This week's horoscope.

A couple of near misses could have you on high alert this week?but should you be? After all, those close calls were with an event or person you can't be sure would be definitely bad (or good) for you. Be bold. The next time it whizzes toward you, step into the path of that particular karmic bullet. Trust your ability to turn most situations to your advantage, education and eventual advancement. Yes, it's still a kind of Russian Roulette, but your chances are excellent?nine times out of 10, you'll end up happier and better off. You're just that good.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Ask for what you want this week. This is a habit you've been cultivating in general, and hopefully you've found that if you clearly articulate your dearest desires, you're much more likely to get them. This week, particularly focus on your most important unmet need?this isn't necessarily the most pressing one, just the one that matters the most in the long run. Then figure out what would satisfy it, and just flat-out request it, in simply the most lucid and honest words possible, even if it means taking out a personals ad, making a phone call to a neglected rich uncle, or confronting your boss.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Reprogram yourself. Don't assume you've been immune to the kind of programming imparted to you by your parents, peers and society. Don't worry; this won't require that you listen to smarmy self-help tapes, subscribe to ridiculous cultish philosophies or do anything else you're naturally averse to. Simply acknowledge the new habit you'd like to acquire or the old one you'd like to lose, then diligently practice that wish, whether it's eating less junk food, going to the gym more often, or ditching your tobacco habit once and for all. If you start it this week, you have a better chance of your new way of life actually taking root and sticking with you than if you try it during any other week all winter.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Be a glutton for perspective. Seek out high places and other vantage points where you can see for long distances, catch glimpses of big pictures and just generally view your life through a wider lens than you have in half a year or more. Don't miss this window; if you achieve the whole-life panorama I'm wishing for you, it's yours to refer to for months to come. If you don't take the time to check it out now, you may not be able to find it again for the next month and a half, and you'll also be missing out on all the good shit you could do with your expanded viewpoint during those six weeks.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Rams start life with so much flash and pizzazz, it becomes your daily challenge to outdo yourself?until at some point you cross a line of karmic progression toward your astrological neighbors, the Taureans, where you understand the beauty of the spotlight, of presentation, but it's no longer the be-all, end-all of your existence. From then on you devote your life to quality, not just glory. Jump the gun and hop forward a few steps in your own evolution this week. You'll have several opportunities to choose momentary stardom over working for subtler, long-lasting achievements this week. Please let them slide on by.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Style matters to you Taureans. Sometimes, how you do something is almost as important as what you do. If you can't manage your goal with a little flair, you occasionally question whether or not to do it at all. Unfortunately, your panache levels are quite low this week, while your ability to get things done is at a three-month high. Don't waste it because your efforts may lack a little luster. They're still worthwhile, even if they don't seem thrilling and glorious. Besides, the people whose opinions you care the most about are more impressed by a solid, consistent record of accomplishment than they are about a few singular moments of brilliance.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You're in a game of dodgeball I wish you'd lose. You've been playing for a couple years now, and you've gotten so wily and agile that I despair that you'll never encounter a player good enough to knock you on your ass and give you what you so desperately need. On the one hand, when you finally do get a stinging slap in the face from an over-inflated emotional kickball, you'll know you've finally met your match, for good or ill. On the other, the person with whom you're exchanging volleys now could one day be your match (even if they're not now), if you'd just ease up long enough for them to catch up. This week, try that.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Fuck your feelings. I mean, by now you've gotten pretty good at harnessing their impressive force and letting them mostly function as strength, not handicap. They no longer justify quite the intensive focus you've lately devoted to them. So shift your attention away from the less-pressing needs of your soul, so you can actually notice the lucrative opportunities brought within reach by the Capricorn New Moon, out in the concrete world. You should have at least five chances this week to tangibly improve your lot in life. Bonus points go to any Cancer who catches and takes advantage of them all.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Leos are spenders. Whether it's cash, political capital or karmic currency, our tribe tends to exploit it lavishly, living like royalty (and helping our friends do the same; it's no fun being decadent alone), until it's all gone, at which point we're also quite good at hunkering down and living frugally until the next windfall or paycheck comes our way. However, I ask that you curb your natural (and in many ways admirable) instincts this week, because by saving just a little bit of whatever comes your way, you'll have much greater opportunities to spend it on far better things in the weeks to come, both for yourself and your chosen family.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Go sledding, if possible, or skydiving, or snowboarding, or anything along those lines. Your tendency to plan everything is great, and has earned you a rep as an eminently capable person. But it's good to remind yourself periodically of the joys of tumbling wildly out of control, even if only for a few minutes. It's good to let that feeling sink into your body and influence the way you live your life the rest of the time. So go do it; don't just nod and say, "He's right, I ought to remember that." Let the experience sink into your bones and then radiate outwards. You won't lose your ability to plan efficiently or get shit done. But you are likely to loosen your grip a little, be less anxious and have way, way more fun.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

There's a relationship in your life that's a little bit like caramel: so sweet it's sticking to your teeth and giving you cavities. I'm not saying it's bad for you, per se, but there could be ways to eliminate some of its unhealthier aspects without losing any of its deliciousness, sort of like diligently brushing your teeth immediately after eating sticky candy, so it wreaks as little havoc on your enamel as possible. Take those precautions this week. It's a win-win: You'll see a much better way to get along, and neither of you is likely to burn out or overdose for a long, long time.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

There's a difference between knowledgeable wrongdoing and an unconscious mistake. Errors in judgment far worse than anything you're capable of are generally more excusable because they're done without the awareness of what's so bad about them. Unfortunately, you can pretend no such naivete. Keep everything strictly on the up-and-up this week, lest you get called out for being less scrupulous or honorable than you really are. That's exactly the opposite of the kind of attention you need. Instead, lead by example, and just show off what you have in spades besides cleverness: integrity.

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