Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

Mercury and Venus come together like shameless flirts at a cosmic cocktail party, bandying brazen banter, fishing for a reaction. Will it be one of shock, blushing or giggles? The possibilities are endless as they stride through youthful Aries. The Leo moon cheers them on. It will be lucky to take a risk. Make a spectacle, and bask in the attention.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your problem is not as difficult as some make it out to be. Beware of those who would benefit from your thinking the solution is beyond you — for instance, a drug company, life coach, politician or makeup manufacturer.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Something you once wanted to do now seems like the opposite of fun. Perhaps the risk/reward ratio is askew, or perhaps the times and your mood have just changed. New goals will take the place of this defunct one.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The key to your success is simple. You do exactly what you say you'll do. This is made even easier if you don't say you'll do anything, freeing yourself up completely.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Everyone has a heart. Not everyone leads with it, though — not like you. You'll wind up at a magical destination, all because you listened, understood and followed your heart's dictates.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Some negotiations are pointless. The distance between what they want and what you want may be too wide to bother with. You can't get on the same page if you're not even in the same book.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You wouldn't dream of passing off your responsibilities on someone who couldn't possibly handle them as well as you. When it's important to you, you're strictly hands-on. You'll impress someone with this attitude today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You may wonder whether you should do the job yourself or enlist someone else to do it. The question will be answered for you in a way that is so obvious that you can't help but take it as a sign.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You have the mindset that will make you successful. You know which jobs are important and which are so crucial that it really doesn't matter how long the job takes, only that it gets done.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Often your senses of duty and pleasure can be served in the same activity. Take time to sit with loved ones around the table this evening, and your time together will be infused with humor and fun.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.

19). For you, there's no such thing as "just business." You'll take your personal feelings and put them directly into your work. That's what makes it good, and it's also what makes it challenging.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Being wealthy is not all about money. You could live in a palace and still feel poor inside. You realize this on a deep level and will make choices that only the truly rich would make.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There's drama in your environment. Be mindful of your involvement. Step back, because perspective is absolutely necessary. Consider that you may be taking everything a little bit too seriously.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (May 9). You'll be serious about your fun this year. You will purchase tickets well in advance for special events and make plans that are bigger than any you've executed in the past. A special love comes into focus in June. Family reunions are featured in July. There's a life-changing meeting in August. Charity leads to good fortune in September. Pisces and Aries people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 33, 15, 49 and 1.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I recently asked a Virgo woman if she'd like to go out with me sometime, and to my shock and elation, she said yes. Now what do I do? I don't know where to take her."

The perfect date for Virgo is well considered. This organized sign wants to sense that you have given careful thought to the matter, that you have done your research and determined an itinerary that is likely to produce a high level of interest, relaxation and connection. The plans don't have to be expensive or overly exciting. They just have to be, well, plans. A walk in the park at sunset, for instance, requires that you note when sunset will be and time it right. Virgo loves that. On the other hand, if you're driving around in circles trying to find the venue or struggling with where to park, that will be a "buzz-kill" for Virgo. If you go to the museum on the busiest day of the year or if you have to wait an hour because you didn't make reservations, Virgo will think you didn't care enough to think it through. When you plan a date well, there's no need to manufacture the good times. They will come naturally.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: As an artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company, earth sign Cate Blanchett has supported an eco-friendly construction project to equip The Wharf Theater with enough solar panels to provide 70 percent of the theater's electricity. The glamorous movie and stage star has her sun, moon and Saturn all in the sensual and environmentally friendly realm of Taurus.

If you would like to write to Holiday Mathis, 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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