Mercury and Neptune have had quite a love affair this year and for the fifth time they form an auspicious angle to one another, the affects of which should last through the Halloween parties of the 31st. This aspect favors expressing your wishes and dreams. When you do, providence moves to bring the right people together to make it happen.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There are rules and regulations, systems and preferences, all of which can be overruled when the one in charge finds someone fascinating. You are now the one who is able to stir up that degree of interest.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You're learning to read between the lines. When you don't hear from someone, that's a message. Knowing the nuances of human behavior makes you cool. Soon you'll turn this knowledge into money.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). All will turn out exactly the way you need it to, owing to your ability to discern the necessary bits from the unnecessary bits. Your cheerful attitude is one of the important details not to be underestimated.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You're not so sure where you stand socially. This is as good an excuse as any to host a party. It will be your great pleasure. All the planning you do now will add to the event's prestige.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The ones who don't get you are simply not on the same wavelength. Theirs is no better or worse than yours, though the important thing to note is that it simply doesn't match. Keep moving. You will definitely find a better fit.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (OCTOBER 29). You put in the work it takes to succeed big time with personal goals. By the end of this year you will be the person you always wanted to be. Relationships heal in December. You no longer feel you have to go to great lengths to earn someone's love. A shift in your interests shakes up your career picture. Aries and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 18, 3, 33, 20 and 16.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It may feel as though you're missing out on something, and your instinct is to reach, wander and quest until you find it. However, if you stay in one place, the world is sure to come to you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You are building the legend of your life. Take your time. Tend to the rituals that are important to you and give them your all. Your extra attention makes everything seem more vivid than it was yesterday.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You are not getting the help you once were getting, and it feels good. You've grown to the place where you can handle a lot more on your own. You're free because you don't have to report to anyone except yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You meet the perfect match for your plan. And if you're thinking, "what plan?" the scheme is largely unconscious. It involves your seduction of someone who will completely adore you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Standing up for yourself is not your favorite thing to do. It's so much better when you have heavy hitters on your side and don't have to fight for the respect you deserve. Acting in your own defense is good practice anyway.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Greater challenges are needed. Otherwise, you'll be yawning through the day. Get invigorated by taking a new path, or better yet, going where there is no path. You're uniquely equipped to blaze a trail.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Wanting is fun for a little while until you realize that getting what you want won't bring happiness. The good feelings you seek will come when you appreciate what you have.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "About three years ago I wrote you about my boyfriend. Although there are many positive connections in our charts, there are also some squares that occasionally show themselves. I'm a Capricorn and he is a Scorpio. Your response was hopeful and positive, indicating our relationship was binding and could make it through the long run. Now he has moved four hours away from me because he took a new job. I didn't want him to go. I told him to follow his intuition so he would have no regrets. Now he has taken the job and is completely unhappy. Now I only see him twice a month. Pluto and Jupiter are transiting my Capricorn sun. I don't know what to expect anymore. Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated."

Oh, Capricorn — as much as you like to be right, how you hate it when they don't follow your advice! This separation, however, is largely positive. In your secret heart you probably sense that he needs his autonomy now, and you do, too. How can you follow your dreams when you're so concerned about his life? You're in the perfect position. All you have to do is believe it.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Winona Ryder has grown up on the silver screen, debuting at the age of 15 in the 1986 film "Lucas." Ryder is a lovely and feisty Scorpio whose high-profile love life and strange shopping habits have been the source of much media entertainment. Though her movie appearances lately have been far between, her astrological chart reveals a career revitalization in 2011.

Holiday Mathis is the author of "Rock Your Stars." If you would like to write to Holiday Mathis, 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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