WHAT A BUSY SKY!

YOUR HOROSCOPE FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING

Have you noticed that my introductions for the week are often quite technical? That’s because there are so many astrological factors to consider. This week is no exception. The Equinox arrives, retrograde Venus conjoins with the Sun and Mercury. And then the winged messenger also remobilises 2017’s great Tsquare as it moves to conjunct the planet Uranus opposite Jupiter. It’s a lot of information to try and sum up in a few sentences. Perhaps that’s Mercury’s influence at work already!

ARIES March 21-April 20

If you’ve begun to feel a little less enthusiastic about life recently, that’s understandable. You’ve had a lot on your mind. And, with your ruler having just vacated your sign, it’s only natural that the spring in your step might have lost just a little of its bounce. But here comes the Equinox, the moment the Sun returns to your sign. It will put the ‘boing’ back in your pogo-stick. It’ll allow you to leap a little higher and clear any obstacles with more ease. From this change in your altitude, you’ll be able to reach a higher perspective. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: In your emotional and personal life now, when you see real opportunities for meaningful communication, trust them.

TAURUS April 21-May 21

You weren’t placed on this earth to suffer. You didn’t come here to be punished. Nobody said, on the day that you were born, ‘This person will never enjoy even the slightest success unless they first put their nose to the grindstone and wear their fingers to the bone.’ You’re just as entitled to happiness and contentment as anyone else on earth. Your ruler Venus may be retrograde, but no matter what now seems difficult, you can find a way to make it easier. As it conjuncts Mercury this week, all this requires is a little more imagination. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: The more you trust your heart, the more everything you need will somehow turn up just as it needs to do.

GEMINI May 22-June 22

Whoever espoused the notion of ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ didn’t have friends with sado-masochistic tendencies. Actually, if memory serves me correct, it comes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount… so if I value my well-being, I ought to be careful what I say! And so should you this week. Some dramatic revelations are likely to occur. So take care of yourself and surround yourself with people who love you. Their understanding can support you on your journey, and help to celebrate your inevitable success. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Having a rough ride? By making a small adjustment of attitude you’ll get a much smoother journey to a safe harbour.

CANCER June 23-July 23

Jonathan and I once discussed why the olive branch became a universal symbol of peace. Olives have a challenging taste, he mused. Even when salted and pickled, you either love them or hate them. I suggested that perhaps we hope that peace, like the olive, can be easily preserved. Peace sometimes seems hard to attain, and even trickier to sustain. As many philosophers have observed, ‘peace isn’t just the absence of war’. They’re right. But, as both Mercury and the Sun move towards conjunctions with Venus, it’s a good place to start. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: There is plenty to be cherished in your emotional life. To make the most of that, be as honest as you dare.

LEO July 24-August 23

They’re flamboyant, and at times ridiculous, but I love the band Queen. It’s rare, though, that I play their records. But when they come on the radio, their music is instantly recognisable and utterly memorable. So are you. And like them, you have a tendency to go a little OTT at times. But you’re gifted, creative and exciting too. The Equinox brings the chance to turn the volume up, and cavort around the stage as if it is a major rock show. Just make sure you do so in an appropriate manner. What works in a large arena might not at a small suburban location. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: If things may seem out of control, stop trying to control them. A counterintuitive approach is your key to success.

LIBRA September 24-October 23

I just can’t get you outta my head’ sang Kylie Minogue, ‘Boy, your lovin’ is all I think about’. There are times, especially during intense emotional relationships, when such focus can border on obsession. What, or who, is occupying your thoughts to an almost unhealthy degree? Here comes the chance to move on, shift focus, and break free of a hypnotic situation. You may not feel comfortable doing this, or even want to in the first place. But once your eyes have adjusted, you’ll see wonderful sights that are waiting to be explored. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: It may seem as if you are getting the raw end of a deal but appearances can be deceptive. Be glad of what you’ve got.

VIRGO August 24-September 23

What use is a map to a traveller who doesn’t have a clear destination? Well, at least it shows their options. It may help them to formulate a plan of some kind. A map is only of no use to somebody who has absolutely no idea where they are. Even then, it may help them to identify clues from their surroundings. As your ruler conjuncts retrograde Venus, you may be beginning to question your sense of direction. Yet its coming alignment with Jupiter suggests that the information you need, to make a clear, wise decision, is closer than you think. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Have faith. Forces bigger than you will provide support if you trust what inspires your heart and don’t try to push for too much.

SCORPIO October 24-November 22

Ever since I was a young boy, I played the silver ball.’ sang The Who. My son though, will probably only experience computer simulated pinball. He’s unlikely to know the pleasure of subtly nudging a machine so that it responds to his movements. True Pinball Wizards understand the difference they can make by gently leaning one way or another. This week, you may think you face a situation that can just as easily go well or badly. But, since the result depends on your focus and concentration, you have the skills to hit a high score. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: An inspiring development is about to show you how much further down a wonderful road you still have yet to travel.

SAGITTARIUS November 23-December 21

M y teenage cat’s latest craze is to jump in the bath. Not a full bath, although he could do with one, but leaping into an empty tub and scrabbling around is his new favourite thing. There are some animal behaviours that we find difficult to anthropomorphise. And some of your ideas are hard for others to appreciate. It’s not that you’re wrong or that they’re obtuse. It’s simply that your points of reference and ways of thinking are so different that they fail to translate. This week, if you want to start a revolution, first find a common cause. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Someone is reaching out to you. By allowing this positive possibility ‘in’ you’ll be helping to edge out something you don’t need.

CAPRICORN December 22-January 20

Astrologers watch a lot of sunsets and sunrises. While their speed varies according to where they’re viewed from, it often seems like a great dimmer switch is being gently applied in the sky. Much the same can be said about the light of hope in the human heart. We rarely switch from negative to positive in an instant. We ‘edge’ from one to another. As Mercury extends its influence, you may wish to hurry the great transformation that Pluto can lead you through. But, they’ll happen at their own pace. Don’t worry, though — they will happen. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Don’t write off an old emotional investment. In the people around you and your connection to them, you have real assets.

AQUARIUS January 21-February 19

Helen of Troy is described as ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was supposedly so beautiful that, rather than accept he’d lost her, her husband King Menelaus led his fleet on a ten-year quest to get her back. It’s not your face, but your words, and your ideas that can set events in motion on what feels like a similar scale. You don’t have to proclaim ‘give me liberty or give me death’, but nor can you sit in quiet contemplation. If you know what needs to change, the time is coming to make your voice heard. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: Life will soon bring the deepening of an important relationship plus an event that helps to increase your sense of self-esteem.

PISCES February 20-March 20

If you let someone see how vulnerable you are, will this be perceived as weakness or strength? The answer depends on how much you reveal. Sensitivity is most attractive when shown in the briefest of glimpses. We don’t like to see someone falling to pieces. But it’s intriguing to discover that behind an air of strength, lies a softness. As the Sun leaves your sign, does it weaken you and make you vulnerable? No! The strongest people aren’t afraid to open up. They know how deep their strength runs. This week, find security in your sensitivity. IN YOUR LOVE LIFE: A gesture of courage and honesty must now be made if you seriously hope to heal an old wound.