HOROSCOPE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2018 Moon of True and False Confidence the faintest “Act natural” clue as they to the say, nature not having of the person guarded they and direct. self-conscious Sometimes is as feeling “natural” as it gets. What they really mean is to act (SET ITAL) confident (END ITAL) even though that feels somewhat unnatural. The daring and sociable Sagittarius moon favors the brave and those who act like them. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You can start small or start big and your chances of winning the first time out are the same. It just depends on how many people you want to involve. There’s no right answer. This is a matter of personal style and preference.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You can’t always run away from the thing that’s draining your energy. However, if you look for a workaround today, then you’re very likely to find a set of alternative behaviors, tools, hacks, rules or procedures to plug the drain. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There are people you want to know, but haven’t reached out to yet. There will be an excellent opportunity to say a quick hello, which will be the perfect start to the relationship. Brevity will be key.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your eyes go where your heart most wants them to go. And that’s exactly how it is for that interested party across the room who keeps looking in your direction. Catch the signal. Someone is smitten! LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll be getting to know interesting people, and will be intrigued by the minutia of how they live. You’ll ask the kind of really good questions that are not too intrusive and yet they crack the story wide open. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your schedule is filling up. Block out sacred time for yourself, or that time will be snatched up. If you’re not sure about a commitment, politely decline now. If you let it linger, then it will take up too much mental space. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There’ve been times when the very thing that was supposed to help you only made things worse. That’s why you’re now much more selective about accepting help. Nonetheless, you’ll have excellent options today. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Empathy comes easily to you. You don’t even see it as selfless because empathy gives you an edge. It lets you see and understand someone else’s side. In a way, it gives you more lives than just your own. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Good questions, well-timed, can open hearts and minds. It will be as though you’ve found the secret doorway in what you once assumed was just a wall.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). As much as you’d like to go play, you won’t feel good about it until a certain project is completed. You’re almost to the finish line. Your powers of focus are fierce. You can do this. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll find it necessary to challenge conventional attitudes, at least in your own head. You have fresh insights to shine on the matter. Work them out on your own and with your trusted inner circle before going public. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There’s someone who wants your attention and is trying various ways to get it. Are you flattered? Perhaps you didn’t even notice. You are, after all, very involved in what you’re doing today, which is part of the attraction. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 10). People will pay for your talent. You haven’t always been able to afford to cater to your own exceptional taste, but this solar return shows that you are able to give yourself the things you want. Other highlights include informal schooling, a very memorable gift and a stint of tourism that changes your worldview. Libra and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 30, 33, 28 and 14. ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “What would you say the perfect first date would be for a Taurus guy and Libra girl? I don’t want to spend so much money that I set a precedent I can’t keep up with. That said, she is special, and I want to make an impression. She makes me so nervous that I sometimes wonder if I’m ready to ask her out. Maybe I should wait. I’m not afraid she’ll say no, and I’m afraid she’ll say yes. Please advise.”

The irony of impressions: The more you want to make a good impression, the less empowered you are to do so. The best impressions are made when you don’t care what they think. If you have to act like someone you’re not and she likes it, you’re in a worse position because the one she likes isn’t really you. Instead focus on having this type of attitude: Here I am, for reals. If that works for her, great. If it doesn’t, good to know, and it’s nothing personal.

I think you’re ready to ask her and you should. A happy hour somewhere nice will be more comfortable and casual (and less expensive) than dinner. As two Venus-ruled signs, you should find it easy to communicate. Listen more than you talk. Libra women can’t resist a good listener and a spiffy dresser.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Country star Miranda Lambert recently announced the launch of a clothing, boot and accessories line, Idyllwind. The Scorpio songstress, designer and philanthropist was born with four luminaries in Scorpio, the sign of transformation. Lambert thrives on change and welcomes the opportunity to apply her artistic spirit to different kinds of ventures. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2018 Double 11s In numerology, 11 is considered to be extremely auspicious, signifying

fateful qualities, indicating high levels of magnetism and pointing to a porthole to enlightenment and wonders beyond. As the 11s double up this November day, consider doubling down on a risk you’ve been afraid to take. Fortune will favor you. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Understand more, fear less. It’s not really a goal; it’s just the natural result when you lead with your curious mind and follow up with your courteous ways.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The good thing about envy is that it gives people a window into their potential that they may not have seen before. We tend to be envious of the things that we have in us to accomplish. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll run into another one of love’s paradoxes: You want someone to put your happiness first, but this can happen only when you put another’s first. It works out best when two people can be made happy by the same sorts of things.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Sometimes it feels like you against the world when it’s really only you against a few things that didn’t go immediately right. After you take a breath and adjust your attitude, try again; the world will get on your side. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your style isn’t just how you dress or what you own; it’s much deeper than that. It’s a mood, a tone, a way of moving about the world. Your outside is changing to reflect the new style emerging in you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Beauty exists in the mind. It’s only an idea, but it’s a contagious one. You’ll see beauty and enhance it with the quality of your attention. Then others who didn’t see it before will see it, too. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It’s once again time to get rid of some superfluous things. This is becoming easier for you because the benefits are so rewarding. Eliminate what you don’t need so that what you do need will become clear. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Do research before you take out your wallet. You will either save a bundle or wind up spending about the same but feeling much better about it because you investigated other options. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Sorrow is impermanent, and faith is essential. Think back to the younger you. Wouldn’t you rush back and share the message if you could? Your efforts are not in vain, and neither are your dreams. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It’s one thing to get attention and another thing to hold it. The same goes for power, love, money and any number of possessions. Attaining tends to be easier than maintaining. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You assume responsibility for the fulfillment of your loved one’s needs. Whether this should be the case is another discussion, though unquestionably, you’re made stronger by your caring efforts. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). When does self-care become self-indulgence? The difference between what feels good and what is good for you is known by your higher mind. Hint: Self-care counts toward health; self-indulgence subtracts from it. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 11). The firsts in life are always the most memorable -- for instance, the first kiss or the first time you drive alone. You’ll be surprised and delighted by what sort of firsts come up this year. Other highlights include an award given by your peers, a meaningful dance or artful expression, and a far-flung gathering. Leo and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 17, 9, 22, 29 and 15. FORECAST FOR THE WEEK

AHEAD: On the same day that Venus goes direct, Mercury goes retrograde, as though to create a cosmic balance. On the theme of balance, a few words about this tenuous state.

