Your Personal Horoscope 2017

Understanding an Aries

Aries is the activist par excellence of the zodiac. The Aries need for action is almost an addiction, and those who do not really understand the Aries personality would probably use this hard word to describe it. In reality ‘action’ is the essence of the Aries psychology – the more direct, blunt and to-the-point the action, the better. When you think about it, this is the ideal psychological makeup for the warrior, the pioneer, the athlete or the manager.

Aries likes to get things done, and in their passion and zeal often lose sight of the consequences for themselves and others. Yes, they often try to be diplomatic and tactful, but it is hard for them. When they do so they feel that they are being dishonest and phoney. It is hard for them even to understand the mindset of the diplomat, the consensus builder, the front office executive. These people are involved in endless meetings, discussions, talks and negotiations – all of which seem a great waste of time when there is so much work to be done, so many real achievements to be gained. An Aries can understand, once it is explained, that talk and negotiations – the social graces – lead ultimately to better, more effective actions. The interesting thing is that an Aries is rarely malicious or spiteful – even when waging war. Aries people fight without hate for their opponents. To them it is all good-natured fun, a grand adventure, a game.

When confronted with a problem many people will say, ‘Well, let’s think about it, let’s analyse the situation.’ But not an Aries. An Aries will think, ‘Something must be done. Let’s get on with it.’ Of course neither response is the total answer. Sometimes action is called for, sometimes cool thought. But an Aries tends to err on the side of action.

Action and thought are radically different principles. Physical activity is the use of brute force. Thinking and deliberating require one not to use force – to be still. It is not good for the athlete to be deliberating the next move; this will only slow down his or her reaction time. The athlete must act instinctively and instantly. This is how Aries people tend to behave in life. They are quick, instinctive decision-makers and their decisions tend to be translated into action almost immediately. When their intuition is sharp and well tuned, their actions are powerful and successful. When their intuition is off, their actions can be disastrous.

Do not think this will scare an Aries. Just as a good warrior knows that in the course of combat he or she might acquire a few wounds, so too does an Aries realize – somewhere deep down – that in the course of being true to yourself you might get embroiled in a disaster or two. It is all part of the game. An Aries feels strong enough to weather any storm.

There are many Aries people who are intellectual. They make powerful and creative thinkers. But even in this realm they tend to be pioneers – outspoken and blunt. These types of Aries tend to elevate (or sublimate) their desire for physical combat in favour of intellectual, mental combat. And they are indeed powerful.

In general, Aries people have a faith in themselves that others could learn from. This basic, rock-solid faith carries them through the most tumultuous situations of life. Their courage and self-confidence make them natural leaders. Their leadership is more by way of example than by actually controlling others.

Finance

Aries people often excel as builders or estate agents. Money in and of itself is not as important as are other things – action, adventure, sport, etc. They are motivated by the need to support and be well-thought-of by their partners. Money as a way of attaining pleasure is another important motivation. Aries function best in their own businesses or as managers of their own departments within a large business or corporation. The fewer orders they have to take from higher up, the better. They also function better out in the field rather than behind a desk.

Aries people are hard workers with a lot of endurance; they can earn large sums of money due to the strength of their sheer physical energy.

Venus is their money planet, which means that Aries need to develop more of the social graces in order to realize their full earning potential. Just getting the job done – which is what an Aries excels at – is not enough to create financial success. The co-operation of others needs to be attained. Customers, clients and co-workers need to be made to feel comfortable; many people need to be treated properly in order for success to happen. When Aries people develop these abilities – or hire someone to do this for them – their financial potential is unlimited.

Career and Public Image

One would think that a pioneering type would want to break with the social and political conventions of society. But this is not so with the Aries-born. They are pioneers within conventional limits, in the sense that they like to start their own businesses within an established industry.

Capricorn is on the 10th house of career cusp of Aries’ solar horoscope. Saturn is the planet that rules their life’s work and professional aspirations. This tells us some interesting things about the Aries character. First off, it shows that, in order for Aries people to reach their full career potential, they need to develop some qualities that are a bit alien to their basic nature: they need to become better administrators and organizers; they need to be able to handle details better and to take a long-range view of their projects and their careers in general. No one can beat an Aries when it comes to achieving short-range objectives, but a career is long term, built over time. You cannot take a ‘quickie’ approach to it.

Some Aries people find it difficult to stick with a project until the end. Since they get bored quickly and are in constant pursuit of new adventures, they prefer to pass an old project or task on to somebody else in order to start something new. Those Aries who learn how to put off the search for something new until the old is completed will achieve great success in their careers and professional lives.

