After much thought, I have decided to discontinue writing forecasts for Ascendants for the indefinite future. Instead of continuing to write the forecasts, I will devote the time that I spend providing free astrological services to doing mini-interpretations, starting sometime in or about July. Please stay tuned for further details as I announce them.

Click here to learn more about mini-interpretations.

In case you would like to read the past forecast, it follows below....

QUARTERLY FORECAST FOR CANCER ASCENDANT: FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL 2003

Learn how to get the most out of my forecasts.

by Brian Habit

NOTE: The following forecast is based on your rising sign (Ascendant), not your Sun sign. If you do not know your rising sign, please visit www.astro.com and enter your birth date, time, and place to determine it.

Happy birthday to those of you who are Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, or Taurus! Several planets change direction during this quarter-of-a-year period, marking various shifts in momentum. In addition, visionary Jupiter and Neptune are dancing an idealistic tango, and Uranus moves from your 8th house to your 9th.

In February, then, aim to move forward on your ambition in spiritual or meditative pursuits, or pursue a close business or personal relationship in a more strategic, more effective way. Strike an inspired, yet more realistic balance between developing and applying resources alone and doing it as part of a twosome. Starting in March, slow down enough to explore dynamics and possibilities concerning your health, work or other responsibilities. In April, start making inroads in increasing your sense of self-worth, skills, or income, based on your expanded vision of what’s possible in such regards. During both March and April, act with boldness and initiative to push close relationships toward a vision of greater honesty and interdependence. In late April and most of May, reflect on ideas that you’ve considered, or actions that you’ve already taken (especially those related to communication, learning, travel, or altruistic pursuits), before moving toward resolution later on such matters.

That’s the brief blow-by-blow. Now, let’s look at these trends in detail.

On February 16, expansive Jupiter, currently in your 2nd house of resources, faces off with spiritual Neptune, in your 8th house of instincts.

This aspect will build over the course of several weeks, strengthening as the 16th approaches, and dropping off sharply but still continuing for a few more weeks after that date. Jupiter and Neptune form an opposition about once every 12 or 13 years. Each time they do, it triggers different parts of your chart, so the feel or the theme of it may be similar, but it’s probably playing out in different parts of your life. This time around, this aspect is especially significant for those of you who were born on or near January 30, May 1, August 3, or November 3.

If you were born in early-mid Aquarius, then Neptune is currently passing over your Sun, calling on you to define yourself and express your identity in a more spiritualized or idealistic way. At the same time, Jupiter is opposing your Sun, confronting you with opportunities that are available if you think of yourself as more of a performer than you have customarily done.

If you were born in early-mid Leo, then the situation is the reverse for you: Neptune is currently confronting your Sun. He’s challenging you to redefine yourself as a more spiritual or altruistic being, as more of an idealist with a vision to share, and to demonstrate it through some tangible expression of your creativity. Meanwhile, Jupiter is combining with your Sun, encouraging you to have greater self-confidence and to redefine yourself as a person capable of greater success than you’ve ever imagined.

If you were born in early-mid Taurus or early-mid Scorpio, then both Neptune and Jupiter are squaring off with your Sun. In their own ways, they’re each pressuring you to adjust the way you define yourself and express your vitality. With Neptune, it’s because your ideals or dreams have evolved to the point that you can that your old self-image now acts as a barrier to your realizing them. With Jupiter, it’s because opportunities that were not available in the past are now within reach, but in order to take advantage of them, you’ll need to think of yourself in more flexible terms.

Whether you fall in one the groups listed above or not, this tango between Jupiter and Neptune is activating the same areas of your chart: your 2nd house of resources and your 8th house of instincts. For about a year, you’re going through a period of building your confidence and sustaining your momentum in terms of developing your Jupiter (your ability to recognize and take advantage of opportunities). After having made some sort of new start, however modest or tentative or unconscious it was, in the past year or two, it’s time follow through on what you’ve begun. Giving in to a loss of nerve and trying to go back to "the way things used to be" would restrict your ability to act with confidence and optimism in years to come. On the other hand, acting with conviction to build inner and outer help you solidify and strengthen the fresh start that you made, so that it can take root and flourish. Look for opportunities to heal, strengthen, or expand matters related to earning money, putting your income and worldly possessions to use, and building your self-esteem.

