Happy birthday April 19: Among the pleasurable challenges of the year will be the different roles you'll get to play — the leader, the healer, a beloved darling, a cheerleader, a student, a star. Sometimes, there are many roles within the same relationship. You'll love what you learn about the breadth of your abilities, including the ability to love.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When you are rooting for someone, you will give that person so many chances — second, third, fourth — because you sincerely believe that when they finally win, so will you.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): No one standing on the earth with the other gravity-bound earthlings can possibly have the all-seeing perspective (or even a "most-seeing" perspective). You never assume you've seen enough. Today brings new angles.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21): You have this way of making time stop; something you do for others without being remotely aware of it yourself. For that person who thinks the world of you, time stands still while you're together.
CANCER (June 22-July 22): You've done a fair amount of living, yet there's much you haven't experienced. When you get a little bored today, it's a cue to start up the old wonder machine and aim it toward all the new feelings you've yet to feel.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You will take action and move things forward -- and probably without a plan, as planning feels entirely unnecessary to you. The route is already inside you, etched into the compass of your heart.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It is absolutely possible to adapt negative emotions into positive behavior. Getting good at this alchemical skill will change your attitude about shadowy feelings. Instead of dreading them, you'll welcome the fuel.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You greatly underestimate the effect you have on others. While it's better to err on the side of modesty, just know that how and when you show up matters greatly to someone. Your arrival will be gleefully anticipated.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): There are those who would lead you to believe that what you're trying to accomplish is complicated, when in fact it's pretty simple. You've already nailed the hardest part — being brave enough to take action.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you are too literal, detailed and correct in your approach, it could make it difficult to do the most loving thing in the moment. It will benefit you to maintain an openness to other interpretations.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You wish to give people a particular feeling. It's not entirely in your power to do so (as people's feelings are squarely within their own domain), but you'll certainly create an environment conducive to the mood you're after.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Extreme measures are not necessary. It's true they will shake your life up, make a memory and cause a temporary change. But what will work for lasting change will be easy, incremental and repetitious.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An adrenaline rush can be pleasant or unpleasant depending on your interpretation. Lean into the thrill when this kind of energy spike happens today. Memories will be made.
MERCURY OPENS THE TAURUS SEASON
Today begins the season of the bull whose cosmic quote is, "I have." Taurus is the realm of money, material possessions, appetite and that which satisfies the senses. Mercury rolls into Taurus first, like the crier who enters the streets blocks before the king, ringing the bell and alerting all to ready themselves for the royal arrival.
COSMIC QUESTION
Q: "Help. I'm a Capricorn in the precarious position of taking care of my aging mother and my two 30-something stepchildren, too. Months away from retiring, I have been long looking forward to this period of my life when I get to stop working so hard, see some of the world and generally enjoy myself, but it's not turning out that way at all. Was it selfish or deluded to want such things? If I can't catch a break at 65, when will I ever get a break?"
A: Though it is now estimated that 10,000 people a day turn 65, the fact that you are not alone in the plight of the "sandwich generation" probably does little to reduce the stress of taking care of elder parents and grown children alike. The good news is that Capricorns like you thrive on challenges, once you accept them. There is a way to enjoy yourself and still shoulder the burden of familial responsibility. The first step is in accepting that this is what is. The fantasy you had about retirement wasn't a complete dream, but it's not your reality now either. Instead of wishing it were different, adopt the new "job" of coming up with solutions for the current state. Trade in the role of "victim" for the role of "experimental scientist."
CELEBRITY PROFILES
Soon we'll get to see the mystical side of Kate Hudson when she plays a woman with unusual powers in the forthcoming "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon." Hudson, who has the high-wattage of natal sun, Mercury and Mars in Aries, co-founded the fitness brand Fabletics. Her chart reflects a cosmic counterbalance with the soulful compassion and ethereal beauty of Venus in Pisces.