HOROSCOPES!!!

SATURDAY 17th and SUNDAY 18th JANUARY 2009

Aquarius
Jan 21 - Feb 19

Your Week Ahead: Venus and Uranus form a conjunction. There's your answer, this week, to a question you have not even asked yet. There's your solution to the puzzle that is about to arise. There's your policy and plan. If in doubt, if under pressure, if faced with something that you absolutely can't abide, be mellow and merry. Stay calm, remain reasonable, be generous with the benefit of the doubt and attempt to understand the reason why someone is being unreasonable. The more kindly and compassionate, fair and gentle you are, the more respect, admiration and assistance you'll earn.

Aries
Mar 21 - Apr 20

Your Week Ahead: Let your heart fill up with hope. Subscribe to the notion that all things have happened for the best possible reason. Replace criticism with optimism, disbelief with faith. Look at the 'long shot', the unlikely course of action that just might allow everything to turn around. Give it a try. A serious, committed try. If it doesn't work, you will at least know that you have done all you can. If it does, you will be so glad you didn't give up. Whilst nothing in life is guaranteed, the odds in your favour are now greater than you may imagine. All you need, this week, is enough faith to keep on being yourself.

Taurus
Apr 21 - May 21

Your Week Ahead: If you would like everything to alter, don't worry. Give it all just a little more time and it will! What you can't have is power over how it changes, when it changes and what it changes into. Or at least, not much power, anyhow. Every so often, life grants us a little freedom and provides us with a most misleading sense of success. In the light of that, we assume we can become far more powerful and then grow frustrated when that omnipotence eludes us once more! Amazing new possibilities arise for you this week. They're not what you expected or anticipated. But if you can get beyond that, you'll find they're very good.

Leo
Jul 23 - Aug 23

Your Week Ahead: Since Jupiter arrived in your opposite sign, earlier this month, you've had a lot of advice. Well, I say advice - but that implies a choice about whether or not you take it. Instruction is probably a better word. Someone (or some situation) is effectively telling you what you must do, where you must go, when it must all happen and why no other alternative can be considered. Given how much you value your independence, you're doing pretty well to handle this politely. Carry on being amenable. But don't do what you don't want to.

Libra
Sep 24 - Oct 23

Your Week Ahead: 'Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognises genius' - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So, what about your talent? How much ability, insight and experience do you have? The very fact that you are able to admire someone else is indicative of the depth of your own resources. This week, regardless of who you think could do better than you - or accomplish more, you must play your part in a situation where no other contribution can be accepted. Trust your own talent; your own ability to do what's necessary and turn a difficult situation into a good one.

Scorpio
Oct 24 - Nov 22

Your Week Ahead: What if the wish-granting fairy passes by just as you are sitting in a terrible traffic jam, yearning to see a clear lane ahead? What if, in a wondrous whoosh, the other cars all vanish and you have the whole road to yourself? Do you have something to celebrate or something to regret? It largely depends on how good your relationship is with that fairy and how often she helps out. Think about what you would truly like to happen and try asking aloud for that. You've got a rare celestial opportunity. You don't want to end up with the wrong wish being granted this week.

THURSDAY JANUARY 22ND 2009

Aquarius
Jan 21 - Feb 19

If you're not good at what you do, why do you do it? If you are good at it, why do you doubt yourself? There's a time and a place for humility, for self-questioning and for submitting yourself to the learning curve of difficult experience. There's also a time for being proud, strong, sure and certain. You're not pretending to be well placed to help someone now... nor are you in your current situation by mistake. Be gentle and tactful by all means, but be strong enough to ensure that the right things happen in the right ways.

Aries
Mar 21 - Apr 20

If you don't know, should you just guess? What if you are wrong? We may as well ask, what if you are wrong to think that you are wrong? It's not so much that you don't know the answer to a key question now, more that you can't know it. Nobody can, and anyone who pretends otherwise is kidding themselves. In the old days they used to say, 'What you don't know can't harm you.' They may have been right - but what you don't know, yet think you know, can definitely do you damage. If in doubt, today, admit it!

