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These forecasts will work for both your Sun-sign and Rising Sign

 Aries: How happy are you, Horned God, to finally feel some traction under your hooves? Isn’t it nice to know that your ruling planet, Mars, is building forward momentum as it heads toward the exit in its next-to-last month in Virtuous Virgo’s seemingly endless tunnel of toil? How long has it been anyway? Look back to early November of last year to fully grasp the scope of your recent labors, Aries. Virgo’s domicile is full of tiny things, little details to deal with, necessities that require maintenance and adjustment, which are, well…let’s face it – kind of irritating and annoying after a while! But I bet your lifestyle is healthier, your clutter is diminished and you have shiny shoes, orderly files and tidy closets, right? If that is not right, and if you have not yet buckled down and gotten cleaner, clearer and more efficient, you are hereby forewarned…Mighty Mars did not dally in retrograde for almost twelve weeks in the sign of self-improvement so you could just grouse about the dearth of respectably heroic adventures on your agenda. You basically have until the U.S.’s Independence Day to clean up your act! Even Hercules and Xena need to get a check-up, change the oil, and upgrade the diet once in a while. Remember Popeye? Where would that salty sailor be without his spinach? Mars finds itself in a glorious grand trine at the start of May, which makes it soooo easy to make little changes and attend to the menial, but important, tasks that will set you up for subsequent success and fulfillment. Coming soon to an Aries near you!

Taurus: You have every reason to feel a bit eager and anxious during your birthday phase this year, Gentle Bull. Making dreams a reality is your forte, after all. You are not afraid of hard work and goal-setting, once you sense the value of the outcome. This year, 2012, presents a high-quality quest, a test of your manifesting prowess with the promise of the sort of rewards that make a Bonafide Bovine salivate: whatever you develop, obtain, create, engage, or initiate will tend to endure and grow. Your strengths in this adventure will come through your cultured creativity. Keep your inner child alive and involved, and while effectively utilizing your careful attentiveness over the next two months, you should take calculated risks that get you noticed. Your blind spot: a tendency to allow unexpected events and unpredictable situations to sidetrack and distract you from your quest. Your challenge: dealing with people who are unreliable, un-supportive or drain your energy. Your allies: mentors, teachers and trainers with useful, practical advice who can provide you with techniques and tools as you drag down your castle from the clouds and plant it solidly on planet Earth.

Gemini:The period of May finds your ruling planet, Mercury, traveling through three different signs. The first week of May feels like a race, with Mercury in fiery Aries, insisting that you keep your networks and connections fresh and current. Take advantage of opportunities to take the ball and run, offer input and ideas, and take on positions of leadership. The middle of the month might mean a reversal of fortune in one or more of these areas, money, love and creativity. Do we smell a retrograde in the air? Yes! Venus stations mid-month in your sign, Twinkle-Twins. This means that you have some old ground to go over again. The quickest way to make improvements and facilitate the will of the goddess so that she favors you to the fullest extent possible, is to work on your self-esteem. This means that self-talk, self-care, your relationship with you really matter and needs to undergo a refurbishing of sorts. Self-love is the key to happier friendships, a healthier love-life and more lucrative rewards from your money-making endeavors. Plus, your creative juices will flow rich and strong after this little visitation by Venus is finally finished, after the first week of August. Play with your presentation, enhance your sense of style so that you feel like your best self when meeting your world each day. Consider it a spiritual practice, after all what is our personality, but a portal into our essential nature? The last week of May finds you at maximum sociability factor, chatty, busy and everybody wants to get a piece of you. While Venus is retro-motion (May 15 to June 27) it is not ideal to start new relationships; rekindling old flames and sparking the magic in current ones will be more rewarding. Pick up the threads of languishing creative projects, decorating tasks, or anything involving beautification and is aesthetically-oriented during this retrograde phase of Venus. Make yourself, your environment, and your world more lovely this summer, Gemini, and everyone, especially you, will be pleased with the process and the results.

