Horoscopes: Friday, October 20, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You'll slip into your zone, which allows you to be quick, masterful, and impervious to any obstruction that would stop a less powerful operator.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Trust isn't an all-or-nothing game. It's about learning a person's nature. Observation is the way. You'll ask an innocuous and open-ended question and then back off to see what's revealed.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There's a relationship that's taking your focus now. The two of you are like porcupines in the snow: You need warmth but must keep a certain distance. You'll find the balance.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You have no agenda and are not looking for what you can get out of a situation. You're just there to help, and because of this, you will be able to help many.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Remember when you experienced an instant attraction to someone you didn't know, and then you got to know the person and watched the attraction erode? This time, it could go another way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). New aspirations will form in your mind and heart. Bits of brainstorms will align. Disparate ideas will bond to make plausible ones. All that chaotic, random energy crystalizes into a real thing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Since you already know what you think, you'll try other people's opinions and viewpoints on for size. This will increase your capacity for empathy and your power, too, since it's easier to influence those you truly understand.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There are those who will give before you ask, and in ways you never expected. It's not really a favorable dynamic - some gifts come with too much attached. Besides, you want to make your own way.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If your life were a multiple-choice test right now, you'd be bubbling answers like "None of the above" and "All of the above," as big groups of events are either happening or not happening.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It happens all the time: Smart people do dumb things; enlightened people do petty things; simple people do complicated things. Let's stop labeling people and accept them and what they do.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Excitement and boredom are states of mind that are inextricably linked to their impermanence. You'll relax into a deeper understanding of life as you accept what cannot be maintained.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Learning is always forward movement, even when what you are learning seems to stop you from going further. Ask a different question. One good one may be all it takes to change everything.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 20). Something quiet and small turns into a successful, even famous, venture. Big love's coming your way in the next few weeks. Through 2018, make life easier by dealing with honest people - and, it goes without saying, being one yourself. Travel brings luck, especially a road trip next month. Cancer and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 20, 14, 7, and 30.