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Copyright Astrodienst AG 2000. All rights are reserved.
02-Jul-2002
Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
THE MEANING OF THE TIME
Many people assume that astrology is used to predict events, and that
a recognition of astrology's validity implies an acceptance of fatalism
and a denial of individual free will. Over the centuries, astrological prognostications
have certainly played an important role in the lives of world leaders and
the fate of nations. But predictability, and the fate which it implies,
are far more complex issues than simply a destiny written "in the stars",
about which the individual can do nothing. In the following pages, your
birth horoscope is analysed according to the planetary movements which are
occurring over the next year. On one level, it is a "predictive" analysis.
But its purpose is not a foretelling of concrete events. It is an exploration
of the inner changes and cycles which occur in every individual and which
often mysteriously coincide with events in the outer world. These planetary
movements will not tell us what WILL happen. They describe the stage the
individual has reached in his or her life, and what kind of responses can
be expected to external situations which might occur at any other time,
but mean something special because of the special time at which they are
occurring.
The German poet Novalis once wrote, "Fate and soul are two names for
the same principle." This profound perception of the identity of inner
and outer worlds is often difficult for the person unfamiliar with the
deeper psychological dimensions of astrology to recognise. Carl Jung echoed
Novalis' sentiment when he said that a person's life is characteristic
of the person. We are complex creatures, made up of many facets, and all
the different dimensions of the human psyche will seek, sooner or later,
to find their place in the light of day and achieve expression in the
outer world. But some aspects of the personality are inherently in conflict
with other aspects. Some will elbow others out of the way because we identify
with these at the expense of other, less developed attributes. Human development,
like that of any other living thing, proceeds in stages, in an elaborate
dance of interwoven themes. When the time is right, certain aspects of
the individual will strive for expression. In order for us to achieve
that expression, we may need to create, or find ourselves drawn to, external
situations which make us conscious of what we were unaware of before.
Some life events are not the expression of any individual need, conscious
or unconscious. They reflect great collective movements into which we
may all be swept up. Wars, plagues, famines, and holocausts may supercede
any individual effort at self-awareness or choice. But in those spheres
where our lives are our own, and not merged with the collective, we may
have many levels on which to fulfill the expression of our individual
horoscope patterns. We cannot be certain whether particular events are
inevitable, or whether, with foresight, they might be avoided or transformed.
We cannot be certain of the extent to which we are required to act out
or redeem conflicts which have been part of the family psyche over many
generations. These things contribute to what we loosely call "fate". Also,
the choices we make at any point in time may have unforeseen and far-reaching
consequences on the kind of events which occur later on. Cause and effect
may play more of a role in "fate" than we realise. What is clear from
the study of astrology is that no outer event is devoid of meaning, or
unconnected with individual psychological issues. "Good" luck and "bad"luck
are not luck at all, but reflections of what in ancient Greece was known
as kairos - the right moment.
Analysis of the year's planetary movements by computer is necessarily
limited, primarily because no computer can ascertain what an individual
has learned from experiences which have occurred in the past. Every stage
in life is processed by individual consciousness, and the degree to which
we are self-aware, and have some understanding of our deeper needs and
conflicts, may have a powerful effect, not only on how we respond to events,
but on the events themselves. Consciousness, rather than fate, may determine
whether we are able to turn a painful or difficult time into one of inner
strengthening and self-knowledge, and whether we can take advantage of
the right moment to develop abilities or pursue goals which previously
we might not have realised were possible. Our choices may be circumscribed
by our genetic inheritance on the physical level, and by social and collective
factors which place limits on our possibilities for growth. We may also
be circumscribed by our own self-doubt and blindness, and wind up fating
ourselves through reacting blindly to the emotions which a particular
situation stirs in us.
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
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
You tend to live close to the world of myth, and life
needs to be larger than life for you to feel you are truly alive. For
this reason you will probably respond positively and creatively to the
underlying energies at work over the next year. Your sense of future potentials
may be strongly activated, and you will probably find the necessary confidence
and spirit to try out all kinds of new ventures and possibilities. You
are not usually afraid of taking a gamble with life, and over the next
twelve months you may need to take some risks to make the most of the
opportunities likely to come your way. This does not mean that everything
will come up roses, without any effort. You may have a tendency to feel
so special and lucky that you lose contact with reality, and get yourself
in trouble through carelessness, extravagance, arrogance, or a tendency
to make an exhibition of yourself in a bid for attention. Try to be aware
of your weaknesses as well as your strengths right now. This could be
a time of golden opportunities and a great burst of creative energy. A
little restraint, and a semblance of humility, could help you avoid angering
others who might feel you are treading on their toes.
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 improve your financial situation and enjoy
life's material pleasures. 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.
In the past you have probably experienced several of these bouts of pessimism,
when all the negative things are exaggerated and you fail to appreciate
the positive aspects of your life. This propensity for exaggerating external
situations and reading more into them than they actually contain is something
you may need to understand better on a psychological level, so that you
don't react impulsively and make rash decisions. 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.
Living a meaningful life
A sense of self-esteem and faith in your abilities are likely to be at
a high level right now, especially if, in the last few months, you have
put energy and effort into achieving a long-desired goal and are now seeing
the fruits of your labours. Because you are likely to get what you have
been working for, a heightened sense of connectedness with the past, and
a strong feeling of continuity with family and roots, are likely to provide
some of the happiest dimensions of this period. Old feelings of insecurity
and inadequacy will probably not plague you now, and you may feel much
more optimistic about life in general - as though some long-standing burden
or sense of restriction has been lifted. You may also feel eager to explore
the world, and may experience a strong need to travel, mentally, physically,
or both, in order to expand your personal and professional horizons. The
key to getting the best out of this time is to make your dreams and hopes
real through careful practical effort. The feeling that you could do anything
if you tried may make you a little complacent or lazy, and the potential
of this period of your life could be lost through lack of initiative.
On the deeper level you may experience new intuitions about your potential
and what you can do to enhance your abilities and skills. These intuitions
have probably been building up for several months, and unlike many characteristic
human pipe-dreams they really do contain valid and workable possibilities.