Cancer: With all the hullabaloo in your house of “friends” it might be the month to mingle, Cancer. There are preferred ways to play, though, that will garner the best results, Crabby. Do hang around your professional peers and associates. Do go to gatherings and group activities, even if you might normally tend to shy away from such things. Do attend team-building workshops and conferences related to your work and hobbies. Do talk about yourself and your plans, goals and aspirations – in fact, you may want to post your wish list on a social media site, or if you eschew such things, tape it onto your refrigerator. Do rub shoulders with the rich and famous – honor-by-association, as long as it is respectable company, can rub off on you this month. Do not engage in clandestine affairs that could backfire or cause you problems. Do not sit back and “let George do it” because laziness and indolence are your enemies this month. Do not leave things unsaid if there is a festering, simmering, toxic-build up of upset that needs airing out, especially with siblings. Do not put off visiting your ill or elderly parent, nor sit by and hope things will just fix themselves if you hear a strange sound coming out of your engine. Finally, expect a power-surge when the Moon is in Sagittarius this month, Crab (6:38 pm Sunday the 6^th to 7:00 pm Tues. the 8^th PDT). This burst of energy needs to be handled well, because it can lead to boo-boos and ow-ees if you get ahead of yourself, or allow the force overamp you. Use the high-voltage vibes that are available to goad yourself into getting some exercise, cook some great food, and take care of any nagging details and loose ends that are upsetting your equilibrium.

Leo: Shine your bestest and brightest this month, Lionheart, and you may find that you impress the ones it is important to impress, those that can promote you, propel you, publicize and project you into better, higher and more beneficial places. This is especially true from May 6^th through the 15^th. So radiate your legendary charisma as you demonstrate your talents, beauty, skills and productive capacity. And remember Big Kitty, to purr gratefully and use your words very carefully. The trick is to know what to say, when to say it, or maybe even more important, to know when to keep your jaws shut; think long and hard before you roar yourself into trouble. Retractions, re-negotiations, and even initial refusals are possible over the next several weeks. Beware of allowing your pride and impatience to blow up and unmake the progress you have been making since last autumn. Skillful words, skillful actions and focused attention on your craft are the watchwords for you in the merry, merry month of May.

Virgo: When the prophesiers proclaim the end of the world is coming in 2012, are you hollering “Bring it on!” Valiant Virgo? Is that a pugnacious streak showing itself from under the sweet and peaceful guise you typically reveal to the world-at-large? Have you been ‘called forth’ to demonstrate your strength, courage and fierceness over the past few months? Are you in touch with your capacity to fight, to defend, to stand your ground, or attack, if necessary? Good, because that was only training for what’s ahead. Whatever you have had to muster in the face of challenges, difficulties and threats can now be harnessed in much more pleasurable and productive ways, Vibrant Virgin. If the adage, “What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger” means more to you now than a year ago, then listen up: put your will into gear and engage your power-drive. The first three weeks of May provide a temporal field of play for you to make it happen. What is “it”? That is either up to you, provided you have had the free will to make choices, or it is up to the universe in the case that you have forced choices to deal with. Either way, powerful forces are at work that afford you the chance to heal old wounds and let bygones be gone, to take risks that honor your creative instincts, and ultimately, to see the bigger picture, attain a higher perspective, and broaden your horizons by obtaining a new vantage point. Illusions have been shattered and you are stronger and more wise from any battles you have had to fight recently, won or lost. Now you are like the legendary Samurai warriors who were certain of their prowess and thus, beyond all fear. The confidence they emanated deterred any would-be adversaries, and now you can embody that potent reserve also, yet with compassion. Oh yes, and it is time to schedule your next vacation. You deserve it.

