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PLUS - instead of viewing planetary influences as outside events over which you have no control PRACTICAL ASTROLOGY will teach you to view planetary configurations as OPPORTUNITIES that will allow you to work with the timing of the universe to make choices, exert control, observe results and track your success over time.
Each month, shortly before the sun moves into a new sign (which usually happens around the 20th or 21st of the month), I'll suggest a way for your sign to take advantage of the opportunities provided by one of the solar month's major astrological features. In addition, you can read a short article on one aspect of putting together a horoscope forecast that will give you more insight into how to interpret your own chart.
Finally, I'll provide a list of keywords for some of the planets, signs, and houses that make up a horoscope so that you can further customize your horoscope.
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Happy Birthday, Taurus!
As we look at the sky during the month of your solar return this year, it seems that the planets are not in much of a mood to congregate. No one sign or energy comes close to predominating. Mercury and the Sun will both be in your sign from the beginning of May until the sun enters Gemini. Venus and Uranus will spend a moment or two this solar month in Pisces, but Venus will spend the entire time trying to get away from Uranus so that doesn't add up to much.
In a way, this makes your birthday month an ideal time to just look your life square in the face and see what's going on. It's like all the planetary possibilities are all spread out for you to see, with no one thing forcing your attention in its direction. You can look at everything and try to put things in their proper proportion.
One area I might suggest you look at is your close family relationships. Saturn is still transiting your solar 4th house and it is moving direct again over ground it covered last year, so you might see some issues returning. Saturn in the solar 4th house can correlate with issues related to aging parents, so if you fit that category, you might want to take some time to look at the situation with your parents.
For those of you who have children, the eclipse series that began on March 14 of this year can have an effect on your relationships with them. If anything in that area has happened recently, this might be a good month to look at your relationships with the kids. In fact, overall it's more a looking month than a doing month. The sun and Mercury in your sign create a grand square of energy in fixed signs which makes it easy to see what might need correcting or effort yet hard to do anything about it just yet. So take the time to look and think.
The focus on family issues this year kind of goes along with the overall Taurean purpose. Having a good family life is one of the supreme values in the Taurean pantheon. With Venus as your ruler, one of the things the sign of Taurus ultimately wants to do is define itself through relationship. One of the things it wants for your life purpose is to have your tombstone read "Loving and beloved wife, mother, sister," or "Loving and beloved husband, father, son." Things like that.
To put it another way, part of your social purpose on this planet is to be part of the glue that holds the world together on the most fundamental person to person level, as a mother, daughter, husband, father. This is not an easy purpose. It takes a lifetime to fulfill. Being loving and beloved in the most fundamental relationships is not an accomplishment to be ticked off a person's to-do list and then they move on. It takes a lifetime of steady, building effort, the kind that the sign of Taurus favors.
Because this is a high calling and not an easy one, sometimes it seems to elude the normal Taurean. Relationships are hard to master, perhaps impossible, and many a Taurean finds herself or himself repeatedly facing challenges and frustrations in this area. It is precisely because this is part of long-term Taurean purpose that these frustrations arise and the evolved Taurean does not dismiss them.
Being a Taurean person in fulfillment of this purpose requires a constant balancing between independence and belonging, stubbornness and affection, patience and endurance and obstinancy and argument, glue-like clinginess and taciturn reserve. It encompasses the whole range of contradictory Taurean traits and possibilities.
This particular year highlights this balancing and relationship aspect of Taurean purpose. With three big planets in fixed signs until the end of the year (Jupiter in Scorpio, Saturn in Leo, Neptune in Aquarius), the sign of Taurus becomes the focal point of energy. It becomes up to you Taureans to be the glue that holds everything together. It becomes up to you to balance the competing demands of family, parents, children, spouses, lovers, career, and public life.
At times this should be rewarding, at times frustrating and stressful. But it is what you were born to do in some sense. As those around you potentially face difficulties, your heart will guide you as to how to respond, to balance their needs with your own. You will need to check in with your Taurean heart frequently, and balance what it tells you against the practicalities of your excellently grounded Taurean head and logic.
At times you may feel that this is just not your year, as you find yourself having to respond to many different competing agendas not of your own making. And yet...it is your year. As you look back, the time and effort you put into being there for others defines you, and makes you all that you can be. It makes you the loving and beloved Taurus that your Venus-ruled soul wants you to be. If there's one thing I can urge you to do this solar year, it is not to underestimate the importance of how much people do love you, need you, want you, care about you, and not to underestimate the crucial importance of the good you do simply by being your Taurean self.
