TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Aries (March 21-April 19): Are you the influencer, or is the other person? Bigger question: Does it matter? You’re both influential, so don’t even worry about it. Do you and see what happens.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): The rules of acceptable conduct are constantly changing, and you are fantastic at keeping abreast of the situation, testing, observing and tracking what works and what doesn’t.

Gemini (May 21-June 21): What once caused you stress is no longer a problem. You’ve grown, the situation has shrunk — something like that! A smooth transaction will be the first sign of progress.

Cancer (June 22-July 22): You read people. That’s your thing. Except don’t get too assumptive in this regard today, because people will surprise you with their idiosyncrasies and pivots.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Questing can be more of an activity than the solution to a problem. It’s pretty fun to go looking for things, more fun than, say, taking care of the stuff you already have. Before you embark, make sure you don’t already have what you seek.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Take out the emotional part and matters of finance are, at their root, just math. So why is it nearly impossible to take out the emotional part? Because maybe this isn’t about money after all. So what’s it really about?

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You’re not interested in surrounding yourself with yes people, yet to be an effective leader, the team must follow you at least some of the time. Pick your times, and make your requests.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): You’re here, and your mind is over there. That’s fine for momentary flights of fancy, but it’s no way to live — because your senses, though they may be partly engaged in fantasy and future, are only fully alive where you are.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As the sign of the archer, it’s always better when you have a clear aim. Make some goals just for the fun of it. If you don’t have a target, you rob yourself of the satisfaction you get from hitting it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’ll be involved with a task that’s a lot like a boomerang. It will keep coming back with more to do. Ready to stop? There’s never one last throw without one last catch. When you have it in your hand, set it; don’t throw it.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When people are ready to learn, it happens easily and quickly. Actor Armin Mueller-Stahl is 88. Pope Francis is 82. Singer-actor Tommy Steele is 82. Rock singer-musician Art Neville is 81. Actor Bernard Hill is 74. Actor Ernie Hudson is 73. Political commentator Chris Matthews is 73. Comedian-actor Eugene Levy is 72. Actress Marilyn Hassett is 71. Actor Wes Studi is 71. Pop musician Jim Bonfanti is

70. Actor Joel Brooks is 69. Rock singer Paul Rodgers is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Wanda Hutchinson Vaughn is 67. Actor Bill Pullman is 65. Actor Barry Livingston is 65. Country singer Sharon White is 65. Producer-director-writer Peter Farrelly is 62. Rock musician Mike Mills (R.E.M.) is 60. Pop singer Sarah Dallin is 57. Country musician Tim Chewning is 56. Country singer Tracy Byrd is

52. Country musician Duane Propes is 52. Actress Laurie Holden is 49.

Ideally, your student will be ready. But if not, there’s a little more work to do. Getting people ready to learn is part of the learning process.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): If you had to, you could get by on your charms. But that’s not you. You want to do something useful, make a concrete contribution, feel the tensile strength of your connections. Charm — that’s your cherry on top. Today’s birthday (Dec. 17):

It’s not too late to do the thing you really wanted to do, if you want it badly enough. You’ll get your mind and efforts all aligned because this year is about confluence. Your team gains numbers. In fact, it triples by February. Scorpio and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 2, 22, 7 and 13.