Today's first quarter moon in Capricorn gets down to business. Granted, the pleasure-loving sun in Libra may incline us to waver over what remains unknown or undecided, but now is not the time to waffle or be hasty. The thoroughness and steadiness given our efforts will show up in the end product. Put your best foot forward.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). If your productivity slows down or stops completely, this is a natural part of your working cycle. You may think you need inspiration or motivation, but what you really need is a nice long nap.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Stay cool. Avoid the trap of trying too hard. Get others to talk and say very little. Know your strengths and rely on them. Confidence, real or pretend, is the magic ingredient of your success.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You may make a plea to your higher self, trying to increase your discipline and improve your habits. Ultimately discipline is achieved because you really enjoy the activity that also happens to be good for you.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your presence is a question and the universe answers. You're open. You'll prick up your ear and let someone talk into it. Your exchanges are simple and meaningful. It's all working perfectly.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It seems that life is not progressing at your desired pace. Sometimes you want to throw open your window and yell out to the world to "Move it!" There's no need to get worked up into a frenzy though. Settle down. Breathe.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (OCTOBER 7). Your relationships grow in interesting ways this year. You may embark on business with loved ones, or find great love or friendship with a business associate. Now through November brings financial opportunity that must be quickly seized. There will be exciting travel in May. Schooling is featured in June. Virgo and Taurus are adoring fans. Your lucky numbers are: 19, 28, 31, 20 and 17.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You're usually the strong one so it's hard for you to admit when you need support. You will save yourself a lot of frustration and heartache if you reach out and show your vulnerability.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The numerous choices before you seem delightful, until you really have to commit to just one. You may feel overwhelmed by the prospects, but there is no real urgency here. Take your time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). With all of your gigantic plans, you don't have the time, energy or focus necessary to harbor resentments. What you do have time for is a smart, open conversation or a reasonable negotiation of terms.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The responsibility you feel gets weighty. Do you drive yourself too hard? Of course. If you don't raise yourself to the highest standards, who will? You're building up incredible wells of strength and stamina.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). However complex the issue may be, you work it out by being practical. Figure out what is working, even in less than optimal circumstances, and do more of it. Virgo can help you sort through this.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). If busy equals happy, you're ecstatic this afternoon. The lull that happens a little later is far from sad. You fill it with all of your dreams of future adventures. Your strong visioning powers pave a smooth path.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Decisions appear deceivingly permanent, but they're not. So just choose, in a lighthearted and carefree manner. If you don't like what you've settled on, you can always change your mind later.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I'm an Aries born 4-16-78. The past few years have been a LOT of work in both career and love! What is going on? And when will things start to level out?"

Let me reassure you that things are not as bad as they look! The planets have been playing with your sense of proportion, causing you to pay too much attention to your frustration and anxieties. I'm not saying the conundrums in work and love aren't real, but this confusion and disorientation of having your efforts not come to pass is moving you into a new way of being. This probably sounds like crazy tactics to an Aries who prefers action over being (making Aries-born far less inclined to let themselves be guided by the universe). However, you're loosening up in all the places you've grown stuck, and by not investing so much energy in the struggle, it gets easier. It's even been posited that human struggle is actually entirely unnecessary. Urban mystic Stuart Wilde said, "Our physical condition as humans involves effort, but struggle is effort laced with emotion and desperation." Aries, surrender the angst, and in a year from now you'll be a new you.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: One trait Libra people are known for is their popularity. This isn't because they think they're better than anyone else (actually, they're likelier to underrate than overrate their gifts), but that they're sociable air signs born under the governance of pleasantly attractive Venus. This year, Libran and "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks could enter as many popularity contests as he likes.

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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