HOROSCOPE

(November 16 Friday)

Mercury Retrograde Escape Hatch In simpler times, with fewer entertainment options, popular music was melodically complex with patterns that took great attention to follow. Today’s popular music follows simpler patterns, offering a reprieve from the world’s complexity. This Mercury retrograde, people will reach for the escape that contrasts with the functions of daily life.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Needing to be right is a human instinct related to processing. No one can proper functionally without a little of it. And a little goes a long way. Needing to be right all of the time is a sign of emotional and intellectual immaturity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It can be challenging to keep your energy vibrant when your domestic situation is complicated. Whatever you can do to lift, smooth or heal your home environment will positively change who you are out in the world.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Naivety has its advantages. Functionality is in the hands of the user. She who doesn’t see a thing as broken won’t be bothered with the prospect of fixing it.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Spiritual wonder and faithful decision-making will contribute to your success. This is outside the realm of religion or any school of thought. It’s an instance of magic that you have to be looking for to find.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). On earth, red is hot and blue is cold. In other places in the galaxy, red is among the coldest of heat colors and blue is extremely hot. Consider the larger context. Matters of scale will color decisions of the day.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). After a series of intellectually clear days, cleanly pointed toward their purpose, this day will be shrouded in a dreamy mist of unreason that obscures all goalposts and destinations. This challenges you to see without your eyes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A sure sign of intelligence is being able to look things from multiple angles. It follows that a tolerance for different views, customs, appearances, tastes, etc., is typically a function of higher intellect, and one you’ll gravitate toward at that.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’re generous in most regards; you’re only greedy for the best things in life: pure love, pristine beauty and naked truth. Hoard these rarities when you find them, as you don’t know when you’ll come across them again.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Achieving Earth’s escape velocity takes tremendous energy. But if you go 7 miles per second, you’ll soon be out of gravity’s influence. Or you can escape with your mind; it’s easy, fun, free and necessary for sanity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). To be stuck in one way of thinking is to be stuck in one way of living. Your efforts to open your mind on certain matters, while still maintaining the core of who you are, will also open new opportunities.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). No matter how you try to capture what you’ve learned today you won’t be able to pin it down. It’s application is too broad, it’s meaning too meandering across a spectrum of potentials. It’s poetry; it’s jazz.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Love changes, as you’ve noticed. You might think of love as an action, a story, a mood, a time or even an ingredient. All these ways of thinking about it will work their way into how you attract and enact love.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 16). Give a little, and suddenly you have a fan club. Popularity feels exciting, but it’s also tricky. It’s your year for finding effective ways to manage this big life of yours. Highlights of the next 12 months include a meaningful new friendship, the attainment of a symbol that holds great significance and a happy reunion. Virgo and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 4, 44, 41 and 16.

WEEKEND LOVE FORECAST: ARIES: When you’re with a fun someone, it feels like you’re on holiday even when you’re working. TAURUS: Excellent communication isn’t always about words. It’s also about a mesh of styles and a quality of attention.

GEMINI: Focus on what you have and what you’ve achieved and your energy becomes extremely attractive.

CANCER: You’re a mystery to someone. And there’s a lot of benefit to keeping it that way by releasing information on a need-to-know basis only.

LEO: It’s a big effort to go be social, but once you’re out the door you’ll immediately start making memories.

VIRGO: Holding hands can communicate more than a million texts.

LIBRA: Some forces of attraction are magnetic, and others are vacuum-like. Stay away from the latter.

SCORPIO: Afford your date some artistic license. The truth of some things isn’t worth arguing about.

SAGITTARIUS: Just when you think you know your type, it changes.

CAPRICORN: Doing things together will make the relationship stronger, which is a no-brainer that we sometimes forget. AQUARIUS: Sharing secrets might endear you to a special love. Even so, they are best doled out over time.

PISCES: When people get too familiar, they forget to treat one another with tenderness. Bring in tenderness, and you’ll love what happens next.