Count on your emotions to get intense after the moon enters Scorpio early this morning. This could mean frustration and even conflict at first as the moon squares off with aggressive Mars in the morning. But by midday, when the moon and sun find a balance, it’s more likely to amplify sweet and loving feelings than negative ones. Put your energy into connecting with the people around you, and it’ll pay off in the form of stronger, more understanding relationships.

You tend to resist being told what to do; you’ve got a tough, independent streak that makes you hard to push around. And you’re uninterested in bossing anyone else around, either (for the most part, anyway). You’re too busy with your own life to worry about what other people are up to. Today, though, you might find yourself thrust into a leadership role or required to take responsibility for others. Trust that you have what it takes, stay kind, and rise to the occasion.

Your social instincts are sharp. You’re good at getting along with all kinds of people, and you know how to avoid coming across as rude or overbearing. But sometimes you get tired of soft-pedaling and dropping tactful hints. It would save everyone so much time and energy if you could collectively agree to say what you really mean. Make a point of being honest today: There’s no need to be rude, but there’s no need to tiptoe around the truth either. A bit of forthrightness could be what everyone needs now.

Some people struggle to come up with ideas or to imagine different futures. If anything, you have the opposite problem: Your mind is rarely idle, and it’s constantly coming up with new plans. Try to remember that just because an idea is interesting, that doesn’t mean you have to run with it; just because you could succeed at something, that doesn’t mean you have to. You’ve got the skills and passion to take on all manner of projects, but your time and energy are finite. Don’t spend them on anything you don’t truly care about.

When you’re not in the mood to be the center of attention, people might assume that means you want to be left alone completely. But that couldn’t be further from the truth — at least not today. You want connection, not solitude. Try to make a point of spending one-on-one time with the people you care about. In bigger groups, your energy might get drowned out, but when you’re able to connect on a deeper, more personal level, your wit and charm will shine through.

Sometimes you worry that others only want you around when you’ve turned the charm all the way up. They like you when you’re dazzling and funny, when you’re entertaining everyone in the room — and you like this part of yourself, too. But it can feel like they always need you to be the life of the party, like they don’t appreciate you when you’re feeling quieter. If you let your gentle, low-key, or simply exhausted side show today, you’ll see that the people in your life love you in these moments, too.

Your friends often encourage you to demand recognition for your contributions, to stop being so reticent about sharing your accomplishments. But you can’t help it; you tend to be humble by nature. You’d rather honor the people who helped you along the way than talk up your own achievements. Remember that it isn’t wrong to want to be acknowledged and celebrated. Even if you don’t always thrive on attention, it’s still okay to want it — and ask for it — every once in a while.

It can frustrate you that the people in your life seem to have the same conversations or repeat the same stories, again and again. You’re sick of feeling like you’re in an endless loop where nothing important ever changes. But today, you might come to appreciate the repetition in a new way. There’s comfort in the familiarity of old stories and jokes. And if you pay close enough attention, you’ll find that the details shift, the delivery alters subtly, and it’s possible to be interested in (and surprised by!) the things that used to seem dull and predictable.

You keep your true thoughts under wraps sometimes, especially when you suspect the people around you won’t get it. You’d rather not have to constantly explain yourself, and the promise of connection doesn’t seem worth the risk of being misunderstood. See what happens if you open up anyway; you may find that you underestimated some of the people in your life. If you make the effort to share your ideas, you might find that those people are sharper or more understanding than you feared. Either way, it’ll feel good to have your voice heard.

You’ve been dwelling on the small, awkward moments in your relationships lately: the interactions you wish had gone differently, the heated comments you now regret. All your mistakes keep replaying in your mind, and you feel haunted by the worst version of yourself. It can be tempting to hide from the world when you feel this way, but today, that’ll only make you feel worse. If you get out of your own head and spend time with others, you’ll see that they’re much less hard on you than you are on yourself.

People don’t always recognize this about you, but you tend to be deeply attuned to others’ emotions. You’re good at reading between the lines and picking up on emotional subtext, but you also understand that it’s often not your business to pry. You value your own privacy, and you assume others do, too. It might be worth initiating the kind of emotional conversations you often back away from today. People are likely to welcome the attention, and communicating on a deeper level will feel good for both of you.

A part of you has felt concerned about how you come across to others lately. You want them to think well of you and your life, but you worry that your achievements aren’t impressive enough, that everyone else has done more or better. Stop comparing yourself to anyone else. What others do with their lives is their business; you don’t need to compete. If you’re living in alignment with your values and you’re doing the best you can, that’s enough to garner the respect you’re longing for — at least from the people who matter most.

Your inner world is lively and interesting, a rich tapestry of dreams and ideas and feelings. Even so, you occasionally get bored. You know yourself too well, and you can predict your own emotions and reactions too easily. For once, you’d like to experience something new. If you’re feeling restless in your own skin today, make a point of spending time with other people, listening to their thoughts, even debating your conflicting opinions. You might not agree with everything they say, but they’ll bring some fresh air into your life.

Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.