HOROSCOPES December in the stars. By Peter Watson

The future revealed: your essential guide to DECEMBER

SAGITTARIUS

23 November – 21 December

Find the capacity to mourn the loss of something that’s come to an end. Then move on. You may be inclined to become over-sentimental and possibly sulky, when you need to let others see you at your most adult and philosophical. It might not be easy at first, but it can and must be done.

MOTTO OF THE MONTH Every bird likes its own nest best.

CAPRICORN

22 December – 20 January

Instinct will help you handle a domestic drama. Uranus, allied to Saturn but challenging Jupiter, might make you think the situation is too much to handle. It’s not. But you’ll need ingenious tactics to outwit those who want everything their way. They can’t have it. MOTTO OF THE MONTH Experience teaches you to recognise a mistake when you’ve made it again.

AQUARIUS

21 January – 19 February

By being loving and caring towards a difficult individual, you’ll strengthen the bond between you. Yes, it will require patience on your part, but the only other option is to become much tougher and that will lead to a rift. Don’t worry about being taken for granted. Deal with that if and when it happens.

MOTTO OF THE MONTH Compete but don’t envy.

PISCES

20 February – 20 March

Enjoy using a sudden burst of energy to boost your private life and remind others how entertaining you can be. Unfairly, you seem to have been labelled as serious and sober of late. Do you want to miss out on all the get-togethers that people around you are enjoying? No. MOTTO OF THE MONTH Dreams don’t come true until you get up and go to work.

ARIES

21 March – 20 April

Try not to feel bullied by those insisting you take an aggressive approach to work or financial negotiations. From 19 December, when Mercury is retrograde for three weeks, you’ll want to be sure of your ground when striving to get the best possible deal from an extremely complicated set-up. You’re right in taking no chances. MOTTO OF THE MONTH A victory relies more on attitude than aptitude.

TAURUS

21 April – 21 May

Some others may think that an offer being made to you is fairly derisory. But you’ll see the long-term benefits involved and appreciate it as a worthwhile investment. Don’t, initially, try to talk anyone round to your way of thinking. Wait until they can see for themselves that you’re the one who knows what’s what.

MOTTO OF THE MONTH Put silk on a goat and it’s still a goat.

GEMINI

22 May – 21 June

People encouraging you to be totally hands-on within an area that means little to you will irritate you enormously. If you can find an incentive to do as they suggest, you’ll come out of it very well. There’s much to learn from those who feel you’re not capitalising on something that’s within your grasp.

MOTTO OF THE MONTH Every good friend was once a stranger.

CANCER

22 June – 23 July

No matter how keen you are to bring a laborious task to completion, you won’t want it to seep into your private life. Make the most of a Sun-Saturn connection urging you to establish more boundaries than ever before. Others might assume that you’re happy to work day and night, but they’re wrong, aren’t they? MOTTO OF THE MONTH An enemy will agree but a friend will argue.

LEO

24 July – 23 August

Certain people may consider a joint project to be a long shot. But you’ll feel quite differently. You’ll realise that unless you can fire them up with some of your own enthusiasm, you could all lose out. If you let their pessimism dampen your spirits, you’ll risk sacrificing an opportunity that might never come around again. MOTTO OF THE MONTH If you walk barefoot, don’t plant thorns.

VIRGO

24 August – 23 September

Keep mix-ups with someone close in their true perspective. It will be tempting to grant them a significance they don’t warrant. You know by now that cutting remarks made in haste usually have little foundation to them. It’s time to engender an adult attitude all round. MOTTO OF THE MONTH Home is the place where you are treated the best and complain the most.

LIBRA

24 September – 23 October

The realisation that a friend or colleague has been economical with the truth may disappoint you. But that’s no reason to mistrust everybody else close by. Be especially attentive to loved ones who want to talk about ambitious plans designed to enhance your lives together. You can afford to be more committed than you think. MOTTO OF THE MONTH Even a hare will insult a dead lion.

SCORPIO

24 October – 22 November

A partner’s complaint that your relationship is growing dull requires you to become more dynamic. Make use of Mars invigorating the most scintillating section of your chart and reminding you not to succumb to apathy. If, as is likely, you’ve forgotten how to play the romantic lead, you had better start remembering. Fast.

MOTTO OF THE MONTH Better to imitate a fine action than to commend it.