This is why it is so important to 'go for it' while you are likely to
have such a strong sense of well-being and trust in life's bounty. Whether
your goals are material, emotional, or spiritual, an increased belief
in your worth and specialness will probably vindicate itself because,
consciously or unconsciously, you may be more generous and tolerant of
others and more able to allow them to help you. Also, your judgement is
probably sound at the moment, and if you engage in modest speculation
(although even good judgement will not help you if you decide to be foolish),
you may get much better results than you would at other times. Try to
decide first which ventures are really worth pursuing and have some genuine
substance in them. You may need to balance faith in the future with a
ruthlessly realistic assessment of your own abilities. Faith alone will
not result in success; you need to be competent enough to achieve your
goal.
During this time you may discover how past lack of faith in yourself,
or a deep albeit unconscious cynicism about life, might have blocked you
from expressing yourself, and prevented you from developing potentials.
You may learn quite a lot about the ways in which what we call 'good luck'
has deep connections with inner attitudes and assumptions about life.
You could be 'lucky' now in the sense that, if you have talents or abilities
which have not been developed because you secretly believed you would
fail or didn't deserve good fortune, putting your energy behind these
talents may take you much further than you would have believed possible
five years or even six months ago. You could simply enjoy the good feelings
likely at this time, and pass through them with your outer life unchanged;
and there is no cosmic requirement that you act on what you feel. But
if you do reach for a dream, you may be delightfully surprised at how
far you could travel in the future because of the seeds which you sow
in the present. Whatever you begin now, you are beginning under good inner
auspices. And whatever you complete now, you will probably find rewarding
for a long time to come.
Making a drama out of a crisis
You may experience a great swing of moods right now, ranging from feelings
of buoyancy and expansiveness to feelings of deep discontent. You may
be seeking new emotional experiences and new ways of expressing yourself,
and this could involve changing old patterns of interacting with others.
You may try to have your cake and eat it too, in the sense that you want
to preserve the status quo while experimenting at the same time. Not surprisingly,
this may anger or hurt those close to you, who may feel you are behaving
in a particularly self-absorbed and insensitive way - even though you
may feel quite the opposite. You may be inclined to create dramas at the
moment, perhaps because you crave emotional stimulation, and you may resent
the familiarity and sameness of established bonds. Indulge yourself if
you must, but don't be surprised if others do not respond in the ways
you want them to. At the moment you may not be very interested in reflecting
on the consequences of your own actions. But you will need to take these
into account if you are to make constructive use of the expansive mood
of the time.
In the past, you may have been a little too dependent on others' approval
in order to feel worthwhile. Now you may be trying to establish a greater
sense of freedom and emotional independence. But you may also want everyone
else to be sympathetic and supportive, even if you are hurting them in
the process. The changes you seek are undoubtedly positive and constructive;
you have reached a point in your emotional development when you probably
need to express more of yourself, and create new patterns of relating
to others. But try to be aware of the effect your actions have on those
around you, so that you can temper impulsiveness with some consideration
and self- containment. It is possible that you may enter a new relationship
at this time, which promises excitement and adventure. If you are unattached,
enjoy it; but don't sign anything, because your own emotional volatility
may be reflected in the kind of people you are attracted to. If you are
already in an established relationship, think hard before you leap into
someone else's beckoning arms. You might be inclined at the moment to
feel you would be justified in pursuing your own emotional gratification,
without taking into account the full consequences of your actions. Before
you chase romantic dreams, try to see exactly what you are looking for,
whom you are looking at, and why you might not seem, at the moment, to
be able to find it at home.
- - -
Another important theme
There is another important dynamic at work this year, which may sometimes
support and sometimes contradict the energies described above.
You may not always enjoy some of the experiences and
inner feelings you encounter over the next year, partly because you do
not like explaining yourself. Words are not always the best medium for
you to express what you really feel, but words - especially those which
are clear and unequivocal - may be what is required of you now. Even if
you are fluent in verbal expression in creative work, you may be challenged
to communicate in more direct ways which make you feel pinned down. Much
of your focus is likely to be on communication with others - not only
in the realm of ideas, but also on the material level. This might sometimes
make you feel negative and bogged down. But this could also be a time
when you are challenged to develop new skills which can enhance your creative
abilities and give you a greater chance to actualise your dreams and ideals.
Travel may also push you into expanding your world-view and learning to
take every day as it comes. Try not to get into combative situations with
others, and take any challenging confrontations as a potential spur to
your powers of self-expression. Perhaps this year can teach you how important
it is to meet others halfway, and share what you think and feel in ordinary,
everyday ways.
Thoughts versus feelings
There may be considerable conflict within you right now, between your
concepts about love and life and your deeper emotional needs. Your world-view
has probably always been strongly coloured by the inherited attitudes
of your family background, particularly those of your father and grandfather.
This way of looking at life has probably served you well in the past and
may again in the future, but at the moment it may seem incompatible with
what you feel you need to be happy. You may want things you think you
shouldn't want, and this may make you feel not only frustrated and discontented,
but guilty as well. You are struggling to combine intellectual insights
with emotional needs, and right now the mixture may not be blending properly.
As a result, you may swing back and forth between a detached and apparently
clear view of your life, and a feeling of intense dissatisfaction, especially
in close relationships, because your deepest values are in a state of
flux.
This need not be a disastrous time in your personal life. But you could
create problems for yourself if you try to make decisions too quickly,
for they may be based on one extreme or the other and may prove to be
the wrong decisions later on. Try to wait, contain your stress, and reflect
on all the different values and attitudes which you are probably discovering
within yourself. The American poet Walt Whitman once wrote, "I contain
multitudes." You may feel like that right now, and the feeling may not
be pleasant. Some compromise may have to be found between warring elements
within you and between you and loved ones, but this will inevitably take
time. Meanwhile, ask yourself whether your opinions and attitudes may
have grown too far away from your real self, and may need to be adjusted
or changed so that they are a more authentic reflection of who you really
are. This may require shifting entrenched views which belong to your family
and educational background. It may also require a willingness to put yourself,
rather than some detached philosophical outlook, first.
At times over the next months you may find yourself polarising with your
partner, or regularly feeling as though your views are being misunderstood
or ignored. If this happens, it is possible that your partner is only
articulating what you yourself once wholeheartedly believed and are now
trying to outgrow or discard. You may also experience a conflict between
your professional and personal life. You may want to give more time to
the latter, but feel bound by obligation to the former. But the real tension
may arise not from your actual life situation, but from your own attitudes,
which may have made you structure your life in certain ways that now need
changing. During this period you are likely to feel uncomfortable, unhappy
and dissatisfied. But if you can contain such feelings without striking
out blindly, you may learn a lot about your own deepest values. The resolution
of your conflict may lie not in choosing one end or the other, but in
waiting until an inner shift takes place which allows you to honour both
your convictions and your feelings, and express both openly and freely
in your life.
