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Horoscopes | Weeks of December 18, 2006-January 1, 2007

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Have you been able to temper your self-assertions in '06, blunting any potentially aggressive edges… so you're able to play more nicely with your teammates and, along the way, offer them something only you can pull off in that special way? That challenge continues through the first half of '07—but with Jupiter having moved into your 9th, it should feel less like a self-management chore, and more like a mindful philosophic journey into new territory. Your path to fuller-yet-calmer self-acceptance will come through pushing the bounds into adventurous terrain… then (1) asking yourself why it matters, and (2) reminding yourself the answer must involve balancing your creative freedom with the needs of the wider group. For the immediate time being, practice your balancing act over those colorful holiday-time discussions. Share your current beliefs in the form of 'convincing theories' rather than 'the one and only truth'. Then listen to what other people think, in the good name of research. (After all: Do you want to be right, or do you want to grow?) Other people will be paying attention to your style and tone, so don't go off on a stark-raving-mad-sounding rampage. If you're able to think beyond the moment, you absolutely should care what they think of you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Did you succeed in drawing a clear line between past and present in '06, enabling you to release the dead weight… and thus flow, with freer surrender and faith-filled wonder, with the larger tides in your outer-world (i.e., public, career-related) life? Just as in your past year, your greatest gift in 2007 is your close relationships with others—only now, it'll have to move beyond cordial companionship, and into the mutual depths of 'less-flattering' parts of your psyches. Whereas before you might've called on a partner or pal to 'support' you during 'tough times', in '07 you'll want to actually show them the tears, the tantrums, the nasty habits and needy demands. Saying 'times are tough' just isn't enough. Why are they so fucking tough? Simply 'liking' somebody is too polite and passionless. How badly do your loins ache when you think of 'em? Wanting to be together is okay—but what do you really want to get out of the togetherness? Sex? Money? Someone to wipe the sweat off your forehead when you're deathly ill? Let's call a spade a spade… and let's use these probing questions and penetrating intimacies to help unload your private burdens. If family members or loved ones push your buttons over the holidays, you needn't withhold the truth. Just fight fair: No low blows, name-calling, or dredging up ancient history. Then, get some distance from these past few intense weeks. Whether it's blustery-hot, cold-and-snowy, or windy-and-wet, make sure to squeeze in a walk outdoors. Being amidst the elements of nature will refresh your soul and pull you out of your head.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Was it possible to focus your energies on fewer, more meaningful interests in '06, getting the most out of those that matter most… therefore making life's events feel far less random and disconnected from one another? As this lesson carries on into 2007, the battleground between (1) excesses of somewhat- or semi-compelling possibilities, and (2) an abridged roster of consciously chosen priorities, falls squarely in the realm of relationships. That is, you can further display a genuine respect for limits by deciding whose company you legitimately enjoy (and whose is only marginally better, or even slightly worse, than a 4-hour lineup of MTV reruns), which social commitments and connections are worth your time to preserve (and which are mere fodder for absorbing your scatter-brain's and motor-mouth's extraneous firings) … and then delegating your time accordingly. That way, your most rewarding interpersonal bonds are strengthened—and the rest are pruned back, like overgrown shrubbery, to promote healthier shape overall. Why wait, when you can get started now? First, decide what you want from your most important partnerships, postponing any 'big' discussions until you're clear. Do you crave more, or have you had just about enough? Then, if you start the conversational ball rolling, you'll have the upper hand. And you never know… your daring proposal or secret confession just might be sweet music to their ears.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. How tightly were you able to control the flow of your resources (and chiefly your money) in '06, stabilizing the amplitude of variance between 'prince-' and 'pauper-thinking'… and giving yourself permission not to give and give and give, without receiving equivalent riches (whether material, emotional or 'other') in return? In the shift to '07, I encourage you to use this foundation now cemented (or so we hope) to improve the practical effectiveness of your day-to-day work, household-chore and personal-care routines, so you get more bang for your buck—and a healthier, happier body in return. Perhaps there are old useless habits or entire steps in the daily regimen that can be totally eliminated, if not streamlined to greater efficiency, to regain that sense of boundless freedom which makes your work feel worth the work. Though you are fundamentally an emotion-driven individual, you still have much to gain from following certain basic physical formulas. If you eat less junk food and exercise more, you will lose weight and become fitter. If you don't sleep enough, you will be tired. And if you put in regular, measured effort into a project or purpose, you will see marked results. Start getting in the mindset now, so you can put these essential laws into practice when January rolls around.

