ASTRAL REFLECTIONS BY TIM STEPHENS JULY 29 - AUGUST 4, 2007 All times/dates are PDT. Jeepers, my flesh grows old faster than I do_. I still haven't written 17-year forecasts for VIRGO, SAGITTARIUS and SCORPIO, while LEOS and LIBRANS received only partial forecasts. If you are not one of these five signs, your forecast was already presented in a May, June or July column. You can find it by clicking on the ARCHIVE button on the left-hand menu at www.astralreflections.com. So, Sagittarius, let's look at your 17 years ahead (2008 to 2024). First, and absolutely foremost, the meat grinder of the past 12 years - Pluto's stay in your sign from 1996 to 2007 - comes to a halt. The gloom and frustration, the power plays, the feeling of being isolated and a pawn of life - these end. There was a purpose in all this: life (Pluto) was attempting to awaken you to other realities, to the irrational, spiritual, deeply psychological, emotional and hidden elements of life. To do that, it had to dampen your natural inclination to ride on the surface of a friendly, cheerful, and logical life. Subtly and vastly, Pluto brought quietude and isolation like inclement weather. But just as "bad" weather's rain helps the trees grow, so these 12 years have given the roots of your consciousness a long drink of beneficial insights that over the years will lead to ultimate understanding - to bring you knowledge beyond the illusions of insensitive logic. 2007 has created a "nova effect" - it has mingled Pluto's "rainy day" introversion with a surge of personal expansion. This expansion should have freed and uplifted you, bringing understanding, even a joyous new life - but if you rebelled, 07 so far might simply have expanded the gloom and frustration. This August opens the door to ultimate knowing - you'll glimpse the answers and find your philosophical feet! 2008 contains a few echoes of the past 12 years, but overall, as both Pluto and Jupiter exit your sign and enter your money sector, a great weight will lift. 2008 will be a massively lucky and important "establishment year" for your earning power and possessions. For 17 years, you will build a castle of money. Your financial success will in part depend on the intuition, sensitivity and awareness you developed in the last 12 years. In 2010/11 you'll embark on one of the most romantic years of your life. In 2013, if single, you're likely to marry. A lucky opportunity, perhaps demanding relocation, will confront you. The entire 2011-2019 period brings inspiration, creativity, romance, speculation and adventure! But these enjoyable things might conflict with monetary, sexual, and practical needs, especially in 2014-16. Get ready to make a choice! Start Nothing: Before 6:14 a.m. Sun., 4:55 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Tues., 8:37 a.m. to 1:43 p.m. Thurs., and 10:31 a.m. to 4:16 p.m. Sat. Aries March 21-April 19 Romance lives - ditto happiness! You're elated, your future looks bright, you see a new social group is possible, and your creative, artistic, pleasure-loving side emerges powerfully. But a mate might be growing a little inward, concerned with a private, spiritual, conscience-related, governmental, or similar conundrum. Give him/her space - pushing would only deepen his/her puzzle. Within a week, you'll see a brighter face! Your money luck is strong, but for one more week, DON'T SPEND! An international trip, school or legal matter is about to return - with wings! Rest Tuesday/Wednesday. Taurus April 20-May 20 An old flame might briefly appear, like a light in the mist, then fade. If this person has any place in your life, he/she will reappear in October/November. (Even then, I'd wonder if it's a good thing.) Think about your future - by August 4 through 22 you should invest (or wipe out debts) change your life, start a family (pregnancy), begin a major research project, start a home construction project, etc. This is the luckiest time in many years to undertake these - but you must start, solidly, before September. Gemini May 21-June 20 Think about relocation, marriage or divorce, contracts, a bid for public attention or fame, or other opportunities - next week dissolves four months of delays in these. For success, take a big, substantial step by August 22, or defer action until February 18 2008. Communications, travel, casual contacts will play a big role - so will your curiosity and need for variety, so give these free rein. This week impedes progress to July 31, then that successful run starts, all the way to August 22 - go! Happiness, wish fulfillment arrive Thursday-Saturday! Cancer June 21-July 22 Chase money. Buy, sell, protect or catalogue your possessions. A planned short trip might be cancelled - that's okay, even good, because not going will somehow lead you back to a monetary or buying opportunity you missed in June/July. Take a big step forward in your employment scene. Seek a raise or promotion, buy machinery or hire employees August 1 through 22. (Not earlier, as Sunday to Tuesday impede money progress.) Remember, September through late February 2008 will NOT