Courtesy of Helen Hartley www.astrologymatters.com
Aries
A slower start to the year than you would probably like and it is quite possible that if you are formulating plans for 2009 they will change by the time February gets here. Although you’re keen to get going, take it easy because you were just about to complete a two-year cycle and begin anew. By the end of May you will be fully immersed in beginning a new two-year cycle. From this point, take action!
It is a time when the Arians sense of their ego and physical energy is likely to run high. The best way to deal with this influx of energy is to do some heavy physical work or exercise which is a great leveller.
For those of you born at the beginning of the sign, Pluto’s transformative energies will bring in issues about power, control, and the desire to have what you want under any circumstances. Avoid the tendency to become aggressive or frustrated. On a positive note, this is the time to strive ahead and accomplish your heart’s desire however you will be tested along the way. It will require your sense of reason to negotiate and navigate your way through difficult waters.
Re-evaluate your life direction and purpose and where necessary make a conscious change because otherwise changes will be made for you. One thing is for certain by the time you reach the end of the year you will be surrounded by completely different circumstances. Make this wonderful transformative energy work in your favour not against you.
Taurus
The New Year starts off with quite a comfortable flow. You are able to move forward with your typical comfortable and steady fashion. To help you achieve your goals you will be touched by Jupiter (expansion and growth) during the year, however on a mundane level, watch the waistline!
Venus (Love or money) and your ruler will go backwards from March 6, 2009 - April 17 2009. Expect a few setbacks to you plans. Step back and rethink, refocus and adjust as necessary. During that period, take some time to reflect knowing that nothing is wrong, it is just the universe saying, take some time out.
The middle of the year will see you have a sense of renewed energy and vitality. This will be a great time for you to forge ahead, and you will find that people will be open to your ideas or suggestions, and any new direction you set. It is also a good time to engage in some good physical activity. As a Taurean, keeping physical activity as part of your normal health regime is important. Apart from the fact it is a great leveller, it also enables you to build stamina and use up some of those extra calories and balance your tendency to indulge in food and drink!
For those born towards the end of the sign, June to December presents opportunities for you to do things differently. This energy will help you to be comfortable with the process. By year end you should be well pleased with your achievements!
Gemini
2009 will bring mixed blessings for many Geminis. Of course, you need to be mindful of those times when your ruler Mercury (communication) goes backwards. Although it affects everyone it is more significant for you. These times coincide with communication being confused or misunderstood, and you may not be thinking straight! The dates are January 11 - 30, May 2 - 30, September 7 - 28, and December 24 - 15 Jan 2010. You will experience changes in thinking which will impact your direction. With this much change, you could be in danger of being accused of schizophrenia!!!!
Those born around the middle to end of the sign, Saturn will make contact with your Sun. This means additional responsibilities, or it will require you to create structure where none exists. You may also feel physically tired and isolated, do not worry it will pass. Ask yourself, ‘what needs structuring’?
Those born towards the end of the sign Neptune (creativity and illusion) will make a harmonious aspect to your Sun (core essence). This will be particularly beneficial for any creative pursuits and getting in touch with your higher or spiritual self.
Some will be touched by Uranus which brings sudden and unexpected change. Do you really believe in what you are doing? You will be called to re-evaluate your path. This is not always a difficult energy pattern, yet in your case, it is probably going to produce some unexpected and less than favourable reactions if you are not in synch with who you really are!
Cancer
As Pluto’s transformative influence makes its way into your relationship sector, it is likely that your life will be dramatically altered by marriage, partnerships and dealing with others. You will learn about the use of power and control. As such you will need to be mindful about not becoming embroiled in strong-willed or domineering relationships. If you are in an existing relationship, you might find that it reaches the crisis point which requires it be redefined or it may end.
There seems to be some benefit coming your way from joint resources or inheritances or taxes.
Under Jupiter’s influence of growth and expansion you may find yourself becoming more interested in spiritual activities, your life’s philosophy, the occult or just generally deeper meaning of life.
The above energies combined suggest sweeping changes will come into your life. They may or may not always be obvious. However the result will be that your life will be richer and more rewarding. You also have the opportunity to gain greater insight into your own psychological patterns, wants and needs.
With so much occurring at a fundamental level you may have a tendency to withdraw and not communicate your wants and needs to other people. It is important that you actually make the effort to express what it is you need in order to feel nurtured and satisfied. If you do this, by the end of 2009 you could be in a remarkably refreshing place.
