Happy birthday to the Hindu deity Krishna, so celebrated today. Krishna was a dashing warrior and ladies' man who encountered so many obstacles in his life that the blue-faced deity must have been coated in Teflon. As Pluto angles tender Venus, we can invoke Krishna's resiliency by slaying our personal demons with honesty and love.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You're the warrior. So you pretty much expect to get a few stray slings and arrows now and then. It works in your favor now. You're not at all surprised by the same information that knocks other people off their game.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The fireworks in your personal life make it challenging for you to focus on your work. Be proactive. Let others vent their feelings and you do the same. You have the whole weekend to sort out the details.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). How's your backup plan? Make sure it's a good one because you might have to switch to it for a while. Your plan A will come back into force after you give it a short rest.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your accomplishments might go temporarily underappreciated or unacknowledged. And then you get so much credit for something you consider to be extremely minor — go figure!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Independence is highlighted. You may not know as much as the experts, but you certainly know enough for the job at hand. Your ability to self-start makes for a successful home improvement project, despite its ambitious scope.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (August 29). You're so used to working hard for what you want that this year throws you for a loop — success comes effortlessly. You're pulled into the romance of a relationship in September, seeing the world differently because of it. The career move you make in December cinches your promotion. There's a windfall in January. Libra and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 20, 11, 40 and 16.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You know what you like. So it's kind of funny when you discover that there is very little of that spinning around in your world. When did it become less important to please yourself? Well, make it important again.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Is the term "hardworking" synonymous with "boring"? You're not about to find out. You're changing the routine, mixing it up, playing hooky on real life and making sure that there are a lot of laughs along the way.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The best way to rid yourself of listless energy is to, quite literally, make a list. Start by focusing on the experiences you want to have and work backward. A Virgo can help.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Slow down. You need time to yourself to do nothing but listen to the sound of your own breath. Even it's only 15 minutes of this kind of down time, that will be enough to remember who you are.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You're curious about others. You'll be talking to people you normally wouldn't think to engage in conversation. What springs out of the exchange takes you to a new, refreshing place.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Enroll a skilled pro to help you in areas you know little about. Listening to sage advice puts you on a direct path to prosperity. Of course, you only arrive there if you actually act on the advice.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You're thinking in terms of your daily habits. It's the small actions that affect you hugely. Changing even one habit takes incredible self-discipline, which you have now.

WEEKEND LOVE FORECAST: ARIES: Someone special sees only beauty in you and through their eyes you see it, too. TAURUS: You can give a loved one what they need, but it's a lot easier to teach them how to do it for themselves. GEMINI: The weekend's frisky planets implore you to work less, play more. CANCER: The heart may know no distance, but a change of scenery absolutely enlivens it. LEO: Put a new twist on a person or thing you once cherished, and what's old becomes new again. VIRGO: You take the lead in a partnership and they're carried along by the newfound spring in your step. LIBRA: Love interests see only your effortless polish, but only you know how hard you work to look this good. SCORPIO: If you're curious about what's really up with a person, privately pull them aside and ask. SAGITTARIUS: You plan for the future by embodying it. A treasured friend is featured in this vision. CAPRICORN: When socializing this weekend, you're fabulous solo, but you're absolutely stunning as a pair. AQUARIUS: As wanderlust kicks up travel ideas, romance follows close behind. PISCES: Find the positive intention behind a partner's criticism. They're trying to help.

COUPLE OF THE WEEKEND: Whether shopping for CDs or romance, Libra's refined sensitivity for all things beautiful and lovely meshes nicely with Cancer's own. On matters of taste, they always agree; on issues of personal merit, they often don't. The peace-loving cardinal signs must work on placing equal value on independent thought and action (even when the other disagrees) as they do on creating a copasetic coupling.

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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