Yearly Horoscope Analysis

Chapter I

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INTRODUCTION - THE MEANING OF THE TIME

The paragraphs which follow only sketch in the barest fashion the possible areas in which outer events might occur, according to the year's planetary movements. They focus primarily on the inner developments, conflicts, changes and realisations which reflect the real meaning of the time. We perceive the outer world through deeply subjective eyes, and interpret events in accord with our own highly individual psychic constitution. One person might look at a glass of water and say, "Ah, it's half full, there is plenty for me to drink." Another might look at the same glass and declare, "Oh, it's half empty, there isn't enough for me to drink." One person might view rejection by a loved one as a reflection of the other person's failings. Another might view it as an opportunity for a deep examination of his or her expectations and assumptions in matters of love. When a group of people describe the same event, they describe it in as many ways as there are people in the group. What matters in the end is the meaning of the time for each of us as individuals, and what the time can offer us in terms of the greater unfoldment of the essential self.

Chapter II

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THE YEAR'S MAIN THEMES

The paragraphs which follow describe the main planetary themes which are likely to dominate the year, and which may permeate virtually every area of your life. They are like the bass line in a piece of music, and set the underlying tempo and key. Although other planetary movements may form a musical counterpoint, highlighting specific issues in different ways at different times over the next twelve months, these main themes provide the overall backdrop for this particular stage of your development. ⌃

The dominant energy

Because you are essentially a realist, and are inclined to be cautious in any approach to the unknown, you may find that the underlying energies of this time are somewhat disturbing and uncomfortable. Many new opportunities are likely to come your way, and you may experience unusually strong feelings of discontent, restlessness, and resistance to existing structures. This could make you very anxious, if you try to cling too tightly to what is known and secure. Try to approach the next twelve months in a spirit of optimism, as well as exercising your usual circumspection. Some trust in life would take you a long way right now, and the cultivation of creative potentials or spiritual ideals might be just what you need to satisfy any feeling that you are lacking in purpose and direction.

This year could be highly creative and inspiring. But you may not know quite what to do with the possibilities in front of you, and you could hold back when you should be leaping ahead. Equally, you might leap too quickly because you are afraid you will miss out. Take your time, and apply your usual common sense; but remember, too, that there is a much bigger world beyond the one you know - and it may be ripe for exploring.

Opportunities beckon

An eagerness for change and expansion is likely to combine with an increased sense of confidence and individual worth during this time, and this is a powerful and extremely creative mix. You are probably seeking greener pastures and more room to grow and develop new potentials. But rather than this being simply a woolly dream, it is likely to be backed up by a growing feeling of personal authenticity and potency. The result is that, if you are prepared to take new ideas seriously and do the necessary work and planning, you could open doors to a much better future and a new direction in life.

Your faith in life may be particularly strong right now, and you may be intuitively aware of a meaning and purpose in your life which you had not been conscious of before. In fact you may experience a strong sense of your own specialness, not necessarily in an arrogant way, but rooted in an awareness that you are in this world for a reason and have something unique to offer. Faith in life and in your own destiny can be a heady cocktail, and if you can contain your impulsiveness and take the time to plan carefully, your life can broaden and deepen on many levels.

Try to examine ways in which you can enhance, expand or radically change your approach to the inner world, including your spiritual convictions and your fantasies and dreams. You may discover new creative talents and a deep sense of commitment to a deeper or higher reality. Although there are probably specific areas of your outer life where you may feel drawn to more exploration and adventure, in fact it is your entire personality and outlook which are growing bigger and more inclusive. Relationships - romantic, intellectual or professional - may enter your life at this time which prove deeply rewarding and help to enlarge your vision and strengthen your spiritual convictions. You may also experience what is sometimes known as "luck", which is really a combination of intuition and opportunity plus the willingness to act on hunches.

You may have a strong gambling instinct at the moment, but it is not likely to be a foolish one and you may be in a good position to speculate - not only with money, but with new ideas and new paths of learning. Don't turn your back on opportunities which present themselves now. You may find that, even if at first they seem humble, they turn out to be the key which opens the door to all kinds of positive future directions.

Chasing rainbows

Reality may be receding at the moment, and your eyes are likely to be turned heavenward and your deepest mystical longings constellated. This could make you particularly sensitive to the suffering in the world, and inclined to involve yourself in spiritual or humanitarian pursuits which focus on service to others. You may be intensely idealistic right now, and full of dreams and visions of what life could be like if only it were perfect. You have always had a propensity for looking toward the future with rose- tinted spectacles, and sometimes you have probably been proven right. But at the moment you may not be seeing at all clearly, and your spectacles may blind you to certain fundamental limits.

Such idealism may be enriching and beautiful, but at the same time it may also prove somewhat dangerous to your emotional and material security. You may be peering so hard at the invisible realm that you don't notice that external reality isn't matching up. This could leave you gullible, vulnerable to manipulation or exploitation, and inclined to believe you have found salvation in an individual or ideology which, later on, may prove severely disappointing.

You may be deeply involved in a quest for meaning right now, and this could prove an extremely creative expression of your inner nature. The problem lies in the risk of a certain suspension of your critical faculties. You may believe you have discovered some ultimate truth or meaning, when in fact you might have discovered only the projection of your own fantasies.

You are probably not very tolerant of limits at the moment, particularly if these concern the pursuit of spiritual knowledge.

Something childlike within you may believe you can achieve anything right now, or that you are exempt from the limitations and constraints that other people must live with. Such disregard for limits may cause you to overextend yourself, financially, emotionally, or intellectually, because you are probably discontented with your present situation and believe you should, and could, have so much more.

There may be some truth in this; your imagination and intuition may indeed be revealing future potentials which should be taken seriously. But you must proceed with care and clarity if you wish to make these potentials a reality. It may not be sufficient for you to believe that, because you want something, you will have it. You may be severely disappointed later, and you may also incur losses which could have been avoided if you had been more willing to accept the rules of the world and the lot of being an ordinary mortal.

The longing for boundless possibilities which you are likely to experience is not intrinsically negative. It can open your eyes to new talents and potentials, and also make you more aware of others' potentials in compassionate ways. For this reason you may wish to be involved in efforts to alleviate the suffering of others, and encourage their development as well as your own.

Take such altruistic feelings seriously, but try to exercise caution at the same time. Utopia is not likely to arrive this week, and perhaps not even in your lifetime. Try to balance your ideals with a sense of time and a realistic appraisal of human limits. Causes which champion the underdog may attract you now, but while these may be partly rooted in genuine compassion they may also reflect your own childlike resentment about being trapped in mortal existence. And often, alongside altruism, there may lurk a powerful self-aggrandising tendency which can make one wish to play the redeemer to those weaker than oneself.

You are indeed special, and you should certainly develop your potentials and seek more from life. But you are also human, and the world is not yet perfect. If you are reasonably careful and sensible, this period could enrich you emotionally and spiritually. Try to spare yourself the losses and disillusionments which too much naivety or self-mythologising can bring.

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Another important theme

There is another important dynamic at work this year, which may sometimes support and sometimes contradict the energies described above.

