JONATHAN CAINER

ARIES Mar 21 — Apr 20 IF, as some say, ‘life is a gift’, what are we to make of the fact that it is finite? There will come a day when we must give it up, so does that not make it less of a gift and more of a loan? Perhaps so. But if we are under some moral obligation to treasure a gift when it is given, do we not have an even greater duty to take good care of something that we have only borrowed? This weekend, your willingness to appreciate something simple yet precious may bring you all the inspiration you need to solve a problem. I’ve recorded your in-depth prediction for the month. For news that will lift your spirits in February, call 0906 751 5601. TAURUS Apr 21 — May 21 WE GET set in our ways. We fall into habits. We take comfort in familiar experiences and persuade ourselves that these represent what we like the best. ‘What we know’ becomes ‘what we want’ and, by extension, ‘what we don’t know’ becomes ‘what we don’t want’. That’s why I have been telling you, this week, a tale about a frog who was born in a well and eventually persuaded to go further afield for a better life. Life invites you, this weekend, to break out of your comfort zone. But only so you can enjoy Your prediction for the next few weeks is ready. For inspiring insight into February, call 0906 751 5602.

GEMINI May 22-June 22 Once you have made your mind up, there is no stopping you!’ Has a statement like this been used to describe your personality? Was it intended as praise or criticism? We live in a society that prizes determination and scorns indecision. Yet surely it is better to be in a state of understandable uncertainty over some delicate matter, than to bulldoze ahead in what later proves to have been the wrong direction! Better, this weekend, to prevaricate while you cogitate, than win a battle it might be wiser to lose. I’ve recorded your in-depth prediction for the month. For news that will lift your spirits in February, call 0906 751 5603. CANCER

June 23 — July 23 You can't be everywhere at once. You can’t be all things to all people. You can’t hope to accomplish every task on your to-do list or to fulfil every wish in your dream. OK. That’s enough pessimism disguised as ‘realism’. Now, let’s look at what you can do this weekend. You can do plenty! You can make a great inroad into a daunting project. Or you can at least begin an important process, even if it takes some while before this reaches a satisfactory conclusion. That’s encouraging. What else could you want?

Your prediction for the next few weeks is ready. For inspiring insight into February, call 0906 751 5604.

LEO July 24 — Aug 23 DON’T talk yourself out of a good idea this weekend. Now, you may wonder why anyone would ever dream of doing that. We would have to be crazy to talk ourselves out of a good idea, wouldn’t we? Ah, but what if you suspected that it was actually a bad idea? What if you were so doubtful of a suggestion or a proposition that you could see nothing but fault with it? Yet, what if, despite all that, it actually had hidden merit? Might it not be wiser to wait at least a while longer in case a different insight arose? I’ve recorded your indepth prediction for the month. For news that will lift your spirits in February, call 0906 751 5605. VIRGO Aug 24 — Sep 23 WHEN finding fault with each other, we may say ‘you should be ashamed’. When offering praise we say ‘you should be proud’. What if someone feels proud of something they should be ashamed of? Or ashamed of something they should be proud of? What if someone has done something that they should be ashamed of and they are, indeed, ashamed? Should they not at least feel proud for having had enough humility to concede shame? A complex situation deserves careful thought this weekend. Your prediction for the next few weeks is ready. For inspiring insight into February, call 0906 751 5606. LIBRA Sep 24 — Oct 23 MANY an ailment has tiredness as a symptom. Even the shrewdest doctor would be unwise to make a diagnosis on the basis of this information alone. We have to ask whether there is now an analogous situation somewhere in your life; an issue that is presenting itself and which you are inclined to see as a sideeffect of a particular situation. You may think: ‘Ah, this is obviously happening because of that.’ It may all seem very logical. But possibly, this weekend, you may find there is another cause entirely. I’ve recorded your in-depth prediction for the month. For news that will lift your spirits in February, call 0906 751 5607. SCORPIO Oct 24 — Nov 22 IF ONLY we had the power to turn back time. How unfair would that be? Every person with that ability could turn it to their advantage. Fair, free nations would surely have to pass legislation ensuring that the secrets of time travel were freely and equally available to all. But then, all of us would use it and we would be forever attempting to redo whatever someone else had just undone. This is not the only reason why you should be glad, this weekend, of what cannot be changed. You will see other good reasons, too!

Your prediction for the next few weeks is ready. For inspiring insight into February, call 0906 751 5608.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 — Dec 21 EVEN if you did once end up in a hole, indeed even if you dug it yourself, you are on the way out of it! In time, that hole will turn out to have served a useful purpose. It will provide the foundation for some great structure that reaches an impressive height. Without the experience of a past mistake to draw on, there would be a danger of making another error. But now you know how not to do something, you are in a better position to do something else — and to do it well. As you will see this weekend. I’ve recorded your in-depth prediction for the month. For news that will lift your spirits in February, call 0906 751 5609. CAPRICORN Dec 22 — Jan 20 PEOPLE are sometimes too eager to stick to the rules and respect restriction. If they are naturally inclined to be cautious and conventional, they grow even more determined to stay within boundaries when there is an element of the unknown in a situation. Yet, sometimes, new situations require ingenuity and adaptability from those who wish to succeed. It may be that this weekend, the most productive and constructive step that you can take is one that involves breaking with tradition. Your prediction for the next few weeks is ready. For inspiring insight into February, call 0906 751 5610. AQUARIUS Jan 21 — Feb 19 The world it seems, is full of things that could be better. Arrangements that aren’t quite up to scratch. Situations with room for improvement. Details that have been overlooked. Implications that have been ignored. How annoying all these are. Yet how futile are our efforts to point them out. There are times when the Aquarian gift of insight proves deeply rewarding. There are times, too, when you wish you could just turn a blind eye to a less than satisfactory scenario. Discriminate wisely this weekend. I’ve recorded your in-depth prediction for the month. For news that will lift your spirits in February, call 0906 751 5611. PISCES Feb 20 — Mar 20 When we first meet someone, we often ask: ‘Where do you come from?’ This safe social gambit raises the opportunity to discuss geography, if nothing else. Inwardly, we may make a judgment about the location that this person names. A good place? A bad place? Yet none of us really know where we have come from. Where were we before we came to this planet? You come from some mysterious, magical place. So why shouldn’t something truly wonderful prove possible for you this weekend? Your prediction for the next few weeks is ready. For inspiring insight into February, call 0906 751 5612.

Dear Jonathan, Further to your recent comments, there’s a wonderful 1943 cartoon, The Blind Spot, by Sidney K. Bennett. In the first frame, a professor tells his students: ‘As scientists, we base our conclusions only on exhaustive and unprejudiced investigation.’ In the second frame, he’s telling his friends: ‘Astrology? One doesn’t need to investigate astrology, it is obviously unsound!’ It is funny how you never meet any detractors of astrology who have taken the time to study the subject. Elaine

Dear Jonathan, Every time a ‘new’ planet is discovered it adds something to our lives. Lynda