HOROSCOPE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017 Happy Kwanzaa
A lucky trine of the moon in Taurus and Mercury in global-minded Sagittarius sprinkles some practical magic over the first day of Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration of African heritage, in particular seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ve seen it time and again: The seemingly mundane becomes quite miraculous when you know a little more about it. That’s why you look into what makes things work and why.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Of course you want to choose joy. Who wouldn’t? But it’s not always so easy to see where the joy is in the situation. A lot of times, the joy is elsewhere, and you have to take yourself out of the situation to find it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There are communication barriers that will come down once you learn the other person’s language. If the rewards look promising enough, you’ll do just that today.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re the king or queen of compromise. You’ll quite easily strike upon an arrangement that will make life easier for all. Your motivation may be something you promised your people, but truly everyone involved will benefit.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You think about what the other person’s experience is in dealing with you. Is it pleasant? Is it easy? Do they like the person they are in your eyes? Nail this, and your dealings will be stellar.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There’s a lot that’s competing for your attention today, but if you follow the ancient wisdom of putting first things first, all problems will fall into a manageable form. You can do this!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Expert performances will not arise out of genetic predisposition or super-intelligence but out of thousands of hours of deliberate practice. Put in your time now and later you’ll be glad you did.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Knowing the difference between what’s important and what’s urgent will allow you to focus yourself well today. Many of the so-called “urgent” matters vanish if you simply ignore them.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There are many ways to work through your feelings. You can talk them out, dance them out, exercise them out; you can write, paint, cry, shout them out. Do get them out, though, so you know what you’re dealing with.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The pursuit will take motivation, time and discipline. With the right motivation, the other two will be easier to obtain. If you don’t have them, you’ll make them.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). No matter how far you get with what you know, there will always be new knowledge, adaptations and complex mental models to spur you to ever higher levels. It’s a good thing you love to learn, because it’s a continuous path.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The issue that appears weighty and diffused in the soft morning light will look very different to you as the sun steps higher in the sky. You’ll correctly assess the big picture and get sharper details in the direct light of day. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 26).
Good decisions get easier and easier for you. You’ll be tuned in to the small things that matter -- which is to say every small thing, as the miraculous essence of life shimmers under every surface. Friends and loved ones gravitate toward your positivity and joy. There’s healing in February. Finances free up in March. Cancer and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 28, 4, 44 and 18.
ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: “I often get sick right after the holidays. It’s a horrible way to bring in the new year, but I’d say 50 percent of the time I manage to catch something, flu shot or no. What advice do you have for a post-holiday Aquarius?”
The holidays coincide perfectly with cold and flu season. Luckily, there are some contagions that actually promote health. One in particular triggers changes in the body that raise energy, reverses the damage of stress, diminishes pain and boosts the immune system. This contagion is highly infectious and, more good news, it’s free. Can you guess what it is? Yes, it’s laughter!
Most Aquarians have a sociable nature, offbeat thought process and open mind -- the perfect combination for a sense of humor that is out of this world. The only trouble with that kind of humor is that it’s sometimes misinterpreted or missed completely by those who situated in the dead center of the mainstream. That’s why stress relief for Aquarius has to do with getting the right cast of characters together -- the ones who are ready to laugh at all the right things. The psychological closeness that comes with funny sharing will also bring a shift of perspective. What seemed overwhelming will suddenly become manageable.
CELEBRITY PROFILES: Literary rock star David Sedaris recently published “Theft by Finding,” a collection of diary entries that spans decades. Sedaris got his big break reading his hilarious essay “SantaLand Diaries” on National Public Radio. The Christmas holiday has special power for Capricorn natives. Sedaris was born under an intense, passionate Scorpio moon and has Jupiter in artistic Libra.