That’s what Jupiter is up to in the long run now. Neptune, meanwhile, sings an otherworldly spiritual song to you from your 8th house of instincts. Neptune appeals to your idealism, to that part of you that longs for an elevated experience, far above and beyond "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" of someone trying to make his or her way on Planet Earth. You’re going through a phase of a good 10 years or more in your development of spirituality. In this phase, it’s time to look explore and absorb whatever is in your "anxiety" closest, so that you can move with a sense of calm and commitment toward the future. It’s time to tune in to life’s intangibles (such as your intuition, imagination, or idealistic longing), and imbue your sexual or financial relations with a greater sense of spiritual depth and meaning. Let yourself dream big. Build castles in the air. Imagine bonding deeply with others somehow, but be sure to build a foundation under them, one that can realistically keep them from crashing with a thud. Doing this will help you continue to develop your spiritual side, that part of you that longs for something greater or higher than life’s mundane matters.

Jupiter and Neptune have a lot in common, so they’re often in sync with each other. They’re both visionary, big picture, idealistic planets. In February, however, they might be pulling you in two different directions, with Neptune acting in a less tangible way but still somehow tending to get the upper hand in the struggle. For example, you might struggle with a sense of "divine discontent"-the restless longing for something perfect and transcendent in an imperfect world populated by all-too-fallible humans. Maybe you long for spiritually inspired, imaginative, or altruistic experiences that center on other people’s resources (their money, good will, or other assets). Being in such a state might undermine your ability to throw yourself enthusiastically into developing and applying your own resources. Another possibility is that, if there are any ways in which you are kidding yourself or misleading others in financial or sexual matters, Jupiter may magnify that tendency now. Jupiter might muddy the waters for you and a creditor, insurer, co-worker, employee, apprentice or mentor.

Now, I don’t want you think that this dance between Jupiter and Neptune necessarily means trouble. It doesn’t. The potential for excess, confusion, and disillusionment is significant; but if you mind the usual cautions that apply with these two, it will help you reap more of the good and less of the bad. Expand on opportunities, but do it in moderation. Don’t outstrip your ability to juggle activities related to earning, spending, borrowing, or lending. Don’t make overly optimistic assumptions about what a sexual partner or financial player will contribute to your life, and don’t let your fearful imagination about related matters run away with you either. The same goes for your health and health care.

Get someone else’s help to play devil’s advocate for you, if you’re considering acting on some inspiring vision, by taking on a new job, taking out a loan (or lending money), starting a new diet or medical treatment or exercise routine, or becoming sexually involved with someone. Make sure that you’re considering the cons as well as the pros of situations before you dive into them enthusiastically. Take care to communicate clearly. Make sure that what you intended to convey is what actually gets understood. If you’re tempted to act in less than truthful ways about sex, money, work or other responsibilities now, think again. You could find that you’ve dug a hole for yourself or you have to do some major backpedaling later. Verify details before committing yourself. Whether anyone intends to misrepresent the facts or not, it’s a good idea to double-check them. If you’re feeling moved by some idealistic fervor, try to dial it back a notch. Don’t throw it out, but don’t throw caution to the wind either. If you take these steps, then Jupiter and Neptune can serve as your wings, helping keep you aloft as you come closer to realizing some precious dreams during February.

On February 22, no-nonsense Saturn starts moving forward again in your 12th house of release.

Saturn retrogrades once a year for almost five months at a time. Whenever he changes direction, some important change is likely to happen in your life in some matter associated with Saturn. Let’s review what Saturn represents and then look at this current development.

Saturn symbolizes that part of our consciousness that has to be practical and strategic in order to survive in the physical world. Saturn has high standards. He demands self-discipline, commitment, and quality. Saturn is how we develop self-respect and faith in our destiny. This taskmaster of the planets also relates to how we make peace with solitude. He’s our ambition, our sense of realism, and our conscience or superego-that part of us that has expectations for how we act. Saturn structures and solidifies whatever he touches.

