Mercury, ruler of communication, angles Jupiter, the planet of abundance, with such sweetness that it’s like the world is a Candy Land board, complete with a molasses swamp and a gumdrop mountain. This trine of good fortune shines on costumes, too, which are a form of communication. The costumes we choose say a lot about us.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). TRICK: Your knack for storytelling will have an audience glued to the tale of what happened to you. TREAT: You’ll realize how far you’ve come. You’re definitely not the same person from the story.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). TRICK: That part of your image that you’ve carefully cultivated will, for the most part, draw the desired response. TREAT: People want to hire you to do the thing you really love doing.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). TRICK: You’ll unexpectedly hear from someone and be momentarily rattled; it won’t be readily apparent how to respond. TREAT: Everyone will be impressed by what you come up with when life forces you to improvise.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). TRICK: Your life is so full you will need to lose something just to get wiggle room. TREAT: Paring down will feel addictively good. You’ll soon have plenty of space for fresh energy to flow through your world.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). TRICK: They’ll look to you to teach and inspire them. However, you’re new to this, too, so how are you supposed to help? TREAT: You don’t need to know everything — just the next step.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). TRICK: The behavior of others will test your patience. TREAT: You can’t change another person, but whatever work you do on yourself will favorably alter the relationship dynamic.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). TRICK: The spooky part is not knowing where a relationship is heading. It takes a little faith to find out. TREAT: Someone schemes to scintillate and entertain you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). TRICK: You’ll notice something you missed out on, almost, and then swoop in with a quick save. TREAT: An attack of unexpected cuteness will make your heart swell.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). TRICK: You’ll believe in your abilities, even when you’ve never done the thing before. You get the feeling you can pull something off, then you do. TREAT: Laughter will be sweeter than candy.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). TRICK: You feel like you know a person before you actually do because you’re paying good attention and picking up on dozens of tiny clues. TREAT: The effect plays like the strumming of heartstrings.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). TRICK: The competition will be heightened. You’ll be challenged in a way you haven’t been. TREAT: This excuse to reach deeper will tap reserves of grit you didn’t know were there.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). TRICK: You’ll tap into a force greater than your individualistic needs and act in service of generosity itself. TREAT: Rituals you’ve observed since childhood now seem more profound and yet somehow lighter.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 31). No chasing necessary; love comes to you as a byproduct of your other pursuits. You’ll be struck with a major idea, complete with its own engine. A team forms; what you build together will be a source of pride for all. The foundation form takes longer than anticipated. Remain unhurried; do what’s necessary to get it right. Aries and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 20, 14, 9 and 2.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: The Scorpio message, activated by the sun and now Mars, too, centers around our identity in the midst of transformation. Self-worth is not determined by how fast we can run, who wants to date us or how much money we have. And yet, these external signals do tend to make us feel some kind of way about ourselves. Knowing that messages from the outside world can color a mood makes it more important to do core work such as positive self-talk, personal rituals, meditation and other practices that strengthen the self-concept from the inside out.
And now, a word from Venus in outgoing Sagittarius. Friendly encounters with a professional such as a hairdresser or personal trainer may lift the spirits, but it is also important to note that relationships with service providers are not the same as personal relationships in which no money is exchanged. The attention we buy comes at a much lower cost than the attention we earn — a fact that is reflected in the value of the relationship.
CELEBRITY PROFILES: Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson was born on Halloween, which may have contributed to his macabre sense of humor. A playful Scorpio born under an entertaining Leo moon, Jackson started his career with alien splatter comedies and grew to international acclaim with films such as “King Kong” and the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.
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