LEO (July 23-August 22): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Were you modest and masterful enough to moderate your 'larger-than-life'-ness in '06, regularly checking in with yourself on the motivations behind your words and deeds… to ensure you're, more often than not, being the authentic You, instead of doing whatever it takes to grab the attention and affirmation? For many Leos, this year of 'sucking it up' and 'getting serious' wasn't the most enjoyable one on record. But on the up side, you hopefully have a greater knowledge of what is (and isn't) right for you—insight which can only be learned through experience. This has particular relevance in how you approach relationships… whether you'll do anything for the promise of love, or if you've grown to realize that the squelching, disguising and denying of self isn't necessarily worth it. The other important lesson, of course, is to really appreciate the good times when they do come along, since they can't be relied on to recur every day of your life. 2007 promises more easy joy than this past year, though it's still crucial to reassess at every point whether it's the right joy for sincerely satisfying your soul. Now that '06 is drawing to a close and your missing mojo has recently begun to reappear, refuse to let any family drama get to you. Instead, volunteer lots of help with the post-holiday chores. What better way to escape than excusing yourself to clean or putter? Folks will be less likely to blame their issues on you, if you're being extra-generous with your efforts.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Was it challenging to fight off escapism in '06, due to the confusing senselessness of having less control than usual over what you were doing on a day-to-day basis… being indirectly forced to embrace surrender as the only promising response to any number of flummoxing situations? During 2007, you may (gasp!) come to relish in the illogic of emotional uncontrollability, as it provides the perfect excuse to step away from worldly obligations and decompress in the privacy of your snuggest sanctuary. The year ahead is best spent, first and foremost, on creating (or improving upon) the sense of home in your life… whether that means moving, remodeling, kicking out an ornery roommate, or otherwise looking out for your deepest comfort in your personal domestic space. When it comes to your home, there is no 'right' or 'wrong'—only what'll keep you warm and cozy, so you can feel whatever the hell you want without apology. Come September, when Saturn moves into your sign, the 'things you need to do' will come into much sharper focus, and you'll regain a much firmer grasp over those little pragmatic details that delight you Virgos so. (Though Saturn gets a bad rap, as far as signs for it to transit through go, Virgo is one of the better.) Hang tight until then. In the meantime, don't give into the temptation for he-said-she-said rehashings of old conflicts (a near-irresistible side-effect of the holiday season). If you disagree with something someone says, rest on the inner truth of your version… and let 'em keep theirs. There's enough love to skip the arguing. Everyone can remember things their own way.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Did you allow your true unique self to speak out in '06, reaffirming who your real friends are, and removing those who aren't from the premises… consequently aligning yourself with the network of allegiances most appropriate to what you want in life? In continuing to address that question in 2007, you'll groove on engaging in lots more social activity, exposing yourself to a kaleidoscope of varying acquaintances and environments, to determine if there's some nearby milieu or medium you've been missing out on. The easiest way to sell yourself short is by sticking with where you are—and who you're there with—by simple default, rather than by having consciously chosen it. Even if you end up deciding your current crowd is exactly the right one for you, you'll want to try out other things, just to be sure. These next couple weeks, with all the opportunities for egg-nog-and-mulled-wine-inspired social exchange, are an ideal time to experiment with a more brazen lack of discretion. Say whatever's on your mind, rather than the most 'appropriate' (i.e., totally predictable) thing. Don't worry about how others will perceive you. How can you know who really likes you, anyhow, if you're always playing to what you think they want to hear? Plus, you're way more interesting than that.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Did you take advantage of the tremendous good-luck opportunities to grow beyond your previous limitations in '06… at the same time you kept a humble, disciplined, realistic take on your career (or public-world) achievements, so as not to push for more than you authentically deserve? Expansive Jupiter spent the bulk of this past year in your sign, which usually brings myriad chances to do new things, meet new people, and try out new ways of being—leaving you, at the end of this transit, as substantively more than you were before. Into 2007, now that Jupiter's moved on into your 2nd (and trines Saturn in your 10th twice in the first half of the year), it'll be time to create something enduring out of the wider territory recently staked out by the new-and-improved you. This means finding ways to bank your potential, in either real-life dollars-and-cents or a solidified sense of 'this is what I do well', in order to continue building upon it. Professional life (or its equivalent) continues to be a primary locale for this activity… and it continues to behoove you to earn every accolade, rather than expecting kudos or kick-starts to magically land in your lap. I'm moved to remind you that, oftentimes, the luckiest breaks show up in the disguise of 'unfortunate luck'—therefore, instead of lamenting apparent turns of bad fortune, assume they are merely making room for something better. During your holiday time-off (even if it's only a day or two), be open to unexpected brainstorms while everybody else is opening gifts and stuffing their faces. Sometimes, time away from the daily grind gives you a better look. Jot down notes on the nearest napkin, so you don't lose your inspiration amid the partying. Then, act on them in January.