Horoscopes by Holiday for September 1

It's the first day of the annual solar transit through Virgo, which begins a cycle of accountability. The phrase associated with Virgo is "I analyze," and as the sun traverses this realm of the sky, our powers of observation are attuned to a system of measurement. Each of us has our own criteria for sorting through the information that is so-called reality.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Once they have your ear, those who want to please or persuade you will spin a most appealing tale. You may not know what to believe right now, but you do know what not to believe.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Many a truth is spoken in jest. And those Freudian slips really will tell an interesting story. Paying attention to subtleties will be most entertaining and revealing today.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

For the most part, you know where you're going and how to get there. But something has changed on this route. Once in a while, even the savviest navigator has to stop and get directions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18).

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (September 1). Your good luck increases through the next four weeks, and you'll have the confidence to take risks. Your relationships get instantly more exciting, and new people come into your life, too. November represents a thrilling twist in the usual plot. You'll exchange meaningful promises in March. Capricorn and Virgo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 10, 38, 20 and 15.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: "I have dated several Gemini women in a row, and I have come to the conclusion that I am no good with Geminis. I'm a Leo. I want to date an Aries woman. I cannot ask every woman I meet when her birthday is. They will think I am crazy, rude or both. What are the physical characteristics associated with Aries?"

Physical characteristics are usually associated with a person's rising sign and other strong influences in the astrological chart. You would have to have the exact birth time and place of a person in order to ascertain this information, and that would probably make you seem even more odd or rude. Most people know better than to ask a woman her age. I suggest that you have a conversation with your own heart, dear Leo — your sign rules the heart, you know. You are getting too caught up in analyzing your love life and setting expectations, and you are forgetting the most important part. You can only make a connection in the "now" moment. When you meet a woman, focus on what your heart is experiencing as you get to know this person. Later, you can use astrology as a tool to further enhance your own intuitive leanings.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Dr. Phil McGraw has inspired change in thousands of people: He once got a whole town to lose weight. He was born when the sun and Saturn, the planet of hard lessons and discipline, were both in Virgo, the sign of improvement. This television psychologist and talk-show host says, "Awareness without action is worthless." Dr. Phil's love planet Venus is in Leo, the sign of the spotlight.

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