Today's Aquarius moon nurtures our hunger for intelligent, original thought. It can seem like we're all living in our own headspace, but more often, it's a paradigm shared by others, too. The more we exchange ideas, the more common ground we discover. And by reflecting on our thinking processes, we foster an ability to see real new solutions.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Spend an hour with a friend — if possible, an Aquarius. You come out of it with a new sense of the way things can go in your life to make them better. You're even able to translate it into practical action steps.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The extravagant purchase you're dreaming about would raise a few eyebrows if you were to tell everyone. That's just the kind of cynicism you don't need now. Keep your wishes and plans close to the vest.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It's so clever the way you find new meaning for occurrences that happen daily. When you view your life as an artistic statement, suddenly there is a resonance that wasn't there before.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You've had just about enough new information lately. You're totally adept at listening, taking notes, memorizing and spitting the answers back. Transformation, not information, is what you're into today.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). If you're not as productive as you'd like to be, it's probably because you're driving yourself too hard. Sometimes taking half an hour for a break or a walk is the most productive thing you could do.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (March 31). Your awareness and openness increase this year, allowing you to see how forces are magically working in your favor. April brings a windfall. You'll do anything for a family member this summer, and your loving work helps to launch this person's career — or get this person out of trouble, as the case may be. Your ties to Pisces and Cancer are tight. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 12, 19, 30 and 16.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You're so used to seeing the smartest solution around that when someone else sees a different, and equally intelligent, possibility, it's likely to catch you off guard. This could be the start of a wonderful partnership.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don't have to look like a model to make an excellent impression. But it does help if you're comfortable with your appearance, which may take an extra effort with today's astral influences. Be kind to you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The relationship sector of your life gets a blast of goodwill.

It's so refreshing to find out that you genuinely like and are interested in the very person you've known forever.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You don't mind being the only one working when others are out having a good ol' time. Because you've got your eye on the fantastic (and possibly life-altering) finish of a project.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The sideline is not usually where you would look for a good seat. But with the gnarly conflict that's center stage right now, it's best to stay back a distance until all gets worked out.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Whatever you do, do not express your doubts, especially not the doubts you have about your own work or attractiveness. The insecurity is only a passing mood, but if you tell others, it may stick around longer.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You've been thinking about someone. Stop thinking, and pick up the phone. Your loved ones need to know that they are important to you, and a short call, or voice mail, is all it takes to do the trick.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: I'm a Virgo finding it painfully obvious to socially connect with practically any Aquarius born. I consider myself open and warm. What am I missing?

The better part of connecting with someone is knowing what motivates that person as a human being. Aquarius is the sign of the water bearer. And in a civilized place where relatively clean water comes out of the taps, we tend to take water for granted. That is, until something catastrophic happens — it is only then we are reminded how fragile humankind really is. We can live without food for more than a month, but without clean water, we can be gonners in less than 100 hours. These insights are key to understanding the Aquarius energy, which is to generously bring what is needed to the party. This friendly energy has less to do with social nicety and popularity than it does to do with the fact that humans need one another. So keep this in mind when talking to Aquarians: They've been giving humanity something essential for eons. Follow your Virgoan curiosity: Find out exactly which genius science experiment this Aquarian is conducting (wu-wei and underwater yoga?) and you've fostered a point of connection.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Can Al Gore save the world? Leave it to an Aries to try. And it's the trying that counts. For while not every Aries will win the Noble Peace Prize (don't tell), every ram needs an impossible goal, without which they're like a conquistador without a conquest. Whereas some Arians face burn out when faced with inherent obstacles of their mission, Al's Saturn in Leo moderates effort to steadiness.

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