ArcaMax

The ocean surrenders to the moon, the moon surrenders to the dark, and the dark surrenders to the great quiet -- where there is nothing to fear and nothing to defend. The darkest hour is just before dawn. Light will flicker again. Hope will shimmer across the water. The new season is gathering in the swell.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Just as you can't tell what kind of charge is in a battery until you hook it up to something that uses the power, you don't know what capabilities are inside you until you're in a position to use them. The challenge teaches you what you're made of.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Whether it's a person or a sandwich, the truth lives in the middle, in the texture between extremes. Depth requires exposure to the unremarkable -- the complicated middle parts that really give you the experience.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The reward for excellence is often that you're expected to do more excellence -- only faster and cheaper. This hardly seems fair or logical, but somehow, you'll find a way to turn it all in your favor. Excellence wins.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). A hundred rainfalls may not seem to make the ocean appear any deeper, but there's no question that the ocean is made in drops. This is one of those days when you might not feel your progress, but trust that it's happening little by little.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Love will occur like the wind -- an unseen force more known by what it moves than what it is. Love will come to you in many forms -- congenial, romantic and platonic -- sometimes all in the same relationship.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You will work better when you know why the work is necessary and what it accomplishes for you and for others. Delving into your "why" will lead to ideas that make hard work feel lighter and all work seem rooted to your purpose.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Finding new inspiration is a form of adding to your team. You'll be guided by the ideas a person or work embodies, and these ideas can fuel and inform what you do like a colleague working alongside you would.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You cannot step in the same river twice, nor can you witness the same sky or live through the same day. You'll find splendor in the commonplace things you know so well and at the same time recognize as impossible to know fully.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The beginning can be a tedious place to start. What's in the middle? Doing things out of order will be lucky. Can you start with your finishing touches? It will motivate you to at least have them in mind.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You're easy to open up to. You sometimes learn more about people than you wanted to know. Still, it's better to know more than not enough. What you hear today helps you anticipate moves and choose yours carefully.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). People genuinely want to please you. Instead of hoping they'll guess how, tell them. Share your preferences. State your boundaries. Clear expectations make everything easier.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You know what's expected of you, but that doesn't mean you have to do it. You'll defy expectation, creating a dynamic of fascination. This isn't about delivering beyond what they want. It's about bravely doing what you want.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (March 18). Welcome to your Friendliest Year, when your social circles expand in wit and warmth. Your inner sight sharpens your amazing people skills. That and impeccable timing will lead to deals, fun and personal victories. More highlights: A practical decision multiplies income. A lateral career move proves visionary. Love grows playful and profound. Sagittarius and Taurus adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 36, 10, 23 and 42.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Adam Levine is releasing new songs and touring with Maroon 5, as well as continuing on as a coach in the new season of "The Voice." Levine was born when the sun and Mars were in Pisces and the moon was in sensual Scorpio, a position that indicates magnetic appeal, soulful expression and an existential worldview. As he sings in the song "Middle Ground," "I need peace, I need hope, I need guidance, I need more than myself, I need light, I need life, I need what I never felt."

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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