Leo
As Jupiter (growth and expansion) makes its way into your relationship it paves the way for good stuff in marriage and partnerships. There will be a sense of ease in dealing with people. Those of you in business should see the business prosper as you will be able to exercise good judgement.
In both areas you will encounter people that are able to help you progress your goals so be open to what they say, as they will present new possibilities, ideas and concepts that did not occur to you and be very beneficial. As a consequence, you will probably be driven to work particularly hard to achieve work goals. In addition, you need to be aware that at times you could come up against overbearing or uncooperative co-workers. If this is the case, manage with good grace, exercising patience. You will find that you will win status and recognition.
As an aside yet equally important, as you work hard at accomplishing goals, take time out to focus on keeping your health and well-being in order. Do you need to modify any of your daily habits? If so now is the time to make change. Create space for balance and renewal as it is the fundamental fuel that will keep you well and productive. Focus on your mental attitude remembering that everything we do begins with a thought. You then give them power or not! Focus on positive thinking and if necessary do some mental housekeeping.
Virgo
In 2009, like your comic cousin Gemini, you need to be mindful of those times when your ruler Mercury (communication) goes backwards. Although it affects everyone it is more significant for you. These times coincide with communication being confused or misunderstood and you will not be thinking straight! Put the dates in your planner! January 11 - 30, May 2 - 30, September 7 - 28, and December 24 - 15 Jan 2010.
There are two areas you need to watch and pay attention too during these times. Children and or romance! If you have children, you might find that tension and frustration will mount and come between you, particularly if you apply too much pressure to them. If they are of an appropriate age, they will not take kindly to having your ideas being imposed on them. Alternatively, they could just be very difficult, going through one of those stages. However I suggest avoid getting into power struggles with them as it will not serve any purpose in the long term.
You may also find yourself involved in the early phase of a very intense relationship. If this is the case, be mindful of the use of power within the relationship, which frankly I would approach with caution, because even though you are likely to feel quite drawn to this person they may not be good for you as a long term partner. Conversely you may try to dominate or control the relationship. The lesson is about the constructive use of power!
Libra
Generally there will be a feel good theme throughout the year with relationships taking on new meaning and significance. You should be able to enjoy social activities with friends and quite possibly, the odd flirtation! This energy smooths the way for a period of good connections in relationships. Under this influence your creative potential is increased if you have any artistic skill.
On a more serious note, there is a real opportunity for personal growth and increased wisdom that combines with your freedom of self-expression. You will move into a phase where you start to deal with any issues or baggage that may be tucked away from childhood. Although you may have thought you had dealt with them that will now be tested. During this period, it is highly likely that the relationship with your parents will significantly change and there may be some power struggles as you redefine your roles. This need not be negative by any means as sometimes it represents the changing role between parents and children, in particular as parents grow older and children grow up.
It seems that you will have the ability to tap into your creative self-expression to discover and experience areas of yourself that you may have held back on before.
I would expect to see your level of self-assuredness, self-expression and confidence in increase under these influences.
By the way, you may decide to do some significant renovation around your home or you may even change residences.
Scorpio
Everyday contact and communication and conversations will take on a heavy and more serious tone. You will probably review your day to day activities and go about making changes to those things that work and eliminating those that don’t. You’re learning to communicate in a more effective and open manner.
If you have been sitting on issues for any length of time you will find that they will want to surface during this phase. You will not be prepared to look at things superficially, and you will need to resolve outstanding issues in order to move forward, because keeping them buried will only make matters worse as time goes on.
Travelling over short distances may trigger significant changes in your life and wherever you go be open to seeing things through fresh eyes and be prepared to take in new perspectives. This will help you understand your world more deeply.
If you are born around the final third of the sign, Neptune (illusion) will make contact your Sun, which will result in you becoming quite confused. Some will experience a crisis in self-confidence and feel somewhat lost. This is a necessary part of your growth, and as you will not feel in control it will make you quite uncomfortable. You may feel vulnerable and therefore surfaces one of your deepest fears. Sometime you need to surrender and trust the process! During this time be careful of taking on board the advice of others because it is likely not to be correct!
