By Jonathan Cainer

Happy Valentine’s Day. Unless, that is, you are reading these words after the 14th, in which case, may I be the first to wish you this for next year! Perhaps, by then you might be in with a chance. Such events annoy astrologers. They have no cosmic authority. They are not determined according to the movements of the celestial spheres. Even so, I have attempted to honour the spirit of the celebration by commencing each week ahead forecast with a quote from a famous romantic. And there is a New Moon coming up. That may yet help the mood.

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
‘Though nothing can bring back the hour, of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; we will grieve not, rather find, strength in what remains behind.’ As Valentine’s Day fades away, those who seek to attain or sustain true joy in their love lives must look to the future. A sweet midweek New Moon awaits us, full of positive potential for the fulfilment of our heart’s desire. Look ahead with faith this week and take the advice of Wordsworth, a fellow Aries, in our opening quote. ‘Find strength in what remains behind.’

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
‘I’ll be loving you always, with a love that’s true always… not for just an hour, not for just a day, not for just a year, but…’ The legendary Irvin Berlin wrote Always. You can tell he was a Taurean by the emphasis he puts on loyalty and permanence. Valentine’s Day may come and go and with it the fickle whims of changeable hearts. But once a Taurean has known true love, it stays with them, even as their lives move on. This week, a New Moon in your house of power, suggests your finest hour still lies ahead.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)
‘Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean, yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen…’ Bernie Taupin who wrote the words for Elton John’s, Your Song, is a Gemini. And while those lyrics convey a universal sense of romantic tenderness, there’s something typically Gemini about their playfulness. Yet this week, as Valentine’s Day fast becomes a fading memory, you are experiencing less of your usual impish and mischievous inclinations. Don’t take a concern too seriously. Your heart may yet fill with love and laughter.

CANCER (June 23 – July 23)
‘Just one look at you and I know it’s gonna be… a lovely day.’ So goes the classic love song by your fellow Cancerian, Bill Withers. We all want to feel that someone magical will light up our lives, and though those who share your sign may put on a tough ‘couldn’t-care-less’ act, Cancerian vulnerability is legendary. This week, we are heading away from Valentine’s Day with all its conventional expectation whipped up by the greeting card industry, but we are approaching a glorious New Moon. Lovely days await you yet.

LEO (July 24 – August 23)
‘Until the mind can love, and admire, and trust, and hope, and endure, reasoned principles of moral conduct are seeds cast upon the highway of life which the unconscious passenger tramples into dust.’ So said your fellow Leo, the poet, Shelley. I won’t argue. It is never wise to contradict anyone born under your sign. Even if this week begins with Valentine’s Day, and thus suggests compromise, it then brings a New Moon in your opposite sign. That implies that things must go your way soon. Despite your doubts, they will.

VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
‘In the liquorice fields of Pontefract, my love and I did meet.’ So wrote the poet John Betjeman, who took, as many Virgos do, a more whimsical, philosophical view, than most of life’s most profound, overwhelming emotions. Why would anyone want to be soppy and sentimental, when they can be witty and wry instead? That is perhaps a question we should ask you as we enter a week that takes us from a global celebration of Eros to a change of direction for Hermes. Let levity be your watchword now.

LIBRA (September 24 – October 23)
‘What if in your dream you went to Heaven, and there plucked a strange and beautiful flower, and what if, when you awoke, you had that flower in your hand?’ So asked Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Who was both a great poet and, judging by the propensity he shows here, for asking unanswerable questions, a typical Libran too. Now, before the memory of Valentine’s Day fades from all our minds faster than a politicians promise, consider this. Are you letting too many ‘what-ifs’ spoil your life – or your love life this week?

SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)
‘Why do men think you can pick love up and relight it like a candle. Women know when love is over.’ So mused the erudite poet and illustrious Scorpio, Dylan Thomas. Is there a suggestion of gender stereotyping here or are these the wise words of a shrewd observer? As we journey away this week from flowers, candies, cards and other trite romantic gestures, we find you entering a more complex realm of subtle mixed emotions. Included among these, you may yet discover a sense of deep delight.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
‘Lie still, lie still, my breaking heart; My silent heart, lie still and break: Life, and the world, and mine own self, are changed…’ Christina Rossetti wrote these words. From the extreme exaggerated stance they depict, we can soon surmise she was a Sagittarian. None of your sign ever settles for a sliver of ham when they can go the whole hog. Even if these lines seem more cheese than pork, you must concede that you share her flair for the overdramatic. Valentine’s Day will soon be a memory. Hope still shines bright on your horizon, just don’t slice the rind too thick.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)
‘Love one another but make not a bond of love; let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.’ Thus spake the poet, Khalil Gibran. With what more worthy words could we commence your forecast in a week that brings both Valentine’s Day on the civil calendar and a magical New Moon on the cosmic timetable? Gibran, a Capricorn, understood, as you do, that the best way for two people to get close, is not to get too close. This week, you will yet get close enough to what your heart needs most.

AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)
‘Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever.’ So said the voice of a generation, Audre Lorde. Not only was she an important poet, but here, her poetry offers an important portent. For it says something essential about the way you should conduct all your affairs of the heart in this week that begins with Valentine’s Day and goes on to bring a New Moon in Aquarius. I have chosen her quote because she was an Aquarian, clearly unafraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. Forget your reticence; wear yours there too.

PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
‘I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain… I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I’d see you again.’ James Taylor wrote this. He’s a Piscean and I’m sure you can relate to the wistful sentiment of this song. As this is a week that starts with a global celebration of romance, we must surely say something about the Piscean propensity to pine. If love isn’t poignant, it isn’t pleasurable. Don’t cling too tightly to that view now. Not all your happiness needs to be tinged with sadness.

For a daily forecast from Jonathan, visit www.cainer.com, where you can find more in-depth horoscope analysis, and you can join his amazing 5-Star service.