Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

The Virgo sun is a get-it-done influence. We are inspired to tackle the tasks that seem much bigger than us. There will be checklists involved, reports to turn in, studies to complete. All forms of accountability will be welcome — this is no time to rebel against authority. Without strong leadership, these types of tasks cannot be accomplished.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Novel, wild and adventuresome scenarios hold a strong attraction for you. If it's unusual, you don't want to merely hear about it — you want to experience it firsthand.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You have, on several occasions, gracefully extricated yourself from an uncomfortable or displeasing situation. You'll do it again soon. How? You will align yourself with a higher purpose and simply transcend.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You will equalize your family. This takes great powers of empathy, since at least one person will behave in a way that is difficult to understand. You'll figure out where each one is coming from and help them meet in the middle.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You do not have to work hard to be the epitome of grace. You simply give each person the respect he or she deserves, and the result is that you have perfect manners and heaps of charm.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There is a silent competition going on. You have an excellent strategy. It may seem to some that you are fraternizing with the enemy. Indeed, by doing so, the enemy becomes an ally.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The ones who do you a favor want nothing in return. Or so they say. The difference between a loan and a gift is that one should be repaid literally and the other should be repaid in a more creative way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You have an ideal image in your head about how you want to look, but sometimes your body doesn't seem to want to cooperate. You deserve to look nice anyway. Invest in yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Everyone gets disillusioned at one time or another. But that doesn't mean you have to stop believing. Try investing in illusions of your own weaving. Then you will know what to expect and won't be disappointed.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Look into the future — this October, to be exact — and set an exciting goal. Daily action will get you there. And yes, it will be as good as you think it will be.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Should love be this much work? After all, getting into it was easy — you just fell. Climbing out of love should be the hard part.

But it doesn't work that way. For love to live, you have to find new ways to keep falling.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It may feel as though you're not doing much, but in reality, it takes massive amounts of brainpower to sustain your current lifestyle and manner of being. Be sure to thank your body and mind for keeping up with you!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). To stay successful at this job, you'll have to maintain your energy and love for the work. Find a person in similar straits whom you can look up to. You will be especially susceptible to the encouragement of a Gemini.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (August 28). This is your year of charismatic influence. You will engage people, sell them on your services and products, and make it fun for them to buy into your ideas and point of view. You'll be a champion for your family in September. Your powers of attraction are especially obvious in January. You'll make a forever friend in February. Taurus and Scorpio people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 15, 9, 44 and 17.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I know you believe in many magical things, and I was wondering if you think unicorns ever really existed. They are my favorite animal. I'm a Taurus, but I just can't get into claiming the cow as my favorite animal."

There is an animal mentioned in the Bible — the Hebrew word for it is "re'em," which translates into "unicorn," although it has also been translated into English as "wild bull." Though unicorns are today widely believed to be mythological creatures, they have been referred to in ancient texts as common animals — no more special than dogs, horses or cows. This is part of the reason why many people believe unicorns once actually existed and have since become extinct. In fact, some scholars believe the biblical unicorn was actually a one-horned ox and not a horse at all. This theory is supported by Cro-Magnon cave drawings of a one-horned ox that is now extinct. You are right: I am one who tends to go with the magical theories. That's why I side with those who say unicorns exist in some remote region of the world and can only be found by someone with exceptional honesty and virtue — both qualities generally attributed to Taurus.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Jack Black is a diligent Virgo born under a soulful Pisces moon. Pisces is associated with music, art and intuition. Many great actors have Pisces energy featured prominently in their charts, as it lends the high degree of empathy necessary for a person to fully step out of themselves and embody another character. I predict an Academy Award is in Jack Black's distant future.

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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