Your six-month horoscope (Libra - Pisces)

Horoscopes: Aries - Virgo

LIBRA (24 Sep - 23 Oct)

Love makes your world go round, and the next six months are no exception. After 14 July, Mars gives you the energy and initiative to go after what you want and by the end of the month, an existing relationship is laced with passion. With Venus moving into your own sign on 7 August, and Jupiter's surge into Leo, you finally receive the feedback you want from friends. And that's to be loved for who you are. You don't have to pretend to be anything other than yourself throughout the summer. In fact, a secret liaison or romantic encounter makes for a very passionate few weeks at the end of August.

Try to balance your need for friendly companionship with the urge for a more idealistic relationship. Jupiter's inflationary influence will either give you a passion for an avant-garde change of lifestyle, or super-fit lovers and soulmates will be entranced by your charm. By the beginning of September you'll realise that refinement and courtesy are the criteria by which you judge others. So be debonair, polished and chic yourself. When a begrudging friend or colleague says, 'You're far too charming and nice for your own good,' don't say 'yes', and sigh resignedly that they're probably right. That's giving in to your fear of not being loved unless you conform to their expectations. You don't need permission to be who you really are. Market yourself among colleagues and contacts, and don't feel you haven't the stamina to take on more responsibility.

By October, authority figures might oppose your plans, but equally give you a chance to go in a new direction. And the goalposts could be moved in your favour. Jupiter gives you inspiration about how to make savings, and your income soars to give you a far more lucrative bank account at the end of November. Your ruler, Venus, backtracks from 11 October to 21 November. And, lo and behold, you only want a peaceful, harmonious love life, but now you feel as if you're being tested. Whatever you say seems to be taken the wrong way, so you keep saying yes to avoid any confrontation. But perhaps the time has come to ask someone special which part of the word 'no' they don't understand. Be a spear carrier for self-love after 21 November, as true to your own values and needs and desires as you are to everyone else's.

SCORPIO (24 Oct - 22 Nov)

Just when you think you're going nowhere fast, something comes into your life to change your focus. And when Mars storms into Leo on 14 July, a potent run of events will give you the drive to get to the top. Climbing high is one thing, but domestic issues or family members could seduce you into believing you're on the wrong track around 28 July. And even though you know your passion for living life to the limit isn't being taken for granted, you wonder whether someone is really on your side. With Jupiter's larger-than-life influence in your chart after 2 August, it's time to have a flutter.

Venus casts a seductive glow around you from 8 September, and you can and will have your way, both in one secret liaison and where your professional affairs are concerned. Just take care around the 11th, when Jupiter's dance with Neptune has you either burning with desire for something unattainable, or getting scorched in an infatuation. But you know you have to live life intensely, otherwise you just wouldn't be you. Mid-September, you could discover a dilemma between your need for passion and someone else's more detached attitude to love. Venus backtracks through your own sign in October and November, and there will be times when you feel you are being screened rather than desired.

Financial goals are attainable at the end of the year. Generosity pays off by the end of November when you can take a few risks and invest shrewdly. Money is your watchword in December with Mars energising your own sign. So look out for an incredible opportunity for material wealth, but also for the richness of mind, soul and spirit that you truly deserve.

SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov - 21 Dec)

As a lover of impulse, and an impulsive lover, you're going to feel like a sexual squillionaire after 14 July. With Mars giving you an incredible spirit of adventure, you're in one of your moods for charming strangers, involving yourself in intrepid opportunities or just taking a gamble. A flirtatious encounter on the 28th could prove to be a wild romance you just can't resist following up. And with Jupiter, your ruler, surging on into Leo on 2 August, it seems there's nothing to stop you from involving yourself in crazy speculations or just enjoying a daredevil approach to life.

Glamorous, exciting and inspirational though you are, just remember that you could stretch yourself too far, and become impetuous, zealous and fervent. Especially when the seductive link between Jupiter and Neptune on 11 September takes you into fantasy land. You're either fighting dragons, rescuing lost souls, or recounting exaggerated tales of success. Frankly, being truthful with your colleagues or friends is more likely to lead to unexpected opportunities. But which truths and beliefs to trust in will become the benchmark for your own potential to bloom later on next year.

Friends or contacts give you inspiration for greater success in early October, and work becomes hectic and competitive. Avoid making career decisions between 14 September and 7 October, when your thinking could be overtly idealistic. With Venus backtracking through a very sensitive area of your chart from 11 October until 21 November, it would be wise to think about what it is you fear about making a commitment.

