ASTRAL REFLECTIONS BY TIM STEPHENS DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2003 All times/dates are PST. That recent stat showing an uptick in employment was reliable. Jupiter indicates strong job growth for the year ahead. This planet is usually associated with luck, but it actually governs or signals "expansion." If that's expansion of your heart, waistline, debts, or unwanted relatives, it might not feel so lucky! Right now - through September 2004 - Jupiter should bless grain farmers with bountiful crops. But plentiful also means lower prices. (Good for consumers.) I don't know what rules cattle; wish I did. The name ("c") is Gemini, and that could concur with the recent ups and downs for beef prices in 2003 - they're somewhat like the ups and downs Geminis have "enjoyed" in relationships lately. Mars' recent passage into Aries indicates the soaring beef prices of the last six months should abate now - or at least stabilize. So it might be a good time to buy the companies who sell processed beef products such as hot dogs and jerky. Sugar's a puzzle, but its name hints, oddly enough, that sugar might be a Capricorn commodity. That would fit the almost decade-long decline in sugar prices. This slide should (if I'm right) end in late 2004 or the first half of 2005. One of the most contradictory signs is PISCES - ultra-shy, super-sensitive, yet often very talkative. Pisces often wonders if he/she's really welcome even after you've sent a written invitation. If you ever want to put a Pisces at ease, be sick or down-hearted, or whine about your lack of self-esteem. Pisces will be right there, to encourage, nurture and sympathize with you! This is the most indecisive, namby-pamby sign; yet, when Pisces is pushed into a corner (or finally fed up) he fights with a courage and determination that could make George Foreman blink. Then you realize all that softness and namby-pambyness was just a cover so he wouldn't have to engage with you; that he was being so inoffensive and flexible because he wanted to dream away without being bothered. And he instinctively knew (instinct being Pisces' strong point) that the best way to not be bothered was to agree with everything you said. Pisces parents sometimes lack disciplinary fortitude because they can't bear the thought of being cruel to their kids. This sign is psychic, flexible, mental yet ruled by emotions. Pisces have stunning insights into others, yet often hold at least one huge illusion about life. Don't burst that illusion cruelly, if you love your Pisces. In 2004, Pisces meets at least two big, lucky career opportunities. Single Pisces will meet someone cheerful yet hard to wed. All Pisces face relocation luck! Start Nothing: 11:29 p.m. to 11:55 p.m. Mon., 5:52 a.m. Wed. to 0:13 a.m. Thurs., and 2:57 a.m. to 3:10 a.m. Sat. Aries March 21-April 19 A month of ambition starts today (Sunday). Your performance will be noted, you'll mingle with VIPs, your actions will affect your reputation, community status and income levels. You'll probably call it "quits" with at least one VIP, or end one ambitious project during the weeks ahead. At the same time, a VIP or project could return from the past. DON'T start new career/business ventures while indecision hovers (until January 6). Love's mellow, sweet Monday. Your career luck soars late Tuesday, pre-dawn Wednesday. Social delights fill Thursday/Friday. Retreat, rest Saturday. Taurus April 20-May 20 A sweet, mellow month starts now. Themes of love, understanding, compassion, education, far travel, broadcasting, philosophy and religion will enter (strongly midweek). These will have a definite echo of the past - perhaps one situation reminds you of another, nostalgic one. A legal, travel, or intellectual matter might return to be "completed." If you haven't already met romance in the last few months, you could be enchanted with an old flame...this could lead to significant things, if practical realities let it. Be patient, watch life unfold. Depths, secrets, finances fill Sunday/Monday. Gemini May 21-June 20 A former investment, financial situation, debt, research project, lifestyle change, or sexual partner/temptation returns during the month ahead, especially Tuesday/Wednesday. Or something comes which reminds you of these. This could be good, or difficult, depending on how a lover or investment, etc., stacks up against your present income situation. (Your present income dominates everything, it "calls the shots.") You could hit it lucky, especially if family or property is involved! Relationships excite Sunday/Monday. You enter "deep areas" of commitment and consequence Tuesday/Wednesday. Love, wisdom - and some temper! - arrive Thursday/Friday. Cancer June 21-July 22 Relationships in all forms engage your efforts and thoughts for the month ahead, especially this Tuesday-Friday. Most of these (to early January) will be "former connections." An ex-spouse or old flame could cause excitement! DO NOT sign agreements, relocate, nor begin a public-related project before January 6. You're going to deal more with VIPs through early February. Your determination will trigger a new career/business project. (Again, wait until January 6 to start.) Tackle chores