Usually when people are demanding, it's because they are afraid that the world outside their control is a hostile place. What if we are to assume instead that what's outside of our control is a heavenly oasis? In these final days of the Mercury retrograde, give your request and wait patiently, with an open and flexible mind, for a response.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There's something you've told yourself a lot lately. You know it's just a story, but it's your story, and it seems to be holding your sense of self in place, although honestly, you'll be fine either way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The artist can turn any act into an act of art. The warrior can turn any act into an act of war... and it follows for the teacher, the lover, the provider. Who are you being?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Material values are problematic because they can never be satisfied in any lasting way. New things wear out, and what's hip and cool becomes old and dated, whereas values of the heart do not age.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). In lunging for the brass ring, you risk a fall. You could avoid a tumble by avoiding the ring, but that would be off-brand for you. Anyway, your odds are better than usual today. Take the chance.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). When you were younger, you crossed lines and felt the sting as the universe put you back in place. Because of this, you now display a self-generated restraint and grace that will win you all kinds of favor.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). While some are motivated by a reward that is just out of reach, you're in no mood to waste time chasing a thing that ultimately doesn't make you happy. Get a taste of what you're in for so you can decide upfront if it's worthwhile.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The time you spend fine-tuning your image will be worthwhile, not because these details make a tremendous difference in the eyes of others but because you'll learn about yourself in the process.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The ancients built temples that still endure: grand offerings to vast and higher powers. Lofty purposes are more visible and ever-present reminders of their own maintenance needs.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The best things in life are not free; they are very much earned and bartered through investments of duty, loyalty, passion, respect or other emotional currencies such as what you'll be wielding today.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There are uncomfortable things that come up. In the past, you would have avoided this, but now you confront with pleasure because life is so much easier when you take it head-on.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The truth that was supposed to set everyone free didn't quite. That is because no one could agree on what it was. Maybe it's more of a feeling than a word — a feeling found in silence.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It's easy to do the right thing when you have already built the moral character for it. What's hard is doing the clever thing. Today's situation needs you to think above, beyond and ahead of how the others are thinking.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (July 7). Your cosmic birthday gift is a surge in vitality brought on by an inspiring relationship. Your powers will be augmented in the months to come, and you'll repair what's been torn down, heal injury and set justice in motion. Professional luck kicks in for 2021, and through your acts of service you'll accomplish a major goal. Gemini and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 10, 44, 48 and 39.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTION: "I have a problem with loving people too much. Boyfriends have said I scared them or made them feel pressured. They think I'm trying to control them, but really I'm just showing them how much I love them. I've been hurt so much that I don't want this to happen again, but I don't know how to hold my love back. Advice? — Loving Virgo."

Did you know that the famously loving nun Mother Teresa was also a Virgo? She said this about love: "I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."

Good news. There's little point in trying to stop the intensity of how you feel things because you probably won't be able to control it. Besides, when you feel your emotions fully, they cleanse and heal you, so you wouldn't want to control them even if you could.

That said, be careful about what you call love. True love doesn't come across as controlling or stifling, because true love allows people to be who they are in total acceptance. If you're getting a lot of feedback to the contrary, then what you're showing your partners may not really be love. Certainly something to think on!

CELEBRITY PROFILES: In late 2019, a legendary Beatle released his 20th studio album, "What's My Name." Although, like so many musicians, Ringo Starr has rescheduled the supporting tour dates due to the global COVID-19 crisis. The Cancer star was born when Venus was in sociable, witty Gemini and four other luminaries were in entertaining Leo. Three Taurus planets suggest stamina, determination and longevity.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.