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STARS FOR
2008 By Fern Mercier
Let’s get real! is the catch-cry of 2008. Jupiter, Saturn
and Pluto are all grounded in the earth signs that by nature are conservative,
practical and industrious. Jupiter has already moved in to Capricorn and
stays there till early 2009. Its tendency to expansion is tempered by
Capricorn’s prudence and professionalism. We must expect more conformity
to tradition and protocols, with less speculation both in business and
in government. We are more likely to be content with gradual gain and
slow growth. Materialism, as in keeping up with the Joneses - measuring
self by the amount of money we earn, the brand of clothes we wear or by
the type of car we drive – is a Jupiter in Capricorn failing. Fortunately
under this transit we are more likely to want to earn our material excesses
rather than borrow on the credit card. Accountability will be a word bantered
about in politics and business. Money markets should be fairly stable.
Saturn is transiting modest Virgo with an emphasis on our health and
technology. Saturnine restraint in the sign of work brings a willingness
to avoid distractions and accomplish a great deal. Overwork and anxiety
are the downsides of this period, so learn to simplify routines and laugh
more! Invest in alternative health and energy technologies, for these
will pay off dividends in the long-term.
Pluto, even though it has been officially downgraded to a dwarf planet,
still packs a punch. It’s making headlines, changing signs from
Sagittarius to Capricorn at the end of January. Although it still has
unfinished business with Sagittarius – it clears that up during
June to November and finally moves back into Capricorn where it stays
for the next 16 years until 2023.
The outer planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are moving through the
last three signs of the zodiac. These transpersonal planets help determine
our priorities and collective concerns and we are most certainly in a
time of great and radical transition for the human consciousness.
Pluto’s movement from Sagittarius should help defuse the extremism
of fanatical and fundamentalist belief systems. Humanity needs all the
help it can get to release old ideologies that have been responsible for
so much suffering on our desperate planet.
Capricorn is a sign concerned less with religion and more with our social
responsibilities and systems. In the 16th century when Pluto was in Capricorn,
the power base of the Roman Catholic Church was permanently altered by
Martin Luther’s Reformation in Germany. During the last time Pluto
was in Capricorn in 1762 – 1777, the Industrial Revolution started
to accelerate. This time round, the World Bank and International Superpowers
are the ones who will find their corporate systems, standards of conduct
and morally bankrupt leadership increasingly under threat from Pluto’s
transforming force. The United States of America has Pluto in Capricorn
in its birth chart. Its national sense of security is presently based
on its being a world power, but a ‘fall from grace’ could
radically change that role.
The dumbing-down of democracy that we have been experiencing with the
political and media cultures systematically treating the populace like
small children, is another Pluto in Capricornian issue to be addressed
and turned around under this huge shift in collective consciousness.
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ARIES 20 March – 19 April
Work at sorting out home and family before you
worry about your career. If public and private issues clash, give priority
to your personal life. Opportunities to expand your professional ambitions
won’t disappear in a hurry. If problems with workmates become challenging,
only quality time and concentrated effort can prevent them from escalating.
Live up to authority figures’ demands even if they’re tedious;
you will be amply rewarded in due course. Cautious long-term planning
will yield better outcomes so rein in your “get-rich-quick”
dreams and temper optimism with a good dose of restraint. After August,
partnerships will thrive and your focus begins to shift outwards and upwards.
Treat your body with respect if you expect it to live up to the demands
you place upon it.
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TAURUS
20 April - 20 May
Expect to see and be seen - for your consciousness is expanding at a rate
of knots. If you’re searching for the meaning of life, you will
find the right guru, mentor, or teacher to help you explore those visionary
or spiritual ideas. Travel is definitely an option, but you might prefer
to be an armchair traveler. A book is a winged chariot just as powerful
as an airplane and is a cheaper alternative. If you can’t go out
into the world, the world might just come to you. You may feel more withdrawn
than normal, but don’t avoid encounters with others who love you.
Trust that your investment of time, money or love into the younger folk
you care for, will pay off big-time.
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GEMINI
21 May - 21 June
Make your life an original statement of your uniqueness. Even when obstacles
get in the way of your self-expression, use them to work out your own
way of dealing to them. It is crucial you express to the world at large
who you are in no uncertain terms. Keep as free, fluid and open to new
experiences without becoming rigid and stuck-in-the-mud. Family members
are prone to telling you what to do or trying to keep you in line. Even
your best and closest relationships will have to be redefined in some
way. Don’t get irritated – get cracking and make necessary
adjustments to your lifestyle. If you take on responsibility for someone,
ensure it is not the beginning of a long-term dependency.
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CANCER
21 June - 21 July
Making a meal out of your problems won’t endear those you need most
to support you. Grow up a little and snap out of becoming too dependant
on the good nature of others. Partners may in fact be spreading their wings,
which will help you both to grow. Test the boundaries of your relationships
and explore new territory. If brothers or sisters or even neighbours are
causing you worry, the best way forward is to communicate clearly what you’re
thinking. It might be easy to revert to pessimism or judgementalism, but
actually you can learn to change your thinking if you become more objective
about the real problems. Call on professional advice if necessary.
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LEO
22 July - 22 August
So what are you going to make of yourself? Ask the big questions –
what do you really want, what do you love to do the most, how can you
best utilize your resources and income to make your big dreams come true?
