Many people are so addicted to social validation that they fake a happier lifestyle than they live. It makes no sense to those who would rather be happy than seem happy, but it's a good indicator of the strongly addictive properties of approval. Venus squared to Uranus has a suggestion: To reduce your need for approval, approve of yourself.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You can. Somewhere along the line you got a totally different message, and that message was a lie, based on assumptions and partial information. You can. And furthermore, you will.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Everything you get to call your own in this world comes with maintenance, including friendship. For those less socially inclined, friendship maintenance takes effort, but for you it's as it should be — just plain fun.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Keep track. Then later, when you slip into one of those "what am I doing, what have I accomplished, have I wasted my life" type of moods, you'll have plenty of reminders.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). All the improvement starts in your mind. Thinking better is doing better. New research will help you to harness the latent power of your brain to deliver higher levels of achievement.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Many of our broad-based opinions and feelings are inherited from the culture we know best. But if that inheritance is causing stress or even anguish, lose it. A belief's popularity has nothing to do with its rightness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Universally, flying is commonly thought of as a peaceful experience. Pictures of the Earth from space bring fascination and calm. Serenity flows naturally from a heightened perception. Spiritually, rise up and look down.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). "You have to dive down, as it were," the great Bohemian novelist Franz Kafka wrote in his diary. "And sink more rapidly than that which sinks in advance of you."

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Defend what you're doing. Maybe this is just about keeping the distractions and interruptions at bay, or maybe your process and product will come into question. Anyway, while going to bat for yourself you'll learn something.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Boy, will your brain be busy today, assaulted with way too many facts, plenty of jibber-jabber, a dash of rumor and a pinch or two of speculation. The peace of this afternoon will come as a big relief.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Though you must see this project through, and it's definitely worth sticking with for all the learning, fun and profits it will yield, don't think for a minute that this is it for you. The best work is the work you haven't thought of yet.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). There are circumstances, your opinion of them and a thread of tension suspended in between to carry your emotional reaction. To change your emotion, tweak either the circumstances or your opinion.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You've a sense that some of the ride has been kept from you, and you're now eager for the full experience. You want to know what's behind not just some of the doors but all of them.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 24). A personal win right at the top of this solar return will be a game-changer. You've been working toward this a long time, but that didn't prepare you for the decisions you'll have to make. Worthy mentors will help you through. Seek those with qualities of kindness and compassion as well as worldly success. Taurus and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 28, 3, 46 and 12.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: "What do I do about my daughter's social life? She's an 8-year-old Cancer who only gets along with girls who are older than her — 10- and 11-year-olds. But older girls often don't want to play with someone who is too much younger. She hasn't found many friends her age and is a lonely only child."

You're in a wonderful window of time: Your daughter is still at the age when your social decisions will strongly color hers. Soon she'll be declaring her own friendships, but right now you're the engine of her social life, and she'll be influenced most by the people you arrange for her to be near. Take advantage of this power. The last thing you want to do is set her up to feel less-than by putting her in a position to be rejected. Cancer finds moods quite contagious and will flow with emotions that aren't necessarily being generated by the Cancer herself. In that light, age is less important than tone. Seek upbeat companions who have the values and enthusiasm that you would wish your daughter to carry in life. You may have to pay this person. It's better for her to spend time with an upbeat, friendly teen who will interact joyfully with her for a small fee than to team her up with an ill-mannered child of the same age.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Rupert Grint's first role was playing a fish in a play about Noah's Ark (a confusing role to be certain; couldn't the fish survive in floodwater?). Even though this Virgo was born when Neptune was in Pisces, his aquatic career was quickly eclipsed by his role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise. Grint was born under a passionate, energetic Aries moon and has Mars and Jupiter in intuitive Cancer.

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