Horoscope, Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The new moon in Cancer focuses on the maternal relationship, which so much of life beyond childhood reflects. Coming to terms with the good, the bad and the unique parts of your childhood will be the key to getting a fresh start during this lunar phase. The dark sky represents a clean slate for you to write your future upon.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Growth, by definition, is change. Staying the same simply isn’t an option for you, though you may feel slightly anxious about what shape your new life will take. Trust.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You will fall in love many times, always with the same activity. This is how you know it’s a fine match for you and something you were surely meant to be doing with your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You touch people’s lives in ways you don’t really understand. Your spirit, the way you talk, the excitement you show when certain things are happening, it’s all registering in the mind of someone special.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). When people think of you, the word “encouragement” comes to mind. To nurture others comes naturally to you. You’ll give a kindly prop to your friends and boost them in the direction they seem to want to go.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Life is an endless opportunity. So trust your decisions. They’re either wrong or right, but committing to them will feel better than going in halfheartedly. And there always will be another opportunity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s easy to see where you’re blocked, but what can you do? Doing one thing you can do will be better than noting a hundred things that you can’t. Keep your focus right in front of you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don’t always get the chance to embody the qualities of honesty, bravery and loyalty in a big way that everyone can see. But you will wear them in dozens of small ways today.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There’s a special occasion coming up, and you might seriously consider doing something personal and artful to commemorate the moment. What you make with your hands you also make with your heart.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). A famous song states that love makes the world go round. Scientists suggest it’s actually angular momentum that does the job, though few would disagree that love makes the ride more fun.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Being kind requires very little effort, though people can be so wrapped up in themselves that it helps to have a good example to remind them how to contribute to the world in a positive way. You’ll provide this today.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It is not true that there is purpose and beauty in each thought you have. Some thoughts are rotten and ugly and probably popped into your head by mistake. Ignore them or shun them, and they’ll quickly go away.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your hands will be busy doing the work they were always meant to do: helping yourself and then helping others. You will touch someone’s life with your gift of timely assistance.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 18). This year is marked by your desire to do what’s new and different. The next 10 weeks bring adventure. You’ll trade in some aspect of your job for a better deal in August. September brings social fun. November is your chance at a professional goal. Sweet sentiments and gifts come from out of the blue in May. Gemini and Libra people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 1, 24, 38 and 18.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “Every night I dream about Harry Styles from One Direction. I think it is because we are destined to be together? Do our stars match up, too? I’m a Libra, and I know he’s an Aquarius. Also, when do you think we’ll meet? I have been to England twice because I have an aunt who lives there. I’m 14.”

The British boy band One Direction was formed in the public eye when the boys performed as soloists on the seventh season of the televised talent contest “The X Factor.” Not wanting to see the boys leave the show, the judges suggested they come back and compete as a group five weeks later. They did, and the rest is chart-topping music history.

As you dream of creating your own life that stretches beyond the realm of family and school, Styles may appear in those dreams to represent freedom, fun and the glamorous adventures that await you in the future. Let these dreams guide you to discover and work hard on your own talents and dreams instead of putting too much energy into meeting Styles. The compatibility is there, however. His Libra moon suggests that you could easily touch his heart!

CELEBRITY PROFILES: British entrepreneur and island owner Richard Branson founded Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways and numerous other ventures and humanitarian initiatives. Branson was born when the sun and Uranus were in nurturing Cancer, suggesting a strong sense of patriotism and a driving need for domestic harmony. His Mercury in Leo offers a larger-than-life means of personal expression.

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.