Mercury and Venus both entered the realm of relationships yesterday and are already mending fences. So much pain is inflicted in formative years that still sticks today, exerting a subtle influence over social interaction. Being aware of this and alert to your inner dialogue allows you to choose actions instead of habitually obey impulses.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It's easier to create a scenario than it is to change it. The best interactions will be partly spontaneous and partly designed. You can't control other people, but you can powerfully position yourself to maximize your influence.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Making connections is easier with a mutually agreeable proposition, but right now that's not what's on the table. You can say yes to a person even though you have to say no to the offer the person is making.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You provide a mirror for others. They feel seen and heard. Your manner of relating is a gift, an emotional balm. Such exchanges are more valuable than most realize. Indeed, they can alleviate suffering.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Relationships, like time, are always moving forward. So don't be surprised if the thing that worked three months or three years ago will work differently now, or won't work at all. This is an invitation to get creative.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You're ditching the guided tour and striking out on your own. After all, who can tell you what you're interested in? Not even you, but you'll know it when you see it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). What you give is exceptionally valuable, and yet, as it can go in the extremely high-end places, the price tag reflecting that value isn't attached. One has to know to know. If they don't know, they don't belong in the shop.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Leave yourself room for flexibility. Knowing what you are willing and not willing to do is tricky because it constantly changes depending on who is asking, the convenience of the ask and other variables in the moment.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Some problems need to be approached as you would a garden. You pay attention for a short while — seed, weed, trim — and then you leave it to do what it will until your next visit.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your distinct upbringing is a strength. There may be things about it that you don't feel the need to share, and yet, you can be sure that you are a stronger person because of all you've experienced.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When the job is over, the problem is solved; the drain is plugged... it seems it should be a moment of relief, and yet, there's a pang instead, representative of an affectionate involvement with trouble.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When connecting with people you know well, you can predict where the interaction will go. And this is why it's important to add a variable to the scenario — new location, different sidekicks, odd timing — just to keep it fresh.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Among your goals is one that's as ambitious as it is undefined. Perhaps the reason you haven't stated exactly the result you are looking for is that it's intangible; it's a feeling or a state of mind.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 28). Working on relationships looks a lot like working on yourself this year, because that is precisely what it entails. As you keep doing more out of a deep care and respect for yourself, relationships get more rewarding. A stellar professional opportunity opens in December. Early 2021 brings financial restructuring. Gemini and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 28, 1, 44, 5 and 17.

COSMIC QUESTION: Yesterday's question came from a Leo — a good listener who wrote, "...sometimes I feel like it's not fair that no one knows me. Also, people do get boring sometimes and it's not fair that they don't give me my turn. What do you make of it?" See archives for part one.

The second skill to add to your arsenal is a collection of conversational exit strategies — graceful phrases that serve as social remote controls so you can change the channel or exit taxing conversations. The goal is either a smooth shift into something that is mutually interesting or a quick getaway for you that isn't hurtful or jarring to the other person.

Try these on for size: "Sorry to interrupt, but you are reminding me of something similar that came up for me..."

"I want to hear all about this, and I'm also just now realizing there's something else I need to be doing right now, so I'm going to have to catch up with you later..."

Know that the first time you use phrases like this, it may feel awkward, but practice makes it better. Keep the endgame in mind, which is to preserve the relationship. If you go on having conversations that bore you, you'll grow to resent the other person, and the relationship will deteriorate.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Does Julia Roberts have special powers of persuasion? Why, yes! Scorpio is the hypnotist of the sun signs, enchanting, magnetizing us with subtle influence. Intriguingly, Roberts has five planets in Virgo, the sign associated with secret mysteries of the divine feminine, founded by the Greek goddess Demeter. Sorceress and goddess alike, Roberts' spirituality is earthy and mystical.

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

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