ASTRAL REFLECTIONS
BY TIM STEPHENS
MAY 22 - 28, 2005

	All times/dates are PDT.
	My Daily Dow forecast had an inauspicious start (May 9). I was stunningly right the first day, calling the reversal from down to up within 15 minutes. And I was right Wednesday. But I was wrong Tuesday, Thursday, and only saved from a wrong Friday by my "?" for uncertainty. And my "Up" call for the week? Well, the Dow dove by 1.98 per cent. But as I warned, daily predictions can be overwhelmed by larger trends, such as last week's panic rumor about big hedge funds collapsing. There is also the overhanging malaise of a punk economy and a May dip, as I forecast in January. I'll try once more! 
	Today let me interrupt the long-range "Pluto" forecasts to bring some hopefully helpful health hints. (Remember, I'm NOT a doctor of any kind!) If you're bothered by heartburn or acid-reflux, try this: breathe very deeply ten times. If the heartburn doesn't go away, breathe deeply another ten times. I discovered this myself, by accident. It stops the heartburn virtually every time, for hours. It's faster and cheaper than drugs, and it doesn't harm your stomach lining, reduce your immune system, or damage your liver, as some drugs do. It works best if you're standing or sitting, but I've done it while lying in bed, too. I'm not claiming this will cure reflux disease - but who knows?
	If you're ever lying in bed or sitting at your desk and get a sudden "Charlie horse" (a painful seizing up of your leg muscles) stand up quickly, straight, and put all your weight on your feet. The Charlie horse will disappear in about a second. I discovered this one myself, also - but the next two came from my family doctor:
	If you get a numbing, tingling sensation in your left arm, it might derive from driving with your arm resting on the open window of your car. If you have chronic backache or a side pain in the hips, lie down on your back on the floor or a bed. Have your spouse or friend firmly grasp your foot. He or she should shake your leg several times up and down (with about a 10 inch - 20 cm - arc) then pull your leg straight back, suddenly and strongly. Then repeat to the other leg. Please Note: This might not work every time, and might not even be the right thing to do; it could even worsen the situation in some cases (for instance if your leg is falling off). But often back pain occurs when one of our hips is elevated slightly higher than the other. (Your friend can check this if you stand completely straight.) The cause? It could be nothing more than sitting slightly off-kilter. This knots the muscles, and causes back pain. The leg-pulling jerks the hips back into equilibrium. Easy, eh?

Start Nothing: 9:45 p.m. Sun. to 8:38 a.m. Mon., 11:51 p.m. Tues. to 10:11 a.m. Wed., and 8:22 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Fri.

Daily Dow: U-Mon., D-Tues., ?-Wed., U-Thurs., U-Fri. Week: Neutral to Up

Aries   March 21-April 19
The month ahead (astrological months start about ten days before calendar months) emphasizes communications, details, paperwork, errands and short trips, siblings and casual friends. Relationships are lucky, but are they good? You might start this period with a little unease about money, friendships and love. Let this spur you to peer more deeply into these subjects - you could discover valuable secrets/insights by Monday. Wisdom, love, superb ideas, education and law flow well Monday, but surprises lurk, especially Tuesday. Be strongly ambitious Wednesday/Thursday. Friends, social joys, flirtations and optimism arrive Friday/Saturday!

Taurus   April 20-May 20
Turn your focus to money during the four weeks ahead - buy/sell, seek a pay raise, chase lucrative clients, etc. You'll encounter luck (especially through May 29) and "automatic productivity" in money zones. Your career's mending; important people are responding, approving now through 2010. But you face some money dilemmas or choices now to 2008 - especially this June. You might have to choose between quick money and long-term growth. Geminis and Sagiitarians figure prominently (or people with the first initials of C, E, X, J, U or Q).  Be ambitious Saturday! 

Gemini   May 21-June 20
Your energy, charisma, clout and effectiveness rise over the four weeks ahead. Start important projects, ask favors, meet people you want to impress, make your bid for love or success! Romantic relationships face both a rocky road and luck. Love will go best before May 30 if you're already involved or meeting an old flame. All new relationships and opportunities - especially those that began last autumn/winter, then stalled - in romantic, business, creative, fame, public and contractual areas, get a big green light from June 5 onward. Be careful, diplomatic Sunday-Tuesday.

