A View of the ‘Monuments of Easter Island, Rapanui’ by William Hodges 1774 {{PD}}

Whatever you think of yourself and your role, dear Taurus, this coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, the real-world intrudes and defines issues of identity and purpose. This is a good thing, destroying illusions and replacing them with boundaries, methods to build and achieve, and the kind of support needed to make your mark; all you have to do is acknowledge that barriers, structure, and sound methodologies are the way to get where you want to go. You may feel this flies in the face of your recent commitment to empower yourself through the strength and purity of the creative, but in reality it will offer you form and restraint, which will only enhance your approach and help to give your dreams a solid footing. Happy Birthday, Taurus, and good luck!

‘Young Women Going to a Procession’ by Jules Breton c1890 {{PD}}

It may feel, just a little, as if the parade has passed you by, dear Taurus, but it’s really only a brief respite you’re in right now–soon you’ll be at it, or at least thinking about it–but going forward all depends on you 1) facing those things you have been ignoring or denying, and then 2) handling them in such a way that what could’ve been a weakness becomes either a source of understanding or a source of information–and so becomes a strength. Ambitions and desires may become the determining factor in whether you will go off on your own unique Path or become a part of the group and help their cause. Two very strong assets you have working for you: high standards and values, and talent (the definition of which this year includes persuasive abilities and mental acuity). If you can deploy both talents and values at the same time, you can make phenomenal progress–the key is not to let them clash. Happy Birthday, Taurus, and good luck!

Solar Return bonus aspect: An Earth Grand Trine with Mars, Pluto, and Black Moon Lilith=facing rage or matters ignored or denied brings forward energy to accomplish, clear purpose, and power, including the power to change your world.

Johann Doppelmayr’s map of the southern celestial hemisphere, c. 1730 titled: “Hemisphaerium Coeli Australe in quo Fixarum loca secundum Eclipticae ductum ad anum 1730.” {{PD}} Photo courtesy of Ben Esq

You’re looking to chart the wisest course that will make for a real-world impact, aren’t you, dear Taurus? You’re capable this Solar year, through to your next birthday, of making significant alterations to your physical reality, but only if you are willing to take on those matters ignored or denied previously; they lurk, and may spoil changes by de-railing your intentions and your expressions of power, which could devolve into fits of temper and destructive episodes–and we don’t want that. How to prevent a meltdown? Be open to communications, even if what you hear is disappointing or less than pleasant–that way you will know where you stand, and have a complete picture of what you can and can’t work with. Be willing to adjust dreams and imagined potentials so that they mesh with real-world possibilities, specifically those that you have gained experience from in the past, and so can use to translate into an improved future. And allow intuition and instinct their say–these are powerful guides for you this year, if you’ll let them speak. Happy Birthday, Taurus, and good luck!

If you are an Aries with a birthday on the 20th, please read the outlook for the 19th. Thanks!

Stay open to meeting someone (or to seeing someone already here in a whole new way), Aries. ‘Bougival Dance’
Pierre-Auguste Renoir c1882 {{PD}}

Emotional messages you receive through inspiration or imagination will be life-shaping this coming year, dear Aries. The subject of these messages? Love, Money, or maybe just the way you think about them; reform of your ideas, or maybe even your mentality itself, will lead you in your destined direction. What more could you need to know? That change, especially change to material circumstances or established structures, needs to be approached with care–no sudden moves. Also important is a willingness to face anything you’ve been putting off, ignoring, or in denial about–it all catches up to you–in fact, material matters likely won’t budge an inch until you deal with ignored life areas. And Aries, you’re due for Love, big time–be open to it. Happy Birthday, and good luck!

On the nature of subjectivity, and Saturn and Pluto together

Willem Claeszoon Heda 1634 {{PD}}

It’s a new emotional start for you this coming year, Aries, and by extension a new identity. This offers fresh, and perhaps excessive, confidence, and may foster exaggerated Willfulness–but you’re not exactly a retiring Soul, anyway, so what’s the harm? As long as you are willing to honestly and openly deal with all matters you may have been ignoring or in denial about, you can clear the way to do what you please, with the knowledge that what will go best for you will both honor your highest values and use your creative talents to the max. This coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, the world’s your oyster, Aries–the only other thing to watch out for is, about midway through, a tendency to allow yourself to be too destructive in trying to bring about change, and this comes directly from your earlier successes at imposing your Will. Happy Birthday, and good luck!

