For you, 2008 will be a year of discovery. It may not seem like that as the year begins, simply because you'll still be becoming accustomed to the influence of the rather demanding planet, Saturn, which moved into Virgo in September of 2007, and remains in your sign until mid-2010.
While, on one hand, this indicates you'll be reviewing every element of your life, gradually and area by area, during 2008 that review is more about new ideas and what's there for you to discover than about what you should commit to or do.
In fact, with Jupiter, the planet of growth and development, actually accenting the people whose company you enjoy most — friends, loved ones and children — and the activities that lift your spirits, and with Jupiter on the best possible terms with Saturn for the entire year, this process of discovery and exploration will have as much to do with recognising who and what you enjoy as with what you can do with your time and your energy.
Take that approach as you live out the weeks and months of 2008 and instead of worrying about getting things organised, as would ordinarily be the case, you'll focus on what you discover.
You'll allow yourself to be guided by chance encounters and will regard surprises as opportunities to learn something new. Often it will be those around you who are behind these developments. In fact, your activities will be influenced in the large part by both the actions of others and by changes in the circumstances of those you're closest to — partners and alliances, at work and at home.
One of the challenges, therefore, will be balancing your own needs with those of others. This is particularly the case in February when the Virgo eclipsed Full Moon either brings existing issues with others to a head or means that changes in the lives of others influence yours.
You may question or even oppose what others are doing or undertaking. While this might seem disruptive, these differences will actually trigger a series of discussions and questions that will be enormously informative, and so will more than justify the time you invest in them.
The wise Virgo will keep things flexible, however, at least until July 1, when the courageous Mars moves into your sign. During the following six weeks, you'll be re-evaluating your goals, thinking about what you do with your time, what you get for your efforts and, most of all, you'll be giving serious thought to what truly excites you in life.
While this is a process, one that goes on over time, July 10, is a turning point, because on that day Mars actually meets Saturn in your sign. Either circumstances will force you to face certain facts or what you've learned thus far means you'll realise that, in certain situations, you must draw the line.
The odds are good that, from this point onwards, you'll begin to eliminate, sometimes ruthlessly, what doesn't work and to focus on what does. Some of what you decide might surprise even you.
You'll also be thinking about the future, and some of the goals you set could be because you've acknowledged that it's time to pursue certain dreams that you've regarded as beyond your reach — that you feared you'd never achieve.
If there's any surprise during the year, it's that situations which seem to have been unchanging or a burden, suddenly begin to shift — and in ways you wouldn't have anticipated.
These shifts are indicated by the move by Pluto, the planet that has to do with destiny, from the part of your chart that relates to your family and domestic life, to join Jupiter in accenting love and life's pleasures. Pluto moves there in January, to remain until June, when it makes a five-month long return to accent family and domestic matters again.
During this period, you'll both discover ways to handle situations you thought you could do nothing about and realise that some of what you've been struggling to support, both personal projects and relationships, actually aren't worth your effort.
That may seem a loss. However, because Pluto is also the planet of truth, once you recognise what actually isn't worth bothering with, you'll begin to think about what is, and it's that that will make all the difference.
Most of all, you'll be thinking about your long term goals. Make no commitments that you can't change during the year, however, since it won't be until nearly the final days of the year, until the meeting between Mars and Pluto, on December 28, that the picture of what you want to do and the direction you want to go is clear.
From that point onward, not only will you know where you're going, but you'll be thrilled about what you know you could achieve.
