Horoscopes

SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2021

Domestic Moon

It’s an odd fact of real estate that abandoned houses don’t fare as well as those that have been respectfully and joyfully lived in. Relationships are like houses in that way, and however sturdily they were built, they still require all kinds of upkeep. The moon in domestic Cancer favors the maintenance of the structures and relationships that feel like home.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Feelings are waves. They rise into an identifiable shape and then hit the shore and go back to being part of the big ocean of emotion. Don’t fear the feeling. It’s just another form for energy to be for a while.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It is said that good stories seldom come from happy experiences. So it is with bittersweet sentiment that the muses announce this day as pleasant to experience, if lacking the ingredients of a good tale.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). No explaining. People with the experience don’t need an explanation, and to the inexperienced, it’s equally useless. Action will be the teacher, the lesson and the homework.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You play many roles throughout the course of the day, all of which reflect you. Just don’t forget that you’re the actor and not the part. If the choice you made isn’t working, you have the freedom to play it different.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). In a moment of complete relaxation, an answer will come to you accompanied by all the relief and satisfaction of finding a set of lost keys. Indeed, this will unlock future doors.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The emotions and intent of an action are intrinsic to the alchemical properties of its result. The same action taken for love will have a different result if done from a place of fear. You’ll see evidence of the principle today.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). When dealing with distracted people (and it’s safe to say that most people you’ll deal with today will have an attention deficit), assume that you must capture their attention several times throughout the interaction.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Complaining comes easily to most. Just about anyone can describe a problem. The next steps -- brainstorming solutions, settling on a few to try, gaining the cooperation of others, etc. -are for the advanced corps. That’s you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You like to be clear about your reasons for doing things, especially the things that scare you. Consider that maybe “because it scares me” is reason enough to do a thing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll find that you don’t have to change everything just because you now understand something you didn’t before. Instead, you’ll adapt your style to fit your new understanding.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Wanting shapes perspective. Every possible route to the wanted thing gets enlarged, while everything that’s not the wanted thing shrivels and shrinks. Wanting something very badly warps the worldview in equal measure.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The theories that work out on the page but don’t work out in real life can be considered exercises or games, not serious contenders. Actual results trump theory every time.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY

(May 16). You’re as committed as anyone to becoming better, stronger, smarter and wiser. Can you help it if the path to those things happens to cut through some very pleasurable territory? If it doesn’t feel like you’re working quite hard enough for the cosmic bounty that comes to you, your philanthropy will shore up the difference! Virgo and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 19, 3, 33 and 40.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: The talk of caterpillars and butterflies often implies that one is better than the other, though the idea that there’s a hierarchy of existence might also be an absurdity concocted by a species of restless strivers. What if butterflies flit around feeling quite old indeed? They have, after all, cheated death many times over by that winged stage. Every butterfly is an elder who might, for all we know, wax nostalgic about its more grounded days when all it had to think about was eating everything in sight without being swallowed up by a bird or frog.

These are the first days of Jupiter in emotionally elastic Pisces. They are also the last days of the Taurus sun, featuring a wise and auspicious angle to Pluto to lend flexibility of perspective. Can you see the caterpillar life as every bit as wondrous as the butterfly life? And more to the point, can you embrace the way it is, knowing it’s going to change?

Another consideration has to do the countdown to Saturn’s retrograde. No person is completely loyal to another person, group or ideology. Mankind’s very existence has depended, at least to some degree, on the essential part of human nature that is (SET ITAL) self-interest (END ITAL). Do not be surprised by the shifts in loyalties that will occur this week. It is the way of evolution, if not progress.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Megan Fox has several new projects coming out in the months ahead, including the horror film “Till Death” about a woman handcuffed to her dead husband. Fox is a Venus-ruled Taurus who had her eye on the acting life since watching the “The Wizard of Oz” as a child. Born under a Leo moon, her creativity is ever-expanding. Mars and Neptune in Capricorn lend grit, business sense and an ambitious, competitive nature.

