Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

Information is brain food, and under the Gemini sun and moon, our brains eat it up and process it as quickly as sugar. Mercury joins the party in Gemini, which happens to be its home, bringing a new ease to communication. Even those who do not possess the gift of gab will find themselves in the most fascinating conversations.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There are no mistakes. You always do what you think the situation calls for, knowing what you know and using whatever resources are available to you at the time. Be kind and encouraging when you talk to yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You have a tendency to discount your abilities and build up the abilities of another person. Put a stop to that today. Give yourself credit because it's due. If you don't, who will?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Brave people deal with problems. You should count yourself among the bravest because you rush after the thing that bothers you and chase it down instead of running away from it.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You have a sense of self-worth that comes from early experiences. There are fears and doubts that stem from the same period of time. But right now, you benefit from acknowledging what's good about your history.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There are no magic words that will persuade another person to choose you over the competition. But if you can meet this person's needs better than any other, you will get the opportunity to do so.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are so many reasons to be generous. It feels good, for starters. And on a more pragmatic note, if you ever part ways, you can do so knowing that you were always very good to the other person.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You'll soon be in a position to sell your idea. The most important part of this process comes long before the pitch. Gather information about who needs what you're presenting and why they need it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When you're very honest with yourself, you realize that you already know what you'd like to see from today's scene. So your best bet is to make those expectations known to the others involved.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your personality shimmers. Be sure to spend time around someone you want to know better. The longer you do the more he or she will get to know you and like you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your internal reaction to what others say about you or your work is strong, even if the message you hear from them is rather mild.

Imagine yourself turning an invisible knob to quiet the volume of your inner critic.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Several people will vie for your business, energy or time. Go with the one who invests the most in the interaction. Note that whatever you get now, you will get more of the same from this person later.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). However potent your creative impulses may be, you cannot always drop everything to follow them. If it is at all possible to do that today, you won't be sorry. The result could be life changing.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (June 2). You've been known to make your own luck, and you'll repeat the trick this month as you meet new friends, find out what people need and provide solutions where you can. You'll be celebrated publicly now and in October. A relationship solidifies in July. Family developments favorably affect you in December. Capricorn and Scorpio people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 50, 2, 11, 24 and 17.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "Where is Neptune right now, and what does that mean?"

Since Pluto has been stripped of his planetary status, Neptune is now the most distant planet of our solar system. This serene sea-blue planet was named for the Roman god of the sea. Dream analysts, psychologists and poets have associated the sea and water in general with purity and fertility, and this theme is carried over somewhat in Neptune's astrological meaning. Neptune is the planet of mysticism and dreams. Its particular kind of fertility isn't physical, in the same way that Neptune's oceans are not physical — just an atmospheric illusion. Neptune symbolizes the creation that happens in the mind. It rules abstract thinking, poetry, spirituality, imagination, illusion and dissolution. Currently, Neptune is in Pisces, where it arrived on April 4. Pisces focuses Neptune intently on our belief systems, which are guaranteed to slowly but radically change during the course of this long transit, which will not be complete until the year 2026. But you might say that this is only a trial run of Neptune's visit to Pisces. On August 4, Neptune will back out of Pisces and return to Aquarius for the rest of 2011.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Brooke Shields will show her Gemini versatility as she replaces Bebe Neuwirth in the role of Morticia of "The Addams Family" on Broadway. Shields garnered fantastic reviews in the past, stepping into the shows "Chicago," "Cabaret" and "Grease." With her sun, moon, Venus and Jupiter all in the intelligent sign of the twins, her powers of adaptability know no bounds.

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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