Horoscopes: Monday, December 5, 2016

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The wise shaman doesn't boss people around, yet because of this person, the group behaves differently. This is you today - influential in manner, and how.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Paradoxically, the desire for a better life is an affirmation of a worse one, while the acceptance of a bad condition is in and of itself a move toward good.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There's no clear definition of what your role is supposed to be in the social scenario at hand. Choose a fantasy model to help you navigate this weirdness more comfortably.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). It is when you don't need the relationship/job/deal (yet are still fascinated by the challenge of it) that you are the likeliest to get a good offer. Self-sufficiency is powerfully attractive.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You've a lot to offer today and many takers - so many in fact that there's no time to waste on the unappreciative. You're better off without high-maintenance customers.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The avoidance of worry is a form of worry. It's a struggle to avoid struggle and a pain to avoid pain. In light of this, avoid avoidance altogether. Take life head-on, at face value. Forward march!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Not everything that happens to you is about you. And even if it is about you, it's only about the "you" that another person is experiencing, which is not the whole or core "you" at all. Today happiness is ... not taking it personally.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When you're faced with an overwhelming project, the natural, normal thing to do is to do anything but focus on that project. This manifestation of fear is what you're dealing with today. Be brave. Dive in.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When you see them all line up and start marching in one direction, there's something inside you that wants to do an about-face and dance yourself in the opposite trajectory. It's just that it's your job to challenge conformity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There will be humble domestic chores and errands to contend with. If left undone, they would make your life overly and unnecessarily complicated. That automatically relegates them to the status of "very important."

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The big aims come with big sacrifices, but don't let that deter you. Everything involves a sacrifice. The trick is to find a sacrifice you're well-matched to so it doesn't seem so bad.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). When you were younger, you tried to avoid embarrassment at all costs. Now you realize that embarrassment is a rite of passage on the way to becoming proficient at something worthwhile.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 5). Your gratitude toward the many who've helped you will be the spiritual practice that opens the way for new mentors and helpers to enter your scene. Love will be the main attraction in February, June brings a windfall. Pisces and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 40, 23, 11 and 45.