The moon moving into the sign of appetite is a reminder of how the end-of-year stresses have a way of tapping into willpower reserves. It helps to think ahead and ask, "What might make everything easier?" To produce the best outcome, pare back, keep it simple and spend more time planning and organizing.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You're on the right track. In fact, if you had to live yesterday again, you would make the same choices, only with more gusto — and you'll get the chance to do just that today.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your optimism may cause you to believe the unbelievable or act in foolish faith. By reaching for a slice of heaven, you end up pushing the current reality into a more imaginative and exciting place.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You love who and what you love without understanding exactly why. If pressed, you could come up with reasons, but all of them won't equal the sum of your love with mysterious forces still unaccounted for.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You surround yourself with people who radiate good vibes. They can be easy to find but when they seem to be hiding, just radiate the upbeat energy, and they'll come out of the woodwork.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Most people will follow the protocol automatically and without question. But your mind is so curious, you'll run everything through filters of reason. You'll only do the expected thing when it also makes sense.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The big leaps are cinematic. Baby steps are far less frightening yet every bit as transformational as long as you consistently step in one direction.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There's a lot to wrap up before you move along, but you can at least start thinking about your next project. What is not in the world that should be in the world? This is the question you ask as you peer into the future.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You're still not sure if what you're doing will be successful or popular, but confidence isn't about knowing you'll win; it's about knowing you'll be fine either way. Accept yourself and don't worry about whether the world does.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Making money doesn't make character. Doing work builds character, and often the work will bring money. These distinctions are important to today's plot. The riches that earn respect won't be gold.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Should you surprise someone? Consider your options carefully. Not everyone likes surprises. The same unexpected occurrence that excites and delights one person might frighten and unsettle another.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You're thankful for problems. They make you better. Just as tackling physical hurdles will help you gain strength, agility and confidence, overcoming mental obstacles will do the same for your way of thinking.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Getting away with a thing doesn't make it right, and getting in trouble doesn't make it wrong. There's a moral or ethical decision to be made, and while it's not exactly deep, it's complex.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 14). This solar year, you will make an important sale, a winning impression on someone you admire, and a home of peace, order and loveliness. Also, debts get settled this solar year. What's owed to you will be repaid with interest, and what you owe will be squared away quicker than you thought possible. Aries and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 40, 33, 38 and 18.

COSMIC QUESTION: "I went to a fortune-teller and he said that my Mercury was badly aspected. He asked me if I ever had a speech impediment or had trouble taking tests. Then he told me that sometimes I lie and gossip about people and that I should stop. I was offended. I actually paid someone to insult me! My Mercury, by the way, is in Aries. Also, I stuttered as a child, but I haven't stuttered in years. As for gossip and lies, I think I do those things the normal amount."

Your upset is understandable. Most people are hard enough on themselves that they really don't need the extra aggravation of paid insults! I like to think of astrological aspects as luck itself — who is to say what is "good" or "bad"? Most people who have overcome challenges would credit those hardships as the best events of their lives, as those are the events that gave them superlative character and a skill set they would not otherwise have needed to develop. Some aspects, such as squares, semi-squares and oppositions, indicate a challenge. Trines, sextiles and semi-sextiles indicate ease. As for Mercury in Aries, it's a strong position, indicating originality and a strong "voice" — not just your actual voice but your point of view, too.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: The poet and mystic Nostradamus was born over half a millennium ago in the south of France. Some say he predicted the French Revolution, the rise of Hitler and the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima. Others claim his coded prophesies, involving several languages organized into French quatrains, are too dependent on interpretation to have genuine predictive power. What do you think?

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