Note: This year (2005) I have decided to combine a karmic outlook with the "Luck Forecast" because the indicator of luck (Jupiter) and one of the indicators of bad (or stale or old) karma (Moon's south node) occupy the same sign. So in various places you might find a reference to "mid-2006" even though the present luck cycle only lasts to October 2005. Your Sun sign's luck forecast is placed at the end of this article, so you can skip right to it if you like. But this year ahead is very confusing, so I've written a long introductory overview to help you understand your options in more depth.

The Karmic Forecast article, separately placed on this website, continues to be valid. Read it for a "karma-only" view.

THE GENERAL OUTLOOK:

Throughout the September/03 to September/04 period, I urged you to chase your lucky area without hesitation, because the upcoming October 2004 to October 2005 luck phase would be very "complex." In fact, it's a mess. During most of 2005, both luck and "bad" karma will draw us down the same path - one filled with luck, but rife with pitfalls. In addition a bad aspect to Saturn, the planet of practical restrictions, dogs this "lucky" path. If you've been a saint and life owes you a bunch of karmic rewards from the past, AND if you're the wisest practical soul around, then this luck cycle could really pay off for you! But for most of us, our luck will earn mixed reviews. (There are several ways to tell if you're rubbing up against a situation filled with good karmic rewards, or "bad" karma - I've outlined these later in this article, under "HOW TO STAY SAFE.")

Some advice fits everyone: During the first 10 months of this luck cycle (through mid-July 2005) we should AVOID launching new business projects or major investments. New business starts will have a high failure rate. If you follow the stock market, realize the companies that launch huge new initiatives October/04 through mid-July/05, will tend to suffer defeat. However, this does not mean stay out of the stock markets. 1995/96 contained the same Jupiter-Saturn aspect that is triggering my present warning - yet the Dow Jones Industrial Average (a proxy for many stock markets) continued its long bullish climb upward. But that 95/96 period also marked the beginning of Japan's still-ongoing deflationary spiral. And there were problems for many economic sectors and many individuals in 95/96, as downsizing and the restructuring caused by the technology boom put masses of workers (mostly middle managers) out of work.

Obviously, the dangers of this luck cycle won't affect everyone. Many will succeed. Some individuals will grasp items, stocks, etc. at a bargain price (because someone else has failed). In stock markets, when someone loses, usually someone else gains. Much depends on your astuteness and "native luck." Life is never tilted totally downhill!

Still, I hesitate to call the October/04 through October/05 period a "luck cycle" at all - "caution time" might be more accurate.

TIMING:

This cycle breaks down into three periods:

During the first period, October to December 2004, practical realities restrict our luck. E.g., Dad banishes your new boyfriend, or the government refuses to aid your new business project.

In the second period, December 25, 2004 to July '05, these luck-hampering practical realities continue, AND we start to be unwisely tempted by the very projects that run counter to those practical restrictions. We might (again unwisely) feel we can overcome the restrictions by over-expansion or by "cutting corners" in a sneaky way.

In the last period, July '05 to October '05, disappearing restrictions might tempt us to over-expand, to follow "big luck" into a dead-end or trap. Again, I don't mean to play the Grinch here - many people will succeed - but we all need caution and clear heads. Here's an example of following luck into a trap: Imagine our great good luck in finding a bank manager who will give us, despite our small salary, a million dollar loan to buy that mansion. The trap appears months later, when we can't meet the mortgage payments, and we lose even our original down payment. (CANCERS should heed this example.)

THE TWO BARRIERS TO LUCK:

Luck Versus Practicality:

As I said earlier, luck this year is complicated. Picture this: into the ring of human endeavour this year strides Jupiter, the jolly, friendly, optimistic, expansive planet of prosperity and good luck. But as soon as optimistic Jupiter strides in, Saturn, the planet of practicality, restriction and "circumstantial fate" reveals that he's in the ring too, and he's scowling and he's decided to fight Jupiter rather than co-operate with him. So practical reality has decided not to bend down with Jupiter and build a prosperous, practical house or bank account or marriage, but to say to Jupiter: "Mac, this year your optimism grates me the wrong way. Every time you open your arms and want to do this big thing or that big thing, I'm going to make sure there isn't enough money, or that no one will come to your new store, or that somehow scepticism will suffocate your optimism - not right away, maybe, but I've got holding power. I and my practicality will win in the end. We'll squelch your silly optimism and expansionism - because this year you aren't being practical!"

