Here’s what to expect in the new year 2017 (Source: Thinkstock images)
The prospect of a new year, a fresh start always comes along with an anticipation and excitement about how the coming year will unfurl, and 2017 is no exception. With hopes of a better tomorrow and brighter future in all aspects of life – love, career, money and of course well-being here’s how the New Year has to offer. Here’s what the stars have predicted for you.
(Source: Thinkstock images)ARIES (MARCH 21 – APRIL 20)
THE YEAR AHEAD
Families and how to survive them: that’s your area of expertise early in the year, now that Mars has its great wooden spoon out, stirring up the murky depths at home. There’s a simple way to dodge this planet’s little blind spots, and that’s to spend your valuable energy on activities which mean a lot to you but may have nothing to with people who think they own you. From June onwards you should do what you do best, and that’s tackle practical questions. While everyone else is causing chaos you can roll your sleeves up, fix broken objects, patch up relationships and move steadily up the ladder of personal success. Given that your Autumn stars are delightfully auspicious, you can also afford to feel confident late in the year; somehow, you will have acquired a knack of being in the best place at the right time.
KEY DATE: May brings a touch of love and a hint of extra harmony – plus a pleasurable meeting.
HOME AND FAMILY
Family affairs could be exciting. You might be engaging in, and enjoying, discreet personal relationships which could also involve you in foreign travel. You may well wonder exactly where you’re heading, but events after March and April will help clear up your doubts and hesitation, and make you realise more truthfully what your motives are. October could be your best domestic time. Sure, it may be a little pricey but it’s excellent for socialising – and for family gatherings. Eventually your attention will be turning to your long-term security and you will be battening down the hatches in preparation for a safe and happy future.
BE CAUTIOUS
Ignore practical instructions at your peril.
TOP TIP
Your energy picks up in September, and you’ll be able to put the past behind you.
(Source: Thinkstock images)TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
THE YEAR AHEAD
You get the distinct feeling that other people are just not valuing you enough in January and February. Actually, you’re a truly remarkable person and anyone who imagines they know you at all well, should recognise this instantly. If they don’t, you may need to show them the door. Your leading talents from May onwards lie in that most lively of areas, the performing arts. You’ll be most at home when dividing your time between your personal creative pursuits and an ongoing twenty-four-hour party. There’s a distinctly conservative feel to Autumn events though, so a night at the opera may be top of your list. Still, what’s most important is that you re-live your youth. You might find that those teenage pleasures weren’t so much fun after all!
KEY DATE: April and May find a social debt paid in full, to your great happiness.
HOME AND FAMILY
As you have found so often, you sometimes find it hard to break old habits, this is exactly what you should try and do now. You may find yourself spoiling for a fight in May, much against your better judgement. However, if it is important for you to keep in with family members then don’t, whatever you do, blow your cool! During most of August the Sun aligns with Jupiter, making for a lively time. If you have been contemplating a vacation, now is the perfect moment to travel! By October you will be looking for new inspiration, perhaps calling in the decorators!
BE CAUTIOUS
Don’t take loved ones for granted – and let colleagues into your confidence when the time comes.
TOP TIP
June to October brings outstandingly pleasurable gatherings.
(Source: Thinkstock images)GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)
THE YEAR AHEAD
There’s a lively slant to your stars, as if they’re trying to give you a gentle nudge into pastures new. In fact, close partners will drive you in untried directions, opening the window onto a whole new life. Sure, they may be expecting you to make up for their frustrations, but that doesn’t really matter so long as you achieve your ends. There’s another side to the picture over the Summer, signalled by Venus’ intense relationship with high-energy Mars. This suggests that people who are under stress are about to blow – so take cover! Your need for financial and professional recognition reaches a peak in the Autumn but, before you put a partner under too much pressure, give them a chance to back out!
KEY DATE: Late March finds you benefiting from Venus, planet of grace, and Mercury, symbol of bright ideas.
HOME AND FAMILY
This is fine year for entertaining and romance, especially in the home. A wild party in April or May might be on the cards – if you can face it! August will find you in a contemplative mood, reverting to form. You’ll be reflecting on the trials and tribulations affecting many of your friends and October brings major personal challenges. At heart you are a bit of a loner, content to beaver away on your own. Lately you’ve been becoming more sociable than ever before in your life, and have been motivating other people, organising them, being something of a politician. Keep up the good work and people will be surprised by your creativity and dynamism.
