Horoscope, Monday, August 6, 2012

A connection between the moon and Uranus highlights the desire for freedom. Do you dare to lift the constraints you believe are keeping life in order? Orderliness can allow others to understand a certain flow of things, or it can be alienating. Being overly rigid and obsessive makes people uptight. Much will depend on how relaxed you are.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You have people around you who love you, but they will appreciate you even more if you expand your team a bit. As an added bonus, your loved ones will sense their competition and treat you better.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There is no use in wanting to get a zig out of a thing that clearly likes to zag. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort by paying attention to the nature of things and letting that inform your efforts.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). While there are times when being a perfectionist means the difference between getting what you want and not getting it, in most instances, perfectionism isn’t realistic, necessary or useful.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). This is the point at which it’s best to stop planning, because you won’t realize what you don’t know or don’t have until you take action. Trust that being in action will show you what you need.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ve been known to perform for your friends and family as a kind of gift. There are special events coming up that you could make even better with your talent and creativity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Be careful not to fritter your time away on things that ultimately will make no difference. Much falls into that category today, which makes this a fine time to ask yourself: What really would make a difference to me?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Waiting patiently pays off, but can cause great discomfort for someone as busy as you. Occupy yourself in some way so that you don’t notice or care about the wait.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Fortuitous meetings and chance encounters are in store. As you interact with supportive people who want to see you succeed, you’ll start thinking of yourself as the person you want to become.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your favorite conversations include some talk about nothing and everything and a dash of intriguing news, all sprinkled with laughter and garnished with the spirit of kidding around.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Drawing is a form of meditation that could help you solve a problem today. Possessing a talent for drawing is irrelevant. If you can drag a pencil across a page, you can express yourself through drawing.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You will live the concept of the Latin phrase “amor fati” — or love of fate. You not only accept what is; you find what’s beautiful and lovable about it, and you invest your highest and best attention in it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Putting first things first seems like it should be a no-brainer, but you’ll be surprised at the odd, meaningless details being mistaken for truly important matters.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 6). Your year will be defined not only by what you do, but also by whom you are with. Your social fun will be especially fulfilling this month. Next month brings an excellent creative project your way. October sees you handling business in many different locations. Exciting conversations lead to a love connection in January. Cancer and Virgo people adore you.  Your lucky numbers are: 5, 7, 20, 18 and 31.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “My mom is insane. She only lets me watch television for two hours a week. My friends all watch as much as they want, and some even have televisions in their rooms. I’m a 13-year-old Libra, and my mom is an Aquarius. How can I change her mind?”

Consider the ancient Greeks. They believed that humans could only realize their full potential during free time. Education, arts and politics were pursuits of self-development that could and should occur when a person had finished their work. The Greek word for leisure is “schole” — the same word from which the English “school” comes. To the Greeks, leisure time was study time. Thank goodness the Greeks didn’t have television. Otherwise, we might not have things like maps, the alphabet or hula hoops today.

For many, the modern notion of leisure has more to do with being stretched out on a couch than it does with being involved in higher learning. But your mom and you are both intellectual air signs, so deep down you probably sense that you’ll ultimately benefit from following your mom’s rules, which are perhaps not so “insane” after all.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: When pop artist Andy Warhol suggested that “in the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” he was making a statement in keeping with his Leo nature. Fame-conscious lions love the attention of the spotlight and enjoy casting it on others, too. The advent of YouTube has made Warhol’s prediction true. Warhol had the sun, Mercury, Venus and Neptune all in creative Leo.

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