Happy Mother's Day! Leo moon delivers a bouquet of spiritedness, playfulness and sincerity to moms everywhere. And those of us who personalize our appreciation — with an ounce of dazzle, a sprinkling of flourish, a dash of individuality — are rewarded with the adoration of our biggest cheerleader. So don't hold back. Go all out for mom.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Getting to know new people is easy when you have something in common, and even easier when you don't. Today you're so good at asking the one question that gets someone talking on deeper levels.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Even when you're going through turbulent emotions, you're the stable one among your friends. It helps them that you're like this, and it helps you, too. When you have to pretend you're strong, you become strong.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It's a fortunate day indeed when the thing the world seems to want most from you is for you to be happy. You can actually cheer those around you by tending to your own satisfaction.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Time is not a friend nor an enemy — time simply is. When you're in a hurry and you wish it would fly, it marches forward the same way that it does when you want it to stand still. Resolve not to fight it, but to accept it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Are you creating to your own detriment? Seeing problems where there are none? It's all a sign of your immense powers of creativity. Start putting them to better uses and higher causes.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (MAY 11). There's much to celebrate and plenty to go around this year as the success you enjoy rubs off on your loved ones. They work harder than ever to impress you! A trade favors you in June, and you'll also be chosen for an important responsibility. Exciting meetings happen in July. Your family grows in August. Pisces and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 10, 21, 44 and 18.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You bought into something and now you have to buy your way out. That's just how it goes and it's quicker not to look for a way around it. Live and learn — and laugh. Laugh very hard.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Now here's a twist: You make yourself of service to others and find that you're being treated like royalty. It goes to show the value of being needed. Fellow air signs Gemini and Aquarius seem to need you most.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You're ambitious. Advance your position by making no change at all.

It's amazing how difficult this is to do. Nothing is sometimes the absolute hardest thing to accomplish of all.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Dreaming and scheming is only as effective as it is potent. Check your level of intention. Are you really passionate about arriving at your destination? If so, your feet move as you imagine.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You're laying down roots. This includes an investigation into your history and the history of your people. Once you know how it has always been done, you'll decide how you want to do it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You find your fun off the beaten path. Knock on a few doors that you've been curious about. Professionals are flexible with fees. State what you want to pay — chances are you'll find someone to make it happen.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Someone roots for you and perhaps even protects you from behind the scenes. This is payback, since you've been so adamant about standing behind the ones you believe in.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: Today we celebrate mothers everywhere, and the feeling is appreciable. During the Taurus sun season, there's plenty to appreciate, and the fact that we celebrate mothers, too — hardly a coincidence. There's no one more deserving. Moms everywhere have that magical gift of making us feel we're the center of the universe by virtue of simply being. They also know the art of simple abundance. Who else can teach us that a Popsicle stick also doubles as a magic wand (or eating utensil)? That our stained shirt can be rescued from imminent disuse with soda water, or cook our favorite recipe and turn our day around? That's the beauty of mom. This week presents an opportunity for enlightened appreciation; Uranus and Jupiter form an expansive relationship to the sun, bringing shifts in the way we source our relationship to the things and people that contribute to our well-being. Appreciation is a growing consciousness. And consider that with gratitude and generosity, practically anything can be appreciated into being. Because as Mom has proven time and again, everything you need is already inside anyhow, just waiting to be recognized as wonderful.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Comic Stephen Colbert has a remarkably relaxed approach to fame, and hey, it's working. First, an ice cream flavor was named after him, followed by an American jetliner, so being named Celebrity of 2007 was probably no big thing. It appears lightening up pays off, big time. And the most successful among this industrious, unhurried sign are often seen smiling.

Holiday Mathis is the author of "Rock Your Stars." If you would like to write to her, 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. To find out more about Holiday Mathis and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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