Take notes, Libra. Cornelius Norbertus Gijsbrechts – Trompe l’oeil. ‘Board Partition with Letter Rack and Music Book’ 1668 {{PD}}

You are creating your own destiny today, dear Libra–and you may ask, so doesn’t everybody do that, every day? Yes, they do, but this Solar year, through to your next birthday, you will be creating your future with every, and I mean every, action and choice. Somehow you are under a kind of magnifying glass in terms of your actions; they seem to be exaggerated in the effect they will have, to the point where external factors will have little to do with the path you lay out. You help yourself most by remaining aware of your own power in this, by gleaning everything you can about what you should or should not do from the past, and by refusing to become paralyzed with indecision. Keep in mind there’s no right or wrong direction you can take, only ones more or less aligned with your goals and needs. Stay casual (rather than pressured or freaked out) in your approach, plan, think, and network–this latter is important when you might need it, so don’t hesitate–and use your highest values to guide your priorities and goals. Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

What do you imagine is at the top of their lists? Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes ‘The Letter’ circa 1850 {{PD}}

What you want to accomplish will be at the top of your list this coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Libra–but the question is, Will you be able to mesh the Will with the currently established life direction? And do you want to?

You’ll make excellent forward progress, and the temptation may be to modify goals to aim higher and bigger; this is possible, but if you choose to alter what you’re going for you’ll also inevitably lose at least some of the momentum you’ve built in the current direction. If you’re okay with the trade-off, it can be done, but it may be more satisfying to continue on the current course, as results, accomplishments, and rewards are right around the corner. Too, this year may be difficult in both communication and emotional matters; one or both areas may be under intense stress, and for some problems here will combine and make for upset especially in relationships. But on the bright side, there are two areas where you may do exceptionally well: being original and true to yourself, and allowing healing to occur to past hurts, will bring Love, money, or both into the life. Not bad, right? Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

Bonus info: watch the natal Houses with Virgo and Gemini on the cusp or that contain them; the areas and subjects of these Houses are liable to be the source of 99% of this year’s problems and stress for you.

‘Lule ne Llamp’ 2 October 2012 by Bessi Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Ambitions are coming to full flower this year, dear Libra, but so are your assertive urges–and this is great, as the dynamic willingness to ‘do’ will serve you very well by advancing your agenda and moving you toward goal fulfillment; it may also trip you up, as the ‘I Am’ will accept no excuses for not getting what it wants. Be careful when communicating; not only can that assertiveness offer others a less-than-flattering impression, you might be terribly misunderstood, and the mate or partner could end up receiving the brunt of your frustration. Those are minor points, though, within the Big Picture, as you’ll be offered a (possibly once-in-a-lifetime) array of opportunities that will allow you to shine, earn, and share generously with others in your life–and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

Solar Return featured aspect: rather than an aspect, this is about an empty spot that when filled during the year by transit (or natally by a placement, or by Secondary Progression or Solar Arc) can lead to extraordinarily focused efforts that will accelerate achievement radically. Watch the 16-18 range of Taurus, through to your next birthday, as anything here will fill in a Finger of God that puts your SR energies aimed at action, choice, and goal fulfillment in high gear. Since the SR Moon for this birthday is in Taurus, some of you will have that Moon filling in the Finger for the entire year–and that offers a rocket forward with some serious material benefits.

‘The Fair Toxophilites’ William Powell Frith {{PD}}

Ambitions and goals loom large for you this coming Solar year, dear Libra, through to your next birthday; what you want, what you’re aiming for, is paramount, and I can’t blame you for being so focused: it feels to you as if your Fate hangs in the balance during this period–and it does, as it does for anyone. The difference for you is that your intuition will be spectacular, giving you an enormous edge in making decisions and choices, and informing you to a highly accurate degree of the state of the unseen in any situation–certainly a major advantage. Just take time to take aim, and be willing to prioritize–otherwise you may become distracted by lesser goals and opportunities, at least a few of which may come out of the past and offer you a kind of quick but goal-missing ego gratification. Too, it’s better to face the hard truths in Love and Finances–doing so can take a mediocre relationship or earning situation and turn it into a powerful magnet for the good things in life. Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

Suntower, concept art, NASA {{PD}}

Energy deployment may be the running theme this Solar year, through to your next birthday, dear Libra; the question will be, will you get into action to make your dreams and goals a reality, will you burn it up in temper and Willfulness, or will you unite emotional perceptions with action to become a juggernaut of accomplishment? Any of these is a possibility, but the best way to approach it may be this: make knowledge your god. Either pursue a course that makes the most of already acquired learning and skills, or go after new territory by learning all you can before going forward. Stick to the facts and listen to the experiences of those who’ve gone before you; don’t be tempted to guess or skip steps. If you center everything in what’s known and knowable, you can accomplish Big, and the social sphere is likely to be highly receptive to whatever you do during this period–make the most of it. Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