Although this could prove a deeply inspiring and fulfilling year on emotional and aesthetic levels, you might not always find certain experiences you encounter over the next twelve months wholly comfortable. This is because you are by nature a rather self-sufficient person, disinclined to overt displays of emotion and reluctant to place yourself in another's hands to the point where you feel excessively vulnerable. And vulnerability is one of the things which may come with the package over the next year. Your heart is opening and you are likely to be deeply receptive to beauty in all its forms - including beauty in another person. Love may inspire you to behave in unexpected and unfamiliar ways, and you may have to deal with certain relationship issues - compromise, rivalry, jealousy, adjustment, dependency - which prove disturbing because you are generally more secure if you are the one in control.

Because this time is concerned with learning to compromise, as well as about learning what makes you happy, control and pride might not always be the best formula with which to approach what life brings you in the coming months. You have the chance to learn what truly makes your heart sing. But in doing so, you might also have to learn what makes you unhappy as well, and what you feel and encounter is likely to provide you with a special, profound, and transformative education in matters of the heart. Creatively and aesthetically you are also likely to feel inspired and productive. Try not to let pride, suspicion, or excessive conventionality mar what could prove an immensely rewarding and enriching time. You may discover just how much others really matter to you.

Nothing is certain except change

You may be longing for excitement and change right now, and are perhaps also looking for a relationship which can accommodate an increasing need for freedom and a changing view of life. It is possible that you might enter a particularly exciting and dynamic new relationship, or meet new friends and colleagues who think differently and help to open up your own vision and understanding. Although romantic bonds formed at this time may not promise stability for the future, they are likely to be electric and compelling. Your values are changing, and you may urgently seek release from old structures which are now proving too cramped or stale. It is likely that you want more freedom to meet new people who share your ideals, and involve yourself in humanitarian efforts. You may also experience unexpected benefits or windfalls through the agency of others, for this could also prove a time of surprising changes in your material life. However, on the deeper level, it is probably neither "luck" nor "chance" at work in your life. You yourself may be stretching beyond the limits in which you have been living, particularly any narrow attitudes or opinions which have been rooted in fear or security needs and which you may now be outgrowing.

There is likely to be a lot of excitement in your life right now, and some of it may not initially seem pleasant. You may experience a separation or loss which upsets you and leaves you feeling anxious and unsure of the future. Although you may actively seek a new partner, it is also possible that disruption in an existing relationship may come through your partner, who may display the same need for freedom which you yourself might not have been willing to acknowledge.

However, if you experience loss or separation of an involuntary kind, it may be important to recognise that, despite natural feelings of pain or grief, the relationship may have fulfilled its purpose and the time may have come for you to move forward into new emotional and intellectual terrain. You may need to exercise some reflection and containment about any impulse to rush off into the blue with an exciting new partner. First try to discern whether a change of attitude within an existing relationship might provide you with the changed emotional climate you need.

New subjects of study as well as new people may attract you, for you are probably in a mood to pursue unconventional and even quite eccentric paths. Subjects such as astrology may fascinate you, as well as new tastes in the arts and even in your style of dress. Enjoy this stimulating time, and make the most of it. And if you must experience involuntary separation in your personal life, try to let go gracefully. Sometimes room must be made for the new by relinquishing what is past.

Nagging insecurities

This could be a time of deep and healing revelations, although it is not likely to pass without some emotional disappointment you did not wish for. But it is your own responses which could be problematic, because, whatever the external trigger, you are probably inclined at the moment to feel unsure of yourself and more aware of your failings than you are of your strengths. Consequently you may feel victimised by disappointments which at another time might have left you hurt or angry but still confident in your ability to attract love and find happiness. At the moment you may feel you will never be happy again. Try to remember that an event, and your response to that event, are quite separate issues, and that your responses at the moment may be unusually inclined to self-pity, feelings of grievance and resentment, and an angry condemnation of all you consider to be unfair in life.

If you lose a loved one, it would be healthy and appropriate to grieve; but you may also feel victimised, and this response may be a distortion of the reality. If you experience a separation through the choice of another person, it is possible that you are not fully admitting that the relationship may have been bad for you as well. You might not be quite so much the victim of circumstances, or of another's selfishness or callousness, as you think.

You have probably never felt particularly secure about your worth and importance, or the reality of your creative abilities. Now these insecurities are being activated, and your present unhappiness may in part be due to an accumulation of many past experiences of hurt which incidents in your present life have triggered into awareness. Although you may have to make some difficult decisions or adjustments in your personal life over the next months, you may also recognise that others have also been hurt and disappointed at one time or another. Despite any feelings of loneliness and inadequacy you might experience, you may also feel great compassion for others. This could be an extremely healing experience, as it could help you to overcome a tendency toward self-pity and may also allow you to recognise the common humanity you share with the rest of the world.

You may find that you can handle disappointments with honesty and containment, and a stronger sense of individual values and individual worth may gradually emerge. This is the most creative dimension of the process you are undergoing. If you feel you cannot handle the challenges facing you, do not be afraid to seek help so that you can talk about what is hurting you. During this period you may be able to be more conscious of hidden blocks and defences than ever before, and you may discover that your present situation is the culmination of an old relationship pattern which you need to break in order to find greater happiness in the future. In fact this is probably not the first time you have experienced feelings of unfairness, woundedness, restriction or unhappiness in relationship. Your perceptions of love may be coloured by a sense of sadness which has its roots in childhood, and which, although sometimes adding a melancholy flavour to all your close relationships, has probably also made you deeply sensitive to others' pain. If you do experience rejection or disappointment during this time, try to avoid striking back at those you feel have hurt you. Not only might you be mistaken in their motives, but you might also create long-term animosity and enmity which you would later regret. Vindictiveness is as destructive to you right now as self-pity. Try to remember that nothing can take away your confidence or your potential for future happiness except your own bitterness.

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Chapter III

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SIGNIFICANT TRENDS IN EACH SPHERE OF LIFE

Because the cycles of the planets create a complex and intricate pattern in the heavens, not every movement in your horoscope will dance to the same rhythm at the same time. There may be periods when the year's main themes seem to fade somewhat, because some special issue has brought other feelings, attitudes and responses to the fore. Some of these trends and patterns may be brief and some longer-lasting, giving variety to your life experience during the course of the year.

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1. The sphere of emotions

There may be periods during the year when matters concerning your emotional life take priority in a particularly fulfilling way. When your heart is happily stirred, other, more difficult issues may recede in importance, and perhaps rightly so; for if you are at peace on the emotional level, you can cope with other areas of your life in a more open and confident way.

A quiet contentment

Although you may not really notice the changes occurring in your emotional life at the moment, they are definitely there - subtle and quiet, but very positive and emotionally strengthening. You are at peace with yourself inside, and consequently your ability to express your feelings to others is greater than usual and allows you to open yourself more to others' support. Your personal image and your emotional needs are working in quiet harmony right now, and because of this you are likely to feel more confident on the personal level, and more able to trust that others will like and respond to you.

This could prove very healing if you have been carrying emotional insecurities and hurts from the past, and it could have a lasting effect on your ability to trust your own instincts about other people.

