The trouble with reading, saying and doing things to bolster your self-esteem is that every attempt to raise your opinion of yourself backwardly affirms that you have a low opinion of yourself. Fortunately, as the moon shifts into the passionate, fiery realm of Leo, the solution gets simple: Stop thinking about yourself, and focus on the task at hand.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your journey in the world of commerce may have a few bumps. Handle business, however inconvenient it may be. The customer is not always right, though it behooves the merchant to lend the benefit of the doubt.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Take up space and command attention with your communication style. You'll gain the support of authority figures and the approval of those who see you as an authority.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There are many ways to say it. Because of your desire to leave people with a good feeling, you'll give thought to how you're going to relay information from important news to the simplest of salutations.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Artistic expression is stress relief. A regular creative practice ensures that you'll be not only calmer and more centered but also quite masterful at the craft of your choice.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You'll have your choice of a few different investments. It will be better to invest in a person than it will in an object or commodity. Tonight: Fortune favors you when you express your love in actions instead of words.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). People will have a strong need to categorize you today, only because they're trying to figure out where you fit into their lives. Just don't let them define you. You define you; and that definition is ever-evolving.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). If love is a game, this will be a prize winning round. Hand on the buzzer, you're ready to come up with the right answer. Make your move. Don't wait to be sure.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your close friends and loved ones will want to know what you think, but beyond that there is little to gain (and much to lose) from discussing personal and political views with the general public today.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You're probably feeling nostalgic for another time. It was no better or worse than this time really, but it was lovely and inspiring in its own way. Channel the energy of the past into today's work.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Driven people do not find it difficult to push themselves hard. The real challenge for an overachiever is in setting limits that will lead to optimum gains over the long term.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You never know who is hurting inside. When in doubt, reach out. Your handshakes and hugs are healing. You won't regret being a little more friendly or affectionate than was really necessary.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Without regular injections of fun and excitement, relationships get stale. Brainstorm on the subject, because the answer will be out of the ordinary.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 9). You can be subtle and sly when you need to be, and you'll maneuver a situation that requires diplomacy. You'll advance through the politics of a scene and become quite powerful. March and June offer a different kind of work and the chance at big money. A special friendship will send you on a July adventure. Scorpio and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 9, 25, 34 and 19.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I'm so focused on my children, getting them to their activities and caring for them, that I often pass a mirror and cry. I'm dumpy! I always thought that I'd be a cool mom, glamorous — or at least kept up. What is a Libra to do to get back to being presentable?"

In this era of celebrity moms it's easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that unless you're rocking the hair, makeup and wardrobe 24/7, you're just not pretty enough to be caring for your kids. But dear Venus-ruled Libra, I truly believe that right now you are more beautiful than you have ever been in your life, regardless of your wardrobe, weight or lack of eyelash extensions. The love that you pour into your children makes you beautiful. It can't help but be this way. Motherhood, done correctly, is a form of ego-death that the Zen monks meditate for decades to achieve. That you would die for your kids is a no-brainer. In some ways you do die for them, a little every day. You lose track of yourself. Sometimes that's just part of the deal. When it's important to you, you'll re-create yourself. Just know that right now, you are a great beauty because of who you are on the inside.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carole King is one of the great treasures of American pop music. This prolific singer-songwriter has had seven top-10 albums, including the iconic "Tapestry," which spent nearly six years on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Her sun, Mercury and Venus in musical Aquarius is accented nicely by three major Taurus influences in her natal chart. Taurus rules the voice.

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