BE CAUTIOUS
Steer clear of looming confrontations in April.
TOP TIP
February gives you just the tonic you need.
(Source: Thinkstock images)CANCER (JUNE 22nd – JULY 23rd)
THE YEAR AHEAD
Many are called, but few are chosen. Don’t worry, your time is coming. All you have to do is wait until your number comes up and spend your time preparing the ground. Don’t rush into early decisions, but do consult all the experts, especially friends who understand your predicament because they’ve been there, done that and got the tee shirt! Also, you should be aware that your Summer stars have a deep significance for all your one-to-one relationships. Some ties will quietly fade away, but out of the ashes you’re likely to forge at least one partnership that will last for years and satisfy both your personal and professional needs. You couldn’t really ask for more!
KEY DATE: You’ll get the better of a personal partnership in October – and everyone should benefit.
HOME AND FAMILY
On the domestic front, your desire to improve your circumstances is reaching a critical phase. Now is the time to go ahead with improvements, provided you know exactly what’s involved. Family members are going to want their own way. But, then what’s new? Perhaps the difference is that this year you’ll be anxious to get your way instead! But you have a choice. Are you going to try and get back at someone who’s attempted to do you down? Or are you going to adopt a philosophical attitude? In general you should allow other people to take centre stage later in the year: why not have a rest from promoting your own interests and join in with other people’s schemes for a change? They’ll love you for letting them take the lead.
BE CAUTIOUS
Don’t say ‘yes’ when you mean ‘no’, especially in July and August.
TOP TIP
Reap well-deserved rewards in July.
(Source: Thinkstock images)LEO (JULY 24th – AUGUST 23)
THE YEAR AHEAD
You’re experiencing those magic moments that always come with Venus’ benevolent passage through your chart, taking your charisma to new heights. In fact, you’ve got a massive in-built advantage in every personal and professional situation in the first part of the year. It’s as if other people sense that you’re someone they should respect – but they’re not quite sure why! Other good news before the summer includes the possibility that a leisure interest might generate some income or that a part-time job could become permanent. Your public and private lives merge in the Autumn, pleasure unites with business and making money becomes fun – so be a wage-slave no longer. Your attitude to your relations is still mixed, though – you’ll greet family visitors like old friends, but not if they outstay their welcome!
KEY DATE: August could bring the best of times – but also the trickiest.
HOME AND FAMILY
By one of those happy coincidences which is astrology’s main gift to your year, Mars, the planet of energy and assertion, symbolises your home and family life until June. This planet is highly volatile, volcanic even, and you’re almost certain to explode at times. As a conscientious astrologer I should advise you to take care, but experience has shown that there are moments when you just have to let your feelings out. The only precaution you should take is to make sure that you do this constructively, clearing the air and releasing resentments rather than attacking people who have done nothing to earn your antagonism. The Full Moon in November helps you tie the year’s loose ends together.
BE CAUTIOUS
Don’t bend the rules in June or July.
TOP TIP
Praise and appreciation heads your way in April.
(Source: Thinkstock images)VIRGO (AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 23)
THE YEAR AHEAD
Back to basics. That’s this year’s priority. That doesn’t mean you can’t set off on a whole new adventure but, whenever you do so, you need to have firm foundations to return to. At home, at work and in your most intimate affairs, take the opportunity to get to the bottom of problems which have been irritating you – or generally causing confusion. March is, by tradition, one of your busiest months, especially in domestic matters. You may reach a point where you decide that enough is enough and make a fresh start in a whole series of activities. Do remember that the best route is to find a middle path and that, therefore, diplomacy and tact are always your best bet.
KEY DATE: Jupiter’s relationship with Saturn in August enables you to work hard without losing sight of your vision of the future.
HOME AND FAMILY
You have your strengths – and you have your weaknesses and it’s useful to pause for a moment and consider what these are and where they come from. Once you’ve figured that out you’ll begin to deal with lingering insecurities, a fact which many who imagine they know you well might not believe, and which even you may be slow to admit. One great astrologer once said that it’s almost as if you use friends and partners as a vast mirror in which you see yourself reflected. In February, you’ll begin to transform your family relationships. After July, life might never be the same again. And almost certainly it will be much more colourful.