be a good time to start anything practical, financial or job-oriented. Leo July 23-Aug. 22 Your energy, charisma, effectiveness and clout ride a wave of progress and success, Leo! Bide your time Sunday to Tuesday, when peers and higher-ups disagree with and impede your initiatives. But from August 1 through 22 (and especially so after August 6) you face one of the luckiest times in many, many years to charge after what you want. Think job, romance, love, creativity, better health, children's future - that's where the gains lie. Don't delay - a substantial start must be made before the upcoming September-February "snafu" period. Happiness swells Thursday/Friday! Virgo Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Lie low, rest, retreat, contemplate, conserve energy, avoid the limelight and direct confrontations. Through Tuesday, legal, educational, travel and moral elements interfere with success in love, creative, or "adventure" areas. But Wednesday (onward to August 22) literally hands you an opening to achieve your goals in retirement, spas, recuperation, domesticity, real estate, children's affairs, and similar zones. Thursday eve to Saturday helps you change your lifestyle, invest, or make intimate contact. Don't dither or delay - act while you're lucky, as September through February 2008 will prevent successful new steps! Libra Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Wishes come true over the next few weeks! Expect a surge in popularity, social joys, flirtations, optimism, entertainment and happiness. Through Tuesday, an "unsavory" desire or association casts a dark cloud over your hopes. Investments won't work. But from August 1 to 22, rewards pour in - make contacts, make and accept invitations, ask, seek, travel - go toward happiness! Don't delay, as successful new starts will be a rare thing September through next February. Remember, curiosity leads to success. Relationships succeed, exciting meetings occur, Thursday eve to Saturday. Work mid-week. Scorpio Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Your ambitions hit a barrier Sunday through Tuesday, especially if you need another's agreement. Work alone, or wait. August 1 to 22 offers a chance to capitalize on all the hard work you've performed for the last two years - even, perhaps, to bring a decade of hard work to a successful summit! Concentrate on remuneration: pay raise, commission increase, etc. Make your "first bid" Thursday to Saturday. If you haven't quit or committed a crime on the work scene for two years, September starts three decades of easier work! Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21 The gentle joys of love float toward you. Religion, philosophy, big ideas, far travel, legal matters, higher education, cultural and social issues attract you - and succeed, August 1 to 22. You could wed. Go, Sage, dream, accomplish, chase an idea that could prove stronger than steel! BUT keep an eye on "future timing." September through next February will NOT be a good time to begin anything. For example, apply for college now, but don't start attending before February 18 2008. All is quietly serious. Thursday-Saturday brings romance, winning gambles! Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19 You can make some of the best investments of your life from August 1 to 22. The same fortunate auspice affects intimacy, pregnancy, lifestyle changes, health fixes, research and discovery, inheritance, tax schemes, investigations and all finances (e.g., eliminate debt). The last two years of "slowness" in these will turn to "serious progress." Nothing will succeed before Wednesday, so wait, study, prepare. This August is so important partly because the September-February (08) period will nix and frustrate new starts - so start this Wednesday onward! Real estate succeeds Thursday eve-Saturday morning. Aquarius Jan. 20-Feb. 18 A financial, sexual or power-oriented temptation returns now to August 8 - it will turn out disastrously, so reject it. Domestic stress and tension continue, but this week is the end of it. Don't start a knock-'em-down fight Sunday to Tuesday! Things improve immensely August 1 - the start of 22 days that burst with opportunity, exciting meetings, fresh horizons, agreements, negotiations and the possibility of love! Begin new co-operative projects in these 22 days - remember, your big luck in 07 lies in socializing, group affairs. Make contacts, go, Thursday/Friday! Pisces Feb. 19-March 20 The weeks ahead bring much work - work that can open a pathway to huge career success. Start nothing before Wednesday, as friction or buried ill-feelings wind a tendril of failure around your efforts. But from August 1 to 22, go all out - show your talents, ask for more responsibility, apply for a "dream job," approach big-time clients, etc. August is the last lucky month of a 12-year career trend - don't waste it! (September onward also holds career trends, but this month to late February offers only abortive new starts.) www.astralreflections.com. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-261-1337. /30/