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| HOROSCOPES
By Harmony Hill ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) The sun in Leo would like you to indulge yourself this month, Aries, and you may get an opportunity to do so. This month's new moon on August 1 is also an eclipse in Leo. This is the sort of eclipse that can bring happiness, often in the form of a new romance. If no one unexpectedly asks you out on a date in August, it is possible that the surprising attention may occur next month. Some of you may also have started a new relationship last month. Some will also feel the need to end a friendship mid-month. This is not always easy, but you should feel confident that this is occurring because you are outgrowing your previous associations. Hard advice to follow but try not to feel too guilty if you have to cut someone loose. Also at mid-month, your ruler Mars clashes with Pluto. This is a rather impulsive influence and not one inclined to think things through. It would probably be wise to remain super-conscious and alert while driving (especially on long trips) and to keep a deliberate handle on your temper the weeks of August 10 and 17. TAURUS (Apr. 21- May 21) The Taurus solar chart is undergoing a push toward a change or upgrade of professional duties. However, the path toward change often includes conflicts, dissatisfaction or confusion in your current job or professional situation. If you are experiencing distress in your current workplace, try to take it as a signal that you could do much, much better in a different situation. Put bluntly, your chart wants something in your current occupational life to end, and it will probably keep bugging you (or the skies will somehow convince your boss to keep bugging you) until you figure out how to make that ending happen. Job and career are the focus of mid-August and will probably catch the bulk of your attention this month, but home and roots are the focus of the time period around August 1. You may want to take some time as August opens to get centered and grounded. Check in with yoruself; attend to your psychological or emotional needs. This could be a very rewarding time for you on the home front. Also making things somewhat easier in August is the presence of four planets in your solar 5th house. Planets here get along well with your Taurus sun, and they can work to boost your confidence in the decisions you will make regarding your work situation. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) The focus this month is on communication. Most of the communicating will probably be with relatives or family members. There's a new moon eclipse in your solar third house on August 1 that can signal a new beginning in this area. For example, you may develop a new and closer bond with a sibling as a result of better, more honest, or more intimate communication with him or her. Another possibility is getting the chance to address communication problems in general. Most of us have communication issues of one kind or another, issues that hamper effectiveness. You may get a chance to talk with someone about your communication problems with relatives or family members. A therapist or counselor, for example, could help you root out the causes of friction or give you techniques and insights you can use to increase effectiveness in many areas of life. If there are indeed issues that need to be addressed, they are most likely to come to a head during the time period around August 16. The full moon eclipse in Aquarius could challenge your beliefs, just as Mars and Pluto are clashing on the angles of your chart. Don't count on being particularly productive around this time, as you will most likely have your hands full. Over the long haul, Saturn in Virgo at the base of your chart is trying to let you know that you need to overhaul or at least shore up how you deal with your home and family. Pluto in your 7th house, meanwhile, indicates that depth therapy can help clear out long-standing issues. Mars in Virgo, meanwhile, has the job of bringing the most pressing issues to the surface. CANCER (June 22-July 22) This month, the sun and a new moon eclipse highlight your solar second house. This is the house of values, preferences, and tastes. It is also the house of money and possessions. Activity in this sector can give you insight into what you truly value at this point in your life. Sometimes eclipses in this sector also bring visible changes in financial status. Examples include increases or decreases in your paycheck or a change in how you are paid (e.g., moving from hourly to salary or temp to perm). The eclipse series as a whole (which stretches into the summer of next year) may also bring financial surprises like a large bonus or a loss through theft. You could find yourself dealing with insurance payouts as well. In most cases, by the time the eclipse series ends you will come out ahead financially or at least break even! This month the most likely times to experience financially-related eclipse activity are in the weeks directly before and after August 1 and August 16. Some of you may feel the effects next month (or have experienced them last month). Good news is most likely to occur near the beginning of the month. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) August sees eclipses in your own sign and the sign of Aquarius. The most typical manifestations of an eclipse are a surprising announcement made by someone else or surprising external events. The other thing that often occurs is that the person affected comes to a sudden relization or decision, often after months of thought. In either case, what happens is usually teh result of your own growth, the forward motion of your life--even if it doesn't always seem like it. The most likely person to make a surprising announcement to you this month is a pouse, business partner, best friend, client or someone else you work closely with on a one-on-one basis. You may also feel a need to radically restructure your own life. In short, you are headed down a new path, one that may last for close to a decade. Although you may not feel ready for the forward momentum symbolized by this eclipse series, in truth you are. You are poised to make a quantum leap sometime during 2008 or 2009. Have faith that this is a leap that will make you happier and more successful in the long run. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Your job and your money are two areas of interest for your solar chart these days, particularly from mid-August on. At that time, a full moon eclipse in Aquarius will occur (on August 16). These types of eclipses often occur in conjunction with changes in a job situation, such as the departure of a co-worker or boss. Sometimes people experience layoffs in their department or other rather drastic restructurings. You are unlikely to lose your own job, but these situations often cause understandable work or financial stress on those left to pick up the pieces. Your own chart may already be a bit financially stressed, as Saturn in your own sign can create the need to cut back on spending or correlate with a reduction in income. Fortunately, I hope, Mars will ride into your solar second house of money, property and income on August 19. Before that he will be in your own sign. All month long, Mars can give you the energy you need to address situations forthrightly. Mars in the 2nd can also correlate with temporarily taking on more work to get yourself over a hump. Another helpful element this month is likely to be the other eclipse, a new moon eclipse in Leo on August 1. This new moon may give you the psychological tools you need to cope with the changes in your life this year and next. You may consider taking up meditation or adopting other stress-busting practices to keep yourself calm and centered. If so, the investment in solitude and me-time is likely to pay off handsomely. LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Librans who need more of a social life may find the new moon eclipse on August 1 brings welcome opportunities for friendly interaction. On the other hand, unmarried Librans may also find that a dating relationship needs to end near the full moon eclipse on August 16. All Librans may want to take advantage of the favorable position of Jupiter for real estate matters. Jupiter's been in your solar 4th house of real estate all year, but for most of the time it has been opposed by planets in Cancer and therefore probably hasn't been as helpful as it can be now. Regardless of market conditions, the outlook is better than usual for Libra folks to invest in home improvements (especially ones that are energy-efficient), buy or sell properties, move to a better location or otherwise make money from real estate. August is also a good month to pay some attention to your long-term goals and objectives. The ideal thing would be to investigate forming alliances with others to push your agenda along. An example would be joining a trade or professional association or another group. In general, your chart's ability to make a favorable impression on other people is high right now. Although you may not be aware of it, you are likely to project a vibe of greater ease, comfort and self-assurance in August as planets have moved away from stressful angles of your chart. Thus, this is a good time to meet new people. The one exception is around August 16, when in addition to eclipse energy, you will have to contend with Mars square Pluto. This influence tends to make people want to impulsively blurt out things they don't really mean. Just be aware that no matter how urgently Mars may want to get something off your chest, he probably doesn't have enough information to know what he's talking about. He's liable to jump to unwarranted conclusions, get paranoid, or otherwise get you all riled up over something that will soon pass. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) If you are a lucky Scorpio (and I hope you are), the days around August 1 will bring you a surprising and wonderful career opportunity, seemingly out of the blue or as a result of some random event. The days around August 16, on the other hand, are more likely to see activity related to your home or its value. The 16th itself is tricky because your ruler Pluto clashes with with Mars then. At this time, Pluto will be in your solar second house of resources, where he's making a last stand before leaving forever in November. Meanwhile, Mars will be aggressively rooting through your solar 11th house of long-term goals and wishes. Therefore, it's possible that by mid-month you'll be feeling like you simply don't have the resources to make your hopes and dreams come true or even to pursue them as strongly as you'd like. Or you may feel like what you want is somehow at odds with what you value in life on a day to day basis (e.g., you value spontaneity but what you want will require a rigid work schedule). Others will want to liquidate property, assets or possessions but run into short-term obstacles. With Pluto making a last stand in Sagittarius, though, you should consider this the year of getting rid of stuff. Part of Pluto's job is to encourage you to shed any material objects in your life that burden you, slow you down, or keep you stuck in the past. Doing so will open up more space for new stuff (better stuff) to flow in. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) At least some of you will probably feel an urgent desire to get away, out of town or out of the country, as August begins. Others of you will be making plans to embark upon new educational endeavors or will be taking up a new skill, such as learning a foreign language. Regardless of how you indulge it, the new moon solar eclipse on August 1 just wants to broaden your horizons or challenge your beliefs. Mid-month, the focus shifts to a full moon eclipse. This full moon in Aquarius on the 16th could bring unexpected news from a sibling or other close relative or even get you into an unexpected confrontation with someone. Mars will be squaring Pluto in your own sign at this time, and there's no telling how that will play out, given that there will be short-term stress in both the career and family sectors of your chart this month. Sometimes confrontations can't be avoided or shouldn't be, as they ultimately work to increase honest communication and trust when people confront conflicts straightforwardly. Part of the Sagittarian task for 2008 and 2009 is to buff up or at least examine your ability to communicate honestly. In other news, things look good in the material world for Sagittarians. Jupiter's been in your solar 2nd house of material goods and income all year, but his abundant influence has been subject to interference from Mars and Pluto for most of the time. This month, he's free to operate as he chooses, which can mean good financial news. Sometimes it also means that you will be dealing with an abundance of possessions--either acquiring them or getting rid of the excess you've already accumulated. One good way to use the energy is to focus on upgrading or recycling what you have with an eye toward quality rather than quantity. New hobbies are favored as well in August, including just about any activity that helps you express yourself in a unique and powerful way. If formal study doesn't appeal to you these days, maybe you could embark on a self-study program in a subject that interests you. However you slice it, your mind is ready to grow and stretch these days. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) This month, the skies highlight the sectors of your chart that relate to the resources in your life. The full moon eclipse in Aquarius on August 16 highlights your solar second house of money, possessions, and values. A full moon eclipse is traditionally said to indicate a loss or ending, although sometimes that means the end of something that has been draining your resources. The new moon eclipse on August 1 should theoretically be a bit easier to deal with, and it may bring a resource or windfall into your life. It is also possible that nothing notable on the financial front will occur in August. This could be because events have occurred in July or will occur in September. At times, these eclipses also relate to other matters, such as the decision to enter therapy or deciding to have surgery. A small percentage of Capricorns will not be affected by this month's eclipses at all, but most will benefit from some sort of financial restructuring before fall of next year. Even if events do not occur this summer, it is still worth Capricorn's time to turn a close and analytical eye on his or her finances. Jupiter in your own sign can bring unexpected resources, and it is no longer in difficult aspect to Mars. With Neptune still fogging up your second house, knowing exactly how you want to use any additional resources will be to your advantage. This is because left to its own devices, Neptune will just dissipate away any extra money you bring in. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) There are many different things on the agenda this month, Aquarius. The most intense energy takes place at the middle of the month, around the 16th of August. At this time, there's a full moon eclipse in your sign. Pluto in your solar 11th house also clashes with Mars in your solar 8th house. This could mean that you need to ask yourself very seriously, yet again, whether the friends, groups and intimate others in your life truly serve your needs. If not, you may need to eliminate some toxic or unhelpful people from your life. You may also find that you can achieve gretaer inner peace and integration by shedding an outdated dream or goal at this time. At any rate, you seem to benefit by letting something go. In the opposite vein, the beginning of the month or the beginning of September could see you welcoming a new relationship into your life. Ideally, the new person in your life would be in many ways your opposite, and the association would bring you much stimulation and balance. You may even meet the person you will eventually marry or start a business with! PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) There's a new moon eclipse on August 1 in your solar 6th house of service. In modern life, service is typically equated with the work you do in your job, but it can also relate to volunteer activities or even the way you approach your daily tasks. In any case Pisces, as Bob Dylan says, you've got to serve somebody. If things go well, this eclipse will help you find a wonderful new way to serve other people or society in general. If you are already happy with your job and service activities, and even if you get no news at eclipse time, you can still use this new moon. This is an excellent time to turn over a new leaf and get yourself organized or learn new time management techniques. You could invest in productivity aids or take a class that will update your skills. The other eclipse of the month takes place on August 16. This eclipse can offer the opportunity to shed a psychological hang-up. If you have a chance to get away and grab some alone time around this date, you'd probably be well-advised to take it. Not only would this help you feel centered and in tune with yourself, but it might also help you to avoid a nasty Pluto/Mars clash taking place at the same time. This is the kind of aspect that can make people irritable, impulsive or accident-prone, so you probably want to be flying below the radar at this time anyway. |
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