The moon waxes in wisdom and maturity with Capricorn over the next three days. Some of us are incubating a sprout ambition toward a full-blown tree, while others find the fortitude to take charge of our lives on a whole new level. If you feel like you've found your own inner parent, maybe one you never knew you had, you're in tune with the times.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Ignore the hopeless causes of the world and take on something you can actually finish this afternoon. For everything you get done, your self-esteem rises a notch.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Decision-making is more a matter of heart than logic. So instead of tallying up the pros and cons, just focus on the pros and see how much enthusiasm you can generate over the whole thing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You're imaginative these days, so it's hard for you to understand how someone could be without a dream for him or herself. Hold a powerful vision of the future for someone who's lost faith.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The worthless thing of yesterday is worth a whole lot today, but only to those who will recognize its value. Change your perspective and give another hard look to what you're casting aside.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Any rainmaker can tell you, movements have magic. Here's one that will get big love flowing through your personal life: Open your arms wide, then give yourself a massive hug.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (JULY 16). The next ten weeks, your relationships frolic in the playgrounds of life — there's so much fun to be had! November's challenges keep your journey vibrant, and you'll attract new support, too. In December you'll conquer the dragons facing you and your people and be promoted for your valor. January is a financial high. Leo and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 32, 25, 4 and 41.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You come off cool, like you've got it all together. You're the only one who knows your scattered thoughts. And as you ignore their incessant chattering, they'll calm right down, helping you be effective in the extreme.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Friends have cautionary tales. Relatives offer sound advice. Teachers teach. Pretty much none of it is to be followed — your self-instruction is far superior to anything out there now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You're getting along with others to an astounding degree — it's like your every communication is received with total comprehension. Even plants and buildings seem to understand you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Someone has to be in the center of the buzz, and it may as well be you. Publicize your successes, big or small. Not everyone will get the significance, but the smarter ones will.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You're making everyday choices, like what to wear and which groceries to buy, with tremendous passion and style. When the bigger choices come up, you'll be ready to knock them out of the park.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some of the ideas that have been relegated to the cobwebby corners of your mind, in spite of being ancient and neglected, are still very good. Dust them off, examine and try on for size.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your emotions are so strong and your desire to hide them is so weak that you are more or less transparent. Someone is picking up your signals before you even realize you are sending them.

GETTING TO KNOW THE ASTEROID GODDESSES: Once thought to be a planet, the asteroid Pallas is the third largest object in the asteroid belt. She is named for the goddess Pallas Athena — the original daddy's girl! Athena was born from the head of her father, Zeus, who had a raging migraine that day and enlisted Hephaestus to relieve the pressure with a tool. His skull cracked open and out sprang Athena! Ah, their love for each other was instant and mutual. As the daughter of the god of wisdom, Zeus/Jupiter, she embodied the best in him: intelligence, governing authority, judicious reason. As she matured, Pallas' opinion and judgment was sought in the most important trials and deliberations, as she was renowned for her impartial reasoning and her creative intelligence. A virgin goddess, Pallas never had children or a husband. She holds sway over people, women particularly, who thrive in independent, freethinking environments that prize entrepreneurial leadership, original thought and creativity. Her shadow side is overly rational, losing touch with her heart (unblinkingly, she turned sister Medusa into an ogre for a perceived injustice). Athena's modern-day outfit is a business suit, justice fighter, professor or lawyer.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Making cosmic connections to Kristen Bell: She starred as Veronica Mars in her breakthrough role, and has also earned a Saturn award (an entertainment award for underappreciated film genres like sci-fi and horror). Kristen's popularity as a leader of dorks is owed not to the above but to Uranus, planet of freaks and geeks, in her chart, which leaves a weird science impression on her Cancer sun.

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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