:: Astral Reflections Horoscopes by Tim Stephens Horoscopes -karmic forecast ::

YOUR 2009 KARMA FORECAST On December 18, 2007, the Moon's north node slid into AQUARIUS, giving us all a brand new set of karmic influences lasting until August 2009. During the 2009 portion of this influence (to August 21/09) our good luck and our good karma occupy the same sector, so doing what is right (karma) will 1) be lucky and 2) be easy. Luck and karma are different. Good luck is akin to optimism, expansion and prosperity, while karma centers around protection, emotional growth and wisdom - good karma grants/aids these; bad karma withdraws protection and wisdom, and tempts us to enter dead-ends, to "skate" through life, even to enter traps that can actively bring destruction. The December/07-August/09 karmic phase affects us strongly in the area of ethics, morals, decisions, etc. Generally, this period will promote altruism, humanitarianism, revolt, activism, political consciousness, union activities, legislature, friendship and large groups. It will discourage creativity, self-expression, gambling and self-indulgent romance.

	Aries - (March 21-April 19)
ARIES, during your new karmic cycle, from December 18 2007 through August 21 2009, you will find life is sweet and peaceful if you plan ahead, gather friends, seek entertainment, and care about the social and political issues of your day. Be an activist. Join a new circle. Accept invitations. Play the field; engage in light flirtation. There is a kind of love that makes us feel at ease, both the chemistry and the friendship are strong, but the huge thrill and embarrassment of infatuation is missing. Aim for this. You will encounter inexplicable delays, dissatisfaction, and subtle problems leading to eventual loss or boredom if you pursue deep, heavy, Romeo-Juliet romance, plunge into creative projects, wallow in self-expression, gamble or speculate, or try to keep your children separate from the world (e.g., home schooling when not necessary). DON'T substitute parenting for a social life. (Your kids will gain immensely from your own peer-group socializing.) In all cases, groups strike a winning note for you these 20 months. So run the art gallery; don't paint the pictures!
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	Taurus - (April 20-May 20)
TAURUS, your karmic picture highlights your ambitions. From December 18 2007 to August 21 2009, your career and status in the world will be blessed and protected. This is a great time (especially in 2009, when excellent luck joins that good karma) to change or begin a new career, start a business or aim for honors. Fame is possible, all 08 and 09! But it's the worst time in two decades to focus strongly on food and shelter, domesticity, security, land, or retirement. Avoid real estate, buying or starting a restaurant or food business, farming, forestry, child-care business, etc. If you're already in one of these fields (or a similar one) just "float along," maintain the status quo rather than expanding or increasing your commitment or production. DON'T withdraw!
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	Gemini - (May 21-June 20)
GEMINI, your karmic cycle, lasting from December 18, 2007 to August 21, 2009, emphasizes the mind and all it deals with. Keep the following key words in mind during these 20 months: deep, long, profound, philosophical, formal, cultural, studied, big - these are good. The short, quick, casual, superficial, light, conversational, spontaneous, and snap judgments are _well, perhaps not bad, but a waste of time, a road filled with delays, slack commitments, and meager returns. For happiness and peace of mind, for fulfillment and solid self-respect, pursue cultural events and rituals (e.g., weddings), religion, higher learning, and international travel. Deal with foreign-born people, with scholars and lawyers, publishers and scientists - thinkers. Read (or write) a book rather than a newspaper. Attend a degree-granting, full-time school, rather than "Saturday classes." Buy insurance. Seek the big picture, advertising concepts rather than details, ideas rather than facts and figures. Fall in love rather than keep things on a "just friends" level. Though we should all love our siblings, you could benefit these 20 months by being mildly unavailable. This is a good period for all legal matters, including lawsuits. In business, sign contracts rather than rely on casual verbal promises
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	Cancer - (June 21-July 22)
CANCER, your new karmic phase, lasting from December 18/07 to August 21/09, emphasizes reward, fulfillment, and a smooth path in large finances, investments, lifestyle changes, sexual bonding (deep, meaningful sex) pregnancy, diagnosis, dreams and hunches, investigation and research, commitment and consequence. Follow the mystery, look beneath appearances - take a "discovery" attitude to life. Conversely, you can lose out or encounter delay if you accept things as they are, or rely on appearances or your memory. Casual sensual sex - sex merely for pleasure - will be a time-waster. Marrying someone you feel only a mild, easy, polite friendliness toward can open the door to a big mistake. In the stock market, buy and hold rather than "day trade." Don't buy depreciating items (cars, furniture) - you'll be rewarded instead if you buy things intended to increase in value: real estate, stocks, mutual funds, etc.
