December 2008 - January 2009 Astrological Forecast
By Gwynne Mayer

As we move toward Saturn and Uranus, the old versus the new, the static versus the change, we have to look into our own personal lives and how that will affect us as to when we were born, time of day and place of birth to assess what specifically this will mean to us personally. Also we have Pluto moving into a new sign, Capricorn and as always, just as other trans Saturnian planets, moving through our lives, great changes in those areas do occur. If you know your ascendant and moon signs, you can read the forecast as it applies to them as well. I would read them in this order: Sun, Ascendant, Moon. I will give a brief summary of how the year will end and what will occur as the New Year begins, so that you can ready yourself somewhat for the times to come. As always, your will and the will of God will always be more important than what the 'stars say', so know that you and your higher power has influence on these times.

Aries --- Your health and the health of your relationships with friends and family will be breaking all kinds of records as you end the year and begin anew. Changing many of your habits and routines, which have been unhealthy, will be the order of the day. This is not easy for you because you have failed to see what is causing you problems, physically and mentally. Being in a job that is offering no promotions or benefits is not good for the soul and the confidence of the Aries. Finding a job that satisfies you each and every day will pull you out of the doldrums, so after February, this will become more apparent to you. Secretly you want to learn something which will enhance your career goals and make you feel more useful so it might be necessary to assess that now. Your health can be remedied very easily with a new approach to your diet and supplements which augment your healthy. One of the areas of your life that needs remedied is the types of people you call friends. They should be nurturing to you and not taking away energy from you. Start looking into what you enjoy most and make some decisions as to how you can implement these things on a daily level.

Taurus --- Taurus is having to look at the energies they expend in order to make the amount of money they feel they deserve. Investments of time and energy need to be reassessed and saving money is one of the best things for a Taurus to do at this time. Credit problems and lifestyle changes, buying and selling need to be put off until these problems are handled. Working with others in a more established career is important now; being part of a team, collaborating with those who were once in competition. Being stable for one's children is also important at this time and setting limits and boundaries so that they may turn into responsible adults is on the venue for the beginning of 2009. There may be a love affair that has been on the back burner and needs acknowledgement. The affair needs to either have a focus on come to an end. Only you will know what that answer will be. You have felt very alone in the last six months and now is time for some 'company'. This includes all of you who are married. The time has come to let your partner know the truth about you and your loneliness and how he or she may come to your aid.

Gemini --- Your career and money-making abilities are taking a turn for the better as the New Year begins. Some investments you made might result in a pay off. You are more focused as the year begins and not so scattered in your thinking. This will help you also solve the problems that are occurring in your life with your self-esteem, both in relationships and in career opportunities. The year looks clear for you through June. Health problems need focus as far as diet and exercise and not frittering your nerves by sitting at the computer or texting all day long. Learn to expand on some calming activities for this year, like nature walks, reading, listening to music and going to a good movie. Relationships continue to be a real challenge in the 'intimacy department'. Look at your ability to be vulnerable and see if you do not have some commitment phobias yourself that are playing out in your unconscious. This could drastically interfere with your sexuality and the esteem that comes from living fully and actively in that department. You might have some difficulty in finances associated with partnerships and this comes from your dependency on someone else to carry the ball. This is the year for an awareness as to how you must realize your own power and strength in the areas of career, responsibility, communication and partnerships.

Cancer --- This has not been a good year for relationships in the area of intimacy and as the year progresses into 2009, you might become more aware of how all of this confusion has set about. You must realize by now that you are creating some of your own problems as they relate to finding your niche in life. What do you really want to do? What makes you happy? It might take some serious soul searching to find the answers. Only then will you be able to find someone who can share your visions and truly be happy. You will have to learn to survive on your own and marriages and partnerships might be breaking up during this time. It is crucial that you spend time figuring out how you will make money and keep from having to depend too heavily on a partner to make up the difference. Cancers provide very nurturing environments for their families and intimate others, but often leave themselves out of the equation. This will be the year for you to learn how to really nurture yourself and become more aware of your own needs. This is also the year to learn what 'love' is all about, no matter your age. The period between the end of January to the middle of April will be tough but you can get through it with some optimism and elbow grease.