In general, Aries people like society to judge them on their own merits, on their real and actual achievements. A reputation acquired by ‘hype’ feels false to them.

Love and Relationships

In marriage and partnerships Aries like those who are more passive, gentle, tactful and diplomatic – people who have the social grace and skills they sometimes lack. Our partners always represent a hidden part of ourselves – a self that we cannot express personally.

An Aries tends to go after what he or she likes aggressively. The tendency is to jump into relationships and marriages. This is especially true if Venus is in Aries as well as the Sun. If an Aries likes you, he or she will have a hard time taking no for an answer; many attempts will be made to sweep you off your feet.

Though Aries can be exasperating in relationships – especially if they are not understood by their partners – they are never consciously or wilfully cruel or malicious. It is just that they are so independent and sure of themselves that they find it almost impossible to see somebody else’s viewpoint or position. This is why an Aries needs as a partner someone with lots of social graces.

On the plus side, an Aries is honest, someone you can lean on, someone with whom you will always know where you stand. What he or she lacks in diplomacy is made up for in integrity.

Home and Domestic Life

An Aries is of course the ruler at home – the Boss. The male will tend to delegate domestic matters to the female. The female Aries will want to rule the roost. Both tend to be handy round the house. Both like large families and both believe in the sanctity and importance of the family. An Aries is a good family person, although he or she does not especially like being at home a lot, preferring instead to be roaming about.

Considering that they are by nature so combative and wilful, Aries people can be surprisingly soft, gentle and even vulnerable with their children and partners. The sign of Cancer, ruled by the Moon, is on the cusp of their solar 4th house of home and family. When the Moon is well aspected – under favourable influences – in the birth chart, an Aries will be tender towards the family and will want a family life that is nurturing and supportive. Aries likes to come home after a hard day on the battlefield of life to the understanding arms of their partner and the unconditional love and support of their family. An Aries feels that there is enough ‘war’ out in the world – and he or she enjoys participating in that. But when Aries comes home, comfort and nurturing are what’s needed.

Horoscope for 2017

Major Trends

Electric Uranus has been in your sign for many years now, and he will still be there in the year ahead. In the past six or so years your life – the conditions and circumstances of your life – has been radically altered. The old saying, ‘life can change at any moment’ is certainly true for you. You’ve been living it. The cosmos has been setting you free from old restrictive conditions. And, sometimes it had to do it in dramatic, even explosive, ways. Your body and image have been a continuous work-in-progress. Every time you think you have it ‘just right’ a new idea or look comes to you and you start to change again. The good part of all this is a sense of personal freedom that many of you have never known. It’s a heady feeling. By now most of you have learned the lessons of Uranus, but there’s still another year to go. You should handle it with ease.

Jupiter moved into your 7th house of love in September 2016. He will be there for most of the year ahead – until October 10. This is one of the main headlines of the year ahead. It’s a strong and happy social year. Many of you are ready to ‘settle down’ these days – especially after so many years of being footloose and fancy free. Serious relationships, both romantic and in business, are happening this year. More on this later on.

Jupiter will move into your 8th house on October 11. This will bring prosperity to your spouse, partner or current love. Often it indicates inheritance, though no one needs necessarily to die – you can be named in someone’s will or be appointed to some administrative position in an estate. Also it favours projects involving personal transformation, weight loss and detox regimes.

Saturn spends most of the year in harmonious alignment with you. This is a good health signal. But towards the end of the year he moves into Capricorn and into a stressful aspect (this begins on December 21). Health will need more attention from that point on, well into 2018 and 2019. Saturn in your 9th house most of the year shows a happy and expanding career. Most likely there is more career-related travel. But when Saturn moves into your 10th house (on December 21) career becomes more serious. You have to perform. Bosses are strict and demanding.

Pluto has been in your 10th house for many, many years and will be there in the year ahead. As we have written in previous years, a cosmic detox is happening in your career. This involves your whole approach and strategy and the people involved in it. Many are having ‘near-death’ kinds of experiences or surgery. Your industry is changing. The rules of the game are changing.

Your areas of greatest interest this year are the body and image (a long-term interest); love, romance and social activities (until October 10); personal transformation, reinvention, sex and occult studies (from October 11 onwards); religion, higher education and travel (until December 21); career (another long-term focus); and spirituality (also a long-term focus).

