This week

The really pretty things that are heading our way in the coming eight days come from the Sun’s hook up to Mercury, Venus, and the Moon’s nodes, all in Capricorn. It’s a time for sharing what we know and gathering information (remember Mercury’s retrograde) but all in the spirit of wearing hearts on sleeves and owning our part in the bigger picture. This process culminates in a New Moon eclipse on the 15th in the same zone. This week then, the ‘Scopes look at the Messages of Your Inner Goat: Tuesday 5th and then Monday – Wednesday 11th – 13th are dates for your diary.


On Inspiration and the Torment of Getting Lost
I mentioned at the top of the January monthlies that over the Christmas hols I’d had some sad news about an old friend. It's here, and it's sad, so feel free to skip straight to the scopes below. In my ongoing quest to find the meaning of life, I once spent three years working as a seasonal gardener. It was at a property here in England and involved a lot of mowing, weeding, sawing things now and again, more mowing, pruning roses, weeding and yet more mowing. And did I mention the mowing? Anyhoo, for those three years I worked with Alan, the head gardener, and Sam who was Alan’s all year round right hand man. Sam was a hard nut to crack. He was tough as boots on first impression, and I thought, found me to be a naïve dolt. One day, early in that first season, I had taken affront with the boys. They’d ignored me when I arrived at work and I was tired of their little boys club of two. When they offered to lift and carry and push the barrows I told them that I maybe a girlie but I was strong - and back-breaking as it was I matched them barrow-load for barrow-load. At lunchtime, Sam asked if I was alright and I said No! I told him I didn’t care if they liked me or not but at least they could be polite and say hello when I turned up. ‘But I didn’t see you,’ he said. ‘Bollocks,’ said I. ‘I was right in front of you.’ ‘Honestly, I didn’t…’ and with that he disappeared. Twenty minutes later Sam came back with a flower that he had carved out of two pieces of twig using the knife he always kept in his pocket. ‘I thought this would cheer you up,’ he said. It was beautiful – and what a way to make a breakthrough. That lunch break I apologised to both of them for being a twat – and after that the three of us became a happy family. Sam and I were like pesky kids always up to mischief, and Alan the Daddy bear who gave us tasks to do and reprimanded us when we became too hyper. These were halcyon days. Sam and I would chase each other across the grounds on our tractors, squirting water from two litre bottles as we roared passed each other. On rainy days we would retreat to the windowless Shed and drink tea and go stir crazy. One afternoon it was raining stair rods. Alan told us to clean and oil the deck to the tractor in the workshop, and then he disappeared. After half an hour we were bored stupid and were chasing each other around with oil cans. A tinny radio was blaring away in the corner and all of a sudden Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl came on and we burst out into the rain and began to cartwheel and dance until we were soaked to the skin.

In the Autumn, we’d rake the leaves into great piles in the back of the trailer and then dive into them. In the winter Sam taught me how to flail ditches and lay hedges. Some of those gardening days were the happiest of my life. I remember once helping Sam pollard a tree that was growing into overhead cables. He was 30 feet up in the air, moving with such grace and cutting with such precision, I was on the ground pulling on the rope whenever he told me to. Sam could tell you the names of all the trees and the birds, the grasses on the meadows. He loved dragonflies and damsel flies, played guitar in a band, and even made his own guitar. He was brilliant, and he was my hero.

I moved away four years ago and we all lost touch. Then this December, I was heading to see some pals and happened to be driving right passed the gates to the gardens. I knew it would be funny as anything to rock up at the door of The Shed and catch them on a tea break. But it wasn’t to be. As I pulled into the grounds, I bumped into the house manager. She told me that Alan was on holiday – but when I asked about Sam, she shook her head. Sam had committed suicide the previous year.

We never socialised outside of work, so I may never knew what drew him down to such darkness. I knew he was married and had three children that he adored. But somehow he lost his way and in those terrible moments he forgot the laughter, and how much he inspired others, and how happy he made us.