Sunday/Monday. Communications with another are lucky, late Tuesday night. "No deal" Thursday; good deal Friday. Leo July 23-Aug. 22 Work awaits - midweek and for a few weeks ahead. Tackle chores, take care of your dependents' interests, plan nutritious meals, clean your yard, etc. But stick to routine; don't start big new projects before January 6. A former employment might return. Avoid legal hassles through February 3. Your intellectual, media, international and philosophical interests get a boost during the same period. You could fall in love, even agree to marry. Time the latter for late January into February, if possible. Sunday/Monday promote romance, pleasure. Thursday/Friday bring exciting meetings - drive safely! Virgo Aug. 23-Sept. 22 A month of romance, pleasure, beauty, children's interests, speculative and creative urges begins. Embrace old flames or ongoing loves before January 6 - brand new ones don't succeed. That applies to creative and speculative projects also. You'll be happy, filled with sweet nostalgia! A significant person faces you Sunday. By Friday you might argue with this person, or with another because of this person's influence. Good? Bad? I don't know. Be home, with family Sunday/Monday. Those pleasures already listed (romance, beauty, etc.) soar luckily Tuesday/Wednesday! Tackle chores - safely - Thursday/Friday. Libra Sept. 23-Oct. 22 A month of nostalgia, home and security interests starts now - deeply so, Tuesday/Wednesday. A family member will return, an old "family hassle" might re-emerge - but so will family joys. Retreat to a former idyllic place for a rest steeped in nature's beauty. Avoid real estate deals before January 6. Past six months of "disfavor" in the workplace, of hectic work demands, is over - rest! The six weeks ahead feature marriage, love, partnership, challenge and opportunity. You could meet and mate! Travel, paperwork, calls fill Sunday/Monday. Romance, beauty arrive Thursday/Friday. Scorpio Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Don't get all tangled up in paperwork, messaging, and details. Make lists before you run errands, so you don't end up going twice. If you let life do it to you, you'll end up working at a hectic, unsustainable pace for the next month - and get little done. Instead, relax, be friendly, and let everyone's suggestions/proposals slide to one side - you'll probably be doing them a favor! Case in point: Sunday's suggestion/goal might become Thursday/Friday's conflict or problem. Money's "workable" Sunday/Monday. Travel midweek. Home, Mother Nature bless you Thursday/Friday. Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21 An old money source might return in the weeks ahead. (Perhaps Tuesday/Wednesday.) Don't chase a brand new one - you'd be like the dog, chasing its tail. Six months of home, family and romantic or creative frustration ends now - so does that "unlucky streak." Now through early February, your romantic, artistic side blossoms. An old "sensual partner" might return. But if you meet a brand new person between now and January 6, he/she might have commitment and/or sexual difficulties. Your energy, charisma rise Sunday/Monday. Trips, visits please you Thursday/Friday: speak diplomatically! Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19 You enter your "power month" Sunday/Monday. But it starts with a bit of weariness or rest - indulge your desire for quietude these two days. By Tuesday/Wednesday, you won't be able to contain yourself any longer! Late Tuesday night is fortunate for dealing with an "old situation" in legal, intellectual, foreign, travel, media, and similar pursuits. (Don't begin brand new projects, nor new employment.) Chase money Thursday/Friday. (But take care late Thursday, speak carefully, drive carefully.) The six weeks ahead could test your temper on the home front. Saturday's happy! Aquarius Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Your energy levels will be low during the four weeks ahead (especially this Tuesday/Wednesday). Rest, recharge your physical, emotional and spiritual batteries. Contemplate, plan your long-term future: but realize that this year, the future is in your past. The bough of secrets bends low to let you pluck valuable fruit Tuesday night - key information could open the door to financial success, to intimacy or understanding. You feel dreamy, wishful, and social Sunday/Monday. Your energy rises a bit Thursday/Friday: ask favors, seek success. The hectic spending of past months eases now. Pisces Feb. 19-March 20 A month of socializing, optimism, flirtation and popularity begins! You see a bright future, and old cherished wishes tend to come true now. These themes appear strongly Tuesday/Wednesday. Earlier, Sunday/Monday bring you face-to-face with the expectations of a boss, VIP, or other authority figure. Your career and ambitions are undergoing many changes this decade ('96-'08) - one of the better ones looms on the 2004 horizon, in the form of a "partnership," an agreement, public or relocation opportunity. Retreat, rest and dream Thursday/Friday. Your charisma and energy surge back Saturday! For a reading:604-261-1337. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. www.astralreflections.com. /30/