For some additional keywords you can use to customize your own horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
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This month's new moon is in the sign of Taurus on April 27th in your solar second house of money, earned income, possessions and the like. With all the planets spread out in this sky this month creating no strong areas of energy, this is the most promising area for you to initiate something. Since Aries is a sign that likes to initiate things, this is probably the area to concentrate on.
This can mean something as simple as getting yourself the tangible stuff you need, like an umbrella for the spring rains. It can mean something more ambitious like doing the math on the income you need and initiating a search for a job or alternate source of more income. On a deeper level, it can mean asking yourself what money means to you these days and how you want to handle it in the near future.
Use the two weeks after the new moon on April 27th to set your intention. Be specific. This house relates to money you earn, so keep in mind that you will need to work for the reward you want. To make best use of this energy, set aside a brief amount of time to draw upon the different sides of your brain and heart--thought, feeling, and memory. Create a mental picture or feeling of what you would like to achieve in this area. Write it down. Then take the piece of paper and stick it in your purse or wallet. You don't need to look at it frequently, just allow yourself to take actions that further your desire throughout the month. When an opportunity arises, simply take it.
This won't necessarily make you a millionaire by the end of the year, but it often works surprisingly well to get the energy moving favorably in the direction you want it to go. Good luck!
For some additional keywords you can use to customize your own horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
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This month is a bit of a crapshoot. The planets are spread out in the sky this month in a scattered fashion so that no one area is highlighted. Given that no one sign's energy will be predominant, and that there are no planets in your own sign, you might want to simply take advantage of the full moon on May 13 in your solar 6th house of work. If you start by April 27th (the date of the new moon), you can wrap something up at work by the time of the full moon. Almost everyone has stuff they'd like to wrap up at work and it almost always feels good to do so, so you might want to take advantage of the opportunity to get at least one thing off your to-do list in that arena.
The more important area to pay attention to this month though might be your home. The lunar eclipse on March 14 in your solar 4th house of home may very well have created some issues there that continue to require your attention. This could range from the necessity of doing some repairs to dealing with a family member in crisis. Since that eclipse was on the difficult side for most Geminis, the thing to do is make sure that any negative long-term trends aren't developing. You want to nip any problematic tendencies in the bud now before the eclipse cycle (which lasts about two years) gets you deeply into a situation you wish you weren't in. For example, if repairs need to be made, check into everything thoroughly now. You don't want to get yourself into a two-year nightmare of unreliable contractors. If a family member is in crisis and you're not sure what to do about it, check to see that you aren't unconsciously enabling the situation to get worse. You'll probably want to act now, during a month when other major issues aren't demanding your attention, to make sure that this eclipse cycle works to everyone's ultimate benefit. Check into potential solutions to any problems that have arisen. You'll have more chances as the year develops to implement those solutions, but it would be good to get a sense of them this month, while the planets are giving you a chance to catch your breath.
For some additional keywords you can use to customize your own horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
On March 29, a solar eclipse in Aries in your 10th house of career took place. This was supposed to (and I hope it did) set up some beneficial energy in this sector for you, and was intended to get you into a good situation in your career. Until May 5, Mercury remains in Aries, and so you have a few extra days to take advantage of good career energy. After that, Mercury joins the Sun in Taurus in your solar 11th house of friends and group activities. Theoretically, by May you will have adjusted to your new situation a bit and will be thinking a bit more about your social life.
Another eclipse series, this one in Virgo and Pisces in your solar 3rd and 9th houses began on March 14. This eclipse series began, if you felt it, with some sort of shift in your activities related to writing and speaking. You may also find yourself needing to move as this eclipse series takes hold (it lasts two years). The need to move probably wouldn't arise before September (when a solar eclipse in Pisces takes place), but it's something to keep in mind.
As for the planets themselves, they're all spread out in the sky. No one energy predominates. That makes this an excellent month for you to take a survey of your entire life situation. Appraise your situation. If there are elements you'd like to improve, this might be a good month to do a collage to represent your desires visually, so you can have a reminder of what you'd like to achieve next in your life. If you feel no urging to do an actual collage or visual representation, at least try to form a mental image of what you'd like to do over the next 6 months. It's fairly rare that the planets spread themselves out so neatly, allowing us to get a comprehensive overview of things without one planet or another trying to force an issue. So you might as well take advantage of it.
