Neptune is a higher octave of Venus, taking her embodiment of beauty, harmony and romance and lifting it to the spirit realms. Neptune is all dreams, poetry and rivers of collective consciousness stocked with the symbols and colors that give life meaning. These two retrograde planets challenge one another, and us, to declare what's real.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You're observant and curious about interactions regardless of whether or not they involve you. In fact, you best interpret how others are feeling by the way they look when they are not interacting with you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your powers of reason will be put to excellent use. You'll calm someone with logic — maybe yourself. You'll solve a problem or prove a postulate, putting everyone at ease.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Wealth is transient. Some have built riches over a lifetime only to see the next generation dwindle the funds down to nothing. Realizing the temporal nature of riches, you'll spend yours in a way that makes you happy.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Others know your beauty because they can stand back and take in the entire picture of you — or at least the picture from their angle. You're too close to observe yourself, so believe their compliments.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There's nothing wrong with being silly. In fact, you'll create something so right by connecting with another person in a shared bit of inanity. The human condition can be quite absurd, indeed!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You are not the only one allowed to write on the blank page of your life. Sometimes people take their own pen and start scribbling. You will take those lines and make something beautiful out of them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You'll revisit a scenario from last week. This is not a rerun in which the lines are predictable and the outcome is the same. This is more of a do-over. The outcome is up to you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You'll do your best work while sleeping. Your mind's poetry will weave associations as beautiful as they are nonsensical. Keep a notebook and pen next to the bed, and jot down your impressions immediately upon waking.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Those who do not readily say "thank you" are perhaps not as mindful of your contribution as they might be. You're much more likely to give to those who know how to receive graciously.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Style and technique figure into your success in a big way today, so don't be afraid to spend the bulk of your time making things exactly what you want them to be.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You have a strong need for an audience, and you'll attract a decent one. What they lack in numbers they'll have in heart. People want to be involved with you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You are so giving and open-minded now that the necessity of personal boundaries may not occur to you. Draw some anyway. Later, you'll be glad you did.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (June 26). You'll right something from your past and start anew in July. You like being rich in experiences, but you also want to be rich in money. You'll put your education to good use in August — especially what you learned in the school of life — and start earning by October. Transportation upgrades are a thrill in January. Pisces and Aries people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 24, 1, 26 and 39.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: "I'm a Scorpio (11/18/75) who would like to get back with my old boyfriend (11/3/75), but I'm also attracted to someone new (11/19/73). Are you seeing the pattern here?"

Loving the honesty that other Scorpios can bring to a relationship is not such a rare pattern. On a physical level, you are so completely comfortable with Scorpios like yourself that right now you don't see the point in venturing beyond your sign. Your tenacious Taurus moon (opposite your sun) suggests that when something is working well for you, you dig in your heels and repeat the pattern for all it's worth. Scorpios help stabilize the contradictions in your highly mysterious and power-oriented nature. You're stronger and more complex than most of those around you. Another powerful personality equalizes the inner pressure of the strong urges within you. Your first boyfriend (Scorpio with moon in Scorpio) comforts you. His nature is centered and peaceful, which helps you handle the inner turmoil you're currently going through. Your new love interest shares your moon, Mercury, Venus and Pluto signs. Scorpio sun/Taurus moon is unpredictable in relationship matters. Give this relationship a chance.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: As Cat Valentine of Nickelodeon's "Victorious" series, Ariana Grande is a whimsical inhabitant of her own little world. Grande's sun and Mercury in Cancer suggests it's easy for her to intuitively relate to the characters she plays, as well as the real people she meets. But her grounded Venus in Taurus promises that her personality is more down-to-earth than the character she's made so popular.

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.