While it's comforting to believe the universe is aligned with our wishes, it is also fair to consider its nature leans more toward neutrality. It doesn't mean our efforts are in vain, only that success goes to those who collaborate with indifferent forces. Venus changes signs, Jupiter changes direction, and new rhythms and realities emerge in the world. Sway with them instead of expecting them to bend to your will.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You don't exist to explain yourself. If you're always justifying your choices to someone, consider why. Imagine how much smoother and more joyful your journey could be without having to constantly stop to catch others up. There are people out there who would meet you where you are if they only knew a little more about it. Open up to possibilities.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There are things you've disagreed with or said you didn't want. In the spirit of radical acceptance, you'll try something new. You'll say yes to it all. You find your truest resonance as you integrate into your surroundings. Who you are aligns with where you are, and you find a unique balance between your inner voice and the world's melody.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You once believed that if you could make the right argument and find the right words, you could sway someone's opinion. But opinions aren't necessarily hinged in the world of logic. They're tethered to emotion, history and identity. Understanding this and accepting the illogic will unlock compassion, even in disagreement.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You're a genius with the constraints in play. Like a farmer collaborating with the seasons and weather patterns to grow crops, or a writer collaborating with time by setting realistic deadlines and working within the rhythm of their energy cycles, you will successfully manage the unmanageable and work within certain immutable laws.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You will often pause to look up this week, to observe the silent networks of life you affect — people, rivers, roots, sky — and in doing so you become a steward of something far greater. In that stewardship, you find strength beyond your solitary self. Small, everyday moments and exchanges will shift the course.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). This week, let your heart guide while your ego supports. The ego isn't the enemy. It's a necessary part of your personality. You will seek understanding of your ego needs and honor them. You'll thrive when you invite your ego to sit in the passenger seat of the "you" car while the rest of you remains the sole driver.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You're getting better at setting clear intentions and aligning your energy with your deepest desires. An important part of this is your willingness to surrender — to release attachment to outcomes and trust the universe to orchestrate the details. You are in partnership with the greater whole. This week is less about force and more about flow.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). New ideas rarely come fully formed. Don't hesitate to express your rough ideas. Communication is the first step toward shaping them into something stronger. Clarity emerges after you've shared your thoughts, worked through them aloud or written them down.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When people feel they are lacking, their behavior reflects greed as they scramble to fill that void. We can ward against greed, gluttony and entitlement by honoring our deeper hungers and appetite. What wholesome need needs nourishing? This is a week to reflect on the deeper hungers and appetites.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Challenge your guilt over spending time on yourself. You've watched others invest in their pursuits and seen how their joy and identity grew from it. Why not give yourself that same freedom? What you're doing isn't selfish. It's an act of self-belief that your family, friends and collaborators may even admire and rally around.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Instead of waiting for the work that fits your idea of what you should be doing, you fit your skills and talents to the work at hand, to brilliant effect. Your adaptability elevates the immediate task and expands the range of your capabilities. You transform each opportunity into a step toward mastery and fulfillment.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). To care only for what brushes our skin is to walk a narrow path, missing the beauty of the forest at large. True connection requires stepping beyond what concerns you directly and into the lives of others. In this openness, the world expands, offering you wonders you hadn't considered before.

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: The year answers your yearning for tenderness, fun, absurdity and deep connection in ways so human and vibrant. Improvements are not about making yourself "better" in a generic, exhausting way but rather about crafting a life that feels truly yours, full of love, creativity and friends. More highlights: You'll learn new modes of communicating. You will often experience a form of divinity. You'll trade intellectualizing and attempts at controlling reality for discovering what is real, eternal and unchanging.

Holiday Mathis' debut novel, "How To Fail Epically in Hollywood," is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

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