2019 The best year in two centuries to make a RESOLUTION (AND STICK TO IT!)

RESOLUTIONS are meant for New Year, but it is rare that the best time to start your new regime coincides with January 1. Yet 2019 will be different. Mars, planet of motivation and energy, enters its home sign of Aries on the first day of the year, so it’s the perfect moment to kickstart those promises you have made to yourself and others.

Whether it’s giving up smoking, losing weight or pursuing a more fulfilling social life, you really do have a better chance of sticking to your resolution this year. This opportunity truly is very rare indeed. I’ve scoured the record books – way back to 1800 – and can’t find a single year when Mars entered Aries on the first day.

And there is even more astrological help at hand for anyone seeking to make changes from the start of 2019. The gradual convergence of Saturn and Pluto (which culminates the following January) is a once-in-a-generation event.

The ‘coming together’ process has started already. On a wider scale, this suggests radical change in institutions and large organisations. The personal meaning is clear, too. The conjunction will give steely determination to all who seek change, and this will become more intense as 2019 progresses.

The year ahead also brings an event that will be visible across the world, as Mercury, planet of communication, trade and commerce, traces a path across the face of the Sun in November. This Transit of Mercury won’t happen again until 2032.

The last time one took place was May 2016. Just think about how the world has altered since then. Fires, floods, famines and fake news. Trump, Brexit, you name it – all the things we thought we could depend on have been thrown up in the air, and unparalleled and unimaginable change has affected all our lives.

But the build-up to this year’s transit brings the potential for more honest communication and a sense of relief, as hidden agendas become clearer and new bonds of trust are nurtured.

The Supermoon Lunar Eclipse in January, which sees the Moon turn red, gets us off to a flying start. It is one of many optimistic cosmic signs this year, and helps focus our intentions. With the right kind of motivation, this can be the moment when the intense period of upheaval we’ve been experiencing finally begins to ease.

Then, as the doors to better communication gradually open, we can expect positive (if surprising) developments concerning difficult and divisive issues, such as referendums, elections and breakdowns in trust.

Jupiter, the planet of luck, adventure and boundless optimism, will be at full strength in its home sign of Sagittarius for almost all of 2019. That means we’re in for an adventure, too. Advances can be made on the most difficult of journeys, A and there’s fun to be had. LONG with this surge of optimism comes a quest for meaning and purpose. Not only will we develop a stronger belief in the potential to act with integrity and care for ourselves, our neighbours and our planet, but we might even see the occasional miracle!

The new year also brings a chance to explore what we had once thought impossible.

Jupiter’s relationship with the visionary dreaminess of Neptune represents a real opportunity to grow in roles we have never had the confidence to inhabit fully.

Mars, the power planet, adds dynamism to the astrological mix, giving us the energy to find unexpected treasures.

Uranus, the planet of revolution, begins to move forward after the first week in January. This signifies momentum and the chance to form hopeful new allegiances. Even those in conflict may find themselves on a similar track.

But when Uranus returns to Taurus early in March, we can expect some shocks to the system. We might welcome the resulting innovation, but it will also remind us that security and stability can be necessary casualties on the road to genuine progress.

The antidote for tumult lies with Saturn and Neptune’s long-awaited and encouraging alliance, which peaks three times in 2019.

While taskmaster Saturn’s disciplined nature seems at odds with Neptune’s free-spirited, expressive style, these strange bedfellows encourage the best in each other. Saturn’s determined realism helps to cement Neptune’s dreams, ensuring that inspiring ideas become more than just wishful thinking.

With their final tryst coinciding with the Transit of Mercury, the journey of 2019 will end optimistically. It will be a year of adventure, and will offer plenty of potential for revival and renewal, too, no matter your sign . . .

ARIES March 21 – April 20

THE year begins with a creative flurry as January’s Supermoon Lunar Eclipse brings an opportunity to experiment and implement some imaginative solutions.

As the event sees the Moon turn deep red, the celestial energy will be directed towards the revolutionary planet Uranus, which is ready to shake things up before leaving your sign. When the great change-maker finally leaves in March, you can enjoy truly electrifying gains resulting from any recent changes.

Although it might not be a smooth ride, your adaptability will ensure you can turn any surprises into positives. Finding the courage to acknowledge past mistakes will spur you on to make any crucial alterations.

Armed with passion, as Jupiter’s alignment with Neptune in September forms a Grand Cross configuration, you’ll be emboldened to accept a challenge.

Your refusal to accept past defeat will prove your greatest asset. November’s Transit of Mercury represents an inspiring moment to guide you into a much brighter, happier future.

TAURUS April 21 – May 21

THIS year’s Transit of Mercury occurs in November, around the time of the annual Full Moon in your sign. This timing is a clear suggestion that you will benefit from huge, tangible improvements in 2019.

Unlike with the 2016 transit, this year you will find that the transit brings you clarity and an opportunity to revisit and reshape old ideas and plans.

For you, the year is packed with chances to correct mistakes and develop new projects.

Now, rather than being at odds with some of the important people in your life, you can collaborate and act as a team.

January’s Supermoon Lunar Eclipse is an emotional event for the entire zodiac.

But with Venus, your ruler, simultaneously converging with effervescent Jupiter, be ready to experience intense emotions and have powerful insights.

You may feel you’re being swept up in a tidal wave of change. But your earth-sign roots are strong, giving you the ability to act as a cornerstone, and to inspire positive change in your own life, as well as other people’s.

GEMINI May 22 – June 22

SINCE 2019’s major astrological event involves your ruler, Mercury, this is a big year for you. Its transit comes later in the year, but the journey to it brings chances to alter your life for the better and carve out a path towards happiness.

There’s celestial support throughout the year. Mysterious dreamer Neptune will dare you to imagine a future unfettered by compromise.

But it’s Neptune’s series of dynamic links with Saturn, signifying determination, and enthusiastic Jupiter, that gives you the chance to achieve more than you dare to dream of.

As Mercury and Mars converge opposite Saturn and Pluto in June, the iron will be hot and the hammer ready to fall.

But it’s up to you to define the exact nature of their impact.

If you acknowledge past missteps, you can bring about simple but important changes.

CANCER June 23 – July 23

THE spectacular fireworks taking us into 2019 will be echoed in your life, when the Moon puts on a dazzling display later in January. As your ruler glows red in the Supermoon Lunar Eclipse, it forms a stunning alignment with Jupiter – linked to Neptune.

This will bring you the clarity needed to assess your priorities, and the motivation to implement healthy changes.

Saturn, ensconced opposite your sign, will guide you to people willing to help you achieve common goals. If you can stand back and appreciate the lessons they bring, you’ll discover innovative ways to progress.

You’re uniquely positioned to benefit from the inspiring Transit of Mercury.

Here’s your chance to creatively