BE CAUTIOUS
Stay cool and don’t be provoked from April to July.
TOP TIP
November brings accolades.
(Source: Thinkstock images)LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 24 – OCTOBER 23)
THE YEAR AHEAD
This is sure to be an ambitious year and, even if you’ve paid no attention to career issues over the last year, you’ll suddenly find yourself making applications, seeking promotion and generally trying to secure respect from friends and colleagues. Partners may have to learn to take second place. The last half of the year brings a set of challenging planetary alignments although you will be less affected than will many of your friends. Your financial affairs could be in temporary turmoil, though, but with refreshing and hopefully profitable consequences in the end.
KEY DATE: Venus, your planetary ruler, sails into your sign in June, bringing good fortune in its wake.
HOME AND FAMILY
Family and domestic preoccupations continue to be a major consideration throughout February, while in March you may be presented with all the opportunity you need to make a fresh start. This is the last time to take any risks – or take a partner for granted, perhaps because finances could be a major cause of disagreement. If you’re calling in the builders or decorators in July or August then you should be careful to check all instructions and directions – and leave nothing to chance. If you are determined to push through major improvements in your living conditions then early October may give you the best chance.
BE CAUTIOUS
Keep your feet firmly on the ground in February.
TOP TIP
Follow your hunches and listen to your imagination in May.
(Source: Thinkstock images)SCORPIO (OCTOBER 24 – NOVEMBER 22)
THE YEAR AHEAD
It’s a slow start to the year even when you are brimming with energy. I know it’s not easy to adjust to the feeling that you’re running through treacle but that’s what the world will feel like, so you may as well grin and bear it. So what can you do? Well, this honestly seems like an ideal moment for a good rest for a few months! You’ll have to accomplish the bare minimum to keep things ticking over until June but, apart from that, you might just head for the beach until the pace picks up again. Your strongest, most auspicious months should be from August onwards, so set some time aside for a small bout of world conquest – and definitely sort out a partner’s irritating ways.
KEY DATE: Your energy hits a high in October, and you’ll be trying new solutions to old problems.
HOME AND FAMILY
Pressure at home comes and goes, mainly because generous Jupiter alternatively encourages you to feel good about life – and then dumps responsibilities in your lap. You can expect a number of changes in January, February and March, some of them to your liking, others not so welcome. The trouble is that you won’t quite know what direction to move in, but the reality is that from June to August the planets are deliberately complicating matters in order to give you the greatest possible experience, which will come in useful in the future. Keep an eye on younger relations in November, and get in touch with family members who are far away: it’s time to build bridges and mend fences.
BE CAUTIOUS
Hang on tight in April, May and June – and avoid instant judgments.
TOP TIP
Set your sights high in April – as high as you can.
(Source: Thinkstock images)SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 – DECEMBER 22)
THE YEAR AHEAD
The year starts on a busy note. This should please you, as you’re a highly motivated person and you don’t like to be away from your pet projects for too long. You’ll be filling up your professional calendar, while at the same time getting on with all the routine chores and obligations expected of you, which is just the right combination for success. Although you like to hold centre stage, you’ll be operating very much behind the scenes. Colleagues look like having the edge and you may feel that they’re not being as reliable as you’d like them to be. Your spirit is a creative one, though, and, if you have strong aspirations in the world of the arts you must start coming to terms with them if you don’t want to suffer endless frustration.
KEY DATE: April brings your most powerful stars for many years.
HOME AND FAMILY
Be patient, take your time and you’ll win the day while learning from partners’ mistakes. There’ll be many occasions when you will be called upon to put things right for someone close to you who has suffered a major setback. At times like these a bit of emotional letting-go is necessary, which is not easy for you! Don’t let work demands tempt you to neglect your family commitments later in the year, even if you may be eager to press ahead with setting up a new professional collaboration. As December opens, you may feel that partners and family members are being less than entirely honest and are trying to undermine you. Talk to them and you may find that the opposite is the truth!
