HOROSCOPES
A Message From Mercury
As savvy marketers know, people don’t strictly buy products, rather they buy hope for a particular result and the feelings to match that outcome. A planetary opposition warns against using external diversions to fix internal tension. Distractions can be expensive and may not do the job. Face inward and manage what’s happening there.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). The conventional wisdom says to state what you want because people are not mind readers. Today you’ll experience the opposite phenomenon -- one person having a fuller sense of the mind of the other than words could convey.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It is the messiness of life that makes it fascinating. You won’t get that version on social media. Intimacy occurs up close and in real time, which is what you get today. Nothing beats the insider’s perspective.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You shouldn’t have to impress anyone with a grand gesture. If you feel you must, there’s an imbalance at play in the relationship. The small moments of shared understanding or tenderness will make the impression.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Using your talent will be not only satisfying but a reminder of how good life can be when you are doing what you love. A bit of appreciation from others is a cherry on the sundae.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Rarity makes a thing special. What’s always available will not be valued, no matter how intrinsically valuable it is. Uncertainty and infrequency are part of the equation. If you have a thing every time you want it, it’s not a treat; it’s a habit.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). A new scene awaits. There’s no way to prepare for it; you just have to go and find out what it’s like. Experience is the only teacher around today, and you’re a quick study. You’ll start feeling comfortable right away.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Don’t try to provide all the answers or do too much of the work yourself. Make it easy and necessary for everyone to help. In the process, they will become a team, and you’ll all be more productive.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll learn faster when you stop caring what others think. Maybe no one will notice a mistake, or if they do it won’t matter much. Confidence isn’t self-conscious because it’s too busy playing the moment.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You seek a certain type of relationship. Another type of relationship seeks you, and it’s a tiring roundabout chase. Then there are those relationships that just fall together beautifully, as though by fate. Lucky you!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The discussion that seemed so promising may ultimately meander and devolve. It’s all part of the process of figuring out what really interests you, sharpening your skills and honing your criteria for worthy pursuits.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). There is a temptation to “give away the farm” since, let’s face it, even metaphoric farms can be a lot of hard work. Prize what you’ve built so others will, too, and then be sure to keep a controlling interest.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your encouragement is needed more than you know. And though you may feel illequipped as a cheerleader, you’re actually well-suited to the job. What you say will make a difference in the morale.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 18). You will live as the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche did -- by the concept of amor fati, “a love of one’s fate.” Whatever destiny hands over, you’ll polish it until it gleams. Your solar return raises the stakes. You’ll be trusted with treasures of finance and heart. The prize for doing well will be life-changing. Capricorn and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 3, 33, 38 and 45.
CELEBRITY PROFILES: From “Veronica Mars” to “Frozen,” Kristen Bell is famous for delivering her big heart with a dose of sharp humor. As well as a prolific artist, Bell is an author of children’s books, the founder of a plant-based baby product company and an avid philanthropist of numerous and varied causes. The maternal Cancer was born with the moon, Venus, Mars and Pluto all in intellectual air signs.