Origin/Representation
Sagittarius is represented by a Centaur—^half-man, half-horse—with a bow and arrow. It's believed that when ancient artists sketched warriors on horseback, they got to taking a short-cut, thereby merging the two into one body. This became a popular symbol, and they chose it to represent Sagittarius because this sign is thought to have tamed the baser instincts and taught wisdom—as well as outdoor sports.
The centaur's other significance is that in the zodiacal family it points its arrow at Capricorn's dying goat, symbolizing either a deep sense of religion (for having sacrificed the goat) or a complete denial of religion (for killing its symbol)— to a logical Sagittarian, religion cannot be accepted on faith alone. Yes, this is a contradiction, but thaf s normal for this sign. Sagittarians prefer one extreme or the other.
Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, which provides the sign with its most salient quality: largeness. If you're a Sagittarian, you're probably well-built, with a big heart, a big head, and big ideas. Your favorite day is Thursday (jeudi, for Jupiter, in French), and you're quite, well, jovial (Jupiter, the god, was also known as Jove in the Roman era— hence the expression "by Jove").
Positive Qualities
When you think big, the whole world is your playground, and everyone is your friend. You have no time or interest in details—save that for Virgo—you see the big picture, and you think in bold strokes.
Much like the two other fire signs—Aries and Leo—you're dynamic and charismatic: You have friends in all areas of your life and a few very dose ones. Most people are attracted to you by your unbridled optimism and good-natured directness. In a room full of strangers, you'll be one of the first to break the ice with some silly gesture and get the party moving. You see no reason to be shy, or for that matter, delicate (more on this later).
There are two extremes of Sagittarians, so you are either one or the other. The first seeks to be a great intellectual. If this is you, you have grand ideas about philosophy, religion, the arts, history, and current events. You'll debate long into the wee hours about foreign policy or Plato, and you'll debate well. You think logically, and this makes you a convincing speaker. In fact, you debate for the love of it—you're both truly curious about getting to the profundity of the matter and you're big-headed about it, which means you will not accept being wrong (you'll benefit greatly from the presence of a diplomatic Libra if the argument gets too scalding). Yes, you are well-read and wise, but you must learn to be more tolerant and accepting of other views.
The other extreme is athletic. The centaur is a hunter, and so are you—you thrive on competition in all sports, and will usually be the one who gets dirtiest in the mud. Also, your natural association with horses makes you an excellent rider, trainer, and caretaker of these animals.
Both extremes lead to your other great love— travel. If you're intellectually curious, you will want to see as much of the world as possible, to say you were there and to know what makes it tick. If you're a sportsman, it's the man-on-horse-back influence, which makes you want to just go, go, go.
Trouble Areas
You have too much pride. Even if you know logically that you're losing an argument, you'll do your darndest to try to twist it to your advantage. You can't stand losing, because deep down you're insecure—Sagittarius is the most insecure sign in the zodiac—so you do everything in your power to hide it. Your talent for debate, though, usually means you will win. But should you always?
The fact that you dislike details means you get impatient easily. Little annoyances like losing your keys or fixing a leaky faucet just make you frustrated—you're a big-idea thinker, not a fuss-budget. Just relax and think logically—you're terrific at that—and all will be fine.
Along the same lines, you have a tendency to blast through parties like a freight train. You have a reputation for being rather ill-mannered: you'll interrupt someone's conversation bluntly if the thought strikes you, and ignore other simple rules of tact, like habitually not returning phone calls or even compliments. If someone whispers a secret to you, it's no big deal to you to blithely blurt it out to the next soul that walks by.
This isn't an intentional flaw—all Sagittarians are like this. You treat social graces like those annoying details—you can't be bothered. There are too many important world-saving ideas in your head, so there's no room for "I'm fine, thank you, how are you?"
Physical Qualities and Activities
As the hunter and sportsman of the zodiac, virtually all athletic pursuits are fair game. You're especially fond of those with a direct connection to the centaur, however, such as horse racing, polo, any sort of riding, shooting, or archery.
You're well-developed physically, so you'll have no problem leading your team in home runs, baskets, or touchdowns. In fact, unlike Aries, the other great sporting sign, you thrive in team sports. You're the first to dive for the ball, even if it means splashing in mud puddles.
It's in your nature to be a bit scruffy and unkempt—the hunter always goes home to the farm with a few scrapes—and this goes for physical appearance as well. You don't care if your hair hasn't been washed today, or if your T-shirts all wrinkled—those are just more annoying details.
Preferences
You live in a happy, but messy, home. There are probably papers all over your desk, clothes scattered about, and dishes that need to be done. Again, if s just that you don't have time for those little things like organization and laundry.
The great thing, though, is that nobody else cares. You're Oscar Madison, the lovable slob, and everyone knows that when they come over, they can sink into your couch, prop then- feet on your coffee table and grab a slice of pizza.
As for food, you're a wolf. You eat fast, and it's not all that important what it is. It keeps you going, and you prefer to get going to the next place. You do love your meat (after all, you're the hunter), so you're idea of a fun meal is a backyard barbecue with steaks, burgers, dogs, and all your friends. Anything red (since you're a sign of fire and Jupiter) appeals to you, so those pep-peroni pizzas or spaghetti-and-meatballs dinners are standard weekly fare.
You also like rough-and-tumble vehicles, like Jeep four-wheel-drives, because they love to get dirty and they'll go anywhere on earth, which satisfies your insatiable curiosity to travel.
Occupations/Financial Profile
Curiously, there are perhaps more Sagittarian entertainers—particularly musicians—than most any other sign. Sure, Geminis are actors because the twin-instinct leads them to the duality of playing and being, but why Sagittarians?
Because of your pride. You need an audience, because deep down, you're the most insecure sign of all. Sagittarian musicians include Beethoven, Frank Sinatra, Hoagy Carmichael, Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Goulet, Chuck Mangione, Bette Midler (now there's a Sagittarian!), Lou Rawls, Andy Williams, Dave Brubeck, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dionne Warwick. Note that they're all outgoing crowd-pleasers.
Other famous Sagittarian performers include Mary Martin, Rich Little, Woody Alien, Katerina Witt, Kim Basinger (and yes, red is definitely her color), Kirk Douglas, Bob Barker, Dick Clark, Dick Van Dyke, Patty Duke, Tim Conway, Jane Fonda, and Phil Donahue. Once again, all are very outgoing.
The other great Sagittarian trait in occupations is intellectual debating. Socrates was the first known Sagittarian, and he had quite a lot to say (and said it very well). Others that fit this profile include Nostradamus, Winston Churchill, William F. Buckley, Jr., Gary Hart, G. Gordon Liddy, Don King, Chet Huntley, and William Safire.
Then there are those famous Sagittarians who simply thought big: Walt Disney, Andrew Carnegie, Charles de Gaulle, Joseph Stalin, and Francisco Franco are in this group. Finally, there are the champion athletes: Joe Dimaggio, Billie Jean King, Dick Butkus, Deacon Jones, Cathy Rigby, and Chris Evert fit this bill.
Needless to say, any career that involves performing, either in sports or entertainment, is promising, as is anything that takes advantage of your keen logical intellect. The worst job for you would be to get stuck in something detail-oriented, such as applying small parts on an assembly line. You also make an excellent teacher, coach, lawyer, scientist, writer, and politician.
Financially, you're the eternal optimist. You're a bit too spendthrifty when it comes to shopping and gambling. You think, "Oh, I'll get rich soon," so you justify losing money at the race track or charging impulse buys on a credit card this way. A little prudence goes a long way here.
Love and Relationships
You are known for impetuosity—your mood varies from day to day, and this complicates love relationships. Although your opportunities are ample, due to your popular outgoing nature, the successful long-term relationship is quite difficult for you until you settle into middle age or so.
Your ideal mate is likely to be either Gemini (although since both of you are prone to "sample" partners in life, it's rarely a stable match), or one of your fire-sign relatives, Aries and Leo. Although at first the latter pairings may seem unlikely, due to the natural tendency of fire signs to lead, they are both compatible with you because of their innate understanding of your passions and interests.
You don't have many enemies, but in close relationships, conflicts will arise between you and Taurus (who is too possessive, and who would want to limit your freedom), Cancer (similarly, too rooted in family stability for your tastes), Virgo (too critical of you, and your pride will not stand for that), Scorpio (although physically compatible, there is too much distrust and competition for dominance on both sides), and Capricorn (too pessimistic for you).
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
LIBRA (September 23-October 22)
Origin/Representation
Libra is symbolized by scales, which represent balance. It's believed this idea originated because Libra begins on the autumnal equinox, at a time when the amount of daylight and darkness are exactly the same. In the old days, some societies made their convicted criminals wait until the autumnal equinox before executing them, so they could appease the gods of justice at the same time.
Libra is ruled by Venus, as is Taurus, but to a more obvious degree. Librans are clearly the most romantic, sentimental, and kindest of all the signs. The favored day is Friday (vendredi in French), and there is a fondness for the color blue for the same reason (you definitely do not favor red, the color of your opposite sign, Aries).
Positive Qualities
Everyone loves a Libran. You can't help it—it's your nature to be the friendliest, warmest, gentlest sign of all. You always find something to like in everyone, and you make them feel special as a result. You're the person that feels sorry for the lonely outcast at a party and engages him in a conversation so he won't feel left out; even if most people find him a bore, you smile and find the interesting, appealing side. For this quality, you will always have friends.
And you'll need them. That's why you do this. You simply can't function well without companionship. Others may interpret this as a sign of weakness, of "co-dependence" even, but it's just your Venus influence.
Because of this companionable nature, you hate conflict. You'll do anything to avoid an argument, or to stop one. It's not that you're so afraid of being hurt, it's that you're afraid of hurting someone else's feelings. You're a diplomat. When confronted with two opposing sides, you'll find a happy medium. You crave harmony, and like your symbol, balance.
You're also very intuitive—some would even say psychic. You're the natural judge of the zodiac, and this sense extends past reason into instinct. You may find something to like in everyone, but you'll also see the whole character of a person instantly. Others may be amazed at how correct your first impressions are when, later, they see the whole picture.
You have a hunger for knowledge, which befits your sign name—Libra is part of library. But mostly it's a surface curiosity of lots of things. Like another air sign, Gemini, you love variety, and would rather sample the essences of varied subjects than become an expert at one in particular.
Trouble Areas
Because of this sampling instinct, you tend to overlook—or not take interest in—the little details. In fact, you dislike the fussy little things in which a sign like Virgo takes so much pride. This can lead to a reputation for unpunctuality, of laziness or unwillingness to do menial chores, or a reluctance to partake in anything that just doesn't interest you. People might call you selfish and vain if you're not careful.
You are a daydreamer. You follow your soul, wherever it guides you, at any time of day. This is a wonderful attribute that can lead to great creative expression when applied with discipline, but discipline is a weak area for you.
You have a hard time making decisions. If s not that you're weak, it's that you're so balanced. You see both sides of an issue clearly, and would rather not take a side for fear of offending the other. This can result in lost opportunities and ineffectuality in all aspects of life.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Librans are generally regarded as the most attractive of all signs—not surprising, with Venus as a ruling planet. Some of the most famous Librans are blessed with stunningly good looks, including such men as Montgomery Clift, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlton Heston, Michael Douglas, Christopher Reeve, Sting, Marcello Mastroianni, Armand Assante, and Johnny Mathis. The list of lovely women is even more impressive: Brigitte Bardot, Melina Mercouri, Heather Locklear, Cheryl Tiegs, Anita Ekberg, Angje Dickinson, Britt Ekland, Sigourney Weaver, Susan Anton, Marie Osmond, Suzanne Somers, Margot Kidder, Julie Andrews, and so on.
Libra rules the loins, kidneys, and back; all of those areas are therefore vulnerable, and there is a tendency towards diabetes. Watch for backaches especially.
You are not regarded as one of the more physically active signs. Having been born attractive, you don't feel any great need to work hard at it. But you do maintain it, mostly with social sports like golf and tennis. You're also blessed with poise and fluid movement, so dancing is common as well. Anything casual that can be done with companionship—that's what you want.
Preferences
You look good in virtually anything you wear, so that's not a concern. You do tend to match your clothes, though—it's a sign of that Libran balance. So even though you don't wear black often, you will balance it with white when you do. You're more attracted to bright colors—they fit your cheerful persona. Except for red—that's too aggressive.
Your home is like you—attractive, and with a sense of balance. There's lots of soft, rounded furniture—it's both welcoming and it promotes laziness. But there's just as much space to balance the feel.
When it comes to food, you are much like another air sign, Gemini: you eat for social reasons, and you enjoy variety. A little of this, a little of that—balance again. You're not a big eater; it's more important that you have company. Meals are excuses to socialize.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You have a tendency to be frivolous with money, even to take little interest in it, except to use it socially—you do like your nightlif e. But you must try to be more disciplined with money, to respect it more, to build a savings account; otherwise your social spending will continually consume your prospects of a sound financial future.
Occupationally, depending on your other astrological influences, you're likely to fall into one of two camps: you choose either a career that appeals to your sense of physical attractiveness or one that stresses balance.
In the first category are all those beautiful actors and models mentioned earlier, but also designers, decorators, beauticians, make-up artists, and painters. One advantage to these is that you generally get to work with someone, which is vital to you (painting is an exception).
In the second category are the law professions— attorney, judge, and legislator—as well as those that cater to tact, friendliness, and understanding: diplomat, counselor, concierge, and sales rep are a few examples.
Other famous Librans include Mahatma Gandhi (known for his supreme sense of right and wrong), John Lennon (whose life's work also demonstrated him to be an intuitive judge of character), Eleanor Roosevelt (a natural Libran hostess and diplomat), television host Bryant Gumbel (who is never confrontational), President Jimmy Carter (respected for his sense of fairness), comedian Dick Gregory (famous for his sense of justice in social issues), and designer Ralph Lauren.
Love and Relationships
You need people, and you certainly need love, and this can lead you into romantic trouble. Opportunities are everywhere for you, because you're so attractive, so friendly, so flirtatious, and so easily influenced by the opposite sex. Love, in fact, is the most important thing in your life, which is why it's so problematic for you. But don't worry—after being misled, cheated on, and underappreciated by several partners, you'll get it right.
Your ideal mate is likely to be Aries, your zodiacal opposite. It's a planetary balance of Mars and Venus, aggression and tenderness, leadership and acquiescence, practicality and creativity. You also fare well with Gemini (they appreciate your understanding of their complex character, and you're artistically harmonious) and Aquarius (you both love people and beauty, although they're a touch more unpredictable).
Although most everyone likes you, a close relationship with either Virgo (much too fussy for you) or Scorpio (much too dark for your warm, sunny outlook) is unadvisable.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
Origin/Representation
Scorpio's origins are as interesting and as complex as the sign itself. Before the twelve-month calendar was created, ancient astrologers viewed Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio all as one sign. Once divided, they came to symbolize aspects of the creation story in the book of Genesis, as follows:
Leo is Adam; Virgo is Eve, the virgin (as well as the Garden of Eden itself—Virgo symbolizes harvest, and is an earth sign); Libra is the tree of knowledge, symbolizing justice and right and wrong; and Scorpio is of course the serpent. Since the apple hangs from the tree, the fall of Adam comes through Libra—hence, it is the first sign of the fall season. And since Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, a rebirth occurs through Scorpio that gives rise to the three intellectual, wise signs that follow.
Adding to the complexity of Scorpio is the fact that it is ruled by not one but two planets, Mars and Pluto. Of course, Pluto was not discovered until 1930, so this is a fairly recent interpretation. It is widely agreed that Pluto is the rightful ruler, but now debated whether Mars indeed has an influence or not. We'll assume that it does, until proven otherwise. Tuesday (mardi), then, is the best day of the week for you.
Positive Qualities
The dual aspect of Mars and Pluto working together creates an intriguing profile for you. You have all the passion and power of Mars, but the secrecy of Pluto (it was there from the beginning, exerting its energy, but we only just found out about it, and even now it's hidden way, way out there, and is the only planet that does not orbit the sun on an elliptical path, but a rather skewed one).
