ASTRAL REFLECTIONS BY TIM STEPHENS MARCH 23 - 29, 2008 All times/dates are PDT. Last week I wrote that young people born in the 21st century on the 19th or 20th of April are Aries, not Pisces - that should have been MARCH, not April! A reader asked me to look at all the places I didn't mention in those long-range forecasts several weeks ago. Africa by its name is Aries. We'll see much more prominence on the world stage for this continent from 2008 through 2024, especially in business and political circles. Many ambitious people will be drawn there, more than in past centuries. This could be a time of upheaval, especially in western Africa, as major changes loom in government structures, leadership, national security, etc. The Pluto-into-Capricorn mapping technique (representing the17 years from 2008 to 2024) indicates a stark division cutting diagonally through Africa. The western third of Africa, from the northwest corner of Egypt to Luanda in Angola and west to the Atlantic Ocean, will suffer upheavals, deep change, violence, and probably war. War almost certainly in Nedjamey, Yaounder, and Libreville. Further west, past 5 degrees eastern longitude (or approximately west of a line drawn between Algiers and Lagos) things improve. Upheaval still threatens, but a change and corresponding increase in power, government structure and business efficiency seems likely. High tech or cellular advancement will be strong in this region. Mauritania, though, and perhaps Mali and regions north and south (generally west of 5 degrees west longitude) encounter delays and difficulties in prestige, business, and government rule - this grows quite bad west of 15 west longitude. Heavy rains, typhoons and flooding (?) possible during these two decades in the Canary Islands. (I wonder about flooding, as these islands are quite high.) The picture is startlingly different east of that main line dividing Africa from the northwest corner of Egypt to Luanda (Angola). War, upheaval and government structural changes fade into the past, while prosperity, cheerfulness, expansion, productivity, a growth in arts, and a new assertiveness on the world stage flow in. This area of growth and beneficial development covers almost the entire southern and eastern two-thirds of the continent, and extends right to the island of Madagascar. However, one caveat: along a diagonal strip that includes Angola, Zaire, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and parts of Iraq (northern) and Saudi Arabia (again, the northern portion) (and goes right up into the old USSR) a certain arrogance and a belief in doctrine, religion, could lead to war. Start Nothing: 5:24 a.m. to 7:06 p.m. Sun., 5:36 p.m. Tues. to 7:11 a.m. Wed., and 6:21 a.m. to 7:43 p.m. Fri. Aries March 21-April 19 Your energy, charisma and effectiveness rise to new heights! Start important projects, ask favors, show your talents, make your bid, schedule personal appearances. In all this, realize your greatest luck lies in career, status, ambition and prestige areas. (And realize, too, that these areas are changing - so aiming for the new, for transformation, would be a good idea.) Deal with government, institutions or head office while these remain favorably inclined toward you (to April 5). Research and investments equal progress Monday/Tuesday. Wisdom fights impulse Wednesday/Thursday - a supportive friend helps. Taurus April 20-May 20 Lie low, contemplate, rest, research, go over plans for the future, study the lay of the land, watch others, be charitable, spiritual, and catch upon government-related or administrative tasks. Visit shut-ins. This is your quiet time. Protect your health and your reputation - avoid giving either a "workout." You remain hopeful, and delicious dreams still call. Others seem more social now, so prepare for visits and calls. Your vision is growing, broadening. Plan an international trip, and/or legal, intellectual, educational or cultural pursuit. Exciting meetings, opportunities and horizons fill Monday/Tuesday. Gemini May 21-June 20 Wishes come true now to late April! Expect flirtations, friendships, entertainment and invitations. Your popularity rises now, will soar in April! Money flows to you and from you. Say no to wasteful family members; shut the spigot to May 9. (Investments are another matter - favored all year, but more deeply late April and May than now.) Sunday brings beauty, pleasure and a hint of romance. Dig into chores ad protect your health Monday/Tuesday. Exciting meetings and new horizons arrive Wednesday/Thursday: but protect your money. Invest or grow intimate Friday/Saturday. Cancer June 21-July 22 You're ambitious and determined now to early May. This can carry you far - it might also attract the opposite sex. (Ambition's a strong aphrodisiac to some.) You remain mellow in outlook, so love of more gentle, understanding kind is available also. Remember that 1) you're lucky in relationships this year; and 2) you're launched on a 17-year massive change in relationships. But right now, being ambitious is best. Don't tread on others. Take a rest Sunday. Your