Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

It's something that all humans have in common — a mother. This Mother's Day falls under an adventurous Sagittarian moon. The old standards of flowers and brunch will still play; although, to give a really effective gift to your mother, challenge yourself to think beyond who your mother is to you, and consider the woman she is in the world.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Normally, you might try to get others together for some fun, but you have something you need to do today that you must do alone. So enjoy the solitude. You'll be powerfully focused on your mission.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). With visitors, you are considerate, gracious and hospitable, even with the ones you hardly know. You don't require people to prove themselves to you and because of this you attract the cream of the crop.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Life brings you quirky pleasures. You will play with abstract concepts, enjoy offbeat humor and the company of eccentric friends. These unusual experiences are your treasures.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). There are so many people doing well around you, but you can rest assured — you do measure up! And you'll perform even better when you stop wasting energy on comparisons.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Getting more organized will be a must. You don't realize what you have right now. But as soon as you start to sort, file, stack and toss, you'll realize what your resources are and what you can do with them.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (MAY 10). Life is juicy for you this year, ripe for the taking. This month, respond to the calm voice of your heart and take action to improve your love life. Loved ones meet you halfway. Family makes you proud in June and they'll be proud of you when you are honored in September. Career aims are met in July. A fun purchase brightens winter. Leo and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 45, 9, 22, 10 and 16.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Instead of avoiding the situation you feel so fearful of, you jump right in. You figure that if you can't conquer this fear, you can at least stop it from conquering you. What a story you'll have to tell at the end of the day.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You've known since you were a tot that things usually take longer than you think they will. Events will not go as scheduled, but you will still enjoy yourself because you really didn't expect them to in the first place.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It's the complexities of an arrangement that make it fascinating.

Though part of you longs for a simpler circumstance, you know deep down that this strange situation is keeping you sharp. So welcome problems!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You want to be impressed, not merely content. You want to meet someone with whom you are utterly taken by, not necessarily in a romantic way either. For now, strive to have this effect on others.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You will move according to your own timeline. Any person who tries to rush you along or slow you down won't have much luck. You sense what's best for you and that's exactly what you'll do.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You've been trying to get through to someone to no avail. This person just doesn't seem to understand your message. Take a break from the language of logic and start talking from the heart. Your emotions read through.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You appreciate someone whose way of operating in the world is very different from your own. You learn by watching this person. Experiencing this variation of style helps you understand yourself better.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: Last week, Mercury went retrograde in Gemini, stirring up mischief and miscommunication. If you keep an attitude of optimism and levity, this planetary transit could play out like a romantic comedy in which the crossed messages, wrong assumptions and silly mistakes merely build a feeling of satisfaction when things come together sweetly in the end. Whenever you can help it, don't get mad — laugh instead. If you make a mistake, chalk it up to where you're at in your life at the moment you make the mistake. If you could have done better, you would have. But you're learning. Next time you'll improve. If the situation includes elements beyond your control, laugh harder. What else is there to do? This Mercury retrograde teaches us that things don't have to go the way we want them to in order for us to be happy. Happiness is always a choice. On Saturday, Saturn ends its long retrograde journey and goes direct. In some ways you have felt that you keep repeating the same lessons in life, the circumstances only slightly changed. This Saturn transit will start to bring some new schooling. It's like we all moved on to the next grade.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Rock star humanitarian Paul Hewson is a golden-throated Taurus whose professional name, "Bono," loosely translates to "good voice." The U2 front man takes personal responsibility for the world at large, a trait associated with Saturn in Capricorn. Mars in Pisces shows a sensitive soul, and his eyes are sensitive, too — that's why he's almost never seen without cool sunglasses!

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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