Happy birthday rams and ewes! The Full Moon on the 9th in Libra really emphasizes relationships this month.

THIS ISSUE > OUT & ABOUT > SIGNOUT

Venus, planet of love, desire, envy, and investments, goes direct on the 20th. Now that you have had time to reflect on your use of personal resources over the last two months, it is time to begin anew. Look for relationships to be smoother after this time. Also, Pluto, planet of depth, intensity, and ultimate change, goes retrograde for the next four months. It does this every year at about this time. Now the work on the economy really begins to heat up. • The Full Moon on the 9th in Libra really emphasizes relationships this month. We will all notice what is out of balance. The New Moon on the 24th is in Taurus. This will make us even more aware of our resources and hopefully inspire us to find new ways to use what we have. • Smooth days for the month are the 7th, 10th, 11th, and 24th. Bumpy days for the month are 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, and 26th. • The Sun enters the stable sign of Taurus on the 19th. Mercury is ahead of the Sun, opens the door to Taurus on the 9th, and slips out the door to Gemini on the 30th. Mars floats through Pisces and comes home to Aries on the 22nd. The rest of the planets are happy where they are.

ARIES (March 21–April 19) . Happy Birthday to the rams and ewes of the zodiac. As always, the time prior to your birthday is a time of reflection and goal-setting for the following year. This is your personal New Year. You should hold back some on initiating anything new until after the 20th. After that, you are all revved up and will have extra energy to get things done. Watch your temper on the 26th; you could be quite edgy. This continues to be a great time for networking or connecting with friends. Expect some changes at work with management at the end of the month. Relationships could be a great place to escape to.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20). Career and work are really your main motivation this month. You will feel overloaded, so watch your schedule and commitments. There are a lot of expectations as you are trying to advance in your career. Your ruling planet, Venus, goes direct on the 20th, and you will have more control of your day-to-day activity. Most of the month should be more focused on social activities with friends or organizations. And then you should also spend a good amount of time in spiritual reflection. You are rather sensitive this month. Watch who you hang out with. Your energy level begins to return as we get closer to your birthday.

GEMINI (May 21–June 21). Lots of energy is focused on your career this month with Mars visiting this area. Use plenty of tact in dealing with bosses or clients; otherwise, you will come across as rather pushy. And don't create any battles that you are not ready to fight. After the 20th, you can initiate any new projects that you would like to. You can expect to be visiting with old friends during the first part of the month. You are in a social mood. Communications are subtler for you this month. This is a good time for writing or journal-keeping. Personal relationships continue to flow smoothly.

CANCER (June 22–July 22). You are finally coming out of that way-too-inwardly-reflective mood that you have been in for the last two months. You are feeling some energy and vitality surge back into those crab legs. If you can direct some of this energy to teaching or being a student, you can gain a lot during this month. Your brain is open and ready to tackle some new projects. And you will “get it” fairly easy. Contact with foreigners or different cultures will be especially beneficial. Relationships can be testy from the 22nd through the 26th. Do something that takes your relationship out of its normal routine. Career takes center stage by the end of the month. Get ready.

LEO (July 23–August 22). This continues to be a good time for relationships for you. If you are in one, it is improving. If you are single, this is a great time to meet new people. And after the 20th, you can act on those feelings. Sexual energies are stronger as well. Keep a good watch on your money; there could be times when you have to spend money on items that you were not prepared for. Look for life to ease up some by the end of the month. Get out of town or take some time away from your routines. You will certainly be glad for this.

VIRGO (August 23–September 22). Work continues to be busy with lots of activity with co-workers going on. Try to keep a handle on all the stuff piling up. Some of you may be relocating your workspaces or even rearranging the offices. Relationships are more charged than usual. Boring relationships may be headed for an end unless you work to keep them fresh. And there is a greater demand for intimacy, both emotional and sexual. Your partner may demand more of your time and attention. If you are single, your good friends could play out this role for you. This month, you are not meant to be alone.

LIBRA(September 23–October 23). This is definitely your time, both last month and this month, to confront your relationship issues. With Venus, your ruling planet in your relationship sector and going retrograde, this is time that you can avoid problems. Most of these are not particularly about your current relationship but about the partnership patterns you have. You will be more conscious of these and, certainly, you can do more to correct those problems now. Otherwise, there are breakups in your future. If you are single, you will feel more like starting something new after the 20th.

SCORPIO (October 24–November 21). You are in a much more playful mood that you were last month, and are due a break. But there is still that mess to clean up at work and you are determined to get that finished. Relationships with co-workers can be tense if you try to push your weight around. Being right isn't enough; tact is important. Family activity keeps you busy and maybe too busy. Friendships require more work than usual and you will determine that some are just plain not worth it.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21) . Foundation, career, and family are spotlighted for you this month. You have been overloaded at work as you continue to work on your inability to say no. You need much more time to yourself, and that idea is becoming much more clear this month. You absolutely need some break in your schedule, as you could really be feeling trapped. Do some fun things — play with your kids, pretend you are a kid, or go do some kid things.

CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19). There continues to be a focus on money, resources, and your talents this month. And that focus has shifted to your family and your home. You are interested in having a comfortable place to go home to. Family relations haven't been all that peaceful. Even social events aren't working. Shift your work routines some. Get on the bus and ride around town. Take in some different sights. Go to coffee with some friends or co-workers and just chat about nothing. Tensions will be strong around the 25th, 26th, and 27th. Make sure you have an escape route.

AQUARIUS (January 20–February 18). You have found your voice this month and you are using it. There is a lot to do and just all these little jobs that must be done this very second. You are still in your creative phase. Travel, writing, meeting with foreigners, or expanding your resource base is very good this month. You are more visible than usual, and people will notice you. Your spending could be a bit impulsive. Keep a good watch on that, as there will be better reasons to spend your money on more practical things.

PISCES (February 19–March 20). Mars, planet of action and confrontation, continues to visit your sign until the 24th. You are more courageous than usual, and you are taking a lot less gruff off of people. It is a time to get clearer with yourself and your partner about where your relationship is going. There should be some long-term planning going on. Be careful about spending money on art or home interiors until after the 20th. You are examining new ways to make better use of your skills. Some of you are considering alternative jobs or seeking a raise. You are worth more than you know.

Read Lilly Roddy's forecast for all of 2009, which appeared in OutSmart 's January issue. For more astro-insight, log on to www.lillyroddy.com.