LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The biggest love affair of 2012 might just be with yourself! With happy-go-lucky Jupiter in Taurus until June 11, you’re falling in love with your independence. Whether you’re coupled or single, this is a once-in-a-decade chance to focus on your needs, desires and personal goals. You’re at the beginning of a 12-year cycle, which began when Jupiter first entered Taurus on June 4, 2011. This is the time to really invest in a new direction and to embrace the many new opportunities headed your way. When Jupiter moves into Gemini for a year on June 11, your confidence soars. Life becomes more stable and you feel clearer about your direction overall. This is a time when many singles meet “the One” — probably because you’re so grounded in yourself.

Not that there won’t be plenty of romance in the year ahead. Sexy, spicy Mars is visiting Virgo, your passionate fifth house, until July 3. You feel extra frisky during this cycle, and could enjoy playing the field if you’re single. Is that a stork circling above? The fifth house rules fertility, so a pregnancy is possible. The key with Mars is to be proactive, so if you want more romance in your life, don’t sit around waiting for it to happen. Glam up and take some head shots (or even book a boudoir photo session). If you’re an “old married couple,” don’t let date nights fall by the wayside; bring back the fun. Mars is the warrior, so do something fun and physically active, like taking dance lessons or just hitting a little lounge where they spin your favorite booty-shaking songs.

A word of caution: Love planet Venus is retrograde (moving backward) from May 15 through June 27, which can be a rocky patch for romance, no matter what your sign. Use this time to hit “Pause” on an affair that’s moving too quickly, or to slow down and reconnect with what matters to you and your mate. An ex could reappear during this time, as retrogrades can bring back people from our past.

In the fall, love takes a more serious turn when structured Saturn enters Scorpio on October 3. Saturn is the planet of maturity and tough lessons, and Scorpio rules your seventh house of committed relationships. Some of you Bulls may see cracks in the armor of your union, especially if you’ve been ignoring them or trying to coast on those honeymoon vibes forever. Should this happen, don’t freak out — just get busy doing the structural repair work. If you’re wasting time with someone who doesn’t respect you, though, expect things to fall apart under Saturn’s domain. (Trust us: Later on you’ll be glad they did.) With Saturn in Scorpio, it’s possible that you and your romantic partner could be kept apart due to work or family obligations. Fortunately, Skype and other video chat options are plentiful.

Weighty Saturn can make love feel like an uphill battle at some moments, and some Taureans may take a temporary separation to sort out complicated feelings. Single Bulls, you may have moments where you lose hope or feel a little lonely. Saturn is pushing you go for the real deal — no settling allowed! Instead of wallowing in self-pity or comparing your life to your coupled friends’, get busy exploring your passions — and find some like-minded people to hang out with. With healing Neptune now in Pisces, your group-activity sign, until 2026, you’ll find great fulfillment collaborating with others for a cause. And hey, you never know whom you’ll meet. A Scorpio solar eclipse on November 13 could bring new love out of the blue. Or, it could simply open a brand-new chapter in your existing relationship. Fresh starts are always a good thing.

The lesson of Saturn? Great relationships aren’t determined by how “perfect” they are. It’s how creatively the two people can adapt, problem-solve and work together as a team. Saturn is here to teach you how to do that fundamental work. It’s kind of like boot camp: It starts out hard, but once you build that core strength and discipline, nobody can take it away from you.

WORK & MONEY
You’re brimming with new ideas and excitement during the first half of 2012. Will all of these million-dollar masterminds pan out? Probably not — but you’re going for it just the same. Think of it as throwing a bunch of spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks. Lucky, expansive Jupiter (the zodiac’s gambler and optimist) is in Taurus until June 11, sparking a fresh 12-year life cycle that began last June. Since then, you’ve been on quite the reinvention tour. Normally so stable and rooted, many Bulls may be downright nomadic by now, living out of a suitcase or taking life one day at a time.

You may never be a huge fan of change, but you’re learning to embrace it and roll with the punches. Jupiter is rewarding your efforts with a little extra glitz and star power. People genuinely want to hear what you have to say, and you might completely shift gears in where you live, what you do for a living or how you present yourself. By the summer, your entire “look” and lifestyle may have completely changed.

Your financial landscape has actually been shifting since December 2010, when a three-year series of eclipses began on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis. Gemini and Sag rule the work, money and wealth zones of your chart, and having change-making eclipses here every six months has been quite a whirlwind. Just when you thought you had it all figured out, along came another twist in the plot! In 2012, three of the year’s four eclipses are here again. The May 20 Gemini solar eclipse brings a new work or moneymaking opportunity that will crest at the November 28 Gemini lunar eclipse. An unexpected second job or income source could appear. On June 4, a Sagittarius lunar eclipse could bring a joint venture, investment or property purchase. Trace back to last Thanksgiving, when the Sagittarius solar eclipse (on November 25, 2011) planted these first seeds.

On June 11, Jupiter will begin a yearlong tour of Gemini, your second house of work and money. This could be one of your luckiest financial cycles in a long time — music to many Tauruses’ ears. If you’ve been toiling away at a dead-end gig or feel that you’ve outgrown a position, expansive Jupiter can bring new opportunities. Don’t be afraid to look outside your current zip code, either. Jupiter rules long-distance travel and higher education, so relocation, a return to school, or frequent business trips might just be in order.

If you’re a business owner, you might start to think of teaming up later in the year. In October, structured Saturn begins a two-year visit to Scorpio, your partnership sign. Someone with solid experience and complementary skills could take your ventures to the next level. Stay tuned especially at the November 13 Scorpio solar eclipse, when this kindred spirit could appear unexpectedly.

HEALTH: MIND, BODY & SOUL
Haven’t kicked that bad habit yet, Taurus? Taskmaster Saturn is finishing up a three-year visit to Libra, your sixth house of health and fitness. Since 2009, you’ve been pushed to trade your vices for more life-affirming behaviors. While you may have embraced the flow of a simpler, more organized routine, there may be that one unhealthy “comfort” that you haven’t yet given up. Cigarettes, wine, too much of one food group — you know what it is, Taurus. Saturn is here until October, laying down the law a little harder this year. Remember: Anything worth doing is always uncomfortable starting out. But the results of your efforts will last for the long haul if you do that fundamental work.

Along the way, you may discover some psychological barriers and limiting beliefs that you’ll also want to dismantle. That’s because revolutionary Uranus will spend the next six years in Aries, your 12th house of the subconscious. Enough’s enough — you’re ready to blast through those stubborn blocks once and for all. If you’ve never read “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy, put it at the top of your reading list.

While Uranus is in Aries, you may also want to start a meditation or yoga practice, or in some way get more in tune with your spirituality. It will help calm all that nervous energy. Meditation doesn’t really mean sitting in a dark room with your eyes closed thinking about nothing. Who can really do that, anyway? It’s sort of like holding a yoga pose: You fall down again and again until you discover the core strength to hold yourself up. You’re actually building the “muscle” of faith, which is further bolstered by having transformational Pluto in your visionary ninth house. Create a solid vision of your heart’s desire. Then, make a practice of holding that vision, no matter how many times you “fall” — i.e., that little voice in your head tells you that you’re crazy, stupid and delusional. When doubt surges up, just bring yourself back to the vision, perhaps uttering a mantra like “I believe” or even “I believe in miracles.” Over time, you’ll become quite powerful — and you’ll start to see evidence that it was worth trusting in all along!