John Keats said, "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." Yet flowers wilt, lovers age, friendships change, and even masterpieces decay. While an object of beauty is temporal, the joy arising from beauty can last forever inside you, which will be highlighted by this week's Venus conjunctions to the sun and Mars. Perhaps the beauty's surface cannot stand up against the ravages of time, but beauty's impact can make time itself irrelevant.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your needs have been ignored too long. How do you know? Sharp emotions come up. They act as alarm bells from the neglected part of you. You'll reframe your emotional world by accepting all the feelings, assuming it's safe and in your own best interest just to feel these alerts from your deeper self. They will point you toward sunlight.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Freedom won't be a dramatic escape. This week, it begins with an hour when you simply do what you want. Don't let anyone else intrude on "you time." One protected hour will grow into two, then more. You'll learn that, amazingly, the world can wait. Every act of autonomy widens the doorway your future self will walk through.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It may feel like you're the emotional adult for every person you love this week. Other people's problems reflect their worlds, not yours. Step back when you need to. Remember, the only life you're supposed to be living is your own. When you act out of duty, it's because you're a dutiful person. You're still doing it for you.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). This week, you get the sneaking suspicion that your future is waiting for clearance. It would be normal for someone in your position to be impatient in such a circumstance. Use the time to sharpen your tools. Each moment you reclaim, each boundary you set, each dream you protect is part of your transformation.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). This week, it might not always make sense to figure out how you're going to get through overstimulating environments. You could also just choose not to go, not to take on the project, not to be around the people who require so much of you. Your sensitivity is highly intelligent. It tells you what's conducive to your thriving.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You know yourself because you've put in the time and taken the risks necessary to figure out what you're good at, what pleases you and what you value. Celebrate yourself this week. Some may not have the depth of understanding to interpret all that you're giving and doing. No need to explain yourself. Keep going. Your people want to be found.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The power move of the week: Don't solve all the problems. Don't even assume that there are problems. Let there be days when some of the tasks don't get checked off and some of the relationships go untended. Let dynamics sit where they are, and you'll see them better because you're not on autopilot or fix-it mode.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There's a feeling akin to loneliness. It's not about missing people. It's about missing yourself. Too many expectations from others can keep you from this crucial relationship. What can you do this week that would be "so you" and feel good, too? It's time to rebuild the bridge back to your truest companion: the self that is waiting inside.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You love to help others, and it's accomplished in acts of caretaking this week. Just remember, you're not trapped by your own empathy and kindness. This is caretaking, not captivity. Loving others also shouldn't require constant sacrifice, compromise or acts of self-dissolution. You exist beyond the service you provide.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your creative hunger isn't indulgent; it's as essential as any other appetite. When life gets too noisy, your inner artist starts pounding on the door, asking for space and light. Even five concentrated minutes of creativity can bring you back to yourself, but why settle for scraps? Carve out the time and protect it. You deserve this.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). This week, you'll feel the liberation that comes from accepting a relationship for what it is, instead of worrying about what it could or should be. No more trying to get someone to see you. No more fixing dynamics, earning attention or pretending things are different. When your investment is in reality, not illusion, you're finally free.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). On the outside, you sometimes downplay yourself because being celebrated, complimented or put in the spotlight can be so awkward. But you actually do need validation that what you're doing matters. Someone gives you recognition this week. Soak it in and store the warmth as creative fuel and motivation for later.
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: Think of this as your Year of Widening Orbits. Everything you touch moves you into a bigger sphere. Your network expands in unexpected directions, and career momentum kicks in after one well-placed boundary. More highlights: a stroke of dumb luck involving travel, a creative impulse that becomes a finished showpiece, a relationship shift that restores emotional abundance and a financial opening that arrives through an unlikely source.
For more Holiday magic, visit HolidayMathis.com. To find out more about Holiday Mathis and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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