STARGAZING

Shelley von Strunckel, one of the world’s top astrologers, writes a weekly forecast for Friday

Your stars for the week ahead.

ARIES MARCH 20 – APRIL 18

Since early June you’ve faced situations involving family, domestic or work issues. Some were complicated, others merely needed your attention. But each has taken time. So you’ll be delighted that as this cycles ends, you’ll finally have time to focus on life’s joys. This is partly about relaxing and catching up with loved ones but, as much, about dealing with exciting if unsettling events.

TAURUS APRIL 19 – MAY 19

Clearly, sudden changes in longstanding elements of your life are annoying. Yet between the current powerful planetary activity and August’s two eclipses, your own circumstances, those of others and the world around you will be shifting, and often. Unsettling as these seem, when you look back on this cycle you’ll recognise even disruptive events as the breakthroughs that they are.

GEMINI MAY 20 – JUNE 20

Decisions about shifts in elements of your life are now pressing. You’ve been discussing this for ages. Finally you undertake these, to discover that they no longer make sense. Actually, that’s fine. For now, explore your options, knowing that as changes unfold over the coming weeks, your objectives will shift just as much as the actual circumstances you’re dealing with.

CANCER JUNE 21 – JULY 21

For ages you’ve brushed aside issues that involve what you earn or own. Equally, this is about defining what’s owed to you, in terms of favours as much as funds. While in some cases a simple reminder will do, in a few you’ll need to make it clear you won’t back down. Also, state your expectations clearly, and ensure those involved realise you won’t be giving up.

LEO JULY 22 – AUGUST 21

After a period of enforced patience, the combination of the move by Mars and the Sun into Leo, and the Leo New Moon, all within days, brings a muchneeded optimism to your world and life. Explore everything. Then make plans, but ensure whatever you organise is flexible. That enables you to accommodate the exciting offers and surprises that appear over the coming six weeks.

VIRGO AUGUST 22 – SEPTEMBER 21

It’s unlike you to back off and leave important decisions up to others. But as you’ll soon discover, you’ll either be short of facts or realise that, for strategic reasons, the less involved you are, the better. This gives you a chance to review certain arrangements that require time or some serious questioning. This also enables you to sidestep swiftly moving but tricky situations.

LIBRA SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 22

You’ve been dealing with the events shaking things up for ages, and juggling various ideas and options, so are well aware things can’t be rushed. But others genuinely believe decisions are urgent. If they seek your advice, listen, ask what they think is best, then suggest they do exactly that. With ongoing changes, they’ll rethink plans several times before anything can be finalised.

SCORPIO OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 21

Being an intuitive Scorpio, you’ve long sensed there’d be shakeups in others’ lives but, equally, you’ve hoped to bypass chaos in your own. While there’s no avoiding the cycle of change that continues until August’s two eclipses, you’ve a deep understanding these are prompting you to break away from familiar but restrictive situations. The sooner you let them go, the easier it will be.

SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 20

It’s not until you encounter obstacles, in the form of seemingly impossible problems or individuals, that you’ll pause and consider just how timely those changes are. While these difficulties may slow your pace, they’ll also force you to rethink longstanding priorities. The insights you gain aren’t just timely, they’ll lead to a major review of your goals and long range objectives.

CAPRICORN DECEMBER 21 – JANUARY 18

While, obviously, your objective is to rein in changes so they occur at a time and in a manner that suits you, the pace and intensity of events means you’ve little control over what’s taking place now or during August. However seemingly disruptive, events are really much needed breakthroughs. Explore everything. What seems least welcome initially could, ultimately, be exactly what’s needed.

AQUARIUS JANUARY 19 – FEBRUARY 17

You don’t think of yourself as somebody who plans ahead but, in reality, your knack for visualising how things will proceed means you rarely wrestle with organising things as others do. Yet even you could be thrown off balance now in the run up to the Aquarius eclipsed Full Moon on 7 August. The events it triggers raise questions about arrangements you’ve long regarded as fixed.

PISCES FEBRUARY 18 – MARCH 19

Listening to others complain about disruptive changes and doing nothing seems unkind. But the fact is, those who’re battling the unfamiliar are also battling their own growth. Once you recognise that, you’ll encourage them to explore those changes and, more important, you’ll do so yourself. That’s because you, too would benefit from rethinking, certain longstanding elements of your life.