By Jonathan Cainer

Mercury’s conjunction to Saturn is beneficial to many this week, in so far as it allows complicated arguments to be properly understood and thus clear cases to be made. But we must all watch for a tendency to jump to conclusions and accept statements, made with an air of authority, as incontrovertible. Meanwhile, an antagonistic alignment between Mars and Jupiter speaks of disproportionate energy being invested in futile pursuits and fool’s errands being embarked upon. But as long as we all remain a little wary, most of us will benefit enormously from the events of the next few days.

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
They say, ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know that counts.’ But who are these people? Do you know them? I certainly don’t. So, these people who say, ‘who you know makes a difference,’ are known neither to you nor to me! And as they don’t know us, they are clearly not going to use their influence on our behalf. This week, it really doesn’t matter who you know, it’s what you know that matters. It just so happens that you now know something very valuable. Use your knowledge wisely and with sensitivity.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
Some decisions are easy to make. What do you want for breakfast? Toast or cereal? The world isn’t likely to change much, regardless of your choice. Who do you want to live the rest of your life with? Do you want to stay in your current employment? Is it time you moved home? Much more hangs on your answers to questions like these. I’m not now suggesting that you need to be pondering such weighty matters. It is more as if you are giving too much weight to something comparatively trivial. Deal with the bigger stuff this week.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)
Should we all touch our forelocks or fall to our knees when you pass by? I’m not suggesting that you have an imperious air; it’s just that this is a projection that somehow others are now finding it all too easy to aim at you. Mercury’s conjunction to Saturn is causing them to see you as a figure of authority. They find you powerful and strong. This may not be how you see yourself – but it is how you are seen. This is not without its potential to confer a great advantage on you this week. As you will discover, if you are clever.

CANCER (June 23 – July 23)
‘You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. But you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.’ That’s a wise old saying. Of course, it applies equally well if you substitute the word ‘fool’ for ‘please’. You are not, now, attempting to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. You are, though, very keen to satisfy several mutually exclusive criteria. One person needs you to do precisely what another person needs you not to do. But if you fool someone, will you really be pleasing them?

LEO (July 24 – August 23)
Rest. Relax. Snooze. Cruise. Flop. Drop. Sprawl. Loll. Try to do no more than you have to. If possible, try to do less than that! Be lazy, listless, idle, lazy, hazy and vague. Stay in bed longer than you should and go there when you shouldn’t. Eat too much. Bathe too often. Refuse to worry. Hide everything that’s urgent in a cupboard till tomorrow. Forget it. Let it be. No matter how diligent you are, you will only go round in circles. So you may as well let the circles go round on their own! All will be well this week.

VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
How many stars are there in the sky? We don’t know, but we are not willing to accept ‘countless’ for an answer. Instead, we start counting, although we know the task is hopeless. We are even willing to tackle life’s more difficult questions such as, ‘How long does eternity take?’ We are a race of hopeless romantics, impassioned idealists, wide-eyed believers in impossible ideas. Even so-called cynics harbour secret childlike fascinations. Avoid unnecessary angst this week, by refusing to waste time with ‘realism’!

LIBRA (September 24 – October 23)
Coffee’s aroma is nicer than its taste. And then there is cheese. Rich, ripe, pungent Camembert is hardly what you would call an attractive odour but there are many fans of the flavour. You can’t judge a book by its cover and you can’t always assess a supper by its smell. You fear that if you give the benefit of the doubt too freely, you will be considered weak. Better that, though, than to indulge a regrettable prejudice. Alignments from Mars to Jupiter and Venus to Pluto imply you will profit from an open mind this week.

SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)
Should you stand up and be counted? Or should you sit down and be counted on? You are not usually the kind of person who meekly accepts the word of an authority – at least, not without an argument. There are, though, sensitivities to be considered now. Delicate balances. Finely woven threads. Given a little more time, you may be in a much better position to successfully campaign for the change that is so sorely needed. But you have an impeccable sense of timing that tells you it’s not quite the moment yet.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
There is something exciting about making a definitive statement. To make an emphatic announcement is to enhance your own sense of security. Somehow, the very act of uttering a knowledgeable statement becomes an anchor in an ever-changing sea of uncertainty. All anchors, though, must sooner or later be raised. Just because something was true once, you can’t assume it will remain beyond question forever. A New Moon in your sign suggests a situation is evolving rapidly and old rules no longer apply.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)
Another week. Are you any further on down the road? Or just right back where you started? It isn’t always easy to tell. We can travel hundreds of miles and be in much the same terrain. Or we can step just a few feet, through a doorway to a different world. Your preferences and priorities will not just shape the next few days, they will influence the rest of your life. Pick the right goals, for the right reasons and there’s no reason why you can’t, now, make exactly the right progress, but you must be honest.

AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)
What’s the point of talking? All over the world, people do little else. They are forever expressing themselves, sharing what’s in their hearts and on their minds. What’s amazing, given how much talking takes place, is how little understanding there ever seems to be. But it’s not so hard to figure out why this is. Everybody’s talking but nobody is listening. The next few days bring the chance to hold a crucial conversation. Make sure you put some effort into the difficult part as well as the easy bit. Remember to pay attention.

PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
Some pictures are easy on the eye. They do not stretch the intellect or oblige the viewer to think. They are just simple arrangements of light and shade forming familiar, attractive shapes. It’s the same with books or plays and pieces of music. Some are light, some are weighty. We cannot simply conclude that one type is good and the other is bad. We need both or our lives soon become unbalanced. You have lately been going through a challenging time. Don’t resent it. Allow it to teach you something valuable this week.

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