ASTRAL REFLECTIONS BY TIM STEPHENS SEPTEMBER 7 - 13, 2003 All times/dates are Pacific Daylight. Yes, yes, Mars is super close to the Earth! You can see this planet rising in the east just after sunset - Monday to Wednesday, it will look like a very bright yellowish star near the full Moon - the brightest thing in the sky besides the Moon. (It will disappear behind the Moon from about 3 - 7 am PDT on Tuesday.) This close pass of the planet of war and fire has coincided with Europe's worst heat wave in centuries. But 2001 to April 2003 brought more war and violence than now, during this "Mars visit." Your # 9 sign is one of the most pleasant experiences you'll ever meet. To find your # 9, count your own Sun-sign as # 1 in the horoscope column below, then count "down the signs" until you hit # 9. E.g., Libra's # 9 is Gemini. Your # 9 sign is more likely to fall in love with you than any one else. (See my ramblings on # 5 to see how your # 9 feels toward you - you're # 9's # 5.) # 9 will first approach you on a mental, conversational or "easy charm" level. Even if you're meeting a # 9 who's going to become the love of your life, it's likely that at first you won't feel a strong attraction. You only feel comfortable, charmed, bemused - yet somehow, you don't leave, and the hours fly by. Slowly, and often with gentle humor, this sign takes your mind, and leads it into the forests of love. (Your body willingly tags along, too.) A relationship with # 9 will expand your horizons, broaden your understanding, and often lead you into far travel or higher education. You "grow up" after an affair with # 9. But a #1-# 9 relationship has the same potential weakness as a #1-#5: the love can flare too intensely to burn for decades. It surrounds you, it throws your life into a conflagration, it burns all its fuel away. Then lassitude comes. If this combination is to succeed as a marriage, the two of you need some "friction providers" - some planetary obstacles to keep you from enveloping (and eventually suffocating) each other. "Intensity providers" (planetary aspects that promote roman tic/sexual intensity) are unfortunately not always a solution, as these might 1) burn the flame out sooner, or 2) send this love past the bounds of realism, even of reality, leaving both lovers "lost in space." A # 9 child, parent or friend is a true joy, as understanding, compassion and similar interests accompany a natural, clean feeling of love. Pick your # 9 if you're seeking a lawyer, teacher, religious, moral or philosophical guide. But don't be too quick to form a business partnership or have financial dealings with # 9. This sign seldom brings you any financial increase, simply because it has "other goals." Start Nothing: 2:01 a.m. Mon. to 1:07 a.m. Tues., 10:41 p.m. Wed. to 9:09 a.m. Thurs., and 6:39 p.m. Fri. to 7:50 p.m. Sat. Aries March 21-April 19 Your hopes rise Sunday/Monday - life glows with freshness! Be friendly, flirt, visit. Sunday could bring a happy work mate (and/or a work opportunity connected to the past). Retreat, rest, plan and contemplate life Tuesday to Thursday morning. A major change to your work duties is brewing - accept this, be willing to adjust. Your energy and charisma return Thursday mid-morn to Saturday. But don't jump into new projects before September 20. What's started Thursday will hit financial rocks, erode your security. Friday offers secrets, insights. Spend a calm Saturday - buy nothing. Taurus April 20-May 20 Romance lives! So do pleasure, "vacation time," beauty and the arts, creative and gambling urges and happy times with children. You're on a winning streak - and it's going to last for a year! Be alert, see the "big picture" before you take huge romantic or pleasure (etc.) leaps - but don't let fear stop you. Jump, but with full awareness. An old flame or former creative project might return. Tackle career-related chores Sunday; stick to routine Monday. Your hopes rise mid-week - love's possible (best Wednesday). Retreat, contemplate Thursday to Saturday eve. Gemini May 21-June 20 Wisdom and compassion arrive Sunday/Monday. You can succeed with media, scholastic, international, far travel, legal or social ritual projects Sunday (not Monday) - but don't start anything brand new before September 20. The whole year ahead immensely favors you in security, real estate, family healing, pregnancy, soul work, construction projects, gardening, etc. - mid-week challenges your plans in these areas. Perhaps they're stale, or they conflict with your mate's desires. Be patient, flexible - there's no need to rush this big luck cycle. Optimism and social joys rise Thursday to Saturday. Cancer June 21-July 22 Communications are pleasant, so are siblings. Legal, publishing, scholastic, international or ritualistic matters might be driving you a little crazy (Tuesday to Thursday). These are in a "wait period," so don't push them before late September. The year ahead boosts your success in all these legal, mental, communication and travel zones. The present contains "clues from the past" about these. The mysteries of life (sex, big finances, deep health/psychological factors) welcome you Sunday, but give you "nothing back" Monday. Guard against your ambition Thursday; feed it Friday after