In addition to what I’ve already said about Saturn, for you he’s also related to your 7th house of intimacy and your 8th house of instincts. Therefore, this planet symbolizes your approaches to building and maintaining close business or personal relationships, and exploring and absorbing intense gut-level feelings. Currently, Saturn is moving through your 12th house of release. This is the last house in your chart, and it represents where you either let go of past struggles and circumstances beyond your control, or you try to hold on in terror to whatever you have associated with safety and security in the past. It’s where we tune in to life’s unseen, spiritual dimensions, act with selfless compassion, and pursue endeavors in seclusion or behind the scenes. Given this, Saturn’s current change in direction may also have implications for matters related to these aspects of your life.

In mid to late February, then, you may experience a major change in connection with one or more of the matters mentioned above. Saturn’s change in direction is especially significant for those of you who were born on or near March 12, June 12, September 14, or December 13. At the same time that Saturn starts moving forward, he either passes over your Sun (general vitality and sense of identity), squares off with it, or confronts it. For all of you, you’re going through a pretty serious time, when it comes to how you define yourself and express that part of you that needs to shine.

Once Saturn starts moving forward again, focus on using his energy in a freer, more direct way in those matters that are related to this planet. If you’ve used the time that he was moving backward productively (since October 10th) by planning a solid strategy, you’ll be able to go into a higher gear now, supported by the shift in his energy. For example, if you’ve had major reservations about whether to participate in some altruistic or spiritually-oriented activity, perhaps you can take action on it now, based on good judgment and practicality. If you’ve faced discouraging delays in dealing with a chronic health condition of your own or the health of someone else that you care for, then maybe you can make a breakthrough now. If life has stripped you of the trappings of past authority or social status, then give yourself a break. Remember that you are a person with an inner life. You have personal wants and needs. You’re not a just a figurehead or standard bearer for some institution or cause. Don’t reduce your sense of who you are to your career, or your reputation, or your activities in your community. Focus on simplifying your public commitments so that you can spend more time getting to know your hopes and fears, doubts and dreams.

On March 4, energetic Mars bursts into your 7th house of intimacy.

In terms of your current 22-month cycle of developing your will and asserting yourself, you’re halfway to the finish line. Between early March and April 21, dare to fight for cooperative, interdependent relationships, whether they’re relationships with business partners, clients or consultants, romantic partners, or close friends. If you get into resentful bickering or explosive power struggles with others, you’ll only squander your energy and vitality. If you latch onto someone to be your hero or heroine in a scary world, then you might lose your identity and sense of integrity. On the other hand, if you push for mutually respectful relationships that allow for both independence and collaboration, it will help you continue climbing toward a peak of developing your will, once the middle of December gets here and Mars reaches your 10th house (the top of your chart).

Wherever Mars is stomping around, you can expect heightened energy-independent, impatient, warrior energy. Like with conservation of matter, there’s also conservation of energy in a sense. Martian fighting energy will come out one way or another now, in connection with your closest one-to-one interactions with others. It’s just a question of how.

What’s your pleasure? Would you like it to come out in physical ways? Mars thrives on activities that demand physical energy. If that’s the case, then you might take on some challenge that involves self-discipline, persistence, and mutual support or health competition. For example, you might become partners with someone for physical exercise. You could spur each other on to greater achievements ("C’mon, let’s run one more mile!"), or you could take turns "spotting" for each other while lifting free weights.

Would you like to channel the Martian energy into your social interactions? Then think about how you might be feeling railroaded or trampled upon at the moment in a friendship or partnership or other close tie. Perhaps it’s time to defend your territory. Confrontation can be a delicate matter. It can be fraught with below-the-belt maneuvers, pushy power plays, or endless bickering. Even so, having a healthy confrontation now and then helps clear the air. It can help keep our relationships honest and clear a path for us to go after what we want. When we face some fear or anxiety-provoking situation, it presents an opportunity to feel more effective. It keeps our close ties from becoming bland exchanges of "Whatever you think, dear." To fight fairly now, champion your own right to self-determination while respecting others’ rights to do the same. If you’re going to hash out differences now, think about how you might use such an approach to work for you.

