Note to readers: My colleague Yasmin Boland has had a child and is on maternity leave. I'm taking turns some weeks standing in for her daily column. These horoscopes are being posted to our subscribers as well. The first set runs through Friday. - ef

Thursday, Oct. 19
Just remember none of these other people are your mother, even if they know absolutely what's right for you. The Moon crosses the South Node and may be giving you the feeling that your entire life is a museum of the past. I suggest getting out your paints and turning the whole thing to modern art in every colour besides the original. Either that, or take a long ride on your motorcycle.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
If you get a payoff anytime in the next few days to a week, make sure you set some of it aside. You may need to pay an old bill, cut someone in, or cover the cost of doing business. In any event, you stand to profit substantially, particularly if you look at the relationship as a long-term endeavour rather than a one-off. Remember that relationships are all about give and take, and the ones that last will endure some of life's turns of fortune. Perhaps more than most, patience is the key to this one.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
Often it's the case that even the rewards of your life require additional work, and you must concede the point that everything is an opportunity for healing. If you can start with that idea, and get it out of the way, you'll have a more appealing sense of what healing means. There is something in this story about allowing yourself to give up any idea of being a pure person. Even if you've been steadfastly devoted to this, I assure you, it will feel great to give up the remaining trace. Honest: you don't need it.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
As the next few days progress into the weekend, you must be certain to say only what you mean. The words you speak will have unusual impact, travel further and endure far longer than you're used to, and anything vaguely lacking integrity will come back to haunt you. But if you stick to your truth and resist every opportunity to overstate your case, you'll not only immunize yourself against negativity; you'll also discover something unusual about your ability to help the people around you, and help yourself. Repeat this mantra: cooperation, not competition.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Continue to push the boundaries on your project of making your life secure. What would it take? More money? More space? Allowing yourself to be closer to the people in your life? You may have to veer into unfamiliar and difficult territory, or accept certain facts of life you would prefer not to look at. One of those is your tendency to deny yourself the things you want even when life is abundant. Most of the challenging of security is about making the decision to feel safe, then living as if it were so -- but I'm sure this has already occurred to you.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
You now have the opportunity to test many of your theories about what makes you feel good, and what ideas work for you as healthy guidelines for living. In these days, you may learn quite a bit about the value of honesty in your life, particularly about your deepest feelings related to sensitive subjects. Keep it close to home, in your neighborhood and among people with whom you share some familiarity. Any discussion has the potential to have an exotic and even unworldly feeling, but as usual, you may be in the role of initiator.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Though you are born under what is called a mutable sign, you don't change your mind easily. Indeed, it's often difficult for you to even figure out what's down there, because that brain of yours speaks a language that often defies logic and is deeply influenced by feeling. You're about to make a discovery about yourself, and it may be a little startling or overwhelming. Remember the exaggeration factor. Your mind is a little like an echo chamber and the images there are definitely larger than life.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Reorganizing your finances is going to take some time, but it seems like this is the moment to begin. You may have some lofty goals where money is concerned and there is a good chance they will develop if you remember that you need to work this situation in layers. Things will seem one way today, another way tomorrow and will have developed quite different entirely in three weeks time. No setback is final and no gain is the big win. The solution set, the formula you are seeking will be the result of assembling many pieces of information and experience.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
We can usually do more together than we can apart. But the so-called catch seems to be that cooperation takes work, it takes pushing limits on people's usual difficulty communicating, and usually it involves growing up a little. If you're willing to do these three things and give others the space to do the same, the opportunity for collaboration, mutual gain and a lot of fun are on the horizon. But the stars are sending a resounding message to take one step at a time -- one situation and one relationship at a time.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
These days the story of Sagittarius is the one that's happening backstage, behind the scenes. A dependable reckoning of the possibilities is more likely to come out in your dreams or a tarot card reading than it is in ordinary conversation. Regardless, an extraordinary meeting is developing. It may be with someone you meet in passing and forget for a month, which is a great reason (if you need one) to pay attention and be exceptionally kind to strangers. And keep a dream journal for a while -- lately, your psychic powers rival those of Edgar Cayce.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
We often forget the benefit that comes to us through friends. If you were to suddenly be sent to a place where everyone was unfamiliar, you would get the picture quickly, and long for people who recognize and care about you. The next few days are a time to genuinely appreciate the human contact you have, and to truly take in the nourishment of the people who are in your life. You, as well, have something to offer them, and from the look of your solar chart, it's something that nobody else can provide. Give your gift with care and compassion -- and some detachment, too.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Over the next few days, you must be at your most polished, refined and clear-headed best. Act like a public servant running for high office, or the leader of an important scientific project. Right now you are projecting your reputation with extraordinary power and effectiveness. The thoughts you hold in your mind are, in an odd way, taking up residence in the minds of others, and helping them form their image of you. The point is, you not only have the power to influence how you are perceived -- you are the only one who does. So do your best and great things will happen.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Let's continue on the topic of your long-range plan for your life. You're generally someone who thrives on flexibility. But lately you've very likely experienced the sense of things developing in a way that seems beyond your control, or which has had the feeling of being predestined. When you finally make up your mind about what you want, it may feel like you were heading that way all along. For the moment, the mystery persists, though you will certainly be having flashes of the future even if you don't understand quite what they are.

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