For additional keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
One of the lighter elements of the planetary influences this month, Leo, relates to Venus. Until May 3rd it will be in Pisces in your solar 8th house. For those of you who need a bit of a boost in your sex life, or a touch of comforting physical connection, this is an excellent influence for seduction, sex, and romance.
I thought I'd mention that because the rest of the planetary action is a bit heavier. Major planets continue to hang out on the angles of your solar chart (Saturn in Leo in the solar 1st house, Jupiter in Scorpio in your solar 4th house, Neptune in Aquarius in your solar 7th house). This month, the Sun and Mercury join the fray by visiting your solar 10th house. This much action on the angles of your solar chart can transform your life.
I don't necessarily mean that you personally need to undergo a major transformation, but the externals of your life can change. For example, Saturn in your own sign can give you the impetus to do something disciplined, like taking up running for exercise. This is not necessarily a change in your essence, but it allows you to change the focus of your activities in a purposeful way. It can help you develop habits and skills that you need to succeed. On the flip side, having Saturn in one's own sign often makes a person feel a bit deprived of fun. With so many big planets tugging in different directions, it's also not hard to feel that one's life is somehow carrying them along into situations they wouldn't necessarily choose, rather than being under the individual's direction and control. Sometimes it feels like there are too many alternatives and no clear means of choosing between them.
In the midst of this activity, which is particularly prominent this month, your challenge is to not be led astray by distractions. It would be ideal for you to sit down and sort out what is expected of you these days, and what you feel you absolutely must do. And then just do these things, one by one, without fanfare. For example, if you feel you must attend to your health because your children are depending on you--sit down and figure out what you need to do, make a list, and then just perform the tasks you set for yourself in priority order. This is not a configuration of planets that rewards emotion, drama, or even intuition. It rewards meeting the concrete requirements of life. Getting your exercise, or whatever other disciplined task you take on, really will make you feel better. Saturn in Leo in square to planets in the other fixed signs is not a very glamorous placement. But strangely enough, it can actually be quite rewarding.
For keywords you can use to customize an alternate interpretation- click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
VIRGO: AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22
This month planets will be inhabiting your solar 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th houses. That's a lot of houses and indicative of this month's scattered planetary energy. This scattered energy is good for you in a couple of ways. First, it means that there is not so much aggressive energy directed at your sign. Mars has moved out of Gemini and into Cancer. While in Gemini, Mars may have energized your career, but it was also in a bad mood with Uranus in your solar 7th house and Pluto in your solar 4th house, and it wasn't in a terrific mood with your sign either.
This month Mars in Cancer affects your solar 11th house of friendship, and it offers you an opportunity to put more effort into your friendships. I suggest you take advantage of it and spend some time talking and connecting with your friends, even if the logistics prove a bit difficult. There are two reasons to make the effort this month. One is that Mars is part of a Grand Trine of water signs that impacts your solar 3rd house of communication (Jupiter in Scorpio) and your solar 7th house of relationships (Uranus in Pisces). It seems that talking with your friends about your relationships is beneficial this month.
The second part of the equation comes with the Sun and Mercury in Taurus in May. These planets will be in your 9th house of understanding and knowledge. Having the planets all spread out is actually ideal for a time when the Sun is in your 9th house. It helps your conscious mind perceive both the surface facts and the underlying truths--all the influences are spread out for them to see. Plus, with Mars in Cancer, talking with your friends can help you see things clearly and with the certainty that your sign likes.
If you've experienced problems this year, this is the perfect month to fully and completely understand what's been going on. Given all the activity around your sign lately, I suggest you make use of this time for clarity and get a nice, satisfying grip on the circumstances that have been impacting your life.
For keywords you can use to customize an alternate interpretation- click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
LIBRA: SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22
Well, Libra the big news for you this solar month a Grand Trine affecting your solar 2nd, 6th, and 10th houses. Mars in Cancer in your solar 10th combines with Jupiter in Scorpio in your solar 2nd and Uranus in Pisces in your solar 6th. The rough translation of this is: Put energy and effort into your career and Uranus could unexpectedly help Jupiter score you some extra cash and income through your job.
This may not be a surprise to you as this energy has been building for some months, since the end of February for some of you. But let me underscore how lucky you are to have these good influences when other signs have been battered and buffeted this year. Don't waste your opportunity, use your career and money energy.