Would you like to throw the fiery drive of Mars into some situation in which you don’t have to accommodate others? One way you might do that would be to plunge into some sort of strategic activity that involves reaching out to other people. In business, this could mean pioneering some major effort to expand your clientele. Just make sure you can either implement it alone or lead the charge, if others are taking part, too. In a personal context, it could mean starting some activity in which you provide services to others as an individual representative of some volunteer group or social institution. Again, it’s important to be able to act with a lot of independence to reach your objective.

Whatever you do, don’t try to ignore or squelch your need to act in high-spirited, hopeful ways in your closest interactions. Doing that would only increase the risk of accidents (maybe of the minor but annoying sort), or endless bickering, resentment that seeps out in unproductive ways. With alternatives available, there’s no need to settle for that.

On March 10, freedom-loving Uranus catapults into your 9th house of experiences that lie beyond your everyday routines.

Uranus represents our evolving individuality. He symbolizes what we need and what we do in connection with our unique brand of creative genius. Once Uranus starts rumbling through the 9th house of your chart, he’ll be agitating for you to approach the whole subject of routine-busting experiences in a more individualistic way.

You’re now starting a stage of expansion, education, and exploration. During the next seven years or so, plan to broaden your horizons physically, intellectually, and spiritually through exciting new activities. It’s time to act with greater independence, in deciding what your values are and how you experience a sense of life’s purpose and meaning. If you hunker down in fearful, distorted ways of thinking and moving through the world, then you’ll become a captive in a stultifying prison of your own making. If you let peer pressure or authority figures keep you in some routine or religion or academic pursuit that doesn’t suit you, then you’ll only become alienated from your status. You’ll feel like a phony, pretending to be a goldfish when you’re a seahorse, stuck in a fishbowl for all to stare at. However, if you recover your sense of wonder in life by sharing your poetic imagination, compassion, and spirituality in novel ways, then this will help position you for success in years to come.

Uranus says, "Whose philosophy is it anyway?" The answer is that it’s yours, and you need to act accordingly. That doesn’t mean that you have to withdraw from others into some bizarre, escapist belief system, some "-ology" or "-ism." It does mean that you’ll need to let people know that you’re on a fluid, visionary journey through life, one that allows you to experience yourself as part of a great Oneness. Doing this will help fend off rigid, ill-fitting perspectives or rigid schools of thought —those that would not accommodate your particular brand of creative genius. It will also help keep you available to experience new people, places, ideas and activities in ways that are compatible with the unique combination of interests and abilities that is You.

Now, don’t be surprised if other people’s jaws drop or their tongues wag when you hold out for educational or experiential opportunities that are compatible with your unique vision of a better world. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds," but try telling that to your college advisor when you decide to drop out of school to apprentice with someone whose adventurous, altruistic work "in the field" captures your imagination. Faced with social pressure, you may think, "Who needs this hassle?" It is easier in the short run to go along with the party line espoused by your neighbors, classmates, or fellow members of a spiritual community. It’s easier go along with the crowd then withstand their ridicule or lack of understanding. And the pressure to change back may also come from those whom you’d expect to be "on your side." Their intentions may be quite honorable. They may truly just want you to be happy. Nonetheless, with Uranus in town, you can count on feeling alienated from your familiar circumstances, sooner or later, if you try to stick to Business As Usual. Do that, and you’ll be like an empty house that’s been abruptly vacated: the lights may be on, but no one’s home.

With Uranus, the trick is to take the initiative, to inject some necessary creative change in your general approach to life, before lightning strikes and you find your approach shaken up by unexpected or unwelcome circumstances. It’s important to act in an autonomous self-directed manner. This means that you neither kowtow to the way everyone else does things, "how it’s always been done," nor that you do the opposite of what others want, in knee-jerk fashion. That might feel good in the short run, but it may get you attacked in the public square or run out of town for no good reason, and it won’t necessarily be true to your deepest wants and needs.

On March 23, transformative Pluto starts creeping backwards in your 6th house of responsibilities.

Pluto retrogrades once a year for over five months at a time. Whenever he changes direction, some important shift is likely to happen in your life in some matter associated with Pluto. Let’s look at what Pluto represents.

