Horoscope, Saturday, January 5, 2013

Hearts and Minds Agree

Desire and reason do not live in the same part of the brain and have no relation or alliance — but neither are they enemies. These two operate in independent orbits, sometimes coinciding beautifully, sometimes completely at odds. With the moon, Mars and Jupiter all in intellectual air signs, we just might accidentally want what’s smart for us.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The glass may be half-full of air and half-full of water, but technically it’s all full of something. Your day today is much like this. It holds some lightness and some heaviness, but it’s not empty.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). What seems chaotic is actually networked, loosely organized and more predictable than you could have imagined. Get some distance. Watch from afar and you’ll see.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Beware of the mouth-moving-fast-brain-moving-slow syndrome. You could win a prize with your honeyed words, but only if you understand the value of the silences between them.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll get a glimpse into an area in which you’d like to do some selfless service. Consider giving anonymously. It’s the only way to make sure you’re really doing it for all the right reasons.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s wonderfully liberating not to give an opinion. The smartest person in the room often sits back and listens without feeling compelled to chime in. That’s how he or she got so smart.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll be recognized for the qualities you are most proud of. This will not only be a pleasurable experience, but it’s also a sign that you’re spending time with the right people: people who get you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). No matter how much you know, you are well aware of the fact that it’s a minutely small portion of all there is to know. That’s why you’ll think twice before advising others.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll deal with fast-mutating technology and a loved one who changes the game plan fairly often, too. With everything developing so quickly, it will be heartening to lay a hand on what’s dependable and unchanging.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ll be trend-resistant. You won’t be too quick to hop onto the latest methods and ideology. Whatever makes old-fashioned good sense also happens to be the best move for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Romance isn’t the only thing on your mind, but it’s in the top five now. Venus doesn’t like to be dissed and will try to move up on your list. A gesture to placate the love goddess may be in order.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). If the early day has you using up your personal energy without a chance to recharge, stolen moments of stretching and exercise will bring back your vitality.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Sharing the full range of your feelings, good and bad, is favored. After all, you can’t expect someone to know what you need when you act like you don’t need anything.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 5). For long stretches at a time, you’ll feel as though you know no bounds. You’ll heed a distant call in February. Small concerns will diminish because you’ll be too busy adding layers of sophistication to your game. The investment you make in February pays in one year. Family additions come in November. Virgo and Libra people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 31, 25, 40 and 9.

MERCURY IN CAPRICORN: There is a disagreement among human communication experts regarding exactly what percentage of meaning is derived from nonverbal cues. Some say it’s as much as 93 percent. Others put the number in the range of 60 percent to 70 percent. But nearly all agree that more is conveyed through our vocal tones and the movements of the face and body than is communicated through our words. Words are often an ideal we try to live up to. Facial muscles and bodies operate in a more immediate, unconscious and fluid dimension. They react to the current stimulus instead of pondering options. Our bodies don’t weigh the politics, alliances and agreements before choosing a response. They have their own reasons, at once intricate and basic, for doing what they do. When words lie, often faces, voices and bodies tell the truth.

Today, Mercury is newly in Capricorn where it will be until Jan. 18, 2013. From this part of the sky, Mercury gives us a secret key to power: If you want to influence people, you have to get to know and understand them. Pay attention to what they are really telling you on all levels. Listen to the words, but give more attention to the meaning you can derive from nonverbal cues.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: January Jones, who plays the delightfully complex ‘60s housewife Betty Draper in the hit series “Mad Men,” is a classically beautiful Capricorn born under a mysterious Scorpio moon. Her Mars and Saturn in Leo indicates that show business brings trials and victories. The feisty Capricorn once confessed that “the minute you tell me I can’t do something, that’s when I’m most motivated.”

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.