Two major turnarounds frame the first week of the year — yesterday's welcome from Jupiter, and a New Year's Day spin from Mercury. These omens encourage us to seek ease and levity. You don't have to strive, impress or pay to be worthy of a brand-new start; it's yours for the asking. Don't seek challenges — they eventually find us all! Instead, enjoy down-to-earth company, be safe and make yourself comfortable.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your creative impulses and your intention to entertain and delight people have you opening the year with a strong project. This starts with your purpose and will eventually achieve quite a few at once. Keep your mind open and go at an easy pace. This will continue to evolve in the weeks and months ahead.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You'll make people happy — usually when you're not trying. You can't control the responses of others, but when you bring harmony to your own environment, the ease turns to joy, which leaks out and colors everything. Go ahead and focus on what you need and want, and you'll naturally end up bringing good to all you touch.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It comes in many forms, from water-cooler talk to major media — groups of people talking about how bad things are. You'll either avoid it or elevate the scene as you focus on more constructive things, such as solving a problem or engaging in the sort of lighthearted play that creates a sense of safety, normalcy and joy.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your beliefs change because you're constantly learning. But your values change very little. One of your main priorities is to put people first and prize relationships above many other things. You'll change focus and update your point of view to help you get where you need to go to take care of your people.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You have unpretentious views of yourself, and others tend to feel comfortable in your presence, though sometimes a little too comfortable. This week's events and scenarios will set the bar a little higher, lending a sense of fun and competition to your scene, ultimately bringing out the best in people.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). When you were small, you noticed where the attention was flowing. You feared any competition that came along to threaten the help, love and support you needed. Now you have many resources to meet your needs. This week, you will sometimes revel in attention, but more often enjoy the benefit of not having it on you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It will feel like you're in a contest. Showing off seems to be the norm in this game. Arrogance will be tolerated, and perhaps even extolled by some. You'll take a different route, one of humility, and this will serve you in both the long and short term. "Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues." — Confucius

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You'll honor the voice of your intuition and follow its urgings to do things such as talk to strangers, make a bid for opportunities or express yourself. These acts take courage, though the more you put yourself out there, the easier it gets, which is why eventually you never have to put on a brave face because you're just genuinely brave.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Because you've decided to make a change, the things that are already going on in your life will make a case for why they should stay. Even the bad habits will present their case, and their reasons for being might surprise you. Ultimately, it's instinct that guides your judgment, which will be swift and final.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You go into the new year confident in the knowledge that you don't have to have strong opinions to be a strong person. Knowledgeable people will be open to your inquiry and respect what your curiosity brings to the equation. You'll apply your skill for seeing things from different perspectives to good effect.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). People observing the same phenomenon at the same place and time will have completely different stories of the event because experience happens in the mind, and our minds vary so much. This week features an investigation of sorts. Accept other people's stories as being true for them, as untrue as they may be to you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Just as it is possible to know where you are and still feel lost, it is also possible to be utterly unsure of your position and yet feel found. You're in the right place — the place you belong. When you take the next step, that will also be the right place. Onward with confidence!

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: You are loyal down to the bone and do not require or expect a return for your devotion, and yet this year, you'll be repaid many times over for the sacrifices and efforts you made in the past to honor the loves of your life. Fresh adventure sparkles up your world, the sort you don't have to seek, only agree to. A financial reorganizing will eliminate stressors. You'll help someone through a passage and get all the inspiration you need to achieve a goal of greatness.

Holiday Mathis' debut novel, "How To Fail Epically in Hollywood," is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Photo credit: Ante Hamersmit at Unsplash