As a result, you exert your power in subtle ways. You're the person pulling the strings above the stage, where no one can see you, yet you're in complete control. You know you have a natural dominance—not leadership per se, but quiet control—and you take pride and pleasure in seeing its effect on others. You notice that the opposite sex is naturally attracted to you: You notice that other people find themselves acquiring your habits, or your points of view. Yes, you are a natural manipulator, very much like the serpent in Eden.
This does not, however, mean that you're evil. A few Scorpios have taken advantage of this power for dubious purposes—the infamous German World War I spy Mata Hari, for example— but for most of you it's just your nature. You've learned early on that you can't control everything—that's impossible—so you limit your scope to the few areas in which you can excel.
One such area is investigation. Secrecy and control go hand in hand here, so any problem that needs solving, any mystery that is begging to be unraveled, is your baby. You discover gossip, for instance, before everyone else (although you're hardly a blabbermouth). This is just because you're extremely curious. You'll take apart a radio just to see how it works, you'll explore a cave to see where it goes, or you'll follow a trail to get to its source.
The Mars influence also indicates purposeful energy. Hard work is second nature to you, and if you're the controlling force, watch it world, you'll blow it open. Even if you fail, you can still start over—that's Pluto, able to reach very deep into the system and retool it.
Trouble Areas
You are intense, and you know it. You have a deep well of passion and will, but if you don't get your way, you could explode like a volcano. A Scorpio rage is a rage that can blast everything in its path, including itself (when cornered, a scorpion will sting itself to death). This is why control is so important to you: it's for your own good, and everyone else's as well.
So you restrain yourself. You hold back your true emotions deep, deep in the well. Oh sure, you make the appropriate social response when needed, but it's either fabricated or just a hint of the real you, a drop or two from the well. People are attracted to you for that deep passion—it's often a challenge for them to get to know you so well they find the key that unlocks the floodgates.
Scorpios are also thought to be preoccupied with death. It is certainly a sign with a dark nature, but in real life no Scorpios have ever been found to be more depressed or suicidal than others. You enjoy life as much as everyone else, but you are somehow more aware of mortality. Most other signs spend their lives ignoring it, but you let it dictate your actions to a degree, and you respond to it with your self-restraint mechanism. Only you know the power of your temper.
You are instinctively suspicious, because once you place yourself in the control room, you have to defend it. And, curiously, your defense mechanism is just as secretive as the rest of you. You'll use your powers of manipulation and investigation to create an aura of fear and fascination— that always works.
By no means will you ever leave yourself open and vulnerable. You have to hold something back, or else you'd be giving up control, and that simply is unthinkable. You will therefore share the deepest part of yourself only with a select trustworthy few.
It's not appropriate, in this case, to suggest moderation here and there, as is customary with most other signs. You are not one to compromise, so there's little point. Perhaps the only caveat is to suggest care of yourself and others—i.e., don't misuse the immense passion and power with which you were blessed. You and those around you will lead happier lives if you channel it positively.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, so this area is particularly sensitive. Like the serpent in the Bible, it signifies both the fall of man and the fertility of man, the birth/death continuum. You know you're vulnerable there—it's the well of your passion—so you don't share it with just anybody, and that's also why you're so restrictive of your deepest secrets.
You're really not an athlete, or all that inclined towards recreation. But you do love a dare. Anything that pushes the limit of danger gets your blood flowing—and not just faux danger, like bungee jumping, but real danger—riding a motorcyle at 100 mph on a windy mountain road, for instance, or scuba diving into shark-infested waters.
Preferences
You are attracted to dark reds, due to your Mars influence, as well as black. Wearing both achieves your desired effect: they exude both power and allure. You dress to announce your power, so you wear dark suits with sharp cuts, or tight black leather, the better to communicate containment of power.
Your home is densely furnished, perhaps with a black leather couch, dark decor, and heavy doth, like a quilt on the bed. The feeling is a bit confining to others, even a little oppressive and dungeony.
As a water sign, you enjoy seafood and anything that is moist and texturally soft—even sensual—like pasta with creamy sauces, rice, or yogurt. You're also attracted to red sauces and curries, due to your Mars influence.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You are well-suited towards rising to the top of the corporate ladder because of your unique need to control. Your best path is by a combination of hard work, keen maneuvering, and working your subtle power magic. Your investigative abilities will tip you off to opportunities and strategies before everyone else, your suspicious nature will help you ward off the competition, your dark suits will demonstrate that you fit the bill, your powers of manipulation will get you in the right doors at the right times, and in between all this you'll work ceaselessly to prove you're the controller, not the controllee.
Outside the corporate structure, you are well-suited for a career in police work, detection, or intelligence (all of which make use of power, secrecy, curiosity, and danger) like Mata Hari, as well as medicine (particularly research). Examples of the latter include Jonas Salk and Marie Curie.
Perfect examples of powerful, mysterious Scor-pios who rose to the top of their fields include Ted Turner, Indira Gandhi, Robert Kennedy, George Patton, Roseanne Arnold, Charles Bronson, and filmmaker Mike Nichols.
The dark side of Scorpio is evident in writers such as Goethe, Milton (coincidentally, Milton's most famous work, Paradise Lost, is about the fall of man), Andre Malraux, and Dylan Thomas, as well as artist Pablo Picasso (his paintings are extremely confined and dark in color, containing immense power) and to a frightening extreme, Charles Manson.
Love and Relationships
Because you have an innate understanding of secrecy and power, you have to be careful of jealousy in your relationships. You can be quite trustworthy when you're happy, but when you suspect some wrongdoing, watch out. Pity the poor soul who makes you an enemy, and you yourself will agonize over such a state. Cultivate the traits that will make you more open and trusting, and just as importantly, choose the partner most suited to you.
And that would be Taurus, your zodiacal opposite. A Taurean mate is perfectly trustworthy, loyal, earthy, domestic, a great cook, and very loving—everything you need to open you up and enjoy life.
You also get along well with Cancer (you understand each other symbiotically—you both have deep emotional wells underneath that hard surface, and are both water signs), Virgo (you admire each other's work ethic, and the negative traits of both cancel each other out), and Pisces (although the attraction is immediate, it doesn't last long—the Piscean will become too possessive for you).
You must avoid partnerships with Aries (the other Mars sign—you'll constantly fight over control of everything), Gemini (you'll get jealous of their freedom), and Sagittarius (too flighty and untrustworthy—this match is liable to bring out your darkest qualities).
Libra is symbolized by scales, which represent balance. It's believed this idea originated because Libra begins on the autumnal equinox, at a time when the amount of daylight and darkness are exactly the same. In the old days, some societies made their convicted criminals wait until the autumnal equinox before executing them, so they could appease the gods of justice at the same time.
Libra is ruled by Venus, as is Taurus, but to a more obvious degree. Librans are clearly the most romantic, sentimental, and kindest of all the signs. The favored day is Friday (vendredi in French), and there is a fondness for the color blue for the same reason (you definitely do not favor red, the color of your opposite sign, Aries).
Positive Qualities
Everyone loves a Libran. You can't help it—it's your nature to be the friendliest, warmest, gentlest sign of all. You always find something to like in everyone, and you make them feel special as a result. You're the person that feels sorry for the lonely outcast at a party and engages him in a conversation so he won't feel left out; even if most people find him a bore, you smile and find the interesting, appealing side. For this quality, you will always have friends.
And you'll need them. That's why you do this. You simply can't function well without companionship. Others may interpret this as a sign of weakness, of "co-dependence" even, but it's just your Venus influence.
Because of this companionable nature, you hate conflict. You'll do anything to avoid an argument, or to stop one. It's not that you're so afraid of being hurt, it's that you're afraid of hurting someone else's feelings. You're a diplomat. When confronted with two opposing sides, you'll find a happy medium. You crave harmony, and like your symbol, balance.
You're also very intuitive—some would even say psychic. You're the natural judge of the zodiac, and this sense extends past reason into instinct. You may find something to like in everyone, but you'll also see the whole character of a person instantly. Others may be amazed at how correct your first impressions are when, later, they see the whole picture.
You have a hunger for knowledge, which befits your sign name—Libra is part of library. But mostly it's a surface curiosity of lots of things. Like another air sign, Gemini, you love variety, and would rather sample the essences of varied subjects than become an expert at one in particular.
Trouble Areas
Because of this sampling instinct, you tend to overlook—or not take interest in—the little details. In fact, you dislike the fussy little things in which a sign like Virgo takes so much pride. This can lead to a reputation for unpunctuality, of laziness or unwillingness to do menial chores, or a reluctance to partake in anything that just doesn't interest you. People might call you selfish and vain if you're not careful.
You are a daydreamer. You follow your soul, wherever it guides you, at any time of day. This is a wonderful attribute that can lead to great creative expression when applied with discipline, but discipline is a weak area for you.
You have a hard time making decisions. If s not that you're weak, it's that you're so balanced. You see both sides of an issue clearly, and would rather not take a side for fear of offending the other. This can result in lost opportunities and ineffectuality in all aspects of life.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Librans are generally regarded as the most attractive of all signs—not surprising, with Venus as a ruling planet. Some of the most famous Librans are blessed with stunningly good looks, including such men as Montgomery Clift, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlton Heston, Michael Douglas, Christopher Reeve, Sting, Marcello Mastroianni, Armand Assante, and Johnny Mathis. The list of lovely women is even more impressive: Brigitte Bardot, Melina Mercouri, Heather Locklear, Cheryl Tiegs, Anita Ekberg, Angje Dickinson, Britt Ekland, Sigourney Weaver, Susan Anton, Marie Osmond, Suzanne Somers, Margot Kidder, Julie Andrews, and so on.
Libra rules the loins, kidneys, and back; all of those areas are therefore vulnerable, and there is a tendency towards diabetes. Watch for backaches especially.
You are not regarded as one of the more physically active signs. Having been born attractive, you don't feel any great need to work hard at it. But you do maintain it, mostly with social sports like golf and tennis. You're also blessed with poise and fluid movement, so dancing is common as well. Anything casual that can be done with companionship—that's what you want.
Preferences
You look good in virtually anything you wear, so that's not a concern. You do tend to match your clothes, though—it's a sign of that Libran balance. So even though you don't wear black often, you will balance it with white when you do. You're more attracted to bright colors—they fit your cheerful persona. Except for red—that's too aggressive.
Your home is like you—attractive, and with a sense of balance. There's lots of soft, rounded furniture—it's both welcoming and it promotes laziness. But there's just as much space to balance the feel.
When it comes to food, you are much like another air sign, Gemini: you eat for social reasons, and you enjoy variety. A little of this, a little of that—balance again. You're not a big eater; it's more important that you have company. Meals are excuses to socialize.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You have a tendency to be frivolous with money, even to take little interest in it, except to use it socially—you do like your nightlif e. But you must try to be more disciplined with money, to respect it more, to build a savings account; otherwise your social spending will continually consume your prospects of a sound financial future.
Occupationally, depending on your other astrological influences, you're likely to fall into one of two camps: you choose either a career that appeals to your sense of physical attractiveness or one that stresses balance.
In the first category are all those beautiful actors and models mentioned earlier, but also designers, decorators, beauticians, make-up artists, and painters. One advantage to these is that you generally get to work with someone, which is vital to you (painting is an exception).
In the second category are the law professions— attorney, judge, and legislator—as well as those that cater to tact, friendliness, and understanding: diplomat, counselor, concierge, and sales rep are a few examples.
Other famous Librans include Mahatma Gandhi (known for his supreme sense of right and wrong), John Lennon (whose life's work also demonstrated him to be an intuitive judge of character), Eleanor Roosevelt (a natural Libran hostess and diplomat), television host Bryant Gumbel (who is never confrontational), President Jimmy Carter (respected for his sense of fairness), comedian Dick Gregory (famous for his sense of justice in social issues), and designer Ralph Lauren.
Love and Relationships
You need people, and you certainly need love, and this can lead you into romantic trouble. Opportunities are everywhere for you, because you're so attractive, so friendly, so flirtatious, and so easily influenced by the opposite sex. Love, in fact, is the most important thing in your life, which is why it's so problematic for you. But don't worry—after being misled, cheated on, and underappreciated by several partners, you'll get it right.
Your ideal mate is likely to be Aries, your zodiacal opposite. It's a planetary balance of Mars and Venus, aggression and tenderness, leadership and acquiescence, practicality and creativity. You also fare well with Gemini (they appreciate your understanding of their complex character, and you're artistically harmonious) and Aquarius (you both love people and beauty, although they're a touch more unpredictable).
Although most everyone likes you, a close relationship with either Virgo (much too fussy for you) or Scorpio (much too dark for your warm, sunny outlook) is unadvisable.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
Origin/Representation
Scorpio's origins are as interesting and as complex as the sign itself. Before the twelve-month calendar was created, ancient astrologers viewed Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio all as one sign. Once divided, they came to symbolize aspects of the creation story in the book of Genesis, as follows:
Leo is Adam; Virgo is Eve, the virgin (as well as the Garden of Eden itself—Virgo symbolizes harvest, and is an earth sign); Libra is the tree of knowledge, symbolizing justice and right and wrong; and Scorpio is of course the serpent. Since the apple hangs from the tree, the fall of Adam comes through Libra—hence, it is the first sign of the fall season. And since Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, a rebirth occurs through Scorpio that gives rise to the three intellectual, wise signs that follow.
Adding to the complexity of Scorpio is the fact that it is ruled by not one but two planets, Mars and Pluto. Of course, Pluto was not discovered until 1930, so this is a fairly recent interpretation. It is widely agreed that Pluto is the rightful ruler, but now debated whether Mars indeed has an influence or not. We'll assume that it does, until proven otherwise. Tuesday (mardi), then, is the best day of the week for you.
Positive Qualities
The dual aspect of Mars and Pluto working together creates an intriguing profile for you. You have all the passion and power of Mars, but the secrecy of Pluto (it was there from the beginning, exerting its energy, but we only just found out about it, and even now it's hidden way, way out there, and is the only planet that does not orbit the sun on an elliptical path, but a rather skewed one).
As a result, you exert your power in subtle ways. You're the person pulling the strings above the stage, where no one can see you, yet you're in complete control. You know you have a natural dominance—not leadership per se, but quiet control—and you take pride and pleasure in seeing its effect on others. You notice that the opposite sex is naturally attracted to you: You notice that other people find themselves acquiring your habits, or your points of view. Yes, you are a natural manipulator, very much like the serpent in Eden.
This does not, however, mean that you're evil. A few Scorpios have taken advantage of this power for dubious purposes—the infamous German World War I spy Mata Hari, for example— but for most of you it's just your nature. You've learned early on that you can't control everything—that's impossible—so you limit your scope to the few areas in which you can excel.
One such area is investigation. Secrecy and control go hand in hand here, so any problem that needs solving, any mystery that is begging to be unraveled, is your baby. You discover gossip, for instance, before everyone else (although you're hardly a blabbermouth). This is just because you're extremely curious. You'll take apart a radio just to see how it works, you'll explore a cave to see where it goes, or you'll follow a trail to get to its source.
The Mars influence also indicates purposeful energy. Hard work is second nature to you, and if you're the controlling force, watch it world, you'll blow it open. Even if you fail, you can still start over—that's Pluto, able to reach very deep into the system and retool it.
Trouble Areas
You are intense, and you know it. You have a deep well of passion and will, but if you don't get your way, you could explode like a volcano. A Scorpio rage is a rage that can blast everything in its path, including itself (when cornered, a scorpion will sting itself to death). This is why control is so important to you: it's for your own good, and everyone else's as well.
So you restrain yourself. You hold back your true emotions deep, deep in the well. Oh sure, you make the appropriate social response when needed, but it's either fabricated or just a hint of the real you, a drop or two from the well. People are attracted to you for that deep passion—it's often a challenge for them to get to know you so well they find the key that unlocks the floodgates.
Scorpios are also thought to be preoccupied with death. It is certainly a sign with a dark nature, but in real life no Scorpios have ever been found to be more depressed or suicidal than others. You enjoy life as much as everyone else, but you are somehow more aware of mortality. Most other signs spend their lives ignoring it, but you let it dictate your actions to a degree, and you respond to it with your self-restraint mechanism. Only you know the power of your temper.
You are instinctively suspicious, because once you place yourself in the control room, you have to defend it. And, curiously, your defense mechanism is just as secretive as the rest of you. You'll use your powers of manipulation and investigation to create an aura of fear and fascination— that always works.
