Horoscope, Sunday, August 19, 2012

The void-of-course moon brings a drifty headspace and perhaps an odd feeling, like remembering something that has not happened yet. A trick of shadow and light can lead your senses to unreasonable conclusions. Your mind wants to believe, so enjoy the illusions — optical, emotional and otherwise.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Information that you gather in your environment will spur you to behave in a particular way. You always have a choice in how to react, but some options are more obvious than others.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You may be surprised at your own feeling of surprise. Is it possible that you were expecting something you didn’t get, even though you didn’t know you were expecting anything at all?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Peering into your future will be a requirement of the day. What you see when you dare to glimpse forward will have you choosing different activities from those you chose yesterday.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The utility of an item depends largely on who is going to use it. When the “who” is “you,” people will be amazed at how far your creativity can stretch the potential of an item to produce the desired result.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). In the mirrored world of the mind, everything depends on how the room is lit. Keep in mind that the way you experience things may or may not be how they really are.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Having a large number of online friends doesn’t necessarily translate into “social proof” that you’re a good friend. But what you do this afternoon will.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’re not satisfied with action for its own sake. You want to know the practical reason before you commit your energy. Because of this, you won’t be too busy, though you’ll still be very productive.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You can’t think of everything, but you leave time to make fixes. You expect that there will be changes to your routine, and you build your schedule to accommodate the possibilities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ll be in a charitable mood, and yet you are a discerning giver. You want to contribute to those who really need what you have and will put it to direct use.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Everyone makes mistakes, but only those with exemplary character admit where they went wrong and try to make it right. You’ll have the opportunity to forgive such a person.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It may be hard to project accurately into the future. When you envision the future, you might add details that will not actually be or forget about some of the more crucial parts that will be.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Just as a physician vows to do no harm and a postal worker vows to deliver the mail in all kinds of weather, there is something you will do that is so essential to your nature that it defines you.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 19). You define success differently from the way you did years ago, and you beautifully flesh out your new definition. The next six weeks bring you closer to an interesting someone. Mysteries only get deeper and more mysterious. You’ll learn and earn through the fall. Younger people look up to you. Travel in June. Taurus and Libra people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 44, 25, 4, 27 and 14.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: There is a legend associated with the passage of the sun into Virgo. It begins in an idyllic setting, when the world was Eden-esque. That is to say, there were no automated phone systems, lines at the grocery store were never more than two people deep, and there were enough parking spaces for all of humanity to visit the mall at the same time. Then along came Pandora, the original Virgo, on her daily cleaning spree, when she noticed this unopened box. What happened next was either a nightmare or a wild and wonderful dream, depending on whom you ask. Pandora opened the box, and sin and evil were let loose upon the world. (Reportedly, Jupiter stuffed these things into a box during a hasty cleaning spree.) Now, some rue this innocence lost, while others celebrate it. Without it, there would be no wicked wit, no drama and nothing “cool,” since “cool” (as only the coolest know) relies on a marriage of dark and bright energies. But what was Pandora’s (Virgo’s) role in all of this? Well, maybe somewhere deep inside she realized that since she let it all out of the box, it’s on her to organize it. — Excerpted from “Rock Your Stars: The Astrological Guide to Getting it All”

CELEBRITY PROFILES: At the turn of the 20th century, the race for human flight was peopled by serious scientists across the globe, including some highly educated and funded individuals. But it was the indomitable will and tenacity of the Wright Brothers that cracked the code — and without funding or education. Orville Wright changed the world forever by flying toward his guiding planet, the sun.

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