Beauty lives all around us. Familiarity blinds us to it. With eyes adjusted to the loveliness of daily life, the same scene that might enthrall a stranger becomes totally unimpressive. And so, to really see beauty, we must get away from it. On her first full day in Leo, Venus will go hunting for fresh excitement. This should help!

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Few things will be more persuasive than a good story, especially if you leave room for the audience to fill in some blanks, thus becoming more involved. Tell a story: win a sale, a friend or a heart.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Like a buffet at a restaurant, the buffet of life is at its finest with the early crowd. There's something special brewing, something worth getting in on now while it's fresh and new.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Sometimes you wonder if you should care so much about the look and feel of things, as your discerning tastes can be difficult to satisfy. Today, however, holding out for what you really want will bring reward.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You didn't make them on purpose, but you can still be proud of those messes. Think of them as the product of good living. Those who are not making a mess are probably not making anything.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Genuine curiosity keeps the conversation going. You sense the difference between this real force of life and the empty questions that are imposters not even worth answering.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You look up to the ones in a certain group and the ones in the other group look up to you. And so, the wheel of social status uncomfortably turns. You may feel driven to break the wheel.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Oh, happy day — you'll get some of what you want! To get some of what you want is a blessing, a boon and a benefit! To get everything you want is a curse that stunts growth, spoils personality and ruins potential.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You don't think of your work or relationships as a game, but there are others more competitive at heart who seem ever-aware of the score. Knowing how they think, you can avoid the distraction of unwanted competition.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Universities often use their graduate students as teachers for the lower-level classes. In a sense, all teachers are graduate students — pupils further along the path of learning. Today, will bring a guided leap of knowledge.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When you know you can do a thing and be successful at it — that's confidence. You can be confident about anything; you just need to learn the thing. One step at a time will get you there.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The emotions live inside of you, the circumstances live outside, and diffusion has to happen for you to move comfortably in the outside realm. A little of what's out there has to mix with what's in you and vice versa for this to work.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). To stay present and in the moment, the moment must interest you more than your internal dialogue does. Challenge yourself. Turn it into a puzzle. The higher awareness you gain will be worth it.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (July 28). Certain dreams of your youth have morphed into plans and adventures while others have been stashed or even forgotten. One will emerge this year for you to flesh out in an unexpected way. This idea that's come full-circle will connect you deeply with friends and spark new relationships, too. September brings a windfall. Taurus and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 4, 44, 38 and 17.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: You don't have to be in a new environment to have those "new environment" feelings that include, but are not limited to, buzzy excitement, trepidation, doubts about being accepted, anticipation of reward and more. When this surprise package of mixed emotion lands on the doorstep this week many wonder, "When did I order this?" You didn't. It was a gift from that prankster Uranus. It's like he can't decide who to bother so he just bothers everyone he comes across. First, he squares up to the sun, and then the moon, and then Venus, stirring up reactions and feelings wherever he goes.

Mercury's retrograde has some final thoughts to share midweek along these lines: The past can be an escape, a foreign country you lived in where the rules were different, a fantasy, a servant to your story, a fiction you keep re-writing, a distraction. Given the mercurial nature of the past, it's a dangerous thing to play around with, perhaps the biggest issue there being that the past is also a thief that robs us of attention that could be much better invested in the present. That's an investment the new moon in Leo will double down on.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Immortally glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis remains a subject of adoring fascination. Sun and Mercury in Leo suggest she was destined for the spotlight, and though ever-poised in its glare, Mars and Neptune in Virgo intimate it wasn't a comfortable place for her to be. Virgo energy is always striving for perfection. Jackie O made it seem attainable.

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