Good things sometimes do come out of strange packages. It's kind of like wearing the wrong outfit on your first day of high school, which causes a great person to befriend you and your misfit style. Pluto's relationship with the sun today is similarly un- straightforward, yet strengthening.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You know what you want, so asking for less or different is silly. Believe you can have what you want, exactly. Once you state out loud what/whom you want, the world opens with ways of getting it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The kinds of things that are asked of you now will probably fall into the category of favors that will never be reciprocated. That doesn't mean you shouldn't deliver. It's good to give, knowing that the favor will never be returned.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your relationship juju is excellent now. What was once a troublesome friendship is now a breeze. Married couples handle challenges with real teamwork. And neighbors work easily through differences.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). There will be plenty of information that comes in subconscious channels. In order to make the most of this, keep your conscious channels focused on the positive — what you want to create, not what you fear.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Much is going right for you, but this is no reason to back off. Push forward with even more force. Summarize the past to get a solid handle about what you want to create for the future.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (AUGUST 20). Encouraging others is your specialty this year — in turn you are raised to your highest level of excellence. There's excitement around a new job in September. You're learning skills and testing your talents in a safe arena. In October you'll bring your stuff to a bigger audience, and make bigger money, too. Libra and Aries are your adoring fans. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 17, 27, 11 and 19.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There's something you've forgotten and you'll remember it just past noon. Maybe it's a birthday or an overlooked assignment. Whatever the misstep, correct it before sundown to minimize damages.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The question on everyone's mind is, "What's in it for me?" Unless you can answer that, don't even try to make a sales pitch or a request. When you have a truly helpful answer to the question, you'll win.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The phone rings, the e-mail icon bounces up and down, there's a steady stream of distraction. Do at least three quantifiable tasks and you'll avoid getting to the end of the day wondering what you accomplished.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Write down what happens to you, and more importantly how you feel about that. Something about documenting your life makes you feel present, able and motivated.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You'll spend the day alternately enthralled and baffled. Let your loved ones have their own dramas. Fortuitous meetings are featured. Something that starts out all business turns into riotous fun.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When you believe in your talent, you teach others how to believe in you. It's not arrogance — really! Confidence is a necessary component of being an artistic visionary.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You're creative and you want to do business with those who can appreciate your vision and temperament. Cherry-pick whom you'd like to do business for and with.

ASTROLOGICAL TOPICS: If you've always been attracted to the bad girl/boy types, you probably have Uranus prominently featured in your astrological chart. Uranus is the bad boy or girl of the planets, the James Dean or Angelina Jolie of the bunch who does exactly as pleases. He has a chip on his shoulder; she is distinctly her own individual at all costs, catering to no one. Love on Uranus can be exciting and vexing. Like an electrical lightning storm, these attractions come on strong and wild, but they can leave as quickly as they came — leaving you wondering what happened! The key to making Uranus, or any of the outer planets, a hospitable place for love is to elevate your taste for the weak to the strong. Loner rebel or individualist? Irrational or brilliant? Unreliably immature or maturely freedom-loving? Unpredictable or spontaneous? When this moving planet affects your relationships by transit, you may need excitement and a change of pace for a period. However, if you're at the whim of an erratic attraction, make sure you're both from the same planet. Authentic partnership has stability, growth and individual freedom for all. Come back for Neptune.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Leo people are notoriously joyful — they just can't help themselves! The divine child of the zodiac is gifted with an innocent, sunny disposition. Leo Amy Adams has been called naive, but the naive optimism that informs her work also endears her to us. "I just respond to those kinds of characters... I love the fact that they've made this choice to be joyful... I identify with that sense of hope."

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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