Horoscope (September 22, 2012)

A thought for the autumnal equinox: When you walk out of your front door, what you will ob­serve is other people’s opinions of how the world should be in a tangible form. Not all of the man­made physical world is accept­able to you, and today you may find yourself starting to form a different opinion that will, in time, shape an alternate reality.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll have some ambivalence about going through with the event you set up earlier in the week. You can interpret this as a sign that you’ve changed since then.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Ask for what you’ve long wanted. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be given the royal treatment, except that no one will know it’s what you expect unless you ask for it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Friends are proud to know you. Plus, your life

 might be more exciting than theirs at the moment, which means they’ll share -- probably more than you would have liked -- on your behalf.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Maybe gravity is caused by gravitons, but no one has seen a graviton, so who knows? Similarly, a loved one’s downer mood has no traceable source, so don’t take it per­sonally.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The circum­stances around you will confirm your opinion of how things should be, and so your mood will be light -- until they don’t confirm them anymore. Then your mood will be busy.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Those with nutty, irrational beliefs are often willing to go the distance to justify them. That could influence you to go another route today: open-minded and explaining nothing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). What matters is not what you talk about, but how you flesh out your topics with a

 personal connection. Bringing more of yourself to superficial relationships will deepen them.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). If you surprise a horse, you chance receiving a swift kick to the sternum. With a gentle approach and a reassuring pat, you can show a horse that you come in peace. People are the same today, so proceed with caution.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Melding your personality to suit those around you will be counterproductive. Today, fitting in is a near impossible feat. Instead, create your own niche.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your creative mind is abuzz. You’ll allow

 yourself to wander to some extent, but you know it’s only a matter of time before you must rein yourself in and get some work done.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Con­tradictions are a natural part of who you are. You needn’t defend your clashing opinions. So what if they are incongru­ent? So are a lot of the more sophisti­cated aspects of life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Complainers abound. Some of them are quite humorous in their apt de­scriptions of what’s wrong. But you most admire the ones who don’t talk about the conditions and just experi­ence them.

 TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 22). You’ll like the new characters that come into your life this year, and you’ll be happy for their influence on your story. People will give you things in October. Some gifts will be straight-up wonderful, and others will be mixed blessings. December sends you on an adventurous vacation. Au­gust brings a windfall. Gemini and Scorpio people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 25, 12, 49 and 16.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “I’m haunted by a news story I read about a woman who attended an eve­ning work party on a boat and some­how perished in the lake. Nobody realized she was gone until the party was over several hours later and the woman’s abandoned purse was found. No one missed her or looked for her the entire time. I think about this story all of the time. I’m considering getting hypnotized so I can stop. Will it work? Why can’t I let it go? I’m a Scorpio witha Virgo moon, Virgo rising.”

Scorpios are more comfortable in the realm of the subconscious than most and can definitely benefit from the right hypnosis. Before you take that step, look at what this story means to you metaphorically. Do you identify with the lone woman? Do you fear that you don’t make a strong enough impression on the people around you? Are you disappointed with the quality of attention you get from your loved ones? Perhaps your obsession with the story is a kind of gift, urging you to find the antidote to the fear of being unseen. Maybe it’s an invitation to bring more of your personality to the surface in your daily dealings.