Your six-month horoscope

Horoscopes: Libra - Pisces

Over the next six months, you'll be under the influence of Jupiter. The planet's romantic, idealistic and glamorous influence will be felt in every aspect of your life. But beware - as exciting as this may feel, Jupiter also has the power to inflate egos and create tension. Later in the year, when Jupiter links with Neptune in September, and is transited by Venus in December, it will illuminate personal potential, and colour your perspective on life in a positive and inspiring way. So what else is on the cards for you in 2002? Read on

ARIES (21 Mar - 20 Apr)

Potent as ever, the ball is well and truly in your romantic court from 14 July to 30 August. Your ruler, Mars, cavorts into Leo, giving you a feeling that you can make an impact wherever you go. It's in your nature to get to the top - make sure you do so with tolerance for others.

Initiate a better quality of life for yourself from 2 August, when Jupiter adds glamour to a relationship. Just don't get too fanatical about your desires. Around 24 August, Mars's clash with Uranus will either make you electrifying company, or make you complain about your electricity bill.

The clash between Jupiter and Neptune on 11 September gives you the chance to stick wildly by a speculative opportunity, or consider carefully if you're being deceived by your own zeal. With Mercury backtracking through your chart from 15 September until 7 October, it's wise not to make any conclusions about lovers, friends or colleagues.

By 16 October, with your ruler surging into Libra, be a warrior for love, rather than a fighter for personal hates. This is a month for sexual highs and wild abandon, so don't waste your energy squabbling about ketchup on the washed-up plates.

Venus's subtle energy through most of November brings you seductive skill in any joint financial negotiations. A renewed lust-and-must-have-it-now feeling in early December either propels you headlong into a challenging relationship, makes you obsessed with someone you can't have. By the 28th, whoever it was that turned you into a love fanatic now seems farcical. It's party time, and how you adore masquerading as something you're not. This is your chance to make a shrewd killing, and promote yourself for the kind of success which means a short-term risk could develop into a long-term dream come true.

TAURUS (21 Apr - 21 May)

You've had enough trials and tribulations over the past few months, but they are all about to drift away. With Mars surging into Leo on 14 July, you'll have the energy and initiative to achieve the kind of lifestyle you deserve. Watch out on 4 August, when Jupiter's expansive influence surges into Leo, as you really don't know whether to move to a better location, or uproot yourself completely. On 28 July, when Mars opposes Neptune, you might be seduced by a very tempting offer. Take care, fakes abound - as do forked tongues.

Around 11 September you have to make a choice between personal belief and a promise of career or direction changes. Venus, your ruler, glides into Scorpio on 8 September and from then on, passion takes up a huge chunk of your time. Whether it's an infatuation, an affair or a permanent commitment, you realise that you still need stability. Venus's U-turn in your chart after 11 October stirs up your vision for the future, and you have to make a choice between domestic comfort and an exciting opportunity laced with uncertainty. After 20 November you'll know how to juggle both. Declutter your mind and heart in early December, when ex-partners give you a feeling you might have something to regret. By the 29th, the adoration of someone special gives you a chance to put your feet up.

GEMINI (22 May - 21 Jun)

It's time to rid yourself of regrets. Be aware of your limitations and develop a wiser and more spontaneous you. Money opportunities are coming your way mid-August. If you're under pressure from the taxman, start planning now. With Mars and Jupiter giving you the gift of the gab throughout the summer, just take care you don't get too self-opinionated. Use the charismatic influence of Venus after 7 August to twist those VIP contacts round your little finger.

You have an innate knack for being a trader, so put forward your aspirations to someone you know owes you a favour in early September. Jupiter's visionary link with Neptune on 11 September either gives you itchy feet or convinces you that you can walk on water. Your ruler, Mercury, does a U-turn in your chart from 15 September until 7 October. Romantic words tingle the tip of your tongue, but wisely wait until mid-October to admit to anything. Your self-esteem gleams like a polished sword when Mars forges on through Libra after 16 October, and you have one of those identity shifts - in the right direction, of course. But don't sabotage a relationship around the beginning of November by acting all defiant. The Sun opposing Saturn on 17 December, and a Full Moon in your own sign on the 19th, make you unusually aloof. For once, admit you have feelings. It will give grace to every word you need to say. It's time to work threads of gold into love's tapestry, not silver bullets.