Too many ideas
Your mind is probably seeking new challenges and new horizons right now;
and this may make you mentally inattentive, restless, lacking in concentration,
and inclined to come up with exciting new ideas which, an hour later,
are forgotten as even grander ones arrive to take their place. During
this time you could expand your intellectual perspective and explore new
subjects and fields of learning. But because you may be reluctant to pay
too much attention to the fine details, it is not a particularly good
time to work on projects or business ventures which require thoroughness
and concentration. Preparing accounts for the taxman might be a bad idea
at the moment. Go for the big picture, in spheres where your interests
will not suffer because you have overlooked some important detail or planned
carelessly. There are many positive elements at work in your life right
now, for you are likely to be open to new and expansive ideas and probably
eager to explore the world, literally or intellectually. This could lift
you from humdrum routines and stale attitudes, and give you fresh creative
inspiration. But you may also need to be realistic about your capacities
at the moment; and patience and concentration are probably not among them.
Your mind may be occupied with how to change or enhance your domestic
environment and family interaction, and you might benefit from developing
new interests and activities along these lines. Travel might also be just
what you need at the moment, particularly if this involves learning a
new language or encountering unfamiliar customs and beliefs which open
your mind to other world- views. But be careful in all your financial
dealings, as well as in your judgement of others. You might not be watching
where you are going right now, and may exaggerate or simply ignore important
facts and feelings which could cause difficulties later. Most importantly,
don't gamble - either with money or with emotions. You will probably back
the wrong horse at the moment, or exaggerate your idea of your own or
someone else's infallibility. In any speculative matters, move slowly
and cautiously, or, better still, don't move at all. This is a fertile
and creative time for ideas and exploration, both through travel and study.
Make the best use of it by working within the limits of the kind of energy
available to you; and stay away from pots of gold at the end of rainbows,
which could cost you a lot more than you thought.
- - -
Chapter III
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.
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 new cycle begins
You are beginning a new chapter in your life, not only emotionally but
also in your development as an individual. In the last few months you
may have experienced a sense of expectancy combined with feelings of restlessness
and dissatisfaction. Although no specific event may mark this new beginning,
your life during the next cycle - a cycle likely to take around fourteen
years to reach fruition - is likely to be coloured by new goals and ways
of relating to others, and, most importantly, a new emotional perspective.
The area of your development in which new seeds are being sown is your
ability to express your creative ideas in fulfilling and original ways.
In the past your capacity to trust your creative abilities may have been
somewhat dependent on the approval of those around you - even to the point
where you might have chosen creative partners, or put time and energy
into your children's abilities, rather than discovering and developing
your own talents. The cycle now beginning may be marked by a greater capacity
to express your imaginative gifts, and by a deeper sense of trust in yourself
as a unique individual.
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.
Feeling alone against the world
Whatever is occurring in your outer life, your inner state is likely
to be one of considerable tension. You may have a sense that powerful
forces are aligned against you. Inwardly, you could be experiencing an
almost mythic battle which, although external circumstances might not
merit such a dramatic interpretation, may feel real enough to you. A feeling
of threat and slight paranoia may afflict you now, and you are probably
not inclined to trust life or the people around you. All your most primitive
survival instincts are being activated, and it may seem that the only
options are total victory or total defeat and humiliation. This is probably
not the first time you have perceived life through the perspective of
the survival of the fittest. An innate caution about human nature, combined
with a large dose of pride and great resources of tenacity and determination
which you can call on when you need them, have probably made you a bit
of a 'loner' who dislikes crowds and crowd mentality. When challenged
by life, you don't expect others to rush in and save you. At the moment
external pressures, combined with powerful emotional responses, may make
you want to stand and fight ferociously, or else bow your head and submit
passively. Neither response may be appropriate, and you might be wiser
to hold the middle ground, preserving what you know to be right for you
while letting go of any relationships, structures or attitudes which you
know you have moved beyond but which you have been clinging to because
of security needs. Your life is changing because your inner nature is
changing, and you are contacting deeper levels and needs within yourself
which you may not have given sufficient acknowledgement to before. Your
real battle may be between that in you which knows it is time to bring
a chapter of your life to a close, and that in you which fears any change
over which you do not have absolute control.
The issues which are triggering your feelings may vary enormously; but
the effects are likely to be felt in your financial affairs and your sense
of material and emotional security. You may experience profound shifts
in attitude, and may discover darker, more primitive feelings and attitudes
than you might have realised you possessed. You may also discover the
extent of your emotional power and intensity, and will probably not be
able to ignore the strength of your feelings. Your reponses to people
and situations may not be governed by reason at the moment, but by passion.
This might not be not a bad thing, because you could feel much more alive;
but you may need to be careful not to unleash your passions in ways which
could be destructive to you. Because you are likely to feel threatened,
you could react by attempting to gain absolute power over those who seem
to threaten you. This could invoke deep enmity and opposition, which would
make your life much more difficult. This is not a time to bring in the
big guns, for you may risk being defeated in your attempts to achieve
what you want. Small guns might be more appropriate; even better are the
attributes of patience, diplomacy, and the capacity to watch and wait.
Present conflicts may have roots in the past, and it is possible that,
around seven years ago, you made certain decisions whose consequences
are now facing you, or you began a new venture or relationship which is
now being put to the test. You may need to look to the past, to see where
certain attitudes of your own, developing slowly over the last few years,
have helped to create the opposition you might now be experiencing. You
may have been too rigid, or too unwilling to consider others' viewpoints;
or you may have been too insistent on having absolute control. Control
and power are in fact the deeper themes which underly this period in your
life. You may need to explore just how much you need power, personal or
worldly, and what you are prepared to do to get it; and you may also need
to recognise that compromise does not have to mean defeat or humiliation.
You could discover your own hidden power-drives through facing opposition
from others' equally powerful need to control. Jungle warfare would not
be appropriate at the moment, no matter how much you might feel like waging
it. If you are able to avoid the more savage human tendencies to retaliate
and destroy, you can emerge from this time with a much deeper sense of
strength and potency.
