Mercury just came through a poetic cycle of the soul and is feeling reborn in Aries. As the messenger planet skips along the early degrees of the ram's realm, our focus goes youthful, flitting from one shiny thing to the next. Human attention may be in short supply. Those who can give it well have something precious and in high demand.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You've a success story to share. Be discerning, though. Certain friends will be too jealous to be genuinely happy for you. It's obviously less than ideal, but the friendship will be stronger when you're sensitive to such quirks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You crave the joy that comes from letting go of control. The way to get exciting results is to set boundaries and then encourage your crew to go wild within those boundaries.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You're thinking deeper and wider. Don't be surprised if the people around you do not see the same options that you see. You'll either show them the way or preserve a special route for yourself.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). This is not a zero-sum game. Your success will not come at the expense of anyone else. The cost will be paid by you and you alone. The rewards will go to you, too.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You're not lost. You're just paying attention in a new way, which can be disorienting. Close observation can make the familiar seem unfamiliar. Take breaks. Observation takes energy. It's harder work than it seems.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Would happiness prevail if not for the current problem? No. The current problem itself is integral to happiness. You'll derive great satisfaction and pride from solving it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). While it would be foolish to aim to make mistakes, it's equally silly to avoid and fear them. The wise do not aim to live without folly. There will be much to learn in a tidy little mess.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Trust your instincts. They are creative, accurate, attractive, compelling and healthy. Whoever told you that you couldn't trust your instincts was acting out of self-interest at the time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). From Shakespeare to Disney, the dramatists agree that evil plans are most harmful to the one planning them. All you have to do is mind your own business and the drama will take care of itself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). While it's cynical to think that people are being nice in hopes of future favors returned, it's not altogether wrong today, either. Luckily, the land of politics is one in which you're well versed.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Managing expectations will be a very important part of your day. If you can master this (mainly by under promising and over delivering), you'll wind up a hero.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). If you downplay your accomplishments, you'll insinuate doubt in an otherwise neutral mind. If you praise yourself, it will only annoy. For today, you'll win socially by not discussing yourself at all.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (March 14). There's sunshine in your mind this year, and the cheerfulness you feel will touch lives in ways known and unknown to you. Get out of a competition in the early part of this solar return. Compete only with yourself. You'll accept an honor in May. Contracts favor you in July and October. You'll cash out in 2018. Gemini and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 10, 33, 28 and 45.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: "I am very worried about my daughter. I'm afraid she has chosen the wrong man. Her birthday is April 29, 1984, and she was born at 2:45 a.m."

Your daughter is a lovely but stubborn Taurus with her love planet, Venus, in naive Aries. The good news is that this and other indications in her chart suggest that she may have several short-lived relationships, each with its own enjoyments and education. This particular relationship may fizzle for reasons connected with her job. So you don't have to worry about this lasting. The bad news is that your daughter is not likely to listen to you or anyone else in regard to her romantic choices, and, in fact, the more people outwardly dislike her choices, the more she'll stand by them — even if she's already grown bored by the romance. The best you can do is remain neutral and loving toward her, avoiding the subject of her romantic life altogether, or bringing it up in a lighthearted, disinterested way, as though you don't have a care in the world as to whether she's dating a doctor or a convict, as long as she's happy.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Happy birthday to legendary impresario Quincy Jones. Through his creative orchestrations and spot-on intuition about people and art (courtesy of his sun and Venus, both in Pisces), Jones has been a creative catalyst for over 50 years of pop culture. Born under the harmonious Libra moon, Jones cultivated the talents of Michael Jackson and championed the early careers of stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith, among others.

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