Horoscope, Monday, July 16, 2012

In spite of the Mercury retrograde and the void-of-course moon, this may be the best day of the year — and not because something happens to make it that way, but because you happened and are happening each new moment. Why be so precious about your “bests”? Make tomorrow the best day of the year, too, and every day after that.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The tricky part is in deciding what you can teach others that will make the most difference in their lives. Once you figure this out, you’ll share it and imprint yourself on the future.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Some people settle for trying to look busy when others are watching, specifically the boss. You genuinely want to be of service, so when you don’t have work to do, you’ll find some.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Supposedly, while doing what you love, you’re not working at all. But you may still sweat, pant and come away from the project with sore muscles, as well as a big smile.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You may be forgetting about the very thing that brings out your enthusiasm for life. If someone were to say to you “just go for it,” and you were to be extremely excited by that very idea, what would the “it” be?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Today brings a rather thrilling plot twist that you do not, and in fact cannot, have any control over. Your lack of influence is precisely what makes it so thrilling. You’ll react with swift grace.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll handle the attention you get today with your usual modesty. You’ve mastered the art of seeming to be unaware of your charms, all the while enhancing them.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). To feel loved, honored and cared for is a feeling that goes beyond any sense of security that money could buy. You’ll feel this today, even though it may be in a small way. Focus on that, and let the feeling grow.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You will tell the truth in a way that makes others feel open to you. You won’t accuse, blame or complain. You’ll simply speak about how you feel from a very loving heart, and finally you’ll be heard.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If your life were a classroom, you would need to sit in the front today in order to clearly see the teacher. Don’t worry about whether or not you’re seen as cool. What you stand to learn is too important to miss.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). If you can look back and see that you’ve made many mistakes, it means you’re a liver of life, a risk taker and a doer. Experience trumps theoretical knowledge any day.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). What’s useful is the urge to overdo things. Today represents a rare occasion in which some degree of excess is what’s necessary to get a job done.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Make plans that will show a loved one that your relationship is important and special. Otherwise, you could wind up sitting around and watching television instead of creating good memories.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 16). This year you’ll consistently talk to yourself in that encouraging way in which you already talk to many others, which will help you to take on big challenges and be successful. September brings a chance to share in a new social circle. Loved ones celebrate your accomplishment in October. January brings romance and higher learning. Aries and Scorpio people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 6, 31, 2 and 29.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “Do you think I’m ‘judgy’? My best friend, who is a Pisces, recently said something that really hurt my feelings. She said that I’m so judgmental that sometimes she doesn’t want to tell me things about her life. I do have standards, and I’m not afraid to share my opinions, but I always thought those were good qualities. What do you think? I’m a Cancer with a Virgo moon.”

As two water signs, you and your best friend often coexist without friction for long periods of time, floating along on the same wavelength wherever the conversational tides and life in general take you. So I can see how this recent development may seem jarring to you, even though it’s one small, innocuous-sounding statement. Keep in mind that Pisces people are very sensitive, and your friend is probably wise not to open every area of her psyche up for group discussion, though she could have done so without making such a big deal about it. As for being “judgy,” as a rule, it’s usually best to abide by your standards and opinions without expecting or requiring others to do the same.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: From “Saturday Night Live” to “Anchorman” and “Elf,” Will Ferrell keeps finding new ways to make people laugh. Next year will bring the long-awaited “Anchorman 2” from this Cancer star. Ferrell was born when Mercury was in Cancer, as well, suggesting a deeply caring and sensitive nature beneath the hard comedic shell. Jupiter in Leo is kind, lending an edge in all things show business.

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