dawn. Leo July 23-Aug. 22 Don't start new income or spending ventures, and DON'T invest before September 20. What you buy now you won't want soon. Instead, let money flow to you from past efforts. The year ahead brings great fortune in money - perhaps a higher income plateau, one that could last a decade or more! Don't "interfere" with this by being too speculative, gambling, or romancing the boss (or his/her family members). Relationships hold secret, explosive undercurrents Sunday through Thursday: proceed with caution, sympathy. Wisdom, love, mellowness visit you Thursday (mild) and Friday/Saturday. Virgo Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Your energy, charisma and luck continue to skyrocket! Well, almost - new people and ventures will circle futilely. So stick with old projects, old friends/lovers, family stalwarts - here, you're lucky and appreciated! A property (or adoption) you yearned for in the past becomes available - wait until late month, to be sure you still want it. Tackle work Sunday, stick to routine Monday. Relationships arise in significant ways Tuesday to Friday. Be willing to bend, but insist that others bend as much. You could fall in love, or break up. Libra Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Lie low, rest, avoid competitive situations. Your spiritual, contemplative side flows deeply and sweetly, now through September 2004. You'll illuminate and dissolve old fears and emotional limitations. You'll benefit from institutions, government agencies and "head office." For twelve months, seek to manage, to delegate tasks - you're more successful as a thinker than a "worker." When you meet big problems, contemplate - solutions "arrive" for the patient. Love, beauty bless you Sunday/Monday. An avalanche of chores rumbles Tuesday-Thursday. Remember, WAIT - "change communications" rather than "work insanely." Relationships disappoint Thursday, "bring destiny" Friday. Scorpio Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Optimism, love of life, flirtations and social delights pour into your life now through late 2004. Don't waste this time by slaving away at your career, by withdrawing into private, "spiritual," creative or romantic pursuits. Tuesday through Thursday will show you why I advise avoiding these for awhile. Taking the "social road" will bring success in these anyway - e.g., a good love affair is most likely to emerge from a group function this year ahead. Protect your money all year. Be settled, home-oriented Sunday/Monday. Work bores Thursday, succeeds Friday. Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21 The year ahead features superb career luck. Mid-week (Tuesday-Thursday) could bring you a choice between home/security/healing on one hand, and career/ambition/outside world on the other. Two things: 1) life will "bend" as you want it to; 2) for your own sake, "bend" yourself toward ambition. (But don't make your final choice of which ambition until September 20 onward.) Earlier, Sunday/Monday bring calls, visits, curiosity - Sunday's best. Your romantic, creative, beauty-oriented, pleasure side awakens Thursday-Saturday, but only finds real success Friday. Yes, parent/kid relations are testy, explosive: be gentle! Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Wisdom, learning, compassion, the "big picture," philosophy, religion, law, foreign cultures, far travel, social rituals - these bless you through September 2004. Buy a ticket to far away lands, register for college, etc! A couple of these might "come to you" this week or next - remember/note them, but wait until the 20th to plunge in. You could meet frustrations in any of these areas midweek - or in paperwork, communications, or scheduling. Don't gossip, nor be "secretive." Chase money Sunday, buy nothing Monday. Home, family oppose you Thursday, embrace you Friday/Saturday. Aquarius Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Your charisma and energy surge nicely Sunday (a useful day, seek favors) and Monday (just enjoy it, nothing lasts). Money problems surface Tuesday to Thursday. The obstacles you encounter have a "hidden" message for your future: build net worth, invest, act for the long-term. (You might not see obstacles. Instead, you might impulsively overspend or finally plunge into a situation you've studied for awhile. I'd be careful, wait.) Communications, curiosity, short trips disappoint Thursday, reward Friday, and - quite pleasantly - lead nowhere Saturday. But big changes loom - you feel it! Pisces Feb. 20-March 20 Relationships fill your life. Be co-operative, diplomatic, seek to "merge." See opportunities; sidestep opposition. The year ahead will reward Pisceans who "relate" and give nothing to those who seek independence, withdrawal or dominance. The biggest rewards will probably occur in career and business spheres. You might form a partnership that opens lucrative, exciting doors for you, yet lasts no more than a year. That's okay. Rest, recuperate Sunday/Monday. Your energy soars Tuesday-Thursday, relationships climax - but "love" doesn't equal marriage. Remember this, for 20 days. Money's poor Thursday/Saturday, good Friday. www.astralreflections.com. E-mail: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-261-1337. /30/