Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): The examples and ideas that come to mind are the most available ones to your brain, not necessarily the best or most accurate ones. For the best results, question and test everything. Taurus (April 20-May 20): You finally speak your mind and clear the air. What you say and how you say it could change your interactions with a key person. Suddenly, you could find this person more receptive than you could have imagined. Tonight: Do not hesitate to discuss a hassle with a loved one. Gemini (May 21-June 21): To be very literal in your interpretation of what is directed to you is to miss the intention of almost everything. People rarely say what they mean, after all. Feel the tone. Cancer (June 22-July 22): Attraction is the glue of the universe. Desire brings things into being. If you feel needy, if you are left wanting, if you are a slave to your cravings, find the creative force in this and let it power you. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Sometimes we don’t want what’s good for us. The more we want something, the less wise we become. Back off. Detach. Don’t ask, “Will I?” before you ask, “Should I?” Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you learn from every scenario, the more scenarios you live, the more you’ll learn. So when the question of whether to go or stay arises, if your aim is to be wiser, the answer is usually to go. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Though you value sincerity, you also see the value in its opposite, which today amounts to someone’s rather creative way of assembling the given information in order to accomplish the greater good. Call it diplomacy. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): You admire those who are better prepared, but don’t let that stop you from jumping in and doing your best with whatever you have and wherever you are in the learning process. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Conversations have a way of getting off-track as people keep talking to try and make a connection that may never come. Instead, keep it brief, say what you need to say, and then leave and let it sink in. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Tremendous rationality can have a way of dulling your senses. This has been a theme for you lately and the cosmic challenge really comes to a peak today. Use your feelings; choose your heart. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This is no time to start falling in line. You could save the day by marching to your own drum. Give yourself the leeway to mess around, try things on and poke your nose into the parts of it that don’t seem meant for you. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): To rebel is a natural urge. Without it there’s no progress. Remember this when — for reasons you can’t explain — you want to overturn the authority (even if said authority is only a voice in your own head).

To write to Holiday Mathis, visit www.creators.com/author/ holiday-mathis and click “Contact.” DEAR ABBY » My brother is in a long-term relationship. Throughout my teenage years, he raped me every chance he got. The emotional and physical abuse has left my life broken. Should I tell his girlfriend about it? I did confront him about it, but he just denied it. Wouldn’t she want to know? — Survivor in

Florida

DEAR SURVIVOR » Yes, you should tell his girlfriend about it! You should also tell every one of your relatives. Where were your parents when this was going on?

While it may be too late for the police to haul your brother off to prison, you should absolutely talk to a rape crisis counselor about what he did to you. To locate a resource near you, contact R.A.I.N.N. (rainn.org), the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. It may be able to help you put your life in order. Its toll-free phone number is 800-656-4673.

DEAR ABBY » Would you please remind your readers about proper service dog etiquette? My service dog has given me a new lease on life, but going out in public with him can be a huge source of anxiety. If your readers see a service dog in public, they should remember:

Don’t pet the dog, or talk to it, and don’t allow children to “rush” the dog. This distracts the service dog from its important job and could put a handler in danger.

Please don’t question whether service dogs are or should be “allowed” somewhere. Handlers need to shop, take public transport and go to restaurants just like everyone else.

Do not ask invasive personal questions about the handler’s health or abilities. I’m sure you wouldn’t want a stranger prying into your own medical history.

And please don’t gush about how “lucky” someone is to have a service dog or how you wish you could have your pet with you. Try mentally replacing the word “dog” with “wheelchair” or “oxygen tank” before you speak. Service dogs are not pets. For a lot of people they are lifelines.

Many of us are happy to speak with you about our dogs or answer questions, but please remember we are also PEOPLE with individual comfort levels and limits, and we just want to enjoy public spaces like everyone else.

— New lease on life

DEAR NEW LEASE » Thank you for giving me the chance to remind readers about service dog etiquette. Many of us are animal lovers who have a hard time resisting the impulse to reach out when we see service dogs. It’s done with the best of intentions, while forgetting that a dog wearing a vest may be working. I say “may” because, unfortunately, service vests that allow animals to be present in markets and restaurants can be ordered online by people with no disability at all.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www. DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $14 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)