Heartfelt communication is facilitated by Mercury's current alignment with Mars. Confidences are stirred by the sincerity and soul with which we express ourselves. This greases the wheels for relaying a more personal truth — or, simply a good idea — to warm reception. Today we can get the message across in the spirit intended.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). When there's no one to rally behind you, you rally behind yourself. It's this habit that keeps you high on people's lists of whom to invite, promote or pay. Self-motivation is a powerful quality, and you have it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Like mostly everyone, you know the distinctions of good and evil. You continue the quest for enlightenment on more subtle aspects of life and will come to an understanding beyond what is commonly understood.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You'll be making beautiful first impressions. The way you present yourself is not at all accidental — you know how to make a favorable impact. Now all you have to do is follow through.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). It's easy to criticize someone from a distance, especially a person who seems to have great influence and misuse it. A personal contact with the one you blame will probably produce an altogether different feeling in you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Keep your eyes open wide. You notice opportunity that no one else will. And don't worry if you're not quite qualified to take advantage of it — you will be. Persistence and personality count more than education or experience.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (JULY 15). Magic blossoms in the career sector of your life this year and the nature of your work undergoes an exciting change. You're sharing more of yourself in the heart-fulfilling month of August. There's a move in October that leads to new friendships. Additions to your family tree happen in February. Capricorn and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 20, 31, 44 and 28.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Frills are nice, for those who like to get fancy. And the ones (like you) who are concerned with the bottom line will be overjoyed by more practical actions — the kinds that make the goal happen.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). As much as you'd like to please all of the people all of the time, you simply can't. So if you fall short in some way, feel bad about the mistake, but feel good about yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Privacy is a real need for you. You're sometimes tempted to tell people details about your life that they don't need to know. You're better off keeping a journal to build the you-to-you bond.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). As much as you've already seen of the world there are still some joys you'd like to experience. Though you're busy now, you're never too busy to make a proactive decision about the next adventure.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). What if you could bestow blessings on everyone around you by doing nothing more than simply existing? In truth, you can and do gift the world, whether you're trying to or not. Relax a little.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Be tough. View difficult circumstances as a stimulating challenge instead of a debilitating obstacle. Keep telling yourself, "This is not a big thing…" and soon you'll believe it, while leaping the hurdles.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Being such an ethereal creature, you sometimes forget the tangible link between your body and mind. You'll now be supported in strengthening your body — your mind will follow.

GETTING TO KNOW THE ASTEROID GODDESSES: It makes sense that Ceres, the great mother and Roman goddess of harvest, agriculture and the seasons, was the first feminine asteroid to be discovered on the first day of the 19th century — beginning 200 years toward recognition of women's rights. Her story reads like a mother-daughter mini-drama going on in a life near you. Ceres' maiden daughter, Persephone, was abducted by bad boy Hades/Pluto, lord of the underworld, while walking in a spring meadow one day. This event threw Ceres into a deep depression. Devastated with grief and obsessed with finding her missing daughter, she neglected to do her job — to take care of herself and the earth. This was the first winter. Recognizing an emergency, Zeus struck a deal with Pluto, who allowed Persephone to visit her mom for six months of the year (spring, summer). Thus Ceres in the chart is the archetype of the mother-daughter bond, describing a need to give unconditional love, but also the necessity of sharing the season of life with loss, and the subsequent danger of over-attachment — life-destroying grief. Astrologically, Ceres is associated with three signs: Cancer for motherhood, Taurus for self-esteem and Virgo for harvest.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Cancer people are savvy moneymakers. The crab makes security a central focus in the life; though that urge is actually emotionally based, many Cancer-born build empires to scale. Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson did this. In his chart, Saturn is in his moneymaker sector, driving those successes. What's the opposite side of the coin? I bet even billionaires have fears of being broke.

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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