I wish Sam had found his way. I always thought I’d see him again. Perhaps I already have somewhere in nature. Wherever you are, hero and friend, I was blessed to know you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFXcHD0z3ZY


You have a beautiful and inspired week, and I look forward to seeing you back here next Sunday xx


Aries
For you, Ram, Capricorn rules your natural Zone of Success. Patience isn’t one of your most obvious characteristics but when it comes to the boardroom table, the career ladder, and making sure you Walk Tall and Feel Proud, then you can commit to get to the top. You’re ambitious with the goals you set for yourself and generally realistic, but when you fall short it hurts. Mercury’s uiiee through this Zone right now may be frustrating, but it appears that a piece of dem puzzle has gone missing and you need to retrace your steps / re-read the manual. Absorb like a sponge Monday/Tuesday, flag up the spondoolies issues from Monday, then get it altogether for a launch on the 18th.

Taurus
The Goat is a Cosmic Friend of the Bull, both being earth signs, and so the current stellar focus on Capricorn is suiting you well. This 9th house governs your foreign, studious, and long-term plans and the attention of the Sun and Mercury here suggests that thoughts of money and your mudhut are shaping your decisions on whether to travel and study (and where to go) and where you’d like to be living and by what means, at some specific point, somewhere down the road. This is all sounding a bit general, but it isn’t. Yes these thoughts grow stronger during cycles like this, but your ruler here along with the Moon’s Nodes mean that decisions you’re taking now are some of the Biggest you’ve taken in a while. This week follow the Mercury flow and explore and cogitate. Decision time isn’t here yet.

Gemini
The Cosmic Goat rules your zone of Sex, Death, and Taxes, aka Letting Go. It seems that right now conversations are stirring up some of your own issues and old hang ups. Not fun I should coco, but there is a Bright Shiny Cosmic Lesson within: Stop hanging your baggage on someone else’s coat hook. What is it Airy Friend, that you block from entering your life when you second guess others - Love. Money. Intimacy. Attention. Sensuality. Grapes peeled for you as you laze on a hearthside rug? Do yersen a favour. Concentrate on the attributed excuses that pop out of your mouth and beat the habit out of yourself if necessary. The minute you catch yourself saying, ‘But you wouldn’t want…’ Stop. Hammertime.

Cancer
The Cosmic Floodlights are beaming all sorts of attention into your 7th house of close One to Onesies. Having a Goat ruling this zone means by nature you take emotional commitments seriously and like order and reliability in your partnerships. No spooked horses for you, Crab! You also rather like holding on, wanting to Make Things Better, even when the ship has sunk. The Cosmic focus right now is asking you to rethink your strategy when allowing People In – whether that’s for bizniz or pleasure partnerships. Are you getting what you wish for? Are you being met halfway? Are you being authentically You – or simply repeating the patterns of your parents (or regularly falling in love with Parent Substitutes, hmmm)? Concentrate on conflabs early this week. You’ll need the data to hand next week.

Leo
The Cosmic Goat rules your Zone of Health and Work, your Majesty. This means you have a rugged constitution and a dedication to duty (and/or finding the knaves to do the duties for you. American friends, please note that I said duties and not dooties). With your ruler The Sun in this Zone at the moment you should be feeling vital in body and motivated in the office. Add Venus and Mercury to the picture and you have a comforting and inspiring panorama stretching out in front of you displaying your successes and dearest wishes – past, present, and future – along with a sense of being Bang on the Money. All gravy. What you can do to help yourself now is plan the next phase of your development (especially early this week) – but not sign anything, especially where the royal groats are concerned. That can all begin next week.

Virgo
As with The Bull, the Goat is a Cosmic Friend of the Virgin. You are all earth signs and so the current stellar focus in Capricorn is suiting you well. Your raison d’etre right now is to sort the wheat from the chaff where lovers, creative ventures, and breeding or brood-raising are concerned. What’s going on now is Hugely Important. You’re laying stepping stones to create a path into the future and they need to be rock solid under foot and Real For You. You fear that you can’t get things as you want them, that you’ll have to follow the beat of someone else’s drum because ‘that’s the way it always is’. But stop. This is tosh and tomfoolery. There’s some talking to be done early this week. Decisions are coming next week, and they’ll be yours. It’s time to accept that you’re Master of Your Own Life.

