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HOROSCOPE

BY HOLIDAY MATHIS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17

So-called good ideas very well may develop into later regrets. How can one test the long-term potential of a decision? Tensely aspected, Saturn, keeper of time, poses questions to Janus, the Roman god of gates. With one face for the past and one for the future, Janus brings to bear a historical perspective and an educated projection at once.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It’s scary to want and scarier still to desire. Remember this, because you have the keys to what other people want. Over the course of your dealings, their feelings may be heightened and illogical.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). People around you will take off their sweaters because you create such warmth. Other effects of your personal weather system will include the privilege of hearing what’s really on their hearts and minds.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). In this human family, usefulness helps ensure a decent position. You’re always looking for ways to make yourself more useful and, today, you’ll land on one that will be fun to learn.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Today’s atypical and nonsensical journey will amuse you. Why you go one direction instead of another is a mystery. Even more mysterious is how you still manage to get there.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You gravitate toward the people who see you as you would like to be seen and also the ones who see things in you that you cannot yet see in yourself. Both types are essential in your development.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You cannot be enticed today, neither by advertiser nor friends with (what they think are) good ideas. It’s so obvious to you what the next right move is that you can’t help but laugh in the face of persuasion.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ll get people to switch to your sid because you do it better. Knowing which metrics matter most to people will be key here. Hint: Everyone wants to have more fun and ease.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You have high expectations for loved ones but you also afford them wide margins for error. Those two factors go together toward optimal performance and, at the same time, sanity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You cannot have diamonds without paying the price. Even those who come by their diamonds via gifting pay the diamond rate in one way or another. It’s something to consider before purchase or reception.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When your mind goes to that negative situation, go exercise, listen to happy music or do anything that brings you vitality. You’re making a habit of getting your emotional payoffs from seeking joy.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re not interested in what you should do today, as societal expectation has nothing to do with your own journey of self-discovery, which cannot be fulfilled under the umbrella of “should.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Though you’d love to fill your time with meaningful pursuits, it’s even better to discover the purpose behind the pursuits you already engage in and frame it all with your own meaning.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 17). A lump sum comes to you and with it a sense of security and just what you need to take action instead of having to constantly be in reactive mode. This grace feels good but not nearly as epic as the true gift of great harmony in your world. Conflicts resolve quickly and relationships glow with sweetness. Leo and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 38, 22, 40 and 8.

COSMIC QUESTION: In response to yesterday’s reader question: “My actions are dictated by responsibility, duty and care and are, accordingly, a partnership. If my thoughts don’t begin and end within me, though, then where? And why does it bother me when you suggest that thoughts can be in my head that do not originate there?”

Your actions, as you suggest, do not spring from duty, etc., any more than your bones are moved by neural impulses. The brain sends messages down nerves that, for the most part, connect to muscles. The muscles move the bones. In this comparison, your thoughts are like the neural impulses and your muscles are akin to your processing system, which decides to move or not move those bones, and which way. Were it not for your muscles, your bones couldn’t move at all.

Just as you can work on building muscles to assist you in moving and doing in a desired way, you can work on building thought processes that assist you in desired behaviors.

Your freedom and individuality are expressed through the process of thought-choosing. You get to choose to pay attention to a thought or let it drift by. You choose to identify with or condemn a thought. You get to choose which thoughts to act on and what actions you choose because of them. In this chain of command, there are more possible points of free will and personal expression than were your actions entirely bound to duty, which would make you, essentially an organic robot. More on this tomorrow.

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