YOUR STARS

Mercury yesterday perfected the angle it has been forming with Mars. Today it repeats the trick with a Saturn still coloured from its conjunction with the red planet. But following a Full Moon, and with the coming link of Venus to Saturn, though this requires us to be hard-headed, we cannot afford to be hard-hearted. And with Mercury retrograde, we should endeavour not to be hard of hearing either. We can define and pursue what we think we want now. But we must listen to what our heart needs too.

ARIES MAR 21 - APR 20

When you meet someone at a party or social event, you get a snapshot of who they are. Their physicality is apparent, and they might tell you about their job or what they study. But you don’t get the full identity. No clue about their spirit, popularity, achievements or values. It’s true of you too. And sometimes, it’s easy to believe all these outward signs, the ‘official you’, are what makes up an identity. Right now you have a chance to redefine and redirect the ‘real you’. It’s time to find out more about who you really are.

Anxious? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

LEO JUL 24 - AUG 23

Fear is double-edged. It helps keep us from danger; but it can debilitate us, making us afraid to lead a full life. People used to fear trains and motor cars, the noise and the ‘unnatural speed’. Experience taught them otherwise. As this century progresses, we will surely have similar fears about regular space travel, perhaps teleportation too! Okay, I’m joking. But fear is no laughing matter. What fear is holding you back now? Mercury’s challenging angle to Saturn suggests you can face down a fear today.

Anxious? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 23 - DEC 21

Experts in warfare advise that, rather than approaching an enemy head-on, consider a flanking manoeuvre. Okay, I know you’re not at war, nor even in a battle, but you do have to overcome something: a difficulty, a negotiation, an awkward social situation. The same rules apply. You need to employ lateral thinking. Something non-obvious. Only you will know what that is. As Mercury squares with Saturn today, you’ll face interesting drama soon. But nothing you can’t handle. Look for another way to approach it.

Anxious? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

TAURUS APR 21 - MAY 21

What happens if the answer to your question is not what you wanted to hear? Perhaps you have an answer and now you wish you hadn’t asked to begin with. Somehow, you’d like this truth to be different. It means you have to act differently. Fear not. As ever, the cosmos is looking after you, and this impasse will be brief. Indeed it will turn out to have been the best thing that could have happened - no matter how unlikely that seems now. Sometimes an apparent backward step is needed before you can move forwards.

Worried? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

VIRGO AUG 24 - SEP 23

It’s easy to get despondent when things go awry. But failure is rarely permanent. In fact, it’s the best learning tool we have. Writer Samuel Beckett summed it up perfectly: ‘Ever tried. Ever Failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’ Similarly, American golfer Bobby Jones observed: ‘I never learned a thing from a tournament I won.’ When things don’t succeed, we find new ways to act, new stategies to try. If you’re feeling down because something isn’t working out, keep trying. The answer is there. You will find it.

Worried? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

CAPRICORN DEC 22 - JAN 20

With retrograde Mercury linking to Saturn in your sign, you’re being encouraged not only to re-examine the past with a critical eye, but to make efficiency the name of the game. ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful,’ said William Morris. But note that he used the word ‘believe’. Some things are precious for sentimental, rather than aesthetic reasons. Cast adrift what you don’t need now, but retain what anchors you to your foundations - and protect your roots.

Worried? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

GEMINI MAY 22 - JUN 22

When redecorating a room, it’s usually easiest to strip all the old grime, paintwork and wallpaper away and start anew. If you just try to patch the worst bits it will be all right for a while, but soon the old unimproved parts will start to peel or show signs of age and it will take even longer to smarten up. A clean break with the past is the order of the day. Likewise with issues or unresolved business hanging over you from earlier times. The moment is right to take a new broom to some old nagging difficulty.

Confused? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

LIBRA SEP 24 - OCT 23

Everything is moving. Absolutely everything: the universe, galaxies, stars, planets, land, sea, people and every atom that exists. No wonder you feel in a spin. It’s natural, but sometimes we crave a break from this mad world. Fo you, right now, you’re spinning on all fronts: home, relationships, work, study - even in your social life. I can’t promise full respite from the maelstrom, but I can tell you that Mercury’s links with both Mars and Saturn now offer a tremendous opportunity to get out of a spin and right a wrong.

Confused? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 19

As a child, if I showed my Aquarian father my latest Lego creation I knew I’d receive praise and support. But I also expected to hear, ‘Very good - but you know what you could do…’! It didn’t bother me back then - it just showed that my father was interested and engaged in the same things as I was. But, as an adult, it’s easy to take such interactions as veiled criticism. Be careful how you communicate your ideas in a sensitive matter now. Don’t let a quest for perfection harm your ability to build meaningful connections.

Confused? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

CANCER JUN 23 - JUL 23

TV shows often use the ‘good cop - bad cop’ plot device, where a suspect is questioned harshly, even violently, by one member of the police team. After a short break, the cop’s partner takes over, using a friendly and conciliatory approach, while the ‘bad cop’ lingers nearby. The suspect soon starts to co-operate. You don’t have a partner to use in your negotiation. But, having created an impasse with a tough ‘bad cop’ approach, the cosmos suggests that it’s time to become your own ‘good cop’ in a difficult conversation.

Uncertain? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

SCORPIO OCT 24 - NOV 22

It’s good to make a plan and follow it, you can track progress and see close you are to achieving your aims. But what if you simply don’t know where or when to start? Well, sometimes it’s good to have no plan too, as long as you have an intention. What matters is that you make a start. There’s one burning issue that needs your attention. You can’t solve it all at once. You’ll have to tackle it by degrees. The skies are hinting that right now is the perfect time to make that start. A plan will soon emerge.

Uncertain? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.

PISCES FEB 20 - MAR 20

Waiting for a breakthrough can take forever. That’s the nature of a breakthrough. You often don’t know how close you are to a solution until it suddenly arrives. You have been working long and hard towards a change for a while now. It might be a change in someone near to you - or, indeed, a change in yourself that has eluded you you so far. The message from the skies is clear. That breakthough? It really is very near at hand. Now all you need to show is a little bit more tenacity and doggedness to get you there.

Uncertain? There’s a very special message for you, call 1900 959 005.