ASTRAL REFLECTIONS BY TIM STEPHENS DECEMBER 23 – 29, 2012 All times/dates are PST. My phone # has changed, is now 604-866-4808. This results from my move, from Vancouver to Gibsons, a former fishing and logging village on the B.C. coast. These still occur, but the main industry is probably retirement – and rain gear. The area’s called the Sunshine Coast. It probably rains over 200 days a year. Yesterday, the run-off from my small barn’s roof would fill two to three 45-gallon barrels an hour.... Merry Christmas. I hope all of you readers, whatever your religious persuasion, have a warm holiday with family, loves and friends. We should all drive cautiously (or not at all) in the afternoon-evening December 25. (And less so, the night of the 27th.).... To revisit the Start Nothing (SN) periods (listed after this preamble): once again this week holds a long, two-day SN period – Friday morning to Saturday night. It can be a good idea to plan ahead for these periods – to, for instance, plan restful, play-oriented, devotional, meditative or similar activities; or simply to save up all the week’s routine chores for this SN interval. Don’t schedule anything which could be counted as “new” – meeting someone, attending a planning session, buying items, having a plumber look at the sink or a general contractor visit your home – these are all “doorways to the new” or at least promise to include new things. This week and next are perhaps the most transformative part of the year. (And will be, every year, until 2024.) The Sun is “contacting” Pluto, creating an interval in which our projects and loves tend to come down to earth, or end and start – this process changes the projects, the emotions. We will exit 2024 with a new idea or concept of the New Year, of newness itself. Social scientists in the U.S. report that childhood obesity has begun to reverse course: children are gaining less weight. Appropriately, this comes when Jupiter, the planet of expansion (and of expanding waist-lines) is in GEMINI, the skinniest of signs. Some of that weight’s coming back after next June.... Will the fiscal cliff detonate a nuclear shock throughout the U.S. economy? I don’t think so, simply because the planets say the U.S. is on an economic updraft (as I forecast 12 months ago) – perhaps through late summer of 2014, even beyond. We probably won’t see any severe downdraft until after September 2015. I suspect Canadian REITS (real estate investment trusts, prized for their “safe” income) will remain stable for the next 18 months; but U.S. REITS might outperform. Start Nothing: 9:58 p.m. to 11:13 p.m. Mon., 10:50 p.m. Wed. to 12:06 p.m. Thurs., and 6:43 a.m. Fri. to 11:45 p.m. Sat. Aries March 21-April 19 Get ambitious, Aries. For several weeks, you’ll interface with bosses, parents, authorities (e.g., judges) and VIPs. These people wield the power to change your career and status in life – which are going to change anyway, over this and the next decade. But it’s better, usually, if you make those changes. You might receive a “deep hint” of this late this week and early next. Chase money Sunday/Monday – luck rides with you! Errands, details, paperwork Tuesday/Wednesday: you surprise higher-ups. Head for home Thursday (careful with career, electricity this day) to Saturday. Taurus April 20-May 20 A gentle, insightful, compassionate mood has stolen over you, and will remain for several weeks. Until late January, plunge into intellectual activities (school, publishing, law, religion, etc.) and travel, cultural venues and love. You shine and attract admirers Sunday/Monday. A love affair with life-mate potential could start – make sure there isn’t a “third party.” Chase money Tuesday/Wednesday – a “surprise” could enliven Christmas Day – drive carefully. Casual friends, siblings, conversations and short trips fill Thursday (careful driving, again) to Saturday. You’re loved! Gemini May 21-June 20 Delve beneath surface appearances; answers lie below. Your sexual, financial instincts rise to the surface during the weeks ahead. Be ethical, avoid extramarital temptations. Many things are changing: health, lifestyle, investments or financial arrangements, tax approaches, perhaps intimate loyalties. Work with these changes – see which way events are flowing, and veer that way. You have a lot of courage in these zones – allowing you, for example, to nudge another into intimacy. Rest, lie low Sunday/Monday. Your energy and charm rise Tuesday/Wednesday – start something important. Cancer June 21-July 22 Relationships fill the weeks ahead. You might meet your true love. You might experience a growing chasm in your marriage. You might, through struggle and insight, bond more deeply with your spouse. These three possibilities fill the eleven years ahead, and will be highlighted every January. (This year, the emphasis peaks earlier, December 27 to 30.) On other fronts, opportunities/changes arise in business partnerships/associations, relocation, contract negotiations and public dealings. Avoid litigation. Joy, Sunday/Monday. Rest, plan