Find out what the stars have in store for you this month
Mercury spends most of the month in Gemini. Venus and the sun are mainly to be found in Taurus. Mars, the ruler of Aries, passes from Cancer to Leo. Saturn remains in Virgo and changes direction, liberating energies that have been blocked in all areas of life. There are no planets in Libra or Sagittarius at the moment, but the moon will pass through them both during the course of the month. It will be new in Taurus on May 5 and full in Scorpio on May 20. Jupiter and Pluto remain in Capricorn, Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus is still in Pisces. It all adds up to a time of real hope and opportunity for everyone.
Taurus
(April 21-May 21)
What is the purpose of life? Why have we all come to this planet? Honestly! You mean to say that you've been here all this time and you still don't know? Why, whatever is the matter with you? Use your eyes. Consult your other senses. Surely the answer is obvious. We have all come here for the same reason. To suffer! To have a hard time. To swallow the bitter pill of disappointment. That's right, isn't it? You can be forgiven for having recently reached such a conclusion. But of course, it's not true. There can be joy. And happiness. And deep fulfillment. Events this month will demonstrate that.
See what's in the stars for the other signs:
Gemini
(May 22-June 22)
If you are on a train, will you reach your destination quicker by running up and down the corridors? Some processes just need to take as long as they need to take. That's not easy when you feel a burning desire to get them over with as quickly as possible. Yet that's actually all the more reason to make sure that you don't waste your energy. Even if it means incurring the disapproval of people who do not understand, you need to pull back a little and pace yourself this month. Focus on what can be done, and become less agitated about whatever, for now, cannot be altered.
Cancer
(June 23-July 23)
How did you get into your current situation? What on earth led to it? You probably need to look a bit farther back before you look forward. There is a lesson to be learned. You did not make a mistake. You did not choose unwisely. Nor did you act rashly. You played a hunch--and even though you are now starting to wonder if it was a good one, the jury is still out. A crucial story is yet to be told. New developments will soon give you much more confidence in your decision-making abilities. And as May goes by, you will start to see that you have been more clever than you think.
Leo
(July 24-Aug. 23)
Do you have a reason to be deeply, passionately glad? Absolutely! Now here's a more crucial question: How could any negative force possibly devalue the most precious thing in your world? It's strange how we sometimes sink into despair. We put blinders on ourselves so that all we can see are reasons to feel worried or resentful. We refuse to look at the light and thus we rob ourselves in a way that no burglar could ever manage! Give yourself the greatest gift of all this month--a refusal to be dragged down by pettiness and a determination to remember what really matters.
Virgo
(Aug. 24-Sept. 23)
We regret to announce that, sadly, due to commercial considerations, we can no longer supply a free zodiac forecast on this page every month. From now on, the very reasonable sum of just $10 will be charged for every word you read. So far today you have read more than 50 words. So as a special introductory discount offer, we'll make that a straight $400 that you now owe the publishers of this page. Happy with that? Of course not! Nor should you be happy with the other outrageous demand that is being made of you this month. It is every bit as much of a joke--so don't take it so seriously!
Libra
(Sept. 24-Oct. 23)
Cover up the rest of this page. Stop yourself from reading even one more sentence. There! Now I can say anything I want because you are not looking, are you? Hey! That's naughty. Oh well, never mind. We have, I think, proved the point. It is almost impossible not to look at what's in front of us. And of course it's just as hard to see that little bit farther. If I forbid you from reading next month's prediction this month, you'll find it easy to comply. Because you can't read it now! My point? You are now jumping to uncomfortable conclusions. Don't. In May, more information will change your perspective for the better.
Scorpio
(Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
There's an old saying: "You might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb." Even vegetarians understand this, though we have our own more delicate version: "You might as well be told off very fiercely for stealing a cabbage as a Brussels sprout." You can phrase it any way you like; the point remains the same: If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. And if it isn't, why do it at all? You're worried this month that you may end up going too far. But better that than not far enough. It's true that you face a daunting obstacle. But there's a way around it if you are prepared to be bold.
Sagittarius
(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)
The libraries are full of books. The Web sites are full of pages. We are, all of us, up to our eyes in information. Or should that be our ears? Everybody wants to tell us something. Everyone has something to say. You could be forgiven for thinking, given the endless supply of experts, that the world is full of people who actually know something. They certainly act as if they do. The fact remains, though, that this is largely just bravado. An air of authority is invariably a shield, held by someone especially uncertain and insecure. Don't let anyone tell you what can't be done this month.
Capricorn
(Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Did Michelangelo, while lying on his back one day with a paintbrush between his teeth, look up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and think, "Oh no, I have painted this all wrong; I had better start again." And what about Mozart? Did he get nearly to the end of his horn concerto before wishing he had written it for a violin instead? We shall never know. History rarely records doubt. It only remembers acts of impressive certainty. When you look back on what's happening in your life now, you will see it as the time you created your masterpiece. Don't let passing, irrelevant anxieties distract you.
Aquarius
(Jan. 21-Feb. 19)
"The impossible, we can do at once. Miracles take a little longer." We laugh at messages like this when we see them on office walls. But how do we know what impossible actually is? And isn't existence itself a miracle? You now have a fixed idea about what is or is not attainable. You're being realistic and sensible in an area of life where there's actually room for spontaneity and magic. How precious is your dream? How hard are you prepared to work? How far are you willing to reach? If you've got the will this month, you may yet find there's a rather wonderful way.
Pisces
(Feb. 20-March 20)
We all want to be fair. Or at least, I hope we do. Problems, in our world, don't always tend to come about because of people deliberately deciding to be selfish. Often they emerge over some bitter dispute regarding the true meaning of the word "reasonable." One person's justice is another's wild imbalance. So how are you to know where the rights and the wrongs really lie within your current situation? There may well be another way to approach the matter that sits before you now. But as long as you are willing to see this, should it emerge, you are right to proceed with your plan for May.
Aries
(March 21-April 20)
Some people seem to think they can win arguments just by shouting. Others reckon the trick is to use longer words. What they all forget is that nobody ever wins an argument. To enter into one is to lose. It's that simple. If you want to win, don't get into a position of conflict, for where there's constructive dialogue there is always the chance of real progress. Argument is childish. What? You don't agree? Well, much as I hate to enter into an argument, I must point out that...actually, I must point out that in May, if you are being honest, gentle and good-humored, you are being all you need to be.
Learn more about Jonathan Cainer
Our horoscope columnist has his own Website and offers special star-reading services.
Jonathan Cainer is already a well-known name in Britain (where he writes a popular daily newspaper column), Australia and Japan. His astrological interpretations and predictions have been described as "spookily accurate," as well as positive and practical.
To learn more about Jonathan, visit www.cainer.com. The Website offers several free services, including Jonathan's "thought for the day" and daily, weekly and monthly astrological forecasts for all 12 signs of the zodiac. You can also find information about the characteristics associated with your astrological sign (look under "Your Sign -- The Truth").
Jonathan will also provide extensive personal astrological reports or tarot card readings for a fee. For a personal horoscope and to learn more about how your date of birth makes you behave in certain ways, you'll need to provide the time, date and place of your birth.
Jonathan's book Cosmic Ordering ($13, Harper Collins) shows individuals how to call on the cosmos to change their lives and realize their dreams.