Libra: Pay attention to this duration, Libra – April 3^rd to August 7^th. That adds up to over four months of Venus transiting your Solar chart travel house. Why so long? Because the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and All Things Desirable is going retrograde, that’s why. From the middle of May to the last week in June, your guardian goddess traverses the arena of the judiciary, religion, higher education, vocational training and long-distance travel. She sashays along forth and back in a mentally-oriented air sign, to boot. What is it good for? Well, it is an excellent time to write, or shop your manuscript around to publishing houses if they have not gone extinct by the time this column comes out. It is also a prime time for education, especially if you study something you like and enjoy. Training and learning related to communication, people-oriented activities, art, music, banking and finance, as well as beauty-creating or beauty-enhancing professions are well-supported during this phase. The retrograde of Venus pulls us all into reevaluation. Take a book or three off the shelf, the ones that have been highly influential to your thinking and worldview. Re-read, rethink, examine your belief system to find out if it actually makes you happy and fits your current set of values. Beliefs should be tested and changed, just like your tires. If you are less-than-satisfied with your current philosophy and cosmology, you may find a surprising amount of pleasure and joy by exploring the thoughts of great minds right now. Actually, you may find that you are prone to elevated states of consciousness, and find yourself thinking grand and beautiful thoughts, Libra, so take the time for contemplation, study and reverie. Your world may look more complex and rich, as Beauty and Truth merge to make love in your inner mind, enhancing your appreciation of this Wondrous Creation and gracing you with a rebirth of wisdom and expanded awareness.

Scorpio: “We consciousness” is a practical mind-set for living life together, as a couple, as roommates, as a family. This attitude, and the benefits that arise from cultivating it, are currently available to you, Scorpio. This might sound like good news, especially if you are mated, house-sharing or living with your relatives. For those not currently involved, and are either hoping, taking a break, or no longer looking for close companionship, I wish to offer this: partnerships and alliances of all kinds are highlighted now. In any situation where it is smarter and smoother to do it as a pair or posse, join forces to make the work or the play a little easier, or a little more fun. Cultivating a sense of “we” runs counter to the training most of us get, and certainly contrasts with the enduring John Wayne-styled model of the way to be in the U.S. of A. Yes, the citizens here are still burdened with an outworn patriarchal model colored by Wild West values as the prevailing cultural ideal. This makes intimacy the new frontier, Scorpion. Just your cup of tea. So take advantage this season, while the wind is still at your back, to dive deeply into connection, to share and merge energies for mutual self-revelation, and collective problem-solving. Anticipate working out differences. Embrace the upcoming opportunities to creatively work out such difficulties as managing shared money and resources. This is a time to make love and friendships grow, and such growth requires test and trials, even though we wish it were not so. Develop ways to find agreement, or at least tolerate disagreement until harmony can be found again. Learn to fight fairly and negotiate respectfully. Gains made through successfully struggling through choppy emotional waters and rough relational terrain will strengthen and empower you in your capacity to trust, speak the truth, and maintain your integrity as well as your relationships.

Sagittarius: Did the track turn to quicksand, Archer? Does it seem like the momentum you have been building has ground down gracelessly to a crawl? Have the tides turned and the opportunities all dried up? It may seem so, and it might be that you are looking for culprits to blame, either forces beyond your control, or yourself. Fear not, this too shall pass, and quickly, too, if the astral indicators make sense to this astrologer. Number one, blame is useless, and beating yourself up is worse than useless. Beating someone else up is worst of all, so re-channel all that pent-up frustration into usable energy and keep plugging away in the areas that are “growing corn” for you, and relax instead of worrying or scurrying. Truthfully, you cannot count on a whole lot of consistent assistance, especially while Venus is retrograde. [See Libra's forecast for dates of duration and how to spend your down time.] Savor the help your do get, give big fat kisses and hugs to those who still love you, and regroup. While it may not seem like you are getting your just rewards despite putting out loads of high-octane effort and quality craftsmanship, your time of recognition will come, sometime in the eleven months following mid-June after your ruling planet, Jupiter, breaks the plane of your solar-house horizon, enhancing your visibility and bringing in allies with oomph. So consider this, you are still in preparation phase! Keep up the good work and make the most of the time you still have before you and your offerings are judged in the full light of day, so to speak. Hone your skills, maintain the highest quality, get your schedule under control, and don’t forget to pray.

