Today’s horoscope, June 23, 2024: What does Mercury have to do with Mary Poppins?

Human development typically includes a stage in which leadership becomes internalized. Often the tone of this inner guidance is a resonance of the parenting a person has received from actual parents or caretakers. Whatever kind that was, the sun, Mercury and Venus in Cancer are like a call to Mary Poppins, bringing in that spoonful of sugar.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Stay with what you’re going through. Avoid anything that distracts from the puzzle/question/task/emotion. To be able to face your thoughts and feelings is to be more advanced than the first few thousands of years of human evolution. Prove it, be it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your dream is bigger than the gatekeepers in place to keep you from dreaming it. If it’s hard to make things happen, consider a change. How would this play to a different venue, genre or audience?

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You love the person even if the person in this moment is being difficult. Stubbornness isn’t worth confronting directly. Work your feelings out on the astral plane. Visualize you and your person working in complete harmony.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Cheap pleasures abound, but be warned: What soothes now may harm later. The clever one who showed you the way and even taught you the shortcuts has been repaid. Now, it’s your turn to pay it forward.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Anger is a reaction to perceived threat. It’s nature for a person who feels their identity, safety or status is being threatened to have a response — usually anger. It matters little where the threat is real or perceived. If it seems real, that’s provocative enough.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The gift of the day is a dilemma that makes you smile because it represents how far you’ve come. There was a time not so long ago when you dreamt of having a high-quality problem such as this.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The ideas are flowing, and you have an unencumbered channel of expressing them. Be careful who you involve at this tender point in the creative process. Flesh things out on your own first.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Thoughts that move forward are a joy to ride. But when they loop or spiral, jump off. Seek fun and novelty. It will fuel your creativity and ward off despair. A little goes a long way. Too much will make it hard to focus.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). It’s easy to criticize. The hard work is finding the root of insecurity. Why does having superior taste matter so much? Your storytelling can win or lose points today. How you tell a story shows how you’re perceived and where you are in your personal growth.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When stuck, forget your role, your story — forget who you are. What if your sense of identity is incorrect? What if it’s a construct — a collaboration between your mind and your family, society and many other factors? This is a day for action. Action is the way.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Those who signal their superiority show their insecurity. Instead of criticizing, embrace it. Everyone needs extra care. Inside each problem lies an opportunity. Just now, it’s hard to spot. An observant friend can help.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your cosmic gift is deep insight and a sense of being balanced where you stand. You’ll find sustenance in nature that settles you into a feeling of well-being. If it feels very far away, your own nature — which is as wild and beautiful as any — will bring it closer.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (June 23). Creative highs will be the norm this year, and your vision culminates in works that will involve many. A countdown will be part of this, and it’s so exciting as you near the moment of the launch. More highlights: Projects heat up with delicious suspense. You’ll design, invent, share, create fun. People from all over the world will take part in what you do. Aries and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 40, 22, 28 and 16.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: What do Whoopi Goldberg, Morgan Freeman, Alanis Morissette and George Burns have in common with Frances McDormand? For starters, all have played the role of God. As the voice of God in the series “Good Omens,” McDormand lays out theories of the universe. The outspoken actress and activist was born on the cusp of Gemini and Cancer. Mercury is expressed in the versatile sign of the twins, while the sun and moon in soulful Cancer emphasize nurturing instincts and intuition.

Holiday Mathis’ debut novel, “How To Fail Epically in Hollywood,” is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.