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I watched an interesting TV show recently. It explained that the cosmos is constantly moving - and that the zodiac signs today don't line up with the ones people used 2,000 years ago. If I go by the current positions of the stars, I'm not a Sagittarian, I'm a Scorpio.
Kristine Monteclaro, Cardiff
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Astrologers are not stupid. We know all about those shifting stars. That's why we don't use stars to define our signs. We have been using mathematical divisions of the ecliptic for several millennia. How I wish the 'experts' could grasp this simple, technical point. You ARE a Sagittarian. It's irresponsible, ignorant and ridiculous for them to suggest anything else.
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My husband and I have just celebrated 20 years of marriage. He's an Aries and I am a Piscean. We have been told many times that our signs are not compatible. But we love each other deeply. So why do astrologers say such things?
Amanda P, Boroughbridge
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Thank you for helping me to make a crucial point. There is NO such thing as an astrological pairing that will never work. All individuals are unique and all relationships are different. Astrology CAN tell you where the problems are likely to arise... and how to get round them if you need to. But in love, the last word must always go to the heart, not the chart!
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I had my full horoscope cast some while ago so I know that, while I am a Virgo by sun-sign, I have Libra rising and the Moon in Leo. I tend to read all three forecasts to get a full picture. Is there one in particular that I ought to focus on?
Lorraine Samuels, Glamorgan
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The forecast for your Sun sign is the only one that you should be reading. Predictions based on any other factor in your birth chart have to be worked out in a different way. All you will do, if you try to read more than one forecast each month, is confuse yourself!
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I have never been a typical Aquarian and now, I think, I know why. My mother tells me that my birth was induced. Complications in her pregnancy meant she couldn't carry me quite to full term. I should really have been a Piscean.
Robert DeCarlie, Aberdeen
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The moment you took your first breath is the only moment, in astrology, that ever counts; regardless of whether you were induced, delayed, delivered by Caesarean section, conceived in a test tube or brought by the stork! You're not a typical Aquarian because the only thing that's typical about any Aquarian is the fact that they all like to see themselves as different!
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If people can belong to a zodiac sign, what about dogs, cats and horses?
Lucy Kaminski, Boreham Wood
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In theory, ALL creatures great and small come under the influence of the sky. In practice? Well, it probably all depends on how fond you are of animals. Some astrologers are very happy to cast the charts of pets. Others don't feel able to distinguish one Yorkshire terrier from another - or to see much difference between two goldfish! I personally find more than enough to challenge me in working only with the horoscopes of human beings.
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If Librans are supposed to be so well balanced and fair minded, how come all the ones that I have ever met (including my husband) seem to be so argumentative? Is this just because, as an Aries, I bring out the worst in them?
Jenny Smith - West Sussex
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The fact that you are an Aries (the opposite sign to Libra) probably doesn't help - but actually, most Librans love a heated debate. They enjoy being controversial and will often deliberately play devil's advocate. If you ever want to persuade a Libran of anything, try AGREEING with their point of view. They'll rapidly switch positions, just to be difficult!
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I have a lot to be grateful for yet I often seem to suffer from depression; spates of sorrow that lay me low for day or weeks on end. I have heard that Geminis can be very moody so is this the explanation - and if so, do others born under my sign suffer similarly?
Name, address and birth details supplied.
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Some signs are slightly more prone to such experiences but for the full story of what lies behind this, we need to look at your full chart - which tells us that you are very 'creative'. Most people who suffer such sadness usually are. There's no such thing as a sure fire cure but you'll see an improvement if you allow yourself to paint, write, design or play music more.
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I'm a Leo. I was married, for a long while, to a Capricorn. Since my husband and I split up, I have had two more relationships, both with Capricorns. They showed much promise but then it went sour. Why am I so attracted to a sign that doesn't seem to suit me?
Lucy X, Warminster
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Because you are subconsciously trying to act out a drama. You want someone strong and self contained yet you also want someone who will bend - as and when you wish for this. That's a tall order. Either can keep 'interviewing' other Capricorns for the job of soulmate but pin less hope on the outcome till you've tested them thoroughly - or try a Cancerian instead.
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You seem like an intelligent person yet every month, you claim that a twelfth of the population will have exactly the same experience. How can you believe that?
Lydia Hume, Kingston on Thames
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Easily. If interest rates rise in the USA, all Americans will be touched. If it's raining all over the UK, all Britons will be affected. Having a nationality doesn't stop you from being unique. And being unique doesn't stop you from responding to some key factor in your economic, geographic (or cosmic) climate.
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My two year old is a Cancerian. I love him to bits but sometimes he's very fussy and unco-operative especially about food. If I try to chastise him he bursts into tears. I am an Aquarian mum at the end of her tether.
