ASTRAL REFLECTIONS
BY TIM STEPHENS
JULY 4 - 10, 2004 

	All times/dates are PDT.
	I've received many "love life" emails over the past several weeks. Most of them ask about "square" relationships - Virgo with Sagittarius, Pisces with Gemini, Leo with Scorpio, etc. This is not surprising, since these are the most intense, conflict-prone relationships we can have. They will work in some cases, not in most. Usually, such links are filled with ego conflicts, power struggles, clashes of will. 
	To see whether you have a "square relationship," put your finger on your own Sun sign in the column below, and call it "# 1." Then count down the signs until your finger hits # 4 and # 10. If either of these two signs is your lover/mate's Sun sign, you have a square relationship. 
	Just last night, a friend described his father and mother in law. They fight constantly, he said. She's a control freak, and he loves breaking her control up every chance he gets. For instance, she hates smoking, and he's smoked all his life. They yell at each other every day. She goes crazy trying to make him eat healthy foods, so he stuffs a hamburger in his mouth. I asked how long they had been doing that. Oh, fifty-seven years, he chortled. (Their 57th wedding anniversary was coming up.)  I asked their birth dates - the husband was an Aries, the wife a Cancer.
	But, he said, I think if one of them died, the other would go soon after. She spends her days trying to make him live longer. I think that's love - or a kind of it!
	Thus the square relationship. It's competitive, but it's also nurturing. And it's not, in many cases, as dramatic as this one. These links can be tender, sensual, and every other thing, but they put together two very different personalities. Yet, square signs also share some very remarkable traits. That Aries and Cancer fought largely because they both wanted to be in control. Capricorn and Libra share these same traits. These four signs are ambitious and feel a deep-seated need to mould their environment, and the people in it.
Here are a few square pairings: Gemini and Pisces are both indecisive, and this very trait will become a bone of contention between them. If the Pisces is a woman, she'll demand that the Gemini make decisions "like a man." The Gemini will feel that Pisces' indecision indicates a lack of love. 
Gemini notices details, and loves to arrange them into a story or report. Virgo loves details, too, but these are square signs. So these two will struggle over who controls  the details, or whose details are right. Virgo wants everything to fall into a system, to be organized and ordered. But Gemini uses details like bullets, and loves moving targets.

Start Nothing: 7:15 p.m. Sun. to 11:26 a.m. Mon., 10:29 p.m. Tues. to 4:03 p.m. Wed., and 5:51 a.m. Fri. to 0:51 a.m. Sat.

Aries   March 21-April 19
In the weeks ahead, you'll hear "news" (rumor, friend's hint) of someone's romantic interest in you, or you might send a note or love glance. This could quickly flare into adventure, and by August, into something fulsome and deep - and, alas, indecisive, due to home or money factors. Hmm. You face a major domestic/career decision, centering on Thursday. You might switch jobs or end a career - if not soon, then by July 2005. Travel, visits, and communications reward all July, but get your rest, too. Happiness Sunday. Retreat Monday-Wednesday.

Taurus   April 20-May 20
Travel, paperwork, communications and curiosity are your themes this month. You could face a burdensome chore here - a legal paperwork task, fixing your car, etc. Get it done Wednesday night/Thursday morn, if not sooner. (You might be too busy having fun, flirting, dreaming of a bright future Monday/Tuesday, but before that, Sunday is excellent for working, accomplishing.) Your money, earning and purchasing, looks great all July. Frustrations or temper could arise on the home front, though. Don't buy real estate nor start living with anyone before September. Take charge Saturday. 

Gemini   May 21-June 20
Chase money. Earn, buy and sell, but do it deliberately and cautiously. Don't just spend; spend as an investment. You face a major, serious decision in money this week, perhaps Thursday. (Money remains a serious issue through July 2005.) Your charm and humor remain high. You'll continue to attract affection and goodwill. Trips, emails, paperwork begin to bubble up more and more frequently - you grow restless, curious. A friendly romance could begin. Wisdom and ideas fill Sunday. Your ambitions climax Monday/Tuesday - charge ahead! Happiness, optimism enter mid-week. Retreat Saturday.

Cancer   June 21-July 22
Money flows swiftly to you until early August - make sure you bank it or pay down debt - don't overspend! Your energy, effectiveness and charisma continue high. Start new projects. (But focus on other areas than legal, travel, publishing or educational matters connected to money or investments - these remain delayed, "immovable" until November.) Your relations with government, civil servants and head office remain pleasant, so this is an excellent month to clear up any red tape or bureaucratic issues. Be wise, loving Monday/Tuesday, ambitious Wednesday night, Thursday. Joy, popularity Saturday!

