has been important for some years now – ever since Neptune moved into Pisces in 2011. For the past two years – and for most of this year – Saturn has been testing your spirituality. In some cases, there was a conflict between the worldly career and your spiritual values – a classic conflict. In some cases, the forces of tradition (parents, elders or authority figures in your life) attacked your spirituality – your practice and ideals. You’re being forced to integrate the two urges: to have a viable spiritual life and a worldly career; to be practical in the world without losing your spiritual ideas. It’s not so easy to do. You still have this challenge this year, but it will soon be over. By December 21, as Saturn moves into Capricorn, this issue should be resolved. Perhaps it will help some of you to understand that spirituality is always eminently practical. It seems unworldly, but it has great worldly effects. Spirituality only shows a ‘different approach’ to practicality. A better approach. Your intuition has been tested these past few years – and this continues in the year ahead. This is ultimately good. No reliable tool gets forged without testing.
Saturn’s move into your 10th house at the end of the year will bring strong career demands. You have to succeed by sheer merit, by being the best in what you do. Often this aspect brings a stern, demanding boss who overworks you and expects ‘the impossible’, who seems never satisfied, who is sparing in praise, but quick to criticize. This isn’t pleasant, but it will stretch you if you handle it properly. Don’t resist the demands. Do your utmost to fulfil them. You’ll be amazed as you start achieving things that you believed were impossible. These things are not really burdens but spiritual gifts – as you will see in hindsight.
Month-by-month Forecasts
January
Best Days Overall: 5, 6, 13, 14, 22, 23, 24
Most Stressful Days Overall: 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26
Best Days for Love: 2, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 31
Best Days for Money: 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 31
Best Days for Career: 5, 6, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26
You begin your year with 90 per cent of the planets in the upper half of your chart. Not only that, your 10th house of career is ultra-powerful. You’re in a yearly career peak and this is where the focus should be. Home and family issues can be downplayed for now. Emotional wellness will come with outer success. The best thing you can do for your family and friends is to succeed outwardly.
Health needs watching this month – especially until the 19th. The career is demanding (and interesting) but try to schedule more rest periods. Your health planet Mercury spends most of the month in conservative Capricorn, so you’re conservative in health matters. Back and knee massage will enhance your health. Watch your posture. Bad posture habits could be throwing the spine out of alignment. Avoid making major health regime changes until after the 8th, when Mercury starts to go forward.
Last month the planetary power shifted from the West to the East and this will be the situation for the next five or so months. Time to exercise more independence and create the conditions you want in life. The planetary power is now moving towards you and away from others. Thus, your way is the best way these days. Others are more likely to adapt to you rather than vice versa.
Personal independence will grow even stronger (if that’s possible) from the 28th onwards as Mars crosses your Ascendant and enters your 1st house. When a person is under the influence of Mars, it’s as if he or she has taken amphetamines. Everything is speeded up. There is more energy, but also more impatience. With some people it’s like taking an ‘anger’ pill. Things that they would normally let pass can now make them erupt. These are the main dangers of a Mars’ transit. Impatience and temper can lead to conflicts, accidents and injury.
Venus, your love and money planet, has her solstice at the end of the month (the 29th to the 31st). (The Sun’s solstice happened last month.) So, it is good to pause in love and finance. There will be a brief lull and probably a change of direction.
February
Best Days Overall: 1, 2, 9, 10, 19, 20, 28
Most Stressful Days Overall: 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22
Best Days for Love: 9, 10, 14, 15, 19, 20, 28
Best Days for Money: 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 19, 20, 24, 25, 28
Best Days for Career: 1, 2, 9, 10, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28
Mars spends the month in your 1st house and 80 per cent of the planets are still in the Eastern sector. This is basically good, but with you, Aries, there can be a tendency to overdo the independence thing. It is good to be independent, this is your nature, but try not to run rough shod over others. Review our discussion of Mars last month. Mars in your 1st house has some very positive things to offer too. The aspect gives energy and charisma. You will excel in sports and exercise regimes. Things get done quickly. Life is fast paced – just as you like it. (This is even more than usual – 90 per cent of the planets are moving forward from the 6th onwards. And before the 6th all the planets are moving forward.) Progress happens swiftly this month.
The main headline are the two eclipses that happen this month. This guarantees change and volatility. The Lunar Eclipse of February 11 (in America it occurs on the 10th) takes place in your 5th house, affecting the children and children figures in your life. There are dramas and life-changing events happening. Keep them (as much as possible) out of harm’s way over this period, a few days before and after the eclipse. Every Lunar Eclipse impacts on the home and family and on parents or parent figures. Be more patient with them. Passions run high in the family. Often repairs are needed in the home.
The Solar Eclipse of the 26th occurs in your spiritual 12th house and is a pretty direct hit on Neptune, your spiritual planet. Thus it indicates important changes in your spiritual life. This can take many forms. Sometimes people change teachers and teachings, or change their practice. If you belong to a spiritual-type organization there are shakeups happening there. Guru figures have dramas in their lives.
Every Solar Eclipse affects children and children figures. So we have a continuation of the previous eclipse. Again keep them out of harm’s way as much as possible. The finances of a parent or parent figure are affected and he or she is making very dramatic changes. If a parent or parent figure is ailing this eclipse can bring a near-death kind of experience.
The dream life will be hyperactive during this Solar Eclipse period, and even before it actually happens. But these dreams are not significant. Don’t be overly concerned. The psychic world is being churned up.
March
Best Days Overall: 1, 9, 10, 18, 19, 28
Most Stressful Days Overall: 6, 7, 13, 14, 21, 22
Best Days for Love: 1, 9, 13, 14, 18, 27
Best Days for Money: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 18, 23, 24, 27, 30
Best Days for Career: 1, 10, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28
Venus entered your sign on February 3 and she will be here for the rest of the month ahead. Thus love and money have been pursuing you. The love and social life has been good this year and is even better since February 3. The only fly in the ointment is Venus’s retrograde from the 4th onwards. Perhaps a relationship seems to be going backwards instead of forwards. The beloved is still very devoted to you, but less sure than usual. Love is under review until April 15. Avoid important decisions one way or the other. The retrograde of Venus slows down the social life (Jupiter in your 7th house of love is also retrograde) but doesn’t stop it. This is just a ‘pause that refreshes’.
The same thing is happening financially. Financial expansion and earnings are still happening but more slowly than before. It is very important that you don’t make matters worse by being careless. Make sure cheques are signed and dated properly. Read the fine print on your purchases. If you’re buying big ticket items (although it’s best to avoid doing