Taurus
Apr 21 - May 21

What does a relationship really mean? What has it meant up until now? What will it come to mean in the future? What kind of a relationship are we talking about? Well, precisely. You tell me. It was one kind of relationship. It is now another. Circumstances have altered and attitudes have changed, too. They haven't stopped changing yet. Don't assume that today's explanation of a situation is any more fixed and final than yesterday's. All you can do is take each moment as it comes and stop looking for hidden meanings.

Cancer
Jun 22 - Jul 22

With each passing day you rise to a position of greater prominence and influence. Are you aware of this? Does it feel to you as if you are gaining greater status? If not, be careful. That means you are unaware of the impact that you are having on a particular person or group of people. You may make a bold choice based on the assumption that you are in a weak situation, only to discover later that you had great strength. Act with the wisdom and restraint that might be appropriate to a person of great power.

Leo
Jul 23 - Aug 23

There's no going back. Not that 'back' is on your destination list. Nor sideways for that matter. Still, though, reversals, diversions and distractions hold a sudden strange attraction for a person who has a date with destiny. You've got things that you know you must do, regardless of what they take out of you. You aren't quite the person you were at the beginning of the week and you may alter again within a few more days. The process of transition that you are going through, though, is ultimately as healthy as it is amazing.

Libra
Sep 24 - Oct 23

What do you know? Enough. Who do you know? The right person. How do you know that this is so? Well, ask yourself how you feel deep down. Down beneath the surface layer of self-suspicion that often furrows your brow, down past the churning, complex rhythms and patterns of thought that leave you never sure what your ultimate opinion about any matter truly is. Deeper down. Further down. Down to your heart, to your bones, to the very private, profound part of you. You feel certainty there. Trust that.

Scorpio
Oct 24 - Nov 22

Why can't love conquer all in the end? Why can't we build a world based on respect rather than resentment? Why can't grown adults agree to differ? Why can't there be peace, prosperity and positive progress? For all that's dire and dark in our history - and even in our present - there's true hope in the hearts of millions all over the world. There's a yearning for life that means more and a world where people share more. And in your world now? There's a chance to do something very different and brave. Good luck.

JANUARY 27TH 2009

Aquarius
Jan 21 - Feb 19

Who or what do you want to be? The person you once were long ago? Or the one you could yet become? When you imagine yourself at the peak of your power, what do you see? What secret hope fills your heart? Although the solar eclipse in your sign is now over, the window of opportunity that it presents is still open. You can play by different rules. You can create a very different kind of future for yourself. The world may be going through a recession but you are going through a spectacular process of reinvention.

Aries
Mar 21 - Apr 20

If you want to get ahead, look behind you. Dwell on the past. Learn the lessons of yesterday. I can hardly believe that I am saying this. It's really not the kind of advice I usually give. Nor, I know, is it the kind of thing you like to hear. You want to move on. You always want to move on. That's the point, really: too much moving on, not enough standing still to reflect. You want to move on in a straight line, not round in a big circle. That's means breaking a habit and you can't do that till you fully understand what that habit actually is.

Taurus
Apr 21 - May 21

If you don't, from time to time, find yourself up the creek without a paddle, how can you experience the joy of finding that paddle again from somewhere, and rowing yourself safely back to better waters? If the same sort of stuff that is in the creek never threatens to hit the fan, where is the tension that gives life its edge? It isn't trouble in your life that is proving problematic now; it is the uncertainty surrounding that trouble. How long will it last? Will you cope? The answers are 'not long' and 'yes'.

Cancer
Jun 22 - Jul 22

We spoke, yesterday, about mobile phones in areas of poor reception. Sometimes, when you really need to contact someone, it seems almost as if it is possible to 'will' the signal to stay in your phone, just long enough to get across a brief message. Is that mind over matter? Is it somehow turning your whole body into an aerial? Whatever it is, it gives us a nice image of the extra power we can sometimes summon when we truly try. There is something you are short of now, but you have just enough to work with.

Leo
Jul 23 - Aug 23

Imagine what we would be like if we could have it all our own way, all the time. How arrogant would we become? How smug? How full of ourselves? We should, really, be grateful for life's disappointments and frustrations. They keep us human, vulnerable, fluid and open- minded. Unless, that is, we have too many. Then, we risk becoming bitter and cynical. You are in no danger now of developing such defence mechanisms. You will soon see a reason for a recent setback and then you will start to feel much happier.