By no means will you ever leave yourself open and vulnerable. You have to hold something back, or else you'd be giving up control, and that simply is unthinkable. You will therefore share the deepest part of yourself only with a select trustworthy few.
It's not appropriate, in this case, to suggest moderation here and there, as is customary with most other signs. You are not one to compromise, so there's little point. Perhaps the only caveat is to suggest care of yourself and others—i.e., don't misuse the immense passion and power with which you were blessed. You and those around you will lead happier lives if you channel it positively.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, so this area is particularly sensitive. Like the serpent in the Bible, it signifies both the fall of man and the fertility of man, the birth/death continuum. You know you're vulnerable there—it's the well of your passion—so you don't share it with just anybody, and that's also why you're so restrictive of your deepest secrets.
You're really not an athlete, or all that inclined towards recreation. But you do love a dare. Anything that pushes the limit of danger gets your blood flowing—and not just faux danger, like bungee jumping, but real danger—riding a motorcyle at 100 mph on a windy mountain road, for instance, or scuba diving into shark-infested waters.
Preferences
You are attracted to dark reds, due to your Mars influence, as well as black. Wearing both achieves your desired effect: they exude both power and allure. You dress to announce your power, so you wear dark suits with sharp cuts, or tight black leather, the better to communicate containment of power.
Your home is densely furnished, perhaps with a black leather couch, dark decor, and heavy doth, like a quilt on the bed. The feeling is a bit confining to others, even a little oppressive and dungeony.
As a water sign, you enjoy seafood and anything that is moist and texturally soft—even sensual—like pasta with creamy sauces, rice, or yogurt. You're also attracted to red sauces and curries, due to your Mars influence.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You are well-suited towards rising to the top of the corporate ladder because of your unique need to control. Your best path is by a combination of hard work, keen maneuvering, and working your subtle power magic. Your investigative abilities will tip you off to opportunities and strategies before everyone else, your suspicious nature will help you ward off the competition, your dark suits will demonstrate that you fit the bill, your powers of manipulation will get you in the right doors at the right times, and in between all this you'll work ceaselessly to prove you're the controller, not the controllee.
Outside the corporate structure, you are well-suited for a career in police work, detection, or intelligence (all of which make use of power, secrecy, curiosity, and danger) like Mata Hari, as well as medicine (particularly research). Examples of the latter include Jonas Salk and Marie Curie.
Perfect examples of powerful, mysterious Scor-pios who rose to the top of their fields include Ted Turner, Indira Gandhi, Robert Kennedy, George Patton, Roseanne Arnold, Charles Bronson, and filmmaker Mike Nichols.
The dark side of Scorpio is evident in writers such as Goethe, Milton (coincidentally, Milton's most famous work, Paradise Lost, is about the fall of man), Andre Malraux, and Dylan Thomas, as well as artist Pablo Picasso (his paintings are extremely confined and dark in color, containing immense power) and to a frightening extreme, Charles Manson.
Love and Relationships
Because you have an innate understanding of secrecy and power, you have to be careful of jealousy in your relationships. You can be quite trustworthy when you're happy, but when you suspect some wrongdoing, watch out. Pity the poor soul who makes you an enemy, and you yourself will agonize over such a state. Cultivate the traits that will make you more open and trusting, and just as importantly, choose the partner most suited to you.
And that would be Taurus, your zodiacal opposite. A Taurean mate is perfectly trustworthy, loyal, earthy, domestic, a great cook, and very loving—everything you need to open you up and enjoy life.
You also get along well with Cancer (you understand each other symbiotically—you both have deep emotional wells underneath that hard surface, and are both water signs), Virgo (you admire each other's work ethic, and the negative traits of both cancel each other out), and Pisces (although the attraction is immediate, it doesn't last long—the Piscean will become too possessive for you).
You must avoid partnerships with Aries (the other Mars sign—you'll constantly fight over control of everything), Gemini (you'll get jealous of their freedom), and Sagittarius (too flighty and untrustworthy—this match is liable to bring out your darkest qualities).
LIBRA (September 23-October 22)
Origin/Representation
Libra is symbolized by scales, which represent balance. It's believed this idea originated because Libra begins on the autumnal equinox, at a time when the amount of daylight and darkness are exactly the same. In the old days, some societies made their convicted criminals wait until the autumnal equinox before executing them, so they could appease the gods of justice at the same time.
Libra is ruled by Venus, as is Taurus, but to a more obvious degree. Librans are clearly the most romantic, sentimental, and kindest of all the signs. The favored day is Friday (vendredi in French), and there is a fondness for the color blue for the same reason (you definitely do not favor red, the color of your opposite sign, Aries).
Positive Qualities
Everyone loves a Libran. You can't help it—it's your nature to be the friendliest, warmest, gentlest sign of all. You always find something to like in everyone, and you make them feel special as a result. You're the person that feels sorry for the lonely outcast at a party and engages him in a conversation so he won't feel left out; even if most people find him a bore, you smile and find the interesting, appealing side. For this quality, you will always have friends.
And you'll need them. That's why you do this. You simply can't function well without companionship. Others may interpret this as a sign of weakness, of "co-dependence" even, but it's just your Venus influence.
Because of this companionable nature, you hate conflict. You'll do anything to avoid an argument, or to stop one. It's not that you're so afraid of being hurt, it's that you're afraid of hurting someone else's feelings. You're a diplomat. When confronted with two opposing sides, you'll find a happy medium. You crave harmony, and like your symbol, balance.
You're also very intuitive—some would even say psychic. You're the natural judge of the zodiac, and this sense extends past reason into instinct. You may find something to like in everyone, but you'll also see the whole character of a person instantly. Others may be amazed at how correct your first impressions are when, later, they see the whole picture.
You have a hunger for knowledge, which befits your sign name—Libra is part of library. But mostly it's a surface curiosity of lots of things. Like another air sign, Gemini, you love variety, and would rather sample the essences of varied subjects than become an expert at one in particular.
Trouble Areas
Because of this sampling instinct, you tend to overlook—or not take interest in—the little details. In fact, you dislike the fussy little things in which a sign like Virgo takes so much pride. This can lead to a reputation for unpunctuality, of laziness or unwillingness to do menial chores, or a reluctance to partake in anything that just doesn't interest you. People might call you selfish and vain if you're not careful.
You are a daydreamer. You follow your soul, wherever it guides you, at any time of day. This is a wonderful attribute that can lead to great creative expression when applied with discipline, but discipline is a weak area for you.
You have a hard time making decisions. If s not that you're weak, it's that you're so balanced. You see both sides of an issue clearly, and would rather not take a side for fear of offending the other. This can result in lost opportunities and ineffectuality in all aspects of life.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Librans are generally regarded as the most attractive of all signs—not surprising, with Venus as a ruling planet. Some of the most famous Librans are blessed with stunningly good looks, including such men as Montgomery Clift, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlton Heston, Michael Douglas, Christopher Reeve, Sting, Marcello Mastroianni, Armand Assante, and Johnny Mathis. The list of lovely women is even more impressive: Brigitte Bardot, Melina Mercouri, Heather Locklear, Cheryl Tiegs, Anita Ekberg, Angje Dickinson, Britt Ekland, Sigourney Weaver, Susan Anton, Marie Osmond, Suzanne Somers, Margot Kidder, Julie Andrews, and so on.
Libra rules the loins, kidneys, and back; all of those areas are therefore vulnerable, and there is a tendency towards diabetes. Watch for backaches especially.
You are not regarded as one of the more physically active signs. Having been born attractive, you don't feel any great need to work hard at it. But you do maintain it, mostly with social sports like golf and tennis. You're also blessed with poise and fluid movement, so dancing is common as well. Anything casual that can be done with companionship—that's what you want.
Preferences
You look good in virtually anything you wear, so that's not a concern. You do tend to match your clothes, though—it's a sign of that Libran balance. So even though you don't wear black often, you will balance it with white when you do. You're more attracted to bright colors—they fit your cheerful persona. Except for red—that's too aggressive.
Your home is like you—attractive, and with a sense of balance. There's lots of soft, rounded furniture—it's both welcoming and it promotes laziness. But there's just as much space to balance the feel.
When it comes to food, you are much like another air sign, Gemini: you eat for social reasons, and you enjoy variety. A little of this, a little of that—balance again. You're not a big eater; it's more important that you have company. Meals are excuses to socialize.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You have a tendency to be frivolous with money, even to take little interest in it, except to use it socially—you do like your nightlif e. But you must try to be more disciplined with money, to respect it more, to build a savings account; otherwise your social spending will continually consume your prospects of a sound financial future.
Occupationally, depending on your other astrological influences, you're likely to fall into one of two camps: you choose either a career that appeals to your sense of physical attractiveness or one that stresses balance.
In the first category are all those beautiful actors and models mentioned earlier, but also designers, decorators, beauticians, make-up artists, and painters. One advantage to these is that you generally get to work with someone, which is vital to you (painting is an exception).
In the second category are the law professions— attorney, judge, and legislator—as well as those that cater to tact, friendliness, and understanding: diplomat, counselor, concierge, and sales rep are a few examples.
Other famous Librans include Mahatma Gandhi (known for his supreme sense of right and wrong), John Lennon (whose life's work also demonstrated him to be an intuitive judge of character), Eleanor Roosevelt (a natural Libran hostess and diplomat), television host Bryant Gumbel (who is never confrontational), President Jimmy Carter (respected for his sense of fairness), comedian Dick Gregory (famous for his sense of justice in social issues), and designer Ralph Lauren.
Love and Relationships
You need people, and you certainly need love, and this can lead you into romantic trouble. Opportunities are everywhere for you, because you're so attractive, so friendly, so flirtatious, and so easily influenced by the opposite sex. Love, in fact, is the most important thing in your life, which is why it's so problematic for you. But don't worry—after being misled, cheated on, and underappreciated by several partners, you'll get it right.
Your ideal mate is likely to be Aries, your zodiacal opposite. It's a planetary balance of Mars and Venus, aggression and tenderness, leadership and acquiescence, practicality and creativity. You also fare well with Gemini (they appreciate your understanding of their complex character, and you're artistically harmonious) and Aquarius (you both love people and beauty, although they're a touch more unpredictable).
Although most everyone likes you, a close relationship with either Virgo (much too fussy for you) or Scorpio (much too dark for your warm, sunny outlook) is unadvisable.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
Origin/Representation
Scorpio's origins are as interesting and as complex as the sign itself. Before the twelve-month calendar was created, ancient astrologers viewed Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio all as one sign. Once divided, they came to symbolize aspects of the creation story in the book of Genesis, as follows:
Leo is Adam; Virgo is Eve, the virgin (as well as the Garden of Eden itself—Virgo symbolizes harvest, and is an earth sign); Libra is the tree of knowledge, symbolizing justice and right and wrong; and Scorpio is of course the serpent. Since the apple hangs from the tree, the fall of Adam comes through Libra—hence, it is the first sign of the fall season. And since Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, a rebirth occurs through Scorpio that gives rise to the three intellectual, wise signs that follow.
Adding to the complexity of Scorpio is the fact that it is ruled by not one but two planets, Mars and Pluto. Of course, Pluto was not discovered until 1930, so this is a fairly recent interpretation. It is widely agreed that Pluto is the rightful ruler, but now debated whether Mars indeed has an influence or not. We'll assume that it does, until proven otherwise. Tuesday (mardi), then, is the best day of the week for you.
Positive Qualities
The dual aspect of Mars and Pluto working together creates an intriguing profile for you. You have all the passion and power of Mars, but the secrecy of Pluto (it was there from the beginning, exerting its energy, but we only just found out about it, and even now it's hidden way, way out there, and is the only planet that does not orbit the sun on an elliptical path, but a rather skewed one).
As a result, you exert your power in subtle ways. You're the person pulling the strings above the stage, where no one can see you, yet you're in complete control. You know you have a natural dominance—not leadership per se, but quiet control—and you take pride and pleasure in seeing its effect on others. You notice that the opposite sex is naturally attracted to you: You notice that other people find themselves acquiring your habits, or your points of view. Yes, you are a natural manipulator, very much like the serpent in Eden.
This does not, however, mean that you're evil. A few Scorpios have taken advantage of this power for dubious purposes—the infamous German World War I spy Mata Hari, for example— but for most of you it's just your nature. You've learned early on that you can't control everything—that's impossible—so you limit your scope to the few areas in which you can excel.
One such area is investigation. Secrecy and control go hand in hand here, so any problem that needs solving, any mystery that is begging to be unraveled, is your baby. You discover gossip, for instance, before everyone else (although you're hardly a blabbermouth). This is just because you're extremely curious. You'll take apart a radio just to see how it works, you'll explore a cave to see where it goes, or you'll follow a trail to get to its source.
The Mars influence also indicates purposeful energy. Hard work is second nature to you, and if you're the controlling force, watch it world, you'll blow it open. Even if you fail, you can still start over—that's Pluto, able to reach very deep into the system and retool it.
Trouble Areas
You are intense, and you know it. You have a deep well of passion and will, but if you don't get your way, you could explode like a volcano. A Scorpio rage is a rage that can blast everything in its path, including itself (when cornered, a scorpion will sting itself to death). This is why control is so important to you: it's for your own good, and everyone else's as well.
So you restrain yourself. You hold back your true emotions deep, deep in the well. Oh sure, you make the appropriate social response when needed, but it's either fabricated or just a hint of the real you, a drop or two from the well. People are attracted to you for that deep passion—it's often a challenge for them to get to know you so well they find the key that unlocks the floodgates.
Scorpios are also thought to be preoccupied with death. It is certainly a sign with a dark nature, but in real life no Scorpios have ever been found to be more depressed or suicidal than others. You enjoy life as much as everyone else, but you are somehow more aware of mortality. Most other signs spend their lives ignoring it, but you let it dictate your actions to a degree, and you respond to it with your self-restraint mechanism. Only you know the power of your temper.
You are instinctively suspicious, because once you place yourself in the control room, you have to defend it. And, curiously, your defense mechanism is just as secretive as the rest of you. You'll use your powers of manipulation and investigation to create an aura of fear and fascination— that always works.
By no means will you ever leave yourself open and vulnerable. You have to hold something back, or else you'd be giving up control, and that simply is unthinkable. You will therefore share the deepest part of yourself only with a select trustworthy few.
It's not appropriate, in this case, to suggest moderation here and there, as is customary with most other signs. You are not one to compromise, so there's little point. Perhaps the only caveat is to suggest care of yourself and others—i.e., don't misuse the immense passion and power with which you were blessed. You and those around you will lead happier lives if you channel it positively.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, so this area is particularly sensitive. Like the serpent in the Bible, it signifies both the fall of man and the fertility of man, the birth/death continuum. You know you're vulnerable there—it's the well of your passion—so you don't share it with just anybody, and that's also why you're so restrictive of your deepest secrets.
You're really not an athlete, or all that inclined towards recreation. But you do love a dare. Anything that pushes the limit of danger gets your blood flowing—and not just faux danger, like bungee jumping, but real danger—riding a motorcyle at 100 mph on a windy mountain road, for instance, or scuba diving into shark-infested waters.
Preferences
You are attracted to dark reds, due to your Mars influence, as well as black. Wearing both achieves your desired effect: they exude both power and allure. You dress to announce your power, so you wear dark suits with sharp cuts, or tight black leather, the better to communicate containment of power.
Your home is densely furnished, perhaps with a black leather couch, dark decor, and heavy doth, like a quilt on the bed. The feeling is a bit confining to others, even a little oppressive and dungeony.
As a water sign, you enjoy seafood and anything that is moist and texturally soft—even sensual—like pasta with creamy sauces, rice, or yogurt. You're also attracted to red sauces and curries, due to your Mars influence.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You are well-suited towards rising to the top of the corporate ladder because of your unique need to control. Your best path is by a combination of hard work, keen maneuvering, and working your subtle power magic. Your investigative abilities will tip you off to opportunities and strategies before everyone else, your suspicious nature will help you ward off the competition, your dark suits will demonstrate that you fit the bill, your powers of manipulation will get you in the right doors at the right times, and in between all this you'll work ceaselessly to prove you're the controller, not the controllee.
