Forecast

The Week Ahead for Capricorn

Monday 18 February – Sunday, 24 February

When Venus moves through your sign, you have an advantage: people will tend to see you in a good light and your powers of persuasion are greater. There are more opportunities to find love and keep it. However, when this planet hooks up to Saturn and Pluto, she means business. The gloves are off. Now, for some Capricorns this might prove literal in that a no-holds-barred discussion will take place regarding work or finance; for others it is more of a general trend, and if things can be difficult they will be. But let’s not forget you are a child of Saturn and Saturn’s offspring get stronger when the going gets rougher. Think of events as a challenge you can not only meet but triumph over.

Tough going.

The Month Ahead for Capricorn

February 2019

Venus spends the entire month in your sign, bringing her powers of protection, unity and fairness to your existence. This planet is not a magic bullet, of course, and you may still have to deal with people who are digging their heels in or refusing to be impressed by your ideas. You may want to avoid a head to head near the 17th and 23rd but if you come up against a wall of opposition or even a minor refusal, a tactical withdrawal with a view to keeping a door open is your best strategy. There is more than a little element of fate to those things that come through or fall by the wayside now, as you will see as the year goes by. Like icebergs, what you see on the surface belies what is underneath.

2019 Overview

There is a misconception that astrologers can see the future as if we were watching scenes playing out on a cinema screen. But it’s not like that. We open our ephemerides (planetary timetable) and take endless notes on when the alignments are at their strongest and what they might mean for this person, that country or this event. Often it can seem as if fate has the upper hand, but although we cannot prevent every event that happens to us we can choose what we do in the wake of it. We have free will.

Not everything is set in stone. Actions have consequences. We make choices.

So, 2019. The last year of the Teenies and the bridge to the Twenties – a decade that will change the world map, whether in terms of the land itself or in geo-political terms. And with a degree of harmony between Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and Neptune in 2019, this has the potential to be a great year. A year in which solutions can be found, or at least worked toward, in some of the most pressing global problems, including those inspired by climate change.

Uranus entered Taurus in mid-May 2018, but then moved back into Aries and will remain there until March of 2019. Uranus is the revolutionary of the planets, the innovator and the iconoclast, so its transit of this Venus-ruled earth sign for the next seven years is going to produce some exciting developments in architecture, technology, engineering, food, the beauty business, farming and agriculture. But we can also expect financial collapses and the destruction of places and buildings of historical significance.

Already in 2018 we witnessed the loss of two iconic museums in Glasgow and Brazil due to fires; and unprecedented hurricanes and typhoons devastated parts of the world from Indonesia to Hawaii. Volcanic eruptions, extreme heat and bush and forest fires look to be on the increase in 2019, a reflection of Jupiter’s transit of the fire sign, Sagittarius.

Jupiter’s passage through Sagittarius, however, will have many positive effects, most notably on the aviation industry, global travel, publishing, education and communication systems. In a Jupiter-in-Sagittarius year, there’s an emphasis on fun and sport. We spend more money, enjoy taking holidays and getting out of our comfort zones. Then again, the last time Jupiter transited Sagittarius was in 2007, and we can all remember what happened when the sub-prime mortgage market collapsed: it was the precipitator to the global recession. And 2020 is looking distinctly troublesome.

Jupiter’s move through Sagittarius chimes with a Three year in numerology and the year of the Earth Pig in Chinese astrology. The number Three is an harmonious number: it promotes optimism and stimulates communications. We stretch our boundaries in a Three year and reach out to people in different countries and embrace different cultures. The year of the Earth Pig is similarly positive. Good luck and good times are to be expected. Then again, like a Jupiter transit, you can have too much of a good thing, and excess can lead to loss of control and ultimately collapse.

Trade is going to be an important issue for 2019. Technically, Jupiter should preside over some monster trade deals, however, this same influence can inspire trade wars, and we can already see this potential developing between the US and China. And regardless how Great Britain and Europe end their relationship, trade will suffer in the wake of it.

Since August 2016 a series of eclipses has occurred in Leo or Aquarius, which is why, if you belong to these two signs you have had such an up and down time of it. This eclipse series has a distinctly royal aura to it, especially regarding the British Crown, being in play during the toppling of the English monarchy in 1669. This time round we have seen the Duke of Edinburgh’s retirement from public life, the birth of a royal prince and the wedding of Harry and Meghan. But with one eclipse yet to come (21 January) there could be much, much more to the royal story before the end of 2019.

In a nutshell, 2019 is a year to make the most of everything we have and everything that comes to us. It is also a year that we should liken to autumn: a beautiful season but one that precedes winter; and in keeping with nature, we should store our resources in preparation for a lean and mean period. It’s not exactly make-hay-while-the-sun-shines; more treasuring those things that are precious to us, including planet Earth, and ensuring they will still be there decades hence. It’s something Saturn in Capricorn would applaud us for.

The Year Ahead for Capricorn

General

2019 is a watershed year: you are drawing a line in the sand between the past and the future. You will be closing chapters and opening new ones. Not only is Saturn helping you to become a more substantial figure, to acquire gravitas, and Pluto to eliminate obstacles to your progress, but three eclipses bring an element of fate and destiny into the mix. For many Capricorns life-changes begin in early January: a decision about a relationship for some, career and home moves in the pipeline for others. And July is another month of major developments. Capricorn likes to take its time, but sometimes this translates as clinging on for far too long. Especially where finances and property are concerned, actions need to be taken sooner than later, and haggling over price/dates/the details is not recommended. By December, you want as much as possible signed and sealed, done and dusted.

Love and relationships

The meaning of an eclipse is most often delivered to us by a person. Put another way, other people become the agents of change for us. Their presence in our lives and their actions take us into new territory. Someone you meet around New Year or in July will be a game-changer; likewise, the most important romantic events will tend to occur at these same times. Venus will be in your sign for Valentine’s Day, and with a Mars-Uranus conjunction in play surprises are in store. There is a similar unexpected aura to most of July, but especially on or near the 16th, and while a grande passion might well be ignited then, a relationship in trouble could reach breaking point. Keep remembering 2019 is a watershed year because what comes to an end is paving the way for a future you could not imagine.

Work, life goals and finance

You can get places with Saturn but hardly ever in one easy step. So, what’s new, you may ask? Your attitude for one thing. In many cases the worst has happened, and, guess what, you survived, so there is a more care-free Cappy on display. The next twelve months are a period of preparation for Jupiter’s arrival in your sign in early December. You should be building alliances, putting in infra-structures and developing plans intended to take you to the next level, whether we’re talking career or finance, even your personal ambitions. Invest in your skills but be very careful playing the property market. No matter how safe your job or how unprepared you may be to go it alone, having another means of income could come in more than handy. So, go on – write that book, open that cafe, be that consultant-mentor you’ve always wanted to be.

CELESTIAL TIP

Think lightly. The lighter you are the easier things will be. And the sooner that light at the end of the tunnel will appear.

Just because Saturn with his lead boots is in your sign doesn’t mean you have to be heavy! Drop the baggage, Capricorn! You’ll get so much further with a light step and a light touch. You may be surprised at who welcomes you into the fold and gives you a hand, and you may also discover the satisfaction and joy of helping someone in need. You’re earning good karma in 2019.

High points: 31 January; 11 May; 25 July, 19 September; 26 December

Low points: 11 January; 24 April; 9 and 16 July; 13 October