Over the next months you may find opportunities to put down roots, find a better domestic environment, or make improvements in your existing home which give you a feeling of greater security and peace. Relationships with women are likely to be particularly fulfilling, and you can articulate what you feel and need in ways which feel good to you and are pleasing to others as well. Although greater emotional openness and confidence are likely to be in evidence in your personal life and your one-to-one encounters, the inner serenity of this time can also help in your working life, improving your interaction with colleagues and those in authority. And if you have to deal with difficulties in other spheres of life, you may find that you have a profound sense of trust in your own judgement, and a deep inner knowledge that, no matter what life might bring, you know how to care for and value yourself.

There may also be periods when emotional difficulties arise, which you would be wise to deal with in the most honest and generous way you can.

Limits on love

Emotionally you may be passing through a somewhat stressful time, because your ideals of love are being refined, shaped, and better adapted to reality. This may require some careful reviewing of old attitudes, and it is likely that you will experience some sense of hurt or disappointment - either through the agency of another person, or through the criticism and denigration you inflict on yourself.

At the moment your ideals and aspirations in love, and your definitions of happiness, are in conflict with the reality of the world around you and with the limitations of human nature. The result is that you are likely to feel let down, disillusioned and defeated, especially in your hopes for the future and faith in life. You may feel insecure and unsure of yourself, or you may believe you will never feel really happy again. You may interpret ageing as the end of all possibilities for happiness, and may feel there is little left to look forward to.

These are entirely subjective states, and probably have no basis in actuality; but they may seem very real to you at the moment, and your negativity about yourself may exacerbate any external situations of stress or conflict you are experiencing. Another person's withdrawal or rejection does not mean you are not worth loving; but at the moment you may see it that way.

Because you expect others to hurt or betray you, you may be approaching them with suspicion, mistrust or resentment - even if they have done nothing to merit this. You may not realise you are doing it, and you may not recognise the effect unconscious defensiveness and mistrust can have on another person. In this way you might be helping to create the loneliness you fear.

Before you unleash destructive criticism at loved ones, try to recognise whether you might be finding fault due to your own feelings of discontent, and not because others have truly let you down. At the moment you could be inclined to feel rather sorry for yourself, and may imagine that you have done all the giving while others are selfish and self-absorbed. A perception of others' insensitivity during this time may be a deeply subjective and somewhat distorted interpretation. If you experience separation or loss because a partner, lover or child makes the decision to leave you, you might need to look very carefully at the events and emotional interaction of the last year. You yourself may have been contributing to the difficulties. You may also try to alleviate feelings of unhappiness through finding a new partner who can provide the kind of superhuman devotion which, deep down, you are probably seeking at the moment. Be very careful in any new relationship you form at this time. Loneliness and desperation may distort your judgement, and you may wind up jumping out of the proverbial frying pan into the fire.

It might be better to endure a period of aloneness, until you know more about yourself. You may need to face the fact that certain long-standing relationships may no longer be viable - for you as well as for the other person. Be careful not to blame others for all your feelings of depression, isolation and unhappiness, or punish them by transferring your love elsewhere. Your own expectations may need some careful reevaluating, for it is possible that you have secretly carried an ideal of perfection that no relationship could satisfy.

You could be given an opportunity to review relationship patterns that go back to your childhood, so that you can heal old hurts and change destructive ways of interacting. Deep down, you may secretly feel that you are not worthy as a person, and that you must 'do things' to earn another's appreciation. This deep mistrust of love, and of yourself, may be rooted in a difficult emotional atmosphere in your early family life. You may be perpetuating this pattern by trying to obtain guarantees of love; and at the moment you might be recognising that such guarantees cannot be provided, either by you or your loved ones.

This is a marvellous chance to break free of rigid or outworn patterns, so that you can be freer to give and receive love with a real person instead of a fantasy paragon of perfection. This time may be painful, but it could prove the making of you. Try to avoid bitterness, cynicism and self-pity, and keep your pride at bay. The more willing you are to change within yourself, the happier your future will be.

Waste not, want not

You may be in the mood for a little self-indulgence at the moment, especially in the ways you pursue your future dreams.

This could prove a highly enjoyable time, when you are able to spend time, money and energy on things which make you look and feel good. You might also experience a rush of romantic feeling, either toward an established partner or toward someone new who makes an appearance on the horizon.

But it is a transient time, and you may pay for too much self-indulgence through excess weight, a large hole in your bank account, and a certain amount of disillusionment if a grand new romantic fantasy turns out to be an ordinary mortal after all.

At the moment you are likely to want, and have, many of the good things in life. But on a deeper level there is also an important change taking place in your values. You may be feeling restless and desirous of more and better in your life, and the things and people which previously contented you may now seem lifeless and boring, or downright restrictive.

Envy of those who have more than you may plague you, and you may need to be careful not to overextend yourself in order to compete. At the moment it might be wise, before you go charging off following what you believe to be your heart (but which might really be your desire for drama and excitement), to examine those areas in which you feel your life is lacking in colour. It may be that your attitudes need to change, rather than an external situation or relationship which right now might seem drearier than it used to.

Creative expression, travel, or appreciation of the arts might supply the drama which may seem absent from everyday life. Enjoy this time, for it is unlikely that you will make too much of a mess, even if you do spend a little too much in one way or another.

But try not to act impulsively, in ways which could damage what you really need and value. It may be you yourself who has become drab through ignoring an unrecognised need for beauty and pleasure. If this is the case, it would be pointless to blame others for not supplying you with a magic which ultimately must be created by you.

Depression and unhappiness

Vague feelings of self-doubt may plague you now, and you may be inclined to nurse grievances against life and against individuals whom you feel have injured you in some way. You may experience feelings of inadequacy or failure, or you may secretly believe that you aren't worth loving. These are deeply subjective feelings which reflect an extremely negative attitude. You may need to be detached enough to recognise that you are underestimating yourself and overestimating the nastiness in the world right now. Your present feelings of hurt may be justified, but they are being exacerbated by a recollection of past wounds which may not have properly healed. Feelings of wounding or failure are probably very much part of your perspective on life at the moment.

Whatever happens right now, it is important that you do not indulge in bitterness or self-pity, and that you do not use an external situation to justify retaliating in vengeful and vindictive ways. This may only leave you feeling worse, and will not make use of the potentially constructive meaning of the time.

At the root of your difficulty lies the fact that you are changing and growing, and your emotional needs and perceptions are now in conflict with entrenched defences and deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy which you may need to recognise and move beyond in order to achieve a happier and more fulfilling emotional life. This may also involve moving beyond relationships which were based on these old attitudes - even if you are reluctant to admit that you need change. Your past is catching up with you, but this could provide you with the chance to develop a more detached and philosophical attitude toward life, and greater compassion toward those who perhaps did not mean to cause you injury but were caught in the usual problems of being human. Whatever external injury or loss might occur to trigger your feelings, try to keep things in perspective, and examine your responses rather than merely reacting blindly. You will learn a great deal about yourself, and may let go of some very heavy emotional baggage which you have been unconsciously carrying for many years.