The dilemma of closeness versus freedom
A struggle seems to be taking place within you at the moment, between
two fundamental human drives - the need for independence and the desire
for a close and harmonious relationship. You have certain ideals about
love and partnership, whether you are able to formulate these or not,
and you may also hold particular views about the degree of compromise
required in order to make both your personal and professional life pleasant
and enjoyable. Even if you have not really been fully aware of just what
these ideals and attitudes are, nevertheless they have always been at
work within you. They have shaped your behaviour in relationships, as
well as the kind of people to whom you have felt most attracted and in
whose company you have felt most at ease. A high level of romance and
drama has probably always formed an important component of your ideals
in love, and material obligations may be insufficient to sustain your
affection. At the moment these ideals are being activated and challenged
quite forcibly, by an impulse arising from deep within you - a need not
only to rethink your values, but also to seek new intellectual and emotional
avenues through which to relate. This may cause quite a few difficulties
within any long-standing bond, for you may find yourself intolerant of
habits and qualities which previously you found attractive or at least
acceptable in those close to you. You may crave the new and unusual in
all your human interaction right now; and if you have been too dependent
on others in the past, you may experience powerful feelings of wanting
to escape.
As the tension builds up, you may try to push such feelings out of your
consciousness, because the prospect of change may seem threatening to
your existing emotional and material security. But this would not be wise.
If you try to deny the need for change, you may unconsciously set up a
situation in which attempts to deny your feelings irritate those close
to you, causing them to pull away and demand the greater freedom you yourself
secretly long for. If an existing relationship seems to be shaky because
of the other person's insistence on more space and freedom, you might
have to think long and hard about whether a greater degree of autonomy
within the relationship might be better for you as well as your partner.
You may experience a separation during this time, and it may also seem
hurtful, unfair, and against your wishes. Yet something deep within you
may be wise enough to know that, if such an ending occurs, your own life
could open up in very positive ways. Perhaps you have secretly outgrown
the past, but have not been able to face the difficulty of letting go.
You may find yourself in the mood for experimentation, not only intellectually
and emotionally, but also sexually. You are likely to be drawn to people
who might not have attracted you in the past, or who would not ordinarily
come within your social orbit. They will probably have qualities which
fascinate you, not because they are perfect future partners, but because
you glimpse in them all the unlived unconventionality and creative autonomy
which you might find difficult to express yourself. If you find yourself
involved with someone who opens up your vision and your world-view, but
who seems unavailable or unwilling to make a commitment, try to enjoy
what you have found without demanding guarantees. You are in a process
of great change, and you probably don't yet know who you will be when
you emerge from this emotionally transformative period. Carry a light
suitcase and don't sign anything; and don't try to coerce someone else
to sign anything either. Most people's attitudes toward love, marriage,
and partnership are deeply rooted, often unconsciously, in the values
they have acquired from their family background. You are no exception.
While these values might have worked well in the past, now you may need
to break free - not necessarily from people in your life, but from your
inner attitudes toward relationship. A sound existing relationship, although
it may take some buffeting, will be transformed for the better by your
discoveries. Those people to whom you are bound only through guilt, security
needs, or family or social expectations may, however, permanently leave
your life. If so, don't brood on where things might have gone wrong; try
to recognise that it may be time to move on.
The transformation of the heart
Your emotional life is liable to undergo profound changes now. These
changes may be far-reaching and may affect certain close relationships
as well as the ways in which you express your feelings and needs to others.
One important issue now likely to be highlighted is dependency on the
good opinion of others and the role you play at work and in society. You
are going through a process of emotional maturation which may require
that you let go of certain props - material or human - which have allowed
you to avoid validating your own feelings and needs. One of the underlying
themes of this period is the conflict between self-sufficiency and belonging.
You may need to reevaluate relationships in which the need to be needed
might have caused you to stifle, doctor, or disguise who you are and what
you instinctively need for your fulfillment. For this reason, you may
have to say goodbye to anyone who has served primarily as a species of
surrogate parent in your life, or on whom you have depended too much for
a sense of your own worth.
The rite of passage you are undergoing may involve distressing feelings.
The pattern of your earliest emotional experiences is now close to the
surface of consciousness, and you may find yourself disturbed by powerful
and even compulsive feelings whch are out of proportion to your present
situation. Such intense feelings may reflect the emotions of your childhood,
and any unresolved issues around unmet or thwarted emotional needs from
the past are likely to demand your attention now. It is important that
you can distinguish between the people in your present life, and feelings
which may be much older and rooted in early family dynamics. You may experience
deep anger, inexplicable anxiety, depression, possessiveness, powerful
sexual fascination, mistrust, or a strong desire to hurt those whom you
feel have hurt you. All these feelings may be real and powerful, but they
could be more subjective and exaggerated than present circumstances merit.
Most of all, you may experience a deep sense of loneliness and isolation,
which could make you sometimes feel in desperate need of contact with
others - even if you try to achieve this contact in ways which drive them
further away. The transformative process which you are undergoing could
help you to let go of past wounds, and it could be crucial for you to
learn to cope with loneliness at this time. All human beings have needs
which others cannot meet, simply because they are human. Also, we all
have a child within us who will always want more than what our parents
and family were able to give us. Sooner or later, we must learn to nourish
ourselves, if we cannot find others to fulfill us - but without resentment,bitterness,
or bleak resignation. If you can work with the deep changes now occurring
in your emotional life, with a positive attitude and some careful introspection
about your family background and early relationships, you will emerge
a stronger and more self-sufficient person. You may also emerge deeply
compassionate and understanding of those who really do love and need you,
but whose offerings you presently may not be able to fully appreciate.
- - -
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.
Tenacity pays off
You are likely to be in control of your will and your energy at the moment,
and may discover resources of patience and tenacity you didn't know you
had. Your goals are probably more realistic and you may be more aware
of the consequences of your actions on others. This means you are in an
excellent position to see projects and plans through to fruition, and
to respect the rules and laws of the world outside. You may feel somewhat
restricted or burdened with additional responsibilities, and it is likely
that you are not a wholly free agent at the moment. But you can carry
this load without too much difficulty, because you are learning how to
wait. You are probably also willing to work hard right now, and are therefore
likely to earn the respect and support of those in authority. This is
an excellent time for research projects, long-term business planning,
or the careful setting up of an independent creative venture. Although
you may not feel especially inspired, you are able to ground your vision
in solid reality, and can adapt your energy to the requirements of the
marketplace.