Leo --- Dealing with expenditures and finances, both legally and personally have been overwhelming the past few years, but you have finally caught on to the nature of conservative spending and learning to live like a normal person instead of one who believes themselves to be of royalty. You will find this upcoming year to be better for you, financially, and even find money stashed away somewhere, or you might receive a windfall, a surprise to help you see the 'light'. Leos must look to helping and serving others instead of being self-serving and the light may go on about giving of oneself in this year of change and stabilization. Do not take too many risks this year and gamble on 'new ideas' that you think would bring you financial success, much less, partnerships of the 'heart'. It is time to look to your expectations and become more realistic about your love life, your own personal health and basically, how you take care of yourself. You are changing your environment and your basic needs in a depth way of thinking. Let the new paradigms come into your frame of reference without trying to analyze everything away. You might be surprised at how your life is enriched this year as it is hard to explain the gifts that you will both receive and bring to others. Another soul mate may enter your life at this time and be able to share with you a more intimate connection to partnership. Be open to it!

Virgo --- Virgo has been worrying itself to death the past few months and must now prepare to hang tight for the next couple of months. Health issues, diet and the Virgo relationship to the body are of utmost importance right now. As these things are resolved, then life will proceed more smoothly especially after the first couple of months in 2009. Virgos have been having difficulty finding the 'one' who might be worth committing to and partnering with. Being a partner, lately, is like living in a relationship desert. These areas of partnership will look up once you take care of the physical neglect you have put on yourself. Yes, you have been the one who has pulled up those walls and set up your own intimate life. It is also time for you to find a relationship in which there is 'no struggle'. You tend to go for the person you feel needs you or needs your help and in doing so, ignore your own basic needs. This can also be seen in chronic dis ease within your body. As you address these issues in you, then your outer world will become more enjoyable and livable and you will find that you don't have to suffer unto others as much as you have been. Create a routine daily in which you find that you are the most important priority of the day. Find ways of making your life complete without always being 'available' for whomever.

Libra --- The home life and relationships that surround the home need to be re evaluated and looked at as to the peace and contentment that you so richly deserve. You have been clinging to security and somehow this has caused a rift in your psyche. It is now time for travel and getting away from dependency on where you are living. It is time to branch out and create more excitement in other areas of your life. That means you will have to take the risk of doing what you want to do, relating to who you want to relate to, and letting others find their niche without your help. This includes your children and those who depend on you. It is time that you had some freedom from all of your response abilities and look to planning a new way of prioritizing your life. There are areas of your health that will show if you are 'stuck' or not and that will manifest as laziness, eating disorders, addictions to various ways of avoiding life. In your career you need to learn to work as a team with others and also have time in your workplace for yourself. You tend to complain about these things, but do not do anything about it yourself....this goes back to making important decisions about you and not waiting for someone else to fix your problems. You have a good mind and excellent ideas about justice and equality. Now is time for you to be that 'equal' other. It will help if you tell the truth to yourself.

Scorpio --- Your powerful influence and oftentimes your intensity are both the positive and negative in your dynamics. This coming year will help you further a more constructive communication of your 'in depth' thinking. It is time to promote yourself in ways that benefit you on the outer levels of finances, relationships and career opportunities. You oftentimes sink back into your inner world, but forget that others need to understand your way of thinking and doing, so it is time to feel some compassion for those who have to live around you and start becoming more clearly defined. Your career has had its ups and downs, but more than that, you have confused issues that have obstructed your path. Now, you are becoming clear and defined and it is time to resolve dysfunctions that have interfered in many ways. You understand yourself and know yourself well, but what good is it if you do not enable others to see you and your point of view. New friends and relationships with young people may introduce themselves during this time, to allow new energies into your life. It will do best to look at some of the addictions you might have in relationship to food, alcohol and smoking. It is time to take care of health and opportunities that allow quality of life as you grow older. You might also see a different way of approaching your home both inner and outer. What makes you feel comfortable and safe?

