Horoscopes: Wednesday, August 23, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Most days, you get somewhere by doing the hard things first, while your energy is fresh. Today it's the opposite. You'll need to coax yourself along. Ease yourself into it with each small step.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Know many things; teach one thing. Your editing skills will be as important as your ability to convey one message. You'll be a godsend to an eager student.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You've access to many creative people. Let them inspire you, but don't hand over the work. Trust your own instincts and skills, and enjoy the outcome that's entwined in your own learning process.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your mind can be an unreliable ally. Instead of jumping to your defense, it can trip you up. That's OK. Minds can be trained, and your heart's in the right place.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You've been known to write things down, keep receipts, refer to a calendar - habits that need some tuning up now. These systems allow you to off-load mental functions, freeing up your brain.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You aim to spend less time on mundane things more time being creative. Oddly, mundane things may bring the inspiration and rewards you were missing. It's the approach that matters, not the task.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A large number of the things you've ever thought or experienced are still in your memory banks or have been moved to an ancillary storage space somewhere in your body. Trust that you know what you know.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You are on an adventure, a co-creation, and the options multiply with each person you add to the team. Just make sure that everyone has a defined role.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Brilliant circumstances won't be designed out of wishes and built out of expert plans. They will be discovered by trial and error or settled upon because they work well toward a desired end.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There will be much meandering before the idea. Even then it may not be a good one. It will need to be tested. Be patient. Listen to people. Take time to relate. Don't be in a rush to get anywhere.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Hesitation projects the wrong image. The good news is you don't have to worry about making the wrong decision; most of your inclinations will work. Just make a decision, and quickly.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). In all things, there's a kind of cost-benefit analysis that's at the heart of finding satisfaction. All that's required is that you work until it's more or less good enough, reaching a kind of equilibrium between effort and benefit.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 23). The world got better when you were born, and the next six weeks bring increasing amounts of clarity as to who you are and the life you want. There's something lucky going on with work the last part of 2017. January brings an exciting reveal. February involves new friendship and influences. Gemini and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 40, 29, 30, and 15.