The potential fly in the ointment is, as has been the case for awhile, Saturn in Leo in your solar 11th house of friendships. You may find emotional distance creeping into these relationships, or even physical distance and circumstances that prohibit you from connecting the way you'd like. As Saturn is going direct over points he crossed last year you may find issues in this sector that arose before coming into play again.
You have so much good stuff going on though, there's no need to focus on that. Eventually (not for awhile admittedly) this influence will pass and things will get back to normal in your social life.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
SCORPIO: OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21
Scorpio, once again the skies are full of planets in key spots in your solar chart. Saturn is still in your 10th house of career and self-employment, now direct and potentially bringing up career issues again that first arose last year. On the other hand, Uranus is still in Pisces in your solar 5th house of lovers and new love of all sorts, potentially bringing excitement in this area of your life. This month, the sun and Mercury also spend time in your solar 7th house of relationships, carrying with them the potential for you to get a double dose of sexy love energy. Meanwhile Neptune is still in your solar 4th house, which rules matters related to your residence and the need to attend to domestic chores. Plus, the solar eclipse last month in your job sector may have created exciting job changes that you are still sorting out. It's a lot of activity, particularly when combined with Jupiter in your own sign.
If there's a message in all of this, I suppose it's that it's up to you to take charge of your life, direct your energies, and decide how you want things to be, and what you want to focus attention on. You certainly have plenty of choices. This is exactly what your Sun sign craves in life, choice and control; it hates to have to dance to anyone else's tune. For most of the rest of this year you don't have to. So take advantage, enjoy your job success if you've earned it, and call your own shots.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
SAGITTARIUS: NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21
Hello, Sag. With Mars now safely out of Gemini, the main planetary competitor for your attention is likely to be Uranus in Pisces in your solar 4th house of residential and household matters. Admittedly, the Sun and Mercury will be in Taurus in your solar 6th house of work-related matters, but if we're going to indulge in some Sagittarian blunt honesty, this is a bit of a dull influence for a sign that craves excitement the way Sag does. No, Uranus in Pisces is where the action is.
This month Uranus is part of a Grand Trine in water signs, meaning it's in a good mood with a lot of planets. It's got a good feeling about the Sun, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. The general intent of Uranus in this position is to get things moving in your residential sector. This can mean literally moving from place to place (some of you will undergo multiple moves during the time between 2004 and 2011). It can mean moving around the energy with which the members of your household relate. This month, in which all the Uranian energy is favorable, is excellent to get whatever needs to be moving in your home and family life moving again.
What you do with this energy can be as simple as cleaning out your garage, going through a storage closet and emptying it out, or rearranging things to create a crafts and hobby room for yourself, or even a spiritual sanctuary. Whatever you do this month to address your residential situation is likely to pay off for you psychologically, in terms of renewed energy, peace of mind, harmony with others, or even an unconscious clearing out of old resentments. Spend some time around the house this month and reap the benefits.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
The planets are all spread out in the sky this month, but most of the action for you centers around Jupiter in Scorpio, the Sun and Mercury in Taurus, and Uranus in Pisces. Jupiter's in your house of friendship, while the Sun and Mercury will be in the opposite house, the one governing romance. Uranus is in your 3rd house, which governs communication. The bottom line is that this month is all about connection for you, Capricorn. The idea I think is to go for quantity. The more connections you can make this month, using all that favorable Uranian communicative energy, the more chances you will have to make and enjoy great friendships and stellar romance. You may end up having so many opportunities to socialize and date that it could be hard choosing between them.
If the solar eclipse in your 10th house on March 29 brought any good career news or recognition your way, you can capitalize on that to increase your connective power as well. Whatever you do, be sure to go out and spend time with people. By the way, if you have children, this influence applies to them as well; it's a good month to deepen your bonds with them, or to soothe over any disagreements that may have arisen. If you aren't a parent yet, but want to be, this is also a good month for you to try to conceive.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
AQUARIUS: JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18
These are potentially interesting times for married Aquarians and those in committed relationships. The planets have been trying for some time to make something different in the closest relationships of all types of Aquarians. This theme gets highlighted once again this month as Saturn is moving direct in Leo and all four fixed signs find themselves inhabited with planets throughout the solar month.