A need for freedom

You might as well expect the unexpected during this period, for you may be called upon to be flexible and open to change not only in your personal life but in the quality of your own feelings. Something within you is longing for greater emotional freedom; and even if it is another person whose actions provide you with that freedom against your conscious wishes, you yourself deeply need to break free of old patterns of relating. The ways in which you habitually interact with the collective may now be challenged, and you may find yourself drawn to a new circle of people and new, inspiring ideals which connect you more deeply with human welfare and evolution. You may feel bored and frustrated with the status quo, and quite irritable in those relationships which require ongoing compromise and adjustment. This does not mean you should walk away from important bonds which at the moment seem restrictive. But you might need to expand your world, particularly on the intellectual level. New friendships are likely to prove particularly important in enlarging your world-view, although a romantic relationship entered into now may lack the stability to develop into a long-term bond.

Because you are encountering all that is unconventional, freedom-loving and forward-looking in yourself, you are likely to meet unusual people who do not fit into your usual social framework. Welcome them, for they can open up your life. But don't uproot yourself just yet, for everything is in flux and you may not yet know how to accommodate the new with the old in a creative rather than a divisive way.

You will get the best out of this period if you can walk the tightrope between extremes, and can provide yourself with new contacts and channels for intellectual, artistic, and spiritual expression without rebelling too forcibly against what already exists in your life. The danger is that, because a turbulent, volatile and fiercely independent aspect of your nature is being activated, you may react without regard for your own or others' feelings, or, alternatively, may become frightened and try to suppress your need for change.

If you do the latter, change will come your way anyhow - but you may unconsciously drive those close to you into demanding it. Some feelings of anxiety are likely and natural at this time, since anything new entering our lives usually seems threatening to what we have and hold. Try to contain your feelings without either suppressing them or acting them out blindly; bouts of anxiety will pass, and may also be accompanied by pleasurable feelings of excitement and hopeful anticipation. You may have difficulty relaxing or sleeping peacefully right now, and you may also have the occasional sense of dread that something awful is about to happen. This is how deep inner change feels. Make the effort to keep your eyes open and your mind clear. Most importantly, keep your feet on the ground and do your best to avoid major decisions until you have a better sense of what sort of changes you really need in your life.

Independence and self-will

Your fighting spirit is being stirred at the moment, and on the emotional level you may be feeling intense, impatient and temperamental. It might be wise for you to find positive outlets for your increased energy and drive; for if you try to suppress your volatile emotions you may unconsciously provoke others' anger and then feel victimised by their apparently unwarranted aggression. You may also feel quite competitive right now, and very desirous of being recognised as first and best. This is another reason why you can get the best from this period by being honest about what you want. Your competitive needs, if unrecognised, may cause you to inadvertently set up a situation of rivalry with someone close to you, and if you do not see your own part in it you may become very upset and angry when someone else tries to 'best' you in an emotional contest.

You may be inclined at the moment to go your own way, and may be less than sympathetic to the needs and requirements of the social or professional group to which you belong. You are probably not in the mood for compromise, or inclined to 'toe the line' in terms of your ideals, goals and social behaviour. Since this period is one in which you need to assert your own individuality, try to find a group or social circle in which you can express your views and vision of the future. You will get the most positive results from this period if you can identify and formulate personal goals into which you can direct your energy. If you don't make this effort, you may merely become querulous and intolerant of others, and inclined to start fights. You may be clumsier than usual and prone to minor accidents through impatience. Or, if you are really frightened by your own anger or aggression, you may produce physical symptoms which express your anger in indirect ways.

Rather than spending the next month or so being an advertisement for Rent- an-Argument, make the most of your enhanced mental, emotional and physical energy. Find something or someone you really want, and go for it. Even if you don't succeed, you will feel much better for discovering that you have the courage and initiative to take charge of your own life.

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2. The sphere of the physical world

Matters concerning your physical and material life are also likely to prove important, and some of these may prove very rewarding over the next year. You may enjoy the fruits of a long period of hard work. Or new opportunities, arising as if out of nowhere, may give you the sense that things are really working for you on the worldly level, and that you now have a chance to express yourself in ways that create tangible, financially and professionally satisfying results. Try to make the most of these opportunities; you may surprise yourself by what you are able to achieve.

Constructive change

Visions of change and progress are now working in harmony with a realistic assessment of your own and others' limits, and this means that you are able to initiate important and necessary changes in your life right now without disrupting or destroying the stability you have built. Your need for sharing unconventional ideas and ideals with like-minded friends is not likely to fly in the face of what life will allow, and at the moment you can, in a sense, have your cake and eat it too. Any efforts to assert your independence are likely to be made with a realistic acceptance of others' limits. Any desire to alter certain structures in your life is likely to be acknowledged because you are able to exercise patience and common sense.

And any pursuit of new ideas is likely to be combined with a willingness to apply discipline, discrimination and thoroughness. All this adds up to a very creative time, when a minimum of disruption and a maximum of progressive thinking are likely to yield constructive changes without provoking chaos in your life.

During this period you are able to be a practical revolutionary, with ideas for a better future and the pragmatism and patience to put those ideas into effect. You may enjoy an unusual rapport with those in authority because they are not perceived as the enemy; you may also appreciate inventive, unconventional people because they are not experienced as a threat.

The archetypal struggle between conservatism and revolution, which causes so many problems in society, is not at present a problem for you, for you can see the value in both. You can respect the material world and traditional values, and appreciate and what you have worked to build; but you can also understand that nothing can stand still forever, and everything living seeks, on one level or another, to evolve. If you are involved in humanitarian or political movements, you are likely to be unusually effective right now.

If you are seeking to improve a business or enhance your professional position, you are likely to be successful through innovative ideas. Take advantage of this time of inner equilibrium to initiate the changes you feel you need in your life.

However, you may also have to deal with some less pleasant mundane issues. You may have to face challenges which make you question your work and your place in the world, and frustration may bring your temper to boiling point or generate a sense that you have failed. Try to keep your mind focused on what you can learn from such situations, because you could turn them into strengthening lessons which, when the time is right, help you to achieve what you want later on.

Peaks and troughs

Swings from extreme optimism to extreme pessimism may characterise this period, and you may alternate between feeling you must break free and expand your life, and feeling you must resign yourself to obstructions and responsibilities which you cannot escape.

There is a conflict within you which could ultimately prove extremely productive, but which at first may appear in external life as a sense that all movement is blocked - especially when you try to find any inner serenity and faith in life. Just at the moment when you probably want to claim greater freedom and pursue future plans and dreams, things may seem to happen which curtail your movement. You may also find yourself feeling depressed and lacking in trust, both in yourself and in life. Your intuition may not seem to be working properly and you may feel beset by ill-luck. Try not to take feelings of depression and foreboding as indications that some doom is upon you. It isn't. But at the same time that you are discovering that you want a bigger and better life, you are probably being challenged to adapt your plans to the limits of reality. You may also have to learn to wait and build, rather than expecting life to simply produce what you desire like a rabbit out of a hat.

Your pessimism may make you fail to appreciate the good things happening around you, and may also make you feel constricted by your close relationships. But it is not likely that anyone is really doing anything different; it is just that you may want more, and are discovering you cannot have it all by three o'clock this afternoon.