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Was your mind left open to other ways of discerning 'good' from 'bad' in '06, granting you a bit more patience toward what appear to be (from your perspective, at least) the frivolous nonsense occupying others' attentions… since, after all, you didn't always have the clearest idea of what was going on around you, anyway? Well, if you've been paying attention to this website (or any other source of astro-info), you'll know that the entire scene has changed for you Sagittarian souls in these past few weeks. (If you missed it, click here and/or here for more details.) Your 2007 is studded with a billion possibilities of stuff to visit, study, explore and indulge in… and a trillion experiences to learn from, to keep your defining philosophies both fresh and grounded in real-life insight. The best things you can do—for yourself and everyone around you—is reach far, seek more and go beyond. And what great fun is that?!?!? Now, before '06 wraps up, is the best time in ages to cast your wishes for whatever will make your everyday life more rewarding. The more deeply you want it, the likelier it'll come true. But the old warning to be careful with wishes still holds true. In a year's time, you could end up with even more than you can handle.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Were you mature, careful and clean in your interpersonal handlings in '06, preventing negative karmic manifestations from imposing themselves onto your sanity… with the profound realization that, no matter how much you try to keep control over your (relative) security, other people can always stir your shit up when you least expect it? I sincerely hope you've been successful in learning about the limits to your logical understanding—and the need to rely, vulnerable-like, on the kindness of others—over the past year, as 2007 offers you even less grip on the rational reality you typically prefer to dwell in. The hardest part for you, my dear dear Cap, is to recognize this is not bad news. On the contrary, you'll be conducting the psychic prep-work necessary to hit 2008 out of the ballpark, with unbelievable accomplishments and awarenesses it's hard to conceive of right now. When all your old reliable tools cease to work (as is quite possible in '07), what do you fall back on? Intuition (or emotional wisdom), of course… not to mention, more in-your-face support from your loved ones than ever before. (Trust me, it's not as gross as it sounds.) Practice giving up control over the next couple weeks, with the recognition that you won't know the full drift of what you're saying until it's too late. What a great excuse to purposely go way over the top, so no one can possibly take you seriously. If you stick to your typically dry-and-droll sense of humor, you can easily be misread—only later discovering you're caught up in a confused mess of hurt feelings, which may be yours or theirs or a weird mix of both.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Has your relationship to one-on-one relationships ripened in '06, bestowing a newfound maturity to the way you accept other people on their own terms… discouraging you from either trying to fix them (as if you somehow know better) or, to make things supposedly easier on you, constantly keeping them at arm's length? What you've learned (and will continue to learn) about how to treat other individuals—when they go from being abstract entities to living-and-breathing persons possessing their own free will—can truly enrich your ability to draw upon your wider team of like-minded folks, for many win-win-win opportunities in 2007. Expose your unguarded humanness to friends, colleagues, partners and potential promoters… and they will identity more closely with you, on a deeper and truer level. From there, you'll all gain so much by chipping in to help each other achieve the biggest, brightest dreams you can dream. But it'll only work if you admit you cannot bear such lofty burdens alone. (And, despite the Aquarian reputation for being 'lovers of humanity', you'd usually rather deal with the nitty-gritties by yourself.) Begin tackling this need for group togetherness now, by assuming the 'social director' role and gathering the gang together for the holidays. Create a mood where everyone's comfortable, so they feel like they're part of something special…. and spend some dough on it, too, to prove you're willing to contribute to everybody's increasing abundance.

PISCES (February 19-March 20): Please note this column is good for two weeks. Your next bundle of horoscopic goodies will be posted on Tue Jan 2 07… and in the meantime, I need a breather. Cheerio! In this season, it's always appropriate to do a little year-in-review (witness all those 'Best of' Lists infecting your favorite music, movie, TV and book info-sources)… and it's particularly apt for revisiting the simple formula for 'success, happiness and all that jazz' I offered you back in January. Revisit now. Did you tweak your relationship to earthly work in '06, to protect your physical wellness while increasing your productivity… all while fighting off the perpetual temptation to lay it all in fate's hands, which, though rightfully placing faith in larger unseen forces, can also serve as a convenient excuse to complacently resist taking responsibility for changing your life? Working smarter and healthier is still a primary concern in 2007—mainly because you have a tremendous chance to push ahead in your career, or toward your most desired outer-world contribution, if you can combine regular diligent effort with the chutzpah to take giant risks. If, for some reason, during this year you end up facing a demotion, job loss or other end-of-the-road… please please please interpret this as a cosmic kick-in-the-butt to turn your ambition up a notch and go for your truer goal. The Jupiter-Saturn combo in the first half of '07 is all about hard work adding up to professional growth: a simple equation, with very little ambiguity involved. But we've already covered this recently (and a couple weeks before that, too), haven't we? Make the commitment now. Turn all the old work annoyances into your greatest motivation—to get off your butt, and stop settling for situations that bug you. Only vent your frustrations to folks unrelated to your current workplace. Meanwhile, put out your feelers, to see if anyone in your life has suggestions for making your '07 a winner. No idea is too silly to consider. A relationship could be key in scoring you a new job. You might have to start out answering phones or mopping floors, but at least it would be for a person you respect—and who respects you.