HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 9): Though no one can change the facts of the past, the meaning of the past is anybody’s game. You’ll reframe your history and present it in a way that makes people both understand who you are and support you in who you want to be. The next 12 months will bring love, adventure, funding and growth. Aries and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 23, 5, 17 and 40.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Every effort to make beautiful things happen is angelic. Each happy memory adds to the emotional sunshine that creates optimism, which leads to hope and finally to accomplishment.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s a little out of reach still, but you do know what you want, and you have for a while now. Next up, an increase in your ability to make the changes necessary to get this party started.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Making a bucket list isn’t just for seniors. You’ll broaden your horizons by giving stronger consideration to your joys, fascinations and fantasies. Fun goals will keep you motivated to do the less fun ones.
CANCER (June 22-July 22): You usually check in with yourself periodically to see how you’re feeling about life and about your goals. With the pace picking up these days, you will benefit from more frequent and deliberate check-ins.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You will lift spirits. You’ll do it in practical ways, by sharing what you have — knowledge, food, conversation — but you’ll also inspire in less tangible ways, through your attitude, your manner and the way you tell your story.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There’s a time for seeking magic and a time for going as deeply into the mundane as you possibly can. You may unexpectedly find the latter pursuit to be far more magical than the former.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Beware of those who act as though you owe them when you don’t; it is a ploy, a game or a style and can be quite effective to the unaccustomed. You are more awake than the average Joe and won’t fall for it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Seeing as whatever you do to keep the stress hormones at bay can be counted as healthenhancing and strengthfortifying, would it be too much of a stretch to just call it work?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You’ll be paying for an interaction, and getting the most for your money will be on your mind. A little planning will help, as will a prepared presentation, if that’s not too over-the-top for circumstances.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It will be important to you that the circumstances be fair to all involved. You’re willing to adjust, even in a downward direction, if it means that everyone will be getting the same thing.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Thinking in scientific ways will help you with almost any problem that comes up today. What about the situation can be tested, counted and tracked? Therein lies your key.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll get the chance to be around people whose energy really lights you up. This is about more than just common interests. When you’re together, the world turns into a playground for kindred souls.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: It’s the cosmic equivalent to a slow news week. Of course, the sky is never still, but on weeks such as this, when there are not many aspects astrologers track, one planet’s changing signs becomes the headline. And so, Mercury steps into the spotlight, ready for his close-up.
What do we know about this messenger boy? As legend has it, Mercury is the youngest son of Jupiter. He’s also the quickest and brightest, the best at negotiation. Saul Goodman of “Better Call Saul” comes to mind. In the television series, Saul is a fast-talking, clever manipulator and brilliant solution man who takes on various names to represent the role he’s in at the moment. When he proceeds with his given name, James McGill, he’s on a different trajectory than he is when he’s “Slippin’ Jimmy” or “Saul Goodman.”
As for Mercury, the version we get in Scorpio is more extreme, willing to up the ante and go all in. Scorpio is the sign of life and death, truth or consequences. This most recent stint in Scorpio was short, but it was still long enough for many of us to get some version of a reality slap.
In Sagittarius, where Mercury is headed this week, Mercury brings magnanimous energy to negotiations. Let the optimism embolden you on your next adventure.