One likely scenario is that your partner needs your support, help, and assistance. This may even be the case if what you think is happening is simply that you're having difficulties or that things aren't going well in your relationships. Underneath it all is probably at least one person that needs your Aquarian aid.
I'm not going to say that giving this help and support is necessarily going to be easy for you. In fact, it may very well not be. Your need to lend help may very well interfere with your other needs to pay attention to your career, engage in personal self-development, attend to the basics of life, perform your daily job and take care of your finances. It may feel that you are giving more than you are getting and you may not like this sensation. But you have to do it, you have to help and support where you can. Because it's part of what you're here for, part of your Aquarian purpose and only you can provide your needed perspective.
You may not see the results of your efforts to help those around you for quite some time, you may not feel that what you do amounts to anything concrete for another year. But you will see results eventually, and what you will eventually see is that putting in your time to sacrifice some other interests for the sake of those closest you will change your ideas about who you are, what you can do, and why you're here on this planet. You will learn something about your own value. So hang in there, help all you can, be as supportive as you can, and as understanding as you can. You have something to offer, so offer it.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
PISCES: FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20
This is intended to be an active and interesting year for you, Pisces. It could very well be your year to fall in love. The first step toward falling in love for a lot of you though was to fall out of love around the time of the March 14 eclipse in your opposite sign of Virgo. A solar eclipse in that sign on September 22 represents your opportunity to get a fresh start in your relationships and perhaps to fall in love again. Those of you in committed relationships could rediscover, later this year, while you fell in love in the first place. In the meantime, it would be helpful to prep yourself for love (in whatever form you desire it) and preparation this month takes the form of communicating. The sun and Mercury will be spending time in your solar 3rd house of talking things up, while Jupiter is still in your solar 9th house of heavy philosophical thoughts. These planets and Mars in your solar 5th house (of falling in love) are all in a good mood with Uranus in your own sign.
If ever there was a month to communicate your readiness for love and your thoughts on the subject (both the trivial and deep thoughts), this would be the month. Flirt with anyone interesting you meet, talk with your friends, mention your interest in romance to your boss and co-workers, inform your family of your desires and just generally try to get people to listen when you tell them what you want. You may even meet someone of interest within the next month or two. This is a potentially quite an exciting year for you, Pisces, jump on your opportunities while you have them. We all need love and affection in our lives, grab your chance to get your share.
For keywords you can use to customize your horoscope - click here. For instructions on how to use the keywords - click here.
THE SIGN OF TAURUS
Taurus is a fixed earth sign. Planetary ruler: Venus. Season: Spring. Associated with the 2nd house of income and possessions. Its symbol is the Bull.
So what can we use the energy of the sign of Taurus for when planets transit it through it? One of the best uses for Taurean energy in the horoscope is to protect and guard the ideas that are born in the previous Arien stage. When planets transit Aries, a natural thing to do is give birth to great ideas for the future. These helpless little ideas can't do much on their own, so it's up to Taurus to get you moving in the direction of making something tangible from them.
Let's say you hatch a grand plan to get yourself in a relationship, to lose weight, get out of debt, stop smoking, or improve your health. You are initially filled with Arien enthusiasm, but that fades, as Arien enthusiasm always does. The next step in getting your desire to come true is to use practical Taurus to start getting specific about how exactly you'll do that. Taurus is realistic and grounded and it will tell you whether or not you have the ability to do what you want. If you don't, it will help you think of a realistic way to develop that ability.
Taurus energy will kill off some of the excess optimism of the Aries stage, but in the process it will make your ideas more workable and more real. Use Taurus energy to discard the portions of your ideas that are not plausible or workable. For example, if you're planning to lose weight, a Draconian diet may seem like a great idea during the first days of spring when anything seems possible. Taurus may remind you, though, that a less drastic, slower, and steadier approach is more likely to pay off in the long run. The sign of Taurus can give you some good advice, with its slow and steady focus, well worth heeding. If it's love you desire, for example, Taurus can remind you to think carefully about what you really want in a mate, rather than hurling yourself at the first likely person you meet. Sensible sign, Taurus.
If you have no grand plans to further, Taurus, being ruled by Venus, also provides good energy for attending to your close relationships. Taurus time can be a time to reconnect with spouses, children, parents, and extended family. This includes spicing up your sex life too, as Taurus is a sign very attuned to the sensual pleasures of physical connection.