Then get cracking – stop agonizing and organize. Simplify your finances,
eliminate unnecessaries from the budget and refuse to allow financial
insecurity run your life. Focus on what is really valuable and don’t
confuse your needs with your wants. Daily and habitual routines can be
restructured to expand your base of operations. Old habits can be broken
easily. Do the job for the sake and the love of the job. You will be positively
amazed at the opportunities that arise in the space you create.
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VIRGO
23 August - 22 September
If you don’t loosen up, you will become toxic. You really are what
you eat and what you think – your body and mind are interconnected.
Learn about yourself and how you tick. Listen to what you are telling
yourself and counteract any negativity with positive affirmation and healthy
living. Laughter and love are the best medicines for the soul. Have the
courage to be yourself without fear or apology. Increase your creative
potential in as many ways as you can and expand the range of experience
in your life. Take up dancing, chess, writing, wine-tasting – it
doesn’t matter what you try – just let those creative juices
bubble. Take chances in love and let partners show the way to the future.
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LIBRA 23 September - 22 October
Going to ground isn’t a bad idea while you hibernate and regroup
from the world’s demands. Complete projects, cut any losses and
appreciate what you have accomplished rather than trying to initiate new
enterprises. Surrender to the zen of things and make a real effort not
to let anxieties about work dominate your mind. Learn to meditate or use
music and dream to ‘go with the flow’ more. If you seek inner
peace and security you can find it. Your home is a haven and your domestic
life a place of solace and nourishment. Renovations, redecorating, expanding
or investing in home and garden will generate rewards and satisfaction.
Put down roots and you can find a real sense of belonging in place and
community.
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SCORPIO
23 October - 21 November
Challenges always stimulate your warrior self, so the rumpety ride to
get you where you want to be is grist to your mill during the first part
of 2008. By mid-year however, you will feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment
which is well-earned. Plans for the future need to be well thought-out
and time-tested before application, but you are less influenced by your
usual pessimistic mind-frame. There’s a new willingness to face
the idea that many of the limitations you assumed were imposed by the
world, are in fact, self-imposed. Useful contacts can be found in your
immediate surroundings and training or education will help enormously
to stretch your mind and increase opportunities. Write that book, create
your website, travel more.
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SAGITTARIUS
22 November - 21 December
Your notions of what you are worth are about to be tested by the reality
principle so hang on for the ride. Managing the material world is a biggy
for the idealists and dreamers of the zodiac. Wise investment of your
resources and possessions will be supported by authority figures so don’t
blow the opportunities by mismanaging your funds, overspending on credit
or blowing the budget. Pay attention to what really matters and understand
that with power comes responsibility. Your professional ambitions take
a large chunk of your time and it might be easy to become stuck in the
public role you play for others, even in your private life. Keep your
personal life fluid, authentic and fun so you don’t become a workaholic.
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CAPRICORN
22 December - 20January
A huge shift is occurring deep within which will eventually force changes
in your outer life. Nothing to fear though as Jupiter, planet of growth
and luck is traversing your sign all year, bestowing healing and protection
on you and yours. Keep centered and allow partners help you see the past
in a different light. It is absolutely necessary that you begin to enlarge
your scope of activities. You are outgrowing old attitudes and need to
gain new experiences that enhance your self-confidence. Take on the responsibilities
and duties that are truly yours, but shed those that really don’t
belong to you to find a new sense of freedom. Travel especially if it’s
linked with work, can be enormously rewarding.
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AQUARIUS
21 January - 18 February
Solitude is an essential this year, even though you are such a people
person. There’s an intense need for dreaming, contemplation and
withdrawal from the concerns of the mundane world. It’s a good time
to head for the hills to meditate and develop a body of work based on
your experience. The real work lies within, inclining you to study or
be of service. However, don’t let this need become an escape hatch
to fantasy-land. Give time to spiritual exercise but don’t avoid
issues to do with careful management of your income and duties that you
share with others. There’s a fine balance to be found between sacrifice
of your own interests and compassion for others, especially in the financial
area.
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PISCES
19 February - 19March
Associations with those closest to you, as well as with the public, are
testing and make increasing demands on your time and energy. Strength
of character is all you have to get through these challenges. It is no
mean feat to exercise self restraint without self-sacrifice, and the moral
courage to be true to yourself whilst still holding together the relationships
you share. Expectations of the agreements you have in common will be stretched
to breaking point. You have marvelous friends who will support you with
practical advice and strong organizing instincts.
Keep your eye firmly fixed on the future – your goals and hopes,
and improve your life with education and travel that will enhance these
visions.
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Astrology
Foundation Inc.
AFI Journal/Newsletter Editor:
Carol Squires Ph 410-0097, Fax 410-0090 caros@astrologyschool.com
AFI Sunday Meetings:
Held the first Sunday of each month
Venue: NPSC Assn Clubrooms. Cnr 119 Queen
Street and Bartlett Street. Northcote Point. Auckland
Time: 7.00 pm - 9.00 pm
Fee: AFI members admitted free of charge.
Guests pay door fee of $10.00. Refreshments provided.
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Astrology
Links
Astrological software available with the JANUS program …
all New Zealand made!
www.astrology-house.com
Want to learn Astrology by Correspondence?
Contact Carol Squires at
www.astrologyschool.com
Phone 64 9 3613292 or email Fern Mercier
at fernmm@ihug.co.nz
to make an appointment. |