Outside the corporate structure, you are well-suited for a career in police work, detection, or intelligence (all of which make use of power, secrecy, curiosity, and danger) like Mata Hari, as well as medicine (particularly research). Examples of the latter include Jonas Salk and Marie Curie.
Perfect examples of powerful, mysterious Scor-pios who rose to the top of their fields include Ted Turner, Indira Gandhi, Robert Kennedy, George Patton, Roseanne Arnold, Charles Bronson, and filmmaker Mike Nichols.
The dark side of Scorpio is evident in writers such as Goethe, Milton (coincidentally, Milton's most famous work, Paradise Lost, is about the fall of man), Andre Malraux, and Dylan Thomas, as well as artist Pablo Picasso (his paintings are extremely confined and dark in color, containing immense power) and to a frightening extreme, Charles Manson.
Love and Relationships
Because you have an innate understanding of secrecy and power, you have to be careful of jealousy in your relationships. You can be quite trustworthy when you're happy, but when you suspect some wrongdoing, watch out. Pity the poor soul who makes you an enemy, and you yourself will agonize over such a state. Cultivate the traits that will make you more open and trusting, and just as importantly, choose the partner most suited to you.
And that would be Taurus, your zodiacal opposite. A Taurean mate is perfectly trustworthy, loyal, earthy, domestic, a great cook, and very loving—everything you need to open you up and enjoy life.
You also get along well with Cancer (you understand each other symbiotically—you both have deep emotional wells underneath that hard surface, and are both water signs), Virgo (you admire each other's work ethic, and the negative traits of both cancel each other out), and Pisces (although the attraction is immediate, it doesn't last long—the Piscean will become too possessive for you).
You must avoid partnerships with Aries (the other Mars sign—you'll constantly fight over control of everything), Gemini (you'll get jealous of their freedom), and Sagittarius (too flighty and untrustworthy—this match is liable to bring out your darkest qualities).
Libra is symbolized by scales, which represent balance. It's believed this idea originated because Libra begins on the autumnal equinox, at a time when the amount of daylight and darkness are exactly the same. In the old days, some societies made their convicted criminals wait until the autumnal equinox before executing them, so they could appease the gods of justice at the same time.
Libra is ruled by Venus, as is Taurus, but to a more obvious degree. Librans are clearly the most romantic, sentimental, and kindest of all the signs. The favored day is Friday (vendredi in French), and there is a fondness for the color blue for the same reason (you definitely do not favor red, the color of your opposite sign, Aries).
Positive Qualities
Everyone loves a Libran. You can't help it—it's your nature to be the friendliest, warmest, gentlest sign of all. You always find something to like in everyone, and you make them feel special as a result. You're the person that feels sorry for the lonely outcast at a party and engages him in a conversation so he won't feel left out; even if most people find him a bore, you smile and find the interesting, appealing side. For this quality, you will always have friends.
And you'll need them. That's why you do this. You simply can't function well without companionship. Others may interpret this as a sign of weakness, of "co-dependence" even, but it's just your Venus influence.
Because of this companionable nature, you hate conflict. You'll do anything to avoid an argument, or to stop one. It's not that you're so afraid of being hurt, it's that you're afraid of hurting someone else's feelings. You're a diplomat. When confronted with two opposing sides, you'll find a happy medium. You crave harmony, and like your symbol, balance.
You're also very intuitive—some would even say psychic. You're the natural judge of the zodiac, and this sense extends past reason into instinct. You may find something to like in everyone, but you'll also see the whole character of a person instantly. Others may be amazed at how correct your first impressions are when, later, they see the whole picture.
You have a hunger for knowledge, which befits your sign name—Libra is part of library. But mostly it's a surface curiosity of lots of things. Like another air sign, Gemini, you love variety, and would rather sample the essences of varied subjects than become an expert at one in particular.
Trouble Areas
Because of this sampling instinct, you tend to overlook—or not take interest in—the little details. In fact, you dislike the fussy little things in which a sign like Virgo takes so much pride. This can lead to a reputation for unpunctuality, of laziness or unwillingness to do menial chores, or a reluctance to partake in anything that just doesn't interest you. People might call you selfish and vain if you're not careful.
You are a daydreamer. You follow your soul, wherever it guides you, at any time of day. This is a wonderful attribute that can lead to great creative expression when applied with discipline, but discipline is a weak area for you.
You have a hard time making decisions. If s not that you're weak, it's that you're so balanced. You see both sides of an issue clearly, and would rather not take a side for fear of offending the other. This can result in lost opportunities and ineffectuality in all aspects of life.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Librans are generally regarded as the most attractive of all signs—not surprising, with Venus as a ruling planet. Some of the most famous Librans are blessed with stunningly good looks, including such men as Montgomery Clift, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlton Heston, Michael Douglas, Christopher Reeve, Sting, Marcello Mastroianni, Armand Assante, and Johnny Mathis. The list of lovely women is even more impressive: Brigitte Bardot, Melina Mercouri, Heather Locklear, Cheryl Tiegs, Anita Ekberg, Angje Dickinson, Britt Ekland, Sigourney Weaver, Susan Anton, Marie Osmond, Suzanne Somers, Margot Kidder, Julie Andrews, and so on.
Libra rules the loins, kidneys, and back; all of those areas are therefore vulnerable, and there is a tendency towards diabetes. Watch for backaches especially.
You are not regarded as one of the more physically active signs. Having been born attractive, you don't feel any great need to work hard at it. But you do maintain it, mostly with social sports like golf and tennis. You're also blessed with poise and fluid movement, so dancing is common as well. Anything casual that can be done with companionship—that's what you want.
Preferences
You look good in virtually anything you wear, so that's not a concern. You do tend to match your clothes, though—it's a sign of that Libran balance. So even though you don't wear black often, you will balance it with white when you do. You're more attracted to bright colors—they fit your cheerful persona. Except for red—that's too aggressive.
Your home is like you—attractive, and with a sense of balance. There's lots of soft, rounded furniture—it's both welcoming and it promotes laziness. But there's just as much space to balance the feel.
When it comes to food, you are much like another air sign, Gemini: you eat for social reasons, and you enjoy variety. A little of this, a little of that—balance again. You're not a big eater; it's more important that you have company. Meals are excuses to socialize.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You have a tendency to be frivolous with money, even to take little interest in it, except to use it socially—you do like your nightlif e. But you must try to be more disciplined with money, to respect it more, to build a savings account; otherwise your social spending will continually consume your prospects of a sound financial future.
Occupationally, depending on your other astrological influences, you're likely to fall into one of two camps: you choose either a career that appeals to your sense of physical attractiveness or one that stresses balance.
In the first category are all those beautiful actors and models mentioned earlier, but also designers, decorators, beauticians, make-up artists, and painters. One advantage to these is that you generally get to work with someone, which is vital to you (painting is an exception).
In the second category are the law professions— attorney, judge, and legislator—as well as those that cater to tact, friendliness, and understanding: diplomat, counselor, concierge, and sales rep are a few examples.
Other famous Librans include Mahatma Gandhi (known for his supreme sense of right and wrong), John Lennon (whose life's work also demonstrated him to be an intuitive judge of character), Eleanor Roosevelt (a natural Libran hostess and diplomat), television host Bryant Gumbel (who is never confrontational), President Jimmy Carter (respected for his sense of fairness), comedian Dick Gregory (famous for his sense of justice in social issues), and designer Ralph Lauren.
Love and Relationships
You need people, and you certainly need love, and this can lead you into romantic trouble. Opportunities are everywhere for you, because you're so attractive, so friendly, so flirtatious, and so easily influenced by the opposite sex. Love, in fact, is the most important thing in your life, which is why it's so problematic for you. But don't worry—after being misled, cheated on, and underappreciated by several partners, you'll get it right.
Your ideal mate is likely to be Aries, your zodiacal opposite. It's a planetary balance of Mars and Venus, aggression and tenderness, leadership and acquiescence, practicality and creativity. You also fare well with Gemini (they appreciate your understanding of their complex character, and you're artistically harmonious) and Aquarius (you both love people and beauty, although they're a touch more unpredictable).
Although most everyone likes you, a close relationship with either Virgo (much too fussy for you) or Scorpio (much too dark for your warm, sunny outlook) is unadvisable.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21)
Origin/Representation
Scorpio's origins are as interesting and as complex as the sign itself. Before the twelve-month calendar was created, ancient astrologers viewed Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio all as one sign. Once divided, they came to symbolize aspects of the creation story in the book of Genesis, as follows:
Leo is Adam; Virgo is Eve, the virgin (as well as the Garden of Eden itself—Virgo symbolizes harvest, and is an earth sign); Libra is the tree of knowledge, symbolizing justice and right and wrong; and Scorpio is of course the serpent. Since the apple hangs from the tree, the fall of Adam comes through Libra—hence, it is the first sign of the fall season. And since Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, a rebirth occurs through Scorpio that gives rise to the three intellectual, wise signs that follow.
Adding to the complexity of Scorpio is the fact that it is ruled by not one but two planets, Mars and Pluto. Of course, Pluto was not discovered until 1930, so this is a fairly recent interpretation. It is widely agreed that Pluto is the rightful ruler, but now debated whether Mars indeed has an influence or not. We'll assume that it does, until proven otherwise. Tuesday (mardi), then, is the best day of the week for you.
Positive Qualities
The dual aspect of Mars and Pluto working together creates an intriguing profile for you. You have all the passion and power of Mars, but the secrecy of Pluto (it was there from the beginning, exerting its energy, but we only just found out about it, and even now it's hidden way, way out there, and is the only planet that does not orbit the sun on an elliptical path, but a rather skewed one).
As a result, you exert your power in subtle ways. You're the person pulling the strings above the stage, where no one can see you, yet you're in complete control. You know you have a natural dominance—not leadership per se, but quiet control—and you take pride and pleasure in seeing its effect on others. You notice that the opposite sex is naturally attracted to you: You notice that other people find themselves acquiring your habits, or your points of view. Yes, you are a natural manipulator, very much like the serpent in Eden.
This does not, however, mean that you're evil. A few Scorpios have taken advantage of this power for dubious purposes—the infamous German World War I spy Mata Hari, for example— but for most of you it's just your nature. You've learned early on that you can't control everything—that's impossible—so you limit your scope to the few areas in which you can excel.
One such area is investigation. Secrecy and control go hand in hand here, so any problem that needs solving, any mystery that is begging to be unraveled, is your baby. You discover gossip, for instance, before everyone else (although you're hardly a blabbermouth). This is just because you're extremely curious. You'll take apart a radio just to see how it works, you'll explore a cave to see where it goes, or you'll follow a trail to get to its source.
The Mars influence also indicates purposeful energy. Hard work is second nature to you, and if you're the controlling force, watch it world, you'll blow it open. Even if you fail, you can still start over—that's Pluto, able to reach very deep into the system and retool it.
Trouble Areas
You are intense, and you know it. You have a deep well of passion and will, but if you don't get your way, you could explode like a volcano. A Scorpio rage is a rage that can blast everything in its path, including itself (when cornered, a scorpion will sting itself to death). This is why control is so important to you: it's for your own good, and everyone else's as well.
So you restrain yourself. You hold back your true emotions deep, deep in the well. Oh sure, you make the appropriate social response when needed, but it's either fabricated or just a hint of the real you, a drop or two from the well. People are attracted to you for that deep passion—it's often a challenge for them to get to know you so well they find the key that unlocks the floodgates.
Scorpios are also thought to be preoccupied with death. It is certainly a sign with a dark nature, but in real life no Scorpios have ever been found to be more depressed or suicidal than others. You enjoy life as much as everyone else, but you are somehow more aware of mortality. Most other signs spend their lives ignoring it, but you let it dictate your actions to a degree, and you respond to it with your self-restraint mechanism. Only you know the power of your temper.
You are instinctively suspicious, because once you place yourself in the control room, you have to defend it. And, curiously, your defense mechanism is just as secretive as the rest of you. You'll use your powers of manipulation and investigation to create an aura of fear and fascination— that always works.
By no means will you ever leave yourself open and vulnerable. You have to hold something back, or else you'd be giving up control, and that simply is unthinkable. You will therefore share the deepest part of yourself only with a select trustworthy few.
It's not appropriate, in this case, to suggest moderation here and there, as is customary with most other signs. You are not one to compromise, so there's little point. Perhaps the only caveat is to suggest care of yourself and others—i.e., don't misuse the immense passion and power with which you were blessed. You and those around you will lead happier lives if you channel it positively.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Scorpio rules the reproductive organs, so this area is particularly sensitive. Like the serpent in the Bible, it signifies both the fall of man and the fertility of man, the birth/death continuum. You know you're vulnerable there—it's the well of your passion—so you don't share it with just anybody, and that's also why you're so restrictive of your deepest secrets.
You're really not an athlete, or all that inclined towards recreation. But you do love a dare. Anything that pushes the limit of danger gets your blood flowing—and not just faux danger, like bungee jumping, but real danger—riding a motorcyle at 100 mph on a windy mountain road, for instance, or scuba diving into shark-infested waters.
Preferences
You are attracted to dark reds, due to your Mars influence, as well as black. Wearing both achieves your desired effect: they exude both power and allure. You dress to announce your power, so you wear dark suits with sharp cuts, or tight black leather, the better to communicate containment of power.
Your home is densely furnished, perhaps with a black leather couch, dark decor, and heavy doth, like a quilt on the bed. The feeling is a bit confining to others, even a little oppressive and dungeony.
As a water sign, you enjoy seafood and anything that is moist and texturally soft—even sensual—like pasta with creamy sauces, rice, or yogurt. You're also attracted to red sauces and curries, due to your Mars influence.
Occupations/Financial Profile
You are well-suited towards rising to the top of the corporate ladder because of your unique need to control. Your best path is by a combination of hard work, keen maneuvering, and working your subtle power magic. Your investigative abilities will tip you off to opportunities and strategies before everyone else, your suspicious nature will help you ward off the competition, your dark suits will demonstrate that you fit the bill, your powers of manipulation will get you in the right doors at the right times, and in between all this you'll work ceaselessly to prove you're the controller, not the controllee.
Outside the corporate structure, you are well-suited for a career in police work, detection, or intelligence (all of which make use of power, secrecy, curiosity, and danger) like Mata Hari, as well as medicine (particularly research). Examples of the latter include Jonas Salk and Marie Curie.
Perfect examples of powerful, mysterious Scor-pios who rose to the top of their fields include Ted Turner, Indira Gandhi, Robert Kennedy, George Patton, Roseanne Arnold, Charles Bronson, and filmmaker Mike Nichols.
The dark side of Scorpio is evident in writers such as Goethe, Milton (coincidentally, Milton's most famous work, Paradise Lost, is about the fall of man), Andre Malraux, and Dylan Thomas, as well as artist Pablo Picasso (his paintings are extremely confined and dark in color, containing immense power) and to a frightening extreme, Charles Manson.
Love and Relationships
Because you have an innate understanding of secrecy and power, you have to be careful of jealousy in your relationships. You can be quite trustworthy when you're happy, but when you suspect some wrongdoing, watch out. Pity the poor soul who makes you an enemy, and you yourself will agonize over such a state. Cultivate the traits that will make you more open and trusting, and just as importantly, choose the partner most suited to you.
And that would be Taurus, your zodiacal opposite. A Taurean mate is perfectly trustworthy, loyal, earthy, domestic, a great cook, and very loving—everything you need to open you up and enjoy life.
You also get along well with Cancer (you understand each other symbiotically—you both have deep emotional wells underneath that hard surface, and are both water signs), Virgo (you admire each other's work ethic, and the negative traits of both cancel each other out), and Pisces (although the attraction is immediate, it doesn't last long—the Piscean will become too possessive for you).
You must avoid partnerships with Aries (the other Mars sign—you'll constantly fight over control of everything), Gemini (you'll get jealous of their freedom), and Sagittarius (too flighty and untrustworthy—this match is liable to bring out your darkest qualities).
VIRGO (August 22-September 22)
Origin/Representation
In every culture, Virgo has always been represented by a woman, usually referred to as a "virgin." The meaning of that word has changed over the years, however; the ancients described it as the age span between puberty and marriage, as in "maiden" (this age span used to be quite short—women usually married around age 15). In any case, the virgin was the personification of justice and proper behavior, since she was "pure." Today, these qualities can still be seen in many Virgos—they seem to know the correct way to dress for a social function and can judge a person's character rather easily. And, Virgos carry their childhood innocence with them into adulthood, longer than any other sign.