Your areas of greatest fulfilment this year are love, romance and social activities (until October 10); personal transformation and reinvention, sex and occult studies (from October 11 onwards); health and work (until April 29); children, fun and creativity (from April 29 onwards).

Health

(Please note that this is an astrological perspective on health and not a medical one. In days of yore there was no difference, both of these perspectives were identical. But now there could be quite a difference. For a medical perspective, please consult your doctor or health practitioner.)

Health needs more attention this year. Three long-term planets are in stressful alignment with you for most of the year. Jupiter moves away from this stressful aspect on October 11, but Saturn will come into stressful alignment on December 21.

The problem this year is that your 6th house of health is empty for the most part; only short-term planets will move through there. Your tendency would thus be to ignore health issues – and if not to totally ignore them, not to give health the attention that is needed. You will have to force yourself to pay more attention here.

Our regular readers know that there is much that can be done to enhance the health and prevent problems from developing (or getting worse). Give more attention to the following vulnerable areas:

 The heart. The heart has become important in recent years, and will become even more important after December 21 when Saturn moves into a stressful alignment with you. Spiritual healers seem to agree that heart problems are caused by undue worry and anxiety. So more faith and confidence is needed.

 The lungs, arms, shoulders and respiratory system. These are always important for you, Aries. Mercury, the ruler of these areas is your health planet. Regular arm and shoulder massage is a powerful therapy. Give the wrists and elbows more support when exercising.

 The head, face and scalp. These too are always important for you. Incorporate regular scalp and face massage into your health regime. This will not only strengthen these immediate areas but the entire body as well. Reflexes in the scalp and face affect every organ and system of the body. Craniosacral therapy is, in general, a good therapy for Aries – the plates in the skull are moveable and need to be kept in right alignment.

 The adrenals are another important area for you. The important thing here is to avoid anger and fear, the two emotions that stress the adrenals.

 The musculature. For you, Aries, more than most, good health means physical fitness (and not just ‘no symptoms’). A weak muscle can knock the spine and skeleton out of alignment and this will cause all kinds of other problems. So regular physical exercise is important for you. A health tonic. A day at the gym will, in many cases, do you more good than a visit to the doctor.

After all these years our regular readers surely know that Mercury, your health planet, is very fast moving. Only the Moon moves faster than him. In a given year he will move through all the signs and houses of your Horoscope. So there are many short-term health trends and remedies that are best discussed in the monthly reports.

Mercury will travel backwards four times this year, which is highly unusual. Generally he is only retrograde three times. (This was the case last year too). It is not advisable to make dramatic changes to the diet or health regime during these periods: January 1–8, April 9 to May 3, August 11 to September 5 and December 3–23.

Home and Family

Your 4th house of home and family is not a house of power this year. Nor was it last year. I read this as a good thing. You seem basically content with things as they are and have no pressing need to make major, dramatic changes. This tends to the status quo.

Of course every year brings its share of crises and drama. Generally there are two Lunar eclipses every year, and these impact on the home and family. (The eclipsed planet, the Moon, is your home and family planet.) This year is no different. This year the eclipses occur on February 11 and August 7. The good news is that they reveal what in the physical home needs fixing. Perhaps there were problems (and sometime these are serious) that you weren’t aware of. Left to themselves, they can bring major damage. But the eclipse reveals them to you so that you can make repairs. The eclipses also bring emotional dramas with family members, and especially with a parent or parent figure. There is a need for more patience with them over these periods and it’s advisable for them to take things easy and stay out of harm’s way.

Pluto has been in your 10th house for many years now. This indicates problems with one of the parents or parent figures in your life. Physical death could have happened in many cases, but generally it shows surgery or near-death kinds of experiences. This trend continues in the year ahead. This parent or parent figure has been more spiritual the past two years; there is much internal growth going on here. On December 21, as Saturn crosses the Mid-heaven, this person seems more serious, more exacting, more of a disciplinarian. He or she should be successful in detox or weight loss regimes this year.

Your family planet, the Moon, moves very fast. She is the fastest of all the planets. Every month she will move through your entire chart, so there are many short-term family trends that are best discussed in the monthly reports. In general, family issues tend to be short-term issues for you.

Siblings or sibling figures in your life are prospering, but having a more or less stable family year. If they are of childbearing age, they seem more fertile. A parent figure could move in the coming year. There is good fortune in the purchase or sale of a home. Children or children figures in your life are likely to move after October 11. Grandchildren (if you have them) have been taking more responsibility over the past two years and seem prosperous. A move could happen for them after October 11.