This is not a good time to gamble with resources you cannot afford to lose. Beware of the get-rich-quick or something-for-nothing impulse, whether in relation to money or in relation to your emotional life. Right now, nothing is for free, and you would be wise not to turn to this kind of activity as a means of alleviating your frustration. Try to consolidate what you have, but avoid risks if you can; your judgement is probably not at its best right now because it is being distorted by both your fears and your dreams.

You may feel a little desperate, but desperation is no state in which to make major decisions, especially regarding your material and emotional security. Your vision of the future may be very gloomy because your intuitive faculties are not working freely; and you may seek to escape the doom-and-gloom atmosphere by overestimating what is possible. Expansion at the moment may meet with frustration, or may bring more problems than it offers solutions. Although you are probably anything but patient right now, patience may be what you need most.

Certain elements of your life may be challenged and proven to be too fragile or unreal to sustain themselves. This could apply to both your professional and personal life. If you have been in a relationship built on unreal expectations, or one which is uncongenial but helps you avoid loneliness or financial instability, it may fall apart under the pressures now placed on it. If you have been trying to sustain a business which is unhealthy at the roots, it may collapse. You will lose nothing which is built on solid ground.

But factors in your life which are 10 per cent solid and 90 percent dreams may prove untenable, and you may have to let them go. You may also feel so restless that you wish to leave your present environment, and you may want to make a move to a different home, community or even country. This may be necessary and right, but try to remember that wherever you go you will take yourself with you.

The conflict you are experiencing is not solely due to pressures in the environment. It is a collision between your future hopes and your human limits; and if you can work to achieve a balance between the two during this time, you can build solid foundations for all your future endeavours.

Curb your impatience

Your energy is likely to be extremely high right now, and you may be feeling restless and rebellious, and eager for change and excitement. This could be a very positive time if you are able to channel any restlessness you might feel into new creative projects, travel, or work ventures which allow you to run your own show, do things your own way, and meet exciting challenges which really test your mettle. If you try to stay within the usual circumscribed limits of your everyday life, you may find yourself becoming extremely irritable and explosive because you are likely to feel so bored and resentful.

This could be a very good time to become involved in group activities of a humanitarian kind. You may need an ideal to which you can devote your time and energy, which connects you with the larger human family. You probably need to do something positive - intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual - with the high energy at your disposal now, for otherwise it may do something to you, in the sense of proving too volatile and disruptive in your everyday life.

Although this is a time of change and exciting new possibilities, you may also need to exercise a great deal of patience. You are likely to be resentful of limits right now, and may be particularly angry if you have to compromise or adjust to someone else's needs, rules or schedule.

But if you become too pushy and self-assertive, or are unable to adapt your vision and energy to the world around you, you may provoke conflicts, particularly with those in authority. Make sure you stay within legal bounds, for you are not exempt from the laws which govern the society in which you live. If you push against these laws now, you will probably land yourself in a mess. Be very careful when driving or handling mechanical implements, for impatience could cause you accidents or minor injuries.

Most importantly, you may need to learn how to wait and take your opportunities when they are ripe, rather than rushing to grab them while elbowing others out of the way. You are likely to have plenty of courage, optimism and energy at your disposal at the moment, and these resources could help you to aim for and achieve high goals. Use these gifts sanely and sensibly, and you could reap the rewards for many years to come.

An instinct to fight

Circumstances may seem to be hemming you in at the moment, and you may feel extremely frustrated. You may be struggling with difficulties and conflicts with friends or in your social or professional group, and your inclination may be to come out fighting and push forcibly against what restricts you. However, the harder you push, the more likely you are to arouse enmity, particularly with those in authority. If you lose control of your temper, you may be careless when driving or handling mechanical or electrical implements, and cause minor accidents and injuries.

Before you explode, try to stop and reflect on what is happening inside you. This could be an extremely productive time, and you could discover new resources of inner strength and tenacity. You may also be increasingly aware of a need for greater autonomy, and may want to take more control over your life. But you may become so impatient and impulsive that you defeat the very thing you want.

You may need, first of all, to examine carefully where your own unconscious actions and attitudes in the past might have contributed to any present feelings of being constrained and blocked. It is possible that you have not been able to express your wishes clearly and honestly, and have compromised yourself because of security needs or fear of alienating others. Now the structures you yourself built may have become too tight, and you may be kicking against them.

But if this is so, you will need to change your own attitudes before you are free; for if you remain still ambivalent and unsure of who you are and what you want, you will only build new structures which, in time, will cage you as you are feeling caged now. It is your sense of self, and your belief in your right to have what you want from life, which need encouraging. Examine this issue first, before you react blindly to what you experience as oppression or limitation in the world around you.

You will need a lot of patience during this period, and a capacity to adapt your goals to the reality of the outer world. Here too you may not have developed sufficient ability to compromise. Life may have been black and white to you, with some people dominating and others submitting. Now you may be determined not to submit; but perhaps the solution does not lie in trying to dominate. You may need to carefully weigh your own desires against what is really possible, rather than what inflamed emotions or wounded pride tell you you want. You may feel as though you are engaged in mortal combat and must prove your potency and effectiveness or suffer a humiliating defeat. Try not to identify too much with conventional definitions of masculinity, for if you do, you may go around feeling impotent and inadequate because you aren't able to live up to a collective image. Your sense of manhood needs to be individual and rooted in an understanding of your own individual strengths and weaknesses, not on a television or cinema caricature of strength.

It may be your own perceptions which are turning challenging outside factors into threatening or oppressive forces. Try to see where you might be too rigid and inflexible in demanding things all your own way. You may be culpable of the very thing of which you are accusing others. If you are willing to make certain adjustments, and can move within realistic limits, you can progress slowly and firmly toward your goals, and achieve much with the energy and discipline now at your disposal.

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3. The mental sphere

The development of your mind, and the cultivation of new skills, may also occupy a lot of your energy at different times during the year. The life of the mind is as important as the life of the heart and the life of the bank account, and this time could prove very important in enhancing your level of knowledge and the application of your talents. Try to take advantage of any opportunity to pursue new areas of study and new spheres of interest, and if you have the chance to acquire useful skills on the practical level, make use of the time in the best possible way. Such opportunities may not always be available, and you might be surprised at how life opens up when your perceptions are changed and expanded.

Original ideas

Your mind is likely to be alive with all kinds of new ideas at this time, and in some respects you are at a creative peak in terms of original thinking and self-expression. You may communicate with others with great ease and fluency, and in whatever you say or do there is likely to be an unmistakeable confidence and self-assurance which could make you persuasive and effective in speaking, writing, or teaching. Because you have a natural inclination to probe beneath the surface of things, you may be inspired during this time to study psychology or esoteric subjects, and to delve into your own complexities through psychotherapy, meditation or some other path of inner exploration. It is most important that you take your ideas and inspirations seriously right now, and do what you can to make them real and solid. If this means learning new skills, then go out and learn them - they will undoubtedly prove to be a useful and productive addition to your life.

You may feel drawn to further study and training - in which case you should follow your instincts and plunge in. The more you translate mental energy into practical knowledge and skills, the greater the rewards are likely to be for the future.

You may make more money during this time, as well as more friends. This is not because of some strange "luck" at work. It is because you are likely to be more communicative and interested in others, and they will probably respond to your desire to share your thoughts. Also, your judgement is likely to be sound at the moment, and business decisions will be shrewd and sensible.

