YOUR HOROSCOPE FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING 8 MAY 2016

ARIES March 21 - April 20

We are ethereal beings, you and me. Eternal spirits, temporarily inhabiting physical forms. Or, at least, we are if that is what we believe ourselves to be. Actually, whatever we happen to believe, we really ought not to take the material world quite so seriously. We worry too much about security and stability. This gets us down and, ironically, prevents us from attaining the very success we dream of. The coming transit of Mercury invites you to loosen up and then helps you to rise to a higher standard of living.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: This week’s rare Transit of Mercury helps you gain a greater sense of emotional security — for the time being, at least.

TAURUS April 21 - May 21

If you don’t already know what an important and powerful week this is due to be, allow me to inform you. Taureans who have already received this news won’t, I am sure, mind being reminded. The rare Transit of Mercury is taking place in your sign. That’s rich with potent and positive, symbolism. It heralds the psychological equivalent of a makeover. You don’t just get a chance to alter your appearance, but to rewrite the whole rulebook of who you are and how you lead your life. It won’t all happen overnight but the process begins now.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: The rare Transit of Mercury marks a turning point in your head and your heart. Only good can come from this.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

None would envy a prisoner’s life of restriction. At least, though, such a person would understand the reason why they have no freedom. How frustrating must it be when you feel as if you ought to be able to do so many things and enjoy so many experiences, yet in reality you find yourself thwarted and frustrated at every turn? This week’s rare Transit of Mercury heralds a point of awakening and recognition. This is where you finally start to see what has been holding you back, why the past has been that way and how you actually can now do something about it.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Even if recent events have inhibited expressions of warmth, the coming Transit of Mercury will make them more possible. CANCER June 23 - July 23 Why do you keep the company you keep? Because you have no other choice? Because of family ties or social obligations? Or because the people to whom you connect most often in daily life, actually have something to teach you? And you, of course, have something valuable to show them. The rare Transit of Mercury this week deepens and strengthens an important bond. It changes it, too, but that’s really nothing to fear. The upshot of this important heavenly event, will be a greater sense of interpersonal connection, affinity and empathy. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: A relationship? Or a friendship? Distinctions must now be made. No harm will come from this to you or anyone else.

LEO July 24 - August 23

I’m so glad that you have turned to this page. Various people are unhappy about how the world is being run. They (and I) think it would all be better if someone like you took charge. You make good decisions, don’t you? We all know you handle responsibility well. Events surrounding this week’s Transit of Mercury, may cause you briefly to question the extent of this ability but even if mistakes have been made in the past, you can now profit enormously (and help others gain, too) from putting into practice what has been learned.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Do you take charge of someone else’s choices? Is it healthier to allow them space to find some things out for themselves?

LIBRA September 24 - October 23

Did Shakespeare say, ‘Neither a borrower nor a lender be?’ Well, he had one of his characters say it. It may (or may not) reflect his personal view. Even back in his day, the world ran on credit. Now, it is worse. Consider all those bills that land on all those doormats each month. Have we got the best deals? Are we being overcharged? Do we feel so daunted by the effort it would take and the scrutiny that it might expose us to, that we leave such questions alone? The coming Transit of Mercury suggests you will soon be able to think less about what you owe to whom and more about who owes you what and how to get it!

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: For a healthy future, it is now time to acknowledge something that has been denied for too long.

VIRGO August 24 - September 23

What do you believe? And what do you know to be true? Where might there be a disparity? That's rarely an easy distinction to make. We sometimes doubt what we know because we don’t feel able to make much sense of it. Sometimes, too, we afford more trust than we should to an idea that we only believe to be real and right, yet have little or no proof to back this up. It just makes so much sense to us, we give it the benefit of the doubt. This week’s rare Transit of Mercury opens your eyes, changes your mind and begins to vastly improve your future.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: This week’s Transit of Mercury broadens your horizon in what will eventually prove a wonderful way.

SCORPIO October 24 - November 22

When you signed on the line, did you fully understand what you were agreeing to? When you did the deal, did you know what deal had been done? Is this week’s Transit of Mercury, in your opposite sign, causing a degree of discomfort because you feel that you can no longer stick with an unfair commitment or because you are becoming aware of how someone else has stretched the rules of engagement, until they have started to take on a rather different shape? Either way, this week, a positive process of renegotiation can be embarked upon.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: You are growing conscious of an unmet need. You can’t expect that to be fulfilled (or at least, not immediately) but there is no reason why you shouldn’t carry on hoping. SAGITTARIUS November 23 - December 21 The closer we are to an object, a person or a situation, the less clearly we see it. No optician can rectify that. It is simply a matter of lack of perspective. We can only compensate for this by recognising — at least in principle — that the phenomenon exists, even if we aren’t conscious of quite how it is affecting us. This week’s rare Transit of Mercury brings you a timely insight into a matter of honour and commitment. You will see something that is very close to home in a new light. The upshot of this will be a path towards a more fulfilling future. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: The Transit of Mercury suggests you are about to do just the right thing, at just the right time, for someone or something.

CAPRICORN December 22 - January 20

Capricorns are supposed to be riskaverse. That’s how my colleagues portray the people who are born under your sign, so it must be true. Even if it is, it might be risky to assume that you would never make so much as a single speculative gesture. As your astrologer, I’m averse to taking that risk, especially in a week when there is a rare Transit of Mercury in the part of your chart that governs ‘brave steps into the unknown’. Don’t gamble anything that you can’t afford to lose. But remember, this week, life can be full of surprises.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Someone, somewhere in your world now, is being a bit of a big kid. Let’s just hope that isn’t you!

AQUARIUS January 21 - February 19

Does this week’s rare Transit of Mercury suggest that change will happen on the home front for you, soon? Well, perhaps not change in the physical sense. We may be looking at a moment of recognition or revelation that causes you to see a familiar situation in a brand-new light. Either you arrive at a different understanding and this, in turn, leads to the development of a new plan or policy with profound positive implications for your future — or someone else’s influence and involvement brings about much the same result. All looks good.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Someone special is a significant; changing developments invite you to look again at how much this means to you.

PISCES February 20 - March 20

Might you be about to invent a better mousetrap? Or a perpetual motion device? An expression of such impressive creativity should not be ruled out. Many who share your sign have played a crucial part in ushering new ideas into the world. Einstein was a Piscean. This week’s rare Transit of Mercury makes a classic Piscean lightbulb moment even more likely. Even if you don’t come up with a technical innovation, you can at least expect to be blessed with a psychological insight; one that helps you solve a problem or beat a fear.

IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: What matters most is a feeling that you ‘get’ what someone else is thinking. Wherever you find such a rapport, trust it.