Virgo is ruled by Mercury, along with Gemini— for this reason, many Virgos get along harmoniously with Geminis. And the Mercury influence can also be felt on Wednesday (the French mercredi again), the sign's favorite day.
Virgo is an earth sign, as you might expect, since it falls during the month in which most crops are harvested. In fact, the woman that symbolizes Virgo is usually depicted with a sheath, or ears of corn.
Positive Qualities
Ironically, most of your best qualities are often seen by other people as your worst. It wasn't always so: in ancient times, when priorities were different, yours was the most prized of the signs. Now, it is often the most disliked. Fear not, though—you're just misunderstood.
You're more complex than others give you credit for. As a Mercury sign, your head rules your heart, but this doesn't mean you're cold and unfeeling. On the contrary, your sensitivity is unmatched by any other sign except Pisces. It's often unseen, however, because you tend to be quite shy and reserved. This explains why Virgos are so generous—you want deeply to be loved, so you demonstrate this by going out of your way to be of service to others. You care for them, you do favors for them, you find just the right gift, and above all you give them your loyalty. Because of your shyness, you believe that once you've found someone special, you should do your best to keep them.
Mercury is a sign of intellect, so you're also quite smart. You're particulary adept at analysis and logic—many Virgos are scientists, doctors, and engineers for this reason. You also notice details more than any other sign—and this serves you well in a variety of careers: writer, editor (Mercury rules words), surgeon, even secretary.
You have a great work ethic—you're disciplined, highly organized, punctual, and tireless. (Much has been made of Virgos and neatness as well, but it's usually overstated.) Many Virgos find themselves at an economic disadvantage early in life, so they become extremely motivated to succeed as a result, and most achieve comfortable, if not lavish, means.
Finally, you're a perfectionist. When you tackle a project, you do it right, to the nth degree. You believe you have to be the best at it, so you study, you practice, you go the extra mile, you apply all your little advantages—smarts, hard work, and especially analysis—to get that edge. Once you've conquered it, you like to share it with people, but this often leads to your biggest fault...
Trouble Areas
Because of your perfectionism, you're a critic. Too often, in fact, you're overly critical. Usually, you don't mean to be. You've figured something out, and you want to tell people. But they think you're condescending to them, or worse, placing unrealistic expectations on them. They grant you your expertise, but they often mistake your snaring for rubbing it in. Many professional critics in the literary and entertainment fields are Virgos, and virtually all chose their profession because they believe in an ideal, in making the world— and their art—as close to perfect as possible. Unrealistic, perhaps, and this is why many are resented.
Even more troubling is your self-criticism. You often vent your harshest words on your own flaws. If you're not the best at something, you flog yourself into working harder until you either succeed or give up. Because you're not very social, you can have a hard time with the opposite sex. Your perfectionism compounds the problem, limiting the field. And when you do find a mate, you often become too critical, scaring him or her away. All of this, obviously, can add up to misery at any stage of the game. The important thing is to realize that everyone has certain strengths and weaknesses. Learn to appreciate your special gifts and accept your flaws—if you punish yourself for them, you'll just prolong your agony.
One more thing: people often mistake your shyness for aloof coldness. When you do converse, you're more comfortable talking business or in-tellectualizing, not spilling your darkest secrets. Thus, you easily give the impression of preferring to be alone (Greta Garbo, of "I just vant to be alone" fame, was a Virgo), so others keep their distance as a result. In fact, you want company, but you're picky. Make sure those you're interested in know you like them, and why. Watch your body language—don't stand with your arms folded over your chest, or avoid eye contact. You're a detail specialist, so use these little details to lead a happier life.
Physical Qualities and Activities
You're probably not big and strong, like a Taurus, but of medium or even wiry build. As a sign of Mercury, you're more head-oriented than body-oriented, but you believe in treating your body right. Many Virgos are vegetarians, because it's important to you to eat for nutrition's sake, not so much for sensual pleasure.
You're not team-oriented, because you're so reserved, and you're not built for it anyway. Most of your exercise is solo, or with one friend. You especially like sports that involve regular, rhythmic movement, such as running, walking, cycling, or dancing.
In the sign-body continuum, Virgo rules the digestive system, so take extra care of this area. Eat a nutritious, high fiber diet to avoid problems with the colon or intestines.
Preferences
Your house is neat. For some reason, neatness is the quality most strongly identified with Virgos. Although this is true, it's not extreme. You don't spend every day scrubbing the bathroom tiles, or bug-bombing your house, or holing yourself up in a germ-free prison like Howard Hughes. But you do pay attention to the little things: you keep track of important papers, and throw away the trash regularly (you're definitely not a pack rat); you do all the little chores—dishes, making the bed, that sort of thing, by habit; and you keep your belongings ordered (your record collection is no doubt alphabetized).
This instinct extends to dress. You wouldn't think of wearing clothes that didn't match, or wearing jeans to an important business function-you don't have the flair to get away with that. You really hate red—it attracts too much attention, and that's not you—preferring softer, blend-in-the-crowd colors like earthy blues, greens/and gray. Any patterns will be small.
Occupations/Financial Profile
It's very rare to see a Virgo on the unemployment line, and just as rare to see one riding in a limousine. Most Virgos fall short of the millions, but live on comfortable salaries.
You are perhaps the most employable sign of all, based on your work ethic, your intellect, and your desire to be the best. You're the one that quietly works his way up the career ladder, usually behind the scenes. Your analytical mind solves problems easily, and this gets you promoted.
Your lone weakness, financially, is a tendency to gamble. It's as if, knowing you're so stable, you need the excitement of the big kill to add spice to your financial life. Indeed, some Virgos have been known to succeed as professional gamblers, but only when they apply themselves using the same analytical faculties and work ethic that are usually saved for more traditional vocations. It's okay to have fun with it here and there, but don't make it a habit unless you're a dedicated pro.
As mentioned earlier, there are many Virgos in the medical profession, because it combines highly refined skills, a quiet demeanor, and a way to be of service to people. The Russian physiologist Pavlov, of Pavlov's dog fame, was a Virgo, as is the great caretaker of the people, Mother Teresa. We also find them in the military (again, attention to detail, service to others, and a structure to blend into) and teaching (detail, service, structure, and sharing learned information).
Because of the Mercury influence, many Virgos become great writers and composers: on the musical side, there's Leonard Bernstein and Claude Debussy (whose work symbolizes many Virgo qualities: it's quiet, introverted, and moves in regular rhythmic patterns); the great country songwriter George Jones, the rather introverted jazzman Branf ord Marsalis; the shy Buddy Holly; and perhaps most Virgoan of all, Michael Jackson—shy, sensitive, and obsessed with perfection, physically and professionally. The list of writers includes Leo Tolstoi, Goethe, Bret Harte, and O. Henry (all of whom expressed the misery of aloneness).
The famous Virgo actors tend to be introverted as well: the late River Phoenix, Ingrid Bergman, Anne Bancroft, Jeremy Irons, Richard Gere, Marlee Matlin, Sophia Loren, Twiggy, and of course, Greta Garbo. Other Virgo media personalities include the reserved newsmen Dan Rather and Charles Kuralt, quieter politicians such as former president Lyndon Johnson and senator Geraldine Ferraro, perfectionistic filmmakers Oliver Stone and Richard Attenborough, and hard-working athletes Jimmy Connors and Cal Ripken, Jr.
Love and Relationships
There are two main hindrances to success in love for you: shyness and perfectionism. So even if you do encounter someone you consider worthy of your heart (and that's rare), you still have to overcome your natural reserve to win them over. Moreover, once you're in the relationship, you have to be careful not to be overly critical— make sure your partner understands your perfectionist ideals right away, or you're in for a rocky road.
Your natural opposite, Pisces, is also your most ideal partner. Every quality you lack is ample in Pisces, and vice-versa, so no problem in this marriage is unsolvable, and every day is interesting. You enjoy the Piscean imagination and free-flowing creativity, while they need you to bring them back to reality.
You're also compatible with Taurus and Capricorn, your fellow earth signs: in the former, Taurus supplies the big heart while you provide the headiness; in the latter, the two of you work so hard to such a degree of perfection that, if you were business partners, you could dominate your field.
You should avoid Aries (too bossy and will not tolerate your pickiness), Libra (completely unable to take your criticism) and Aquarius (this can be either intensely wrong or surprisingly compatible, but most of the time you're at each other's throats).
In every culture, Virgo has always been represented by a woman, usually referred to as a "virgin." The meaning of that word has changed over the years, however; the ancients described it as the age span between puberty and marriage, as in "maiden" (this age span used to be quite short—women usually married around age 15). In any case, the virgin was the personification of justice and proper behavior, since she was "pure." Today, these qualities can still be seen in many Virgos—they seem to know the correct way to dress for a social function and can judge a person's character rather easily. And, Virgos carry their childhood innocence with them into adulthood, longer than any other sign.
Virgo is ruled by Mercury, along with Gemini— for this reason, many Virgos get along harmoniously with Geminis. And the Mercury influence can also be felt on Wednesday (the French mercredi again), the sign's favorite day.
Virgo is an earth sign, as you might expect, since it falls during the month in which most crops are harvested. In fact, the woman that symbolizes Virgo is usually depicted with a sheath, or ears of corn.
Positive Qualities
Ironically, most of your best qualities are often seen by other people as your worst. It wasn't always so: in ancient times, when priorities were different, yours was the most prized of the signs. Now, it is often the most disliked. Fear not, though—you're just misunderstood.
You're more complex than others give you credit for. As a Mercury sign, your head rules your heart, but this doesn't mean you're cold and unfeeling. On the contrary, your sensitivity is unmatched by any other sign except Pisces. It's often unseen, however, because you tend to be quite shy and reserved. This explains why Virgos are so generous—you want deeply to be loved, so you demonstrate this by going out of your way to be of service to others. You care for them, you do favors for them, you find just the right gift, and above all you give them your loyalty. Because of your shyness, you believe that once you've found someone special, you should do your best to keep them.
Mercury is a sign of intellect, so you're also quite smart. You're particulary adept at analysis and logic—many Virgos are scientists, doctors, and engineers for this reason. You also notice details more than any other sign—and this serves you well in a variety of careers: writer, editor (Mercury rules words), surgeon, even secretary.
You have a great work ethic—you're disciplined, highly organized, punctual, and tireless. (Much has been made of Virgos and neatness as well, but it's usually overstated.) Many Virgos find themselves at an economic disadvantage early in life, so they become extremely motivated to succeed as a result, and most achieve comfortable, if not lavish, means.
Finally, you're a perfectionist. When you tackle a project, you do it right, to the nth degree. You believe you have to be the best at it, so you study, you practice, you go the extra mile, you apply all your little advantages—smarts, hard work, and especially analysis—to get that edge. Once you've conquered it, you like to share it with people, but this often leads to your biggest fault...
Trouble Areas
Because of your perfectionism, you're a critic. Too often, in fact, you're overly critical. Usually, you don't mean to be. You've figured something out, and you want to tell people. But they think you're condescending to them, or worse, placing unrealistic expectations on them. They grant you your expertise, but they often mistake your snaring for rubbing it in. Many professional critics in the literary and entertainment fields are Virgos, and virtually all chose their profession because they believe in an ideal, in making the world— and their art—as close to perfect as possible. Unrealistic, perhaps, and this is why many are resented.
Even more troubling is your self-criticism. You often vent your harshest words on your own flaws. If you're not the best at something, you flog yourself into working harder until you either succeed or give up. Because you're not very social, you can have a hard time with the opposite sex. Your perfectionism compounds the problem, limiting the field. And when you do find a mate, you often become too critical, scaring him or her away. All of this, obviously, can add up to misery at any stage of the game. The important thing is to realize that everyone has certain strengths and weaknesses. Learn to appreciate your special gifts and accept your flaws—if you punish yourself for them, you'll just prolong your agony.
One more thing: people often mistake your shyness for aloof coldness. When you do converse, you're more comfortable talking business or in-tellectualizing, not spilling your darkest secrets. Thus, you easily give the impression of preferring to be alone (Greta Garbo, of "I just vant to be alone" fame, was a Virgo), so others keep their distance as a result. In fact, you want company, but you're picky. Make sure those you're interested in know you like them, and why. Watch your body language—don't stand with your arms folded over your chest, or avoid eye contact. You're a detail specialist, so use these little details to lead a happier life.
Physical Qualities and Activities
You're probably not big and strong, like a Taurus, but of medium or even wiry build. As a sign of Mercury, you're more head-oriented than body-oriented, but you believe in treating your body right. Many Virgos are vegetarians, because it's important to you to eat for nutrition's sake, not so much for sensual pleasure.
You're not team-oriented, because you're so reserved, and you're not built for it anyway. Most of your exercise is solo, or with one friend. You especially like sports that involve regular, rhythmic movement, such as running, walking, cycling, or dancing.
In the sign-body continuum, Virgo rules the digestive system, so take extra care of this area. Eat a nutritious, high fiber diet to avoid problems with the colon or intestines.
Preferences
Your house is neat. For some reason, neatness is the quality most strongly identified with Virgos. Although this is true, it's not extreme. You don't spend every day scrubbing the bathroom tiles, or bug-bombing your house, or holing yourself up in a germ-free prison like Howard Hughes. But you do pay attention to the little things: you keep track of important papers, and throw away the trash regularly (you're definitely not a pack rat); you do all the little chores—dishes, making the bed, that sort of thing, by habit; and you keep your belongings ordered (your record collection is no doubt alphabetized).
This instinct extends to dress. You wouldn't think of wearing clothes that didn't match, or wearing jeans to an important business function-you don't have the flair to get away with that. You really hate red—it attracts too much attention, and that's not you—preferring softer, blend-in-the-crowd colors like earthy blues, greens/and gray. Any patterns will be small.
Occupations/Financial Profile
It's very rare to see a Virgo on the unemployment line, and just as rare to see one riding in a limousine. Most Virgos fall short of the millions, but live on comfortable salaries.
You are perhaps the most employable sign of all, based on your work ethic, your intellect, and your desire to be the best. You're the one that quietly works his way up the career ladder, usually behind the scenes. Your analytical mind solves problems easily, and this gets you promoted.
Your lone weakness, financially, is a tendency to gamble. It's as if, knowing you're so stable, you need the excitement of the big kill to add spice to your financial life. Indeed, some Virgos have been known to succeed as professional gamblers, but only when they apply themselves using the same analytical faculties and work ethic that are usually saved for more traditional vocations. It's okay to have fun with it here and there, but don't make it a habit unless you're a dedicated pro.
As mentioned earlier, there are many Virgos in the medical profession, because it combines highly refined skills, a quiet demeanor, and a way to be of service to people. The Russian physiologist Pavlov, of Pavlov's dog fame, was a Virgo, as is the great caretaker of the people, Mother Teresa. We also find them in the military (again, attention to detail, service to others, and a structure to blend into) and teaching (detail, service, structure, and sharing learned information).
Because of the Mercury influence, many Virgos become great writers and composers: on the musical side, there's Leonard Bernstein and Claude Debussy (whose work symbolizes many Virgo qualities: it's quiet, introverted, and moves in regular rhythmic patterns); the great country songwriter George Jones, the rather introverted jazzman Branf ord Marsalis; the shy Buddy Holly; and perhaps most Virgoan of all, Michael Jackson—shy, sensitive, and obsessed with perfection, physically and professionally. The list of writers includes Leo Tolstoi, Goethe, Bret Harte, and O. Henry (all of whom expressed the misery of aloneness).
The famous Virgo actors tend to be introverted as well: the late River Phoenix, Ingrid Bergman, Anne Bancroft, Jeremy Irons, Richard Gere, Marlee Matlin, Sophia Loren, Twiggy, and of course, Greta Garbo. Other Virgo media personalities include the reserved newsmen Dan Rather and Charles Kuralt, quieter politicians such as former president Lyndon Johnson and senator Geraldine Ferraro, perfectionistic filmmakers Oliver Stone and Richard Attenborough, and hard-working athletes Jimmy Connors and Cal Ripken, Jr.