Increased self-respect and the sense that you are in charge of your life
may create improvements and advantages in your family relationships and
domestic environment. You may feel more in control in dealing with family
members and also freer to create the kind of home you want. You may also
wish to move house, and if so, you are likely to do it in an organised
and relatively problem-free manner. Instead of fearing that others might
block or oppose your independent actions, you can now meet them halfway.
You can compromise in small things in order to achieve a big thing later;
and you are less likely to accumulate resentment at having to wait than
you might have been in the past. Try to take advantage of this important
phase of your development. Although it may not be especially dramatic
or exciting, you can achieve solid and long-lasting results from your
efforts. You will not have to keep your nose to the grindstone forever;
but at the moment that seems to be the requirement, and you will very
quickly see the benefits of accepting such an attitude. Although unglamourous,
the qualities of patience, self- control, self- discipline and tenacity
are extremely valuable ones. You are able to call upon them now in a particularly
effective way, and this can help you to build a sound and enduring base
from which to launch future plans.
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.
A time of stress
You may experience a good deal of tension and anxiety during this unpredictable
period. A collision appears to be occurring between your need for freedom
and your need to preserve the status quo. You may experience intensely
rebellious feelings, as well as unexpected events or encounters which
shake certain structures in your life and challenge you to be more flexible
and independent in your thinking. It is possible that you have been too
cautious or defensive in showing feelings spontaneously, or in expressing
original creative ideas. Now your controls may seem to be breaking down
or proving ineffectual, and you may have to let life in. This could cause
a lot of anxiety, because something within you may fight to defend old
ground. Try to adopt a flexible attitude toward any changes occurring
in your life. If you fight against change, you may place undue stress
on your body, as well as provoking opposition and anger in others. The
probability is that some well-worn structure, relationship, or commitment
will have to be relinquished, because it has fulfilled its purpose and
you have grown beyond it. If you are able to take an objective rather
than an emotional view, you may be able to discern an intelligent pattern
beneath any disruption occurring in your life.
It may be important to find a point of balance between clinging to the
past and leaping blindly into the future. Although you may experience
a lot of tension in maintaining such balance, any major decisions should
be made only after reflection and careful assessment, rather than on impulse
or as a means of alleviating stress. Also, try not to antagonise those
in authority because you feel limited or restricted. The real limits lie
within you, and it is your own attitudes which are being challenged. It
may be that certain goals or ambitions must be altered before you are
free to move ahead. Your work may not be suitable for the person you are
becoming, or you may need greater independence and might have to build
a working life which is more self-sufficient. If you find yourself out
of a job, perhaps you should think of ways in which your talents can be
utilised through independent effort rather than harnessed to a company
or institution. And if a relationship moves out of your life through the
other person's choice, perhaps you may need to recognise that you yourself
may need greater freedom to build a new life. As long as you are able
to face major decisions with calmness and the power of reason, you can
turn this turbulent period into a highly constructive and creative one.
- - -
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.
Focusing the mind
Serious thoughts may occupy your mind right now, and you may have to
carry increased responsibilities or deal primarily with practical matters
that demand attention. But despite this focus on earthly things, this
is a constructive and harmonious period, because you are able to discipline
your thinking and apply yourself to the work at hand. Your concentration
is likely to be excellent and you may be unusually careful and thorough
in dealing with mundane details. This might be an excellent time to engage
in research or develop creative or business plans on a practical level.
You may not feel particularly inspired, and there may be a kind of heaviness
about your thoughts. But periods of inspiration must alternate with periods
when you ground the ideas which have inspired you; and this is one of
the grounding times. It might also be a very good time to engage in formal
study of any kind which requires disciplined learning and training and
awards a qualification for successful effoirt. Even if you are not ordinarily
temperamentally inclined to structure your time in this way, you may find
that you can do it now without difficulty.
Your ideas and opinions are likely to be well adapted to the world around
you. You may not be particularly impressed by high ideals at the moment,
but you can look out at life and see it as it is, and plan your route
within the limits set. You are likely to view your family and your background
with a much more realistic and analytical eye. Domestic matters of a practical
kind may also concern you and you may wish to acquire property or put
down roots in a stable home environment. If you have been especially idealistic
in the past, you may feel rather cynical and disillusioned now; and you
may find yourself irritated by abstract concepts which have no grounding,
or by people whose heads are in the clouds. You may sometimes sound a
little like a schoolteacher to your friends and loved ones, because you
may display a distinct propensity at the moment to give good advice -
whether it has been asked for or not. The views you express now are likely
to be firmly rooted in experience, and you can probably see no reason
not to share this experience with those you consider less perspicacious.
This is the only potentially difficult dimension of what is happening
within you - you may need to allow others their enthusiasm and intuitive
vision, even if at the moment your own perceptions are more earthbound.
Try to take advantage of this extremely constructive time by increasing
your knowledge and refining your skills. If you are involved in creative
work, you might find it easy to polish, refine, restructure and render
more marketable anything you produce - even if, in the past, this stage
of the creative process seemed boring and frustrating. You are probably
more willing to respect the opinions of the outside world, and more able
to adapt your efforts to the world's requirements. As long as you can
avoid sounding like a paternal authority to friends and loved ones, you
should be able to make many of your dreams and inspirations reality during
this time. You are not likely to shun hard work and can discover a tenacity
and patience that you may have lacked before. Even if you encounter difficulties
of one kind or another in other areas of your life, your present cautious
and pragmatic approach can help you to deal with any such problems in
a realistic, patient and sensible way.
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.
Fears and worries
You may be rather serious in your thoughts at the moment, and inclined
to brood over life's deeper and more perplexing issues. Even if you are
normally an introspective person, you are likely to be even more so now.
You may be intensely aware of loneliness, and the difficulties which people
have in communicating with each other. You might also feel that others
are misunderstanding you, or are unsympathetic to what you are trying
to say. But you may misunderstand them too, and you could misinterpret
remarks which others do not mean as destructive or hurtful. You might
be a little too sensitive to what you experience as criticism right now,
and you may feel that no one understands or appreciates your ideas. Yet
you may be too critical of others' viewpoints, and you could inadvertently
display an uncharacteristic defensiveness or rigidity which does not encourage
others to engage in dialogue with you.
Matters concerning your family background and family relationships may
preoccupy you now, and you may experience considerable worry or agitation.
