Courtesy photo Holiday Mathis

In the 19th century, the phenomenon of ghost ships was not entirely uncommon. Vessels were found adrift in oceans, cargo intact, not a soul on board and an eerie void where the explanation should be. A lucky angle of communication planet Mercury to Pluto invites us to fill in the details of our own ghostly mysteries with a story or two.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). If you were so strong in yourself that no one else’s opinion could possibly deter you or rock your confidence, you would also be out of touch. So, right now, don’t worry so much about being strong; just be you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your confidence comes from a wellspring of integrity. You know what you’ve done, what you have and who you are. You don’t require constant reminders of your greatness or tons of reinforcement to feel good.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). “The voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses,” said the poet E.E. Cummings. Your heart will interpret this voice when you look into the eyes of another and you will understand all its sad, sweet messages.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Love is complex and yet you can’t sort it out with logical thought processes. Overthinking leads to error. Get your head out of it, and let your heart do the work.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You appreciate when people are friendly and helpful, especially when you already know them. Otherwise, you wonder they’re up to something. Your mood: quietly on guard.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You can safely assume that everyone and everything has something to teach you and go from there. By the end of the day, you’ll be like a student coming out of a very long lecture, ready to blow off some steam.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ll be delighted by the success of unplanned events. Just don’t let that deter you from making plans. Spontaneous twists usually work out best when there was a plan to veer from.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Pain is a signal. It is possible to feel pain and not be hurt by it. For example, endurance sports enthusiasts may experience this as they push through a workout. Pain is part of the process. Hurt is a judgment.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You know your limits and your triggers, which makes you more powerful, not less. But take into account that things like that change. You get stronger and braver. Test and push yourself today.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You will tend to your many responsibilities, pay what needs paying and fix what needs fixing. If it were also your job to have fun, what would you do then?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You think about things in a certain way that you may not even be aware of until you express what you’re thinking to a friend. The act of articulating yourself brings about new insights.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There’s no easier way, no shortcut available, no hack or guide that will provide the answer. You just have to find it as you go along. Luckily, this hard way is also the fun way.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 9). People want to commit to you. They want to do what you’re doing, know what you know and be near your warmth. This solar return starts a cycle in which you’ll join and lead people. You’ll embark on a treasure hunt of sorts, have early luck, and then there will be a decision to be made. Love is always worth it. Leo and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 3, 30, 49 and 27.

PLUTO RETROGRADE ACTIVITIES: The Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, the realm of legacies, is well underway. At this point in the journey, favored activities this weekend include:

• Personality profiling: How well do you know yourself? One way to determine this is to make a list of your traits, characteristics and preferences. If you were a character in a novel, how would you describe yourself? What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are? What is your main driving force at this time of life? The introspective energy overhead favors your honest answer to such questions.

• Memoir writing: There are hidden treasures to be unearthed in your psyche — feelings, secrets, insights that can only be understood in retrospect. You are the one most qualified to tell your story. Writing it down will be easier, as will remembering. You may think you don’t recall all that has happened, but you’ll be amazed at how one sentence leads to another right now.

• Bucket listing: One bucket list is never enough. Ironically, this is a living and evolving list that deserves updating.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Eternal beauty Candice Bergen won so many Emmys for her role as Murphy Brown that after the fifth one she declined future nominations. The Venus-ruled Taurus brings classiness, razor wit and clever versatility to each new project. Bergen has natal Mars and Pluto in Leo, the sign of show business. Look for her in the new drama “As Sick As They Made Us.”

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Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

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