Love and Relationships
There are two main hindrances to success in love for you: shyness and perfectionism. So even if you do encounter someone you consider worthy of your heart (and that's rare), you still have to overcome your natural reserve to win them over. Moreover, once you're in the relationship, you have to be careful not to be overly critical— make sure your partner understands your perfectionist ideals right away, or you're in for a rocky road.
Your natural opposite, Pisces, is also your most ideal partner. Every quality you lack is ample in Pisces, and vice-versa, so no problem in this marriage is unsolvable, and every day is interesting. You enjoy the Piscean imagination and free-flowing creativity, while they need you to bring them back to reality.
You're also compatible with Taurus and Capricorn, your fellow earth signs: in the former, Taurus supplies the big heart while you provide the headiness; in the latter, the two of you work so hard to such a degree of perfection that, if you were business partners, you could dominate your field.
You should avoid Aries (too bossy and will not tolerate your pickiness), Libra (completely unable to take your criticism) and Aquarius (this can be either intensely wrong or surprisingly compatible, but most of the time you're at each other's throats).
LEO (July 22-August 21)
Origin/Representation
Leo, of course, is a lion—the king of beasts, and the king of the zodiac signs. In Greek mythology, his singular audacity led him to leap from the heavens and battle Hercules, only to be killed. Although most present-day Leos are just as bold, they have thankfully learned to use their pride to better advantage.
Leo is ruled by the sun; the most advantageous day of the week is therefore Sunday. Since the sun is the eternal source of life and the center of our solar system, Leos are likewise the source of great happiness to the other signs, and quite naturally the center of attention in any group. It's also no accident that Leo falls in the center of the zodiacal year, during the earth's hottest months. Leo is therefore a fire sign.
Positive Qualities
You are a born leader, and you know it. You are blessed with many talents, and a destiny for greatness. The sun is a star; you, then, are the star of the zodiac. Because of this, you are eternally optimistic and cheerful. If something gets in your way, you conquer it, the way a lion will defeat virtually any foe in the jungle. And like a lion, you do so with dignity.
Your charm and generosity are unending, and people love you for it. You have a big heart—in fact, Leo rules the heart in the zodiacal body— and for this reason, you love buying a round of drinks, sharing colorful stories over a meal, and generally being the life of the party. Your many friends can always count on you for livening up their day. And best of all, they love you even more because you never ask for anything in return— you were born with gifts, so there's no need. You just love sharing them.
Like a cat, you are a hunter. You spot your prey, take aim, and pounce on your target. In human terms, this means your ambition is highly focused.
You know you will reach the top; it's just a question of when. Along the way, you are highly organized, frank, and outspoken—all qualities which focus on your target of being the leader.
Trouble Areas
You often expect people to do things for you. Especially the little things, details a leader like yourself shouldn't be bothered with. Well, in real life, this can cause its share of irritation, even among your admirers. It's fine to prioritize, but don't let arrogance come at the expense of friends or family.
You expect to be high priest and master of any group, and you will not tolerate a challenge to this position. You will either fight bravely and win, or exit the group with dignity and find another situation to preside over.
You also get upset by change. Once you've attained your leadership status, you prefer things as they are. If the apple cart is upset, you immediately feel your role is threatened. Not surprisingly, then, many Leos are Republicans.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Lions are large animals, and so are Leos. Everything about a Leo is on a grand scale. This is not to suggest obesity; quite the contrary. Leos are known for strong upper bodies and muscular tone, all the better to fight off predators and command the respect of the other signs.
Since Leo rules the heart, you are prone to heart disease. Your preference for red meat only compounds the problem. Also, your love of the sun can sometimes lead to heat exhaustion or sunstroke, so be careful there.
In fact, no other sign spends as much time in the sun as you. Your ideal vacation is a trip to a warm, tropical beach, where you can bask in the rays all day and show off your body. You tan eas-ily.
You enjoy summer sports that are social and outdoor-oriented, such as tennis or golf. Your other favorite activity is charity work, due to your unbridled generosity. You'll often spend a weekend presiding over and organizing fund-raisers for this group or that.
Finally, you love to be on stage, be it as an actor, musician, lecturer, or just about any type of performer. Whether professionally or just for fun, your need for attention leads you to constantly show yourself off.
Preferences
Since you are a fire sign, and the sign of the sun, you are naturally attracted to gold, yellow, orange, and red. You are also the king of signs, so naturally the royal colors purple and burgundy figure strongly in your life.
You like heavy, well-made clothes, but you make just about anything you wear look good, because of your confident bearing and posture.
Your taste in general leans toward the best of everything. Even if you can't afford it, you live the good life, buying expensive clothes and gifts, and taking luxurious trips. You'd rather spend than save.
You enjoy fancy cars, such as long limousines or sporty foreign models. You expect to attract attention everywhere you go, with everything you do, and your outward appearance in terms of clothes and cars is no exception.
Occupations/Financial Profile
Surprisingly, you sometimes have a problem settling into a career. This is because you know you were born to lead, and therefore you have little patience working your way up the ladder. Realistically, you can't expect to just inherit the chairmanship of a corporation out of college (although Leos are known for their good fortune when it comes to this sort of thing).
You will have to bide your time for awhile, at least, until your talents and popularity become obvious to those in charge. If you simply do not have the patience to be an underling for awhile, try employing yourself. Quite a few Leos are entertainers; others have successfully created their own businesses.
If you choose the corporate route, use your organizing skills. Take advantage of those opportunities that arise when people begin to naturally come to you for advice, and make sure everyone notices how skilled you are at handling problems and challenges.
The situations you want to avoid are those dead-end jobs where you become one of the cogs in the wheel, or one where you're alone most of the day, or where you feel confined. Get out of those jobs quickly, and find one where you can rise to the top without too much competition, or one where you're entering as a big fish in a small pond.
The list of famous Leos is extensive, because the sign is so successful by nature. It includes Henry Ford, who popularized the automobile, the dynastic conquerors Alexander the Great and Napoleon, the dictators Fidel Castro and Benito Mussolini, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille (who is famous for his grand epics, demonstrating the Leo trait for doing everything on a large scale), and the wonderfully generous Lucille Ball and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Love and Relationships
Although romantic opportunities are plentiful for you, choosing a life-long partner is rather difficult. Your natural tendency is towards the casual affair, but after awhile even you will get bored of this pattern. Here, then, is your challenge: you need to learn to settle down and compromise a little—unlike most of the challenges you're used to winning, this one requires giving up a little to succeed, quite the opposite of what you're used to. Furthermore, you're so open, straightforward, and generous with your heart that your sincerity can easily be manipulated. You? Outfoxed and deceived? It's true. After awhile, you'll find your truest companion to be Aquarius. It's your zodiacal opposite, but there are few conflicts here. You both prize your fellow man, believe in the same ideals, and admire creative pursuits in different and complementary ways. Your fire-sign relatives, Aries and Sagittarius, are also natural companions, but on a more casual level. Like you, they're used to being the leaders, but they'll allow you to preside over those areas you're good at, and you them.
You'll want to avoid partnerships with Gemini (they're mostly mind-oriented, you are all heart), Capricorn (you'll overpower them, and they're not likely to forgive your mistakes), and Pisces (you'll hurt them before you even realize it, and they'll harbor a long resentment).
Leo, of course, is a lion—the king of beasts, and the king of the zodiac signs. In Greek mythology, his singular audacity led him to leap from the heavens and battle Hercules, only to be killed. Although most present-day Leos are just as bold, they have thankfully learned to use their pride to better advantage.
Leo is ruled by the sun; the most advantageous day of the week is therefore Sunday. Since the sun is the eternal source of life and the center of our solar system, Leos are likewise the source of great happiness to the other signs, and quite naturally the center of attention in any group. It's also no accident that Leo falls in the center of the zodiacal year, during the earth's hottest months. Leo is therefore a fire sign.
Positive Qualities
You are a born leader, and you know it. You are blessed with many talents, and a destiny for greatness. The sun is a star; you, then, are the star of the zodiac. Because of this, you are eternally optimistic and cheerful. If something gets in your way, you conquer it, the way a lion will defeat virtually any foe in the jungle. And like a lion, you do so with dignity.
Your charm and generosity are unending, and people love you for it. You have a big heart—in fact, Leo rules the heart in the zodiacal body— and for this reason, you love buying a round of drinks, sharing colorful stories over a meal, and generally being the life of the party. Your many friends can always count on you for livening up their day. And best of all, they love you even more because you never ask for anything in return— you were born with gifts, so there's no need. You just love sharing them.
Like a cat, you are a hunter. You spot your prey, take aim, and pounce on your target. In human terms, this means your ambition is highly focused.
You know you will reach the top; it's just a question of when. Along the way, you are highly organized, frank, and outspoken—all qualities which focus on your target of being the leader.
Trouble Areas
You often expect people to do things for you. Especially the little things, details a leader like yourself shouldn't be bothered with. Well, in real life, this can cause its share of irritation, even among your admirers. It's fine to prioritize, but don't let arrogance come at the expense of friends or family.
You expect to be high priest and master of any group, and you will not tolerate a challenge to this position. You will either fight bravely and win, or exit the group with dignity and find another situation to preside over.
You also get upset by change. Once you've attained your leadership status, you prefer things as they are. If the apple cart is upset, you immediately feel your role is threatened. Not surprisingly, then, many Leos are Republicans.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Lions are large animals, and so are Leos. Everything about a Leo is on a grand scale. This is not to suggest obesity; quite the contrary. Leos are known for strong upper bodies and muscular tone, all the better to fight off predators and command the respect of the other signs.
Since Leo rules the heart, you are prone to heart disease. Your preference for red meat only compounds the problem. Also, your love of the sun can sometimes lead to heat exhaustion or sunstroke, so be careful there.
In fact, no other sign spends as much time in the sun as you. Your ideal vacation is a trip to a warm, tropical beach, where you can bask in the rays all day and show off your body. You tan eas-ily.
You enjoy summer sports that are social and outdoor-oriented, such as tennis or golf. Your other favorite activity is charity work, due to your unbridled generosity. You'll often spend a weekend presiding over and organizing fund-raisers for this group or that.
Finally, you love to be on stage, be it as an actor, musician, lecturer, or just about any type of performer. Whether professionally or just for fun, your need for attention leads you to constantly show yourself off.
Preferences
Since you are a fire sign, and the sign of the sun, you are naturally attracted to gold, yellow, orange, and red. You are also the king of signs, so naturally the royal colors purple and burgundy figure strongly in your life.
You like heavy, well-made clothes, but you make just about anything you wear look good, because of your confident bearing and posture.
Your taste in general leans toward the best of everything. Even if you can't afford it, you live the good life, buying expensive clothes and gifts, and taking luxurious trips. You'd rather spend than save.
You enjoy fancy cars, such as long limousines or sporty foreign models. You expect to attract attention everywhere you go, with everything you do, and your outward appearance in terms of clothes and cars is no exception.
Occupations/Financial Profile
Surprisingly, you sometimes have a problem settling into a career. This is because you know you were born to lead, and therefore you have little patience working your way up the ladder. Realistically, you can't expect to just inherit the chairmanship of a corporation out of college (although Leos are known for their good fortune when it comes to this sort of thing).
You will have to bide your time for awhile, at least, until your talents and popularity become obvious to those in charge. If you simply do not have the patience to be an underling for awhile, try employing yourself. Quite a few Leos are entertainers; others have successfully created their own businesses.
If you choose the corporate route, use your organizing skills. Take advantage of those opportunities that arise when people begin to naturally come to you for advice, and make sure everyone notices how skilled you are at handling problems and challenges.
The situations you want to avoid are those dead-end jobs where you become one of the cogs in the wheel, or one where you're alone most of the day, or where you feel confined. Get out of those jobs quickly, and find one where you can rise to the top without too much competition, or one where you're entering as a big fish in a small pond.
The list of famous Leos is extensive, because the sign is so successful by nature. It includes Henry Ford, who popularized the automobile, the dynastic conquerors Alexander the Great and Napoleon, the dictators Fidel Castro and Benito Mussolini, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille (who is famous for his grand epics, demonstrating the Leo trait for doing everything on a large scale), and the wonderfully generous Lucille Ball and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Love and Relationships
Although romantic opportunities are plentiful for you, choosing a life-long partner is rather difficult. Your natural tendency is towards the casual affair, but after awhile even you will get bored of this pattern. Here, then, is your challenge: you need to learn to settle down and compromise a little—unlike most of the challenges you're used to winning, this one requires giving up a little to succeed, quite the opposite of what you're used to. Furthermore, you're so open, straightforward, and generous with your heart that your sincerity can easily be manipulated. You? Outfoxed and deceived? It's true. After awhile, you'll find your truest companion to be Aquarius. It's your zodiacal opposite, but there are few conflicts here. You both prize your fellow man, believe in the same ideals, and admire creative pursuits in different and complementary ways. Your fire-sign relatives, Aries and Sagittarius, are also natural companions, but on a more casual level. Like you, they're used to being the leaders, but they'll allow you to preside over those areas you're good at, and you them.
You'll want to avoid partnerships with Gemini (they're mostly mind-oriented, you are all heart), Capricorn (you'll overpower them, and they're not likely to forgive your mistakes), and Pisces (you'll hurt them before you even realize it, and they'll harbor a long resentment).
CANCER (June 22-July 21)
Origin/Representation
It was the ancient Assyrians who first designated the crab as the symbol for Cancer, because they believed the crab to carry its home on its back. In fact, it's merely his skeleton. They were right in associating Cancers with being attached to their homes, however.
The primary reason they chose the crab is because the sun enters Cancer on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The next day, it begins its backward motion towards the equator. Therefore, as it moves forward through time, it's moving backwards in the sky. This apparent paradox is perfectly symbolized by the crab, which must move backwards in order to move forwards.
The word itself is derived from the Arabic "khan," which means resting place, and "keras," which refers to encircling arms. Put the two together, and you have a picture of a person who places a high value on his home life, and who is extremely caring.
Cancer is ruled by the moon, which presides over emotions (the tidal forces within us), home life, fertility, and maternal qualities. It is a water sign, so Cancerians tend to reside near an ocean, lake, or river. And it's the fourth house of the zodiac, which is physically represented by the breast and stomach, whose most pervasive quality is tenacity.
Positive Qualities
You are extremely sensitive, a quality that has its good and bad sides. Speaking positively, no other sign except Pisces feels as deeply as you do. You've had a great deal of tears-in-your-beer nights, and these experiences have led you to a deeper understanding of life, and a strong commitment to care for others, because you know what they're going through in times of trouble. You comfort, you counsel, you console. This makes you an ideal friend. Once you make a friend, you're always there for them, to bail them out, to keep their secrets, to take their hysterical late-night phone calls. If anyone or anything threatens them, you're the first to defend them— not by erupting into attack mode, but by retreating into a bunker and lying in wait, like a crab retreats into his hole. Your first line of defense is your tough outer shell, which is hard enough to crack. If threatened further, you then attack with your pincers.
The outer shell metaphor extends to the fact that you're most comfortable in your own home— more than any other sign, you are the domestic expert. You know exactly which furniture goes with which decor, or how to hang blinds, even how to fix the faucet. Combined with your caring side, this makes you an ideal mother or father—no matter how busy your career may get, your family and home life will always come first.
Trouble Areas
Although your tough outer shell is there for your own protection, you are frequently misunderstood because of it—on the outside, you appear reserved and even unfeeling. Inside, however, your still waters run very deep indeed. It often frustrates you that people don't see the real you, the side of you that cares so deeply for others; when you do let your emotions run to the surface, people just think you're being moody or touchy.
You have a tendency to brood, even to become severely depressed. You're always frowning, worrying about all your problems instead of enjoying the view—you probably live by a body of water, so step outside and let its power comfort you. Go fishing.
Ironically, because of your primal need for domestic tranquility, you often become too demanding of your mate. You want your home to be perfect, like some "Father Knows Best" fantasy family. You must realize that everyone has faults, that life isn't ever going to be perfect, and that you should just roll with it and do the best you can. Domestic strife is quite common with Cancerians for this reason, but it needn't be. Lighten up.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Since your sign rules the breast and stomach, you must treat those areas with extra care. There's a common misconception that Cancers are more likely to get the disease of cancer than any other sign. This is nonsense. Worry-wart that you are, you can at least stop fretting about that one. You are more prone to gastric ailments, coughs, and colds. Diet is especially important in your constitution, even more so because you have a tendency to eat a lot of fatty, nutritionally empty foods.
