August 06, 2003

Mercury and Mars oppose one another, and it’s easy to sound flinty and perturbed and not be quite sure why. If you’re on the receiving side of a tone of voice that’s not as respectful as you think you deserve, don’t take it too personally. If you blow it off, there’s a chance for real problem solving and humor to come through.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Start with the fundamentals. An important theme of your life keeps popping up again and again, and it’s time for you to connect with its basic meaning. Your big picture changes when you discover its significance.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Timing is everything. At work, take on a responsibility that will put you in a well-informed position. A meal shared with a well-heeled set helps you break past current social and financial boundaries.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll be confronted with a situation that requires you to disconnect your sentiments from your logic. You are tempted make a major life shifts. Hold that thought. Try rearranging your furniture instead or dumping old clothes.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). A defining moment comes today. Many paths will lead you where you’re going. Make your choice with conviction. Something interesting will be discovered as you drive around your town visiting places you’ve overlooked.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Words flow out of your mouth clearly and with an eloquence that impresses people. You wind up with a new admirer. Expect fireworks. Singles: The more comfortable you are with your body, the more attractive it becomes.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (August 6). This year, the stars want you to succeed! Your career path becomes crystal clear within the next three weeks. Be brave, and follow it with gusto because in September, you discover how easy it is to do well once you set your mind to something. Love with a Cancer or Libra allows you to get in touch with very deep emotions. Your lucky numbers this year are: 5, 17, 11, 49 and 45.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your mind is keen for math in the morning, so pay the bills or balance your books. A minor tiff is just that: minor. Remove items from your bedroom that don’t have to do with nocturnal activities.

LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct.23). A big sale or new client falls into your lap effortlessly. Have patience with relationships that aren’t as close as they once were. Gestures of kindness are essential to maintaining your connection. Take yourself out on a date.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll notice the ways your job asks you to grow today. Hard work will be required, but you feel deeply satisfied at the end of the afternoon. Do the tedious stuff around 4 p.m. when you’ll breeze through.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Send a card or an e-mail to a relative with whom you may have lost touch. Love tip: Open up the confines of your relationship. Breathing room gives both of you heightened awareness of what you really want.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Psychic powers deepen your understanding of the motives of others. Your insights help your financial bottom line. A walk alone helps you work out a problem. You are connected to all the people you see.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Connect with your physical side today by sweating out any tension you may have accumulated. Your best bet is anything that involves water. Make sure you drink enough of it, too!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Let a pressure-cooker situation push you to new heights. Stress can be an incredible motivator. You can offer the boss something that nobody else is taking the time to do. Smart thinking gets you ahead at work.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I have recently graduated from college and feel that my life is at a standstill. Do you have any advice to an Aries girl born April 16, 1979?"

Yes. If you haven’t moved out of your house yet, do it. Don’t wait for the perfect job – just take one that seems at least a little interesting, and start making a life for yourself as a single person. You’ve totally outgrown some of your old friends who are, quite frankly, spoiled. You don’t want to follow in the same path as these nice girls who don’t have the same kind of ambition as you. What makes them happy will make you miserable. That’s not to say you should break up with them, rather be very conscious of adding some new friends to your life. And while you’re at it, you could use a few mentors as well. Right now, you’re all hung up on choosing a life direction, but what you don’t realize is that your life direction will choose you if you are strong enough to start building a structure outside of what your parents have provided you with so well all of these years.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Ben Affleck is one of the busiest stars in Hollywood. Between his series "Project Greenlight" and his acting, producing and writing jobs, Affleck has to make a huge effort to have quality time with fiancee J-Lo. His Leo pride won’t like his wife-to-be doing steamy scenes with another actor, so he could be instrumental in getting a film off the ground that casts husband and wife opposite one another.

If you would like to write to Joyce Jillson, please go to www.creators.com and click on "Write the Author" on the Joyce Jillson page, or you may send her a postcard in the mail. To find out more about Joyce Jillson and read her past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. – Copyright 2003 Joyce Jillson