Consequently there may be financial rewards if you are prepared to follow through with original ideas. If you have not been living or working in a sympathetic mental environment, the need to formulate and communicate ideas may make you feel very restless and discontented right now. This is the "down" side of any particularly productive period in life. When you look back at what has gone before, you may become aware that changes need to be made, and this might not be simple or comfortable. A need for increased contact with like minds may cause friction within an established relationship. A desire for new knowledge may make an old job feel very boring and limiting.

Increased confidence in yourself may make you more vociferous than usual about expressing your opinions, and others may be surprised or even angry at your self-assertion. But even if you must make adjustments during this time, this will probably be due to needing more room in your life for fresh intellectual and creative endeavours.

However, you may also encounter some problems, especially in communication with others and in the general tenor of your mental attitude during this time. If you find yourself unusually negative, critical or depressed, try to find out what is really troubling you, rather than taking it out on others or inadvertently causing difficulties in material affairs because you are not conscious of your own negativity.

Erratic judgements

This may be a tense and anxious time, when you are seeking to change your mental attitudes but may swing to extremes in the process. You are probably inclined at the moment to be rather fixed and a little blinkered in your thinking. It is likely that some new idea, vision, or spiritual or intellectual discovery has wound you up and exercised a powerful attraction over you, and you may experience considerable conflict between a new path or outlook and the attitudes which have provided you with stability and reassurance in the past.

This could make you a little intolerant and abrupt in your way of communicating, and you may be disinclined to listen to others because you are so sure you are right. Your thinking is opening up, and this could be a time of exciting discoveries and creative inspiration. But you are subject to mental overload right now, and you may need to discipline your thinking and learn greater patience before you engage in heated debate with others.

The underlying quality of this time is positive and creative, because many old mental structures and attitudes are likely to pass from your life. This may involve outer changes as well. Worldly goals and personal relationships which reflect the old attitudes could be in for a bumpy ride, and you may change your direction more than once while you are trying to establish the shape of the future in a comprehensible way. Disruption may occur in your emotional and sexual life, and while some of the chaos may be due to external agencies beyond your control, some may also be your own poor judgement, impatience, or unwillingness to find a middle way of dealing with arguments, disputes, and material challenges. You have probably experienced difficulty in the past when trying to maintain balanced judgement, and you need to be especially careful now to avoid disputes in which you become too self-righteous and opinionated. This might be a good time to channel any mental restlessness into new areas of study, in which you do not have to make practical decisions but can allow inspirations and new ideas to emerge and be subjected to careful reflection and assessment. This is probably not a good time to enter into permanent legal or financial arrangements, or trust your own judgement in money matters.

You may also need to be careful when driving or handling electrical or mechanical implements, because you are liable to be impatient and irritable and therefore careless. Wait until some of the chaos has subsided before you make important decisions. Use the time to explore ideas and honour the less conventional and more inspirational side of yourself; and be very, very patient.

Your thinking is changing, but you will not know for some time which of your old attitudes are now past their sell-by date, and which of the new ones are worthy of long-term cultivation and adaptation to your life.

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4. The spiritual sphere

What gives meaning to any emotional, material or intellectual challenges and changes you might encounter is your spiritual life, and here too you may experience certain important changes in perception and attitude. Such changes may be subtle and slow to register on your awareness, but they may profoundly influence the way you experience and interpret what happens to you over the next year. Never underestimate the importance of the meaning you assign to events, because the clearer your vision, the more likely you are to work with the time in constructive and creative ways. You may experience a deeper sense of connection to the greater whole of which you are a part, although such a feeling may not remain with you all the time. You may also be open to new ideas and ways of looking at life which make the world seem bigger, richer, and more meaningful.

Crystallising your beliefs

Whatever might be occurring in your external life, inwardly you are being challenged to define what you believe in, and what kind of future you envisage for yourself. Your habitual world-view may be under fire right now, and you may need to adapt your spiritual or moral convictions to new perceptions of life's complexity.

In some ways this may prove a difficult time, because your mobility may be somewhat curtailed, and external events may make you feel pessimistic and mistrustful of people and life. You may feel distressed by unexpected events which disturb your sense of mental and physical well-being, and such situations, while they yield positive results, could cause you to doubt what you want and where you are going. But if you lose your faith, it is likely to be a faith which has not been grounded in direct experience of life, but has been absorbed from your background or some external spiritual authority. At the moment you have the opportunity to discover a more individual and authentic vision which allows you to trust in life without gullibility or naivety.

You could experience an intuitive revelation of the purposefulness of life's experiences, and a realisation that your life has a pattern and a continuity which you might not have recognised before. You may be able to respond to painful events as valuable educational experiences and spurs to growth, and this could allow you to turn even unhappy circumstances into something which benefits you in the long term.

A tolerant outlook and an inclusive philosophy of life may be among the rewards of this time, and you may feel deeply in touch with human suffering and interested in involving yourself in human welfare. The healing arts may attract you during this period, and you may want to learn more about the dynamics of the psyche. Don't be afraid to question or even discard beliefs which seem right and acceptable to the collective but which for you may be narrow, incomplete, or simplistic. You are unlikely to abandon values and convictions which are truly your own. But you may emerge from this time with a much more individual vision of life, God, and the purpose of existence.

However, you may also experience times of doubt and disillusionment, and you may wonder whether what you believe in is really worth the investment of energy and faith. Such periods of spiritual depression could, however, prove rewarding in the long term, because they may provide valuable insights into unrealistic expectations or too rigid a world-view or spiritual perspective. If you can reflect on what is happening, rather than falling into cynicism, the testing times you experience may ultimately help to shape an enduring faith in yourself and in life.

Disappointed dreams

Disillusionment and disappointment may make your life somewhat unhappy for a time. But this does not mean that ill fortune is dogging you. Many fantasies and expectations which may have been unreal and impossible to fulfill are now likely to crumble, and you may be left with a much better relationship with reality and with your own limits. This is in fact an extremely positive process. But you will probably not enjoy it, for a part of you which is in love with a romantic dream, and wants life to be lovely and perfect, will probably be feeling very upset and badly let down.

You may also feel angry with yourself because you have been gullible in certain ways, or expected too much from others. It is rather like discovering that there is no Father Christmas, which can hurt more in adulthood because it can come as a shock to realise you still believe in him in spite of yourself. Perhaps you have not been as much of an adult as you thought. Now you may be discovering a romantic child within yourself, who hoped for the Paradise Garden and is having to live an ordinary human life instead.

In the past, you may have been prone to a certain amount of confusion and self-deception around inner spiritual matters.

It is not that you have been "wrong" about others. But you may not have realised the extent to which you have depended on a feeling of belonging. You may have allowed the outer world to provide you with feelings of worth and importance, rather than finding a sense of security and value within yourself. The kinds of things you are likely to experience at the moment probably all relate to dependency on others, difficulties in establishing boundaries, and secret fantasies of being special and exempt from life's ordinary challenges.