Virgo
Aug 24 - Sep 23

They say you should 'never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.' They ought to keep their mouth shut and mind their own business. They are always saying something. Whoever 'they' are. What do they know? Can they prove that their advice is good enough to be worth taking? Actually, with regards to this little pearl of conventional wisdom, they are often right. It is certainly appropriate for you, today. Sleeping dogs? Let them lie. And as for the ones that are definitely barking, just throw them a bone.

Libra
Sep 24 - Oct 23

You are a natural fault-finder. You have an instinctive ability to spot flaws in plans, and drawbacks to seemingly perfect propositions. This is not because you are cynical or pessimistic. You don't invent things to worry about, nor do you take pleasure in pointing out problems. You are just blessed with genuine perspicacity. We ought to be grateful to you for this. You are wondering now, whether to draw someone's attention to a difficulty or maintain a discreet silence. Even if there was trouble last time you spoke out, speak out.

Scorpio
Oct 24 - Nov 22

You need to talk to someone. Ideally, if possible, this should be someone who doesn't want anything from you. You may have to look quite hard before you find such a rare individual. That's part of the reason why you need to talk to someone. It is one thing to be in demand; it is another to feel that far too much is being demanded of you. There are decisions that must be made. You can only really consult with someone who does not have a vested interest. There is such a person. Find them.

JANUARY 28TH 2009

Aquarius
Jan 21 - Feb 19

Imagine yourself in a prison. You have been there for years. You know the routine. You do not expect to be released for many moons to come. Suddenly, you find the door to your cell has been left open. A note says that you have been pardoned. There is just one problem. The institution is the only life you now know. If you go back out into the world, what are you going to do? How are you going to live? There is a sense in which a potential freedom is starting to make you feel threatened. Ultimately, though, it can only be good.

Aries
Mar 21 - Apr 20

It's always nice to be listened to. It is comforting to feel that you are being heard. People, though, generally listen more to those who listen to them. If you don't really want to hear what someone else has to say, how can you expect them to be receptive? Lately, in your life, there has been too much action, not enough talk. Where there has been talk, it has been more monologue than dialogue. That can't change until you demonstrate your willingness to hear something from someone.

Taurus
Apr 21 - May 21

As we grow older, we become more familiar with the sights, sounds and dramas of the world around us. In theory, this protects us. It means we can take, in our stride, what once might have tripped us up. But not if we become set in our ways. Not if we stop questioning assumptions and challenging conventional wisdom. If we are not careful, we can use our experience to justify prejudice. You think you recognise a situation now. Be careful: you don't know as much about it as you think.

Cancer
Jun 22 - Jul 22

Charities often explain how, rather than hand out food, they prefer to equip people with the knowledge and wherewithal to grow their own. We all get a choice every day between eating seeds and planting seeds. Today brings a particularly pronounced need for that kind of balancing act. You have resources that you can draw upon now, yet you must also try to make adequate provisions for a future harvest. Invest as much as you feel able to. This will pay dividends, sooner than you expect.

Leo
Jul 23 - Aug 23

Some things are sent to try us. Some people, surely, turn up in our lives only because the creator of the cosmos has a warped sense of humour. Some situations seem as if they have been tailor-made to play upon our angst and anxiety. Their only purpose, apparently, is to wind us up. And others? Others merely appear to be this problematic. On closer inspection, they turn out to be serving a benign purpose - or, at least, to be far less of a threat than we initially imagined. Look again at what's bugging you today.

Virgo
Aug 24 - Sep 23

America has a new president and the world is different already. He represents something. He is a sign - a symbol of change that many dreamed of and hoped for, but few truly believed they would ever see. Is that enough to end the recession and put everything back to how it was? Time will tell. But it is worth remembering that 'how it was', was not perfect. Are you hankering now for a return to something that wasn't quite as great as a glorified memory might suggest. Give the present situation a little more time to prove itself.