CANCER (22 Jun - 23 Jul)

Revitalise your image with Jupiter's expansive influence in your own sign until 2 August. Lovers, family and friends might well comment on your optimistic outlook on life mid-August. The very persuasive nature of Jupiter means you can tell someone what you really feel, without worrying about negative feedback. Around 11 September, financial aspirations just don't seem to gel with what's being offered. Invest time in yourself, or develop other creative ventures to bring a deeper sense of satisfaction.

From mid-September, Venus gives a sexy air to any existing relationship. Just watch out around 11 October when one attachment is severely tested. Avoid buying or selling property between 14 September and 5 October. Expressions of love, joys of family and inner riches of your soul will be the measure by which you live out your potential. November is quiet and hazy, moods and dreams change and you go with the flow. As Mercury wings its way through Scorpio, be quick to respond to admirers, or simply slip into someone's arms before the 18th. Faded passion will turn to vibrant desire. With Mars steaming into Scorpio on 2 December, you'll remember why you had such thoughts back in November. Suddenly you're charged with fascination for someone special, and for once the feedback won't be imagined.

LEO (24 Jul - 23 Aug)

Show-stopping though you're feeling for most of July, make sure you listen to loved ones after the 14th. Mars in your own sign can make you outrageously self-willed. Be ready to speak your mind, but let others have their say, too. Raise the curtain on an operatic performance of six months of give and take. Act one is July, and the scene is set for you to do all the giving. Jupiter's surge into your own sign on 2 August generates an action-packed month. You're in the limelight and no one's going to get in your way. Star quality is what makes you wanted by a very unlikely admirer. Be careful on 24 August as Mars's make-or-break link with Uranus could produce fireworks of the sexiest kind. Make sure you don't get caught up in a tantalising love triangle. As Jupiter opposes Neptune on 11 September, the desire for more freedom in your relationships will grow. Either you'll fall desperately in love with an ideal, or be taken out of yourself by a very persuasive partner.

You could be up for some lucrative rewards when Mars drives on through Virgo throughout September, but take care around the 24th and avoid get-rich-quick schemes. Mercury gives you the go-ahead to negotiate property deals after 7 October, but with Venus back-tracking through your chart until 21 November, your values might be tested by a family member. Don't feel you have to live by other people's expectations in the run-up to the end of the year. You are a star among other stars, but one that is shining the brightest on the world stage.

VIRGO (24 Aug - 23 Sep)

Your sense of responsibility grows throughout the summer, as Saturn reminds you to work hard. Demanding employers will stretch you to your limit around 3 July, but a brief flirtation in the workplace might be just as exhausting. Keep your sense of humour - it will be invaluable when you take a few calculated risks towards the end of July.

Giving up a romantic dream won't be easy over the next few months, but it's time to show where your loyalties lie. Jupiter's move into Leo on 2 August gives you the feeling you have a guardian angel where love's concerned. With Venus in your own sign until 7 August, don't analyse a relationship to pieces. Expressing your sensuality is where you'll find real happiness.

With Mars swooping into your own sign on 30 August, you have to come to terms with ambivalent feelings concerning work versus domestic life. By October, shifts in your family dynamics are inevitable and you'll feel better for being honest about what you really want. Jupiter's visionary but illusory link with Neptune on 11 September emphasises that discrimination is needed between being of service and being servile.

Your ruler, Mercury, does a U-turn on 15 September, so postpone signing deals until after 7 October. Financially, you feel better off throughout November than you have for a long time, as Mars gives you a passion for investing, but equally one for spending. So go out and indulge in a bit of retail therapy. Come the end of the year, you're beginning to live out your true potential and at last you're taking one step forward without taking two steps back.

Horoscopes: Libra - Pisces