‘The Valois Tapestry’ c1580 {{PD}}

Will it be radical individuality for you this year, dear Libra, or a position within the group, one that allows you to lead and that allows you to show-off your natural bent for diplomacy and thoughtfulness? If you go the singular route, you have an opportunity to be truly original, with the thing to concentrate on being an appropriate and effective outlet for that originality; if you throw your lot in with the group, you have the chance to really make an unforgettable mark, but you also run the risk of being too unusual, if you can believe it, and so end up strangely isolated from those you hoped to be a part of. All this simply means that presentation and standards for interaction will be especially important this Solar year, through to your next birthday. Being aware of how you come across will be the difference between some terribly wounding interactions (for both parties) and finding and using your most unique skills in a way that sets you apart and perhaps gives you an amazing reputation as a source of wisdom and healing–wow, so really concentrate on those relationship skills. Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

Circus poster, 1890 – Library of Congress {{PD}}

Dear Libra, this coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, may be filled with the unexpected, the healing, and the hurtful, and you’ll be given plenty of opportunities to show your skills. Material matters may surprise, but so will your inventiveness and originality, though the most surprising thing of all may be the choices you make and the actions you take–you are unpredictable this year, and that’s saying something for a think-before-you-do-it Air sign. All that choosing and doing is in service to widening the horizons and gaining knowledge, but when under stress you may simply reach for power, believing you’ll sort it out later; that won’t go well, so have goals in mind before grabbing for the clout to implement them. Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

“White cat and two yellow butterflies’ Arthur Heyer early 20th century {{PD}}

You’ve been through some big changes this past year, haven’t you, dear Libra? When you look back, you may even see it as a transformation–so what could possibly come along this coming Solar year, through to your next birthday, that could top the cocoon opening to release the butterfly? Allowing that butterfly to express its own uniqueness, that’s what. Originality will be the thing you will both be consumed by and scared of; though you really want to make your mark and show how far you’ve come, you’re deathly afraid of becoming alienated from the group–you’re just not ready to fly solo quite yet–but you’re deeply in need of being recognized as an individual. How to handle this? Concentrate on developing spiritual depth through practices of compassion, healing, and exercise the imagination and creativity in a way that might aid the Collective–then your beautiful butterfly future will fall into place! Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

Creating things the way you want, Libra, doesn’t mean taking everything down to the bone. ‘Death’ by Anita Rée 1925 {{PD}}

Dear Libra, you seem to be completely consumed right now with clearing out the old and ringing in the new. That’s fine, except you may not be making the kinds of distinctions that keep you from throwing out what you really want to keep; you may be too caught up, now through this Solar year, ending at your next birthday, with transforming your world, and yourself along with it, but you may need to slow down and ask yourself why you’re doing this. There’s a danger that your actions are fueled by not liking who you are right now–and this method of destroying the structures and supports of your life down to the bone means you could wake up the same person, but without those things that normally comfort and aid you–they’ll be gone, felled by your maniacal ax. Determination to fix what’s not working is a good thing, but first you must pause and see what current, great things about you should not just remain, but should be elevated and shared with the world: these include your quick wits, an outstanding ability to work with Mother Nature, your sense of ambition (which makes you focused and effective at getting what you want), your rather amazing talent for healing yourself and others, and your enormous capacity to understand what’s really going on around you–you can share some truly dazzling insights with others, things that can open up their worlds–but first you’ve got to get a good grasp on how talented you really are, before anymore extremist housekeeping occurs 🙂 Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!

Ogata Kōrin
‘RED AND WHITE PLUM BLOSSOMS’ (National Treasure) late 17th century {{PD}}

This is a year, dear Libra, when you will determine the true sources of power in your life; it’s also a year when Fate may reach out and ‘adjust’ your life direction in a way that will show major effects later. For right now, it’s enough to spend the time, through to your next birthday, seeking your personal El Dorado of effectiveness, stamina, assets, and abilities; locate these within the psyche, find a way to incorporate them in the life, and you’ll quite literally make your fortune. Don’t be distracted by the threat of destruction that comes from competitors–they’re jealous–and rely as much if not more on the feelings, intuition, and instincts than on the mind–the mentality will show some significant shortcomings at this time–the only way around it is to trust the emotional perceptions, which will be endowed with–surprise!–fully-realized information from intangible sources. Happy Birthday, Libra, and good luck!