Sue Grainger
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Rule 1; relax. Rule 2; relax some more. Rule 3. Stop making rules. Save rules for where they're totally essential. Meanwhile, just be fair to him and you. If it really upsets him to eat something or do something, don't force him. If he's just testing his power (as two year olds do) cuddle him softly while you speak to him very firmly.
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I am having an identity crisis. My birthday falls on January 20. According to your page, this makes me a Capricorn. Other publications though, say that I am an Aquarian. So which is it, or am I 'a bit of both'?
Andrea Shah, Bath
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Nobody is 'a bit of both'. This is a naughty myth, created by lazy astrologers who cannot be bothered to explain that zodiac signs do not begin and end at the same moment each year. The changeovers vary by up to 24 hours. Look in the left hand frame for the link: Check Your Zodiac Sign - this will take you to pages which will clarify your sign.
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I am a Taurean. Supposedly, I am good with money. Why then, have I been flat broke for years?
Jennifer Riley, Portsmouth
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Maybe you're good at spending it instead of earning it! Or maybe, more seriously, you've got a psychological block that's stopping you from taking advantage of your astrological potential. Put aside your doubt and negativity, set out to seriously study what money is and how to make it... and you'll yet find you can end up comfortably off.
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Sometimes, I get very depressed for no apparent reason. I become down and despondent for several weeks and then the mood just lifts. Is this because I am a Gemini?
David Andersen, Cardiff
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No. It's because you are a human. Only cardboard cut out characters in cornflake commercials are happy and smiling, all the time. Yet, when we get an occasional natural bout of the way-down-lows, we make it worse by telling ourselves that it shouldn't be happening. Life for us all, is an emotional rollercoaster. We just have to learn how to relax and ride it!
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Astrology makes me laugh. How can you seriously claim that the planets have an influence on us. They're so far away. A car passing outside the house exerts more of a magnetic pull on me than Mars or Saturn.
Mr. R. Langley, Kent
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OK, it's a fair cop. It's all rubbish and I'm conning the public. Happy now? Actually, astrologers don't claim any kind of physical connection between the sky and the earth. We see it purely as a system of symbolic correlation. The zodiac is simply a cosmic clock by which, if you know what to look for, you can tell what kind of time it is here on earth.
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I am a Virgo and, according to all the textbooks, I'm supposed to be tidy, well organised and very attentive to detail. What a joke! You should see my house. I live in a state of perpetual chaos and I never know where anything is. What do you put this down to?
Lucy Macpherson, Strathclyde
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I put it down to an all too common misunderstanding on behalf of the people who write astrology books. Virgos aren't all tidy but they ARE all fussy. They aren't all well organised but they have a magnificent ability to concentrate hard when they care to. They ARE extremely attentive to detail but only to the details that interest them. Does that make more sense now?
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If people have zodiac signs, depending on when they were born, how about places? Why don't countries, nations, towns and villages have horoscopes - according to when they were first founded?
Janet Kilroy, Hounslow
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They do! Specialist astrologers have the charts of places, all over the world and they constantly research the history books to establish precisely when treaties were signed - when lands were declared independent - or when new nations were established. They use these horoscopes to predict future political change often with stunningly accurate results.
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I'm a Leo and I'm unhappy in what feels very much like a dead end job. I want to do something more rewarding and fulfilling. Please don't tell me I ought to be a brain surgeon. I'm 34 with two children and a lot of office experience.
Name witheld, Cardiff
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It's never too late to be a brain surgeon! But I agree you don't need such a dramatic change. Nor do you want to go further in the rat race. Even those who win this are still only rats! What you need is something that employs your creativity, your love of dealing with people, your ability to take control. Pick any option that truly appeals, even if it pays less and fear not. The universe will support you in this important move.
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My husband has been offered redundancy and I am bored of my job. We would like to set up a business in any field provided it's interesting, profitable and worthy. I'm Gemini, he's Capricorn. Any suggestions?
Mrs I Lamb, High Wycomb
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As a Gemini, you're inventive. As a Capricorn, he's reliable. In business, this combination works even better than in marriage. For a line that's sure to sell in the coming climate pick anything to do with computing, video making, communication, psychology, psychic development, self discovery, alternative healthcare, travel, leisure or extreme luxury.
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I collect books about astrology. I notice how they all seem to insist that people born under my sign, Pisces, have their heads in the clouds? Am I really a hopeless dreamer who will never acheive anything practical in life?
Sally Townley, Norwich
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Whenever I hear this, I always want to point out that Albert Einstein was a typical Piscean. Not only was he a brilliant physicist, he was a poetic philosopher. People forget that your sign is symbolised by two fish, swimming in opposite directions. One side of you is indeed, imaginative and otherworldly but you can also be extremely powerful and efficient.
