Before there was a velociraptor or a Mississippi River, a begonia blossom or a cat, a sturgeon rested on the riverbed. The sturgeon was there for the drift of continents, the birth of seas, the rise and fall of empires, and the sturgeon is here for the full moon this week. It's not a story of adaptation. It's not a story at all — just fact. The sturgeon was. The sturgeon is.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You're never out of dreams, but there are times this week when they will seem inaccessibly tucked away in the drawers of your mind. It's for the best. Your focus will be on the present. All your imagined futures and goals will be there waiting for you after you finish the business at hand.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Some traditions survive because everyone loves them. Others survive because nobody wants to argue. Rules, habits and work methods follow the same pattern this week. You'll question the efficiency of doing things the way they've always been done. You're improving and evolving.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). This week features stellar opportunities and overrated ones, too. The best offers may come from humble sources. It's more important to have the terms you want than it is to be undercompensated by powerful or glamorous entities. You don't need to be seen a certain way to know your value.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). No matter how well you know someone, you can still look at them as though you're seeing them for the first time, because you want to. Because you challenge yourself to. Because you're changing, they are, too, and you care to track the ways. Your curiosity keeps relationships fresh.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). This week, you'll often be among people who just can't predict what you'll do next. That's how you like it. You're a magician, adept at directing attention in such a way to keep them mesmerized while doing what you need to do to create a little magic. You aim to delight and so you will.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). In movies, life's turning points come with a soundtrack; the swell of violins, the pounding of drums. Real life gives little warning, unless you're the type to notice significant details. You are. Somebody reaches for the salt, starts the car, says something ordinary, and you feel it. The trajectory changes. You'll love where it's going.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It is said that what is not freely given is not worth having. However, some people simply refuse to give freely or fairly, and waiting around for just distribution gets you nowhere. Neither does pretending you don't care. Neither does living with a growing discomfort. Confront greed and thievery. Take what is rightfully yours.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When your reaction seems disproportionate to what caused it, you're probably reacting to history instead of the present — in other words, blaming a new person for what the old person did. How perfectly normal and human, even if unhelpful. This week awakens self-awareness that allows you to let go of the past.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). This week, you'll skip the existential angst and instead focus on the next conversation, the next decision, the next step. The future will sort itself through a long chain of small and sound decisions. Make the next choice in a way you'll respect tomorrow. Then make the next one the same way.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When it feels like people are working at cross-purposes to your own, consider that they may just happen to be traveling the same road, coming from the opposite direction. It doesn't necessarily mean you're at an impasse. A small adjustment in timing or position lets everyone keep moving.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). There are many different ways to resolve problems. Whether you work from the inside out by changing your thinking, or from the outside in by changing your habits, you'll find your way through. Likely the most effective method will be a mix of both these styles. The only way to go wrong is not to go at all.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The fictional story ends with a happy-ever-after. The real relationship will keep going past the happy ending and into wonderful days and ordinary ones — grocery runs, paying bills and occasional rough patches. Keeping reasonable expectations of relationships is your ticket to lasting contentment.

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: Welcome to your Year of the Marvelous Improbabilities. Fortune favors the long shots. This is happening, so stay intentional. Focus on the far-fetched outcomes that promise to be a super fun fit for you. More highlights: Family flourishes on your watch because you're sensitive to individual needs, empathetic in your responses and creative with your care and attention. Everything good springs from peace at home. By thinking ahead, you carve out time for multiple adventures. Your finances improve with three savvy moves.

For more Holiday magic, visit HolidayMathis.com. To find out more about Holiday Mathis and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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