You most enjoy activities that alleviate the stress you've built up from all that worrying. Golf is popular among Cancerians for this very reason. Even better, any relaxing pastime that involves water is highly recommended—fishing, sailing, or for the more active, water-skiing.
Because of your domestic affinity, you also enjoy home-based hobbies. You might want to build an addition to your house (extending that shell), or continue perfecting it in some way—you always seem to have little projects to do around the home, be it painting, fixing, or strengthening its security.
Finally, needlework is popular among Cancerians, perhaps because it closely resembles the movement of a crab's pincers.
Many Cancerians are attracted to art—it's such an emotional sign, it's natural to feel the expression deeply. You may love photography in particular, because it captures the emotion of a moment. (It also involves silver, the color of the moon!)
Preferences
You are not a flashy person. Your colors are silver and white, because the moon is your ruling heavenly body. For this reason, your sense of style is unassuming. You prefer not to attract attention. In clothing, you prefer basics—you're especially fond of old T-shirts, jeans, boots, and jackets that have served you well over the years. In fact, when you finally admit you have to replace them, you'd just as soon buy new ones that look exactly like the old ones. You're just sentimentally attached to them, like old friends.
Similarly, you never choose a sporty car. Security is foremost in your mind, because your car is essentially an extension of your home, an outer shell on the highway. You are attracted to cars with rounded, crablike features, as long as they have a reputation for safety—most German and Swedish models fit this bill.
Your home reflects not only your passion for domestic tranquility, but also your caring side. You hate to throw things out, especially if they have the slightest sentimental value. You're not the tidiest person—you probably have drawers, closets, and shelves full of old letters, childhood drawings, photo albums and the like. You're sure to have photos of family and close friends where you spend the most time, such as a study. You probably get nagged a lot for being a pack rat, and your tenacious side fights back, refusing to part with every cherished souvenir. As with your worrying, you may need to compromise in this department in order to avoid domestic discord.
Occupations/Financial Profile
Your real talent is caring for people. Your depth of understanding and loyalty know no bounds, so you will eventually find yourself making a nice living in any occupation that requires this expertise. If you currently spend most of your working hours pushing papers, or operating machinery, you're in the wrong profession.
A great deal of Cancerians are managers, either on a corporate level or a small-business supervisory level, even in the entertainment or artistic worlds. You know every detail of what a person needs, how to soothe hurt feelings, how to stand up for someone in a crisis, and how to oversee an entire network of people working together harmoniously. Other Cancerian careers include nursing, teaching, curating a museum or library (these involve both caring for the work of generations and the sentimental pack rat instinct), and anything marine-oriented.
If you stick to these areas, you are bound to be financially successful. You are not an original thinker; rather, you expound on existing ideas, so it's not advisable to pursue your own business. You're better working within a given system or company, improving methods and earning the respect of your coworkers. Plus, you are a natural worrier and saver, so you've no doubt already planned for the worst. If you're an extreme case, you might even amass a fortune just because you're so concerned about not having enough to feed your family. Your anxious temperament will always protect you financially (and otherwise), but to truly enjoy lif e, you need to stop worrying about it so much.
Famous Cancerians include Helen Keller, perhaps the most heroic Cancerian of all, because she was able to emerge from the toughest outer shell fate could deal a person; "Silent" Calvin Coolidge; the introverted writers Ernest Hemingway and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous naval officer John Paul Jones, the painter Whistler (who's most famous work is of his mother—again, pictures of family take priority with a Cancerian), the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (most noted for the brooding quality of his work), industrialist Nelson Rockefeller (who amassed a fortune worrying), and King Henry VIII, who was obsessed with domestic perfection.
Love and Relationships
You are very prone to marrying early, only to have it fail. Your domestic instinct is so strorig it pulls you in as soon as is legally possible—in your case, often right out of high school. Unfortunately, most people are not prepared for the realities of such a young partnership, especially not you. Your need for domestic bliss only worsens the inevitable problems, and once your mate discovers you're soft on the inside, it could shatter his or her image of you as the hard protector. The trouble is, you're both at once, which makes it harder for you to achieve that perfect symbiosis.
That said, your ideal mate is likely to be Capricorn, but only after a few failed relationships. Once you reach your thirties and settle a bit, you're home free. Capricorns are your soulmates—they're just as shy and just as driven to perfection. You also may have an attraction to Scorpio, whose dominant nature should fit well with your caring side, and Rsces, who understands your depth of feeling like no other.
You'll want to avoid matches with Gemini (too flighty for you), Aries (too bold and self-centered), and Sagittarius (despite an initial attraction, the wandering, popular Sagittarian may be too much for you to handle, and jealousy and rage are right around the corner).
It was the ancient Assyrians who first designated the crab as the symbol for Cancer, because they believed the crab to carry its home on its back. In fact, it's merely his skeleton. They were right in associating Cancers with being attached to their homes, however.
The primary reason they chose the crab is because the sun enters Cancer on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The next day, it begins its backward motion towards the equator. Therefore, as it moves forward through time, it's moving backwards in the sky. This apparent paradox is perfectly symbolized by the crab, which must move backwards in order to move forwards.
The word itself is derived from the Arabic "khan," which means resting place, and "keras," which refers to encircling arms. Put the two together, and you have a picture of a person who places a high value on his home life, and who is extremely caring.
Cancer is ruled by the moon, which presides over emotions (the tidal forces within us), home life, fertility, and maternal qualities. It is a water sign, so Cancerians tend to reside near an ocean, lake, or river. And it's the fourth house of the zodiac, which is physically represented by the breast and stomach, whose most pervasive quality is tenacity.
Positive Qualities
You are extremely sensitive, a quality that has its good and bad sides. Speaking positively, no other sign except Pisces feels as deeply as you do. You've had a great deal of tears-in-your-beer nights, and these experiences have led you to a deeper understanding of life, and a strong commitment to care for others, because you know what they're going through in times of trouble. You comfort, you counsel, you console. This makes you an ideal friend. Once you make a friend, you're always there for them, to bail them out, to keep their secrets, to take their hysterical late-night phone calls. If anyone or anything threatens them, you're the first to defend them— not by erupting into attack mode, but by retreating into a bunker and lying in wait, like a crab retreats into his hole. Your first line of defense is your tough outer shell, which is hard enough to crack. If threatened further, you then attack with your pincers.
The outer shell metaphor extends to the fact that you're most comfortable in your own home— more than any other sign, you are the domestic expert. You know exactly which furniture goes with which decor, or how to hang blinds, even how to fix the faucet. Combined with your caring side, this makes you an ideal mother or father—no matter how busy your career may get, your family and home life will always come first.
Trouble Areas
Although your tough outer shell is there for your own protection, you are frequently misunderstood because of it—on the outside, you appear reserved and even unfeeling. Inside, however, your still waters run very deep indeed. It often frustrates you that people don't see the real you, the side of you that cares so deeply for others; when you do let your emotions run to the surface, people just think you're being moody or touchy.
You have a tendency to brood, even to become severely depressed. You're always frowning, worrying about all your problems instead of enjoying the view—you probably live by a body of water, so step outside and let its power comfort you. Go fishing.
Ironically, because of your primal need for domestic tranquility, you often become too demanding of your mate. You want your home to be perfect, like some "Father Knows Best" fantasy family. You must realize that everyone has faults, that life isn't ever going to be perfect, and that you should just roll with it and do the best you can. Domestic strife is quite common with Cancerians for this reason, but it needn't be. Lighten up.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Since your sign rules the breast and stomach, you must treat those areas with extra care. There's a common misconception that Cancers are more likely to get the disease of cancer than any other sign. This is nonsense. Worry-wart that you are, you can at least stop fretting about that one. You are more prone to gastric ailments, coughs, and colds. Diet is especially important in your constitution, even more so because you have a tendency to eat a lot of fatty, nutritionally empty foods.
You most enjoy activities that alleviate the stress you've built up from all that worrying. Golf is popular among Cancerians for this very reason. Even better, any relaxing pastime that involves water is highly recommended—fishing, sailing, or for the more active, water-skiing.
Because of your domestic affinity, you also enjoy home-based hobbies. You might want to build an addition to your house (extending that shell), or continue perfecting it in some way—you always seem to have little projects to do around the home, be it painting, fixing, or strengthening its security.
Finally, needlework is popular among Cancerians, perhaps because it closely resembles the movement of a crab's pincers.
Many Cancerians are attracted to art—it's such an emotional sign, it's natural to feel the expression deeply. You may love photography in particular, because it captures the emotion of a moment. (It also involves silver, the color of the moon!)
Preferences
You are not a flashy person. Your colors are silver and white, because the moon is your ruling heavenly body. For this reason, your sense of style is unassuming. You prefer not to attract attention. In clothing, you prefer basics—you're especially fond of old T-shirts, jeans, boots, and jackets that have served you well over the years. In fact, when you finally admit you have to replace them, you'd just as soon buy new ones that look exactly like the old ones. You're just sentimentally attached to them, like old friends.
Similarly, you never choose a sporty car. Security is foremost in your mind, because your car is essentially an extension of your home, an outer shell on the highway. You are attracted to cars with rounded, crablike features, as long as they have a reputation for safety—most German and Swedish models fit this bill.
Your home reflects not only your passion for domestic tranquility, but also your caring side. You hate to throw things out, especially if they have the slightest sentimental value. You're not the tidiest person—you probably have drawers, closets, and shelves full of old letters, childhood drawings, photo albums and the like. You're sure to have photos of family and close friends where you spend the most time, such as a study. You probably get nagged a lot for being a pack rat, and your tenacious side fights back, refusing to part with every cherished souvenir. As with your worrying, you may need to compromise in this department in order to avoid domestic discord.
Occupations/Financial Profile
Your real talent is caring for people. Your depth of understanding and loyalty know no bounds, so you will eventually find yourself making a nice living in any occupation that requires this expertise. If you currently spend most of your working hours pushing papers, or operating machinery, you're in the wrong profession.
A great deal of Cancerians are managers, either on a corporate level or a small-business supervisory level, even in the entertainment or artistic worlds. You know every detail of what a person needs, how to soothe hurt feelings, how to stand up for someone in a crisis, and how to oversee an entire network of people working together harmoniously. Other Cancerian careers include nursing, teaching, curating a museum or library (these involve both caring for the work of generations and the sentimental pack rat instinct), and anything marine-oriented.
If you stick to these areas, you are bound to be financially successful. You are not an original thinker; rather, you expound on existing ideas, so it's not advisable to pursue your own business. You're better working within a given system or company, improving methods and earning the respect of your coworkers. Plus, you are a natural worrier and saver, so you've no doubt already planned for the worst. If you're an extreme case, you might even amass a fortune just because you're so concerned about not having enough to feed your family. Your anxious temperament will always protect you financially (and otherwise), but to truly enjoy lif e, you need to stop worrying about it so much.
Famous Cancerians include Helen Keller, perhaps the most heroic Cancerian of all, because she was able to emerge from the toughest outer shell fate could deal a person; "Silent" Calvin Coolidge; the introverted writers Ernest Hemingway and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous naval officer John Paul Jones, the painter Whistler (who's most famous work is of his mother—again, pictures of family take priority with a Cancerian), the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (most noted for the brooding quality of his work), industrialist Nelson Rockefeller (who amassed a fortune worrying), and King Henry VIII, who was obsessed with domestic perfection.
Love and Relationships
You are very prone to marrying early, only to have it fail. Your domestic instinct is so strorig it pulls you in as soon as is legally possible—in your case, often right out of high school. Unfortunately, most people are not prepared for the realities of such a young partnership, especially not you. Your need for domestic bliss only worsens the inevitable problems, and once your mate discovers you're soft on the inside, it could shatter his or her image of you as the hard protector. The trouble is, you're both at once, which makes it harder for you to achieve that perfect symbiosis.
That said, your ideal mate is likely to be Capricorn, but only after a few failed relationships. Once you reach your thirties and settle a bit, you're home free. Capricorns are your soulmates—they're just as shy and just as driven to perfection. You also may have an attraction to Scorpio, whose dominant nature should fit well with your caring side, and Rsces, who understands your depth of feeling like no other.
You'll want to avoid matches with Gemini (too flighty for you), Aries (too bold and self-centered), and Sagittarius (despite an initial attraction, the wandering, popular Sagittarian may be too much for you to handle, and jealousy and rage are right around the corner).
GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
Origin/Representation
Gemini is symbolized by twins. In Greek astrology, those twins were Castor and Pollux, twin stars in the sky and heroic brothers in myth. Castor was a great horseman, and Pollux was a champion boxer (ironic, because Gemini is not normally a violent sign). More commonly, the twins are thought of as bright children, which gives Gemini a sense of mirth, innocence, and great wonder.
Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury, which symbolizes great intelligence, communication (Mercury was the Messenger of the gods), eloquence, inquisitiveness, diversity, travel, speed, and changeability. If you are a Gemini, Wednesday is your lucky day (mercredi in French), and your best color is likely to be silver or gray.
Positive Qualities
First of all, you're a great thinker. Many of the world's intellectuals are Geminis. Your mind is insatiable—it's so quick on the uptake that you can't understand why everyone else is just now grasping what you got in a split second. In fact, by the time it takes them to catch up with you, your mind has become bored by the inactivity. You've already turned and twisted the knowledge around just to see what would happen, and to keep your mind active.
Some people mistake this playful brilliance as deception or dishonesty, because they can't keep up with you. But you're just trying to keep things interesting. Your mind needs to be fed with new ideas on a constant basis. Having recognized this at an early age, you've become remarkably adept at satisfying it. Wit is your forte. You love to laugh, because you're so good at sharp humor. You're particularly fond of puns and wordplay—Mercury rules writing, language, and a love of words—so you're quite the social charmer.
You're popular, and you know it. You enjoy people, and you love to watch them to keep your mind busy. You're at your best at parties, bars, the office water cooler—anywhere you can find people with whom you can laugh. You thrive on gossip and news—you need information constantly, more even than food.
You're an avid reader—again, because of your need for ideas and your love of words. In fact, you're one of the few people who can read a book, watch TV, and talk on the phone all at the same time—you relish thinking on several levels at once.
You have a natural affinity for word puzzles— you're unbeatable at Scrabble and a regular crossword solver—but you should consider using your language talents for more useful purposes. Learn a foreign language, or read more constructively for knowledge that will help you in the real world. You certainly have the aptitude for it—it's just a question of applying yourself.
Many Geminis are multi-talented. The great thinker Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21) was a poet, novelist, and philosopher; John F. Kennedy (May 29) was not only a great president but also a respected author (Profiles in Courage) and one of
America's most gifted intellectuals. The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (June 5) showed his precocity by penning his most famous pieces at a young age, then, like a true Gemini, not content to rest on his laurels, continued to innovate and experiment to satisfy his own mind, at the expense of confusing the public. He even lectured on poetry at Harvard.
Trouble Areas
Since Gemini is represented by twins, some people believe the sign has a tendency towards schizophrenia, or at the very worst, a dishonest, two-faced character. The truth is, you're probably just misunderstood. To you, it's natural to think on two levels at once, but others can't understand it. Similarly, your playfulness is easily misinterpreted as deceit, so be careful not to overdo it, and try to be more aware of others' reactions to you. Quite often, you're so busy entertaining, charming, and theorizing that you don't stop to notice the effect of your words—you're too preoccupied with the next thought to see where the last one went.
As brilliant as your mind can be, you have to work to rein it in. Your attention wanders off a lot, as does your train of thought. Sartre can be lucid and penetrating on one page, then wander off on an errant tangent the next. If you organize your thoughts with more patience, your words will have more power. Otherwise, people are likely to react to you by saying things like, "That's very interesting, but who cares?"
