H S ORO COPE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018

Conjunction of the Sun and Uranus

The saying “Don’t shoot the messenger” speaks to the common error of associating bad news with the neutral party who has the misfortune of delivering it. Today’s sun-Uranus conjunction suggests that people can have an unpredictable response to the criticism, advice or even praise they hear. The safe choice: Mind your own business.

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Humans are fallible creatures with a strong capacity to learn and grow. It’s why you don’t even mind when someone criticizes you today. It’s a chance to improve and maybe even solve something you’ve been struggling with.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

The wise Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius suggested that it is not the external things that pain us, but our judgment of them, which is within our power to wipe out. To alleviate stress, you’ll change your mind about something today.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Some people throw stones; other people build with them. Figure out whom you’re dealing with and what they can and can’t be trusted with. What hangs in the balance here may be your heart.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

When people act out of love, it brings them together. When they act out of fear, it drives them apart. This is why no one can be forced, intimidated or manipulated into loyalty, affection or love.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

Ask any pilot: Course correction is more or less a constant in the air. To avoid the storms, air traffic and more, pilots and autopilots are constantly making adjustments to the flight plan. Today’s course will require this of you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

So much about the interactions of the day won’t be personal. Stay a bit detached to better see how things work. Bottom line: The person you want to pay attention to you will need some extra reason to do so.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

As for the rules of the game, it’s not what they are that matter -- rather, it’s that all of the players agree on what they are. To know this for sure, you may have to break it down point by point.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

The cosmic suggestion is to throw kindness like confetti -- which is to say, directly up, so it can rain down wherever. If you aim kindness, or confetti, too forcefully or directly, injury can occur.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

Take a look around you to determine whether your surroundings are supporting you in the direction you want to grow. Location isn’t everything, but right now it’s much, much more important than you might have guessed.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

You’d like to be sure you’re on the same page as those under your charge. But if you give them too much of the plan up front, they’ll either be intimidated by the task, or they’ll second-guess you. Keep it on a need-to-know basis.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18).

People will do illogical things to regain power. They will act irrationally to preserve a sense of self or the continuity of their personal story. If you want them to be predictable and manageable, pose no threat whatsoever.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).

Small problems, if not corrected, can become big problems. Good news: It won’t take you very long at all to rectify the seemingly little and inconsequential issues (that actually have great potential for consequence).

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April 18).

There’s something new to want out of this year. It may seem overly simplistic, but it’s really the way it will go: You’ll believe in yourself, and you’ll make it happen. You’ll change your morning ritual in May, and this will change everything. Friends and family will contribute differently than they did before. A gamble pays off in November. Libra and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 2, 22, 8 and 43.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION:

“I work in sales. A representative from a competing company approached me last week and said they’ve heard about my work and they want me to come work for them with a salary increase of 25 percent. I never signed a noncompete clause with my current company, so I’m free to go. But something feels funny about this, as if it’s too good to be true. What do my stars say? I’m an Aries with Mercury in Aries, too.”

Your birthday is also called a solar return, as it is the time of year the sun returns to the part of the sky it was in at your birth. It’s an opportunity-filled time and you are typically filled with confidence and the spirit of adventure at this time of year. The important thing to consider about the job offer will be the factors that are not financial. Can you see yourself being happy with the company and the people? What are the hours like? Can you get behind the product? Think about the long term with this decision. Will you be burning bridges by making the leap? Your gut is telling you something and it would be foolish to ignore that.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Socialite and businesswoman Kourtney Kardashian is an Aries with Mercury and Mars in the fiery sign, as well. These stars show intensity and a certain fearlessness. A moon in Capricorn indicates tremendous business savvy and a desire to amass concrete assets. The Capricorn influence adds some down-to-earth grounding to all that passionate Aries energy.

Write Holiday Mathis at holidaymathis@gmail.com.

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