Your Personal Horoscope 2009: Month-by-month Forecasts for Every Sign. Joseph Polansky
Health
(Please note that this is an astrological perspective on health and not a medical one. In days of yore there was no difference, both of these perspectives were identical. But in these times there could be quite a difference. For the medical perspective, please consult your doctor or health professional.)
Health has been a stressful area for the past few years. Two major long-term planets were stressing you out—Uranus and Saturn—neither of which you want to trifle with. And while you still need to be very careful with your overall energy, there are improvements happening, as we mentioned.
First off, Jupiter is moving into a very harmonious relationship with you. He is giving more help than he was last year. Second, Saturn will move from a stressful aspect to a harmonious aspect after October 29. You are going to see dramatic improvements in overall health this year, but especially after October 29.
The main problem was energy levels. When two long-term planets are stressing you, it is as if you are walking uphill. You need twice the amount of energy to travel the same distance. And because energy was not what it should have been, you could have been hit in your vulnerable organs, which is what tends to happen.
If you have been having health problems you will see miraculous types of healings after October 29. The healer or doctor will get the credit (and perhaps this is as it should be) but the truth of the matter was that your own life energy—now expanded—merely manifested its natural perfection. (If we could just get out of the way of our own life force, our bodies would always be healthy—but this is easier said than done.)
The other problem was that your 6th House of Health was empty (for the most part) for the past few years (and is still basically empty in the year ahead). Thus, at a time when it was important to focus on health, your tendency was to ignore it. And this trend continues in the year ahead. There is a need to force yourself to focus on health, though you don’t feel like it. You will have to find the motivation within yourself; it is not being supplied by the cosmos. (The good news though is that Pluto, your health planet, recently changed signs—now he is in the disciplined Sign of Capricorn—which makes it easier for you to muster up the needed discipline, both in diet and daily lifestyle.)
Pluto is your health planet. In the physical body he rules the colon, bladder and sexual organs. Thus these organs always need more attention. Last year was a sexually active year and you could have gone overboard and forgotten moderation; if so you are paying the price for it these days. Not only is sexual moderation important, but so is safe sex. It is important for everyone but especially for you.
Your health planet spent many years in the Sign of Sagittarius, which rules the liver and thighs, and these organs were ultra important until this year. Now with Pluto in Capricorn, the spine, knees, teeth, bones, gall bladder and overall skeletal alignment are very important. Regular back massage will do wonders for you. Seeing a chiropractor or osteopath on a regular basis will be a good idea; it is very important that your vertebrae are in proper alignment. Yoga is very wonderful for the spine and you should spend more time with the postures that focus on the spine. The Alexander Technique and Feldenkreis method are other good therapies for the spine. If you are doing vigorous exercise give the knees more support. Make sure you are getting enough of the minerals (calcium and Vitamin K) that keep the bones strong.
Reflexology Try to massage the whole foot on a regular basis, but pay extra attention to the points highlighted on the chart. When you massage, be aware of ‘sore spots’, as these need special attention. It’s also a good idea to massage the ankles and top side (as well as the soles) of the feet.
Since Pluto will be in Capricorn for many years to come, the things that we are writing about are long-term health trends.
Pluto Retrogrades from April 4 to September 11. This is a period for reviewing your health regime and diet, seeing where improvements can be made, but not for making drastic decisions about your health. It is best to execute your health plans either before April 4 or after September 11.
Pluto rules detox and surgery—an interesting fiefdom. Basically detox does the same thing as surgery (in many cases), only it takes longer. You especially benefit from detox regimes, in particular those that involve the colon. Either herbal or mechanical means will be good.
There are many natural, drugless ways to strengthen your vulnerable organs, legions of them, and readers are probably familiar with them. But if not, you can work with the chart on page 92. It is a good beginning.
Home and Family
Home, family and the overall domestic life has been an important focus for some years now, and the trend continues for most of the year ahead.
Saturn has been making a move through your 4th House for some years and will be there until October 29. This shows big, major reorganizations of the home, family relationships and the daily domestic routine. The cosmos is setting out to bring a ‘right order’ here and it is best to cooperate. There is a need for more order, more efficiency and better management in the domestic life.
Saturn in the 4th House is not an aspect for moving. Many of you would like to as you feel cramped where you are, but it is better to make use of the space that you have, rather than move into a bigger place, and since Saturn rules your 8th House of Detox and Elimination, the message here is that you need to get rid of excess furniture, decorations, or things in the home that are no longer useful. Just as the body benefits when we get rid of surplus material there, so your home life will benefit from getting rid of things that you don’t need. Watch how this simple procedure liberates all kinds of space that you didn’t know you had. (It’s a good idea to go through the basement, cupboards and attics too.)
The message of detox also applies to your domestic routine. Are you doing chores that aren’t necessary? Are you keeping house merely the way your parents did it, or the way society ordains it? Now is the time to review these things and eliminate waste.
On a spiritual level, the message of detox refers to your emotional life. There is a need to detox it of all discordant material and patterns—a big job, but this is a good time to do it.
The changes in the family pattern are going very deep. In many cases there has been a literal death in the family—and there is nothing like death to change a pattern, routine or relationship. In other cases there have been near-death experiences of family members. And perhaps a ‘near-death’ experience of the actual physical home, for we see a need for major renovation here. (This could have already happened in the past two years, but can still happen in the year ahead.) Sometimes the change in the family pattern happens through divorce and things of that nature—the family just breaks up.
None of this should be considered as punitive or ‘bad luck’. The cosmos needs to do major repair work to bring your home and domestic life to its pristine ideal, and this is the purpose. But it can feel uncomfortable while the process is going on.
Things will improve in the home after October 29; the cosmic job should be complete by then.
Siblings are having a status quo domestic year. Parents or parent figures are nomadic (and this has been going on for some years as well)—they are exploring their freedom, moving from place to place—and probably their marriages are being tested. Divorces in recent years would not be a surprise.
Children of appropriate age are experiencing much of the same things that you are: there is a detox going on in their home and family situation. The end result will be good.
Finance and Career
Your 2nd House of Finance is not a House of Power this year (and this has been the case for the past few years). It is not a major focus in your life these days and I read this as a good thing. You are basically content with the status quo and have no need to make major changes. Normally this would show a status quo kind of financial