Use insight to study the inner workings of what you see around
you. Others might just find that no amount of what they are seeking
is enough. Learn where your limits lie. Push the envelope but
don't blow the package. After beginning the journey in Virgo,
Jupiter ends it in Libra and your solar ninth house encouraging
you towards study, overseas travel and a broader more philosophical
view. This change occurs on September 25th and could see some
of you Water Bearers crossing new horizons, both literal and metaphorical.
Love and Money 
Venus the goddess begins the year in your sign, conjoined with
mystic Neptune. Affairs of the heart will play a strong part in
the year ahead for many. You may be seeking new romance or reviving
the romantic flair and flavour with your nearest and dearest.
Self-beautification and changes of image may be an important theme
for some. If you look different, you can feel different. Dealings
with interesting or unusual women may play a part in the year
for some while creative or spiritual activities and people could
play a role for others. For the single Water Bearer, there will be connections with
new and different people. This may lead some of you down the romantic
path where others will find themselves in a new sector of the
community, with new interests and concerns as a consequence. For
those in a relationship, it's time to add zest or interest to
your life together. New interests and new social relationships
could lift you up and leave you sparkling once again. If you get
caught in the same old patterns though, there could be a loss
of interest in what you have and a search for something new. In
such a process of change, it may be hard to know what you want.
Be discerning. Be guided by the highest ideals of conduct. A second
or late marriage may take place for some Water Bearers after September
25th. Change is afoot in the financial sector for the Water-Bearers
this year as Uranus, the revolutionary one and modern ruler of
your sign establishes himself in Pisces and your solar second
house of personal finances and resources at the end of 2003. He
will journey there for seven years. There will be radical shifts
with regard to money over this time. Some of you will come into
changed fortunes, suddenly or unexpectedly. Some will reach new
heights while others will level off. Some will change the way
you spend money while others will make change to the way you earn
it. Some of you may begin to diversify your working efforts while
others may try to consolidate. Uranus brings about reversals of trend and radical shifts. For
those who have had little interest in finance up to now, there
may be a sudden surge of energy in this department. Thus, some
will be inclined to take risks or gamble with money for the first
time while the speculators may decide to go down a more conservative
road. Some will move away from a material view, taking an interest
in creative or spiritual matters. Some may give to charitable
or humanitarian work. Some will begin to accumulate material possessions
while others will decide to shed them or slim down their assets.
Whatever the change, the important thing is to spend the next
years trying to see your possessions and financial life from a
different perspective. With Venus and Neptune conjoined in your
sign, there could be a temptation to spend freely or an inclination
to risky or uncertain ventures. Make sure you know what it is
you want and what you're chasing before you put too many dollars
at risk. In the end though, risks will need to be taken. Embrace
the new!
Home and Family
With the Lunar North Node in Scorpio and your
solar fourth house, family issues and dealings will play a strong
part in the year ahead. You will have to decide what it is you
really want from emotional and domestic life. For some, there
may be a need to break from the controls that have been put in
place by family life or family background. You may need to find
a new kind of emotional life, one that gives you freedom. Others
may find that obligations to family members or children take precedence
over other matters and need close attention. There be a major
domestic change or a new start for some. For others, it may be
that interest and enthusiasm for an old situation will be renewed.
Work and Health
Saturn, the measurer of effort, is
now established in your solar sixth house of work and health.
Daily routines and general healthcare will need more attention
than you've been inclined to give in the past. Some of you may
have to deal with changed health conditions. If this is the case,
be specific, practical and immediate in your efforts. Put new
regimes of healthcare or self-nurture in place, as and when necessary.
Some will have an increased workload or a new line of work altogether.
This may see you operating in a more solitary capacity than usual
or with family members. It will be important to balance the demands
of your work regime with changed requirements in the healthcare
department. Don't focus on work at the expense of health. For
some, work routines will have to be well structured. For others,
there will be a higher organizational content in what you do.
Dealings with older people or those in authority may now be part
and parcel of your daily routine.
Water Bearers born in the first week of February need to watch
energy levels. For you, mystic Neptune conjoins with your Sun
in the course of the year. Respond to fatigue or disinterest by
changing patterns or approach. Creative or spiritual expression
may be the enhancement you are looking for. Don't let indulgence
become addiction. Be measured in the use of any medication.
Career Matters
There may be a 'push and pull' process with regard to career matters. Some may want to step away from something in this area to concentrate on new things while others may want to break the restrictions of home or family life and come back to something you used to do, career wise. Some of you may have contact with people who represent the past and those who represent a new future, and thus you will have to make a break and a decision in accordance with your heart. The pull between a sense of responsibility to others and your own emotional needs is a strong one this year and many of you will have to make a decision that represents both a beginning and an end. Only you can say where your destiny lies. Some of you will have to cross a new horizon to find what you're looking for. After September 25th, new ideas and beliefs call. The support or plain old good luck you need to follow a new path will come.
Mercury the Messenger
Mercury moves into retrograde (reverse) motion
three times a year for about three weeks each time. This phase
heralds a time of confusion and misunderstandings that can affect
arrangements, travel, transport, appliances, machinery and communications.