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	Leo - (July 23-Aug. 22)
LEO, you're facing one of the most important karmic cycles of your life, from December 18 2007 to August 21 2009. This phase emphasizes the goodness, wisdom and healing qualities of relationship, and the folly of independence. When you're frustrated or seem to be the whipping boy of fate, remember that self-pity - and self-flagellation, self-criticism and vanity - are simply ways of being separate from others. This period will bring dead ends, staleness, lack of progress and frustrations if you remain adamantly independent, if you are certain your way (or idea) is better than another's. You're the most creative and romantic of all the signs, and often creativity and romance demand or entail a certain amount of ego, self-expression and self-promotion. ("Faint heart ne'er won fair lady" and all that.) That's all right - but keep a weather-eye on yourself. If you're going from self-expression to pushy, from healthy self-interest to self-insistence, take a wee inward breather, forgive yourself, and start again. Yes, forgive yourself. You might suffer bad luck, because karma is paying you back for anything selfish, greedy, immoral (etc!) you might have done in the last 17 years. If it comes, accept it as fair payment, pick yourself up, smile, and march forward. Laugh at yourself, open your arms and heart to others, and you'll do fine! You'll benefit greatly if you seek advice, relocate, deal with the public, seek fame, negotiate, sign contracts, accent diplomacy, marry or form new bonds. Go outward, from yourself. Explore. Make efforts to understand where others are coming from, their desires and needs, and why they see a situation differently than you. Several good, "blessed" people can enter your sphere in these 19 months.
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	Virgo - (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
VIRGO, your new karmic phase will last from December 18 2007 to August 21 2009. These 20 months promise a smooth, productive path in the areas you love: details, nutrition, health, cleanliness, hands-on work, service, care of dependents, machinery and tools (including computers). The past 18 months have tempted you toward withdrawal, independence, even self-pity, as you were forced to confront the results of any "sins" or ethical wanderings you committed during the past two decades. But that "payback" period ends by December 18/07. From here on, for the next 9 years, you will grow, in heart, mind and conscience, toward a sweeter, cleaner, happier self-concept. Still, now to August 2009, for the best progress, and to avoid potential swamps of illusion and temptation, you should give a wide berth to an area that is usually counted as a blessed one: meditation, retreat, spirituality or spiritual searches, psychics and charitable agencies. You can wander into odd illusions, unproductive imaginings and dead ends in these. You can also travel a time-wasting, rocky path if you become entangled in government interfacing, with civil servants, red tape, institutions, large organizations or corporations. Avoid these, as well as warehousing, management roles, delegating tasks, policy committees, assembly lines, nurses and caves. Be logical; let "intuition" take a back seat - for 20 months!
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	Libra - (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
LIBRA, your present karmic round lasts from December 18, 2007 to late August 2009. During this time, you can choose a puzzling, frustrating, disappointing road: it lies in socializing, entertainment, groups (unions, politics, seminars, conventions, etc.) future plans, and light romance (flirting with many, playing the field). Or you can travel a blessed, gratifying, and oddly easy road by embracing risk and impulse - plunge into deep romance (or infatuation) express your heart, dive into the pleasure of the moment, create, teach/raise children, and pursue beauty. Your life will benefit even if a particular object in this area doesn't succeed. For instance, you might chase romance, not land him/her, and yet still be happier than if you hadn't tried. So paint the picture; don't run the art gallery. Move things to the personal; don't seek safety in groups. Your life will soon change deeply and meaningfully - change with gusto!
