GEMINI: As far as finances go, you’re sick and tired of being on a restricted diet with no carbs or sweets. But until Saturn goes direct (after May 2), you need to curb your spending and make home and family a priority. This doesn’t have to be the dreary death sentence that you think it is. Au contraire! If you surrender to the process, the benefits will override any inconvenience ten to one. A boss or authority figure traveling overseas calls with good news.

CANCER: A little Zen goes a long way. Expect your imagination and your moods to run the gamut from A to Z and back (in more than one language) this weekend, so have a plan in place in case you start bouncing off the walls. One idea is to take a kick boxing or shadow boxing class with a seasoned pro. As crazy as it sounds, you’ll need to externalize this energy, or it’ll overwhelm you. Walking is better than nothing: If writing’s your thing, go for it, but don’t act on any of it without a reality check from someone you trust.

LEO: It’s not your style to sit on the sidelines and let life happen without your glowing input. But since so much is going on behind the scenes and beyond your scope of vision, the less said the better- at least for now. Being in a frustrating holding pattern is never fun, but it’s what you have to do. By the second week in May, this will all lift and you’ll back in full swing and loving it.

VIRGO: Bean counters of the world, unite! It’s your time of year to gloat, but don’t. While everyone around you is tortured by the tax-filing deadline, you’re experiencing a strange calm. The tense aspect between disparate parts of your chart- the part that wants to play and the part that is a tax genius are at odds and there’s only one way to get them in sync. Join the party at the Post office on April 15th. Bring champagne, dress up, and find a spot at the main Post Office and hold court between 8 PM and midnight.

LIBRA: This just in from the topsy turvy department: If you’re moved to stay late at work this Friday night, you’re not nuts- do it. The Moon/Mars meet up at the top of your chart isn’t the kind of energy one can easily relax into but it’s great for cutting through obstacles with passion and precision. So wherever you happen to be, take aim and channel the emotional intensity at hand into something productive. A heated discussion with a partner culminates in a resolution that brings you closer.

SCORPIO: Be careful of your own strength. Without meaning to, you could really clobber somebody and knock the wind out of their sails for good. This especially pertains to people you work with, or anyone in a service position. By the same token, your magic is at a peak this weekend, and you have what it takes to sway others to see what you want them to see and to act on it. Use your might and influence wisely.

SAGITTARIUS: Someone close to you will repeat themselves ad nauseum, but as inane as their incessant chatter is, some of what they’re going on about proves to be important for you to hear. So don’t shut down when you should be listening. By the same token, something that you’ve been trying to get across, finally is heard and you inadvertently save the day. Please-no matter what, don’t say “I told you so”, it’s so annoying.

CAPRICORN: This is the one phrase to live by for the next few days: Pick your battles, or better yet- don’t get involved in any crossfire. Your busy schedule deems it impossible to dodge all the insanity that those in your sphere toss your way, but you don’t have to catch any of it, nor should you. Your ruling planet (Saturn) has a little more than three weeks to go before leaving its compromised retrograde phase. And when it does, look out! The strength you’ve built since late November will blow any one who even tries to mess with you clear out of the water.

AQUARIUS: You’ve been on edge and more worried than usual for no particular reason. Part of it, is the Saturn retro in your 8th house of sex, death, taxes, and other people’s money and you’re consumed with your own mortality. But why dwell on what we mortals have no control over? Along similar lines. if you space out and have more senior moments than usual, not to worry- your close friends have you covered. As a matter of fact, you will feel more loved and provided for in the next couple of weeks than you have in your entire life. So there!

PISCES: Books like “The Secret” encourage visualizing what we want and urge us to cultivate an expectation of our needs being continuously met. Well, all that’s well and good, but how are you supposed to respond to a situation (or person in your life) that has been stuck for months? You have no choice but to graciously wait it out. Within a very short period of time, your “Wall of Jericho” will come tumbling down. That’s a promise.

The Planets This Week: Times are EDT

April 10: Moon v/c in Gemini @ 12:11 pm, enters Cancer @ 10:43 pm
Sun square Jupiter @ 10:11 am, Mercury square Mars @ 1:14 pm
April 12: First Quarter-Sun square Moon @ 2:32 pm, then Moon v/c
April 13: Moon enters Leo @ 2:29 am
Mercury square Jupiter @ 1:49 pm
April 14: Mercury sextile Neptune @ 6:10 pm
April 15: Moon enters Virgo @ 9:07 am
April 16: Sun conj Mercury @ 3:24 am

*Moon v/c = ‘void of course’, a time of disconnect until the Moon enters the next sign

Copyright, 2008, Shelley L. Ackerman, all rights reserved

Photo by Rich Press

When radio and television producers want the celestial skinny on the stars and politicians they turn to Shelley Ackerman, one of the world's leading astrologers. She is known for being insightful, warm, funny -- and accurate! Shelley has headed the New York affiliate of The American Federation of Astrologers and wrote many columns for Beliefnet.com. Her insights have appeared in The New York Times and she was recently on the cover of The Wall Street Journal. She writes regularly for The New York Post and The Westchester Guardian. As a media astrologer she appears regularly on TV, and has worked with Access Hollywood, Court TV, ABC’s World News Now, ABC Eyewitness News, The CBS Evening News, NBC’s ‘Extra’, and Fox News. Visit Shelley at www.karmicrelief.com