Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

The winner will not always be the most deserving; he or she will often be the one who wants it most. Yesterday, Mars, the planet that governs passion and ambition, entered Capricorn, the most hardworking and ambitious part of the sky. This planetary pit stop is sure to rev our engines and get us ready for highly competitive environments.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You can't judge how your work will be received, but you can try. Play devil's advocate. If someone were to criticize, what would they say? And what can you do to preempt that opinion?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Great minds like Einstein and Goethe have agreed on this one thing: The poets go first, and the scientists catch up later. Do not discount your imaginings. They become your future.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You won't be able to control your thoughts. They are like birds that fly from your grasping hands. But if you relax, those birds may perch on your shoulder, and then you can walk, taking them where you want them to go.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You do what you do because you want to feel better. So it's always a surprise when an action you take has the opposite effect. Try to go about it another way: Find a way to feel better before you take action.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You will learn the information you need to know in order to weigh and consider your options. And you will also learn what you don't need to know. Luckily, you're able to discern the difference between the two.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You can work through the strangest circumstances, as long as you don't lose hope. If you do lose hope, keep working until you find your faith once more. It will return.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your loved ones rely on you, and who could blame them? You are, after all, very reliable. You'll be needed even more than usual. Give your heart, but don't give your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You just know you were meant to thrive like this — to feel good about yourself, your health and your talents. When you're not feeling this way, it's only because you are cutting yourself off from the well-being that is your birthright.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You are deliberate. Everyone around you can feel the intensity. Your energy is no longer bouncing off the walls around you like it was yesterday. Now you are strongly focused.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You've heard that it's lonely at the top, but that doesn't stop you from wanting to get there.

The kindness you show your friends this week will likely make the top a little less lonely than it would have been.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You like people individually. But when you get out in the crowds and the traffic, sometimes you become disheartened by the state of mankind. It makes you have to work harder to see the good in others.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There are more commitments on the schedule than you can keep. Your social values will affect how this day plays out. You'll weigh your private interests against your public duty.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 8). Building a mutual support system will be an important focus for you this year. The encouraging people you surround yourself with will push you toward a goal. Take a victory lap in February. Your strong commitment to home and family will bring honor in 2011. Finances improve with the job you do in March. Virgo and Pisces people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 20, 14, 39 and 16.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I like work better than I like being with my family. I think it's wrong — family is the most important. Growing up, my parents were always tense and fighting. I don't fight with my husband, but I still find him hard to get along with much of the time. I enjoy my two children, but raising them is generally challenging in ways that I don't want to be challenged. My work as an architect is exciting, adventurous, creative and satisfying. I would rather work than go on vacation with my family. And I'd rather hire a driver to take my kids to football practice so I can stay at the office. Is there something wrong with me? Or is this just because I'm a Capricorn with Virgo rising?"

Women expect more of themselves now than ever before. The pressure of balancing the roles of wife, mother and career woman can be overwhelming. There is nothing wrong with finding solace and the perfect kind of challenge in your work. Challenge is important to Capricorns, and your earth-sign influence gives you a stellar work ethic. But be careful not to use your office as an escape. Your family will teach you things about becoming a better person that your work never could.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Her name is synonymous with happiness, and yet this fiery Sagittarian actress is well known for her role as a desperate housewife. Felicity Huffman is so versatile, she's even played a man! Her natal chart is rich with variety, and the elements of fire, earth, air and water are so well balanced that she may just be the most stable and grounded artist in all of Hollywood!

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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