Today's Cancer moon pulls the fiery energy of the sun's transit through Aries into the domestic arena. Some follow the impulse to nurture connections to family; others are nourished by a home-cooked meal or find a good cry emotionally fortifying. Be careful not to trample on anyone's emotions; a cup of tea and sympathy gets you there quicker.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). For better or worse, they're looking at you. Try thinking of this opportunity like an old show-biz pro — any publicity is good publicity. Turn to Libra to figure out how to spin this one.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). What you need most is perspective. Go mentally to the top of the mountain, and look down on your life to see which tasks are frittering away your energy reserves and which ones are building them.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). What makes perfect sense to you is incomprehensible to some. Explaining won't help. Rather, meet others where they are, making every effort to understand their world.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Luck is on your side now, so take a risk. You could still lose — a little money, time or energy — but if you don't take the risk, you'll lose something much greater, like yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You've been helping someone else out lately, and now you're finally working on something that's important to you. The Aries sun turns up your intensity. Without passion, you plod along. With it, you fly.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (April 12). It's the fanciful, carefree side of yourself that grows most this year. Indulge your whims — they lead you to love and money. Being around creative people will spark your imagination in May. You are lavished in affection in June, when you'll get proof that the sweet things you do are appreciated. Virgo and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 12, 4, 30, 41 and 45.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Loved ones see you in only the most flattering light — as long as that's the light you choose to stand in. Decide to be secure — be image conscious, but not obsessively so.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Part of the reason you're known as the diplomat of the zodiac is that you realize that you can show respect for others without necessarily agreeing with them. You'll do this more than a few times today.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Instructions come from someone who knows what's going on. Follow the directions precisely — this is your success ticket. Tonight, social offers are stellar.

Say yes, and see where this leads.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You don't have to have an official mission statement to know where you want to go. What happens now is a direct result of your thoughts about the future.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There's very little information available on your subject of interest. Improvisation is more valuable now than research, anyhow — you'll create based on what you want to be true, and you'll make it true in the process.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Give feedback. You have wonderful reactions and insights to contribute. Furthermore, if you don't let others know what you're thinking, then they'll think you're bored or baffled by them.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Time has been called a healer. But it's not really time that heals, it's your own ability to forget what doesn't matter and focus on what does. You can do this with one fabulous decision now and be instantly healed.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I'm a Cancer. I love my family and do my best to stay in touch and accept them as they are, but I wonder — do they really see me?"

You know you don't have to touch base often to touch base well. For you, it's more about the intimacy of sometimes sharing deeply rooted feelings than frequently chitchatting. So you can go weeks, even months, without talking to a relative, and then when you do connect, it's like no time has elapsed. Yes, it's true. Your accepting nature makes them feel they can be themselves around you, without airs, without trying too hard — or sometimes without trying hard enough. You get both the unvarnished version of your family and the unkempt version. And you wouldn't want it to be any other way. But you wouldn't at all protest if, say, on occasion, they were to put on their best behavior and relieve you from your familial obligations. However, if this went on too long (like, longer than a weekend), you'd probably get antsy and want your apron strings back. So give yourself a break, Cancer. They see you the way they see you — which is to say, basically the way you see yourself. (Got family? Got issues? Get "Rock Your Stars.")

CELEBRITY PROFILES: How can you tell she's an Aries? Paulina Porizkova of the supermodel era, that gaggle of glamazon goddesses, who in addition to being uniquely gorgeous, also possesses a standout feature (think Cindy's mole, Uma's large hands). Aries people often do have defining facial features, and you can see the ram's symbol (the horns) in Paulina's broad forehead and brow.

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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