If neither nurturing your plans nor reconnecting with your loved ones appeals, planets in Taurus, the sign of possessions, can also signal a time when you can take care of your physical stuff, the stuff you own. For the shopping-minded it can also be a good time to buy more of that stuff, as your taste is likely to be good when a Venus-ruled sign is highlighted.
So there's a mix of activities favored by Taurus, at least one of which should appeal to every one of us. Something for everyone, hard to get better than that.
Some additional keywords for Taurus: Earthiness, fixity of purpose, stubbornness, stodginess, fruitfulness, financial savviness, slowness, clinging to habits and familiar pleasures, sensual love, warmth of feeling, a sense of taste, and possessiveness.
Some keywords for the sun: Individuality, the true self, the self-concept, one's inner core, the kind of person you are, the father and his influence, self-expression, self-preservation, personal concerns, self-centeredness, the ego, and egotism.
Some keywords for Mercury: Writing, the mind, ideas, thinking, communication, perceptions, persuasion, the sense of humor, manual dexterity, mental focus, siblings, and language skills.
Some Keywords for the 1st house: Individuality, identity, the body, independence, the ability to initiate or start things, the ability to take action, personal style, your leadership qualities, and what inspires you.
Some keywords for the 2nd house: Financial skills and attitudes, spending patterns, business concerns, accumulation, financial gain, money, resources, stability, tangible items, permanency, the ability to structure things.
Some keywords for the 3rd house: Communication, study, siblings, the use of language, ideas, opinions, focused attention, mental activities, wit, the ability to deal with daily life, and humor.
Some keywords for the 4th house: Who you live with, one's home base, family, the parents, resting, the inner soul, domestic atmosphere, one's past conditioning, one's history, patriotism, and the ability to bring things to closure.
Some keywords for the 5th house: Who you attract, romance, children, creative self-expression, fun, love affairs, sports, recreation, love affairs, and gambling and speculation.
Some keywords for the 6th house: Employment, health, psychsomatic illness, the daily demands of a job, workaholism, service, the nature of the workplace, co-workers, employees, scheduling, and the ability to establish priorities.
Some keywords for the 7th house: Marriage, partnership, commitment, close relationships, counselors, how you relate to people in general, the ability to attract others, what we feel we lack, what we like and dislike in others, and the ability to resolve conflicts.
Some keywords for the 8th house: Psychic abilities, the potential for wealth, sexuality, money management, joint resources, marital finances, divorce, the partner's financial contribution, debt, bankruptcy, loans, and investments.
Some keywords for the 9th house: Travel, academics, spiritual teachings, higher education, the higher mind, ideals, ethical beliefs and standards, the right brain, and the ability to gain perspective on events.
Some keywords for the 10th house: Career, achievements, authority figures, the corporate world, the father, the ability to garner admiration, honors, contributions to the communty, fame, vocation or calling, and professional accomplishments.
Some keywords for the 11th house: Friendships, groups, clubs, the ability to create systems, visionaries, scientific thinking, humanitarian impulses, the brotherhood of man, and hopes & wishes.
Some keywords for the 12th house: Secrets, self-sabotage, the unconscious, solitude, one's ideas of heaven and paradise, the desire to escape, the ability to experience unity, the desire for wholeness, mysticism, bliss, ecstasy, and inner peace and serenity.
HOW TO USE KEYWORDS: The essence of learning astrology is understanding how to mix, match, and blend the concepts associated with signs, planets, and houses to figure out what is or will be affecting you at a given point in time. This takes practice and practice is exactly what you're going to have a chance to get if you use the keywords each month.
Keywords can be used to plan and take action using the month's energies, to explain events or to make predictions. Scan for keywords that seem relevant to situations in your own life. You'll have 3 sets of keywords you can blend, one for the planet discussed, one for the sign it's in and one for the solar house it's transiting. Pick the keywords that interest you most and create your customized horoscope!
For example, if the Sun is in Aries in your solar first house, if you want to plan or take action you might pick the Sun keyword 'power', the Aries keyword 'initiating', and the 1st house keyword 'self-expression' to create an intention for yourself that you have the power to initiate actions to express yourself more fully in ways that you desire. You'll know what 'self-expression' means to you. It works best if you pick keywords that 'speak' to you or that coincide with elements of your life that already concern you. To receive astrological benefits, it's not necessary that you obligate yourself to do something huge - it's only necessary that you take one step in the right direction at the right time. Astrology concerns itself with when things are born, and if you start something at the right time, you're riding on the energy that's already available to you in the universe.