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I was born on June 18. I know this makes me a Gemini but my mother tells me that I arrived a couple of weeks early. If her pregnancy had gone to full term, I would have been a Cancerian. Does this mean that really, I ought to read the forecast for this sign instead?
Michael Gold, Berkshire
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No. The day you were born is the day your were born, regardless of how you were born or when you 'should' have been born according to the doctors. You are a fully fledged Gemini and can be rightly proud of that.
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I would like to know about methods of 'astrological birth control'. I am told that phases of the Moon can predict times of ovulation. How reliable is this?
Jenny S, Brisbane
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It's no coincidence that the natural female ovulation cycle of 28 days is exactly the time it takes to get from one New Moon to the next. Things though, are not quite so simple in practice. A good astrologer could give you, at best, an 85% safe pattern to follow. Far better to use this the other way round, as a way to maximise the chance of conception!
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If we're now seeing the dawning of the age of Aquarius, why do I feel so uncomfortable and unhappy? Surely, as an Aquarian, I ought to be enjoying endless luck.
Andrea Walton, Adelaide
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The age of Aquarius is not really a concept you can apply to the individual signs. It affects society as whole. There are though, some very powerful influences working on your sign at the moment. Maybe they're stirring up a need for long term change and you're somehow resisting this. Let go and this will yet turn out to be 'your year'.
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My daughter is nineteen. She's a lovely, kind Cancerian and has become engaged to a boy of the same age. He seems nice but he's an Aries and I have read that Aries and Cancer are a bad match. Now I am worried on her behalf.
Mrs S Wilkins, Strathclyde
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Many Aries/Cancer relationships have lasted a long, happy lifetime. Both signs like a little drama and conflict and can easily learn how to provide one another with this! I'm much more worried by the fact that you're so worried. At nineteen, your daughter is surely old enough to make her own choices!
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According to your page I am a Libran but I was born in New Zealand. As the stars in the Southern Hemisphere are very different, presumably they don't apply to me... or perhaps they only apply when I am in this part of the world. Please enlighten me.
Penny Lightbody, London
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Different constellations are visible at different times down under and some sights in that sky can never be seen in ours. The Sun though, remains in the same zodiac sign in the same month, regardless of where you are on the planet. Librans are Librans wherever they were born... unless they were born on Mars!
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I'm a divorced Leo with three grown up kids. After a nasty divorce from my Capricorn husband, I have met a lovely man. But he's a Capricorn too. Is it all going to end in tears again? Harriet R, Castle Douglas
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You're either a glutton for punishment or you find some facets of the Capricorn personality impossible to resist! Assume the latter - and, without seeing your new partner as a carbon copy of your ex, recognise that they do have some similar traits. Enjoy the ones you like and then, resolve to handle the ones you don't like more wisely this time. And you'll be fine.
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Towards the end of May next year, I am due to have a baby by Caesarian section. The doctors will allow me some say in the date of the operation. I am a Leo, my husband is an Aquarian. Should we aim for a Taurean child or a Gemini one? Jennifer R, Guildford
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Years ago, I knew a couple of astrologers. While she was in heavy labour he was whispering, "Not yet, the Moon isn't where we planned for it to be!" Needless to say, they didn't get the ideal horoscope they had wanted for their child and needless to say too, it didn't matter a jot! Relax and enjoy your baby, whenever he or she turns up!
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Does the festival of Christmas have any astrological significance? Mary King, Cheshire
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Yes, no and yes. Think of how the three wise men found Jesus. What were they following? And why was this point deemed important enough to make its way into the nativity story? Jesus though, was probably not actually born in December. The church deliberately picked this date so that it would tie in with the ancient pagan festival of Saturnalia. This is a traditional celebration of the heavenly solstice.
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My husband and I are both Leos. We have been happily married for fifteen years and I notice that many of our best friends are also Leos. Is it unusual for people born under the same sign to be drawn to one another in this way - or does it only happen to our sign? Martha Dawkins
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Leos are famous for liking other Leos. Sagittarians, Leos, Virgos and Cancerians often team up too. I have also seen this syndrome happen with Pisceans, Capricorns and Geminis. The signs of Aries, Taurus, Libra, Scorpio and Aquarius seem less likely to form clubs. But maybe I'm missing something. I'm willing to stand corrected if anyone wants to tell me otherwise.
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Many of my friends have been going through a hard time lately yet we were all born under different zodiac signs. Is there something in the stars that's putting us everyone through stress? Mary King, Cheshire
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People with a close bond usually turn out to share a sensitive spot in their birth charts. That spot will be sensitive for different reasons but it will create empathy. If a passing planet is touching that spot in you, it will influence your friend too. It's not actually 'everyone' that's being influenced; just some of the people you happen to be close to.
