Dia de los Muertos blends Indigenous traditions with Catholic observances to do something common to people across cultures and centuries: honor those who are gone, not forgotten. We keep them here in stories, gestures, recipes, objects and ways of seeing the world. The Leo moon infuses this Day of the Dead with creativity and celebration.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You'll be extra-sensitive to potential wastes of time and will avoid anything with potential for tedium. You might even be so bold as to duck out of the meeting, avoid a conversation or skip an obligation in favor of a carpe diem moment.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). This quest you've been on will continue for one reason: because you continue it. Sure, there have been detours, long intermissions, a change of crew and unexpected obstacles. You can proudly say you're still moving toward the destination.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You've had good reasons to postpone a venture, but one of those reasons is starting to crumble and with it will go three others. Revisit the old plan and hold it up to your new position. It's almost go time.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The offending circumstance will be more easily sorted once you recognize that everyone who contributed to this tangle had good reasons for their involvement. And yet here it is — a knot that may require scissors to fix.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You're officially tired of toning things down for people who just don't get it. Neither do you feel you should keep creating workarounds or issuing apologies. Today puts it in the perfect context. What once seemed excessive becomes useful.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Again, you'll put your own spin on the work, and again the results help more people than intended. You're improving the method, not just the result. Share your wins and you'll lift the whole group.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). That obscure skill of yours fits today's problem beautifully. You don't often get the chance to use this one, but don't worry, you didn't forget it at all. It's as though your mind kept something filed away for precisely this moment.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). An ordinary pleasure will hit you with extraordinary force today. Maybe it's a prettier light or food tastes better. The chair feels luxurious. Someone's company is a blast. You don't need a special occasion to feel lucky to be here.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Family resemblance isn't just about coloring and bone structure. Today highlights the personality trait that comes from someone in your family tree. Of course you've morphed the quality — some might even say perfected it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Someone you haven't seen in ages pops back into your world and instantly revives a version of you that hasn't been around much either. You'll enjoy this reunion with yourself almost as much as the reunion with the other person.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You'll be entrusted with a responsibility because people know you'll take care of it. The gesture says more about your reputation than any compliment could. You're needed. You belong. You may even rule the place.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Because you're a lifelong learner, you pick up new skills from people who aren't even aware they are teaching you. You learned by watching them work, love, cope or move through the world. Today you'll use the education almost automatically.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 2). In your Year of the Other Side, you'll gain access to a world you've wondered about from the outside. Once inside, you'll discover that you belong there and have something valuable to contribute. More highlights: A friendship with instant chemistry, an elegant solution to an expensive problem and a purchase that becomes part of your signature. Gemini and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 18, 3, 39, 11 and 44.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Born on this day in 1755, Marie Antoinette continues to inspire artists nearly two and a half centuries after her death. The 20th anniversary of Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" is being celebrated with a Versailles exhibition, a theatrical rerelease and the documentary "Making Marie Antoinette." Antoinette's wild life embodied Scorpio's themes of power, reinvention and dramatic transformation.

For more Holiday magic, visit HolidayMathis.com. To find out more about Holiday Mathis and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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