MONDAY, MAY 17, 2021 Earth Sign Trine

In his famous book “Be Here Now,” spiritual guru Ram Dass suggests, “Just because you are seeing divine light, experiencing waves of bliss, or conversing with Gods and Goddesses is no reason not to know your zip code.” The Taurus solar trine to Pluto highlights the profound need for practicality and the practicality of profundity.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Try not to get too caught up in how important a job is. Commit to the work, whatever it may be, as though the harmony of the universe depends on it. It just might.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The right mindset helps you cruise unimpeded by the worries or doubts of underconfidence and overthinking. It takes time and experimentation, but it’s well worth it to learn how to conjure that mindset on command.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Lately, your feelings are often suspended as you wait to see what goes well and what blows up spectacularly. Every outcome is a sign that you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing at this stage: testing it all out.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). As you find yourself actually enjoying the same process that others meet with dread, you prove a point about the power of interpretation. Cultivate this and you have the world in the palm of your hand.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There is no reasoning with what was born outside of reason’s realm. Much falls into the category, including every animal and infant, and every fear or impulse that comes from the animal and infantile parts of the brain.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). While the newbies may be wise to aim for incremental, reachable goals, the pros, who long ago separated their self-worth from the task at hand, will set the bar impossibly high and expect to fail gloriously and often.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The untapped resources around you are so plentiful there’s no time to tap them all. Where to start? You can afford to be a little selfish about it right now. Your preferences and interests are as worthy of serving as anyone’s.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You keep finding new ways to be useful. You’ll figure out how you can create convenience, relieve pain and solve the problem. Your efforts are only successful when they give you ease, too.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Though the only way to really know if something will work for you is to try it, there are many things that are not worth the risk. Today, your educated guess will steer you very accurately.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You don’t need all good examples around you as the inspiration for living right. In fact, it is the bad examples that can be the most motivating of all. You’ll be shown an array of models, both aspirational and cautionary.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Should you dive in or dip a toe in? Much depends on the number of people in the pool. Your strategy will be determined by what others are doing and how many are doing it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Whether you sit in the sun or the shade is a personal choice, though it’s dictated by things beyond your control. Metaphorically, your skin is sensitive and protection is required to avoid getting burned.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY

(May 17). Wisdom’s heartbeat commands the rhythm of your solar year. There is magic in the pauses. Your restraint (somehow at once judicious and natural) will have you moving strategically and with purpose, your goals ever in mind. You’ll alternate between going out on a limb and returning to the roots that stand you in good stead. Libra and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 50, 2, 21 and 17.

COSMIC QUESTION:

“I’m a 17-year-old Taurus with a crush. The guy I like is a Capricorn, and he’s 23. You always say that two Earth signs are good together. Is there any chance for us? If so, how can I get his attention?”

I don’t advise it for you this year. I would encourage you to channel your energy elsewhere, for instance into an academic goal, creative project or team sport. While it’s true that Earth signs can be compatible, you are at a time in your life when you need to develop yourself as a person before you can be truly happy in relationships. Here’s a weird paradox that happens: The more time you spend developing your interests outside of romance, the more attractive you will be when you are ready to explore the world of relationships. You’ll have things to talk about, confidence and the independent spirit that is absolutely irresistible to a quality date.

Of course, it is nearly impossible for a Taurus to stop crushing on someone. Your determination and tenacity will have your thoughts habitually turning to him for a while, but filling your time with adventures and aims will lessen the intensity of your crush, and eventually, you’ll have a different perspective.

CELEBRITY

PROFILES: From “Full House” to “Fuller House” and all the funny home videos in between, comedian Bob Saget is a prime example of the down-to-earth Taurus comedian. The zodiac’s first Earth sign is connected to nature’s rhythms and has what all comedians need: timing. The Taurus Comedian Club includes Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Jay Leno, George Lopez, John Oliver, Aidy Bryant and late-greats John Rickles and George Carlin.