There may appear to be things on this plane of existence that balance themselves naturally, but usually that only happens after there’s an incident or some kind of scuffle in which the boundaries become known and then everything settles where it can more or less comfortably exist.

In other words, naturally occurring balance may be a myth. Things only appear balanced because we happen to be looking at them at a time when they are balancing. Before the balance, there was chaos -- explosion, collision, falling -- and when the balance gets tipped again, things will return to the chaotic state.

Balance takes strength. Balance can look as if it is the result of a process, but balance is actually a process itself, in that it is continual work.

If you feel as if you’re struggling more than others to achieve balance, you’re probably not. You just aren’t seeing their struggles, while you’re intimately involved in your own. After some struggle, you may hit a patch of effortlessness. It’s because you’ve become strong. Your struggles made you strong. Savor the moment of beauty, and know that there will be more struggle ahead, as it must be. This is the vigor of life. CELEBRITY PROFILES: Whether he’s playing a hunky heartthrob, a mad genius or a plucky criminal, the craft, commitment and talent of Leonardo Dicaprio shine through his many roles. There’s a brooding intensity to the movie star’s natal chart, courtesy of the fact that his sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all in Scorpio, indicative of a sincere desire to understand the way people work from the inside out. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2018 Power Pluto-capricorn Conjunction

Power is responsibility, and responsibility is power. To assume power without assuming responsibility is impossible. False power may present

a temporary illusion, but it will always be shattered by the emergence of true power. This is the message of lunar conjunction of Pluto in Capricorn, the station of both power and responsibility.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Somewhere along this timeline, you’re going to decide to stop forcing yourself to do other people’s version of fun and stick to the version that’s all your own. Why not now? TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When hearts break, they don’t heal all at once. In William Shakespeare’s “Othello,” Iago says, “How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” You may still feel it. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your life flows best when you recognize what you need and you give yourself those essentials plus a pinch more for luck. But no more than a pinch! Because going too far past the essentials would set you back or get you stuck.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Setting yourself up to succeed will involve recognizing what and how much you can do and seeking help for the tasks that are likely to go beyond those limits.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll step into a teaching position today. The education will go beyond you when you choose your pupils well. Who is likely to pay it forward? Who with ties to the group needs the information most?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The one you think of as a hero didn’t aim for the role but landed there quite by accident. Having much preferred an easier, more ordinary route, this person found that life had other plans. You, too, will rise to the occasion when the time comes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Physical, mental and emotional self-care is rooted in many practices (e.g., eating your vegetables, exercising, facing your fears) that unfortunately don’t seem like fun at the outset but are nurturing of your best self. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When the situation calls for small talk, there’s no getting out of it, so you might as well use it for the opportunity it is. All conversation is a kind of personal brochure that shows people who you are and what you can do for them. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Part of doing the right thing is doing it at the right time. Arguably, part of what makes it the right thing is that it’s right in a certain moment. If you took the action too far out of context, it would no longer hold such virtue. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

Ever heard of “compassion fatigue”? It’s the sort of burnout that comes to those who care for and help everyone but themselves, to the extent that they become undernourished at all levels. Don’t let it happen. Be the priority today. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). If you are to devote yourself entirely to your challenge, you’ll need to put on blinders of a sort, to keep yourself from looking back or sideways. There is only one goal, and it is ahead. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Even in the closest of families, things get tricky around money. It’s best avoided today. This Greek proverb will steer you well: “Eat and drink with your relatives; do business with strangers.” TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 12). Welcome to your year of exceptional timing. In love, games and social fun, your impulse will auspiciously align with opportunity. More highlights this solar return: You’ll accomplish something you didn’t think you could. An event will go down in your personal history. And there will be a windfall to help you meet a goal. Pisces and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 40, 21, 10 and 30.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: “I’m a Scorpio, and maybe that makes me cynical, but I have a request for the general public: Stop telling me what to do! I’m tired of seeing posters and canvases and wall vinyl suggesting that I Live, Laugh, Love, Dream Big, Believe, Be Kind, etc. I’m sick of all the memes with clever sayings and quotations. Does your T-shirt really need to tell me your philosophy of life? Same for the bumper of your car. Just because I’m driving behind you doesn’t mean I want you to tell me how to vote or what to read in the Bible or anything else. When did everyone get so self-righteous and bossy? From now on, I will only be friends with or follow people who maintain healthy social boundaries and respect my right not to know their opinion when I haven’t asked for it. OK, that’s all I’ve got. Thanks for the horoscopes.”

I suppose that as the writer of the horoscopes, I am as guilty of telling you what to do as any meme or wall vinyl; they’re only suggestions, of course. Your Scorpion intuition is the only advice you really need. Thanks for writing! CELEBRITY PROFILES: What do Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears have in common with Ryan Gosling? They were all stars of Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club.” The child star turned A-list movie star was born when the sun, Mercury and Uranus were in sizzling Scorpio. During his birthday solar return, Gosling can be seen walking on the moon as Neil Armstrong in “First Man.”