Horoscopes: Thursday, August 3, 2017

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your strengths are powerful, so don't obsess over your weaknesses. Manage them. Find a workaround for whatever gets in the way of excellence. Your trajectory will be a slow upward climb.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You're highly motivated by the intrinsic satisfaction of accomplishing your work. The ancillary prizes, while interesting, have little to do with what drives you. You're an emotional asset to the group and a moneymaker, too.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). So you've killed a few plants. That doesn't make you a plant killer. There are those who think in extremes. Think more reasonably. One example is never a big enough sample to make a rule out of.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). What do you do when the cream of the crop turns out to be skim milk? Just keep cooking. Anyway, this no-frills version of the recipe will be a lot healthier.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). When you put more effort into creating and nurturing a relationship, love will be abundantly (but perhaps not immediately) there for you. These things take time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). People want the inside story from you, if you're willing to share it. Personal experience is more valuable than what can be looked up on the internet.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You see how beautiful people are when they cannot seem to see it in themselves. Your role will be to give them a clue, not try to convince them. That won't work. People go at their own pace.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When you get what you're pursuing, you're going to feel the same way about yourself as you do now. This is why it's important to get on great terms with yourself. What would improve the you-to-you relationship today?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your ideas about who you are and where you're going will be in line with the group's. There's a shared set of values here, along with common goals and similar methods for getting there. You'll get there together.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When you're giving love that can't be felt and is instead turned back on you, this is not your fault. Those who do not love themselves will find something wrong with anyone who loves them.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It's a day to set personal boundaries, if only to prove that you can. Without limits, you'll agree to do things that you don't want to do and then be unhappily looking for opportunities to get back at the one who "put" you in that position.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). If it doesn't have the potential for a little pain, it's not really a risk. But no risk means no thrill. You'd much rather do something new and mess it up than repeat part of the mildly satisfying past.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 3). This solar return sees you become a master. The talent that's necessary is one of attraction. The master is more attracted to the subject than others and is thus willing to try harder and experience more failures. The way to mastery is persistence. Virgo and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 22, 28, 31, and 18.