Holiday Mathis

New situations will not heal old wounds, but they will provide proof that there’s more than one way to work together, connect, be together. Fresh relationships strengthen different aspects of your being. As for the wounds, the moon in Virgo, the sign of nurturing, offers the solace that nature tends toward self-mending, it just takes time.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There are a lot of different ways to get the job done. Your way is the most efficient. But if they don’t all adopt it, it’s only because everyone needs to feel in control of their own part of the show.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your needs will be so elegantly and generously met, you’ll be moved to help others, which only serves to grow the bounty coming your way. This is an excellent start to the year.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). “No games,” says the internet dating profile, and yet how could a romance fly without them? Playfulness, positioning, status, resources, the managing, showing and hiding of assets… it’s what makes relationships fun.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). There are two sides to the story, they say, grossly reducing the multifaceted complexity of the narrative. Of course, there are abundantly more sides, but if you listen to too many you will grow so tired of the story.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll do enough of the thing to realize that you want help, are missing the right tools or need to find a better method. Maybe so, but push on anyway, as these are growing pains that must be worked through either way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). In a continuance of recent themes, you continue to be the main power in your life. Authority figures have influence, but it’s mostly what you’ve internalized and tend to reflect back to yourself in moments of decision.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). To an uneducated eye, the situation may seem like a drag or a grind. But you look at it as a game. Some of the elements will be easier to manage after you’ve pictured them laid out on a board.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Being good at something is not the highest form of talent. The highest form of talent is desire that burns regardless of innate ability. It burns through the night. It burns down obstacles. It burns on and on.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). It’s funny because you thought they were listening when you told the story, relayed the information, stated the facts. Now their blank stares suggest differently. No need for blame and doubt, only repetition.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Yes, there is but a finite amount of time to complete the task. And yet, pretending that you’ve an infinite supply of minutes will align you with the mythological gods who are made powerful by the luxury of immortality.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). To know what a thing is you have to know how it’s used. What looks like a cage could actually be a costume, vehicle or home. You’ll keep your mind open as you watch how people operate the structures of their lives.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Sometimes, you don’t know what you need to hear until you hear it. Not so today. You’ve a strong inclination toward the word combo that will activate your better angels. Say it aloud. Post it everywhere. Remind yourself all day long.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 2). Your wishes are only the start of what comes true for you this year, owing to the fact that an admirable practicality has limited your imagining of the broad scope of good coming your way. You don’t have to generate all the results, as there are four instances of plain old good luck. All you have to do is say yes. Cancer and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 3, 20, 11, 27 and 42.

COSMIC QUESTION: “What is an empath? Am I one? I’m a Pisces.”

Once upon a “Star Trek” series, there was “Next Generation” character called Deanna Troi who was half-human, half-Betazoid, and who, through some gift of paranormal electronics, had the ability to sense emotions telepathically. Troi is credited for bringing the term “empath” to mainstream consciousness. The term has since evolved to various meanings and connotations, some of them vaguely otherworldly with an inference that empaths are part of a phenomenon of evolved spiritual beings meant to heal the planet with their gifts of augmented emotional IQ, compassion, observation and general sensitivity.

Science-fiction casts empaths as characters who can feel the pain of the world, know the feelings of those at a great distance, or in some cases absorb the feelings of others parasitically to use for their own purposes.

Increasingly, highly sensitive people are identifying as empaths in a psychological and physiological terms. The human brain contains a specialized group of cells that enable people to mirror one another’s emotions. Evidence shows that these mirror neurons are more active and hyper-responsive in the brains of empaths, a tendency that can be genetically passed on. In this way, I believe, dear Pisces, that if you are typical to your sign’s reputation, then you are indeed among the most empathic of the zodiac.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Actor, director and producer Dax Shepard is an influencer in his own right who seeks out bright minds and experts in numerous fields to interview in his podcast, “Armchair Expert.” Leading with his down-to-earth Capricorn energy, his honest, casual interview style is both disarming and intellectually vigorous, which might be why he lands esteemed guests such as Hillary Clinton and Bill Gates.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

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