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Dear Friend and Reader:

Publication date of Next World Stories is less than a week away. We have been designing this project since the summer, and it is starting to rise above its foundations. The project is in five sections: a current events area, which includes coverage of the fragile astrology (and the state of the world) as Barack Obama takes office, plus numerology; a minor planet area that will give descriptions of both asteroids and newly discovered planets, excellent for astrology lovers, astrology students and professionals; a fantasy section, with news from the future; a resource area, with dozens of astrological charts, descriptions of the houses, a tarot card generator and much else; and of course, the extended-length annual horoscopes.

Take a look at the contents page. Each of the sections is interactive and has an area for reader participation, discussion, and Q&A.

It's true, one of the deepest concerns about astrology based only on the Sun is that usually it's too general. And generally, this is true. It takes a special gift to make Sun sign astrology even vaguely relevant, but it also takes technique. The readings for the 12 signs, each about the length of a 12-page term paper, are anything but general. They include insights into your relationships, your values about money and resources, your professional life and creative goals and the one thing that you depend on astrology for the most, your spiritual development. And yes, I do have a little to say about sex as well.

It's fair to ask how I can do this. It's partly a gift for translating what I see in the planets into the English language. Writing astrology is more than translation, however: it's about having a keen eye for symbolic meaning and personal relevance; and it's about bringing a creative approach to the work.

I rely heavily on two techniques. One is the minor planets, which provide in-depth information about psychological and spiritual process. I am working with Eris, Chiron, Nessus, Pholus, Varuna, Sedna and a diversity of asteroids in this edition. The most significant event of the year involves Chiron, a planet that is still poorly understood in most quarters, but about which there is no shortage of curiosity.

The other is the solar house system, that is, the chart based only on the position of the Sun. This was the house system I was introduced to when I discovered the unworldly beauty of astrology in the Patric Walker horoscope in the early 1990s. As Patric himself said, "It's all about the houses."

Through this system, we get a window into human nature, because for each sign the other 11 signs -- crucial to understanding your own -- are placed differently. In my experience, the solar houses, or the Houses of the Sun as I call them, are one of the most potent tools for self-understanding, every bit as valid as one's natal chart and in many ways simpler and more elegant. Yes, an exact chart helps a lot. There are certain things that call for extra precision. But so much is possible with the solar houses that you don't even need to print a chart on paper. You can look at it with your mind's eye and watch the story unfold.

I am confident that these are the most useful year-ahead horoscopes available. My private clients wait up to two years and pay a respectable fee to have me work with their chart. If you would even vaguely consider doing that, consider what I'm offering here: more than a decade of experience, hours of research and writing, affordably priced -- covering some truly outstanding astrology that includes a lot of Chiron, which is my specialty.

You are going to want to read more than one sign. If you haven't purchased, I suggest you use the combined offer for current subscribers to Astrology News: renew early and get all 12 signs for a steep discount. If you only purchased one sign before today and want to read others, there will be an upgrade path offered within the publication.

We do our best to have absolutely fair business policies at Planet Waves, and this includes fair to us as well. Our competitors are asking nearly double what a one-year membership to Next World Stories is going for now ($12.95 for one sign, less per sign if you sign up for more of them). On Jan. 1 we will be raising the prices to the average going rate for year-ahead forecasts, about $20 for a single sign (the same discount will apply for multiple signs). I recognize these other products ask for your exact birthdate and promise a "personal reading," which is simply not true.

I am confident that my work stands up to any "custom report" in terms of astrological skill, spiritual relevance and the writing itself.

Plus you get numerous extras that will be updated weekly throughout the year. You get to indulge and share in the talent of a dozen of our best writers and artists. And you get to build and participate in the intellectual and astrological community trust known as Planet Waves.

Below is your Inner Space horoscope for January 2009. And here's a link to your January monthly Planet Waves, in case you missed that.

Peace & passion,

Aries (March 20-April 19)
Yours is the sign of beginnings, and you certainly seem to be doing plenty of that. You have a mission in the world, but there is a deeper emotional or spiritual lesson, which is to keep your focus on your feelings as you strive to conquer the world. It is easy to cut ourselves off from our inner environment and the sensitive, even fragile world of our sensibilities. You can shorten the conversation by checking in about whether you feel safe, and whether the people around you feel safe. I mean this in the most direct ways: trusting of the environment, and trusting of the human environment. Listen for a long time before you speak. Others may not know what's bothering them.

Read your 2008 annual for Aries. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Aries
and Aries rising here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
You must be impeccable about how you present yourself in professional situations. You could, at the moment, convince anyone that you have anything. Yet then you would have to demonstrate your skills and be seen for who you are. The point is this: at the moment, you believe in yourself, and you can see that you really do have a long-range plan that is finally starting to seem plausible, and like its time has arrived. Be bold about your intentions and your aspirations, and I don't suggest you hide them from people you look up to. You have credibility and an enormous wealth of goodwill to draw upon. Now is the time to trust yourself; you've waited long enough.

Read your 2008 annual for Taurus. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Taurus
and Taurus rising here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Faith is a beautiful thing. Don't confuse it with hope, or with arrogance, or with expectation. Faith is simply a silent understanding that you will rise to any occasion you are called upon to meet. It is a subtle form of trust, in existence, rather than in any one person or thing. It would appear in certain areas of your life that you are in way over your head, encountering forces beyond your control or too aggressive for your affable nature. Stay friendly. Negotiate with everyone, from your boss to the parking meter attendant. Never meet aggression with aggression. That certain individuals may feel that their word is the next best thing to what Moses delivered will melt under the gentle graces of your humanity.

