Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

The Aries moon is a harbinger of the new and assertive energy that will take hold later this week. People will want to know where they stand. Ask for and deliver the cut-and-dried truth. There will be no tolerance for vague opinion, wishy-washy emotion or undefined goals. The plan becomes clear or gets thrown out entirely.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You'll build your credibility with someone new today by simply acting the way you normally do: You show up and deliver what you promised in the agreed-upon time frame.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You have rolled with the victories and the defeats, and you realize it doesn't pay to take any of it too seriously. You're still the same person inside whether your win or lose. What's important is that you do your best.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You are warm and kind, and others feel this in you immediately and open up. That's not to say you want to spend a great deal of time taking care of others just because they feel safe enough to tell you their problems.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). A plan comes together in your head. Many disparate elements converge. Take notes. Later, you'll want to look back at the thought process that started you on this journey.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You are sensitive to the feelings of others, and at the same time, you don't want to cater to anyone's crazy mood swings. You'll find a way to support the person without condoning behavior you find less than satisfactory.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Being approachable will be a huge asset to you today. The people who come up and talk to you will have something of value to share. Anyway, it's not your style to be purposefully intimidating.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There's a personal goal of yours that you cannot read your way into. Study can only take you so far. Real-life application is the only way to improve. You'll get more practice this afternoon.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your generally affable nature attracts new friends, some of whom will require your good graces. You'll give people a second chance if you like them — and you'll like most people right off the bat.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You would prefer to operate your own business, but today you will be in a position to report to someone else. This makes you think differently about your work, and you'll benefit from the altered perspective.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You'll be inspired to expand your artistic skills, for no other reason than the sheer challenge of it.

There will be a career opportunity that comes out of this effort.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Ultimately, you'll attract attention just because you feel good about yourself. So although self-promotion isn't necessary, it will benefit you to put some thought into how you present yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Stay open to different approaches. Your domestic life could be improved by implementing one key change. This behavior might feel strange and forced at first, but with repetition, it quickly becomes comfortable.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (March 6). Your birthday gift from the stars this year is a big dose of that mysterious "X" factor that keeps people buzzing about you, your work and all you participate in. Your creative talents will be put to use this month. Loved ones fawn over you in April. You'll connect with financers in June. Capricorn and Leo people connect with you on many levels. Your lucky numbers are: 12, 4, 33, 23 and 48.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: Since Uranus takes about 84 years to orbit the sun, it's monumental when the icy outer planet moves into a new part of the zodiac. It usually happens only every seven years or so, and this is the week. Now the aggressive energy of Uranus is reassigned to the realm of Aries. The radical planet spent some time in Aries last year, testing the waters for more than two months before returning to finish the Pisces cycle. But now he'll stay in Aries until May 15, 2018. The planet Uranus is named for Greek mythology's father of the sky. In this mythology, Uranus is conceived from Chaos, which is what the ancient Greeks called a gap at the beginning of creation. He is the father of many immortals, including the Titans, the Cyclops and Saturn, his relationships with whom reflected the highest levels of dysfunction. In astrology, the planet represents upheaval, insurrection and revolt — all necessary ingredients for evolution. When Uranus raged through Pisces, his power was applied to the task of shaking up our belief systems. In Aries, Uranus promises more concrete changes, starting with this week's fresh excitement about all that the 21st century will bring.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: His first and middle names mean "little warrior" in Arabic, but at 7-foot-1 with a shoe size of 21EEE, NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal hasn't been "little" since the day he was born. This versatile Pisces multimedia celebrity was born when Mercury and Venus were in Aries, the sign of the warrior, and Mars was in Taurus, the sign of strength, hard work, tenacity and longevity.

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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