Horoscopes

Mercury remains retrograde in your sector of the sky. Though some astrologers are inclined to interpret this as an undesirable influence, experience has taught me that it can be extremely beneficial. It is a chance to go back over old choices and revisit them in the light of fresh information. It is even, in some strange way, an opportunity to turn back the clock and make amends for old errors - sometimes even turning them into indisputable advantages. Expect an excellent weekend.

'A thing of beauty,' they say, 'is a joy forever.' Indeed. And, of course, the reverse applies. Anything that brings us joy is beautiful, in its own way, regardless of what it looks like. Thankfully, we don't all appreciate life from the same point of view. We admire and desire very different things. Why then, do you need a second opinion to vindicate your own deepest feeling now? Trust what you believe, what you suspect and what you instinctively understand. For now, your solution is the right solution.

What's it all about? Power? Wealth? Fame? Or, er... Well, no, how could it possibly be about that? Still, though, I suppose, we should list all options, just in case. So, maybe, happiness does have something to do with it. You wouldn't think so, though, would you - given the state of most people on the planet these days? I mean, how hard can it be to get that? Or maybe that's the point. Maybe happiness is too simple, too easy, too near to us. This weekend brings you a timely reminder of what truly matters.

The world tells us all about what we are supposed to feel, how we are supposed to be... and what it wants us to want. It subjects us to a barrage of subtle - and not so subtle - persuasion. Adverts blare out at us. TV shows and movies beckon to us. People around us whisper in our ears or indicate, through their expressions, whether they approve of our behaviour. In all this, it is hard to know who we truly are and what we genuinely require. Hard but not impossible. This weekend brings a revelation.

The Moon now joins Mars in your sign, and the two move closer together over the weekend. This does not signify material progress. It should not be seen as a promise of success in the world of money, power and influence. It is, though, a cast-iron promise of emotional progress of a revelation, a transformation, an awakening of deeper understanding. What's that worth? Oh, everything. Go beyond your anger and even beyond your passion. Find your wisdom and it will bring all else you need.

Why bother thinking for yourself when so many people seem happy to think for you? Why ask difficult questions when they will upset so many people and make your own head hurt into the bargain? Why not just believe everything you are told by anyone who is trying to tell you anything? You get my drift, I'm sure. The path of least resistance always seems the most attractive. There are times, though, when it is important to be awkward. You won't be able to rest until you unearth a deeper truth this weekend.

A new sunspot cycle has recently begun. Your powers are increasing. Your talents are beginning to be unleashed. For some while you have been caught in a quandary. Uncertain of your strength or even of your true direction in life, you have wanted to follow the most conventional path. A part of you, though, has been objecting intensely. You have been caught up in a dilemma; torn between the Devil and the deep blue sea. Why, though, should you fear the sea if you have a safe ship?