Those ignored things you need to confront won’t be anything you can’t handle, Aries. Urartian Fresco {{PD}}

You seem to be having trouble getting life to ‘jell’ into something clear and easy to handle, dear Aries; it’s like you feel your own power but can’t quite connect to it, you know who you are but can’t find anything to anchor that idea to, and matters hidden, denied, neglected, or ignored keep throwing criticism your way from the sidelines. Too, there’s a current tendency to slide into nostalgia for the past, in the incorrect belief that you were somehow a better ‘You’ then. What to do? First, how should you handle that criticism? By confronting those ignored matters and dragging them out into the light–that will almost miraculously silence the critical voices, inside and out. Then you must take inventory of your assets available through the coming Solar year, to your next birthday: boundless energy, relationships and resources that offer the support and status you need to earn successfully, and an inspired creativity and imagination that can guide you toward fulfillment of your highest goals, if you let it. Your biggest mistake would be failing to believe in yourself; this year you’ve got everything you need to ‘make it’–as long as you face those matters you’ve ignored or are in denial about. Happy Birthday, Aries, and good luck!

Carl Locher – ‘Fishing Cutters in the Moonlit Night’ 1887 {{PD}}

You may be in the doldrums at this point, dear Aries–expect to rest becalmed (if I can overdo the sailing metaphors) for at least the first quarter of your upcoming year, through to your next birthday–but after about three months, things will definitely pick up–and you may find yourself starting something brand spanking new, out of crisis, necessity, or a serious sense of adventure. Some advice for smooth sailing (ow!): parse words, thoughts, communications carefully–keep mental activity grounded in reality, for best results; embrace the wisdom of practicality; be creative in the home, with the mate, and allow inspiration to drive to what and how you dedicate yourself and your life energies; and look for change to come from partners, through shifts in ambitions and desires, and from opportunities you pursue on your own, without the aid or knowledge of others. Happy Birthday, Aries, and good luck!

Antoine Chintreuil 1868 {{PD}}

Thoughts and actions are in harmony this coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Aries–but not with who you are! It will be the major irony of your year that you are thinking and doing at one-remove from your core intent–and we can blame a fuzzy emotional state that encourages delusion, fantasy, and creativity over connecting with the here-and-now. In one way that’s great, if you’re a creative type (though you’ll still have trouble controlling the manifestations of that creative urge) but not so great if you’re more reality-oriented. Balance could be found if you’re willing to take a unique material Path and take complete responsibility for where it takes you and what you produce–if are willing to do that, you’ll not only achieve equilibrium, the world will open up to you in a whole new way. Happy Birthday, Aries, and good luck!

Don’t let communication difficulties devolve into outright conflict, Aries. Alexander Pope – ‘Emblems of the Civil War’ 1887 {{PD}}

Communications reach crisis proportions for you this coming Solar year, dear Aries–but why? It could be because, instead of your usual straightforward approach, you are distracted by the subtleties of who has what, who owes what to whom, and/ or by the demands of artisanship or attaining security. You can balance this successfully (and save communication channels from disaster) if you’re willing to face those matters hidden, ignored, or denied and then ‘trim the fat’, transforming them from problems into assets. Strengths this year include your ability to be truly original and to apply this appropriately to the ambitions. Bonus: other potential points of difficulty include matters of the natal Houses where you find Gemini and Virgo–forewarned is forearmed. Happy Birthday, Aries, and good luck!

Don’t let distractions de-rail you, Aries. Darío de Regoyos – Vendredi Saint en Castille (Good Friday in Castile) {{PD}}

Maintaining equilibrium, riding above the fray, meeting life with intellectual acuity and understanding may be a conscious goal this coming year, dear Aries, but in approaching things this way you may miss opportunities, ones that you will only see if you allow yourself to focus on yourself, and your needs, wants, and Self-expression. This year, through to your next birthday, may call for you to stop being so reasonable and to start concentrating on yourself. The crux of the matter is that you may need to learn to operate totally trusting your instincts while being ever-watchful for that material that is hidden in your mental ‘blind spot’ and that threatens to de-rail your best efforts–and all this really requires you make yourself the focus for the year. Doing this successfully will free up creative energies that are aligned with your highest values (making them that much easier and more productive to manifest)–and that’s a goal worth having, isn’t it? Happy Birthday, Aries, and good luck!