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	Scorpio - (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
SCORPIO, your new karmic stage, which starts December 18/07, and lasts into August 21 2009, urges you to reject pride and embrace humility. Although I'm urging you to make contacts and pursue information that can enhance your career and business performance in future years, the present karmic period is NOT a good time to change careers or launch a business (especially if you need the help of big-wigs). Maintain the status quo on the job. If you demand a promotion, or seek recognition for your efforts, those in charge might resent your pushiness - and they could push back. This doesn't mean you can't succeed at work or find employment - the magic word is "humility." Don't reduce your chances by insisting on a prestigious job, or "the one I'm qualified for." If you hear yourself uttering this phrase, slap yourself and change direction! On the other hand, you'll face a smooth path and pleasantly surprising progress if you accent humility, seek quietude, and pursue security, nature, home, domesticity. Ending is better than starting. Nurture your family. Garden. Build a house, in all ways. Remember: the quiet person who owns a thousand apartments is better off than the low-paid manager who has his name in gold on the desk.
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	Sagittarius - (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
SAGITTARIUS, your present karmic period, from December 18/07 to August 21/09, urges you to stick to the facts, to notice details, to talk and be willing to waste a little time in the niceties of daily life, to travel locally, to be curious_This is a somewhat contradictory time, as you love world travel, big ideas, higher learning, religious and/or philosophical musing, and you usually say: "Don't bother me with mere details!" But now to August 2009, you'll lose out if you insist on embracing large, vague concepts and relying on life and "all those other people" to take care of details. For now, newspapers are better than books, short trips than long. Strictly AVOID lawsuits through August 2009.
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	Capricorn - (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
CAPRICORN, your present karmic cycle lasts from December 18/07 to August 21/09. These 20 months urge you (despite what I wrote above!) to accept things, people and situations as they appear. Don't pry or skeptically lift rugs to see what's beneath. The big 17-year Pluto cycle you're entering is a tricky thing: you can go up or down morally. So use these first 20 months of it to embrace and enjoy your new luck and freedom. Grow philosophically, read, learn and travel. Avoid "deep," perverse or extramarital sex, research, major life changes, big investments. Instead, enjoy casual sensuality, depend on your memory, and focus on earnings. (Especially in 2009 - it will give you funds to tackle bigger things in the 17-year cycle.) In the stock market, buy/sell; don't "buy and hold."
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	Aquarius-(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
AQUARIUS, your karmic cycle, from December 18, 2007 to August 21, 2009, blesses you more than any other sign. You will be "paid back" for all the good deeds you performed over the last 16 to 17 years. An unusual peace and mellowness flows over you. You will judge people and things rightly. This is a time of protection - almost nothing can hurt you. But avoid entangling your life with others' now. This is not the best time to relocate, marry, form a business partnership, sign contracts or otherwise tie yourself to people who might be going downward, just as you're ready to go up! Avoid litigation. Those who sue, threaten or attack you are, in a paradoxical way, trying to bond with you. Don't fall for this sticky web - if you turn away from fights, you'll win them.
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	Pisces - (Feb. 19-March 20)
PISCES, your present karmic phase lasts from December 18 2007 to August 21, 2009. During this time, you'll find a peaceful, smooth and productive path in mystical, spiritual, meditative and similar paths. You'll be "protected" or blessed in dealing with government agencies, institutions, charities, large companies and organizations, warehouses and assembly lines. Civil servants or those who work behind the scenes will feel mild protective warmth toward you. You'll succeed where you manage others, create policy, and delegate responsibility. You can meet delay, dead-ends, subtle traps, even loss if you focus on service, employment, hands-on chores, dependents and pets. Be no one's slave. Don't go crazy on vitamins, exercise and other preventive health regimes.
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