You may also feel disillusioned, disappointed, cynical, or uncertain of
what you believe in. You may remember with unusual clarity those times
in the past when you have been unable to communicate your thoughts, or
faced others' indifference. You may also remember issues concerning your
early education, and you may be feeling a little insecure and unsure of
your intellectual abilities. You may even feel as though you are unintelligent,
or unable to cope with the challenges life is offering you at the moment.
But such a tendency toward negative thinking can have a positive side,
because it can lead you to honest self- questioning.
You may have experienced hurt in early life because the communication
between you and your family broke down. You may experience the same kind
of communication breakdown with a loved one at the moment, and it may
make you feel isolated and misunderstood. But whatever occurs in your
outer life right now, try to explore the ways in which you formulate your
thoughts and translate them to others. Words matter a great deal right
now, and you could learn a lot from observing how others express themselves
to you and, more importantly, how you express your thoughts and feelings
to them. Are you direct and honest, and able to share ideas and emotions
without evasion or smokescreens? Are you aware of the power of words to
injure others? Do you know how to listen to others when they speak? And
what do you need from them in order to feel you are being heard? What
do you really think about the various issues in your life and your world?
Try to use this time to recognise and define your viewpoints and attitudes,
and to improve on those areas where you yourself may be helping to create
the misunderstandings you could now be experiencing.
- - -
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 material security,
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.
Relinquishing self-will
A peculiar passivity may affect you right now, although this is likely
to be subtle and gentle rather than unpleasant or destructive. You may
find that you are reluctant to assert your own wishes unless they are
in harmony with the needs of those around you, and you may want to put
your energy and initiative into causes or concerns which benefit the community
or humanity in general. In fact you may be downright reluctant to do much
of anything, unless it furthers your ideals. Taken to extremes, this could
become a resistance to doing anything at all except drift pleasantly along
in a dream-world because it seems too difficult to make decisions or take
action in the real world. This period is likely to be an ambivalent one,
for it has both positive and negative possibilities. Much depends on what
you choose to do with the subtle changes you are likely to experience
in your levels of energy and your capacity to use your will.
On the positive side, you may experience a deeper understanding and appreciation
of your background, roots, and family relationships. Because you are likely
to trust the invisible currents of life right now, your efforts may be
combined with a relaxed attitude which could take you much further than
anxious pushing and shoving to get where you want to go. You may also
find that others are more responsive to you because you are more considerate
of them, and more attuned to their needs. On the negative side, you may
be so sure that everything will somehow magically work out that you fail
to act or make decisions when you need to. If you are not alert and careful,
you may pay a price for such passivity later. Others may be very supportive
to you right now, but you may be inclined to rely a little too much on
them; and you may need to balance this with a good sense of your own capabilities.
And while your sensual as well as your emotional nature is likely to be
open and receptive right now, you may also need to make sure that any
new relationship you enter is really what you think it is. This could
be a moving, rewarding, and immensely creative time. But keep your eyes
open, and remember that you have a will, and that you may need to use
it from time to time. Life may do some, or even most, of the work for
you right now; but it will not do everything.
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.
A challenge from within
At the moment you may feel you are losing your sense of direction, and
your clarity about who you are and what you want. You may also feel victimised
by life, or lacking in strength and resilience. Your energy may be low,
and you could be particularly vulnerable to offers of salvation made by
those who seem to know better than you what you should be doing. Be very
careful about abdicating responsibility for your life, in your work, your
emotional life, or in any quest for spiritual or religious truths. Something
within you may be seeking a higher authority which can give you the direction
you feel you have lost. But your faculties of discrimination are probably
not working especially well right now, and you may find that the authority
that seemed so promising turns out to exploit or disillusion you. Or you
may simply expect too much, creating your own inevitable disappointment.
Although this may be an uncomfortable time, try to remain calm and patient
in the midst of the fog, until you have a clearer sense of what is truly
right for you. Certain old attitudes and assumptions are being stripped
away from you, gently but irrevocably, and you may experience disappointment,
denial, or an enforced sacrifice of some kind in your outer life. Neither
passivity nor aggressive attempts to reestablish control are likely to
help. Patient attentiveness to your inner processes will achieve the most
positive results.
Your developing individuality is being challenged right now, perhaps
by outer circumstances, but equally importantly, by childlike longings
which are opposed to the emergence of a defined and separate identity.
In other words, just at the moment when you are really beginning to take
shape as an individual, something within you could be panicking because
the fear of loneliness is so great. Any expression of a defined individuality
involves some aloneness, which is why many people fear it and prefer to
blend with the crowd and live lives dictated by collective opinions and
values. You cannot live such an inauthentic life right now, and, even
if you managed it in the past, probably never will again. A need to free
yourself from limiting elements in your family background is too great
to allow you to be content trying to fulfill others' expectations. But
it may seem as though what you truly want is being denied right now, or
obscured by your own emotional and mental confusion. Over time the confusion
will resolve itself into a clearer understanding of yourself as a separate
individual. Any losses you experience may in fact be right and necessary
on deeper levels, so that you can develop according to your own special
pattern and destiny. Any efforts you make to hide from what you are becoming
may result in unnecessary unhappiness and disillusionment, which could
perhaps be avoided.
You have always had a sense of realities other than the material one,
and your imaginative and intuitive abilities may have given you a glimpse
of life's unity - even if more rational faculties have promptly denied
such perceptions. At the moment you probably need to find a still place
within, where you can abandon the need to control everything around you,
yet still maintain a strong sense of your own value and individual identity.
In this still place you may experience an intuitive connection with a
higher or deeper reality, which could sustain you in the midst of confusion.
Ideas of self- sacrifice or abdicating responsibility for important decisions
may seem attractive right now, but they are not likely to be the authentic
voice of your own soul. You cannot escape becoming an individual, and
attempts to forestall this process by giving away what you have not yet
got are likely to be doomed to failure. The only thing you may need to
sacrifice is any hope you might entertain that somehow you will be exempted
from becoming yourself. Try not to become defensive because you feel the
landmarks are shifting and your control is slipping. Perhaps it needs
to slip a little, although not too much; and you can gain a great deal
from such increased openness to subtler levels of reality. But avoid as
you would the plague any individual or situation which seems to promise
easy money, happiness, or spiritual redemption. This is an important period
in your life, when you are moving in two worlds at once, the outer and
the inner. Try to maintain a foot in both, and keep both eyes open to
what is in front of you, not what your fantasies tell you ought to exist.
- - -
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.
