By Jonathan Cainer

I often wonder how technical to get in each forecast. If there’s too much explanation, I may bore you. If too little, it may sound as if I’m just making things up. I figure that those who do keep a keen eye on the sky, will soon deduce what informs each forecast. Fellow astrologers may be surprised if I now mention Mercury’s next retrograde phase. ‘That’s not until next week!’ They may say. But I find it’s rarely the retrograde phase itself that triggers most drama. It’s now, just before, that problems with commerce, communication and transportation may arise.

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
The story of your week is almost an epic tale of struggle and sacrifice. If any Hollywood producers were hoping to make a film about you, they would be very pleased with what they found if they turned up now. Here you are, striving against the odds. Raining down from on high are all the Shakespearean ‘arrows of outrageous fortune’. And for added drama, it seems that only your astrologer is offering hope and encouragement. Can you trust him? Will it all be okay in the end? Stop worrying. Find amusement in the passing show.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
Though Mars will leave your sign this week, passion will not leave your heart, and determination will not depart your mind. You have made a commitment to someone or something. You have set out your stall. And, being the kind of person that you are, you refuse to become distracted or diverted. Even if that’s difficult, because so many new factors are calling for your attention, you will hang on tight and finish what you have started. Happily, that won’t be as stressful as you may fear. You are closer to success than you think.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)
The brain is a muscle. If we don’t use it, we begin to lose it. But when we allow our inquiring mind some exercise, it is amazing how smart it becomes and how many new things it suddenly decides that it wants to inquire about. Are you wasting your time now with some process of irrelevant conjecture? Who can possibly make such a judgement? A true genius sees crucial connections where many another person might see only separation. How smart are you? Prepare to be pleasantly surprised – and rewarded.

CANCER (June 23 – July 23)
What is most encouraging about your astrological outlook now, is the arrival of Venus in your sign. You will soon be emanating charismatic appeal from your every pore. You won’t even have to worry about how you look. Beauty isn’t only skin deep, a very special quality is radiating from your eyes now. It is magnetic, persuasive, hypnotic. It could be made to work in your favour, if only you were the kind of person who was willing to exploit such an advantage. But then, the fact that you are not makes you all the more loveable.

LEO (July 24 – August 23)
People don’t light many fires these days. Technology gives us heat and illumination without the need for anything quite as primeval as an obvious process of combustion. Only smokers and, perhaps, lovers of scented candles experience the rather magical moment when a frail, temporary spark of ignition is transferred to a medium that can sustain a steady rate of burn. And not all fires are quite so easy to get going. But a new flame of hope is being lit in your heart this week and there is no need to fear it fading.

VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
Mercury, your ruler, is slowing down once more. It won’t officially turn retrograde till next week, but as regular readers know, I have my own views about the phenomena that we can expect at times like this. It is always the period just prior to the celestial turning point that has the greatest potency. You now find yourself looking at the potential to change a situation which has remained unsatisfactorily stable for too long. Oddly, to bring about the improvement you seek, it seems you need to do less of something… not more.

LIBRA (September 24 – October 23)
Our grandparents lived in a very different world. They’d have been amazed by our phones, cars and computers. More crucially, in their time, morality was different. People accepted, as perfectly normal, behaviour that might be considered outrageous today. And much that we consider normal, would have shocked them! Even within your own lifetime, you’ve had to adjust to major social and cultural change. This week’s challenge involves putting yourself at the cutting edge and making a break with a bad part of history.

SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)
Sorry. You can’t read your forecast this week. It is not allowed. Responsible authority figures have decided that it is better for you to do something else instead. Now, how do you feel about that? You don’t ever like to be told what you can and cannot do. If such instruction comes from a source in which you have little faith, it naturally inspires rebellion. Should you stand your ground and fight your corner? I had best not advise you lest I get into trouble. But secretly, I shall be cheering you on from the sidelines.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
There is an old joke. One woman, carrying a violin, stops another, carting a cello, on the street. The first says, ‘Excuse me. How do I get to Sydney Opera House?’ The second replies, ‘Just keep practising.’ And that, in a strange way, says all I need to say about your outlook for the coming week. Like that violinist, you aren’t so sure of the way to get from where you are to where you need to be. Life (like the cellist) says: ‘Don’t worry, just keep doing what you’re good at. You won’t just meet an objective, you will yet surpass it.’

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)
Are you drawing lines in the sand? Are you making clear, unequivocal distinctions? And, even if you are, what good are these doing you? Are they working? Is anyone paying attention? Are you even honouring your own boundaries and barriers? Life now seems to be putting you under a lot of pressure. Each time you make even a small apparent gain, the universe somehow challenges your success or undermines your authority. I’m happy to tell you that this exasperating phase ends soon. Try to be philosophical.

AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)
Aquarians are often depicted by unsympathetic astrologers as ‘cold, aloof characters, with a tendency to act as if they know the answer to everything’. We know how untrue that is. You have a warm heart and a kind disposition but, er… well… just sometimes, you can be a little quick to assume that you know more than everyone else about an issue, topic or situation. Life, this week, obliges you to confront the idea that there is a real discovery to be made. Once you’ve squared this with your pride, you can only profit.

PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
If your life was a tale in a storybook, what a compelling central figure you might make. The readers would sympathise with your saga and your struggle. They would soon take against the awkward characters who attempted to spoil your happiness. They would turn each page in breathless anticipation of your next triumphant move. This week in particular, they would find it almost impossible to put the book down. And by the end of the chapter, your audience would be smiling with the satisfaction that they now shared with you.

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.