This fight between optimism (and expansion) and Saturnian practicality (and restriction) rages on from October 2004 to July 16, 2005. Yet the whole luck cycle runs to October 25, 2005. So we still have over three months of pure luck waiting for us, from mid-July through October - or almost pure luck. Even this is delayed a bit more, until August 15, 2005, because a Mercury retrograde until mid-August will interfere with our decisions and ability to launch new projects. So our "true luck period" gets whittled down to August 16 through October 25, 2005. Good. Take this period and run with it. (After October 25, 2005, the "practical difficulty" influence will return.) But remember, our tendency to deceive ourselves about our true path, our tendency to expand so much that we can't handle what we stir up, is at its peak even during this "summer of freedom." That brings up the second complexity in this whole luck/karma cycle:

Luck's Temptation:

The second complexity doesn't start until December 25, 2004, but it lasts through the rest of this Libran luck cycle. This complexity is worse than the Saturn "practicality dilemma" I just described, mainly because it is harder to see. In essence, the indicator of bad - or old - or stuffy - or tempting - or "dead-end invoking" karma, the Moon's south node, moves into Libra Christmas Day and stays there until well into 2006. From Christmas Day 2004 through October 2005, your luck and your "bad karma" both promote the same course of action. Now, that's complex! When our good luck is our bad karma, who can foretell the result? (This combination will often lead to over-optimism, to an expansion that ends in disappointment. CAPRICORN, for example, experiences the present luck-expansion in career and business areas - so an unwise Capricorn might receive one promotion, but then get greedy and go for two, and a third - until he's promoted himself beyond his capabilities, can't handle the job, and gets fired. Good luck, overdone, leads to ultimate loss. This prospect of over-optimism and over-expansion applies to all of us in some way.)

In the luck-karmic forecasts below, I have tried to explain this complexity for your own Sun sign's particular arena. Please don't think me a curmudgeon or a grouch, a doomsayer or an inveterate pessimist - this year, things are just this way. That's why I urged you last year, to seize that day (rather than this one!).

HOW TO STAY SAFE:

There are various ways you can guard against the dangers of this luck-karma cycle. One of them is to continue, humbly, with whatever you started in the just-past luck cycle (September 2003-September 2004) - it was a cycle filled with cataclysm and change, but one in which brave, resolute action was rewarded. For example, if you're a VIRGO, your 2004 luck cycle favored buying property or changing homes. That can still be done, if you took the first steps toward it before September 25, 2004 (and first saw the new home before September 24/04). There's only one glitch: now financing that home, or purchasing it, will not be as easy nor as financially lucky. (And DO NOT, VIRGO, go over your budget!)

Another way to "stay safe" during this odd luck-karma cycle is simply to know yourself and your weaknesses. And remain alert to clues. Now through June, 2006, if you're running down the wrong path into a hidden trap, certain undeniable signals will alert you: your project (or relationship) promises great rewards and seems so easy to do yet it keeps meeting inexplicable delays. Or every time you solve one difficulty preventing success, a new, unexpected (and seemingly unfair) hurdle arises. Or, you're just a bit smug, arrogant or proud about your idea/project. (Do you notice yourself not listening to advice, because they're - those advisors - lacking in vision, courage or whatever? Take care!) Or perhaps you subtly know, deep down where you don't even want to know, that you're taking unfair advantage of a person or thing. Such projects will keep drawing you on, but their end is disappointment! Recognizing these "symptoms" and backing out when you see them, will keep you safe.

But during the 12 months from October '04 to October '05 the flow of events, the necessity of circumstances and the possible urgings of casual acquaintances lure you toward the "surface side" of life - toward paperwork, details, short distance travel, cars, computers, emails, newspapers and magazines (rather than books). These more detailed, superficial things can expand mightily, but they'll clutter your life and waste your time. You might be tempted to keep a relationship casual rather than steering it into profound areas. If, during these 21 months, you hear yourself saying: "Let's just be friends," take a deep, inward look at yourself and the general direction of your life. True love might already be waiting patiently for you, Leo - if so, accept it!

Communications are important - and successful - during the October/04-October/05 year. You could make a casual Starbucks-type friend with whom you can share big ideas and small understandings. But you could also receive a "message" or clue (or "dead air moment") that alerts you to potential problems between an active, talkative atmosphere and your private, hidden life. Listen to your inner voice; listen, too, to the "meaning" of an awkward moment of silence that extends and extends - it's telling you there are more significant, profound things to do than holding up a rapid but boring conversation! Guard against gossip, careless driving, and/or buying too big a car or computer, or a rapidly expanding cell phone bill!

The "difficult" part is that, now to July 2005, this expansion in money (earnings) might come at the expense of your social life - or, more likely, your love and social commitments might prevent you from making more money. Social motives could even cause loss, if you spend to impress friends, or invest with friends, etc. DON'T mix money and friends this year ahead!

However, DO let love conquer greed, let creativity conquer security. Be careful, all 2005 and the first half of 2006, to avoid selfishness in money or possessions. Bad motives can enmesh you in a sticky money trap. Wisdom and financial safety will come when you're considerate of others but not seduced by them, and when you handle money with a long-range view. Think "net worth."

Now to October 2005, tackle neglected duties, handle back taxes, make a confession you might owe someone, and dispel old ghosts and fears, guilts and traumas. This will be easier than you think! The year ahead offers good results from physical therapy. But don't go overboard with psychological or spiritual therapy - 2005 and the first half of 2006 are probably the worst time in two decades to go deeply inward in a solitary manner - and to meditate, pursue gurus, spiritual circuses, secret societies and strange charities. Keep it light! Old karma enters this area, so you might be tempted to use spiritual energy to your own advantage, or believe yourself a greater healer than you are, or mingle imagination with spirit, etc. 2004 gave you a vision of the future. 2005 demands that you prepare quietly for that future. 2006 and 2007 will bring that bright future!

