As you begin the year you'll have lots of questions. In fact, it would seem that the entire first half of the year will be dominated by the process of questioning and reflection. That may sound frustrating simply because you, as a Leo, like to know where you're going and, once you've made a decision about your direction, you like to take action.
Yet all of this is preparation for the insights that come during the year's second half and, ultimately, the life-changing decisions you'll be making. For this reason, even though the unsettling delays and peculiar situations you encounter may seem annoying at the time, each will offer an opportunity to gain insights.
And, gradually, those insights will gather together and take the form of an entirely new perspective on you, your life and what you could do.
True, during the early part of the year, particularly from early March until May 9, when Mars is positioned in the most vulnerable and strategic angle of your chart, you'll feel unsettled. You'll be contending with numerous delays and a variety of uncomfortable situations.
However, each of these has a purpose. As a result, you'll either be forced to examine what you're doing that no longer works or to acknowledge areas of your life where you're making compromises.
This is good timing because on May 9 the courageous Mars moves into Leo for a stay of nearly two months. During this period you'll want to take action, you'll want to experiment and, most of all, you'll want to challenge yourself.
This will take several forms. You'll be thinking about things you've never done, about those activities that you put off because they're unfamiliar, because you're anxious about them or you worry that, if you try them, you'll fail.
Simply tackling these alone would be worthwhile. But what you face is actually preparation for one of the year's most important turning points from your perspective, which is the Leo eclipsed New Moon, on August 1.
This single event brings together the insights of the year's first half, merging into a fresh perspective on your life. And even more importantly, it prepares you for the decision-making process that is central to the year's second half.
You'll also be trying to achieve a balance between what you do and the price you must pay for those activities. With the thorough and cautious Saturn accenting the use of your resources — your time and ideas, as well as your money — you'll be thinking carefully about what what's practical and what's appropriate to certain situations.
This is especially vital because the expansive Jupiter will be ushering in all sorts of intriguing ideas, new ways of working and of enjoying life, and pleasurable as these may be, you'll need to know what they'll cost you.
While some offers will be appealing instantly, others may not seem particularly interesting, at least at first. However, the wise Leo will explore absolutely everything, even if you think you won't enjoy it. Do that and you'll discover that what you first regarded with doubt or suspicion is far more rewarding than you'd anticipated. And you'll also realise that, had you not been so open-minded about those activities, pursuits or even certain individuals, you'd have missed out on something wonderful.
You'll also have an opportunity to explore a new approach to various areas of your life that you deal with on what might be termed 'automatic', that is, out of habit. With Saturn opposite the planet of innovation, Uranus, for most of the year, forming an exact opposition in early November, you'll be playing with all sorts of ways of dealing with these practicalities.
The more you try out, the more aware you'll be of your options when, during the year's final two months, you must make some sudden and, in some cases, life-changing decisions. These decisions are influenced by the move by the planet of truth and transformation, Pluto, into the practical sign of Capricorn, and into the part of your chart that involves your daily regime, your routine, your work and various obligations.
These are the things you often do without thinking. With Pluto accenting these, first, from late January until June, and then again just at the end of the year, from late November, you'll find that what you've simply accepted as being the way it is, could not only change but could be completely transformed by circumstances beyond your control.
This may not sound like welcome news. But, actually, this shift breaks up patterns that have restricted you, that have kept you from exploring, from growing and from discovering new joys in life.
During 2008, make a practice of saying yes to whatever arises, even if it means trying something new or something you're not particularly interested in. That may seem unwise or even risky. But, at minimum, you'll learn a great deal.
Not only that, when Mars meets Pluto, at the very end of the year, and you must make commitments, perhaps suddenly, not only will you be ready for them and well informed, you'll have had plenty of practice dealing with the excitement of the new.
