Today's column appears courtesy of Jonathan Cainer, http://cainer.com/
Thought of the Day
No matter who or what you are, you have a chart. No matter what chart you have, it has all the same basic elements as everyone else's. Whether you're Bush, Bono, Bjork or Blair, astrology is the great equalizer. We are currently passing through a series of days that crank up the intensity in the world, and in everyone's personal world. Deep stuff is percolating to the surface, and a cosmic zit is about to pop. While you have the option to act nonchalantly and convince yourself that nothing is happening, you know better. This is the time to say what you have to say and be open about what you see and feel. Let the pressure off. You'll feel a lot better.
Aries (March 20-April 19)
Later this week, Mercury stations direct in your sign. Because it does so in aspect to the potent, meaningful planet Pluto, what might ordinarily be a psychological process is really a spiritual one. The difference is the extent to which you feel compelled to consider the deeper and more far-reaching implications of your decisions. Yet there's another factor involved, which is aligning your mind with your sense of beauty and value. You're more sensitive than you give yourself credit for, particularly now. That sensitivity is calling you deeper, toward an unusual degree of awareness. There are better things than certainty.
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
An opportunity is approaching, or it's right in your hand. It may seem like your average stroke of good fortune, or it may seem like an irresistible lure that comes with as many pitfalls as it does benefits. In any case, you may have no clue how to work out the details so that something actually comes of it all. I suggest that you forget the details and stick to the larger principles involved. I also suggest you pause and consider what's available for long enough to make a clear decision. Think big; think long-term; and don't worry if you don't see immediate results.
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You're likely feeling more Gemini than ever. The two sides of your nature have taken on distinct personalities, and it may be so vivid that you have to introduce them to one another every morning. But the gift of this psychologically fascinating state of affairs is that you have the ability to resonate with just about anyone, and to fully embrace any point of view. That is not all. At the moment you also have some highly unusual allies -- people who recognize you and who want to further the cause of your life. Within a few days, one is likely to reveal their presence.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
A situation is developing and it's impossible to tell quite what direction it's all moving. The important thing is that it's moving. You are likely to take a chance on something in the coming week, a chance from which there's no turning back. There never is any retreat from a real decision; revisions of the agenda just take us new places, not old ones. What you need to know is that this particular event has the power to change not just your life, but to fundamentally change you. You will never go back to being the person you were, though it barely seems a loss.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Important or unexpected developments in far-away lands take center stage in your life now. While your friends are always a high priority, there's an extraordinary bond between their growth and development and your own. You have the ability to do something they may not, which is to hold open the possibilities for the best outcome. You known the situation is more predictable and stable than it may seem, and it may have occurred to you that "stranger things have happened." They have, it's true, but for this kind of weirdness the world should always move over and make room.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Continue to hold off making a financial decision or other important commitment. The situation is about to develop rapidly and you're exceedingly likely to come up with additional factors to consider. Instead, keep a list of your needs and requirements, as well as your concerns and objections. One by one, make sure that each of these points is addressed. Slowly you will feel your level of readiness increasing and you will know that you've made a decision. Notice carefully how both your mind and your feelings can combine forces to provide that extra-solid sense of what is real and what is not.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
When you're utterly compelled to do something, go somewhere or be with someone, there really isn't much you can do. Obsession in various shades is a clear theme of your charts lately, but you'd be wise to reconsider the object of your focus right now. You certainly have it in your power to take a wait and see approach, allowing a key individual to reveal his or her true thoughts and allegiances. We can trust the astrology here: someone or something may seem like one thing, but really is another. "Another" may be better, worse or just different, but another is an understatement.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
People do have interesting responses to you, don't they now. Your life provides an endless opportunity for you to study the psychological responses of all kinds of people, who often squirm around under your gaze or in your presence and reveal all kinds of things they just were not planning to come out with. Not surprisingly, it's happening again, as someone who you obviously think is interesting gets caught in your web. Be gentle. Be kind, even. You don't want to chew this person till the flavor's gone. He or she is more powerful than you think.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
Though currently rather interesting, your life will be the scene of many interesting dramas in the coming months. This is not drama for the sake of prime-time advertising. People are changing and the world is changing and both are happening extraordinarily fast. For your part, it would be great if you could let go of some of the anxiety that's plaguing you. The problem is, it's contagious, and the people who depend on you need you to be focused on the present moment right now. It would help if you confided your fears in one person -- someone you know is smarter than you.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
In my horoscope columns I take the liberty of making pitches for the better treatment of kids. That's because as an astrologer I have the responsibility of sorting out the damage that was done to people when they were children. It doesn't take a genius to make the connection to the little kids of today's world, though few people care to notice. Right now you have the power to make a difference in the life of a child who is caught between a rock and a hard place and who cannot, by the way, speak up on their own.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
The most scathing criticism pointed at most Aquarians is that they are not emotional enough. But this fails to take two factors into account. The Aquarian tendency to calmly observe and comment on the nuances or absurdities of life is a resource worth its weight in diamonds. Second, the notion that Aquarians don't feel deeply is simply not true. The beauty of what you're feeling now is that it's not knocking you off balance. Going more deeply into your emotions is, to the contrary, offering you ever-deeper focus and stability. Keep going.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Your enthusiasm about the most mundane things in life is about to pay off. For the moment, you need to live with not having the reward in hand and keep focused on what the situation around you is calling for. That may seem like blind faith and a degree of trust that most others would be certain is unreasonable. It may seem, for a while, like everyone else has the power to make all the important decisions. You can afford to humor them. There is much to be done, it needs to be done well, and in case you need to be reminded, Pisces persists.