Control and containment
A sense of realism, sobriety and self-containment is likely to permeate
your dealings with others at this time. Your self-expression may seem
a little limited or restricted, but not in a negative or depressing way;
you are probably feeling serious, concerned with being authentic and competent,
and better able to adapt your attitudes to the world around you than you
might have been at certain times in the past. As a result, your innate
kindness, sensitivity and tact have a chance to be anchored in constructive
planning for the future and in building solid relationships in the present.
You are likely to be in the mood to be useful rather than frivolous, and
to make a real and lasting impact on your environment rather than simply
drawing attention to yourself. As a result, your natural gifts can be
put to practical uses and your sense of inner stability can help you to
affirm those bonds which have a real and lasting value in your life.
You may wish to tone down both your personal image and your lifestyle
during this time, and may be more concerned with commitments and responsibilities
than with gadding about having fun. You may feel distinctly 'middle-aged'
at the moment, and may be rather too preoccupied with security and the
passing of time. This does not mean that all the sparkle and frivolity
have gone from life. Any sobering down that you experience right now simply
reflects the quality of the time, in which you are more likely to want
structure and permanence than flux and change. This could be an excellent
time to clarify your goals and the kind of person you wish to be in the
eyes of others. You may want to refine your lifestyle, break bad habits,
and consolidate resources rather than wasting time, energy and money on
immediate self-gratification. Adjustments or alterations in your immediate
environment may seem attractive if the superfluous and the superficial
are pared down. The solid bedrock of who you are, and your fundamental
outlook toward life, are likely to be visible to others at this time;
and recognising these essential values yourself can give you a lasting
sense of confidence and self- respect.
Reflecting on the past
This is likely to be a sober and serious time, when you gently and quietly
make peace with your own human limits and failings. You are probably inclined
to be reflective and somewhat sombre, and you may be intensely aware of
hurts and deprivations from the past which have contributed to the person
you have become. You may also recognise that there are certain wounds
within you, as within most human beings, which might never have fully
healed; and these wounds may somehow have limited your potentials or created
defenses against life. But at the moment you are probably not inclined
to make yourself miserable battling against life's unfairness, or trying
to eradicate what you deem to be your own inadequacies. You are able to
accept what you see, and work within realistic boundaries. This reflects
a subtle but deep change in attitude, which can in its own way help to
heal much past bitterness and any sense of grievance against life which
you might carry. In the most profound sense it is a coming to terms with
your own fallible humanity, and with the world as it is rather than as
you wish it could be.
You may experience a sense of making peace with limits and failings in
your close personal relationships. Probably nothing much has really changed
outside, but you have changed inside; and this may make everything look
and feel different, and less threatening and painful, because you are
able to be more philosophical about life. You are not likely to kick against
fate at the moment, nor rail against the imperfections of the world. You
are able to quietly get on with living, and with healing what you can
and accepting the rest in a spirit of compassion and tolerance. You may
not be especially aware of the changes taking place within you because
nothing dramatic is likely to 'happen' which causes a sudden shift in
consciousness. But if you are confronted with difficulties of any kind
in other spheres of life, you may observe that your attitudes have been
subtly changing and you are able to take a broader perspective on events
which might earlier have seemed grossly unfair or infuriating. You are
learning to live creatively within your mortal limits, and this will make
you a tougher, wiser, more self-sufficient and more genuinely understanding
person. And it is also likely that others will benefit from what is happening
to you, for you may wish to put what you know into practise. You may want
to train in the helping professions; or you may simply be a person in
whom others feel confidence and trust, and who can therefore offer help
and healing within the arena of ordinary everyday life.
A crisis of identity
Although this important time could be enormously healing and enlightening,
you may feel in a very vulnerable state at the moment. Your self-confidence
is likely to be at a low ebb, and your sense of flaws or failures may
be exaggerated. Whether events have conspired to undermine you in this
way, or you have simply slid into a negative or anxious state, you need
to be conscious of what is happening inside you in order to turn this
time into a healing and productive one. An important issue being raised
right now is that of your sense of self-worth and purpose in life. You
have probably never felt truly confident about your right to happiness
and fulfillment, and it is possible that early childhood experiences have
somehow undermined your sense of self-value and left you feeling vaguely
undeserving or cynical about life. You may need to do some honest soul-searching
about whether the path you are following is truly a reflection of your
deepest values, or whether you are living in accordance to a family or
collective formula which demands that you be a certain kind of person.
If you experience rejection, either in personal life or in your sphere
of work, it may be because, deep down, you aren't really happy with what
you are doing. Any opposition you experience might in fact be a secret
boon, forcing you to think hard about who you really are and what you
really want. Try not to react by becoming angry, even though anger may
seem to temporarily alleviate feelings of injury. Ultimately, unleashing
rage at others in an effort to make yourself feel better will only make
you feel worse.
Consider whether your present goals, professional and personal, are really
in accord with your need to feel rooted and secure in an environment in
which you feel you truly belong. You may have trapped yourself in structures
which are satisfactory on a material level but have left you feeling there
isn't a lot of point to it all. It may be an obscure sense of self-betrayal
which is plaguing you now. If you can discover where you might have been
disloyal to your own heart and soul, this period could reflect a time
of deep commitment and a realisation of what kind of life you need to
fulfill yourself. Try to discover this through your own efforts, rather
than waiting for external circumstances to give you a jolt which forces
you to begin the process of self- questioning. Your energy may be low
right now, so try to look after yourself. Stress and anxiety could leave
you prone to minor illnesses or symptoms which reflect a depressed or
disturbed inner state. You may have less to give others at the moment,
but this could work in your favour, ensuring that you give time and energy
to your inner life. If you experience hurtful situations, face your upset
honestly, rather than trying to avoid or ignore it. An honest recognition
of your vulnerability could make you a stronger person, because you won't
have to pretend that you are always tough and resilient. And try not to
take on responsibilities which involve fulfilling the needs and demands
of others. At the moment you might be wiser to give special attention
to your own needs and demands.
You may be drawn to the sphere of healing, either through recognising
that you yourself need help and support , or through a desire to study
or train in the helping professions. If your interests move in this direction,
this might be an excellent time to learn more about the process of healing
and the complexities of the human psyche. But your own complexities ought
to come first right now, and a sudden interest in the suffering of others
may reflect a dawning realisation that old wounds of your own are still
lurking underneath, waiting to be recognised and attended to. All human
beings are wounded by life at one time or another, and such fundamental
experiences can allow us to recognise the wounds in others and feel greater
compassion. You may find that your ability to empathise with others is
particularly strong at this time. The resolution of such painful internal
issues does not lie in any miracle cure or formula for instant enlightenment.
