Horoscopes for Dec. 19, 2012

By definition, extenuating circumstances are uncommon enough to warrant a special pardon or reduced punishment. If someone needs such a pardon regularly, the problem is perhaps the extenuator and not the circumstance. Venus trine to Uranus favors taking a risk. Note that taking a risk is not the same thing as taking advantage.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You may still be experiencing the echoes of a past hurt. But like all reverberations, the signal bounces around, losing impact with each surface it encounters. A faint whisper and then it’s gone.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). People underestimate the benefit of a pleasant personality. Those who can make you smile just because they seem to be enjoying themselves need a larger role in your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). What seems cute on a first date might not bring the same warm feeling a few years later. Similarly, what was odd to you many years ago is now such a fixture in your daily life that you’ll be surprised if anyone reacts.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Do not rush the getting-to-know-you process. Whether in business, friendship or love, it will be important to get into relationships slowly enough to note and react to each piece of learning along the way.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Someone will add fuel to your fire, probably by making you mad. You’ll set a new goal and then knock yourself out to meet and surpass it, regardless of the challenge involved.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Similar to how night dreaming can lead to a deeper sleep, daydreaming can lead to a deeper experience of your waking life. You’ll realize something you want and start envisioning scenarios to take you there.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). People are depending on you, which is a big part of what keeps you moving at such a high level of intensity. You become stronger and more trustworthy with every delivered promise.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll soon ponder whether old acquaintances should “be forgot.” Today it’s lucky to make efforts to ensure they are not. New business and personal contacts come out of your old address book.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). An irresponsible leader is an oxymoron. The one in charge contributes directly to the outcome and will be held accountable. The leader will take the heat of the blame or the warmth of the applause.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ve put a lot out into the world in the past few weeks, and now you may be feeling spread thin. Long overdue dividends arrive in the evening. It will feel wonderful to finally hold what’s yours.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Do what it takes to bring a relationship back into harmonious balance. With your personal life settled, you can get into professional matters with renewed focus.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You don’t have to have a Mensa-meriting IQ to know people or, more importantly, to know yourself. You’ll remain the smartest person in the room as you assess the social dynamic and determine your role.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY. You’ll amaze friends and family this year with the new ways in which you present yourself and your work. This will be a slow unfolding. In the next six weeks, you’ll work intently on your inner world. Then February brings new connections and practices. You’ll cash in on an investment in May. June brings your showcase. Virgo and Libra people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 40, 10, 37 and 12.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “What advice do you have for a Leo who is obsessed with a Gemini? I fantasize about him all the time. I can’t get off his Facebook page. I look at every picture and keep track of what he’s doing. I’m in love, and it’s a possibility that he likes me, too, but right now he has a girlfriend. How can I get him to notice me?”

What you’re experiencing is not love; it’s desire. So, as much as I would like to reason with you that cyber-stalking is creepy, that obsessive fantasizing is a kind of sickness and that liking someone with a girlfriend may be a sign that you’re not really up to a real-world relationship, the line of logic would probably be wasted on you. Desire is illogical. In the clutches of desire, judgment flies out the window. Counter-intuitively, sometimes the best way to return to reason is to go deeper into the madness of desire until the wanting plays out. These things usually have a shelf life, and for a passionate fire sign such as yourself, dear Leo, it’s likely to happen more quickly than you expect. Venus in your fellow fire sign of Sagittarius will soon have you looking around for other ways to spend your plethora of creative energy.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Mindfreak magician Criss Angel has been called a visionary of modern magic and a dominant force in the world of illusion. His collaboration with Cirque du Soleil for “Believe” is a top Vegas attraction. The magician was born when the sun and communicative Mercury were in passionate Sagittarius and Venus (love) and Neptune (imagination) were in the mysterious station of Scorpio.

If you would like to write to Holiday Mathis, please go to www.creators.com and click on “Write the Author” on the Holiday Mathis page, or you may send her a postcard in the mail.