Mercury and Mars align in Aries; the chase for external validation is on. Since people tend to buy more when they feel inadequate, the world of commerce doesn't want us to find wholeness inside ourselves, to be calm at our core or to claim inner peace. If we want to be less dependent on the superficial, we should seek solutions elsewhere.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Though of course you want to succeed, there's a down side to knocking it out of the park. It sets up a future expectation that you may or may not want to live up to. Think carefully before you set a precedent.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). To avoid wasted effort, get more clarity around what you're attempting to do. Improved communication will be key and this includes communicating with your own feelings and instincts.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). All will be enhanced by social connections. Instead of connecting with people haphazardly when it's convenient or when there's a pressing and obvious need, create a structure that will allow you to engage others often.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Though the result of someone's efforts to impress you may not have the impact on your psyche that was intended, it will still feel pretty flattering to know you're the cause of such a fuss.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Time is the currency of productivity. How you manage yours today will be the difference between a hit and a miss. You've a strong instinct for what's important. All you have to do is honor it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You'll clear up a misunderstanding within seconds, as long as you are aware that there is one. Go over recent communication. Check in to make sure that you've heard and have been heard correctly.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Whether winning or losing, for those who are in the battle, life is about fighting. The real victors today will be the ones who forgo the fight in favor of finding something to agree on and accomplish together.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Rituals are a way of symbolically processing life so you can realistically process it with greater ease. A ritual you create to help you move past your sticking point will be most effective, resonating deeply to free you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Exaggerated fears can cause social discomfort. It doesn't have to be this way, though you may have to make a few mistakes first to understand that it's not that big of a deal to flub here and there.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When you provide people with reasons to accept you, you'll earn acceptance but feel nothing. If you don't make any effort and are accepted anyway, you'll feel loved.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Don't waste the day by trying to prolong it. Efficiency will be the enemy of passion. Burn the hours in exciting, pointless ways and you'll make lasting memories, too.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Chances are that you are imagining a risk as much greater than it really is. You are, in a sense, "elevating the plank" that you'd theoretically walk were you to be punished. There is no plank, really, just an optional diving board.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (March 18). Balance and moderation are the norm this year, and yet there are some things you simply won't be able to do small: for instance, love. The more you invest, the more you feel. You'll have terrific luck with a sale in June. September renews old relationships. December will be a lucky time to move or build. Taurus and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 30, 22, 49 and 11.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: "I'm a Cancer, and my ex-boyfriend is a Pisces. Our relationship ended six years ago, but since then we've been communicating on and off. We're both still technically single, but he's in a relationship with a married woman. I'm writing to you because even if he doesn't tell me what's happening to him, I learn about ir it my dreams. Sometimes, I get this feeling that he's so close, and then I learn that he's coming to my country. Whenever I would decide to forget him completely, he sends me a message or a sign that challenges my decision. What is it that we have between us that could explain these strange things?"

Sounds perfectly normal to me — that is, for a Cancer and a Pisces. But I will caution you not to let your bond interfere with moving forward with your own life. In a cosmic sense, you are related. As it is with siblings, you will be related through your whole life. But that doesn't mean you should live under the same roof or even in the same country.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Rapper, singer, model and actress Queen Latifah is a superstar Pisces born under a show-stopping Leo moon. "Latifah" is an Arabic word for "kind." Latifah expresses her kindness through uplifting entertainment and also through the support of charities such as Citymeals On Wheels. Her natal communication planet, Mercury, is in Pisces, the station of empathy and imagination.

To write to Holiday Mathis, visit www.creators.com/author/holiday-mathis and click "Contact."