Horoscope, Monday, November 26, 2012

Mercury Straightens Up

Sometimes you start with the facts and draw conclusions based on the evidence. But the human brain doesn’t always naturally follow this sequence. More often we skip to the conclusion and look for facts to back it up. Neither method is perfect, but the first way, which will take longer, would work best as Mercury straightens his course.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You may see someone in action and think, “I can do that, too.” This is not a passing observation. It’s a directive that will motivate you in the weeks to come. You can and will “do that, too.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re on top of your game. Most of what you need you can provide yourself or make arrangements to have it provided. There’s a formula you can follow that will make things easier.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You burn bright today, and your energy could use a worthy outlet. Consider dedicating yourself to helping another person. You stave off the chill of loneliness for that person and don’t even know you’re doing it.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You are in the mood to keep your private life to yourself. In this age of over-sharing, your refusal to give TMI (too much information) will be seen as a refreshing and effective social strategy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You have maturity beyond your years. This explains why you don’t see eye-to-eye with a friend who is your age. Steer clear of potentially hot topics for the next three days.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You don’t have a lot of time to spend with friends now, and so you are wise to be highly selective about the company you keep. You’ll spend time with people who genuinely need you or with whom you are sure to have fun.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don’t need an olive branch to be an agent of peace. Everything you need is inside of you. You were born knowing how to bring people together. You build bridges with your words.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). What you see is not only what you get; it’s what you’re likely to get in the future. So if a person gives you bad service, don’t continue doing business with that person.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). What matters most to you today is the same thing that mattered most to you yesterday: improving the lives of those closest to you. Knowing that the ones you love are better off for your contribution is fulfilling.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It’s always nice when the universe speaks to you in clear, concise terms. You’ve long wondered whether a certain past decision was a good one, and now you’ll get a definitive answer.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll embrace the change others resist. When people see you moving forward unafraid, some will be inspired, and others will feel threatened. Stay brave and open-minded.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Realizing that to err is human, you wisely separate people from their actions. You can support a person without supporting that person’s latest (baffling) endeavor.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Nov. 26). You’ve enjoyed a sense of rootlessness and exercised the benefit of your freedom. But at the start of 2013, you’ll dig in once more and establish ties that hold. Love bonds are cemented in words and ink. Big deals come together in February. March brings family additions. Music and fun fill your spring. Aries and Cancer people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 15, 18, 24 and 29.

CURRENT ASTRAL BACKDROP, PLUTO IN CAPRICORN: Moving from the outer to the innermost planets — or, in the case of Pluto, not-quite planets — our current astral stage is set with the dwarf planet in Capricorn. When Pluto enters a sign, he’s not messing around. He intends to stay awhile, and he will be in Capricorn until 2023. Pluto last entered Capricorn in 1762, at which time events that led to the American Revolutionary War were set in place. Before that, Pluto moved through Capricorn in 1516, when Spanish invaders on the quest for gold brought down the Aztec Empire; the Incans and Mayans followed.

One could argue: When isn’t the world changing? And yet sometimes the power shift is more palpable. The Pluto-in-Capricorn influence can be felt as more of the world’s population becomes empowered by technology. High-level corruption and greed are exposed. Pluto in Capricorn will continue to test and shake up power structures, as these influences are ambitious and serious with little tolerance for what doesn’t work. One of Pluto’s hobbies is to expose artifice and determine what really makes things run. Knowing the structures that matter shows us what is no longer useful.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Soulful songstress Natasha Bedingfield delivers a hopeful message with her music, with hits like “Unwritten” and “Pocketful of Sunshine.” Bedingfield was born when the sun, the moon, Uranus and Neptune were all in Sagittarius, indicating a traveler and a truth seeker. Her Mercury in Scorpio, an excellent placement for lyricists and poets, gives an enigmatic twist to communication.

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