Star Struck Style

I’m late with my 2020 horoscopes because distractions have kept me away from my computer. I wasn’t really in a hurry to get them posted, anyway, because the big astrological news for the year happens in the second week of January.

A conjunction between Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn occurs on January 12. After that, we have to wait until December 21 for another “generational” aspect: the so-called “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius.

Of course, there are plenty of other things going on in the sky throughout the year (including a Mars retrograde cycle in Aries), but those are the big events that have many of my fellow astrologers sounding the alarm. I’m not so worried, though, because I’m not only a Capricorn who appreciates the slow and steady pace that Saturn brings when it transits the signs over which it rules, but I’m also an old goat who has been through this before. In fact, I think I’ve been through worse. 1990, the stellium in Capricorn was punctuated by a Jupiter/Saturn opposition on the critical degree where the Saturn/Pluto conjunction is happening in just a few days from now.

Looking back, it was a significant time in my history where I worked hard to lay down the foundation for the life I have today. Perhaps that is the way we need to think of this current cycle. If the planet Saturn can teach us anything, it’s that two steps forward and one step back still equals progress. Let that be your mantra for 2020, regardless of your zodiac sign.

Anyway, here are your horoscopes for the upcoming year. I hope that you enjoy them! To pay me back for writing them, please share them with your friends on your social media accounts. Alternatively, you can stuff a few bills into the waistband of my pants if you see me out in public. Thanks in advance . . .

Aries: Disagreements with coworkers and an overwhelming sense of discontent concerning your career could have you running for the door as the year begins. Is this really the life you chose for yourself? Sure, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have more choices to make. You can decide to be miserable, or you can choose to make the changes necessary to ensure your well-being. Take care of yourself in the meantime. A new direction might not reveal itself before late November, but it will shine like the North Star near Christmastime when your friends help to show you the way forward.

Taurus: “Promise” will be your theme as 2020 begins, and then each day after that. You’re more eager and optimistic to see what’s ahead of you than you have been in years. And even when things don’t work out as planned, your ability to remain positive should pervade almost everything you do. Just don’t let exuberance get the best of you, or you’ll have some explaining to do in 2021. It won’t matter if you’re apologizing to your mother, your parole officer, or your AA sponsor; when you’ve lost their trust, your promises won’t mean anything. Don’t let that happen, Taurus. Promise yourself that you’ll behave in the upcoming year.

Gemini: Everyone is talking about the Saturn/Pluto conjunction on January 12. However, no one is talking about how your ruling planet, Mercury, is going to be in exactly the same place during this rare astrological event. But they shouldn’t be talking, and neither should you. The entire year could be ruined by something you should have kept to yourself. Your words will have a way of coming back to haunt you throughout 2020, so be sure to choose them carefully. In late December, you can get back to shouting from the rooftops. Just don’t be surprised if everyone else in the world has tuned you out by then.

Cancer: With so many planets bombarding your solar seventh house of partnerships, this could be the year you actually discover true love. Just as likely, it could be a year of dissolution and broken bonds. The first three weeks of January may prove to be the catalyst for whatever happens later in 2020. Maybe you’ll feel some chemistry with someone you just met, or maybe the relationship you’re in will finally reach critical mass before it erupts into flames. Whatever happens, put your own needs under the microscope and figure out why you attract the people you attract. What you learn about yourself now will rewrite the formula for the next few years of your life.

Leo: Reality slaps you across the face as the year begins. To be fair, you should have seen it coming. In December of 2019, your life began to take on a more serious tone. If you didn’t spend the entire holiday season avoiding the truth, you’re probably in a good position to take a slap or two. If you you’ve been living in your own version of reality where bills don’t need to be paid and your boss doesn’t care if you show up to work, then perhaps that slap will make you snap out of it. Resolve to be more practical in 2020 because it’s going be easier to take a figurative beating — and to fight back when necessary — when you’ve got both feet firmly planted on the ground.

Virgo: All the planetary action in your solar fifth house as the year begins could have you feeling like things are going your way. But which way is that? Your inner Virgo may be advising you to stay on the straight and narrow: the same path you always take. Meanwhile, the road less-traveled might seem more appealing than ever because you actually feel like taking some risks. My advice is to follow the fork in the road that appeals to the most Virgo-like part of your character. Late in the year, those Virgo qualities (orderliness; forethought; perfectionism) will be all you need to move into the new decade with the certainty that you’ve made the right choice.

Libra: Hibernation might seem like valid strategy as the year begins, but as the days begin to grow longer, you’ll start to feel your energy returning. Soon after, however, you’ll want to crawl back into your hole. Unfortunately, inconsistent energy levels will be a theme throughout 2020 as Venus turns retrograde in your ninth house in late spring and Saturn vacillates between your fourth and fifth houses. What’s more, Mars’ retrograde cycle later in the year occurs in your personalized seventh house. No matter how you look at it, it’s going to be the sort of year where you’re not sure if you’re coming or going. Can you bear it, Libra?

Scorpio: If you feel the compulsion to clam up as the year gets underway, heed that warning. What lies beneath will only have a way of making it to the surface if you allow it to. As the year progresses and planets begin to rise up from the deepest, darkest parts of your chart, maybe you won’t have to worry about those things that you once thought should never see the light of day. Just remember that planetary influences later in the year favor a more selective strategy: coming out of your shell when it’s appropriate, and keeping to yourself otherwise.

Sagittarius: Plenty of you Sagittarius natives have been shopping like there’s no tomorrow. When Jupiter entered your second house in late 2019, it gave you a green light to spend money that you still haven’t earned. Now that the credit cards statements are rolling in (and more troublesome alignments are occurring in that part of your chart), you’re probably regretting your choices. But regrets won’t pay your bills, and neither will beating yourself up over mistakes you’ve already made. Just stop making bad decisions or 2021 is going to be the year when you really have to pay up.

Capricorn: The ball is in your court, Capricorn. For much of the year, you’ll be serving aces without really trying. And even if you face some real competition, the slow and steady approach that has taken you to the top of the rankings will prove to be more effective than ever. The only thing that can keep you from making 2020 your “Grand Slam” year is your relationship with money. You need to ask yourself if you want to be remembered as one of the best players the game has ever known, or if you want to be rich when this is all over. What’s it going to be?

Aquarius: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .”. You’re probably familiar with that quote from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” Dickens was an Aquarius, and it’s likely that he experienced a few years like the one that has just begun. But if the hard times seem to outnumber the good, just remember that it’s all uphill from here. Come December, you’ll be ushering in an era where you will be steering the plot for years to come. Don’t allow a bleak outlook to keep you from having great expectations of what the future holds. As Dickens wrote in “Oliver Twist,” “Some people are nobody’s enemies but their own.”

Pisces: You may have spent the last year or two wondering who your friends are. What you might not have considered is what kind of friend you have been. Some tough transits have put some distance between you and the people who have had your back in the past. Sure, it might not be entirely your fault, but if you don’t accept some of the blame, it’s likely that you’ll never get back to that place where someone is always there when you need them. Don’t sabotage your future by being intractable or self-isolating. Remember that fish swim in schools because there is strength in numbers.