It's no fun realizing that today's problems are the outcome of your past decisions, but it's likely what will happen during this square of Mercury and Neptune. Self-blame is unnecessary. Let the realization help you with a current decision whose outcropping you'll be experiencing a few months and years down the line.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The lesser of two evils is still evil. Add to the lineup of comparatives. Throw in a saintly option and an intellectual one. Don't pigeonhole your own personality by only allowing yourself certain offerings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You look to the ending before you even start a thing. If you see potential, you'll proceed with the end always in mind, to some degree. That part of your brain magnetized to the destination will be your guiding light.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The tendency is to take one true fact and extend it to encompass an entire body of information that may not be true at all. It will be worthwhile to take on and dissolve your bias, as assumptions could cause a crucial miss.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The secret to wisdom will be patience. Reactive decisions have a good chance of being wrong or shortsighted. Sit with information, and let it soak in. Make people wait for your answer.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). A person's true character is often revealed in how they face adversity, and in how well they work with others and adapt as necessary. If you want to learn a lot about a person quickly, move furniture together.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Innate traits aren't a prison. You'll work on molding a quality you were born with into a form that is more useful and applicable to the person you want to be and the life you want to live.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Practice until you get so good at a thing that it comes automatically to you. Once your mind and body are in sync, a different mind takes over — a creative state that allows you to operate at higher levels of the task.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It is human nature to covet what is elusive. You've been on both sides of it. Today you've the chance to be a little mysterious to someone — to create the space that will cause them to fantasize about you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The enemy of learning is pride. The other culprit is an aversion to loss that holds one back from trying and risking failure. Keep your ego out of it and you'll turn mistakes into lessons and, ultimately, victories.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The hope of fast money is a lure into situations that are not quite right for you. What would you do if money weren't part of the equation? Is there a way or degree to which you can do that with your current finances?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Don't discount the strategy of doing nothing. It is sometimes the best available move, and certainly better than expending purposeless energy or wearing yourself out with situations in flux. Wait until things settle.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). If you are bringing out someone's competitive nature, take a different tactic. It is easier to deal with people who feel they are already winning. They'll have fewer defenses.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 13). Your efforts will be joined. Mentors, teammates, timing and luck will play their part to catapult your project to success. Because you nurture your relationship with all those entities, you remain in the graces of the fates. You can afford to take risks in the name of justice, truth and beauty. May brings a windfall. Libra and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 4, 44, 37 and 49.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: The difference between the way a computer plays chess and a human chess master plays is that the human generally has a plan, while the computer looks at each move for all of its independent probabilities. The human is typically reluctant to give up on a plan, whereas a computer acts only on the current circumstances. Computers now regularly beat the masters, though one might argue that, in a game played by strict number crunching and no sense of history, strategy and follow-through, the elegance and drama of the game are lost. Mercury squared Neptune brings awareness to the flawed beauty of a human approach, especially seen against the contrast of a digital landscape.

The other aspect coloring this week is a solar eclipse and new moon in Sagittarius, the realm of wistful horizons and greener grasses beyond one's own fence. It recalls the role of jealousy in a world where we willfully blast the minutia of our lives to the general public. Envy is a hint, a nudge toward secret or undefined wants. However, excessive comparisons to other people are pointless. Those ideas are theirs — what they chased after to make themselves happy. Feel envious? Take the gift. It's your heart speaking up. Listen, and then turn your head back to manifesting in your own life.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: The Sagittarian sun influence in Taylor Swift is represented in her fearless genre shifting. Sagittarius energy is one of exploration and restlessness. More of the story is told through Mercury, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn, the sign of ambition, power, business savvy and drive. Venus in Aquarius reveals that philanthropy will be even more of a calling in years to come.

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