Read your 2008 annual for Gemini. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Gemini
and Gemini rising here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You wanted attention, and you're getting it, to what may be an overwhelming degree. There seems to be no easy way to deflect it; no way to tell who is coming at you with what agenda. However, if you spend five minutes out of every hour thinking (rather than reacting, responding, panicking, or whatever you might choose to do) you will see that your situation is manageable and that it can, with a shade of foresight, be turned to great benefit for everyone involved. You have to do something a little unusual, which is harness the power of the people around you, rather than being their engine. This will require the utmost clarity -- including a clear conscience. Don't worry -- people are acting in accord with their free will.

Read your 2008 annual for Cancer. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Cancer
and Cancer rising here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Clearly, you need to do the most difficult thing for a Leo -- delegate. To delegate means to let go of; to entrust others with a task that you would normally only trust yourself with. I assure you that things will go better, not worse. Recognize the fact that you have drawn people to you who share your sense of integrity and self-respect. However, they also have something you lack, which is a sense of perspective outside your own headspace. There are several key things that you are assuming will be difficult when the truth is, for the right person, they are easy and will be fun to do. You will be the one who gets the credit for the success; be gracious about it.

Read your 2008 annual for Leo. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Leo
and Leo rising here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
If you're wondering what that feeling is, it's your creative impulse coming on fast and furious: the life force. If you turn and look directly at it, your entire awareness will shift and this magnificent cosmic fire will consume you and most of your petty plans. This is obviously at odds with your sense of control, and being the absolute master of your schedule. The other option you have is to run from your own strength, feeling its flames lapping at your heels. Yet have you spent your whole life growing and struggling for awareness only to try to escape when it finally stirs to life? Think about this one carefully before you answer.

Read your 2008 annual for Virgo. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Virgo
and Virgo rising here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
It is a continuing source of amazement to me that anyone feels safe on this planet; secure with one another or in their surroundings. I wonder if the concept of safety as we experience it is entirely an intellectual notion. Think of those times you check three times if your door is locked, and those other times when you leave it open all night and nothing happens. This being said, there are psychological obstacles to your sense of safety, and you are beginning to work through them, perhaps faster than you imagined you would. Let's put it this way: anything you worship becomes a religion, including and in particular fear.

Read your 2008 annual for Libra. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Libra
and libra rising here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
It looks to me like your mind is on fire, like you have so many ideas you will never get them all done. First slow down; there is a weird kind of illusion that you're under and it's pushing you to go faster than you need. Second, try to think in some terms other than strictly linear. Look for one good idea and go with it: I mean the real gem. You may need to express some of your ideas on paper, so you can see what you've got to work with. It will be easier to evaluate them that way. Once you find the special pearl, many of your other concepts, plans and schemes will find a home. What you need is that one, very strong organizing principle to have some perspective. And you will.

Read your 2008 annual for Scorpio. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Scorpio
and Scorpio rising here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
What I see in your chart is the image of someone who is, after purchasing the mineral rights to a vast swath of land that everyone thought was a waste, starting to extract significant wealth. This is just the beginning; take your time, and go for steady rather than fast (there is a difference, often overlooked). Begin with the most conventional methods, and take notes on what works and what does not, which will save you from trying to force something when something else would be perfectly feasible. It's imperative that you think in the long run: not about how you're going to pay this month's rent, but about cultivating something very lucrative that will support you for 10 or 20 years. You have already begun.

Read your 2008 annual for Sagittarius. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Sagittarius and Sagittarius rising here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
I don't think you've ever felt like this before. That's partly because I've never seen a chart like this before, and partly because I just know. I see a sense of boundless potential mingled with a kind of irresistible urge to take action; to shape the world; to make things right. Yes, yes, yes, but the place to begin is with your perception of yourself. The place to continue is with your ongoing relationship with yourself. Perhaps it seems too subtle to mean much; you want to feed Africa or reorganize the Federal Reserve. Start with understanding yourself, which is another way of saying understand your motives. You would do well to initiate a process of taking care of yourself. You have some long years of neglect to make up for, and you will feel very good with each small step you take.

Read your 2008 annual for Capricorn. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Capricorn and Capricorn rising here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
You seem to be living in two worlds: that of your deepest fears and another of your greatest hopes. Trade in both for something else, which is a sense of your authentic self-assurance. From one point of view, the world (and your own mind) is so vastly complicated that there is no sorting it out, no finding a place of clear awareness. On the other, your ideals seem so perfect as to be unattainable, or too fragile for the brutality of unsupportive circumstances. Confidence will help you thread the needle. And the question is: where do you find that? Chiron gives a clue: work from what you feel is your worst flaw, your most glaring imperfection. Rather than push it under awareness, tap into it as a source of awareness and strength. Take the first step and it will take the next.

Read your 2008 annual for Aquarius. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Aquarius and Aquarius rising here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You have the absolute support of your friends; learn that now and forever. Get it in your body. The world and most romantic types such as yourself tend to emphasize one-on-one loving relationships, and the word 'friend' is a kind of lesser status. The lessons and experiences of life do not bear this out, though you must be careful who you call a friend, and why. Another concept is expanding in your world at the moment, and that is community. This is a concept that has been lost in our era of supposed individualism, but there has never been a time when community mattered more, or mattered more to you. Open your heart, open your soul, and open your life and observe who shows up at the threshold of your days.

Read your 2008 annual for Pisces. Pre-order your Next World Stores 2009 annual for Pisces
and Pisces rising here.