By Jonathan Cainer

This week’s most encouraging alignment is the trine between Mars and Neptune. A trine is any angle of 120 degrees between two points in the sky from the viewpoint of an observer on earth. It is considered helpful, favourable, positive. This connects the planet of ‘action’ to the planet of ‘visions’, suggesting that it’s a good week for folk who wish their dreams to come true. Yet perhaps the week’s least appealing alignment involves a sharp link from Mercury to Saturn the same day. This suggests some ‘destructive criticism.’ Don’t let any of that keep you from your dream!

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
‘The best things, happen when you’re dancing…’ So goes the Irving Berlin song from the movie, White Christmas. But are you waltzing safely to success this week or skating on thin ice? Do you feel sure-footed or is there a risk of discovering that you have two left feet? Much depends on whose tune you are dancing to, whose toes you are in danger of treading on and whether you can keep your balance in a seemingly slippery situation. But a helpful link from Mars to Neptune implies you’ll end up tripping the light fantastic.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
Where are we safe? When are we secure? Doesn’t life, too often, seem like a perilous journey between precarious positions? How are we to cope when the things we cling to for comfort have inadequate foundations? What if we place too much trust in promises that can’t be kept or sources of support that can’t be sustained? How can we find the strength we need? This week, despite a somewhat unnerving recent experience, you will be blessed with a way to mend what’s broken and heal a wound.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)
Remember back at school when they taught us long division? We soon got the hang of simple sums. Eight divided by two? Easy. Neat. But then they asked how many twos go into nine. Aren’t ‘remainders’ messy? You’re dealing, this week, with a potential solution that seems clumsy. Much though you might wish to tidy it up, sort it out and make it fit a problem more precisely, it surely has to be accepted for what it is. Not only is it an ‘answer’ it is the right answer. Even if it doesn’t look quite right at first glance.

CANCER (June 23 – July 23)
Mercury arrives in your sign this week, blessing you with better communication. In theory, this means you can explain yourself more effectively, understand others more deeply and negotiate more successfully. And in practice? Well, not all exchanges are as smooth as we might wish, especially when they require us to make sense of some situation that has long been baffling. Greater candour may bring discomfort before relief. But you’ll still become happier and better off as a result of all you share and learn.

LEO (July 24 – August 23)
Who are we? What are we doing here? What gives us the right to expect any kind of status or success? Do we matter to the creator of the universe, any more than some blade of grass beneath our feet or some fly buzzing by our head? Aren’t they also expressions of the same fundamental life-force? Why shouldn’t nature prioritise their needs over ours? I ask, only because this week you face a situation that shows you how much you matter and how clearly the cosmos cares about you. Don’t let it go to your head!

VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
Did the the chicken precede the egg? Did the tree make a sound when it fell in the forest when nobody was listening? And how long is a piece of string? There are some questions nobody can answer and some problems nobody can solve. We can only expect, when attending to such mysterious matters, to wander round a garden full of what-ifs. As long as you’re willing, this week, to accept that the best you can get is an uneasy compromise that just about works, at least you won’t waste time seeking unattainable perfection.

LIBRA September 24 – October 23)
We pick our friends. We don’t pick our family. As to whether we do any better with the voluntary options than the enforced choices, the jury is still out. Apparently, it is staying out because members of that jury keep disagreeing. No surprise there then. That’s what people often do, regardless of how they are connected. Actually, despite all they say about Librans being peace-loving, you rather thrive on contretemps. Try not, though, not to let that detract from this week’s rare chance to resolve an old conflict peacefully.

SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)
There’s always a reason to feel let down. There’s always a reason too, to feel hopeful. These emotions are a little like the characters on those old wooden weather monitors from long ago. Whenever Mrs Sunshine was out of her house, Mr Rain retreated back into his. But with human emotions there’s not quite such a strong ‘either/or’ imperative. We can be upset about one thing and glad of another, all at once. You can choose that, this week. But I might advise you to give your full focus to what’s inspiring you and forget the rest.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
People rarely say what’s really on their minds. They are polite, pleasant, discreet and diplomatic. Unless they happen to be keeping the company of folk with whom they feel safe to speak their minds. Then they may vent and be willing, in return, to hear private views that might be too controversial for public consumption. But we should always be careful about what we say, lest our secrets reach too wide an audience. You can’t be sure what someone thinks this week. But if you can guess, you’re probably right!

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)
Sometimes, the only way to make sense of the past is to have faith in the present. But maybe we can’t see the value of what’s happening now till we consider what the future may hold. Had it not been for this, that might not have happened. Without ‘that’, how could you ever hope to get ‘there’? Of course we can all tell ourselves stories to support far-fetched beliefs. But look hard, this week, at what’s going on. Doesn’t it point to a remarkably positive possibility? It does. Give the world a chance to restore your lost faith in magic.

AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)
What kind of people are the type who change the world? Relaxed, laid-back, mellow folk rarely quiz convention or push at the boundaries. Easy-going, mild-mannered, accepting individuals may allow others to foist progress upon them but they’re rarely the ones who push it. If things need to move on, then, just as essential must be the folk who are willing to move them on. And… er… that’s where you come in. Long have you believed that something can be better. And this week, you can start to make that a reality.

PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
At the essence of traditional astrology is the idea of deities who may not physically dwell in the planets but who govern their movements. If we know how to read these, we can see what they intend for the mortals whose birth-signs are linked to those planets. It sounds complicated and far-fetched, I know, but can you think of any other explanation for all the baffling things happening in your life this week? Here’s how to test. The heavens speak of a happy outcome. So if you get one, you know it’s safe to trust them.

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.