Lady Venus grows weary of coasting backward and changes direction on Jan. 31. To keep the peace while the Love Goddess is in the power-aware sign of Capricorn, avoid pointing out the differences between the way men and women think and behave. It's dangerous to make generalizations in this regard, but if you must, at least avoid doing so publicly. The new moon in Aquarius on the 30th starts a fresh cycle.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There is quite a lot you can't control about the outcome of your days but much more that you can. It's hard to see those places of control all by yourself. Someone with a different lifestyle will, by example, show you the points of choice that you are not currently aware of.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Even though you're a socially comfortable person, you still feel yourself clam up from time to time around certain people you perceive to have a high status level. This is an opportunity for you to work on yourself. What is it exactly you would have to know about yourself to be comfortable that you were on the same level?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). As much as you'd like to know the logic of your romantic choices, chances are good there is no logic to find. As William Shakespeare once wrote: "Ask me no reason why I love you; for though Love uses Reason for his physician, he admits him not for his counselor."

CANCER (June 22-July 22). This week there are many reasons why it is dangerous to revisit the past in order to better understand the future. For starters, it's difficult to discern whether you are remembering what actually happened, or are instead creating a new version of what happened with your memory.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Watch carefully before you align yourself with any person or side. The person in charge is not the one you think it is at first. Look past the superficial and into the subtle cues. Here's a hint: Power and wisdom are often confused by the powerful, but never confused by the wise.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your attention might be pulled into glitz, glamour and celebrity culture this week. If you're going to idolize someone, make sure it's for the right reasons — or at least ponder what those reasons might be. As comedian Fred Allen once said, "Hollywood is a place where people from Iowa mistake each other for stars."

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You create yourself anew each day, although some days it feels like you're just doing it the same way as you did the day before. This week, you'll be aware that you don't have to do that. If part of who you are routinely being is not creating an alive and awake kind of feeling, alter that section of daily life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Don't judge yourself for being negative. Those who are relentlessly and unceasingly positive may not be engaging in their environment enough to be aware of what really needs to be done. Handling the responsibilities of life is often difficult, and it's only human to go through a range of feelings in this regard.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Despite your efforts to make the events of the week happen in a certain way, they will happen as they do. Your job will be to make the most of it. Consider these words from philosopher Albert Camus, "You cannot acquire experience by making experiments. You cannot create experience. You must undergo it."

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When you have a great deal of something you don't think about it much. Love, money, work, talent, knowledge, beauty and more ... what are you focused on now? And how might you think and behave if you knew you already had plenty of it? Experiment this week to move toward the change you desire.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The understanding you seek may elude you. Your best bet is to try to explain yourself with as few words as possible. If it can't be conveyed like that, it's a sign that you need to explore it more yourself. Deep knowledge is more easily shared than complicated concepts. Perhaps you can get deeper.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It's easier to remember the unfortunate things that happened than all of your good luck. This is simply a survival mechanism of the human mind to keep us from repeating actions that have negative consequences. Counteract this instinct by consciously remembering all of the beauty you've known.

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: Aware that there is more going on than your five senses can detect, you are on a spiritual quest this year. Supernatural experience will become the norm for you. Next month brings a new influence to your world, and you'll change your approach to a problem that's plagued you for years. Physical endeavors will be lucky in May and you could improve your health and fitness markedly. New career goals relate to loved ones, and mutual support will get you to the desired accomplishment.

Holiday Mathis is the author of "Rock Your Stars." If you would like to write to her, 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.