Cancer   June 21-July 22
The month ahead emphasizes your background activities - spirituality, research, administration, red tape, government and institutional links. Be charitable; visit shut-ins. Contemplate, plan and hold closed-door meetings. A winter and spring of delays in home, domestic, real estate, agriculture/gardening, security and retirement areas ends soon, freeing you to charge ahead with these areas while life gives you lots of privacy. However, don't bite off more than you can chew - a big enthusiasm could cloud your practical sense. Exercise caution, until June 3, in any legal-career-work-health combination.

Leo   July 23-Aug. 22
The weeks ahead bring a rising popularity, social delights, flirtations, fresh new, hopeful vistas, entertainment, and general happiness. A wish will come true! A communications, travel, paperwork, or similar project, one you felt creative and hopeful about, disappeared or stalled last February to present. In the weeks and months ahead, this will be granted new life. Usually, that would be lucky, but ask yourself: "Do I really want this?" and "Are my motives squeaky clean?" This week, romance, beauty, pleasure call Monday/Tuesday. Exciting meetings arrive Friday/Saturday! Tackle chores mid-week.

Virgo   Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Your career, your parenting role, relations with higher-ups, community prestige, your ambitions are emphasized over the weeks ahead. You - and your performance - will be noticed, so do your best. A major, lucky income or purchase project might have blossomed last autumn/winter, only to die away in the February-May period. Soon, this project or another like it will come again, with a big green light. Be cautious: is it a fool's game, are you misreading the elements involved, are your motives right? If you experience inexplicable delays, drop the whole thing.

Libra   Sept. 23-Oct. 22
The month ahead shunts you into a mellow, thoughtful mood - and promotes love, cultural activities, legal activities, higher education, religion, life philosophy, publishing and far travel. A major project (perhaps involving these zones) was proposed last winter, but died down. It comes around again, in the months ahead.  My advice: Dive in! Your luck is high through October, but the planet bringing it can also cause arrogance - a karmic factor would make that your downfall, so be lucky, cheerful, friendly, co-operative - and humble. Romance, pleasure call Friday eve, Saturday!

Scorpio   Oct. 23-Nov. 21
The month ahead features secrets, mysteries, research, investigation, occultism, dreams, the subconscious, deep, consequential sexual desires (and temptations) lifestyle changes, health factors, and important financial actions (debts, investments). Related to this, you might have almost reached an agreement with a government agency, institution, bank, insurance company or other large "office" (your own company's administration?) last autumn/winter. Then, inexplicably, it was delayed. It's available again, but listen: if the delays recur, just walk away - life might be trying to protect you from a self-imposed long-term "dead end." Home's sweet Friday/Saturday!

Sagittarius   Nov. 22-Dec. 21
The weeks ahead emphasize relationships - and fresh opportunities, relationships, exciting meetings, and possible relocation, competition, contracts, litigation - the whole gamut from love to hate, war to peace, divorce to marriage! These trend toward luck to May 29, difficulty to June 2, then luck to June 13. Last autumn/winter a social, hopeful, entertainment or "fame" venture was "promised" then it faded. It (or something similar) comes again now to October. Jump on if you want, but make sure you play a creative rather than a "crowd-pleaser" role. You shine, Monday/Tuesday!

Capricorn   Dec. 22-Jan. 18
The four weeks ahead bring many chores. Tackle your dependents' needs, employee-employer relations, machinery repairs, and health, diet and exercise exigencies - all life's practicalities. If buying machinery, check the warranty, the accessibility of the manufacturer or reliability of the vendor - these might hold hidden deficiencies. With this emphasis on work, a career project that seemed so promising last autumn/winter, then died out February onward, is once again "in the pipeline." You'll get a green light by June. But should you enter this particular career intersection? Maybe! Think deeply, "long-range."

Aquarius   Jan. 19-Feb. 18
The weeks ahead bring romance, beauty, pleasure, creative surges and joys with children. You'll take risks and be rewarded! But keep an eye on public opinion, or seek your friends' endorsement. Last winter a promising legal, far travel, cultural, wedding/love, educational, religious, publishing or similar venture inexplicably ended. Now through October (perhaps in early June) that venture could come again. If it falls in your lap, take it; it's lucky. But if you have to pursue it, think carefully about where it's taking you. Can you see a dead-end?

Pisces   Feb. 19-March 20
The weeks ahead emphasize your home, family, real estate, retirement, security, nature, gardening and agriculture, sales territory, building the foundation for any large venture. Rest and contemplate. You'll make some important decisions about who (and which project/situation) is growing and vibrant, and should accompany you into the future - and what/who are stale, and should be "dropped." In a similar vein, you can feel lucky, excited about making big changes in your life involving sex, finances or your lifestyle - in these, much careful thought and "pristine motives" are essential before acting.

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

		

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