If you seek such a formula now, you will probably not find it. But a compassionate
and philosophical recognition of the limits of life, and of your own nature,
is itself a form of healing, for it can help you to stop trying to be
what you are not. Compassion for yourself, and an increased acceptance
of who you are as a human being, may be among the most valuable rewards
of this time.
The route to self-knowledge
You may discover depths within yourself during this time which challenge
habitual assumptions and convictions about who you are and what your life
is all about. At the moment your capacity for insight is likely to be
very great, and armed with such knowledge you could come to terms with
some of life's darker aspects as well as facing the complexity of human
nature with greater honesty. This could prove healing and transformative,
and you may find that your assessment and use of your talents and resources
are radically changed as a result. But in order to reach this place of
acceptance, you may encounter certain experiences which are frustrating
and disturbing, and which arouse powerful emotions you can hardly recognise
as your own.
Hurt pride and feelings of anger or vindictive rage may surprise you
in their intensity. You may also experience a powerful survival instinct
which makes you deeply aware of your strength and tenacity. You could
discover how strong a will you possess - perhaps through having it thwarted
in some way. But while this time could prove difficult and disturbing
in some respects, nevertheless it could be enormously creative because
your self-understanding is likely to deepen and you may become aware of
an inner complexity and richness you did not realise you possess. If you
feel thwarted or injured, try to refrain from spiteful or vindictive behaviour,
or attempts to control others. Self- pity and martyrdom would probably
also prove unproductive, as you are not a victim and you are unlikely
to help matters by trying to convince others that you are. You could make
peace with the deeper patterns at work within life and within your own
unconscious psyche, which may contain greater wisdom than your conscious
ego. Let go of what you cannot hold, and turn inward rather than outward
if you wish to make the best and most constructive use of this ime.
A time of testing
This is a critical period which represents a testing and challenging
of your identity and goals. It also concerns your sense of self-sufficiency
and inner authenticity, and will reveal just how capable you are of defining
who you are and what you want. You are in the midst of what is euphemistically
known as 'mid-life crisis', and you may be challenged not only by external
pressures (work, finances, social position) but also by fears arising
from within (growing older, dealing with disillusionment or boredom in
close relationships, facing difficult issues connected with children who
no longer need you as much as they once did). These challenges and pressures
may make you feel old, inadequate or unprepared for the next phase of
your life, and you may be inclined to cling too tightly to the past because
you are afraid you won't be able to cope with the future. You may be called
upon to stand firmly by your own values in the face of life's limits,
and the degree to which you are able to sustain your faith in what you
are and have is a measure of how true you have been to yourself.
If the creative endeavours you have undertaken really reflect your deepest
ideals, vision and values, then you have nothing to fear from this time
of life. In fact you may experience great satisfaction in having created
a truly individual path which reflects your own identity. But if you have
been false to yourself, or have built on shaky or borrowed foundations,
you may find that your security, inwardly and outwardly, is buffeted or
undermined by events, people, or your own emotions; and you may have to
relinquish certain elements of your lifestyle and certain attitudes which
you are better off without. You may also have to relinquish relationships
which are based not on real affinity but on a blind need for security
and safety. This may be a painful process, and you may not feel very self-
confident or hopeful of the future as a result.
The meaning of this time is not simply external hardship or challenge,
although you may have to carry extra responsibilities or fight for what
you believe you are entitled to. This period in your life reflects how
mature you are, how honest you have been with yourself, and how able you
are to make decisions based on trust in your own heart and soul. To the
extent that you have identified with the collective around you in order
to feel safe and 'normal', you may have a hard time right now. But if
this is the case, try to be honest with yourself, for you have the opportunity
to rectify your past mistakes and build more solidly for the future. The
worst thing you are likely to discover is that, in some sphere of your
life, you have been a fake. That may be a painful realisation, but it
can provide the impetus to deeper and lasting self-respect. To the extent
that you have remained loyal to your own individuality, even in the face
of loneliness or the disapproval of others, you will probably be rewarded
by a renewed sense of inner strength and confidence. Most likely you will
experience both things, as no person gets it wholly 'right'. This is an
extremely important and potentially very constructive time, and any difficulties
you encounter may be seen as a testing ground and a source of profound
learning and maturing.
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
a fluid and sensitive response to others' needs, but at the moment you
may be feeling hard, unresponsive and emotionally cut off. 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.
- - -
Chapter IV
CONCLUSION
The Greek philosopher Herakleitos once wrote that nothing is permanent
except change. The human psyche is always in a process of change and unfoldment,
and the planetary configurations which reflect your pattern of development
over the next year will change to new configurations which reflect new patterns
over the years to come. When we miss opportunities, they usually come back
again in a different form and on a different level, because life not only
changes but moves in cycles, reflected by the planetary cycles in the heavens.
Whatever "fate" might be, it is not a rigid design which denies us freedom
to choose, grow, make mistakes, re-choose, and grow again.
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
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, or from one of many other licensed distributors
in many countries of the world.
On the Internet, you will find more information about these reports and
other valuable astrological services at the web address given on the front
page of this report, or by searching for the keywords "astro*intelligence"
or "Liz Greene".
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.
The transit graphics
The timing of the transits and progressions within the focus period of
this report is visually represented by 'transit bars'. They are printed
in the graphical overview on page 4 and on the bottom of each page where
the interpretation of a transit or progression is given.
A transit bar begins at the moment when a moving planet enters for the
first time into the orb of a natal planet, and it ends when the moving
planet finally leaves the orb and doe not return into it (until the next
full cycle). When the planet is in orb, the bar is reprsented by a full
line. A planet can leave the orb and return later into the orb. During
this time the bar is represented by a dotted line. A planet can change
its direction of movement; when it becomes retrogards, this time is marked
with 'sr' for stationary retrograde. When it becomes direct again, the
time is marked with 'sd' for stationary direct. The moment when a transit
(or progression) becomes exact is marked with a little ' on top of the
transit bar.
The Month Table (page 5)
Some entries in the month overview table are marked with (2). Please
check the sidebar of the indicated page carefully. The mark (2) indicates
that in the given month it is not the primary transit which is activating
an issue but one of the secondary transits or progressions listed below
the primary event in the sidebar.
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