HOROSCOPES
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 17). Happiness isn’t found so much as created. This will be a year of making things. Some of those “things” are relationships. You used to think bonds grew naturally, but now you’ll take a more active role, seeing relationships as opportunities for delight, fun, mystery, drama and meaningful belonging. Virgo and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 30, 36, 16 and 25.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The focus is on compensation, remuneration, justice, payback or possibly revenge. In the case of that last one, a stylish and in-your-face version of success will be most effective.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). While you can definitely appreciate subtle, poetic value, there’s something to be said for a good, old-fashioned, easily measured indicator that you’re getting more of what you want. Today’s numbers will please you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your senses take in much more than your mind will let into your consciousness, and appropriately so. The overwhelmed are not effective. Ask your mind to let in more, and you’ll eliminate a blind spot.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). As you swing toward bliss, you’re well aware of the nature of pendulums. Don’t worry, there’s no fire in heaven’s opposite, only stagnation, which you’ve already proven you can handle.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Of all the assets you could leverage, the ones most worth dealing in are the assets that others lack. Note what’s being exchanged, and pay even more attention to what’s missing that you could readily offer.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You didn’t set out to imbue a detail with significance, but it’s happened. The meaningless symbol is now meaningful, despite all intentions, and should be treated as such to avoid communicating the wrong message.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The venture itself matters far less than the way it feels to be in an environment and engage with the group. The thrills and connections that come with an activity are what will keep you coming back for more.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The formerly agreed-upon deal has fallen prey to what project managers call “scope creep.”
Adjustments made now will avoid resentments formed later.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You enjoy embellishments as much as the next person, but the truth really matters to you today. You prefer to tell it, seek it and accept it. As a result, you’ll get about as much truth as you want.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The game changes. What used to be a key element will take a supporting role, and then gradually fade back until it’s a relic. Someday, it will become cool again. But for now, forge ahead.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You can contain your feelings however you choose to, but it will be a lot easier to do it after you’ve already gotten to know their shape, size and intensity. This is best done by feeling them.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Should you hop on the bus or stay on the curb? If you hop on the bus, then you’ll learn new tools, get frustrated, feel out of place and, ultimately, go places.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: The involvement of Uranus in two situations will highlight the disruptive power of feedback. There’s a limit to how much honest feedback people can take. It may seem counterintuitive, but the bigger the ego, the less criticism it can handle.
Do not confuse character with ego. Character is like an iceberg. It’s massive, solid and unmovable. The Titanic will sink before the iceberg even notices it’s been hit. Most of the iceberg mass (around 90%) is under the waterline. Those with big character do not usually need to show off. The 10% that people see is impressive enough. When critics shoot arrows into character, very little happens. It’s possible the arrow could chip into the ice, but more than likely it bounces off and falls into the water
Ego, on the other hand, is an inflatable. It’s made big by the hot air of its owner’s breath. It’s pumped up with talk and can be brought down with the slightest pinhole of truth. When critics shoot arrows into an ego, the ego-owner huffs and puffs to compensate. The ego looks everywhere for more hot air attachments — any blower will do.
The solar journey into Aquarius urges us to build character. It’s accomplished by doing the right thing, which is sometimes the hard thing and always the responsible thing.