December 23, 2003

Early this morning, Mars ventures into its native Aries, and once again, the aggressive energy is a lot to manage. One way to calm down the body, mind and spirit is through physical exertion. When our body and brain chemistry is balanced out, our schedule follows suit. Stuff you didn’t want to deal with could actually sort itself out.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It’s not that you can’t rely on others – you can. But it takes longer to convey your needs and wants and then check back to make sure they are understood and answered properly. It’s best to do it yourself.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Don’t hit it so hard – progress can actually be made by backing off of a situation. If you give it a rest, your opposition will automatically let down his or her guard, and later, you can go forward unimpeded.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Settle up, tie the loose ends, and play the piper. All this takes more energy than you think. Rest tonight, and don’t worry about whether or not you’ve done enough or made enough money.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Restlessness isn’t necessarily a signal that you need a change. It’s probably just good old resistance to getting to work on the job at hand. Many types of business deals and friendly scores are harder to settle now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Work is fraught with unpredictable difficulties, all of which only serve to make things more interesting. Couples: Avoid the danger of taking each other for granted. If you have been too busy for your partner, apologize and make it right.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (December 23). You find the riches you’re looking for this year. Love comes to singles in the form of an intellectual match this month. Relocation is featured for many of you in July. Make sure the air is clear with family this summer – children benefit in big ways from close relationships with you. Lucky love signs are Pisces and Scorpio. Your lucky numbers this year are: 31, 39, 26, 23 and 14.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Projects drag on unless you make the effort to finish them. You’re only about 10 steps away. Rally the troops to sprint to the finish line. Couples brag about being in love. Everyone is jealous of everyone else.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The last thing you think is going to happen is the first thing that happens. The concept of synchronicity plays out beautifully. You’ve got to admit you’re lucky. This afternoon, shop, shop and shop some more.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Partners show how intrinsically different they are from you. It’s not such a bad thing. You’ve got much to learn from one another. You’ll probably be surprised by how much others think about and care about you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Keeping faith is challenging – usually, you’re filled with the kind of bravado people only have in their 20s. Strike the words "hope" and "should" from your vocabulary. Now, you’re either doing it or not doing it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Feel excellent? Well, you’re justified in the feeling! Don’t worry – everyone noticed how you came up with the perfect answer to the question at hand, and you don’t have to point it out. Aries is such a flirt!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Put on your party hat, blue suede shoes or whatever you need to feel that old sis-boom-bah. A man with the funds for your plan features prominently. Impress this one by not needing him to be impressed.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It’s a very comfortable situation at work, but you’ll change that. After all, you don’t want to get lazy or stagnate in a scene that’s far below your abilities. You’re in a giving mood this afternoon.

SINGLE PERSON’S HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE (PART TWO OF SIX): The holidays are full of joyful celebrating, but there are times they can be rough going. We have family issues to wrestle with, the difficult-to-manage gift-giving situation, and the physical strain of traveling and shopping. No wonder some of us succumb to the blues! And singles might feel the weight of the holidays even more strongly, just because they feel they have to handle it all alone. What’s the best way to deal? GEMINI: One word: friends! If the choice is to hang out with family or friends, lean toward the latter, and try to squeeze in the former. Right now, you need the intellectual stimulation of like minds more than the comforts of home. A heated debate or rollicking good laugh has more charge than a pass under the mistletoe. CANCER: Just because you’re a party of one doesn’t mean you have to keep going over to other people’s houses for festivities! In fact, you have more fun inviting people to your pad, where all the luxurious details will be totally covered in your own classy way. Also, you’ve got the advantage of not having to compromise your carefully honed aesthetic standards to include someone else’s taste.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: I predict Brad Pitt will add "real-life daddy" to his list of roles in 2004. His stars show the kind of revolution that newborns can cause in a person’s life. Pitt’s chart has heavy Capricorn influences that tell me he’s an expert strategist and will work his way up any political system he’s operating within. It’s likely that he’s just as influential in his home owners’ association as he on a movie set.

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Copyright 2003 Joyce Jillson