The secret to gratitude is to take pleasure in what’s there. If you can’t seem to, maybe what’s there isn’t right for you. The gladness of your heart can be discovered, but it can’t be forced. Don’t try to manufacture joy; the only kind that matters is the organic kind. This Sagittarius moon, let joy’s absence be a sign that points you elsewhere.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). It’s easier when interests align perfectly, though that’s seldom the case. If a misalignment of interests has you doing all of the compromising, the relationship isn’t balanced enough to be healthy.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It seems there’s a pill for everything now. Regarding today’s peculiar diagnosis, you wouldn’t want to take it. To vividly experience every breath of the journey is to know the most beautiful bits of life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Today represents an intense effort, something like climbing a mountain, clinging to the crag, a step, a reach, inching ever-forward and up. The top will have better views, and that’s not nearly all of what will make this worthwhile.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). The cosmic picnic is spread over a lovely patterned cloth. The predictability of repeating themes is both comfortable and interesting. As it goes with picnics, there’s an element of the unplanned. Nature finds a way in.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll be involved in many transactions. It’s just good business to know what you’re getting in the exchange. And good business can be applied across many of life’s categories today.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The competition is on for jobs, friends, love, relationships and more. The best odds of winning come out of an exclusive focus on your own strengths. Don’t give the others more than a preliminary reconnaissance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Today, there will be no difference between trying and doing. It’s all just an effort and a hope, so don’t overthink it. Get your body into the motion and follow through.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The best way to give is without concern or anticipation that it will ever be repaid. Be wary of the implied contract. If one of those exists, then it’s not a gift.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There are certain animal comforts typically obtained at home that cannot be duplicated, substituted or synthetically created. The real thing — that’s what you need.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Here comes the commotion. Get out of the way and stay put. Wait until it’s over and then some. This will need time to settle. There’s no move to make until after the dust clears.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Of course, the most epic battle for any person is the battle that happens inside his or her own skull-sized kingdom. You’re winning that one today, though it’s no easy fight.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Those who witness the plight of the underdog become instant allies. You’re a key part of that crowd and a leader in where and how the group moves to help.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 19). Microhabits are the way to free yourself from a troubling restriction. One small change at a time and by July the unwanted circumstance is completely behind you. You’re a new person! Do everything you can to make your desired change easier. Get your supports in place and the world opens spectacularly for you. Libra and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 10, 3, 30 and 19.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD:

Thought for this Gemini sun: No one is born with a conscious knowing of one’s own wiring. The thing about being human is that, unlike animals, there’s a more complex consciousness that must come together for us to function well in our society. The intellect and the animal are strangers who must get to know one another to work together in the same person. Finding your own preferences, aversions, motivators and triggers can be about as mysterious a process as discovering a stranger’s.

On Mercury’s Gemini transit: There’s a mouth behind the mouth speaking words that surprise the lips. There’s a head inside the head thinking thoughts the face reacts to as if watching a surprising drama.

The midweek moon report: If you decide to change, make sure you’re doing it for your own reasons. Changing because someone wants you to? It never works to make the relationship better. It gives the other person too much power, and they lose respect for someone so willing to bend to their will. The only changes you need to make are the ones wished for and dictated by you to you.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Iconic minister and human rights activist Malcolm X was born on this day in 1925. The tenacious Taurus leader was born under a fiery Aries moon, unsurprisingly. Aries moon people have the spirit and boldness of warriors. “There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” — Malcolm X

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