You may not have even known you carried such romantic or idealised feelings. Now you may discover their power and importance, through the sense of disillusionment that inevitably arises when unconscious expectations have not been met. You may have got yourself in trouble in the past through lack of realism. Whatever happens to you now, you are not likely to be so naive again. This doesn't mean you are going to become cynical and embittered. But you are likely to emerge from this period a good deal wiser and more mature, and better able to take charge of your own life.

Because you are undergoing an important process of inner change, you may try to resist what is happening by seeking a relationship which can magically make everything better. You may be drawn to someone with whom you feel a special and almost mystical sense of closeness. This may be a spiritual teacher rather than a lover; or it may be someone who is unobtainable.

Be careful. Deep feelings of confusion and helplessness may attract you to those who are equally lost and confused, and this may make you feel stronger. Or you may be drawn to those who need to convince themselves of their own strength, through involvement with someone weaker. Right now, try not to rely on any relationship in which themes of "saving" someone hurt or unfortunate, or being "saved" yourself by someone stronger and more capable, are dominant. You can enjoy the magic, and later on the reality might turn out to be worth the effort; but don't sign anything until this period passes.

Your feelings are not especially trustworthy right now, and you may be prone to complicated entanglements which could make you very unhappy later on. Sit tight, and let yourself wander through the fog. And try to recognise that any feelings of disappointment you experience can be transformed into greater inner authenticity and wisdom, through recognising and finding compassion for the needy child within you.

Tarnished dreams

This may be a time of considerable emotional transformation, when certain cherished ideals and fantasies need to be accommodated to the reality of the world around you. While this may be painful, it is not intrinsically destructive. You may have needed to be challenged because you may have overidealised the inner world and hoped spiritual or artistic commitment would spare you the challenges of ordinary mundane existence.

On the deepest level, it may be a dream of perfect love in a perfect world which is being challenged. At the moment you may experience a powerful impulse to seek escape from life's difficulties through entering a kind of fantasy Paradise Garden. Wherever you seek this Eden, and in whatever surrogate form, you have for some time probably been avoiding a gradual buildup of external pressures that require you to stand on your own feet and cope with life's limits and loneliness.

Now you may feel you have been dragged out of Eden forcibly just at the moment you have found it, and your response may be deep depression and a sense of hopelessness. You may even secretly feel it would be better to be ill and helpless, because at least then others would look after you. But you have no real cause for such self-pity. Anything you are called upon to relinquish may have been full of unreal expectations in the first place, and you may now have to accept flawed reality instead of a dream.

You are not likely to be very objective right now, and you may need to ask a close friend or a counselor to help you find greater insight into the process you are experiencing. It is a kind of psychological birth - an emergence, willing or unwilling, from an emotional womb which you have outgrown. You may have no wish right now to be a denizen of the world; you might prefer to live in an alternative reality in which everything is lovely, harmonious and conflict-free.

It is as though a small child within you is expressing poignant feelings of anxiety and sadness in the face of life's hardness and coldness. If you can understand and value the beauty and importance of your feelings, while recognising that you need to find self-sufficiency and self-containment in the outer world, you may spare yourself much pain and disillusionment. Insight into your own vulnerability and helplessness can open up your heart and make you more compassionate toward others, for what you are feeling is a universal human longing. But if you try to fight the limits of reality right now, you may be doomed to disappointment.

You may experience a profound response to music, poetry and other forms of art which express these poignant, childlike feelings in language which reaches the heart. If you have any interest in developing your creative potentials, this could be an excellent time to give your feelings shape through an artistic medium, or through working with images and dreams in psychotherapy. It is likely that you will not be able to avoid sadness right now, and probably some complex emotional or financial entanglement, loss, disappointment, or separation will precipitate it.

But if you can recognise the deeper levels underpinning your emotional state, you may also recognise the roots of all human longing for redemption and spiritual return. Try not to rush blindly into escape routes, romantic, spiritual or physical, which promise you temporary oblivion or instant salvation. This period could deepen not only your empathy, but also your insight into the human condition. And you may also learn to appreciate not only others' human limits, but also your own.

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5. The sphere of the Inner Self

Deeper and more profound than events occurring in any of these spheres is the development of the Self, which underpins everything that happens to us in life. This is the real heart of the mystery of fate, because if there is truly a destiny at work in individual life, it lies within, and the astrological configurations only reflect, at any given time, opportunities for this hidden development pattern. You may only experience glimpses of this inner pattern at work, through realising that some experience is vitally necessary even if it is painful. You may also sometimes sense the purposefulness of what is happening around and within you, even if you cannot find a rationale for what you sense. Through particular feelings and situations which make you grow, you can establish a strong connection with the inner world, even if your heart is sore or you are encountering trouble on the mundane level. But this kind of connection depends on how willing you are to look inward at the deeper pattern of your life, regardless of how you are feeling at the time, or toward whom you feel it.

Danger: high explosives

This is likely to be a disturbing time. You may encounter powerful emotions within yourself which threaten to upset your self-image, your view of life, and certain structures on which you have based your security. External circumstances of an unpredictable and possibly hurtful kind may trigger these feelings in you. But the feelings may be out of proportion to the event, revealing deeper dimensions of your inner world which you may have tried to avoid facing in the past.

Your fundamental survival instincts are being activated at the moment, and this could make you react to external pressure or disappointment as though everything were a life-and-death struggle. If you let yourself be overwhelmed by such feelings, you may try to assert power over others to defend yourself. Or you may sink into a black mood of passivity and martyrdom. Neither response would be very helpful to you at the moment.

You could discover hidden resources of strength and tenacity right now, as well as profound insights into your deeper nature. Life is likely to challenge your previous assumptions, and require that you examine the roots and value of your religious, moral and ethical convictions. You are not likely to gain anything by responding to the world as though it were trying to hunt you down. Newly awakened survival instincts need to be put in the service of your own well-being and self-understanding, rather than utilised to control or do battle with others.

It may prove tricky to hold your own ground without taking the role of the aggressor. If you strike first, or indulge in retaliation, you may incur strong opposition which could leave you feeling defeated and humiliated. Try to cultivate detachment, and a perspective which can allow you to recognise and honour your feelings while containing their more primitive elements.

On a deeper level, the discovery of such inner intensity and power could transform not only your view of yourself, but also your understanding of human nature. But such a transformation depends on your being able to accept the darker elements in yourself and in life. You may be particularly aware at the moment of life's unfairness, and of how easy it is for human destructiveness - including your own - to be unleashed. While this may not be a pleasant revelation, it is a realistic one, which could give you the objectivity and strength to cope with life situations which are distressing but which happen to even the nicest and most decent of souls.

There is no easy formula which can tell you what to do right now. You are being challenged to accept dimensions of life which may conflict with your personal values, religious convictions, or ideology. But you might benefit from acknowledging such issues even if you don't like them. Try to tap your own resources of strength and integrity without joining the power games which occupy the time and energy of so many people. You may feel very angry, hurt, or betrayed because of external events occurring in your life at this time. Your feelings may be totally justified.

But it is where those feelings lead which is so critical, and you probably have many more choices than you realise. Pretending that everything will be fine if you just think positively may be too naive a response. Telling yourself that any means are justified by the end may be cynical and destructive. This is a profoundly important time, when subtle choices are being offered to you which can lead to the firming up of values and ethics which truly matter to you.

