Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

The sun and Mercury line up in Taurus, providing an opportunity to talk about what you're up to. Communication gives strength to your plan. As you share your intentions to supportive people around you, you will be building accountability into the mix. You work knowing that later, when people inquire about your project, you'll have a fantastic reply.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Although you prefer to be following a defined purpose, you can certainly be happy without one. Today, your intentions meander and the lovely, wandering path they take is surprisingly pleasant.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). This is the way things are and they will never stay this way. That's life and you're learning to not only expect its transient nature, but to love it. Change is only bad if you resist it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). If you leave an opening for it, your hours fill up with other people's problems. Better not to seem too leisurely now. Guard your time and you'll simultaneously be protecting your happiness.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Rushing along is not necessary and will only cause mistakes. If you're going to be late, it's no problem — just call ahead and no one will mind. Don't put the quality of your work or your life in jeopardy for an arbitrary deadline.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Figuring out the next step is easy once you sit down to work on it. So dig into it. Otherwise, toiling with possibilities half-heartedly takes up way too much mental energy and it's not worth the effort.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (MAY 18). You're tired of being understated and bored of modesty. This is a bold new year for you, and you'll be living it right out loud. Others are irresistibly drawn to your style and flair. Finances steadily improve through summer. Loved ones return in July. You gain clout within an organization or family in August. Capricorn and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 1, 55, 29 and 13.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It's wonderful to have your mind and spirit. Appreciate your own point of view and how it's been formed over your interesting history. You'll recognize the ironies of life and you'll laugh wholeheartedly.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don't need more stuff. You're cool, and all you need is to know that from within a deep part of yourself. Putting in hours of practice on your craft will help you get the confidence to believe that you're fine without buying fancy tools.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You want to find a business model that will work for you, but nothing seems to fit.

Perhaps it is because this is a new day and there has never been another good or service quite like yours. Find a new way.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You must be free to find your own path. Feeling trapped in a situation will lead you to choices that are less than winning. Name all of the ways in which you are completely at liberty to chose.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Work has you running from one exciting so-called "crisis" to another, although in your mind these are all minor issues. You'll wish the others would calm down and see it, too, and maybe your cool will rub off on them.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Stamina is crucial to getting your job done. This one is not for the weak willed. Dig in and find your true grit. Work past the point in which you feel bored, strained or desperate. You'll make it if you try.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Anyone can be cynical, but taking a sunny point of view is almost as easy. But to be real is more complicated and the choice you'll probably make today. You'll navigate the gray area and estimate the likelihood of different outcomes.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I'm a Virgo mother-to-be. I'm very pregnant and so excited about my new baby, who will be either a Cancer or Leo girl. My problem is that it seems like wherever I go there are people who feel they have the right to touch my tummy. Oh, it's so annoying! I don't like being touched by strangers. Sometimes I feel like touching them back — hard in the face. I know that the miracle of birth is something everyone wants to be a part of. But this is my body and my baby. I wish everyone would back off."

I have a feeling your baby will be a Leo and that this has something to do with the inordinate amount of touchy attention to your belly. Leo girls adore being the center of attention and don't mind strangers as much as Virgo women do. I admire you taking a stand for your private space and also the protective instinct you have for the child within you. There's nothing wrong with saying how you feel. Hormones currently being as they are, perhaps you should tell people right up front that you're particular about keeping your space to yourself so that you don't accidentally haul off and hit someone.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Beautiful, funny, smart Tina Fey should be a poster girl for Taurus. There are many Taurus comedians including Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Stephen Colbert, George Lopez and Bob Saget. Tina Fey represents the feminine side of this down-to-earth cosmic comedy equation. She has the gorgeous qualities of a Venus-ruled sign, plus talent, craft and business acumen — a star all the way.

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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