Pluto represents that part of us that wants to transform ourselves or the world around us, that wants to do something "important." Pluto represents a sense of mission or destiny. With this planet, the question is whether you can identify some sort of wisdom in yourself that could make a great difference in the world and then fulfill your destiny by humbly sharing it. Pluto offers us tremendous potential for good or bad. If good, we transcend ourselves and become our mission. If we learn Pluto’s lessons, we face the absurdity of life. We accept the fact that we’re mortal, but we also want our lives to count for something. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by life’s absurdity, we decide to make a difference. We identify with some purpose greater than ourselves and this transforms our awareness. With our expression of transpersonal power, power to affect the masses, we become a symbol. We give body and voice to some cause that motivates many other people, and our lives have a profound sense of meaning. For you, Pluto also rules your 5th house of self-expression, so he also symbolizes the way that you celebrate yourself with spontaneity and give tangible expression to your creativity, as a parent, romantic partner, creative spirit, hobbyist, or entrepreneur.

Currently, Pluto is moving through your 6th house of health, work, and other responsibilities. You’re in a stage lasting 10 or more years, in deepening your competence and duties, as part of a process of developing your sense of having a personal mission in life. Letting yourself lapse into a sense of inadequacy, drudgery and resentment would lead you to feel bleak or bitter, obsess about your plight, or compulsively try to satisfy puzzling drives. However, if you learn to make yourself more useful to others in your work or personal relationships, in a way that also taps into your passion and has meaning to you, it’ll help you transform others’ lives in powerful, positive ways.

Around the second half of March, then, you may experience a major change in connection with one or more of the matters mentioned above. Pluto’s change in direction is especially significant for those of you who were born on or near March 10, June 10, September 12, or December 11. At the same time that Pluto starts moving backward, he either passes over your Sun (general vitality and sense of identity), squares off with it, or confronts it. For all of you, you’re going through a pretty serious time when it comes to how you define yourself and express that part of you that needs to shine.

Once Pluto starts moving backwards, concentrate on using his more contained energy in a more internal or reflective way. Emphasize make plans carefully in Pluto-related areas. If you do that, then when Pluto turns direct again on August 30, you’ll have your ducks in a row and you’ll be ready to surge forth like a dynamo, supported by his freer, more openly expressed energy.

For example, if you’re considering taking on a major entrepreneurial project or creative venture in your work, and it’s the sort of opportunity that would still be a possibility in August or September, then you might want to take several months to think it through carefully. In that case, explore the pros and cons of it, what the exact arrangement would require of you, and what it might allow you to do, that you would not be able to do otherwise. If you’ve got the time to weigh the deeper implications and details, then use it to your advantage. Then, once Pluto moves forward again, you’ll be in a better position to act with a sense of zealous commitment and a purer burning passion about what you have taken on.

Now, what if you’ve already experienced some intense or troubling increase in your responsibilities as an employee, or volunteer, or even a romantic partner? If that’s the case, then aim to use this Pluto retrograde period to reflect and absorb the spiritual and psychological impact of what you’ve been through recently. Don’t deny the impact. Don’t become fixated on the situation. That would just feed into a sense of desperation. Instead, face it directly, dig beneath superficial appearances and ways of coping, to get at underlying truths and comprehensive solutions. Give the process lots of time to unfold. Most Plutonian situations have taken a while to build up or deteriorate to some extreme condition. Likewise, it’ll take a gradual death-and-rebirth process for you to pull off a dramatic turnaround or recovery from such adversity. Devote time in the next several months to recharging and regrouping. Be gentle with yourself and your co-workers, fellow volunteers, boss, supervisor, or romantic partner. Focus on what’s best for all concerned, not on caving in or acting like a bully toward someone else. Pace yourself, so that you can move forward, in a greater burst of energy in relationship matters, come August or September.

On April 3, expansive Jupiter starts moving forward again in your 2nd house of resources.

Let’s review what this house represents, and then we can see what to make of Jupiter’s about-face. The 2nd house symbolizes everything that you’ve got going for you, and how you put it to use. This includes abstract resources, such as your sense of self-worth (or worthlessness) and personal strengths—the sorts of assets that you might tout in a job interview. It also includes your earning capacity, your income from work, your spending, and your worldly possessions.