You can also use the keywords to try to figure out if something that is affecting you is 'in the stars'. For example, let's say you find yourself wondering why you're getting drawn into conflicts with people at your church. You scan the keywords and realize 'Aha! The fiery energy of Aries is currently being activated in my 12th house of faith-related matters!' If the energy is uncomfortable, you'll have a gauge as to how long it will be prominent (oh good, it should ease up next month!) or if it's a good energy you'll know which planet to thank!
You can also try your hand at predicting. If you check in at the beginning of the month and notice that your house of friendships is highlighted along with some active planetary or sign energies, you might predict for yourself that you will be engaging in a lot more fun and restorative activities with your friends in the coming month. This is basically what professional astrologers do and now you have a chance to try your own hand at it and compare your results with the pros. Have fun!
NOTE: There are a wide variety of potential keywords associated with each sign, planet, and house. I pick different ones each month to give you an idea of the range from the most common concepts to much more subtle ones. Over time, you'll gain an intuitive sense of what kinds of concepts are associated with each element and you'll even be able to generate your own keywords as you get a feel for each of the signs, planets, and houses. Each keyword also inherently contains its opposite as well. For example, if the keyword 'divorce' is displayed, it doesn't mean you'll get a divorce. But it does mean that if that is a concern for you and something you want to avoid you have an opportunity, while that energy is activated, to take proactive steps to deal with potential problems or head off an undesirable outcome. So you can turn 'divorce' into 'keeping a marriage together' or 'illness' into 'taking steps to get and stay healthy'.
Use your rising sign for better forecasts! Most published horoscopes are based at least in part on transits to solar houses. Solar houses are based on your sun sign and are easy to calculate. Your sun sign is your solar 1st house, the next sign in the zodiac is your solar 2nd house and so on. You can always determine what solar house a planet is in if you know the sign. Simply start with your own sign and count around the zodiac until you reach the sign you're interested in. For example, if you're a Gemini, the sign of your solar 3rd house is Leo. Pisces is the sign of your solar 10th house. Astrologers who publish horoscopes use sun signs and solar houses for several reasons: a) almost everyone knows their birthday; b) they're easy to calculate; and c) they actually do have some effect. However, if you get a personal reading from a professional astrologer, he or she will almost always use transits to your natal houses to give you a reading instead. Natal houses are based on your rising sign, which is determined by the exact time, place, and day you were born. Transits to your natal planets and houses have at least as much effect on your life as transits to your solar houses, sometimes quite a bit more. If you really want to know your chart, and get better horoscopes, you should find out your rising sign (also called Ascendant). If you know the exact time and place of your birth, you can do this for free at a wonderful website - www.astro.com. Click on the link near the top that says 'Free Horoscopes'. On that page, scroll down to the link that says 'Chart Drawing, Ascendant'. Follow the prompts to enter the information concerning your birth time, date, and place. You'll get a chart that shows your Ascendant (the sign next to the designation 'AC'). To the left will be a box listing your planetary placements. Next to the listing for 'AC' your rising sign will be listed along with the degree of your Ascendant within that sign. Make a note of that sign and be sure to check the horoscope and keywords for your Ascendant as well as your sun sign!
TRACK YOUR RESULTS! Next month when you come back here for your next horoscope, take 30 seconds to assess the results of the action you took last month as a result of your horoscope. Did it make you feel better? Did it make your life any better? Did it give you renewed energy or did you find your effort blocked, delayed, or ineffective? Judging your results allows you to assess how responsive you are to a particular planetary, sign, or house energy. For example, some people are very responsive to the astrological Sun just the way some people are very responsive to a sunny day. Other people work better with the energy of other planets. Only by taking a moment to gauge your results can you learn which planets work best for you in your life. You may have an 'afflicted' natal Sun that never does much for you, but a raring-to-go Mars that will help you in a pinch every time. Checking your results each month will give you an increasingly accurate guide as to how to use astrology to enhance your life.
The PRACTICAL ASTROLOGY website provides a free, sequential course in astrology with at least one article each month on a particular element of horoscope interpretation. If you want to see any articles you've missed, or to receive each month's update by email, sign up using the link below. The Practical Astrology website does not share your email address with anyone else and only uses it to provide you with information concerning astrology from this website. Sign up!