romantic, creative urges rise Monday/Tuesday. Tackle chores - carefully - mid-week. Exciting meetings Friday/Saturday! Leo July 23-Aug. 22 Though some questions and mysteries remain (and some temptations and secrets) a gentle light of understanding dawns, through late April. Far travel, love, higher education, legal matters, religion and philosophy, cultural events and rituals, advertising concepts, publishing and writing are all favored for four weeks. But ALL of these, through early May, contain an important element of "background" - a link to government, head office or institutions, to research, to hidden allies/support, secret or deep planning and closed door discussions. Ignoring your "back" could leave you vulnerable. Romance calls Wednesday/Thursday. Virgo Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Others treat you well, but most relationships acquire a deeper, hidden, or consequential side. If you remain fair and honest, dreams could come true in these deeper zones: intimacy, pregnancy or committed love, mortgage sharing, funding for your project, an optimistic and lucky investment, research nuggets, hopeful health news after a diagnosis, etc. All these, though I've called them intimate or hidden, are unexpectedly social now to early May. Expect confidential group discussions. Physical chemistry haunts a social meeting, etc. Be brave - follow your hopes and change your life! Libra Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Though your Moon and rising signs could say something very different, chances are, if you're single, that your life mate is waiting in the wings until 2010 onward to make his/her appearance. That said, the month ahead can bring some exciting meetings, and a prospect or two! Still, the opportunities that will arise now to late April tend to work better in business and practical spheres than in marital arenas. You might join with another in an ambitious career scheme. Be tolerant of impatient, temperamental bosses, through early May. Scorpio Oct. 23-Nov. 21 The weeks ahead hold a lot of work. Protect your health, too. Stick to quiet planning or cleaning up old obligations Sunday, then plunge into major tasks Sunday night through Tuesday, when your energy and effectiveness hit a peak. Be careful with money Wednesday before 1 p.m. and Thursday after 1 p.m., but those 24 hours between are3 good for buying, selling and earning. Casual friends, siblings, short trips and interesting news start Friday night, continues into the weekend. Drive carefully Saturday night and the morning of March 30. Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Romance, creative surges, speculative urges, and an all-round winning streak add pleasure to your life through late April! Be impulsive, forget tomorrow's worries - plunge into action prompted by desire, beauty, pleasure and/or a bit of a gamble. (E.g., asking that person out might be a gamble - but one worth taking!) Just don't go so far that you alienate parents, bosses, VIPs or judges. Your private, financial and intimate associations are lit up, also. You want to change your world, especially in love zones. Energy and charisma boost you Wednesday/Thursday! Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19 The weeks ahead accent a present or future ending and re-beginning in your life. In the broadest ways, your life will change through the year 2024 - 2008/09 is one of the best periods to plunge into this change. Use late March and April to build a foundation for something new - forget about the past or old projects. Relationships are intense, perhaps because everyone knows, consciously or subconsciously, that transformation is in the air! Expect surges of anger and love. Your hopes rise Tuesday/Wednesday - for good reason! You shine Saturday. Aquarius Jan. 20-Feb. 18 The weeks ahead accent short trips, casual friends, siblings, details, reports, errands, communications, paperwork, and unimportant tasks. But they have to be done, as this time they're inextricably involved with your employment or broader duties (e.g., to your children, etc.). Be curious, ask questions - but take any rebuffs with a smile. Your time will come, in 2009. Meanwhile, enjoy a mellow wisdom and spiritual insights. Sweet, gentle thoughts waft Sunday. Be ambitious Monday/Tuesday - luck accompanies your efforts! Social delights (and some mild disappointments) arrive mid-week. Retreat and rest Saturday. Pisces Feb. 19-March 20 Chase money for the month ahead. Ask for a raise, buy/sell items, court lucrative clients, etc. Now to early May you could overspend on fun, sports, vacations and luxuries. Decide what you can afford. Someone (or a beautiful prospect) will arouse your passions - and a sensual or creative result is probable! Gambling's odd now - you could win big, or lose. Be wise. Sunday's mysterious, provides no answers. You turn to wisdom, a larger picture Monday/Tuesday - and there's your answer! Be ambitious Wednesday to Friday, but don't violate another's pride. www.astralreflections.com. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-261-1337. /30/