Leo   July 23-Aug. 22
Your popularity continues, despite lowered energy. This combination leads to sweet confidential relationships, "helping friends" (and possibly clandestine love attractions). It's a great week to seek therapy or advice, but you'll get the most benefit from private or personal sources rather than government-funded bodies. Beware legal hassles right into mid-August. Relationships offer opportunities Sunday. Money, investments, loans and intimate sensuality go well but unpredictably Monday through Tuesday afternoon, then turn difficult Tuesday eve. DON'T invest impulsively Monday, nor for the next six years - "friendly investments" are the worst.

Virgo   Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Hopes, wishes, popularity, light romance, life's joys visit you now! Be social. Expect the best; this gives the best a chance. Higher-ups favor you through July. (How different this is from two years ago!) You'll be drawn into red tape, governmental or institutional areas, and/or closed-door meetings through mid-August. Be honest, and astute - deception hovers. The stakes are high, your lifestyle, net worth, or "position of power" hang in the balance. You could also be drawn toward a secret affair, in love or "politics" - avoid both. Relationships thrill Monday/Tuesday!

Libra   Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Follow your ambitions. You're favored in legal, international, scholastic, intellectual, publishing and love spheres through early August. Your popularity rises also, now to mid-August. A flirtation, a witty remark, could lead to something else! (Especially Sunday, and Wednesday night to Friday morning this week.) But recognize that partnerships, love and opportunities all must deal with barriers erected by your bosses, parents or your ambitions. Until July, 2005,  "redo" your career, rebuild your career foundations, or meld your ambitions with your domestic desires - e.g., buy a "status" house. These succeed!

Scorpio   Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Enjoy the mellow side of life - your mind and heart enter calm waters. Love between parents, charming kids, romance for singles, creativity for writers, artists and thinkers, a gambling instinct that wins - these come Monday p.m. to Wednesday. But tread carefully Tuesday night into Wednesday - the feeling lingers, but the luck has left town. Tackle work Wednesday night to Friday dawn. Relationships and opportunities face you Saturday (July 10) but suspicions, tiny deceptions, can cause angry outbursts Saturday night. Now to mid-August, sidestep temperamental bosses, judges and parents.

Sagittarius   Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Now into August, others treat you with a twinkling eye, affection and responsiveness. Someone might hotly pursue you. All relationships are favored, even in business, public dealings, counsellor-client, and similar situations. It's a superb period to relocate, sign a contract, make an agreement, or to investigate/plan such. That said, the accent this week and the next two is on power, sex, lust and ambition - these urges will be "elemental" in upcoming relationship dealings. That's great, as  long as you're honest. Beware crossing legal, ethical boundaries. Romance, pleasure come Wednesday-Friday.

Capricorn   Dec. 22-Jan. 19
Relationships are your bull's eye, but the surrounding rings are work, power, investments, financial manoeuvres. (And in personal links, sex, intimacy and commitment - perhaps a mortgage or baby.) This whole "target" is luckily surrounded by a circle of "ethical love," of law, of social approval, wisdom and broad vision. Your life is primed for relationship success - though effort and faith are required, nothing is "overnight." (The results are lasting, though.) So plow steadily forward. Communicate, phone write Monday p.m., Tuesday. Back away diplomatically three nights: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Aquarius   Jan. 20-Feb. 18
Dive into work. Except on three nights: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, when tackling chores could lead to wasted effort, broken tools, tempers, etc. Protect your health with sensible eating and regular rest - definitely rest those three nights mentioned. Your energy and pizzazz are high Sunday - start things, call someone! Chase money Monday/Tuesday. Communicate, travel, visit, handle paperwork Wednesday/Thursday. Be home or in nature's bosom Saturday. All July into August, love, romance, creativity, art, pleasure and children bless you. Relationships spark with anger or attraction - the former is the latter!

Pisces   Feb. 19-March 20
Romance, love, games, speculation, creativity, education, children's interests, vacation and pleasure jaunts - you're a winner in these this week and next! You'll gain most if you're in these arenas for the long haul. Buy that vacation property. Or chose the lover with whom you can see yourself with (happily) in thirty years. Family members remain pleasant, your home life is sweet. Renovations succeed. Your work place looks hectic, your earnings might increase - avoid disputes, practice safety. Rest Sunday. Charge forth, impress people, start big projects Monday eve and Tuesday!


Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-261-1337. www.astralreflections.com.

			
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