This week brings important lessons about examining your principles, standing your ground, and reframing difficult moments as learning opportunities. Here's your horoscope.

We all have our processes, but there will never be progress if we don't seek to understand where the other side is coming from. Even if people's beliefs were born in ignorance, they probably won't be dismantled in a fiery debate—especially if insults fly. By the same token, overstepping inappropriate behavior is a no-go.

The Mars–Saturn square could bring some much-needed "fight" to push back against a bully. This is a day for examining your principles. Are you operating from a clear sense of reality? Glossing over people's misdeeds or trying to paint sunshine over storm clouds? That will just intensify the backlash! Time to deal. Saturn in Capricorn forces an inspection. If the certificate of authenticity is not legit, don't slap on a fake label! Get real about where there's room for improvement and do what it will take to pull off a mission with integrity.

As much as people say they're not into games, let's be honest. The cat-and-mouse chase can be a huge turn-on...provided there's some sort of reward at the end of this minxy marathon. If you have the romantic risk tolerance, unravel a mysterious personality or push your bedroom game to new edges. But this transit is not for the faint of heart. Power struggles can erupt in a Fifty Shades kinda way—and people's intentions may be a bit more nefarious than they let on. And with Jupiter and Pluto holding court in Capricorn, business dealings could also be tinged with some shadowy behavior. Don't let people tug on your heartstrings (a pitfall of Venus in Cancer) only to emotionally manipulate you into a raw deal! Business is business. Beyond the social graces involved, leave the personal out of it.

This could go one of two ways. You'll either slip deeper down the rabbit hole of illusion, falling into victimhood and refusing to see a situation clearly, or pull back to the wide-angled view and have an epiphany about why "this" is happening. Rise above surface conflicts and ask yourself this: What is this moment revealing to me about my life? What if the ups and downs are teachable moments? Rigid boundaries may dissolve under this fairy-tale transit. Flow with the current instead of resisting the natural movement of life. Unfamiliar waters can be scary—and no one really loves to feel vulnerable or disoriented. But in the second half of the week, diving in may be necessary to unblock the defensive dam around your heart.