Horoscopes: Wednesday, May 23, 2018

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Humans are territorial animals. Turf becomes increasingly important to those who don't have enough of their own to feel comfortable. A territorial struggle will end happily with rezoning or a move.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). What's important to one person is petty to the next. The differences usually have to do with the scale of one's worldview. Be proud of your remarkable ability to zoom in or out as appropriate.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Good people get in bad positions; bad people get in good positions. Randomness prevails over justice. It's a reason to focus on making the situation work instead of on who is right or wrong.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You're a rebel today, pushing boundaries just for fun. Actually, this is the kind of fun that can lead to a key development. Things fly up and then settle and land in a more just arrangement.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Many cultures believe in animal spirits that guide and protect them through this lifetime. Your connection with animals will be stronger, and you seem to be able to communicate beyond human realm.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your circle enlarges in a trend that serves this part of your life very well. Every week you meet new people, but that's not the remarkable part of it. You actually stay in touch with them, too!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Though beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, when many beholders agree on a particular set of rules, those matters of taste can be accepted as fact and grow to the influence of gospel. But does that really make it so?

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The cosmic omens agree with philosophers of the ages: Conquering the self is more difficult than conquering the world, and a mighty fine place to start at that.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When they try to make you compete for their attention, the only way to win is to bow out of the contest, making them doubt the value of the prize they dangle. You're too good for this.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Some work must be tweaked, torn down, and started up again, fresh, from scratch. It's those terrible projects that will teach you the most and ultimately make you a master.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Because you answer to life in a direct and assertive (but not aggressive) tone, you will get your way today, and rather quickly. You're an asset to the team.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). A question will tell you more about a person's intelligence, interests, and motivation than anything you could learn in an answer. Assess people based on their curiosity, not their knowledge.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (May 23). Your loved ones are irreplaceable, and they'll cement their status in your life with kindness, generosity, and fun. This won't keep you from attracting a tribe of people with whom you have rather quirky things in common. Lucky business goes down in August and November. Libra and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 30, 2, 25 and 44.