Horoscope

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2019 Mercury Leads the Way

Lao Tzu said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘we did it ourselves.’” This change of Mercury into powerful Capricorn, the sign of authority figures, is a chance to choose who you will follow, reassess past decisions and align with those whose agendas serve the whole.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You can think of a challenge as an unfair obstacle thrown into your path or you can think of it as a test to reveal just how far you’ve come, how capable you are and where to focus your efforts toward mastery.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). On the one hand, creative people can get easily bored by circumstances that don’t inspire them. On the other hand, remarkably creative ideas are born by pushing through that boredom into new possibilities.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The social media influencer lost followers by superimposing herself onto Paris instead of actually going there. There is no substitute for showing up in real life, and everyone knows the difference.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Symptoms are never the problem. Symptoms are the SOS message in a bottle sent from the island of the problem. Avoid picking up the bottle and trying to comfort it. Go find the island. That’s where help is needed.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). We’re always changing, just not always in the direction we want to change. That’s why everyone needs a witness. Trusted friends and loved ones, competent professions and objective strangers provide an outside perspective.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Some shrink from danger. Others seek it. And you do neither. You meet life as it comes, assess your risk and act. This is the cool-headed approach of confident living.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It will be pretty easy to get your way today. It only involves a couple steps. 1. Establish a line of communication. 2. Ask. The heavens are arranged to favor your diplomatic skill.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Write about your daily life including the small details of food, self-care, thoughts and routines. You’ll gain objectivity, insight and appreciation that extends both inward and outward.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You respect a careful decision-making process when you see it and will take into consideration other people’s experiences before you make your own choice. This is the smart way, and it will pay off, too.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You will give people what they want, only if you’re sure you can do so for all the right reasons. To avoid future resentment, figure out what’s in it for you. If the answer is only “charity,” and you feel good about it, that’s enough.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). A glance has meaning. Minute gestures convey deep and complicated emotions. Attention flows to certain things and doesn’t flow to others and the trail of that attention is a journey and a story.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You know the difference between small gifts and great ones. It has nothing to do with size or monetary value and everything to do with the intention, affection and care that goes into the package.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 28).

This solar return inclines you toward the deeper recesses of the soul. Where you were clueless, you will gain clues that lead to treasures both personal and professional. A victory in March will be a highlight, as will the work you do with someone younger and the learning you obtain in a formal environment. Taurus and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 38, 7, 20, 22 and 16

COUNT DOWN TO 2020: With the Mercury change, we’re thinking about the improvements we’ll make in 2020. It is easier to improve when you’re dealing in the realm of that which can be described and executed with clear and factual information. But most of the things you want to improve upon (relationships, fitness, body image, performance mindset) touch into the field of emotion, which automatically requires solutions that are as nuanced, complex and subjective as the issue at hand. All you can do is your best.

The practical earth sign energy that’s prevalent in these skies suggests that one approach that could help is to stick to a scientific method as closely as possible. What about the problem is measurable? Start there. And be as honest as possible with your assessments. Maybe the picture you’re looking at is so far off from the ideal that it brings up intense feelings and a tendency toward overwhelm. That’s when to focus smaller. Tone down the ambition. Opt for explanations instead of excuses. Explanations are relatively unbiased accountings of what happened, akin to pure data. Excuses are emotional buffers thrown into the gap of what happened and what was expected. They are less helpful than explanations because their emotional charge makes them messy and malleable. Venus traveling in Aquarius will be an ally in attaining the kind of perspective that helps exciting breakthroughs happen.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: John Legend has been crooning through the season with the release of a deluxe version of his album “A Legendary Christmas.” The Capricorn star began his career collaborating with charttopping artists and soon went to the top with his own No. 1 single “All of Me.” Natal moon and Mercury in Sagittarius bring the passion and sophistication while Jupiter in Leo is all showmanship.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 Mercury Goes Vegan

How do you like the Capricorn journey of Mercury so far? Not exactly candy and leisure, Capricorn energy likes to remind us that a good life involves doing what you don’t want to do, and a great life involves doing even more of what you don’t want to do. The habits that will sustain us will be hard-won and something akin to eating vegetables.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your desire to obtain worldly success will impress. It’s as though you just don’t see the limits, and therefore, the limits, if they are there at all, don’t pertain to you today.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You wonder how you will accomplish everything on your list. Indeed, it’s not possible for you to do it alone. Break it down into two categories: what is easy to teach and delegate, and what can only be done by you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). People want to earn what they get. Don’t offer rewards without considering this principle. Asking people to do something small and easy will be better than giving anything away for free today.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The old saying goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This grammatically incorrect adage will save you time and money today while freeing you to focus on what really is “broke.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You call people back when you’re ready to and when you have a reason that’s compelling enough, and this goes both ways. Therefore, you are at ease with the timing of life. It’s something to figure out, not rail against.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll be fired up to make money, and an important deal will come together for you as though it were entirely ruled by your attitude and will. Maybe this is really the case!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You typically think of tackling domestic chores as a means to an end, but today you’ll find that any efforts you make to clean, clear and organize your world

will be engaging, interesting and even enjoyable.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your people will be a little like the door to a shop today. You’ll have to push a bit to get in and do some business, but not too hard or too forcefully. Lean in a bit to figure out what’s needed.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There is little that compares to the excitement of someone understanding your value and challenging you to learn and be and bring even more to the table.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You don’t always care about the same things your loved ones do, but today will bring exciting developments in projects of significance to you and yours.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Every bargain you strike involves your end (the one you have complete control over) and theirs (the one up for your influence, reward, bribery, leverage and threats and yet is still ultimately theirs to control).

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Success involves a checklist. The beauty of a checklist is that each item is given equal real estate on the list and you are prevented from missing both the obvious things and the not-so-obvious things.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 29).

It’s a passionate solar journey ahead. You’ll get the sort of attention and experiences you most crave. Because you learn to trust life, you’ll revert to a childlike wonder and impose a few unrealistic expectations on it, thus striking up an exciting future. You’ll enjoy a reward that goes to but an elite few. Libra and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 3, 33, 39 and 45.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK

AHEAD: The final sweet send-off of the year will be a lucky trine between Mercury in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus. If you’ve been unafraid to mention what you want because you thought it was too big of an ask or because you couldn’t see the practicality of getting it, strongly consider lodging a request to the universe. What you very well may learn is that it is not up to you to decide the scale or parameters of what is doable. In many cases, getting what you want will help others. Anyway, it’s important to face fear and challenge our trepidation. The worst that could happen is being denied or judged, both of which have more to do with those issuing denial and judgment than with the source of a request.

The new year opens in the solemn spirit of the Pisces moon and wastes no time getting into action with a lunar shift into Aries and a powerful conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter in Capricorn. This aspect serves as a checklist in the sky. It’s as though the universe is telling us exactly the moves to make in order to create a particular outcome. The bad news is that there will be no shortcuts. The good news is that there will be no secret requirements. Results go to those who are willing to start doing the work and checking those boxes.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Over three decades of stardom, Ted Danson is at the top of his game, cooler than ever in the role of a fire-hearted demon in “The Good Place.” Strong earthsign influences align with Danson’s environmental awareness, which the Capricorn has been actively sharing since the age of 12 including through his book, “Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them.”

Write Holiday Mathis at Holidaymathis.com.