Red tape, administrative and management themes, contacts with institutions and government agencies will grow - perhaps hugely - now to next October. This isn't necessarily lucky. Yes, there agencies, institutions, head office and management roles, etc., can contribute to your financial well-being now through October 2005. But don't let these - red tape, contact with government agencies, etc. - become the prime focus of your life. They could, after a seemingly lucky phase, inexplicably elude you when it comes to paying you your reward, or they could put you in a gilded cage, a well-paying job that stultifies your life, or a disability pension that makes you weaker because it removes the incentive to work and be healthy. Beware these subtle, self-sewn traps, Scorpio! Two more don'ts: don't let yourself be buried in paperwork and don't delegate all your tasks, or you'll find others have "fled," leaving you to face disappointment. Health-wise, exercise, proper diet, etc., are generally better than bed rest or hospital stays.

The light side of all these - light romance, social joys, friendships, groups, entertainment (rather than deep, self-expressive creativity, intense passionate romance, etc.) will attract a different kind of luck, a cheerful, expansive, optimistic, "gee, lucky me!" kind of fortune. But your moral instincts will not be "on side" with this lighter, friendlier arena in 2005 - in social arenas you'll need astute self-awareness and humility, or you could fall prey to temptation, over-expansion, and a "heedlessness toward reality." For example, you'll be very popular this year, yet if you chase popularity, you'll likely experience a dull, disappointed result. (When this happens, look for true love, not ephemeral love, not "buddies" stuff.) Beware a friend's money scheme. Examine your own motives and goals in any "popularity" setting.

This October through July 16, 2005, both these types of luck (personal joys and social) will be restricted by the practical realities of sex and "net worth." You might fall in love, but have to accept a sexual life which is a bit slower than you wanted, or your true love might be impoverished financially. Or, you might join a great new social circle, then realize that it could cost you a pretty penny to "keep up" with a gold-plated crowd. No matter what, you will be happy, excited, and stressed - exercise outdoors, turn off the television!

If you do chase those expanded opportunities for career, business, and status success during this year ahead, here are the problems you're likely to encounter: 1) This October into July 16, 2005, others (especially peers, spouse, competitors, co-workers and government agents) tend to disagree with your ambitions. They treat your proposals with gentle scepticism. To solve this, try to show a spouse or other that your ambitions will increase their security.

2) From December 24, 2004 right into mid-2006, self-delusion is a potential trap. You're convinced you can take three steps up life's ladder at once, when life (and most of your trusted friends or advisors) say it isn't realistic. You find it hard to see subtle yet powerful pitfalls. This occurs if your inner motives are not saintly. You could walk into a lucky new job, but find a year later that it was a golden-handcuff trap. In the year and a half to mid-2006, you'll remain "safe" if you aim toward security, home, family, nature, and "endings" - retirement, ending a job, selling a business, etc. But when you aim for ambition in the "outside world," or when you seek admiration, you'll be subject to delays, potential miscalculations, selfish motives, etc. If you experience "inexplicable delays," abandon your project - for delay is trying to shut the door to a losing situation.

But two cautions exist: One, this October to July 16, 2005, these happy matters (love, far travel, law, learning, cultural, intellectual and similar interests) run counter to "practical reality" in the form of work, health, and duties to dependents. If you have to choose between them, choose "practicality" until July 2005. (Mid-August to October 2005 is "free" of these practical problems.)

Secondly, from December 24, 2004 to June 2006, don't expand a journey, a lawsuit, or an education far beyond its validity. Be self-aware and selfless. Abandon a goal in these arenas if you sense a) temptation, b) it's too good to be true, or c) unusual or unreasonable delays. (Delays are the cosmos' way of keeping you out of a disaster.) Listen to the advice of an Aries. Wed for love only, not for more "complicated" reasons.

Ask yourself, on the brink of entering any legal, educational, international travel, cultural, philosophical, religious or publishing project: is this a good thing, connected to good ethics/motives? And is it "coming to me" (usually good) or am I constantly chasing it and is it eluding my grasp (bad)? Avoid a lawsuit now to mid-2006. You would be convinced that your cause was just, and this would make you a lawyer's best income source. And, astoundingly, you'd probably lose! For you, now, wisdom's in the smaller things.

From late December 2004 to June 2006, this whole area of secrets, mystery, large finances, sexual commitment, lifestyle changes, discovery, research and detective work, is filled with temptations, unwise aspirations and plans that might fail. The luck and expansion you experience here might tempt you to expand your activities and commitments to the point of self-entrapment. If you feel tempted, if something promises rewards that far outweigh the effort needed, or if you experience seemingly illogical delays in a project in one of these areas, stop and retreat. You can always default to the "safe" side of all these areas: to earnings, buying and selling, instead of investments; to light, casual sex instead of deep, lifestyle-changing intimacy; to memory and rote learning rather than research - in the first halves of each of these pairs, safety, wisdom, calmness and rational choice reside.