Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

Under the Gemini moon, all the world is an open mic night. Everyone has something to say, and many are bold enough to take the stage and holler out. But not all of what you hear will be good information. Mercury's retrograde status is still fiddling around with the knobs on the P.A. system, and there will be some distortion to deal with.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Once they have your ear, those who want to please or persuade you will spin a most appealing tale. You may not know what to believe right now, but you do know what not to believe.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). If you embark on a solo mission, it will make you all the more appealing and mysterious to your ever-growing fan base. People want to be around you, and it will be difficult to get away and do what you want to do.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Many a truth is spoken in jest. And those Freudian slips really will tell an interesting story. Paying attention to subtleties will be most entertaining and revealing today.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You are a self-directed person living in a world where everyone wants to tell you where to go, what to do and how to do it. In order to do something your own way, you'll have to shut everyone out and do it by yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The world is your art project — an extensive collage in which you play with the scale of things. Right now, you're into making small details seem enormously important while the big picture fits nicely on the head of a pin.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You benefit from handling things in real time. Answer the telephone instead of letting it go to voice mail. Tell everyone at the start of the conversation that you have just a few minutes to talk.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). What would happen if you deleted all the e-mails you haven't read or dealt with and just started fresh? What if you didn't go through the clutter pile before chucking it all in the trash? Bold moves to clear your way will favor you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your loved ones and colleagues disagree with you about what really matters. It may turn out that you are blowing events out of proportion — a sign that it's time to unhook from the bustle.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). For the most part, you know where you're going and how to get there. But something has changed on this route. Once in a while, even the savviest navigator has to stop and get directions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.

19). You are fresh on the scene and will add new energy and vigor to the proceedings. It may feel to you that you are not doing anything too important, but you contribute much just by showing up.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When you're with that intoxicating person, you lose all track of time. The colors of the world intensify. You understand the meaning of words like never before. Life is vivid.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There is a competition going on. Be aware of it and you'll be a contender. Those who appear to be resting may, in fact, be sizing up the situation and waiting until the moment is ripe for the seizing.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (September 1). Your good luck increases through the next four weeks, and you'll have the confidence to take risks. Your relationships get instantly more exciting, and new people come into your life, too. November represents a thrilling twist in the usual plot. You'll exchange meaningful promises in March. Capricorn and Virgo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 10, 38, 20 and 15.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I have dated several Gemini women in a row, and I have come to the conclusion that I am no good with Geminis. I'm a Leo. I want to date an Aries woman. I cannot ask every woman I meet when her birthday is. They will think I am crazy, rude or both. What are the physical characteristics associated with Aries?"

Physical characteristics are usually associated with a person's rising sign and other strong influences in the astrological chart. You would have to have the exact birth time and place of a person in order to ascertain this information, and that would probably make you seem even more odd or rude. Most people know better than to ask a woman her age. I suggest that you have a conversation with your own heart, dear Leo — your sign rules the heart, you know. You are getting too caught up in analyzing your love life and setting expectations, and you are forgetting the most important part. You can only make a connection in the "now" moment. When you meet a woman, focus on what your heart is experiencing as you get to know this person. Later, you can use astrology as a tool to further enhance your own intuitive leanings.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Dr. Phil McGraw has inspired change in thousands of people: He once got a whole town to lose weight. He was born when the sun and Saturn, the planet of hard lessons and discipline, were both in Virgo, the sign of improvement. This television psychologist and talk-show host says, "Awareness without action is worthless." Dr. Phil's love planet Venus is in Leo, the sign of the spotlight.

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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