The Aquarius new moon Saturday morning ushers in the Year of
the Fire-Pig, also known as the Year of the Golden Boar, with expectations of
great wealth, fertility and good luck. It's been 600 years since a Chinese
New Year has been heralded with such high hopes, give or take a few natural calamities.
Solar Pisces begins on Sunday. Monday's sexy Venus-Pluto square makes Presidents
Day more than a good shopping day; it also adds a special kick to Fat Tuesday
festivities. On Ash Wednesday, Venus begins a quick trip through impulsive Aries
that ends abruptly on St. Patrick's Day. You'll get a chance to think
things over again when the sun and retrograde Mercury meet Thursday night. Busy,
busy.

Aries

Bad timing or a blessing in disguise? Venus, planet of love, beauty and pleasure,
enters Aries on Ash Wednesday. Will the goodies the goddess offers offset the
rigors of Lent or will self-control triumph over self-indulgence? In the middle
of St. Patrick's Day festivities, Venus' visit comes to an end, leaving
you high, but not necessarily dry. You'll have only 24 days to become a
more attractive, more sociable Lamb. As far as wealthier, those benefits start
to accrue after retrograde Mercury turns direct on March 7.

Taurus

Valentine's Day may have been about expressing affection, but this year's
Presidents Day is more about passion. Who is doing what with whom, and why? This
type of questioning tends to come up whenever your romantic Venus ruler succumbs
to Pluto's powers of persuasion. It may be hard to resist the pull, so why
not spend the holiday weekend (and Mardi Gras) checking out Pluto's dark
side and seeing where you fit in it? Artists and wannabes could wind up in the
spotlight for exceeding the public's expectations.

Gemini

An interesting dilemma may arise when indomitable Pluto in your marriage house
challenges artistic Venus in your career zone. Could an influential woman interfere
with your plans for a midwinter break? Will you be asked to cut your holiday short
and return to work? And will you figure out a solution that satisfies all parties
concerned when the sun meets up with your retrograde Mercury ruler and makes the
Twins appear smarter than the rest of us? Well, maybe not those Virgins. Opportunities
abound once Mercury faces forward on 3/7.

Cancer

The Moon Child should put personal business in order before the first of the 2007
eclipses in early March. How long can your celebration of the Chinese New Year
that began with the new moon on the 18th go on? So what if this, the Year of the
Golden Boar, is predicted to be the most auspicious of the past 600 years? You
already know that the 21st is China's century, and as more planets fill
your Pisces house of foreign travel, more opportunities will arise, especially
around the sun's meeting with innovative Uranus.

Leo

No one has adequately explained to me the strange attraction Lions have for Fish
and vice versa. While your sun ruler travels through Pisces, perhaps you can figure
out what you like about this elusive water sign and its wellspring of emotional
turmoil. A moment of clarity appears when the sun meets clever Mercury around
the 22nd, but those insights may fall by the wayside until Mercury turns direct.
Until then, there's an infusion of exciting times coming while Venus visits
adventurous Aries, another high-spirited fire sign.

Virgo

Look for a variation of the Gemini dilemma. Despite a challenge from one of your
significant others, domineering Pluto insists that you stand firm about a family
matter. Affable Venus in your Pisces marriage house usually brings good times
and good loving, so you're liable to be grateful and predisposed to giving
in to your partner's request. However, since your Mercury ruler is still
retrograde, you shouldn't count on anything going according to plan. Venus
will forgive and forget when it gets to Aries; the relatives won't.

Libra

Enough of the martyr mode! Give thanks that your Venus ruler leaves self-sacrificing
Pisces on the 21st for the single-minded self-centeredness of Aries. This is the
break you need and, while the goddess dances through the sign of your cosmic mate,
the pleasure you deserve. But before the fun can start, you may have to persuade
a neighbor or sibling to take over some of the duties you so dutifully fulfilled.
As far as assuming some of the expense, probably not. Leave that to the man of
the house.

Scorpio

Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, both the ridiculous and the sublime, are informed
this year by the compelling connection between your passionate Pluto co-ruler
and vivacious Venus. Don't bother trying to elude the ties that bind you
to the person you're currently attracted to. That's one of the nicer
aspects of these intense Venus-Pluto liaisons; while Pluto barely budges, Venus's
annual trip through all 12 signs brings an interesting assortment of desirable
people into your life. Right now, a costly pleasure, but not for long.

Sagittarius

Like a feeding frenzy, people of the Pisces persuasion tend to show up whenever
the sun enters the sign of the Fish. How you deal with their tales of woe (I rarely
hear about the happy times) is something all of us Seers have to work out for
ourselves. Since our magnanimous, expansive Jupiter ruler is in Sag this year,
I assume we'll be listening to bigger fish stories than usual. This is what
happens when you're reputed to give good advice. My advice: Gear your words
to the spiritual and artistic planes. Reality sucks.

Capricorn

For some, the polarity between imaginative Neptune and your pragmatic Saturn ruler
can be an annoyance that keeps you from completing what you're supposed
to. For others, the opposition may be a welcome distraction, an opportunity to
let your mind wander through the poppy fields. It all depends on what you need
to do. Since their opposition is a rare enough occurrence, why not slow down so
you can appreciate the full effect? Besides, with mistake-prone Mercury retrograde
until the 7th, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Aquarius

If you've been waiting to get sufficiently motivated, wait no longer. For
the first time in two years, energetic Mars comes to your rescue when it enters
Aquarius for the Oscars. The red planet will stick around until Good Friday, so
if you need a nip, a tuck or dental surgery, schedule it ASAP. You might have
a better idea of what you should spend your money on after the sun merges with
retrograde Mercury and offers an opportunity to reassess your assets. We all know
a change is in the works; it's only a matter of when.

Pisces

Why not make that last-ditch attempt to snag a client's attention before
magnetic Venus leaves your sign on Ash Wednesday? After that, you'll no
longer be the answer to a needy but powerful person's prayers. While the
sun passes through Pisces, you'll be too busy celebrating not only your
birthday, but each of the gifts you were born with. Thanks to productive Saturn's
polarity with your aesthetic Neptune ruler, those talents could manifest (and
be valued) in what once upon a time, before MTV, was called the real world.

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