Creativity is among the most defining traits of the human animal and has given our kind the ability to change the world we live in for better and for worse. As Neptune, ruler or dreams, is in the early stages of a long retrograde, we can expect greater scrutiny of our creative manifestations and a keener awareness of subconscious desire.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You've a multifaceted skill set. When you don't get to use some of these skills for a long time, you start to feel diminished. You forget all of who you are. To be able to exercise your competence will be a major lift to your spirit.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When beliefs fuse into something more like stubbornness, it's time to re-examine. Inflexible thoughts lead to intolerance and restriction. Go the opposite way and you'll invite freshness, creativity and vitality.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It's true that things can get pretty competitive in your professional arena. Perhaps it seems counterintuitive, but as you approach with compassion, caring and affection, this will only enhance your professional potential.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Living by your values makes you a success. It can be done at any income level, as it's not a matter of high finance but of high return on the potential of your soul.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The winner of the game isn't always one who wins the trophy; often it's the one who wins hearts. To be better is to be kinder. In the long run, kindness and love will be the score that matters.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your contribution is exciting. And though you may not like everything they have to say about you today, rest assured there's plenty of positive in it. Anyway, it's better to be talked about than not.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The sunshine is in you. Search for it, call on it, and draw it up. This will be easier when you're around people who crave levity and laughter as much as you do today.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The bridge from one moment to the next is called courage. Don't worry about where you'll find it, as it's activated by one foot stepping in front of the other. March on.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Caring about the way your project looks and feels doesn't make you superficial, it makes you human — a being to whom aesthetics typically matter a great deal and has mattered for thousands of years.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). How about you: Do you doubt what can't be seen, or do you believe in the magic of invisible forces? Fortunately, the forces don't depend on your belief to render aid, as evidenced by today's unexplainable phenomenon.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Life is a swing, back and forth, back and forth. The pendulum's nature is to flee; the pendulum's nature is to return. Pleasurable circumstances are temporary. So are uncomfortable ones. Hang on for the change.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Some will pray to St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost objects. Others will meditate on the lost object in question, while still others will trace their own steps. Whatever your method, you've a lucky talent for recovery today.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (June 17). Your blessings will multiply; a fairy-godmother type comes into your life in July. Before August is over, you'll figure out something that's vexed you for years. You'll give a life-changing gift in October. Your secret wish gets a plan in November and a team in January. Until then, keep brainstorming. Scorpio and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 44, 28, 11 and 29.

ASTROLOGICAL TOPIC: Neptune's retrograde offers greater awareness as to the desires and motives behind human interaction. Are we brave enough to accept the invitation? Obviously, knowing why we do what we do is a more powerful position than not knowing, as it brings us closer to effective solutions. Even so, many choose not to look, to reject information and stay in the dark about certain things. This tendency is called "denial," and it's a natural part of the learning process. To learn is to change. To change is to let go of the old way. Letting go is loss. Denial is a function of grief, a stage people go through in coping with loss.

Fear tells us the truth might be too painful to bear. We're afraid we might feel ashamed or guilty; we're afraid the truth will prove us wrong. If it does, we are looking at too narrow a sampling of the truth or of ourselves. To grow in our understanding of unconscious information is to humbly accept our humanity, which is inherently flawed, and yet also unspeakably beautiful in its constant striving for improvement. With compassion we can learn and accept more about ourselves and one another.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Inarguably, this Gemini writes the songs that make the whole world sing. Barry Manilow (who was born when Venus and Pluto were in entertaining Leo) says, "My passion for music has obliterated everything in its path for my entire life. Whenever there was a choice between music and anything else, music won hands down every time. No one person or material thing could ever come close to the feeling I get when the music is right."

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