HOROSCOPES
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 1): With a little education and a solid support system, you’ll push past what’s been holding you back for years. A professional development could inspire you to start a lucrative side business. You’ll witness the power of love in February. Your shrewd judgment will lead to financial gain in March and October. Cancer and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 20, 4, 44 and 28.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’ve done some pretty unconventional things to get where you are. To be honest with oneself is liberating; to be judgmental against oneself will have the opposite effect.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How do you know whether you’re winning or losing? It’s not so obviously determined. But of course, if you’re in the race, that’s something. No one ever won a race without being in it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Don’t try to appear smart. Just try to be clear. Smart people (that’s you!) don’t need to prove they’re smart. Maybe you’re suffering from temporary doubt about your own abilities. Shake it off.
CANCER (June 22-July 22): You have to know what the problem is before you can solve it. But be careful; maybe there is no problem. Maybe it won’t take a solution to make everything better, only a different mindset.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your way is to do more than is asked of you, no matter what is asked. It helps that you place yourself around the kind of capable and generous people who ask you to do only what’s logical, fair and necessary.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It doesn’t take much more effort to put your individual stamp on everything you contribute. In fact, it will be easier to lend your personal touch to the job at hand than to approach it in a generic way.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Though it’s not helpful to open up your business to too many outside opinions, the periodical review of an objective party will be invaluable to your operations. “A guest sees more in an hour than the host in a year.” — Polish proverb
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): One way to conserve and focus your energy is to stay out of drama. Ignore the controversial Facebook post and that catty remark around the watercooler. The benefits to minding your own business will be enormous.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Noise is the enemy of communication. The way to a clearer signal is to cut out everything that is not the message. Your efforts to express yourself in a succinct and direct way will earn you respect and status.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When sunshine touches your skin, your heart will be warmed, and your spirit will be lighter. Positive thoughts will flood your mind, improving your situation instantaneously.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your self-control will be strongest in the morning, so anything that requires harder thinking or greater discipline should be scheduled in the morning, when this will be easier to pull off.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You can be true to the one you love and yet not do everything this person wants you to do. Keep relationships fair and balanced by making sure you take care of yourself before you take care of them.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: Like glamorously clad Academy Award presenters, Jupiter and Saturn glide to form a united front at the cosmic lectern and announce the good news: Everyone who puts the work in gets to be a winner. That is not to say that all who invest the effort get the grand prize, but that’s just a trophy and a title. The real win is in what’s gained through the process of striving for greatness. Those who understand the value of a process are most likely so taken with their work that all the accolades are merely gravy on top of the main attraction.
The other heavenly boon comes from our sister planet, Venus, the goddess of love, as she moves into the realm of art and spirit. In Pisces, the tone of love can be intensely imaginative, poetic and soul-stirring. Pisces is the most empathetic sign, and while Venus flies this realm, loved ones can come to very clear understandings of one another as they step into one another’s life, actions and feelings. These are weeks to walk miles in other people’s moccasins and finally know why they do the things they do. This isn’t about conversing or deal-making; it’s about quiet observation and shifting perspective.