both offer up one of those pockets and just see what happens. Remember, remission isn’t the permanent eradication of an illness. It’s a daily reprieve, often contingent on a certain set of daily actions.
**LIBRA**
*(September 23 to October 22)*
If you’re feeling depressed about the state of the world, look out for love. There is a lot of cruelty out there, but it’s also amazing that among us crazy humans, acts of love exist. Sometimes it’s annoying when love doesn’t manifest as a feeling but is more of an action. Personally, I’ve always wanted love to feel like heroin. But unlike heroin, loving is an action that’s always readily available.
*Melissa Broder is the author of four collections of poems, including* Last Sext *(Tin House 2016), as well as* So Sad Today, *a book of essays from Grand Central.*