Libra
Sep 24 - Oct 23

You want what? Good news from your horoscope? Don't you know there is a recession going on? According to some reports, it could soon turn into a depression. Soon, we will all be pushing wheelbarrows full of money that aren't enough to pay for a loaf of bread. Or at least, that's what some of the people who want us to think of them as experts, seem to think. Good news is postponed until further notice. Happiness is no longer available, due to the credit crunch. Actually, none of that is true. You will near good news today

Scorpio
Oct 24 - Nov 22

The best advice is neither given nor taken, it is arrived at in a moment of inspiration, through a process of consultation and conversation. You talk to someone who knows how to listen. They ask you pertinent questions. You give an honest reply. In the process of answering, you suddenly see something that you had never previously recognised. A penny drops. Now you know what you need to do. The right person to help you reach this understanding is near at hand now. Involve them with your issue today.

29TH JANUARY 2009

Aquarius
Jan 21 - Feb 19

We all have a set of ideals. We dream of jobs that never frustrate us, relationships that never disappoint us, people who will somehow know exactly what to do or say, just when we most need their help. If we are fortunate, we sometimes find that we can fulfil at least some of each other's fantasies. Often, though, that only makes it worse. For, sooner or later, we have to concede that we are all a long way from perfect. You now have to adjust to the difference between a hope and a reality. But it's really not such a bad thing.

Aries
Mar 21 - Apr 20

Pay attention. Be alert. Open your eyes... and your ears. While you are at it, open your mind and your heart. Lower the drawbridge and raise the shutters. Make yourself accessible and be amenable. The only thing you need to protect yourself against is an excess of insularity. Converse and communicate. Don't be shy or ashamed. The more you show that you are willing to hear what someone else has to say, the more you will find that your own needs are being recognised and responded to.

Taurus
Apr 21 - May 21

Soap operas. Same old characters in the same old places doing the same old things, week after week. Supermarkets. You go back in and buy the very same goods that you have bought so many times before. And while we're on the topic, what about beds, eh? And baths. Or showers. What is this world but a series of all-too-familiar experiences on some frequent cycle of repetition? Watch now, for something that seems to fit a very predictable pattern, yet has the potential to bring a wildly different outcome.

Cancer
Jun 22 - Jul 22

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present for your amusement and edification, in the blue corner, weighing in at 243 pounds, our undisputed heavyweight champion, the 'long-term'. And in the red corner, fresh from a series of recent triumphs, making less impact on the scales, but much more on the audience, the 'short-term'. Let us all watch in awe and admiration as these two, and their respective needs, battle it out in your life today. There can only be one honourable outcome... and that's a draw.

Leo
Jul 23 - Aug 23

We all like to feel superior. We can't help ourselves. It is an urge, buried deep within our personalities. We yearn to look at someone, anyone, and feel able to say, 'well, at least I'm not as bad as that!' The universe, in its kindness and its wisdom, ensures that we all feel able to have such a reaction. Where it isn't necessarily justified, we create a reason. Be wary of that syndrome now. Judgements are being made on the basis of flimsy evidence. Revisit a seemingly obvious decision with a little more humility.

Virgo
Aug 24 - Sep 23

Nostalgia may not quite be what it used to be, but nor is wishful thinking as good as perhaps one day it will become. If we are not careful, we can spend our whole lives travelling in time; journeying between our dream of a better tomorrow and our golden memory of some bygone age. What's wrong with the present? Not as much as you may fear. Indeed, something that is happening right now, could end up meaning more than all your yesterdays and could yet set a very high standard for all your tomorrows to follow.

Libra
Sep 24 - Oct 23

Are you sick of all the doom and gloom? Be careful who you say that to. Just as McCarthyism swept across America in the Fifties, pessimism now reigns triumphant around the world. Those who dare to differ with the doctrine of doom, are dismissed as fools. They must either be laughed at or hounded out of office. In time, this fashion will pass, and hope will return to the world once more. Why, though, are you so wary of optimism in your personal world? Something very good really is about to happen.

Scorpio
Oct 24 - Nov 22

The world is full of people who don't understand one another. By this, I do not mean the folk who are in open conflict. They understand each other only too well, even if they don't agree! The greatest problems arise where people imagine themselves to be fully on the same wavelength. They let down their guard, for a while at least, and only slowly do they discover that their more subtle difference of attitude and perspective have given rise to a real rift. Today brings a chance to heal a wound that has been unwittingly incurred.