midweek. Charge forth Thursday p.m. onward. Leo July 23-Aug. 22 The month ahead brings chores, health issues, and duties to dependents. Oh well, just slog through. Eat, dress and sleep healthfully. You might find your duties are changing; some end, others begin, especially around December 27 to 30. (If you need to protest or alter some of these changes, or need to grab any tiger by the tail, do so December 31, when you’re in “winning mode.”) A domestic situation might also be involved. Be ambitious (but reject power-play temptations) Sunday/Monday – success awaits! Socialize midweek: popularity, joy enter. Retreat, rest Thursday to Saturday. Virgo Aug. 23-Sept. 22 You’ve entered a strong romantic, creative, pleasurable, speculative and child-oriented zone, to last to late January. You face changes in these areas (highlighted December 27-30) – a quick or talkative (and certainly mildly evasive/shy) person could be involved, could be the “new love.” If so, good – such people represent your future in the relationship zone. These are not dire changes, but good ones, prompting you to open up, to communicate in a different but beneficial way. Wisdom, gentle love for everyone, Sunday/Monday. Be ambitious midweek. Joy, social delights late week! Libra Sept. 23-Oct. 22 The month ahead focuses on home, kids, nutrition, real estate, foundations, security and retirement. In late November you faced an “angry day” – it triggered change and friction in this domestic arena, and since, has interfered with an ongoing love affair or marital situation. Now the changes deepen, especially around December 27-30. DON’T move into a new abode, nor begin co-habiting with someone, before this Wednesday. This day ends the “breakup” influence, and starts a loving, romantic one. Secrets, finances lucky early week. Love, wisdom midweek. Ambition, Thursday onward. Scorpio Oct. 23-Nov. 21 The weeks ahead feature errands, short trips, casual friends and siblings, details, reports, paperwork and communications – you handle these well. This is a busy but not important time, so relax. Relationships fill Sunday/Monday – events go well, but look at the larger picture: are you marching into a subtle trap? Secrets, sensual urges and high finance fill midweek: success mixes with disruptions, so remain alert. Don’t buy high-tech before Wednesday. Until February 1, be gentle at home, contain temper – DON’T buy a new home or move into one. Thursday on, gentle love, wisdom. Sagittarius Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Pursue money, buy/sell, chase a sensual link, and rely on your memory for the next four weeks, Sage. Trust surface appearances, statements – suspicion or seeking “more depth” will only lead to delay, disappointment (and perhaps a personal rift). Tackle chores Sunday/Monday – you’ll succeed with ease. Relationships brighten Tuesday/Wednesday, but they can also be disrupted – you have to choose between possessiveness/money and pleasure/romance. Depths arrive Thursday eve to Saturday: investigate. Deep change is slowly coming to your income, up or down. See it, make adjustments. Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Your energy, charisma, clout and effectiveness are high, your sense of timing “right on,” this week and the next few. Start important projects, schedule meetings, make contact, ask favours. You’ll impress potential amours – especially Sunday/Monday, when your own romantic urges surge. But in this, and in any creative or speculative venture, be aware, look far down the road: is the present “win” a win forever, or a step toward a larger, subtle dead-end? Tackle chores midweek, but take care with electricity, computers. Relationships arise Thursday onward: be calm, smile. Aquarius Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Weariness arrives. For several weeks, lie low, rest, contemplate and plan. Interface with civil servants, head office, and institutions (including schools, banks). Your inner life is undergoing a long, slow and complete transformation, ending in 2023. But seen from the outside, you are undergoing less change than anyone else. Your home and family, security and retirement zones meet immediate success Sunday/Monday – but ultimate success can prove elusive. Romance lures you Tuesday/Wednesday – it can be a bumpy affair, so proceed cautiously. Tackle chores Thursday onward. Pisces Feb. 19-March 20 A quiet, private, deep, serious wish will come true over the four weeks ahead. Your deepest wish could be to understand a long-lasting puzzle. For example, say you thought you’d been “deserted” by a father type, while in reality you were undercut by a mother type. If so, you see the truth. In any case, a family member wants to make amends, to heal a rift. You might spy a clue about this Tuesday afternoon/eve. Otherwise, this is a grand time of social delights, happiness, optimism and entertainment. Errands, Monday/Tuesday. Home comforts midweek. Romance, happy kids, Thursday on. www.astralreflections.com. Email: timstephens@shaw.ca. For a reading: 604-866-4808. /30/