Like most winds, those of change sweep indiscriminately — moving everything in their path without organization or prioritization. Count yourself lucky indeed on the rare occasion when the winds of change actually tidy up for you! Such is the case today as Mercury marches into the realm of Virgo. The road is clear and it's time to get to work.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your energy revs high and dips low. While it's high, try new things. Your experiments will be most fortunate! The lows allow your subconscious to integrate all you've learned.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You are someone's favorite. You don't have to work to maintain your position, and that's precisely why you should put forth efforts. The number one rule for maintaining "favorite" status is to never take it for granted.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You start with a vague idea. Your clever mind whirs to build a case for it. Emotions kick in with intensity. Suddenly, this vague idea seems like a do-or-die quest. It's in your ability to dial the feelings up or down at any time.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Information is only as useful as it is accurate. Check the facts before you act. Also, the sources have sources, which will be even more important to investigate.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Though many parts of your life seem uncertain now, you can trust in your ability to figure out the next right move. You'll survey the scene, draw a straight line to the goal and then walk it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Some situations are black holes of need. No matter what you throw in to help the situation, all will be consumed and more will be demanded — no chance of fulfillment in sight. Recognize the signs. Avoid at all costs.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). What's ordinary to one person is mind-blowing to someone not of that world. There's new vitality to tap by sharing a part of your life with someone who wouldn't normally encounter it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). A relationship has become cumbersome. New social tactics will serve it well. Levity and brevity are needed — or maybe just space. Nothing is quite as weightless or brief as nothing at all.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Remember when you misunderstood who was in charge? Titles never do tell the whole story. Power is often wielded from lower ranks. Now, you'll tune your senses to more subtle cues.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The sacredness of doors will be a theme. Doors are introductions, escape hatches, memory erasers, preludes, prison and privacy essentials. Things change with the opening and closing of doors.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). As salespeople know, however valuable an item may be, it's not worth much if no one buys it. Profits are only made when inventory moves. You have an extra sense about what people want.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You may not be trying to win someone's affection, but your genuine interest in what they do makes them feel important; the sort of feeling that kindles fondness and motivates planning for future togetherness.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 11). It's a year of daring. You'll move outside your pattern and attract both scrutiny and extraordinary good fortune. You'll get serious about fun and put some money into it — an investment that will pay in ways you never would have expected. Reunions are featured. A life-changing meeting will go down at the turn of the year. Aquarius and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 3, 19, 44 and 8.

COSMIC QUESTION: "I don't do what I tell myself to do. I write down what I'm going to eat and then walk into the kitchen and eat what I want. Same goes for all the things I tell myself regarding dating, exercise and basically anything having to do with self-control. Why can't I get myself together and be the boss of me? I'm a Leo."

Wild at heart, it takes so much discipline for Leo to follow Leo's own requests. If you need to do anything else requiring your willpower (for instance, if you need sleep), have a lot of work to do or must tend to other people, you probably won't have enough to follow through on your self-instruction. The answer is to find a way to the goal that doesn't require willpower.

You are a person and, also, an animal. Assume that when you walk into the kitchen, the ravenous lion in you will take over, as is a typical response to primal triggers like food and physical attraction. So, be like an animal trainer — it's all about preparation! Create an environment and do the prep work to make it easy for the animal to eat the right foods in the right portion size. How can you make it so your animal doesn't have open access to the food? When the trainer plans the care and feeding of this animal well, the animal has no choice but to obey.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Chris Hemsworth has been tapped to play Hulk Hogan in an upcoming biopic of the legendary bodybuilder. Hemsworth is a fire-wielding Leo who took Hollywood by storm as the Thermo-Blasting Norse god Thor. He is booked solid with "Avengers" movies for years to come. Hemsworth's natal sun, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are all in fire signs — a passion is tempered by a strong Libran artistic influence.

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