Survival of the fittest

This is an extremely important period of your life, and as it passes, who you are and what you want are likely to be radically transformed. You may experience upheaval, frustration, or conflict in your outer life which lead you to change direction, and you may have the strong sense that a chapter of your life is coming to an end. Your emotional reactions may be surprisingly intense, for your survival instincts are likely to be mobilised. As a result, you may try to struggle to retain control over your life.

But engaging in battle to resist change could be an unwise course, for on a deeper level you may need the changes which you might feel are being forced on you. You might benefit much more by bowing to the inevitable, and confining your battles to what you know you can and should achieve. Discerning the difference may, however, take some time. Try to avoid confrontations with authorities or institutions at this time, even if you feel you are being oppressed by forces you believe to be negative or destructive. While some struggle may be necessary, you need first to clarify what you should really be struggling for.

Try to look inward, and evaluate to what extent you are conscious of the deeper levels of your personality, and in touch with emotional needs and patterns from your early life.

You may need to let go of certain old attitudes, structures, and habit patterns which are obstructing deeper needs and blocking your development as an individual. Even if you feel hemmed in, angry, or victimised, you might have to recognise that a deeper, wiser pattern is at work in your life right now, and your conscious ego is not, at the moment, master in the house. Most importantly, try to refrain from vindictive actions or manipulation of others. This would probably backfire, and may leave you feeling humiliated and defeated.

Try to be honest with others as well as yourself. It could be that certain people or situations may leave your life during this time, whether or not by your own choice; and feelings of loss might leave you feeling vulnerable and powerless. But anything passing from your life has probably fulfilled its purpose, and you would be wise to relinquish gracefully what you cannot hold. You are on the threshold of a new phase in your life. Even if you have had this imposed upon you, later on, with hindsight, you may recognise how very necessary and productive the changes are.

Feeling held down

You may be feeling a little low or dispirited right now. Your personal life may not be running smoothly, and you may experience conflict with those close to you. Activities which not long ago might have seemed exciting or fulfilling may now seem wearying or burdensome. You are also likely to feel lonely and isolated, because others may seem to misunderstand you or are failing to respond to you in the ways you might wish. But you yourself may not be communicating clearly, because you may be experiencing internal conflicts which cause you to give mixed messages to others and to misread what they are saying to you.

Your image of yourself is changing right now, and you may need to find the flexibility to allow this without feeling threatened or inadequate. External circumstances could be pushing you to see that you are more than just one thing, and may have more than just one set of needs. You can usually respond to life's challenges with self-discipline, toughness and tenacity, but at the moment you may be feeling vulnerable, shaky and fearful of the world's criticism. All your usual communication routes may seem blocked off, and it may appear that no one is hearing you any more.

Perhaps you need to find ways of expressing yourself which are more adapted to the immediate requirements of your environment, rather than expecting the outer world to adapt to you.

Any conflicts you are experiencing between your work and personal life, or between your own needs and those of your partner, may reflect the need to develop more flexibility and different languages through which you can make your identity and needs known. You may also need to move ahead without expecting the support of others; they may not be able to give it right now, and deep down you may not really want to receive it because you are trying to learn to stand on your own feet.

A relationship conflict or separation could highlight issues of self-sufficiency, and you might need to take charge of areas of your life which in the past you have left to others. During this time you can learn to make important adjustments in your habitual ways of interacting, which may no longer be suited to the changing requirements of the world outside and the people in it. If you go about feeling stubborn, aggrieved and sorry for yourself, you will not be able to take advantage of the constructive possibilities of the time.

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Chapter IV

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CONCLUSION

Each of the sections given above describes planetary patterns which, at core, will be shared at some time and in some way by other human beings. What we experience is not as unique as we might think; we all go through joy, pain, good fortune, loss, loneliness, togetherness, light and darkness, and we all have certain needs and drives in common. But the timing and distinctive expression of your constantly changing growth pattern is unique to you, and so too are the individual heart, mind, body and spirit which experience that pattern. Whatever might occur in your outer life over the next year, finding meaning in it, and connecting that meaning with who you are and what you really seek in life, can unlock previously unsuspected funds of energy and creativity, and can give you a greater range of choices in the future. We are taught as children to "use time wisely". What does this mean? Perhaps the most profound meaning is that time has qualities, and each moment of time has a special meaning for us as individuals. And understanding and working with these qualities and meaning can transform how we experience the circumstances of our lives.

APPENDIX

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Suggested further reading

On planetary cycles and movements:
«The Gods of Change» by Howard Sasportas (transits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto)
«Transits: The Time of Your Life» by Betty Lundsted
«Transits» by Rob Hand

On individual planets and their meaning:
«The Astrological Moon» by Darby Costello
«Prometheus the Awakener» by Richard Tarnas
«Venus and Jupiter» by Erin Sullivan
«The Inner Planets» by Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas
«The Luminaries» by Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas
«Exploring Jupiter» by Stephen Arroyo
«The Outer Planets» by Liz Greene
«Saturn» by Liz Greene
«Neptune» by Liz Greene
«Chiron and the Healing Journey» by Melanie Reinhart

On the subject of fate:
«Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle» by C. G. Jung
«The Astrology of Fate» by Liz Greene

Other Astro*Intelligence reports written by Liz Greene can enhance the value of this report, because the greater your understanding of yourself, the more intelligently you can work with the meaning of the time. For an in-depth analysis of your birth horoscope, you can order the Psychological Horoscope Analysis. For deeper insight into your relationships, the Relationship Horoscope can offer a new perspective. If you are still looking for your vocation, Career and Vocation can provide new impulses for you. And for a greater appreciation of the unique personality of your child, or of your own childhood, you can order the Child's Horoscope.

A wider view of your personal perspectives for a period of six years is offered by the Long-term Perspectives.

You can order these reports at the same sales point from which you received the report you are reading.

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Technical Information

In order to create this analysis, the following astrological factors have been examined:
- major progressed aspects (conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile) of the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, MC, Mercury, Venus and Mars to natal planets and angles.
- major aspects ( conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile) of transiting Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Chiron, Saturn, and Jupiter to both natal and progressed planets and angles.
- conjunctions and oppositions of transiting Mars to both natal and progressed planets and angles.
- aspects between progressed planets, especially progressed new and full Moons.
Special importance is given to stations of transiting planets close to natal planets and angles. Importance has been given not only to the nature of the specific progressed or transiting planet and aspect, but also to natal configurations which echo the progressed and transiting aspects, to house positions of natal, transiting and progressed planets, and to the overall balance of elements and configurations in the birth chart. Internally the results of the Psychological Horoscope Analysis are used for the evaluation of each chart.

Because the importance of any transit or progressed aspect is not limited only to the time of the precise aspect, but extends for some time before and after, orbs of aspect have been used. These recognise the buildup and gradual diminishing of the energy of a particular planetary movement. Consequently some configurations are described which may not reach exact aspect until the following year, but which are already beginning to show their effects, or which have already made an exact aspect in the previous year.

The report which results from these considerations is assembled from selected interpretation text sections. Not all transits or progressions which occur during a year are included in the printed report, only those selected by Liz Greene's model of interpretation. As in all works by Liz Greene the Placidus house system is used.