Horoscopes by Holiday by Holiday Mathis

The sun and Saturn in opposition is like a showdown at the cosmic corral between fate and free will. No matter who draws first, no one will go down. These two gunslingers need each other. This dramatic tension will inspire thoughts about the role of fate and what can be done to overcome her less savory aspects and implications.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Manual labor, especially having to do with cleaning up your environment, is the fastest way to feeling better. Clear a counter, desk or table, and your mind becomes fresh and clear, too.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The creativity is flowing for you, and you'll come up with exciting ideas — not all of them practical. Test them out on a Virgo or Capricorn to find out which ones are the best.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The compromises you've been making are starting to add up to a vague dissatisfaction with the way things are. What needs to happen for you to feel like you're getting more of what you want?

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You could get by on charm, but you prefer not to. You want to contribute something useful, and with all you've learned, it's easy for you to do so. Charm becomes unnecessary when you can deliver the real deal.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It's always easier to talk about what other people should do than it is to command your own ship. The wise individual won't comment; he is too busy steering his own vessel.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You'll have options about where to spend your money. You won't regret the choices that have to do with increasing your domestic satisfaction on a day-to-day basis.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It's important to feel a sense of progress, especially when you're bummed out. Forget your hard challenges for a while, and tackle a job or game that's easily done, easily won.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When people are ready to learn, the learning happens easily and quickly. Teach those who are in the "ready" position. Those who aren't ready may become inspired as they watch.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). As the sign of the archer, you are always immensely satisfied when you hit your mark. If you don't have a target, you rob yourself of that satisfaction. Make some goals just for the fun of it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Children desire to be very grown up, so in a sense, being a grownup is a childish desire with which adults needn't be overly concerned. Who said that grown people should always act like grownups?

AQUARIUS (Jan.

20-Feb. 18). You can't please everyone, so the best thing to do is aim to please yourself. You'll be amazed at the number of faces you'll put smiles on while following through with what you believe to be purely selfish motives.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Some tasks are like boomerangs, always giving you more to do and never finished until you decide you're not going to play that game anymore. In some sense, you'll have to put down your "toy" in order to be free.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (April 28). There is no finer joy than knowing that the one you care about loves you, too. This will be proved to you time and again this year. In May, acquiring wealth allows you to fully express yourself, especially by hiring and helping people, as well as by seeing your visions realized. The summer is romantic. It sweeps you into your emotions and helps you lose the tendency to over-think. Invest in August. October brings a payout of sorts. Leo and Libra people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 22, 14, 17 and 5.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: The sun and Saturn in opposition will set a tone for the week. Saturn is a strong-willed planet, representing parenting, teaching, knowledge and the hard facts of existence. The sun, on the other hand, is the very reason for existence in the physical universe. The pull of this opposition will echo the tension of parents and children everywhere. The child is supposed to carry on a legacy, and yet the parent can't help but remind him that the future wouldn't even exist "had I not borne you."

On a lighter note, Mercury is a busy, trendy hipster in May, and he'll shift an impressive number of times to keep us guessing. He starts out on May 1 by following the festive and fashionable line of cosmic party guests into Taurus. Commerce is favored during this transit, and exchanges happen quickly. The pros will buy and sell with alacrity, and the amateurs will learn quite a bit. If you don't know what you're doing, jump into the game anyway. As long as the game has a low ante, you'll be fine. Accept the fact that education always has a fee. Sometimes that fee is instruction, and other times that fee comes in the form of a loss.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Taurus comedians are funny because they are real. They head into issues without flinching and with a total understanding of the essence of comedy: Truth plus pain equals laughs. Jay Leno recently addressed rumors of late-night changes by poking fun at the situation alongside Jimmy Fallon in an operatic musical parody of "Tonight" from "West Side Story."

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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