Passion will be on your mind, but also the price you might have to pay for making long-term decisions too soon. With Saturn's stabilising influence in December, you begin to take a more long-term approach to investments and expenditure. By the end of the year, you're ready to take on a challenge which could mean trading in exotic places. You'll be on a crusade for love, dauntless in the face of any challenge, and a true conqueror of someone's heart.

CAPRICORN (22 Dec - 20 Jan)

Balance your personal desires with family or domestic obligations until mid-July. After the 14th, you can start to build that magical future you've been planning. Your personal magnetism is powerful, so use it to create real love between you and a special person. Changing your assumptions about what you can and can't do is vital from 4 August, when Jupiter moves into Leo. You'll be attracted to some very innovative ideas, which could see you leaving a cushy but dull job for a real challenge. Any changes made around 24 August will test you, but will also be rewarding. Invention and knowledge will provide you with a greater sense of achievement than practical skills. Take care on 11 September with any financial speculation. Make sure your insight is as discriminating as your attitude to success.

With Jupiter's lucky influence over the next few months, you can expect lively, sexier relationships, peppered with lashings of passion and romance. You're radiating a very charismatic aura and can get away with being more demonstrative than usual. Decisions have to be made mid-September, but you have the support of those who know where your heart truly lies. Mars surges into the highest point of your chart on 16 October and you have a better sense of the image you want to project to the world. Colleagues could put a few obstacles in your way, but you're not going to let in-house bitchiness get the better of you. You know you have the talent and determination to aim for the top, so don't let self-doubt or fear of what others think of you hold you back.

Look forward to a brilliantly prosperous November. Venus's U-turn in your chart from 11 October until 21 November will test your ability to balance the books and see through any shady behaviour by family or associates. In fact, your benevolent attitude, and desire to help others create their own wealth, will have a positive impact upon your own income. By the end of the year you'll realise how good it feels to live your life according to your own rules.

AQUARIUS (21 Jan - 19 Feb)

Your personal magnetism is at a high from 14 July, and you relish the slightly competitive element in your intimate relationships. Friends or lovers notice you're more confident about expressing your needs and desires now that Mars is giving you a voice. But around the 28th, make sure you don't get carried away. Kneeling at the feet of an object of worship will mean that instead of asserting your desires, you end up sacrificing them. And for what? Instead of pleasing everyone else, look after number one. This is your chance to establish what you want from a love relationship, but compromise is needed.

Disenchantment surrounds one unusual love interest by the end of August, and you begin to realise that you need friendship just as much as physical passion. For most of the summer, you're spurred on to assert your independence, and any brief flirtation or fling will force you to make a major commitment. Jupiter's clash with Neptune on 11 September reminds you that perhaps you are still undermining your own individuality.

By September you could be professionally recognised by those who can back you in an innovative project. But with Venus's antics between 11 October and 21 November, wisely reflect on the professional image or career you truly value, not what others think you should hold dear. It's time to be as compassionate for yourself as you are for everything else on the planet. With a little tweak of self-awareness, you'll be able to give far more to the good of the whole than by playing nursemaid to everyone else. With Mercury finally giving you the voice to assert your goals in November, and Mars the courage to act on your intentions, the end of the year could bring you the kind of surprise you like best - shocking others with your new image, style and glamour, not fashioned by society's expectations of you.

PISCES (20 Feb - 20 Mar)

Crack open the champagne around 3 July. You're feeling uplifted by a sense of something wonderful coming your way. It's time to put forward those dreams and ideas which you fear usually cause difficulties in your relationships. But remember to listen to the feedback - it could be vital to your long-term success.

Venus is making you feel divinely wicked from 11 July onwards. And you're in the mood to cause a little stir. After all, if there's no drama in your life, you've got to create some. So chase up a few sexy leads. Tempting romantic liaisons pursue you through the summer, due to the reckless planetary influence in your chart. But even if you are already deeply committed to someone, any enticement will make you conscious of how you really feel about your partner.

With your innate ability to charm your way through life, your reputation and prestige are beginning to take off. And from 2 August, those qualities that make you so special will really come to the fore. Though you're still dividing your time between family and career, you know that you're looking for a more idealistic existence. Deliciously rampant though you're feeling, when Mars moves into Virgo on the 30th, an intriguing encounter is worth a few moments' contemplation before you leap in at the deep end.

Don't give up believing in yourself around 11 September. Jupiter's tense link with your ruler, Neptune, puts you in one of those 'What's the point of doing anything?' moods. Plot your tactics shrewdly from 15 September until Mercury moves forward again on 7 October. Mars moves into Libra from 16 October, bringing you the desire to take a financial risk. But speculate only with good advice. By the end of December, you have all the courage to make those personal changes you've wanted for so long.

Horoscopes: Aries - Virgo