Horoscopes for March 23, 2013

The arrangement of Mars, Uranus and Pluto is like C.M. Coolidge’s depiction of dogs playing poker. The tobacco-puffing pups are dressed in finery and are casually participating in a game of cards. Yet there’s the sense that it could all turn wild at the drop of an ace. They are, after all, dogs. Stay aware of the basic nature of all with whom you deal.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Get together. Don’t just write, talk or help out behind the scenes. What you do for another person will soon fade from memory. But what you do with another person will stick for a lifetime.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll have fun racing the clock or challenging its constructs. Can you do a job in half the time? Is there a way to fit in twice the amount of fun before the hands go full circle?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You underestimate your conversational abilities and natural charm. Keep it short and sweet today. Don’t let the discussion go on for too long, or it will become an exercise in self-parody.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). If everyone approaches relationships from the standpoint of trying to satisfy their own needs, no one will be happy. You’ll orient yourself to consider what others want, paving the way for smooth relationships.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You gain another person’s trust and then hold it dear. Trust is, after all, a valuable commodity that is necessary in good relationships. The one who trusts you in small ways will also trust you with the bigger things.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There is a certain mood that sometimes overtakes you, compelling you to flip the triggers and push the buttons within reach just to watch the ensuing reaction. That mood is back tonight.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Can eating fruit make you happy? Some studies suggest that this is the case. Today, you will metaphorically and actually sink your teeth into the juiciest morsels life has to offer.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It is still hard to say how long a project is going to take. It’s likely that you thought it would be over by now, and yet here you are, putting more work into it. Leaders finish strong – and that will be you soon enough.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). No matter how difficult a task may be or how skilled you must be to achieve it, you will never get a sense of accomplishment from a goal that goes against what you believe.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Desensitized to the familiar? That’s because new situations trigger your adrenal glands to kick in extra juice, and old situations don’t. Consciously awaken your senses so you’ll be able to better appreciate what you have.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). There are many kindred spirits for you out there. You are slowly finding your tribe these days and will continue to attract new people as you get more specific in your interests.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Wisdom isn’t some ethereal quality endowed to you by the angels. Rather, it’s the natural extension that occurs because you pay attention to what’s going on around you.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY. Get a grip on your finances, and other parts of life fall into place. You’ll adopt a new sense of athleticism in April. May sees you striving for scholarship and for a better understanding of power structures. You’ll meet attractive people as you lead with your sense of adventure through June. Bonus money comes in August. Scorpio and Virgo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 19, 2, 14, 34 and 20.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “I read a story about a woman whose husband sent flowers to her on her birthday even from the grave. He arranged it with the florist before he died and paid for the floral arrangements to come to her for many years. That made me cry, maybe because my husband, a Taurus, is not thoughtful at all. In fact, he is the least thoughtful of any of the husbands I know. We don’t celebrate our anniversary. He didn’t even acknowledge my first Mother’s Day, which occurred when my daughter was 3 months old. If I were to try to “train” him to be more thoughtful, would it be worth the effort?”

Not all Taurus men are thoughtless when it comes to holidays, but wherever a Taurus man lies in the spectrum of thoughtfulness, he is unlikely to budge very far from that mark without massive incentive for change. If you are content with the way your Taurus demonstrates his love from day to day, it might be simpler for you to adjust your expectations of him on holidays. Would it be so bad to get yourself the gifts you want and then tell him what he got you? I know many who work it that way!

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Independent Aries Catherine Keener made a name for herself in Hollywood with standout roles in independent films and then moved on to big box-office successes like “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Keener, who was born when the moon was in discerning Virgo and has Mercury in fiery Aries, will soon appear with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming “Can a Song Save Your Life?”

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.