The sun and Mercury connect to encourage clean, smooth deals. In the exchange of goods and services, much comes down to a match in valuation. But that's not the only significant factor. The human element is about respect, needs, feelings and identity — in other words, how the deal will define each party. Consider all of this and you're golden.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). When playing a game, acting in a play or engaging in any manner of role-play, putting on the character you are assigned can be an enlightening, liberating or, at the very least, "interesting" experience.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You were going to the experts before, and it was costing you. This day will be an exercise in asking yourself better questions and coming up with answers that surprise you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Hiding isn't always weakness. Rather, it's a very effective evolutionary adaptation used by those at the top and bottom of the food chain alike. It's better to be strategic instead of reactive with this, though.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). It's a day to leave more room for the other person, to take pauses so others can fill in, to ask questions that encourage participation and to invite others to dance by opening your arms.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Right now your capacity to handle important things is expanding. Being strong is something you can't always appreciate in the moment, but you'll look back in amazement at some of the things you're doing right now.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). This is no time to abandon what you believe in favor of easier, more convenient options. The movement will only work to create change if enough people participate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It's possible for more than one person to talk at the same time, but it is not possible to simultaneously listen to more than one message. Because you need, want and deserve to be heard, you'll choose your moments carefully.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Emily Dickinson defined hope as the "thing with feathers that perches in the soul/ And sings the tune without words/ And never stops at all." You are filled with its song today.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You can fly anywhere in your mind, so why not use this ability to your own wonder and delight? If you leave it up to the cues around you, this will not happen. Set boundaries around your attention. It is a precious commodity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There are those who have a cause and those who have a plight. You've known categories before, though not at the same time, which would be impossible. Plights must be overcome before causes can be taken on.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Love is the constant. Things happen in relationships to create noise in the mind, but the heart beats on with the rhythm that has always been yours: uncomplicated, consistent, enduring.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Living space has always been important to your well-being though even more so now. You'll be inspired to get into neglected closets and boxes to organize and account for your belongings.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (May 4). You'll reach new levels of comfort and affinity for yourself and what you create. You'll take out feelings that were boxed away and get nostalgic, inspired and motivated to either donate to the annals of history, or use and integrate the find anew. A spirit of competition will take hold. A late summer victory will be yours. Gemini and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 15, 30, 2, 22 and 39.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: Last week a Capricorn reader concerned with how and what to reveal in early dates wrote searching for "a good pattern for letting people get to know" her. "I don't know which version of my story to tell," she said. See the archives for the thread.

Capricorn, it may help you to think of yourself as the sun, in the center of the solar system. The ones closest to you — the Mercury, Venus and Earth types — will get most of your energy and warmth. It is appropriate for new people coming into your life to earn their place in your solar system. Though it's tempting to spill all to a complete stranger, unless that person is a priest in a confessional; an officer of the law investigating a crime; a licensed therapist; or a completely anonymous and distant person of the internet, it is not a good practice to tell the unabridged version of your story. Your stories are precious commodities of life that you have earned and that belong to you. Your pride in presenting and disseminating them is a way to show that you know your value. Learning to tell your stories well is an act of self-love and self-esteem. I wish you the very best of luck in all your storytelling endeavors!

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Iconic movie star Audrey Hepburn was born when the sun and lucky Jupiter were both in Taurus. Hepburn embodied the Venusian qualities of her sign: beauty, grace, a lovely voice and a patient manner. She once said: "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

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