HOROSCOPE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Mars Asks: Stay or Go?

The position of Mercury to Mars presents a classic “Should I stay or should I go?” scenario, the tone of which would be best articulated by the classic punk rock band The Clash. As it unfolds in their 1982 song, going brings trouble, and double that for the staying. So essence of the question is, “How do you like your trouble?”

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

You won’t be able to put your finger on exactly what’s changed. You’re you, only happier. With a cursory look at the situation, it will be hard to say why. But closer examination just might reveal the culprit: love.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

The joke suggests we are all equal, but some are more equal than others. While you don’t believe you’re superior or special, you’ll get so much validation from the outside world today that it will be challenging to remain humble.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Should you do it? Someone in the media is doing it. A friend is doing it, and it’s working great for that person. But is it right for you? The question is, is it affordable for you? This one is really only worthy of a small risk.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

Revel in your amateur status in some regard today. Amateurs are not bound by the rules of taste or commerce that experts are held to. They can express more freely their unique take on the subject.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

When you listen to a band, you may be actually hearing five to 60 different instruments playing parts, but what you experience is a song. Don’t get too caught up in the elements today. None of them are all of you. You’re all of them.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

You’ll find yourself in a position to defend, confront or dance around an issue. Consider employing the enormously useful power of misdirection, as a distraction will do wonders for the situation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

They’ll tell you they need it sooner, that you should move faster, that it’s not quite enough. Before you move to appease them, consider whether or not these are truly reasonable requests.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Language will be the difference. It will make something happen instead of nothing. It will be the reason A happens instead of B. Put some thought, planning and intention behind your choice of words.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

Since you can’t very well surprise someone by giving them what they were expecting, you’ll think broader and more creatively before making your move.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

The yogic Triangle Pose, or Trikonasana, requires open eyes. Today will require similar balancing tactics. Find a point of focus in your sky-high dreams while grounding yourself. Reach up and down at the same time.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18).

The power move will be to recognize where you’re not as strong, and where there might be gaps in your resources or knowledge, and then plan a way to solve for those gaps.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).

You’ve been surprised before by your friend’s uncharacteristic behavior, only now it’s not surprising because it has indeed become a part of the character you now understand your friend to possess.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 28).

Let your loved ones celebrate you. This will strengthen relationships and keep them from taking you for granted, too! You’re getting faster at delivering stellar results, and your profits will reflect it. Next month brings three new friends. Sign a deal in May and/or December. In June, invest in a lifestyle that suits you better. Leo and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 4, 33, 27 and 11.

COSMICALLY CURIOUS ABOUT... SELF-PARENTING (PART EIGHT):

The road to maturity involves becoming an increasingly adept parent to oneself. The biggest challenge for LIBRA in the area of self-parenting is in letting the inner child indulge in some of the less desirable childish behaviors, such as selfishness and messiness. These indulgences upset Libras innate sense of order, beauty and partnership. The scales represent the Libran ethos of equality, but of course most children aren’t born feeling equal. Most children are born feeling like the center of the entire universe, as we are all to some degree charged with our own survival from day one. Each must fight to breathe and thrive out of the womb. Or as my grandmother says, “No one comes out offering others the first sandwich.”

Libra quickly develops into a partner, a team player and a group contributor, but if the inner child is denied too often, too soon or too strictly Libra will only suffer in the long run. It is only by allowing the voice of the wild child inside to be heard that Libra truly feels the fullness of adulthood. Ideally Libra will tolerate (or better yet, celebrate) the occasional tantrum and in doing so ultimately have greater powers of self-control, moderation and compassion toward others.

CELEBRITY PROFILES:

Happy birthday to “Broadway Baby” Bernadette Peters! The multiple Tony Award-winning Peters is a sensitive Pisces with Mars (the career planet), Saturn (the planet of lessons) and Pluto (the planet of unseen forces) all in the sign of entertainment, Leo. Pisces comes with deeply empathetic talents, and Peters has been known to direct hers toward funding animal shelters with charity Broadway Barks.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis@gmail.com.