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Many prophecies say that the world will end by the year 2,000. With all the current weather fluctuations, earthquakes, floods and threats to the environment from man-made pollution, I can easily imagine this happening. John Langley, Doncaster
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Those ancient visionaries were quite right. We have only a few months left! No, no, I'm only joking. The key word in your letter is 'imagine'. You can imagine it - and so too can anyone of a gloomy disposition. But the future for the vast majority of people on Earth, is safe... and bright!
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I am a Virgo and I have noticed, over the years, that though I get along well with most people, I often end up falling out with Librans. Is this only to be expected - and is there any way I can stop it happening? There are several Librans in my family. Mrs N Clarkson, Worcester
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Virgos are pragmatic. If something needs doing, they just find a way to get it done and they rarely make a noise about it. Librans tend to talk a lot more - and (sometimes, though not always) to do a lot less. You probably resent their over confident attitude; they probably resent your ability to see through them. My recipe for future success? Take your Librans with larger pinches of salt.
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My husband is a Virgo. Though we have been married ten years, I find him very critical of me sometimes - and this severely undermines my confidence. I am a Libran. Are we just fundamentally incompatible? Mrs J Hutchinson, Northallerton
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By fascinating coincidence, both your question and the one above, came in the same postbag. Clearly, something in the sky is bringing the tension between these two signs to a head. Really though, Librans and Virgos do have the potential to get along fine. It's just that Virgos are very critical and Librans are very prone to give a deceptive appearance of being stronger than they truly are. All that's needed is a little more sensitivity.
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My eleven year old, Gemini daughter is a talented singer and dancer. My husband and I think she's brilliant - but then, we're biased. Can you look at her chart and deliver an objective judgement about whether she's destined for stardom? Hannah Dawson, North London
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Geminis often are child prodigies. They shine at an early age but some shy back in later life. Your daughter's chart does suggest special ability but really, why do you need my opinion? There's no such thing as misplaced faith in the relationship between a parent and a child. If stardom is truly what she wants, just support her bid for it, regardless.
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Is it possible to use astrology to predict the ups and downs of the stock exchange - and if so, how? Marie T, Colchester
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Astrology is 'a study of cycles' and the money markets definitely respond to cosmic patterns. Some of these though, are very complex. It is dangerous to jump to an early conclusion about which alignments to follow. This specialised branch of astrology requires years of research and real experts are hard to track down. They do exist but so too, do folk who will sell untested advice. Be careful.
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I have fallen madly in love with a Leo but he only seems interested in a fun fling. As a sensitive Piscean, I am afraid of being hurt. Any advice? Karen Young, Stockport
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Pisces and Leo are perfectly compatible signs and both, interestingly enough, give rise to incorrigible romantics. Your Leo man surely aspires to a committed, monogamous relationship but he may be hiding a fear of disappointment or assuming that this is not what you want. Or he could just be 'filling in time' with you. Ask him. One thing you can be sure of is an honest answer.
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According to Nostradamus, the world was supposed to end back in July. He's supposed to be the greatest astrologer of all time yet he got that wrong didn't he? How are we supposed to take people like you seriously? Matilda Evans, London
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I can hardly believe you're complaining because the world didn't end! As it happens, Nostradamus was a mystic who got most of his big visions through gazing into a bowl of water for nights on end. He merely used astrology to date some of his prophecies. For the record, I have spent the last 20 years trying to point out his fallibility.
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My daughter's boyfriend was born on the same day of the same year as her. They seem very happy together but I wonder if this is just because their horoscopes are so similar. Can this relationship stand the test of time? Andrea Taylor, Camarthen
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The answer partly depends on what day of what year. Their horoscopes will not be identical, even if they were born in the same place, just moments apart... and they may well relish the mixture of affinity and gentle contrast between their charts. As a rule though, folk with such similar planetary placements are more likely to form lasting friendships than marriages.
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If people have zodiac signs, depending on when they were born, how about places? Why don't countries, nations, towns and villages have horoscopes - according to when they were first founded? Janet Kilroy, Hounslow
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They do! Specialist astrologers have the charts of places, all over the world and they constantly research the history books to establish precisely when treaties were signed - when lands were declared independent - or when new nations were established. They use these horoscopes to predict future political change often with stunningly accurate results.
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I was born on Aug 17, 1958 - the same day as Madonna. I though, am not an international pop star, sex symbol and multi-millionaire! I am married with two children, I work as an insurance clerk and the only place I sing is in the shower! Yet aren't we supposed to be astrologically similar? Sharon Thompson, Guildford
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People born on the same day of the same year have similar potential but a difference in 5 minutes in the time of birth can vastly alter the way in that potential is used. You probably could have turned out more like Madonna if you had ever really wanted to... and likewise, Madonna could have chosen a life more like yours. You each 'chose' from your charts what you needed.
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