You tend to be careless in many ways. Gemini is an air sign, ruled by Mercury, both of which represent thoughts and ideas at the expense of feelings and sentimentality. So you are not easily hurt, but you can hurt others without even realizing it. And since you have little patience, you have difficulty spending a long time with one person—you grow bored too easily—so your chances of settling down are limited unless you can tame this instinct and learn to appreciate a slower, richer experience. For this reason, divorce rates among Geminis are exceedingly high. (Even in Kennedy's case, his wife Jackie was seemingly ideal from our perspective, yet she was not enough to keep his interest from wandering to the likes of Marilyn Monroe.)
Other signs of carelessness in Geminis include chronic unpunctuality, a tendency to change jobs as soon as the current one loses your interest, and a penchant for leaving projects unfinished. You are a sampler of everything, but a master of very few. You just can't seem to devote yourself wholeheartedly to one area of expertise, so you never acquire the thorough depth of knowledge required for success in that field. You bob on the surface of life, but rarely dive into it too deeply.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Gemini is an air sign, and the fact that it's ruled by Mercury also indicates speed. So you are most likely to be light and airy in many ways, including physical stature. You are slight and small-boned, but your most distinguishing features are your expressive eyes. They're busy watching everything, so they react a lot, moving from side to side, even expanding and dilating.
You love music, and if you play, it probably involves fingerwork and air—the flute is a natural choice for you. Your favorite sport is likely to be tennis—it involves lots of movement and action, yet not so much that you have to work incredibly hard at it. It's also social—not only as a way to have fun with a friend, but to see others at a tennis club.
Your sign rules the chest, lungs, arms, and hands, so these areas are particularly susceptible to ailments. You're more likely to get a common cold than other people, so take extra measures to avoid it. You're also prone to nervous disorders, so don't overwork or overdo the caffeine. Light exercise—tennis, walking, skating, anything involving ease of movement and companionship that doesn't demand hard work or extraordinary skill—is highly recommended for you.
Preferences
Variety is truly the spice of your life. You hate to wear the same types of clothes all the time. You prefer separates, so you can mix and match them.
Also, plain prints are boring to you—you'll take a pattern of some kind, any kind, any day. Since movement is important, they must be light and comfortable. You don't like dark colors, only wearing them when you absolutely have to, and you quite like grey.
Your home belongs in a populated area, with lots of windows, so you can see people. You hate missing out on what's going on or being isolated. You also can't stand being confined, so you must have lots of room to move around. You do tend to have plenty of books and magazines, though, thanks to your need to feed your mind and your love of words.
You like to change the interior layout often, because you think it's boring for things to look the same all the time. You can also be quite fussy about where everything should be and how it looks—each room is color-coordinated and arranged just so, and neatness is important. This is because your home is often the center of activity socially—you must entertain a great deal, so it's vital that your home is impressive.
Food is not terribly important to you, except as a means to interact with people. You prefer to go out to lunch and dinner with company—eating alone is simply out of the question, because mealtime is your prime social hour. As a result, you do more talking than eating. You do enjoy lighter meals, and you especially like the variety of a buffet or salad bar. Heavier foods like steaks and roasts are definitely not your first choice—you get bored chewing so much—but chicken or tuna is okay. Fortunately, overeating is not one of your chief concerns, unless it's due to overstress—that's when you have a tendency to abuse food, so be careful there.
Occupations/Financial Profile
There are many Geminis in the communications field—radio, TV, journalism, publishing, and the like—for several reasons. Mercury, your planetary ruler, presides over communications and your skill with words. And you demand variety in your job: if you've met its challenge, and it becomes routine, you feel the urge to move on to the next project. In the communications field, people move around constantly. It's part of the deal. And in journalism, no day is ever the same twice—the hunger for information, the "newness" of news, keeps the famous Gemini restlessness content.
Geminis are also prevalent in the acting profession. The dual nature of the sign of the twins means that you can be yourself and a character at the same time. Plus, it allows your creativity to flourish, and you can move from project to project. Perhaps the only undesirable role would be in a long-running stage production, wherein you would have to repeat the same performance over and over for an extended period of time. Famous
Gemini actors include some of the best—Sir Laurence Olivier, John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks, Bob Hope (who used the Gemini way with words in his joke-telling), Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Tony Curtis.
Your other talent is social. Anything that involves lots of human contact is up your alley, be it sales, promotion, or buying. Your way with words is an asset as an account executive, salesperson, or marketing rep. This might get you a promotion, but you're likely to get bored sitting behind a desk and long for the day-to-day human contact again.
Your love of words also can lead you to a career in literature, or perhaps even songwriting. Cole Porter, the master of clever wordplay in popular song lyrics, was born on June 9th. Literary Geminis include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the great poets Walt Whitman and William Butler Yeats.
You would be best served by finding a job that makes full use of your ingenuity, imagination, and love of ideas. Anything that requires quick thinking is also recommended, as long as it's not repetitive. You do not want a job that's static, or one that requires serious responsibility for the welfare of others (you're approach to people is light and social, not heavy and responsible), or one that involves manual labor.
Financially, you're as compulsive as you are in other areas. You are prone to capricious whims, so spending can easily be excessive. You're the type of person, for instance, that doesn't plan vacations—if you feel like flying off to Hawaii for a small vacation tomorrow, you'll slap down a credit card and do it. Later, when it comes time to justify the bills, you've got a problem, and then you're likely to avoid it and hope fate intervenes somehow. You think you'll get a promotion later, or win the lottery, or inherit money, and pay it off later. Pretty soon you're spending more on a shopping spree and getting further into debt, rationalizing it the same way. Obviously, this is not right. Your biggest challenge as a Gemini, in fact, could be keeping your financial binges in check. Train yourself to be more conservative with money.
One great way to turn this pattern around is to make your ingenuity work for you financially by creating money, not spending it. Think of new ways you can make money. Your mind is full of ideas—use them constructively. Perhaps a hobby can earn you money; if you're a writer, as so many Geminis are, find new publications to sell your work to; if you're in sales, think of a new approach that will generate new clients. You get the idea.
Love and Relationships
You are famous for your restlessness, especially in romance. You get bored easily, and as with other things in your life, you like to sample everything and everyone. Your best match is with Libra, who has just enough in common with you and just enough that's different. Your whims and fancies will be much appreciated and understood by the sign that loves to love. You also fare well in long-term relationships with Aquarius, who also is just capricious enough for you. You may find yourself attracted to Leos at first, but this pairing is ultimately unstable.
Those you should avoid are Taurus (too slow for you), Cancer (too stable and domestic) and Pisces (too emotionally needy—you'd hurt them far too often).
Gemini is symbolized by twins. In Greek astrology, those twins were Castor and Pollux, twin stars in the sky and heroic brothers in myth. Castor was a great horseman, and Pollux was a champion boxer (ironic, because Gemini is not normally a violent sign). More commonly, the twins are thought of as bright children, which gives Gemini a sense of mirth, innocence, and great wonder.
Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury, which symbolizes great intelligence, communication (Mercury was the Messenger of the gods), eloquence, inquisitiveness, diversity, travel, speed, and changeability. If you are a Gemini, Wednesday is your lucky day (mercredi in French), and your best color is likely to be silver or gray.
Positive Qualities
First of all, you're a great thinker. Many of the world's intellectuals are Geminis. Your mind is insatiable—it's so quick on the uptake that you can't understand why everyone else is just now grasping what you got in a split second. In fact, by the time it takes them to catch up with you, your mind has become bored by the inactivity. You've already turned and twisted the knowledge around just to see what would happen, and to keep your mind active.
Some people mistake this playful brilliance as deception or dishonesty, because they can't keep up with you. But you're just trying to keep things interesting. Your mind needs to be fed with new ideas on a constant basis. Having recognized this at an early age, you've become remarkably adept at satisfying it. Wit is your forte. You love to laugh, because you're so good at sharp humor. You're particularly fond of puns and wordplay—Mercury rules writing, language, and a love of words—so you're quite the social charmer.
You're popular, and you know it. You enjoy people, and you love to watch them to keep your mind busy. You're at your best at parties, bars, the office water cooler—anywhere you can find people with whom you can laugh. You thrive on gossip and news—you need information constantly, more even than food.
You're an avid reader—again, because of your need for ideas and your love of words. In fact, you're one of the few people who can read a book, watch TV, and talk on the phone all at the same time—you relish thinking on several levels at once.
You have a natural affinity for word puzzles— you're unbeatable at Scrabble and a regular crossword solver—but you should consider using your language talents for more useful purposes. Learn a foreign language, or read more constructively for knowledge that will help you in the real world. You certainly have the aptitude for it—it's just a question of applying yourself.
Many Geminis are multi-talented. The great thinker Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21) was a poet, novelist, and philosopher; John F. Kennedy (May 29) was not only a great president but also a respected author (Profiles in Courage) and one of
America's most gifted intellectuals. The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (June 5) showed his precocity by penning his most famous pieces at a young age, then, like a true Gemini, not content to rest on his laurels, continued to innovate and experiment to satisfy his own mind, at the expense of confusing the public. He even lectured on poetry at Harvard.
Trouble Areas
Since Gemini is represented by twins, some people believe the sign has a tendency towards schizophrenia, or at the very worst, a dishonest, two-faced character. The truth is, you're probably just misunderstood. To you, it's natural to think on two levels at once, but others can't understand it. Similarly, your playfulness is easily misinterpreted as deceit, so be careful not to overdo it, and try to be more aware of others' reactions to you. Quite often, you're so busy entertaining, charming, and theorizing that you don't stop to notice the effect of your words—you're too preoccupied with the next thought to see where the last one went.
As brilliant as your mind can be, you have to work to rein it in. Your attention wanders off a lot, as does your train of thought. Sartre can be lucid and penetrating on one page, then wander off on an errant tangent the next. If you organize your thoughts with more patience, your words will have more power. Otherwise, people are likely to react to you by saying things like, "That's very interesting, but who cares?"
You tend to be careless in many ways. Gemini is an air sign, ruled by Mercury, both of which represent thoughts and ideas at the expense of feelings and sentimentality. So you are not easily hurt, but you can hurt others without even realizing it. And since you have little patience, you have difficulty spending a long time with one person—you grow bored too easily—so your chances of settling down are limited unless you can tame this instinct and learn to appreciate a slower, richer experience. For this reason, divorce rates among Geminis are exceedingly high. (Even in Kennedy's case, his wife Jackie was seemingly ideal from our perspective, yet she was not enough to keep his interest from wandering to the likes of Marilyn Monroe.)
Other signs of carelessness in Geminis include chronic unpunctuality, a tendency to change jobs as soon as the current one loses your interest, and a penchant for leaving projects unfinished. You are a sampler of everything, but a master of very few. You just can't seem to devote yourself wholeheartedly to one area of expertise, so you never acquire the thorough depth of knowledge required for success in that field. You bob on the surface of life, but rarely dive into it too deeply.
Physical Qualities and Activities
Gemini is an air sign, and the fact that it's ruled by Mercury also indicates speed. So you are most likely to be light and airy in many ways, including physical stature. You are slight and small-boned, but your most distinguishing features are your expressive eyes. They're busy watching everything, so they react a lot, moving from side to side, even expanding and dilating.
You love music, and if you play, it probably involves fingerwork and air—the flute is a natural choice for you. Your favorite sport is likely to be tennis—it involves lots of movement and action, yet not so much that you have to work incredibly hard at it. It's also social—not only as a way to have fun with a friend, but to see others at a tennis club.
Your sign rules the chest, lungs, arms, and hands, so these areas are particularly susceptible to ailments. You're more likely to get a common cold than other people, so take extra measures to avoid it. You're also prone to nervous disorders, so don't overwork or overdo the caffeine. Light exercise—tennis, walking, skating, anything involving ease of movement and companionship that doesn't demand hard work or extraordinary skill—is highly recommended for you.
Preferences
Variety is truly the spice of your life. You hate to wear the same types of clothes all the time. You prefer separates, so you can mix and match them.
Also, plain prints are boring to you—you'll take a pattern of some kind, any kind, any day. Since movement is important, they must be light and comfortable. You don't like dark colors, only wearing them when you absolutely have to, and you quite like grey.
Your home belongs in a populated area, with lots of windows, so you can see people. You hate missing out on what's going on or being isolated. You also can't stand being confined, so you must have lots of room to move around. You do tend to have plenty of books and magazines, though, thanks to your need to feed your mind and your love of words.
You like to change the interior layout often, because you think it's boring for things to look the same all the time. You can also be quite fussy about where everything should be and how it looks—each room is color-coordinated and arranged just so, and neatness is important. This is because your home is often the center of activity socially—you must entertain a great deal, so it's vital that your home is impressive.
Food is not terribly important to you, except as a means to interact with people. You prefer to go out to lunch and dinner with company—eating alone is simply out of the question, because mealtime is your prime social hour. As a result, you do more talking than eating. You do enjoy lighter meals, and you especially like the variety of a buffet or salad bar. Heavier foods like steaks and roasts are definitely not your first choice—you get bored chewing so much—but chicken or tuna is okay. Fortunately, overeating is not one of your chief concerns, unless it's due to overstress—that's when you have a tendency to abuse food, so be careful there.
Occupations/Financial Profile
There are many Geminis in the communications field—radio, TV, journalism, publishing, and the like—for several reasons. Mercury, your planetary ruler, presides over communications and your skill with words. And you demand variety in your job: if you've met its challenge, and it becomes routine, you feel the urge to move on to the next project. In the communications field, people move around constantly. It's part of the deal. And in journalism, no day is ever the same twice—the hunger for information, the "newness" of news, keeps the famous Gemini restlessness content.
Geminis are also prevalent in the acting profession. The dual nature of the sign of the twins means that you can be yourself and a character at the same time. Plus, it allows your creativity to flourish, and you can move from project to project. Perhaps the only undesirable role would be in a long-running stage production, wherein you would have to repeat the same performance over and over for an extended period of time. Famous
Gemini actors include some of the best—Sir Laurence Olivier, John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks, Bob Hope (who used the Gemini way with words in his joke-telling), Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Tony Curtis.
Your other talent is social. Anything that involves lots of human contact is up your alley, be it sales, promotion, or buying. Your way with words is an asset as an account executive, salesperson, or marketing rep. This might get you a promotion, but you're likely to get bored sitting behind a desk and long for the day-to-day human contact again.
Your love of words also can lead you to a career in literature, or perhaps even songwriting. Cole Porter, the master of clever wordplay in popular song lyrics, was born on June 9th. Literary Geminis include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the great poets Walt Whitman and William Butler Yeats.
You would be best served by finding a job that makes full use of your ingenuity, imagination, and love of ideas. Anything that requires quick thinking is also recommended, as long as it's not repetitive. You do not want a job that's static, or one that requires serious responsibility for the welfare of others (you're approach to people is light and social, not heavy and responsible), or one that involves manual labor.
Financially, you're as compulsive as you are in other areas. You are prone to capricious whims, so spending can easily be excessive. You're the type of person, for instance, that doesn't plan vacations—if you feel like flying off to Hawaii for a small vacation tomorrow, you'll slap down a credit card and do it. Later, when it comes time to justify the bills, you've got a problem, and then you're likely to avoid it and hope fate intervenes somehow. You think you'll get a promotion later, or win the lottery, or inherit money, and pay it off later. Pretty soon you're spending more on a shopping spree and getting further into debt, rationalizing it the same way. Obviously, this is not right. Your biggest challenge as a Gemini, in fact, could be keeping your financial binges in check. Train yourself to be more conservative with money.
One great way to turn this pattern around is to make your ingenuity work for you financially by creating money, not spending it. Think of new ways you can make money. Your mind is full of ideas—use them constructively. Perhaps a hobby can earn you money; if you're a writer, as so many Geminis are, find new publications to sell your work to; if you're in sales, think of a new approach that will generate new clients. You get the idea.
Love and Relationships
You are famous for your restlessness, especially in romance. You get bored easily, and as with other things in your life, you like to sample everything and everyone. Your best match is with Libra, who has just enough in common with you and just enough that's different. Your whims and fancies will be much appreciated and understood by the sign that loves to love. You also fare well in long-term relationships with Aquarius, who also is just capricious enough for you. You may find yourself attracted to Leos at first, but this pairing is ultimately unstable.
Those you should avoid are Taurus (too slow for you), Cancer (too stable and domestic) and Pisces (too emotionally needy—you'd hurt them far too often).
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