Sagittarius
Superficially, lots of opportunities will present themselves for you to expand your day-to-day communication, and you’ll probably find yourself being very busy with neighbours and siblings and generally getting things done. More deeply, there will be those of you that will continue to struggle with the need for independence and freedom, opposing the need for structure and tradition. This is quite a challenging aspect and will create a high degree of inner tension. When you combine the desire to break free, with the desire to maintain the status quo, it is my experience that most opt to stay with the status quo.
With transformative energy affecting your value system there is a long-term process of re-evaluation that sees you want to redefine those values that work for you and those that don’t. You may question your self-worth or feel that you are not being acknowledged for the work you do. It is time to let go of outmoded values and move towards those that serve and enrich your purpose and reflect who you are and how you like to live. It may well be that you become more involved with social reforms or causes that emphasis tolerance, respect and focus more on the betterment of humanity.
It is likely that you day to day activity will increase and you will need to understand that activity is not necessarily productivity! Contact between siblings, friends and neighbours should be quite congenial with any rough moments reaching an easy resolution.
Capricorn
As Mars makes a contact with your Sun up to the end January, there is an opportunity for you to connect, socialise and make plans for the New Year. Use it wisely as it will set the tone for the next 2years! This is an important cycle and I have explained it in the monthly column. The biggest growth opportunity exists for those born at the beginning of the sign and is about eliminating those things you no longer need and forging ahead with determination. You want to succeed and have the capacity to focus as never before. The one drawback is that you may become overbearing if you don’t use the energy for constructive and purposeful gain. Initially, you may experience something like swimming through treacle in order to achieve your goals. It’s a time for you to reconsider what you want to achieve and make any necessary adjustments. Keep going and take time out to rest.
Relationships may prove to be difficult. The degree of ease or difficulty you experience will be directly proportional to your level of resistance and if you’re reluctant to make change or let go of outmoded values, you could experience significant discomfort.
For those born around 11 - 30 January you should look closely at opportunities that present themselves as they might look superficial yet there will be something missing or incomplete and once the excitement is over they won’t be so attractive…so take care and kick in your natural talent for caution.
Aquarius
Some of that natural freedom loving spirit is being asked to accept more responsibility and become a little more grounded. Relationships or maybe the lack of them are disturbing you, yet I think it is about you deciding what type of person, values and relationship you actually want. Get clear on that and it becomes easier to attract what you want. If your relationship is not working…make the break. Conversely if it’s salvageable discuss the issues and take steps to compromise…probably a word you are not familiar with!!!! Communicating what you want and need should be easier. In addition, I expect you may have an increased desire to connect with different groups of people and become more involved with activities that support social justice and the broader community.
Some of you are undergoing tremendous psychological change and you will notice an increase of your psychic sensitivity. If this is the case then you will need to validate what you perceive as you may not always be correct. Perception is one dynamic, accuracy another! This energy is wonderful for creative expression and if you are in the creative arts, you may produce inspired work. Conversely, it can also manifest as feelings of fatigue with your body just seeming to run out of puff! If you feel this way do not use artificial stimulants as you need to be careful about any intake of drugs and alcohol because you are more sensitive than most to their effects!
Pisces
Those born around the middle of the sign are experiencing the conflict between the desire to break free of current circumstances at a fundamental level and the need to steadily and tenaciously work to achieve your goals. Not the most complimentary energy patterns out there! You will feel this cosmic tug of war and feel as if you are on a roller coaster ride for a while to come. The best approach is to stay flexible, expect the unexpected and yet look at the structure underpinning any new venture.
One key will be how you manage the inner sense of turmoil you experience and I advise that you create space for calm and respite with solitude and reflection. Mediate. Relax. Connect with your Piscean spirit through music, being near water or have a massage.
Relationships will also feature prominently in your life and take on a more serious note, which means that you are likely to have to work harder than usual to maintain your current relationships or that there may be a sense of responsibility around one of them.
In fact you will need to reassess the relationships in your life… sort out who is good for you and who isn’t contributing to your happiness and growth! You may ask, ‘are they travelling in the same direction? And you might be surprised with the answer! This applies to any sort of relationship. At the same time new relationships that come along are likely to be significant.
Helen Hartley is a public speaker, educator, writer, radio presenter and has been a business, corporate and personal astrologer since 1980. Understanding how you are ‘hard wired’ at birth and the prevailing universal influences is vital to personal and professional success. Precise timing is crucial when navigating life decisions, developmental directions or business initiatives.
Web www.astrologymatters.com
Email helen@astrologymatters.com
