Solstice Prep Time

There are many who can’t help but get sadder around the winter solstice. Stock up on compassion and empathy: You’ll need a hefty supply to meet the demand. And while it will buoy the spirits to have good friends around, remember that there are times when, in order to be a good friend to yourself, you need to be alone with your thoughts.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). ”Why?” is a question for rookies. You know better. You’re a pro. Pros don’t ask why; they just go in and fix it. You’ll spend most of the day in this mode: Go in. Fix it. Repeat.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ve danced around it, they have, too, but the bottom line is that you need someone, and this person needs you. Realizing the situation and talking it out will be the best (and bravest) thing you both do.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Much will center on the idea of time wasting. What’s a waste, and what isn’t? Your decision about this will shape your days and your character, too.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Some people just like being angry. Too bad for them, though, because your calm communication and diplomacy will allow you to work most problems out before anyone even has a chance to get too frustrated.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s said that you shouldn’t give a party if you’re the most interesting person there. Of course that is totally absurd. You’re such an interesting person that, if you followed that rule, you’d never have a party.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your best intentions, well, that counts for something even when intentions aren’t enough to get the outcome you were hoping for. However it works out for you today, it can still lead somewhere good.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You’ll be putting your life to a good soundtrack, and that will make everything about it a little bit better. Choosing the songs that make you happy will be a very specific kind of process.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’re ready to know more. You’ll ask the good questions. ”A little knowledge is a dangerous thing; drink deep or taste not the Castalian spring.” — Alexander Pope

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There is no need for friction. The world is big. There will be plenty of room for everyone to do what he or she needs to do. Spread out. Claim an independent space.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You won’t be able to totally please them, so you may as well totally please someone: How about you? It’s as fair as anyone else you could choose today. You can always try compromising again tomorrow.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your instinct will be to entertain. Sometimes it’s done by making things up — fanciful stories, exaggerated ideas — but none of that is necessary now. The small plain truth is the most engaging entertainment there is.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Experience has taught you what to do, and you could automatically slip into the next step. Hit the pause. This way will work, but another way will work better. Call on your higher powers of reason.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 20). Your commitment to a goal will be steadfast, and by March you’ll have it in your hot hand. You and a love will be bonded in victory in January. Relationships take a lot more work in February but it’s worth the effort. A big sale will happen May. Work takes a new trajectory with training you get over the summer. Aquarius and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 3, 44, 28, 32 and 11.

ASTROLOGICAL TOPICS: MARS IN PISCES: Mars marched into Pisces yesterday. Already the warrior planet has spotted the enemy and felt the emotional echo as confirmation: ”The enemy is me.” This journey though the spiritual realms will turn up the multidimensional nature of your personal fight in this world. Between the new territory Mars is covering and the reflective nature of Mercury’s retrograde it will be easier to hear internal chatter. The voices we might normally ignore become more pronounced. It is important to remember that thoughts can be liars and that thinking something often doesn’t make it any truer. Take your thoughts to inquiry. Shake them around; poke at them. Examine them in different lights. You may suddenly hear what you’ve been unconsciously telling yourself and notice for the first time the utter ridiculousness of it. Expect that meaningful internal arguments will occur. Debates with the self could go on for weeks at a time. They are as tiring as any external struggle could be, if not more so. But resolution is possible, likely, even, in these last days of the year. So when you take yourself on, be brave.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: From ”The Wolf of Wall Street” to ”How To Train Your Dragon,” Sagittarius superstar Jonah Hill proves he has something for all ages. With four major luminaries in Sagittarius, Hill excels in roles that bring him to completely alien worlds, a talent he’s tapped into in most of the roles he takes on these days. The versatile star was born when the moon was in ever-changing Cancer.

To write to Holiday Mathis, visit www.creators.com/author/holiday-mathis and click ”Contact.”

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