Respect is a form of obedience. It's meeting the expectations of behavior in regard to a given situation or person. Self-respect is meeting your own expectations of behavior. For many, those rules will change in the months to come. Mercury's return to Virgo is an excellent time to review your personal standards for yourself and others.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You already have the tools for being perfectly happy in the moment, but those skills have been a bit neglected. You can access great contentment through your senses, emotions and detached observations.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Avoid getting stuck in an unhelpful brain loop that includes a lot of time-jumping. Stop and take note of how you're feeling, what you're sensing right now and what's going on in your immediate environment.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). To meet today's challenge, it will help if you ratchet up your power in the situation. Power plays include keeping calm and determining your own mood. If you refuse to be reactive, others will conform to your mood.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). When it comes to winning your affection, the people you don't know have an unfair advantage. With the people who are familiar to you, inevitable and real problems crop up, while of course you'll be blind to the negative qualities of people at a distance.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Not everything has to be assessed. In fact, overanalyzing can be tedious, and if done publicly, doubly so. It can be much cooler to have an experience without talking about it. Luckily, the habit of judging can be turned off as easily as the flick of a light switch.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Ideas can appear to be solid like mountains and continents when they are really more like changing weather. Ideas have an effect. But like a cloud crossing the sky, it's an effect that passes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your feelings are not the enemy. Emotions are messages that connect you intimately to the adventure of being alive. You might feel that you're not in control of your feelings, and you're not, but you can certainly manage them.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Sometimes the strongest response is nothing at all. You've the option to ignore just about anything you want to today in your quest to focus exclusively on the good, right and wholesome aspects of life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If you treat today's social opportunity as if it were the first and only time people are going to get to hear what you have to say, you'll likely deliver the message and overall impression you most want to get across.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Wanting things to be different seems like the start of making them better, but it isn't necessarily so. Acceptance is more powerful than wanting. One recipe for quick change: Accept it; move it along a bit; repeat.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). A little surprise will wake you up, invigorate you and stimulate your curiosity. Too much surprise, however, creates anxiety and destabilization. You'll be drawn to situations that are unpredictable, but only to a point.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Empathy and appreciation will go a long way toward helping you get comfortable and learn as much as you can about a new situation. When people sense that you feel and respect them, they'll let you in.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 9). Regardless of your relationship status, life is made better through happier and more equitable agreements with others. You'll sharpen your communication skills and apply those skills to creating a better home life. You'll execute a masterful performance in October. Awe-inspiring events happen in December and May. Aquarius and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 3, 30, 14, 28 and 22.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: "I'm a Virgo, and it's in my nature to criticize and analyze. My friends say I take the fun out of things because I over-think them so much. Recently a guy broke up with me and told me that he feels like he can't make me happy because I'm always judging him. True! What do I do?"

Yes, while your talent for assessment can be incredibly useful, an overly critical eye can be a detriment in relationships. People are constantly behaving in less-than-optimal ways. That's a given. Unless you're a judge or juror, it's not your job to analyze, judge or condemn them. Believe me when I say there is absolutely no benefit to doing so. So here's how you avoid wasting time: categorizing behaviors as either "for me" or "not for me." Simple. No more preaching, debating right from wrong, or making people feel bad for their choices. Instead you may mention the behavior that you do not prefer ("I noticed you showed up an hour late") and then you state your preference ("I need to be with people who show up when they say they will"). Now there is nothing to judge, analyze or discuss. It's either a fit for your needs or not a fit.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Could it be that the multimedia mogul Adam Sandler is actually shy? With five luminaries in Virgo, his natal chart indicates that he's a thoughtful, careful, introverted perfectionist who loves hard work. His characterizations and creations allow him to connect with others even when he's feeling shy. This natural comedian grossed box-office millions and then decided to become a filmmaker himself.

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