Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

The Libra moon favors diplomacy and agreement. This can only happen after each party makes known their wants and needs. In some cases, this information will be freely offered. But more often than not, it will have to be requested or even teased out. Make it safe for others to say what's on their minds and in their hearts.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). A certain charming person you know always seems to get away with more. This is neither bad nor good. It's just life. As a witness, you'll be inspired to think about taking greater risks, as well.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Ask for a small favor. You usually don't like to do this because you fear it will annoy the other person or make you feel indebted. However, this is not the case. By asking, you will endear yourself.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). An expert will comment on what you have done. You might be surprised to hear what this person thinks about your work, but you will take a positive meaning from it.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You are not overly results-driven, though in regard to a certain goal, your patience is running thin. You enjoy the journey, but you still really want to get to the destination.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What appears to be honest, casual social interaction will in many ways be a game. There is a tacit agreement as to the rules, as well as a payoff of some kind for the one who plays the game well.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are many levels to a relationship that come into play. If you dare to examine possible ulterior motives — your own and the other person's — you will find the process most enlightening and even perhaps liberating.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There are certain people in your life who need to know that you appreciate what they can do. They want to know that you think they are competent. Showing your respect is an act of love.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You can't do everything yourself, it's true. However, for the next few days, whatever you can do alone will give you more power. The fewer the number of people involved the better.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Someone will view things differently from the way you see them, and both ways are valid. It will help you to try on the other point of view, even though, ultimately, you will act on your own perspective.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You were coasting along on a project, but now the game has changed. There's more at stake than ever.

You'll have to innovate and hustle in order to make it work.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). A person who keeps mentioning how he or she doesn't want to be a bother actually wants and needs more of your attention. People who really don't want you to think about something won't bring it up at all.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The balance of listening and talking will not be equal, but you will find the perfect equation for success in this regard. You will listen twice as much as you talk and be all the wiser for this.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 25). It's a year marked by inspiration, imagination and good fortune. You do not demand that these offerings occur in the way you expect them to, and that's why you'll be continually delighted by the surprising way your life unfolds. February brings a contract. April favors travel. Aries and Taurus people will express their admiration in tangible ways. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 14, 2, 24 and 19.

JANUARY 25, A BIRTHDAY OF LITERARY HISTORY: There is an inordinately large array of historically significant and great Aquarian artists, and January 25 seems to have a special resonance for literary figures. Three highly celebrated and influential writers share a birthday of January 25. The Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote Auld Lang Syne, was born that day in 1759. The Aquarian mindset represented in his work became a great inspiration to the future founders of liberalism. That date in 1874 brought the English author of "Of Human Bondage," William Somerset Maugham, into the world. He would become one of the most popular writers of his era, penning award-winning plays, novels and short stories. His legacy lives on through the Somerset Maugham Award, a British literary prize awarded annually that includes a sum of money to be spent by the honoree on foreign travel. Also sharing a January 25 birth is the English modernist Virginia Woolf. A significant figure in London's literary society, this author of "Mrs. Dalloway" was also immortalized in film by Nicole Kidman, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Woolf in "The Hours." Aquarians are known for their forward-thinking and experimental approach to the arts.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Grammy Award-winner Alicia Keys was born under the sign of philanthropy, which she exemplifies as the co-founder and global ambassador of the nonprofit organization Keep a Child Alive, whose mission it is to provide medicine to African families with HIV and AIDS. Keys has her natal sun, Mercury and Mars all in the musical and humanitarian sign of Aquarius.

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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