By Jonathan Cainer

Mercury’s retrograde phase ends this week. Though it will take longer to appear where it was before it turned in its tracks, we will soon feel the difference. The scientific explanations for such phenomena are interesting but their symbolic implications become no less powerful, just because we understand the mechanics of a cosmic optical illusion. Things go more smoothly for sceptics and believers alike! Even those who doubt that anything will change because Venus is about to join Jupiter in Leo, will soon see a difference. There is soon due to be more love and more hope in the world.

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
You have made up your mind. You know what you need to do. You aren’t sure that you will be able to do it. But you will try. You hope that if you just set off on your journey the road will open up before you and the best way to travel down it will present itself, arising naturally almost out of nowhere. That is not an unreasonable assumption. There is precedent for it. You have proven many times in the past that there is truth in the old saying ‘where there is a will there is a way.’ That will be the case once more this week.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
What is the object of your exercise? Why have you picked a particular plan? Might there be some easier alternative? Could you be pursuing a path fraught with obstacles simply because it seems to represent the same route that so many other people have chosen to follow? How can you be so sure that they are right? Since when has the majority of the population demonstrated greater discrimination than a discerning minority? Think outside the box this week and free yourself from an unnecessary burden.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)
Mars is still in your sign. That turns you into a force to be reckoned with. Not, of course, that you aren’t a powerful entity at any other time. You are made of strong stuff. That’s why so many sporting personalities tend to be born under your sign. But even the greatest competitive giants have their low seasons. Right now, even if you have lately been feeling a little down, you are heading for an up. If you feel that you need support, look around hopefully and request it bravely. You will be surprised how the world rallies round.

CANCER (June 23 – July 23)
When strange things happen, only the foolish waste time trying to understand them. The wise just accept that we live in a world that is far lacking in logic than most people are willing to concede. When so much makes so little sense, shouldn’t we just accept? No plan, no matter how cunning, can be entirely relied on to get you from here to your destination. But if your heart is in the right place, if you focus on making the most genuine, morally upright gesture, the right thing will happen whether you understand why or not.

LEO (July 24 – August 23)
Well look at you! What a sight for sore eyes. What an impression you make. What natural grace you exude. Have you done something with your hair? Is that a new outfit? Or are we, perhaps, just looking at the effect of Venus making its annual visit to your sign? Whatever it is, it is impressive, and it looks set to continue all this week and beyond. What magic will it allow you to work? What spell will you be able to weave? And who will soon succumb to your irresistible charm. You will soon find out to your satisfaction.

VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
Mercury’s recent retrograde phase comes to an end later this week. That bodes well for your ability to complete a decision making process which has long been proving difficult. This may not be because of your own uncertainty. Perhaps you have been waiting for someone else to give a commitment or supply vital information. Possibly, no conclusion could have been reached unless you had seen how various circumstances and situations were changing and developing. But soon you will know and you will like this.

LIBRA (September 24 – October 23)
The seasons change and tides that forever ebb and flow. Unexpected events occur so often that we may be unwise to take anything for granted. Or is that true? Aren’t some cyclical processes perfectly predictable? Are you safe this week to stick with what is obvious and seems to make most sense, based on past experience? Or should you cast caution to the wind and embrace a spontaneous adventure? Just remember that an appetite for risk is like a hunger for candy floss. It can hardly provide sustainment. Treat yourself to four valuable minutes. Give me a call: 0906-751 8080.

SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)
Please can you put your nose a little closer to the grindstone? There will be no reward for this other than any satisfaction you can find from indulging the belief that hard work is invariably a virtue, regardless of who it is for or what it is in aid of? Laziness may be one of the traditional seven deadly sins, but whoever compiled that list forgot to allow for the fact that the idle often have a very special intelligence that enables them to maximise the advantage of whatever they do. Work smarter, not harder, this week.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
So, what exactly is Jupiter doing in the part of your chart that governs the renewal of lost faith? It has supposedly been sending celestial support for many months. What advantage will it bring before it departs in August? And if it really is as positive and powerful a force as it is cracked up to be, why doesn’t it seem to be doing you much good right now? It may have a trick hidden up its sleeve. Before it can bless you with a magical gift, it must first set you a challenge that may appear to carry a cosmic curse. But you will triumph.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)
You prefer, where possible, to stick with what you have started and demonstrate your commitment. But life has a way of undermining even the most determined effort to stay constant and true. It produces distractions, diversions and doubts. When these start to demand too much time and energy, we may even forget where we were before we got so rudely interrupted. Events this week bring you a reminder. They take you back to the future. Though what’s changing may surprise you at first, it will all soon make sense.

AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)
I once wrote a book on Cosmic Ordering. Many say that to do this,the we must envisage a goal, no matter how remote we fear it may be, and see it as so likely that it must surely be inevitable. I don’t disagree but I fear there is a risk of making a poor choice and successfully ordering the wrong thing. It is surely better by far to be open to what the universe sees as best for you and to truly trust that such a force would not let you down. This week, for you, is a case in point. Be sure you are striving for something worth having.

PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
Pisceans, say the textbooks, have the souls of poets. They may not write verse but they see the world differently. They appreciate what some of us hardly notice and have bright visions that ignite fires in folks’ imaginations. If, as I’m sure it is, all that’s true of you, how are you benefiting right now, from those natural talents? Or perhaps you are beginning to fear that you are your own worst enemy. This week’s events will restore your flagging self-confidence and remind you of how good life can get when it’s really good.

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.