Sagittarius --- Sagittarius has been learning a great deal about their level of intimacy and commitment as reflected back to them by their friends, families and intimate others. It has been a devastating time for some Sagittarians. The good news is there is a rebirth in this department as the year turns to 2009 and you are about to get your 'groove' back. It is time to look more closely at what seems to be 'enjoyable' in your life and make sure that you are the one who is being entertained rather than being the one who entertains others. You deserve it don't you? Getting your body in shape may mean that you get back into your dancing and movement so that you are working that freedom part of your body, the upper legs. For the last few years, many of you have had trouble with legs, knees and hips and now all of that has passed. The hard part of this year will be learning to save and invest money rather than spend it. It is not one of your favorite things, but you must make a budget and stick to it. You have been lucky in finances and risk taking, but now we must all slow up at this level and you are being asked to take responsibility for all of the financial woes that have been in the past and are now part of your future. You might be lucky enough to meet a rich partner who is willing, due to your immense charm, to help out this next year but it might not happen until June sometime so get ready.

Capricorn --- Times are getting more intense as we come into Pluto going into Capricorn. Your inner power will become more noticed by others and your magnetism will be greatly appreciated as the New Year comes into focus. All of the areas of growth in your life will manifest greatness in the upcoming year. The opposite of that is that all things that you have ignored and not taken care of will come slamming into your life like a roller coaster so it is time to meet your maker in that sense. You must focus on your own greatness at this time and make sure that your health will provide the strength to meet that greatness on the inner and outer levels. You have insights that are very important to the public, governments and local organizations. They need your insights and expertise, so now is the time to speak out. You have been cautious and quietly observing for years and now you will be heard. This might be a problem in the sense of intimate relationships because you will find that you don't have enough time to spend with your intimate connections. You will be pulled in all directions. You might also find that you are having to pull finances from two sources and looking more at how you invest your time and money. You must learn to look at things from an objective view point and acknowledge your intelligence as it is applied to practical matters that surround you on a day to day level. Now is not the time to be quietly observant. The next few years will call you out in a big way! Now, is the beginning for the rest of your life!

Aquarius --- It is your time to shine and make yourself known. Your days of suffering because you are 'ahead of your time' is at an end. The times have now caught up with you. You have come to understand those psychological issues that get you down and now you are ready to be more open in your career, family and intimate relationships. You might even find a partner, for once in your life, who is really on the same page as you are. Wouldn't that be nice? Health issues, which have more to do with your psychological, or rather your psychosomatic connection to 'what is' will resolve themselves as you finally see the 'light'. You are multitalented and this has been somewhat threatening to others who might not see how advanced in your thinking that you are. This has always caused you to feel alone, and now the time has come where everyone wants to come to your party and participate with you. Now is the time for you to discern if you want to stay where you are, keep relating to those older friends and intimate others. You might think of breaking your pattern all together, to do something that stands out in your mind, right now, as eccentric. You will feel better if you take some of the 'way out' risks you have wanted to take and just DO IT!

Pisces --- All of the things you have worried about for the past few years have come forward and proved you right. So now what? It is time for you to see yourself in a more positive light and get a new paradigm in place that has more of a sense of positive action associated with it. You have been worrying yourself into a frenzy of health problems and now is the time to get all of that straightened out and find out what is imaginary and what is real. You can fix anything you choose to fix and it will serve you well in the long run. You will be asked to be a team player in your career pursuits as the New Year comes into focus and this will not be a welcome sort of thing for you, so it is time to say goodbye to your isolationism and join the crowd in some way. Volunteering and giving of yourself may get you out of the hole you have dug for yourself. As you do this, more positive energies will align in your direction and you will be shocked, by mid year as to how that has helped you financially and in every other way. You will have a new look on life this next year and see the world in a more realistic and positive aspect. You don't have to bury yourself in a hole as you have great vision. USE IT!!