Europeans speak more languages than their North American brethren, a testament to living in close proximity to more countries. If you want to communicate better, Mercury seconds the motion on this, the 13th day of the month — a Friday, to boot! Good news: You won't have to learn a new language; you'll just have to listen 20 percent better than before.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Who has time to judge other people? Judges. Well, they're getting paid for it. Anyone who judges but isn't getting paid for it simply doesn't have enough excitement to draw the focus elsewhere.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). No opportunity can be written off today. Big and small, seize them all! Be on the lookout for opportunities that don't really seem like they are. Those are the ones to catch.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The current problems are not interrupting your joy; in fact, they are a nice big slice of your joy. Somewhere in you, you know that you can overcome this, and overcome it you will.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You might know what the expectation would typically be in a given situation, but since there are individuals involved whose minds you can't read, you don't know what the expectation actually is. So, you may as well suit yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The one with the biggest picture wins every time. Today's win: The side benefits will outweigh the real ones. This will happen because you're playing a larger game than the one at the table you're sitting around.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Everyone on the earth's face wants to feel better, but each will go about it in different ways. Today, your tolerance for another person's methods will make both of your lives easier.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Just as there are spaces in your home that you don't use, there are spaces in your psyche that go untouched — that is, until certain people come along. You'll enjoy how the related emotional dynamic plays out today.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Better to take one piece of good advice and apply it to your life than to listen to 60 adages and apply none.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Bottom line: If you are worried about rejection, then your fear is stronger than your desire. It's not a good place to come from in business, and it's a disastrous position if pleasure is your aim.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your mind can be crueler to you than any person has ever been. Do not let negative thinking keep you from taking an exciting risk. If you desire it, you can break your mental chains.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Remember when you went from one serious relationship straight into another and missed out on all that fun? What you learned from that will inform your weekend.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People like the idea of winging things spontaneously, because that feels fun in the mind. But when it translates to real life, well, it could go a lot of ways. And it will. It can't hurt to also have a plan in your back pocket.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 13). It's not enough for you to have a good experience, because you're looking for epic. You'll get that, too, especially when you make an effort in March (and then again with a ripe opportunity of June). Hard workers inspire you to work even harder in the hot months. You'll sock away money to focus on an August opportunity. Taurus and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 30, 20, 12 and 1.

WEEKEND LOVE FORECAST: ARIES: Why not hold out for someone fun, good-looking and insanely hilarious? You know, someone like you. TAURUS: One truthful conversation will settle an issue for good. GEMINI: Talent, creativity and humor are the top qualities you look for. If someone happens to be good-looking, that's a bonus! CANCER: You have a lot outside of your relationships. Take stock in that, and your relationships will only grow stronger. LEO: It's pretty simple this weekend: The person who makes an effort will be the person who wins. VIRGO: Communication helps. Non-communication hurts. LIBRA: The one who doesn't want to lose you will make special efforts this weekend. SCORPIO: Arguments are a sign of relationship health. SAGITTARIUS: You're trying to create an experience for people. You'll succeed in this. CAPRICORN: You play one role in one place, another role in another. You'll love the one who appreciates both and all. AQUARIUS: A person may hypothetically seem wonderful; then again, most people are not hypothetical. PISCES: You suspect that you're different, and you are. The one who gets this is a true love.

COUPLE OF THE WEEKEND: Cancer and Capricorn both start with a "C," and the similarities stop there. This water-and-earth combo will come together in fascination today, because one truly has no idea what the other is thinking. Capricorn is good at executing a plan powerfully. Cancer is more of a visionary who busts open the plan, poking at possibilities outside the range of the page.

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