Libra
Capricorn the Goat rules the base of your chart giving you a Rock Solid Foundation and sense of belonging whenever you need it. Ruled by Saturn, Goats take things seriously, value values (if you see what I’m sayin’), and have a sense of duty when it comes to home, family, and ancestry. Having a Mountain Goat as your cosmic bottom means you feel secure enough to go wherever you choose, so long as the family are being supportive… From the comfort of your settee right now, shiny ideas for the future are being shaped by outside influences: friends, groups, and social networks are giving you ideas and inspiration for How Things Could Be. First up, you need to get along with the idea that you can be head of your own tribe. From then on you can take that confidence out into the Big Wide World.

Scorpio
The Cosmic Goat is the guvna of your eclectic 3rd house and he’s the master of the way you travel and the way you tawky tawky. The cosmic fairy dust right now is singing brightly that it’s time to re-evaluate your wishes and to do so authoritatively. Mercury’s retrograde is chucking out ideas for transformation; conversations, books, things you’re hearing on the wireless are offering inspiration for shake ups. Chew them over. Bizniz or lovin’ relationships forged now play a part in this transformation and can help you get where you want to get. Your job is to talk and listen early this week, to explore (even literally) next week, and then make moves the week after. If that includes buying modes of transport, wait until after the 18th.

Sagittarius
The Cosmic Goat is your head banker, Archer. In contrast to your adventurous and spontaneous nature, this means that where dosh and possessions are concerned, your inner banker values prudence and saving for a rainy day and penny jars in case of emergencies. Right now the Sun and Venus in your piggy bank should be helping you feel buoyant about cash. Work seems to be bringing home the bacon and you’re saving up the money you need to travel/study/disappear off to Morocco and develop a yurt camp for alternative backpackers. Watch out for the temptation to shift money around right now, especially if prompted by partners. Let Mercury’s uiiee give you cause for reflection for another 12 days but not action. The information you need has not yet fully come to light.

Capricorn
The current cosmic floodlights are following you around the house, Goat, and not giving you a moment’s peace. But they’re on your side. The Sun and Venus are conspiring to show you brightly that the key you need to kick start the transformation you desire is you. Mercury is urging you to re-evaluate the job you do and whether it’s going to get you to the place you want to be – whether that’s a literal geographic move or a metaphorical one. And the lunar nodes are throbbing each time you take a step closer to realising that your one to onesies – good or bad – are a mirror of where you’re at emotionally. Early this week contemplate or debate the options you have vz changing your working life so you can Get to that Distant Shore. No decisions, just think. Next week your meditations can stretch to include lovers, chilun, and creativity too.

Aquarius
The Woodshed at the bottom of your mind’s garden is being lit up like a football pitch, Inventive One. Wounds and poysonality ticks and fears are lined up on the shelves in clear view of all who pass by. Normally this would be a terrifying thing, how vulnerable. How mortifying! And yet, you know as sure as eggs is eggs, that going through this as openly and courageously as you can is going to make you a stronger bunny – not in years hence, but mere weeks. Task One: early this week expect conversations/thoughts/revelations to centre on love affairs that have ended and the changes happening to you on account of your children. Let the pictures and words unfold like a film of someone else’s life and watch them with (slightly) detached fascination. Next week your meditations can turn to partnerships and homelife and how asking for help is often the best way to get it.

Pisces
Friends and social opportunities are in abundance for you under the current skies, Fish. Your 11th house of Socialising and Wishes is lit up like a Christmas Tree. Be careful what you wish for this month as you just might get it. This week reversing Mercury links up to the Sun. Partnership working in your work-a-day world, thoughts of family and partnership float up, and home decoration comes up for discussion and inspiration. Entertaining at home is high on your list of favourite things, Miss Andrews, and should include invites to family and partners. From next week your fish tank has a much more cosmopolitan flavour and open door policy. Community get togethers are positively cheering, there are plans for Summer holidays on the agenda too, and the hint of high times with lovers, chilun, and creative adventures by month’s end. Phew.