Writer Anais Nin once said, "There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." If today's new moon in Aries presents an urge to strike out in a new direction, Venus's entry into the sign suggests passion is paramount. If you're ready to bloom, pull on your ardor and desire.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your talents are not a secret to be kept. Go public with this. As public as a commercial during prime time television. Tell everyone you know and meet what you love to do and are good at. Life moves in amazing directions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Does your neighborhood seem to be getting smaller? Mercury hands you a mean case of the been-there-done-thats. But the truth is, no matter how well you think you know a place and the people in it, there's always more to learn.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your goodwill counts. Don't look for evidence of this. Just believe it. When you make it your mission to do what is in the best interest of others, you've secured your own fate.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You let others go before you. Being first in line, top dog or No. 1 on the charts doesn't matter in the least. Those who push to the front or say all the right things to get ahead may move up, but they won't move forward.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You've been working so hard toward something that is still just out of reach. It's time to get a few new members on your team. Fine additions would be a Gemini and a Scorpio. The synergy of this group rocket you through the finish line.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (April 5). It's a groundbreaking year because you lose one bad habit. Without that certain tendency holding you back, you conquer obstacles between you and the fate you desire. Next month brings a whole new and empowering attitude about wealth. Additions to your family come in July. Leo and Sagittarius are enthusiastic supporters. Your lucky numbers are: 50, 6, 16, 30 and 19.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). They say "graffiti," you say "public art." They say "factory noise," you say "industrial music." With your point of view, you'll be emotionally moved, artistically challenged or considered by kids to be really cool.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Watch your words, especially if those words are in an e-mail. Speaking or writing badly of someone could land you in some seriously hot water. If others are verbally bashing someone, don't join in. Run the other way.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). In your own quiet way, you are expecting something good to happen.

Does it happen because you expect it to, or do you expect it to because you know the future? A little of both!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You spend much of the day showing respect, giving quality attention to others and listening — really listening. This evening, take your turn to be noticed. Make sure you're heard. Stand up and shine.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You can't enjoy what you have when you know that someone else is going without — it's just the way you are. You'll probably stop the action to take care of a pressing need, not your own.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some say your standards are impossibly high. You beg to differ. If a job isn't done right now, you'll be redoing it in a matter of months. Stick to your original vision of how this should go.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The details of an arrangement are so far off the mark you may find yourself wondering if you and the other person ever did see the same mark. But keep talking. Negotiations start wide but will narrow in after a few go-arounds.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "Every guy I meet says he wants to be with me but then freaks out and ends things. Can you help me understand what's going on, or why this is happening? I'm an Aries."

We may never know why we don't click with certain people, it happens. It's the natural selection of the dating process. And like knowing you're going to kiss many frogs before you find your prince, the sooner you accept this, the fewer sleepless nights you'll have. Instead, focus on who they're missing out on — you! You have unique charm and attributes. Everyone does. I call it your "AQ," your Attraction Quotient. And it's enticingly enhanced by living in your natural strengths (your sun sign), which "turns on" a force field of attraction, which in turn elicits people who admire the real you. When we're wallowing, we tend to forget that it's our own ability to shine that attracts others. Aries, up your AQ with this love mantra: People dig me. I don't have to do anything more than be open to love, and it comes to me. (Want to pump up your own AQ? Find out how from my book, "Rock Your Stars.")

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Freezing oneself in a block of ice, being buried alive — do not try this at home, Aries people. Your sun-sign pal David Blaine is a trained endurance artist. Astrological indicators in his chart do point to incredible fortitude (Pluto) and luck (Jupiter) in the face of danger (Mars), however the business of risk is a risky business indeed. This year, he wows with his most dangerous stunt yet.

Holiday Mathis is the author of "Rock Your Stars." If you would like to write to her, please go to www.creators.com and click on "Write the Author" on the Holiday Mathis page, or you may send her a postcard in the mail. To find out more about Holiday Mathis and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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