What the stars say about 2018

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)

What is your place in the world? What is your role? Do you exist to make a difference, or do you merely exist? These are the sort of questions you will be asking yourself in 2018 and the answers are most likely to come when both Saturn and Pluto have moved past their retrograde phases in the final few months of the year. Before then, try not to take life quite so seriously. What happens around the time of the solar eclipse in mid-February will in some way remind you that love and laughter are the only things that last forever.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)

Cosmic activity in your fellow earth sign of Capricorn will inspire you to expand your horizons, physically, mentally and spiritually, over the coming 12 months. Deep down you know that remaining where you are is no longer an option and although you may not be able to get away until upheavals planet Uranus occupies your sign from May to November you can start making plans right now. Make them big plans. Make them huge plans. If you can think it you can do it. And if you do it you must go all the way. Let your wanderlust guide you.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

Creative endeavours are under excellent stars during the first half of the year, so don't waste time wondering if you can afford to use up precious energy chasing your dreams – the fact is you cannot afford not to! Jupiter in the work area of your chart until early November will help you turn vague imaginings into solid realities and before you know it the big bucks will start rolling in. Be generous with your success, especially around the time of the solar eclipse in July. The more you give the more you get back – that's the nature of the cosmic game.

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Partnership activities will be of major importance over the coming 12 months and the actions you take on a one-to-one level, both in your personal life and at work, will echo down the years. With Pluto and Saturn moving through your opposite sign you need to remember, at all times and in all situations, that causes have consequences. The ends do not justify the means, not now, not ever. If the means are good, the ends are good. If the means are bad, the ends are bad. It's that simple. Always act for the greater good, because it's your good too.

LEO (July 24 – Aug. 23)

If there are things in your life that need to be changed then get on with them now. Uranus remains in the sympathetic sign of Aries until May and you must make use of its disruptive energies to reconfigure the basic elements of your existence. Forget about half measures – go all the way. Not everyone will be happy about it but it's your life and if you don't make those changes soon they may never happen. The lunar eclipse in your sign in late January invites, begs, demands that you make an immediate start. Because if not now, then when?

VIRGO (Aug. 24 – Sept. 23)

It's playtime. You have done what others asked of you and now your only obligation is to yourself. Big-hearted Jupiter hops, skips and jumps for joy this year through the area of your chart that governs everyday pleasures, giving you the perfect excuse to amuse yourself in any way you see fit. Be sensible about how far you push your limits when Mercury, your ruler, goes through its retrograde phases in April, August and November, but don't listen to those who say you are flirting with disaster – they're just jealous they don't share your wonderful love of life.

LIBRA (Sept. 24 – Oct. 23)

This year's solar and lunar eclipses, in January and February and again in July and August, highlight friendships and how you get along with people who share your creative and community interests. Libra is the sign of partnerships, so co-operation comes easily to you, but there is a danger now that you could play down your own needs too much in an effort to please other people. You are a social animal by nature, but you are also an individual. Don't give up on your own dreams and schemes – instead, find ways to integrate them into your wider identity.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 – Nov. 22)

Jupiter in your sign from January to November will encourage you to be less defensive about your desires, making it much easier to satisfy them. Be open and honest about what it is you want out of life and don't let anyone judge you. If certain relationships have to end as a result then so be it – the fact is you can do better. Resolve to make "simplicity" and "minimalism" your keywords for the coming year. Can you fit your life into a single suitcase? Try it and see. "Less is more" should be more than just a slogan – it should be a way of life.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 – Dec. 21)

You may like to believe that nothing succeeds like excess but if you push your luck too far in 2018 you may end up wishing you had been more cautious. Cosmic activity in the financial area of your chart urges you to part only with what you can spare, especially when Mars links with Saturn and Pluto in April. Yes, it's only bits of paper and you can't take it with you but that's not an excuse to go on a spree. Treat yourself, and others, when and if you can afford it but make sure you always have something held in reserve.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 – Jan. 20)

Capricorns are serious people and with both Saturn, your ruler, and Pluto, planet of passion, transiting your birth sign throughout the coming year you'll need something of mega-importance to get your teeth into. Decide what social and cultural issues excite you the most and dedicate yourself to making a positive impact. But keep it real. Don't get carried away like so many do and act as if the world will end if you don't get your way. Your mind is the most powerful tool you possess – use it to sort the rational wheat from the emotional chaff.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 – Feb. 19)

Between the solar eclipse in your sign in February and the lunar eclipse in your sign at the end of July you must go all out to resolve relationship issues that have been allowed to drag on too long. Be fair but, if the situation calls for it, be ruthless too. Life is too short to waste time arguing over what are essentially trivial matters. Mars in your sign from mid-May to mid-August, and again from mid-September to mid-November, will bring both personal and professional matters to a head, so use your head to get ahead, then stay there.

PISCES (Feb. 20 – Mar. 20)

Your feelings are rarely far from the surface and what happens when the sun links with Pluto early in the new year will lead to an outpouring of raw emotion. That's okay. In fact it's good. You've gone out of your way to help other people and what thanks did you get for it? None at all. So let everyone know that in 2018 your needs must come first. Jupiter in Scorpio will bring opportunities to excel and you must not pass them up. The period from early July to early November will see another kind of outpouring, one of astounding creativity.