BE CAUTIOUS
Keep an eye on rivals in May – and don’t allow anyone to let you down.
TOP TIP
Turn personal tension to positive advantage in July – work hard and make creative choices.
(Source: Thinkstock images)CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 23 – JANUARY 20)
THE YEAR AHEAD
The first part of your year is important for financial affairs, and a good time for you to start re-examining your whole approach to money; what’s certain is that you should not be putting all your eggs in one basket. Study is in the air, so spend your time picking up new skills and acquiring fresh experience. Assuming that you’ve increased your financial options, June could well find you receiving pennies from heaven. It could be an excellent month for leisure and pleasure and for getting your ideas across. But where colleagues are concerned do beware: if you’ve been taking advantage of someone else you may now be getting more than you bargained for in return.
KEY DATE: The Full Moon in November gives you a much-needed energy boost.
HOME AND FAMILY
When powerful planets stimulate travel regions of your chart early in the year they indicate that you will either be going abroad for family reasons or that a long-lost relation will come knocking at your door – or, at least, one you haven’t see for far too long. Domestic concerns make it difficult for you to have a leisurely holiday later in the year, so keep well on top of all your routine commitments and you’ll make it more possible to get away at a time of your choosing. You’ll have plans of your own at the end of the year but a fear of rejection left over from the past may have been holding you back; if so, now is the time to get to grips with it. There really is nothing in your way that can’t be successfully dealt with.
BE CAUTIOUS
Steer clear of reckless friends in May.
TOP TIP
Look to new friends for maximum support in March.
(Source: Thinkstock images)AQUARIUS (JANUARY 21 – FEBRUARY 20)
THE YEAR AHEAD
You should be getting out and about, enjoying yourself and making useful contacts for the future. With Jupiter, planet of good fortune, so prominent you can hardly fail to try your best in all relationships – and there’s an excellent chance of success. One word of warning, though – don’t put such huge demands on partners that they can never be fulfilled. By the middle of the year you should notice a distinct improvement in your social situation, perhaps because you’re much more confident and happy to stand up for yourself. Later in the year romance will be based around home entertaining, with old friends who are more like part of the family appearing on the scene.
KEY DATE: Late March brings your peak romantic powers.
HOME AND FAMILY
Family members can be so argumentative. Sometimes you’ll tear your hair out at their inability to see sense. But, look at the problem practically: you’ll have to do some difficult negotiating early in the year but, if you get the right words out at the right moment, the most obstinate individuals will melt. If you take a property gamble it will be a lesson to you, and remember that there’s something to be said for learning from your mistakes and getting it right next time round. December could be a month of domestic and family transformation, – so be certain you’re in the driving seat and can ensure that everyone’s hopes are fulfilled.
BE CAUTIOUS
Don’t take big promises at face value in April – and don’t be afraid to ask awkward questions.
TOP TIP
Spare no effort to achieve your chosen goals in June.
(Source: Thinkstock images)PISCES (FEBRUARY 21 – MARCH 20)
THE YEAR AHEAD
This is an important business year for you, and there’ll be moments when you can enjoy a spot of profitable speculation, provided you make sure you’ve got all your options covered, first. Towards the end of the spring personal relationships will assume greater prominence, and you will need to act with consistency to avoid problems with colleagues. A little forward planning will work wonders! You’ll be examining your own achievements and spiritual aspirations, and it is important for you to act in accordance with your ideals, rather than be swayed by what other people expect of you. That’s the best thing you can learn this year!
KEY DATE: Let your hair down in March and go all out for professional acclaim in October.
HOME AND FAMILY
You’ll be asking yourself if there’s anything you’ve left undone at home in the past and, if there’s anything you can now do to make amends and reassure partners, you’ll do so without delay. Family members will be making demands on your time and asking you what you’re up to in the middle of the year – so have your story ready! The trouble is that you’re in a secretive mood at the moment and inclined to keeping your ideas to yourself after June. But you’ll also be inspired to crusade for your dreams and fight for what you believe is right. Good luck to you – but remember to keep people you live with on side!
BE CAUTIOUS
Hang on to what you know, and play to your strengths.
TOP TIP
Ethical issues loom large in October: always be sure to do the right thing.