The breakdowns that occur are a function of neglect, inattention,
simple misunderstandings or component failure. They will often
bring to the fore the very contingency we should have planned
for and didn't. When the retrograde phase occurs, watch out for
such possibilities as well as putting off major decision-making
or the signing of crucial documents and agreements. We tend to
miss things while Mercury is in reverse motion and then have to
come back and do them again. A process of review in the retrograde
phase can efficiently show where problems might lie and help us
with damage control or the mending of things. Double check arrangements
at these times! What you think you've said and what others have
understood will often prove to be two different things.
Mercury is retrograde in Sagittarius and your solar eleventh
house as the year begins. There may be confusion with friends
and poor communication or misunderstanding could be at the root
of problems. You may need to discuss something with a friend to
clear the air or to seek advice. Sometimes a detached perspective
can be a great problem solver. You may need to re-evaluate your
hopes and wishes as you strike delays or an obstacle to your plans.
This cycle ends on January 7th. The messenger's second reverse motion cycle begins on April
7th in Aries and your solar third house. Be careful with travel
and transport. You may have to change schedules or appointments
at a moment's notice. Delays could trouble your arrangements.
Office equipment or machinery may need servicing or fail at the
crucial moment. There may be confusion with communications so
speak plainly and listen well. There may be difficulty or confusion
with siblings. Education or teaching programs could be disrupted
or changed. This cycle ends on May 1st. The busy little messenger turns retrograde in Virgo and your
solar eighth house on August 11th. You may need to review your
financial position with regard to all matters of joint finance,
investment or credit. Make sure you don't overdo it with the overdraft
or credit card coming into this time, otherwise it may be harder
than you think to pay the bill. You may need to discuss your financial
situation with an expert. Get plain and practical advice and take
it. There may be problems with a joint account or arrangement
that will need sorting out. Discuss things plainly. Listen to
what's being said. This cycle ends on September 3rd. Mercury's last retrograde cycle comes on December 1st in Sagittarius
and your solar eleventh house. Confusion, poor communication or
misunderstandings could trouble relationships with friends. Take
the time and make the effort to sort things out. You may need
to discuss a matter of importance or concern with a friend. This
may be to clear the air or to seek good advice. A friend may offer
a detached perspective on a problem or a concern. This could be
of value. You may need to re-evaluate your hopes and wishes as
you strike delays or obstacles with your plans.
Lady Moon
Your New Moon comes on January 21st, bringing
irritation with revolutionary Uranus. There could be testing experiences
for you that have financial management at the root. You may need
to make a new start or go in a different direction. First, you'll
need to see whatever the problem is in a new and different way.
Finish up the old before you begin with the new. Don't let them
overlap.
Your Full Moon comes on July 31st, clashing with the Lunar Nodes
but with a gentle touch from mystic Neptune. There may be a break
or separation for you, something that erupts to the surface. You
may have been at odds with someone, a stubborn or strong-willed
person, and it may have come time to part company or at least
air your differences. There are realizations in the air, but you
may not like their implications. There is urgency or impatience
here, but sort things out with gentleness and compassion.
Eclipses
Eclipses of both the Sun and the Moon often
indicate the end of a cycle or a significant change in the direction
or pattern of the affairs governed by the house in which the eclipse
falls. Eclipses of the Sun may affect work, direction and relations
with people in authority. Eclipses of the Moon may affect matters
of home, family and emotions as well as relations with women and
children. Both may affect your health.
April 19th brings a Solar Eclipse at the New Moon in Aries and
your solar third house. Arrangements may have to be changed because
of an unexpected development. Travel plans may be affected. Some
may experience difficulty or loss with a sibling. Others may find
communications problematic. There may be a blockage in getting
the information you need. There may be difficulty with a vehicle. A Lunar Eclipse comes with the Full Moon in Scorpio and your
solar tenth house on May 4th. This may bring the end of a cycle
with regard to career or dealings with authority. For some of
you there may be a change in your relationship with a parent.
There may be a shift or an end to your responsibilities with regard
to a position of control or authority. October 14th brings a Solar Eclipse at the New Moon in Libra
and your solar ninth house. There could be a break or a disconnection
with contacts overseas. Overseas travel plans may have to be changed.
There may be a problem in dealing with someone of a foreign background,
especially a woman. There may be difficulties with in-laws. You
may need to review your position with a course of study. There
may be a legal matter that comes unexpectedly or proves to be
more complex than you thought. A Lunar Eclipse comes with the Full Moon in Taurus and your
solar fourth house on October 28th. There may be changes with
your domestic or emotional situation. A cycle may come to an end
as someone leaves or makes a new start elsewhere. You may go through
an emotional shift about what you want or how you feel. There
may be problems with regard to household appliances or fixtures.
Something may be past the 'use by' date.
Special Events
Venus the goddess turns retrograde in Gemini and your solar fifth
house on May 1st. Some of you may strike a difficult patch in
dealing with a child while others will find that romantic involvements
hit a glitch or a period of reassessment. Some will find themselves
in contact with an old flame, others may find themselves uncertain
about what they want and need to withdraw into an inner or more
private cycle of activity. When the goddess moves backwards, it
becomes important to pull back from the outer activity in order
to find a new sense of the inner self. People you've been involved
with creatively in the past may re-enter your life. An old creative
project may take on new life. This could be a tricky period with
regard to money. For some there may be an outstanding matter that
is finally resolved. For others, this could be a time to step
back from investment or speculation and re-evaluate your position.
This period comes to an end on June 30th. | 
the
Water-Bearer in 2004