Capricorn: If you have not done so already, Capricorn, plan or better yet, take some time right now for fun and frolic. You do frolic, don’t you? The first two weeks of May are prime time for frisking and funning. What, you don’t frisk, either? My dear Fish-tailed Goat, you may be taking life, your duties and yourself too seriously. My humble recommendation, get some rest while you can, otherwise the high tension may gray your hairs and wear you out. Consider the beginning half of May to be play time, whenever and however you can make it so. Favorable indicators suggest that gatherings, parties, and social events could benefit you greatly. Your guiding deity, Saturn, is retrograde, so there is no sense pushing the river, as the cliché goes. Since you so love goals, Cappy, make mid-August a target date for you to take over the world, or at last reach the next stage or pinnacle in your conquest. That leaves you the second half of May until the last month of summer to plan, arrange, utilize, develop, organize, obtain and execute your grand schemes. Your secret weapon (or special ally, if you disdain battle lingo): Mars! Mars is moving faster, heading for a fateful rendezvous with Saturn in mid-August. Between now and Independence Day in the U.S.A., the rough-and-ready red planet stimulates your search for knowledge, techniques, and useful information that you can apply in order to improve your skills, efficiency, and confidence. This next few years truly are your time to mobilize your forces and achieve whatever you seek to accomplish. Just remember to have some fun, smell some roses, and enjoy the ride.

Aquarius: When is it okay to let everyone know how smart you are? Are you almost ready to present your magnum opus? What is keeping you from revealing your inspired agenda for the salvation of humankind? Read Capricorn’s horoscope, Wonder Child, and translate the Goat’s potential for worldly success and dominating authority into your own potential for wizardly feats and dazzling displays of brilliance. This is not typecasting, your time for taking on the world begins this October, so before that upcoming shift of priorities, prepare your debut by broadcasting, submitting, publishing, networking and spreading the good word in whatever format works best for you. Your mind is in a ferment, inspiration at a peak, words and letters dance in your daydreams, ideas pour into and out of your gray matter like cheese through a grater. Maybe you just do not have enough time in the day to organize your thoughts and squeeze them though your fingers onto paper, or the keyboard. Get rhythm. That’s right, just as the Johnny Cash song advises, “Get Rhythm”. Schedule some regular hours during each week set aside solely for your creative flow and mental outpourings. That might not entirely suffice, considering the alignments highlighting the brainy, expressive and conceptual sectors of your horoscope. Unless you can retire, retreat or take a sabbatical, you may find little respite, and some wakeful nights, as you continue receiving the massive input of intellectually-stimulating frequencies beaming your way. The rest of us await the wisdom, insight and guidance you are cultivating, synthesizing and processing into images and language for our eager consumption. No pressure.

Pisces: Same as said to the Water-Bearer, Pisces, I am not typecasting, just reading the tea leaves in the sky and following the logic as best I can. This May is likely to find you pulled inward, lulled into your comfort zone, and generating the most joy when sticking close to home. Sometimes nurturing activities and self-care are ultimately the best way to recuperate and re-energize for the tasks to come. Taking the symbolism a bit deeper, think soul-level nourishment, and you will grasp the more profound possibilities available to you Fishies in the coming weeks. It looks likely to me that you are ahead of the pack, sensing and feeling into the near and distant future, sub-consciously prescient, in theway of the wyrd, out into the fringes of the as-yet-unknown. This can make you feel misunderstood, vulnerable, and even a little anxious as your intuition works overtime informing your sub-conscious, while you simultaneously deal with the day-to-day dramas of waking life. The soul does not need to accomplish anything, take care of business, nor strive into new territory. According to author, therapist and astrologer, Thomas Moore, the soul thrives of repetition. Those unglamorous chores, like making the bed, doing the laundry, weeding the garden, are restful and sustaining to the soul. Maintenance duties, attention given to those nearest and dearest, taking a nap, petting the pet, reading, walks, and taking time out for afternoon tea – if any of those resonate with you symbolically or literally, Pisces, please make some space in your private life and consecrate both your sacred or mundane rituals. Or combine the sacred and the mundane – chant while you do the dishes.

[Check out the comments sections of the current and archived posts! Lots of thought-provoking material, mostly from Mr. Neal Laite. Please offer you own -  a dynamic comments sections is so much fun! -PB]