If you’re redecorating or otherwise beautifying your home – in a cosmetic kind of way – June 21 to July 22 and July 31 to August 26 are good times. If you’re planning renovations or major repairs June 4 to July 22 is good.

Finance and Career

Your money house is not powerful this year Aries, not a major focus of attention. Generally this is a good thing. It shows a basic contentment with the status quo and thus tends to the status quo. Of course, there will be periods in the year – as the short-term, fast-moving planets move through your money house – where finances become important and active, but these are short-term trends, not trends for the year.

In spite of this, the year ahead looks prosperous. Venus, your financial planet, spends a lot of time – triple her usual time – in your sign. She will be there from February 3 to April 4 and then again from April 29 to June 6. This shows some important financial development happening, something with many twists and turns, something that goes forward for a while and then back-tracks – mirroring Venus’s motion. It also indicates other things. Venus will bring you financial windfalls. She will see to it that financial opportunity seeks you out rather than you having to run after it. She will bring a lucrative partnership or joint venture opportunity too. But be patient here. There are many wrinkles to be ironed out.

Venus is a fast-moving planet. In any given year she will move through your entire chart, spending time in each of the houses of your Horoscope. Thus earnings and opportunities for earnings will come to you in many ways and through many different circumstances and people – all depending on where Venus is at any given time. (The aspects she receives will also play an important role.) These short-term trends are best dealt with in the monthly reports.

Your career – your life work, your professional status and standing – is much more important than mere money this year. It will become even more important towards the end of the year and into 2018 and 2019. You’re in a preparatory stage this year. Towards the end of the year, as Saturn, your career planet, crosses your Mid-heaven and enters your 10th career house, you’re going to be asked to take on more responsibility. You need to be ready for this. So it won’t hurt to take on extra responsibility now – in preparation. Get used to it.

Your career planet spends most of the year in Sagittarius, your 9th house. This shows career-related travel happening. Your willingness to travel will boost the career. It also indicates – and this will depend on your age and stage in life – a need to either mentor others or to educate yourself in areas that boost the career. By all means attend (or give) business-related seminars and lectures.

Pluto, as we have mentioned, has been at the top of your chart for many years now. This gives him great prominence and power. Thus, bosses and authority figures are having (and have been having) surgery and near-death kinds of experiences. In some cases there has been actual, literal, death. Your company or industry has been having near-death kinds of experiences too. And, in many cases, your actual career has ‘died and been born again’ – resurrected. By the time Pluto is finished with you (you’ve got many more years to go) you will be fearless in career matters. You will also have your ‘dream’ career – your ideal.

Love and Social Life

As we have mentioned, this is the real headline of the year ahead. This is one of the best and happiest love and social life years you’ve had in a very long time – perhaps in the last 12 or so years.

Benevolent Jupiter is established in your 7th house of love until October 10. Combine this with Venus’s three-month sojourn in your sign and you have a signature for romance, marriage or serious relationship. It all seems very happy.

For many years now marriage – committed relationship – hasn’t been advisable. Uranus in your own sign was denying it. Your self will, your passion for personal freedom and independence – though good in itself – was not good for serious long-term relationships. But Uranus is almost finished with you. In a year or two he will be out of your sign. You’re ready for some stability in your life. For those of you born early in the sign of Aries (March 20 to April 5), Uranus is already finished with you. Marriage, or relationships that are ‘like’ marriage, are advisable. If you were born between April 6 and April 19, it still might be advisable to wait. Enjoy romance for what it is but there’s no need to rush into anything.

Jupiter in your 7th house shows someone of good education and refinement coming into your life. Perhaps he or she is a foreigner. Perhaps you meet him or her in a foreign land. This is a person you can look up to and respect. Jupiter in your 7th house is an aspect for someone who falls in love with the minister or professor. There is an allure for ‘mentor’ type people.

From February 3 to June 6 Venus, your love planet, will either be in, or hovering near, your sign. This shows that love pursues you. There’s nothing special that you need to do to find it – it will find you.

Love and money go hand-in-hand in your chart: Venus is both your love and financial planet. So when one is going well so is the other. When love is happy, so are finances. When finances go well, so does love. Wealth in a partner is certainly an added allure, but refinement, education and philosophical compatibility are just as important – and perhaps even more so this year.

As we have said, you don’t need to do much to find love this year. But educational and religious-type settings are good. People you worship with are playing cupid.