Horoscopes for Feb. 25, 2013

These days it’s relatively simple to make your photographs look cool. Photo processing tricks that once took great expertise to master can now be instantly created digitally through simple apps. It’s a little like what the full moon does to our emotional landscape. Appearances change dramatically according to our internal filters and effects.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Needing to impress someone is the worst thing for your confidence. The minute you feel this way, reverse it. Everyone is equal. You have your gifts, and no one can take that away from you. Who cares what they think?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Learning the hard way – the way everyone else is – will take a very long time. But you can flatten out that learning curve with key tips and tricks from the right teacher. Find a mentor.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The self-improvement quest you’re considering is a bit like chasing a mirage. No matter how many steps you take, you’ll never feel like you’ve arrived. What would you do if you learned you were not broken? Do that instead.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll experience a wider range of choice today. Oddly enough, this will probably inspire a greater appreciation for what you’d commonly choose without the luxury of more options.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Any miserable, insecure individual can be an elitist. It doesn’t take special talents to decide that others are inferior. But it takes someone truly confident, like yourself, to be inclusive.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Though you’re not in a rush, who has time to be bored? Your need for excitement keeps you moving quickly along, hopefully toward ever-spicier scenarios.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Today you might wonder whether you have some latent talents in this area that you appreciate so much. The answer is yes! You’re gifted. You just haven’t opened all of your packages yet.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You really do want what’s best for all. You could start a social movement with your water-sign powers today – don’t doubt that! Even the smallest oceans still make big waves.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There’s magic in commitment. Some jobs just can’t be accomplished with half-hearted efforts. You won’t be able to accomplish today’s task unless you put your whole self into it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). In some stages of human social evolution, strangers were regarded with suspicion if not derision. Now they are often welcomed, as you’ll find out today when you explore new territory.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Fear has a look, and it has a scent. When you know someone is scared, you either take pity and try to help, or you feel repelled and try to run – depending on how safe you feel. Today this will be a close and very personal call.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Though you are more touchy-feely than many others, that doesn’t mean you are always in the mood to be close to people. As a rule, though, it’s better to make physical contact.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY. A renewed perspective on life will be your birthday treat. Your quirks and character traits will suddenly make sense to you. The admiration of someone close doesn’t hurt matters, either! Next month you’ll be called to action. You won’t have time to spend the extra money you make until July. May brings a move. Taurus and Libra people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 14, 38, 41 and 6

VENUS IN PISCES: Venus already has a dreamy quality to her. The element of fantasy is an integral part of her feminine charm. Thumb through any fashion magazine, and it becomes obvious how our ideas of beauty are intrinsically connected to the land of imagination, where we eternally weave new stories about what it means to be glamorous, alluring, powerful, magnetic and loved. Without the stories, would romance exist at all?

It’s worth pondering as Venus explores the dreamy, artistic and mystical realm of Pisces. There she will change often. Sometimes Venus will be like a fanciful young girl, in love with the movie version of romance. Other times she’s a wizened old crone, past her yearning years and focused on expressing the part of her that romantic love could never seem to properly showcase. Maybe art or spiritual devotion can set it free.

As Venus continues her Pisces quest until March 21 of this year, she’ll ask a few pointed questions. Does your current relationship require you to compromise your values or your sense of self? Who do you feel most alive around? What do you expect out of a relationship, and is that very different from what you give?

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Rashida Jones comes from a show business lineage, but there was a time when the Harvard graduate considered becoming a lawyer. Drawn to smart projects, the soulful Pisces actress will soon appear in “Decoding Annie Parker,” a film that tells the wild and mostly true story about the discovery of the gene responsible for many breast and ovarian cancers: the BRCA1 gene.

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.