Now then, in December 2002, Jupiter threw his buggy into reverse while he was bounding through your 2nd house. (He makes such a retrograde maneuver once a year or so, for almost four months at a time.) For the past several months, joyful Jupiter has been going backward through your house of resources, and what an experience it has been!

Maybe you’ve found it harder to act with confidence and enthusiasm in earning or spending money. Whether due to your own doubts or also due to external circumstances, you’ve probably gone through some disappointments or delays in expanding on your hopes and dreams, especially those related to your health, skill-building, work and other responsibilities. Has life seemed to rain on your parade in a your financial or work life? Have you had misgivings about duties, or doubts about what you have to contribute? Hopefully, you’ve used these past few months to reflect on possibilities for expanding on current ventures or starting new ventures in such departments of your life. Normally, when we have an inspired idea, we want to act on it and succeed in a big way right away. However, this has been a time to slow down the pace of implementing such ideas. The more you have used the past four months to plan and reflect, the better the position you’re in now to seize new creative opportunities and run with them.

Aim to pick up the pace now in matters related to Jupiter. For you, Jupiter rules your 6th house of responsibilities and your 9th house of experiences that lie beyond your everyday routines, so look to related activities for ways that you could finally move forward on your enthusiasm more freely. Maybe you’ve wanted to improve your relationship with a co-worker, volunteer, teacher, or foreign associate, and it’s been hard to rein that in. Maybe you’ve wanted to pursue some dream pertaining to your skills or education, but making room for it in your budget has been a tangled mess. See how you could make headway on that now. The same might be the case for some endeavor related to health care or maintenance: a treatment regime, eating planet, physical exercise routine, etc. Mercury starts moving backward in late April, so make what headway you can by late April. Then change gears for a while, to evaluate the progress that you’ve made by then.

From late April until late May, restless Mercury moves backwards through your 11th house of goals.

Mercury zips through your 11th house once every year or so, for a few weeks each time. This time he’s there for longer than usual, from early April till mid-June. This is because he’ll first move forward, then backward, then forward again through this same territory. While Mercury moves through your 11th house, act like you’re Gemini, whether that’s your Sun sign or not, and do it in some sort of 11th-house pursuit. Pretend you’re an expert teacher as you act as part of a group or organization, whether it’s a professional group or a recreational club. Pretend you’re a consummate networker, and mingle with people who have an artistic or practical bent. Play the role of a journalist, and research information or ideas that could help you plan simple yet inspiring goals for yourself or your group. In general, it’s a time to collect information, process it, and share it with others as knowledge, ideas, or opinions, as part of plotting your course for the future. Use your mind and your communication as a vehicle for setting priorities and joining forces with like-minded individuals and groups.

Mercury retrogrades three times each year for 19-24 days at a time. Around the times when he changes direction (near April 26 and May 20), you may experience some important change involving communication or travel. Mercury rules your 12th house of spirituality, altruism, and secluded or behind-the-scenes activities. In addition, Mercury is linked to your 3rd house of information exchange. Therefore, at either time, it could also involve your learning, volunteering, or spiritual or meditative pursuits.

In any event, while Mercury is doing his backward boogie, it’s time to slow down your thinking and communicating, to approach Mercury-related matters in a more deliberate, detailed, reflective way. You might be tempted to speak without thinking, or to go with what might seem like obvious or straightforward choices in setting goals, but if so, resist that temptation. You’ll get better results, and quicker results, if you take a well-considered approach to deciding what you want to accomplish and planning how you’ll get from here to there.

Use the time between late April and late May to reflect on the results of ideas that you’ve implemented in the past and to "debug" ideas that you’ve planning to implement later, especially in connection with imparting information or ideas to others. Revisit people, places and ideas from the past. For example, clean out old files, or look up past associates, or travel to places that you visited some time ago. Double-check the details of any matters that you don’t want to revisit again before you try to finalize them-contracts, sales, purchases, travel details, etc. Plan carefully for later, and then move forward on your ideas in late May or afterwards. By that time, you’ll probably be able to express act on your thoughts, ideas and information more openly and with less inhibition.

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