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2016 Astrocast: What does 2016 have in store?

By Lilly Roddy
Illustrations by David Eduardo Flores Perez
Photo of Lilly Roddy by John Conroy

Lilly Roddy
Lilly Roddy

There are changes ahead as the planets continue to move and change their positions in the Zodiac. Since 2008, two planets—Uranus, the independent and the rebel; and Pluto, the detoxer and the power-monger—have been in harsh alignment and have essentially created the world of people that we have been living through. The combination of these two planets creates an irascible energy, which defies any reasonable solution and thwarts attempts to find common ground. As we get into 2016, these two planets finally begin to separate and the intensity of their effects will begin to diminish, especially after April. Uranus and Pluto have been affecting the cardinal signs—Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. So people with key planets in those signs have been faced with the most severe emotional challenges to change and grow.

In 2016 we’re going to be dealing with the alignment of two different planets, Saturn and Neptune. These two planets will be affecting the mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. Saturn always reminds us that we need to be conscious of our future and that we need to continue to work on our long-term security, while Neptune wants more from our lives than just pushing that rock uphill every day.

For those of us here in Houston, this alignment between Saturn and Neptune will keep the price of gasoline low until after September 2016. This may have a noticeable impact on the Houston economy because of our reliance on the oil and gas industry.

ARIES
(March 21–April 19)

1 AriesCareer energies continue to be very active and in a state of rapid change and growth. The company that you work for is going through a downsizing and cleaning-out process. You can be either an agent of the change or part of the debris swept away by the change. You are definitely looking to improve your power position and status. If you’re feeling stronger, this is a good time to consider looking at starting your own business.

Your relationship patterns are also going through a time of change and renewal. You will want your relationships to have a sense of fun and enthusiasm, as boredom is the real enemy in your relationship—especially until August. Your overall relationship pattern improves after August, so that should be an especially positive time for your relationships, both business and personal.

After August, you should see an improvement in work conditions and a potential new office locale that may even generate a lot more business than you are used to. This is such a good time to work on health, diet, and exercise.

You will want to pay particular attention to your ruling planet, Mars, going retrograde from March 26 through June 29. You may not feel on your game at that time, and you may feel that your timing is just off. Make sure that you focus on doing what you like during that time, and all should go well. Definitely don’t start any new projects during that time.

After August, you will be more upbeat and busier than you have been in the first eight months of the year. Make sure you don’t overload yourself this year, because that will be very easy to do.

TAURUS
(April 20–May 20)

2 TaurusTaureans continue on their stable growth path for most of 2016. You are in a creative and expansive time that is very good for continuing your education or taking classes to reinforce your skill set. This outgoing energy is strong through August.

2016 is going to be an excellent year for you to pay attention to long-term finances, security, and retirement plans. You will want to get yourself out from under debt or other obligations that keep you emotionally dragged down. You will also be much more conscious about your boundaries and how well you’re respected for the knowledge and wisdom that you have. If you’re not getting the respect that you deserve, you may find yourself looking for other places to work where you can be appreciated.

Friendships and group associations are also going through a period of reevaluation. You are re-examining the purpose and usefulness of the organizations in which you invest time. You are certainly looking for your friends to step up and be more mature—otherwise, you may not want to hang around them.

This year you are expecting more from your relationships. You will want to break through some of the barriers that have not allowed you to be as open and as intimate with your partner as you may have liked. Mars, planet of action and confrontation, is in your relationship sector from January until August. If you’re single, Mars in the relationship sector can give you plenty of energy and determination to look for a potential mate. In existing relationships, Mars needs some sense of renewal, and you may want to put some fire back into your primary personal relationship. In your work, you may want to set up new goals for business relationships in order to find that sense of renewal.

If your relationship is not going so well, Mars will help bring those problems to the surface so that they can be addressed. Trying to ignore problems just means that they get worse. It may mean that the relationship is over, and the new direction you seek means going elsewhere to look for a potential new mate.

Mars is a planet that requires physical expression, and it really helps to go to the gym or go for a walk. Some of the most intense time will be between March 26 and June 29.

GEMINI
(May 21–June 21)

3 GeminiThis is a more decisive and forward-moving year than you have been experiencing during the last couple of years. Overall, you are undertaking a clearer plan of action to improve not only your security and career sector, but also (and especially) your relationship sector.

You are looking at all of your activities in a much more black-and-white way, trying to determine if they are useful and serve a purpose in your life. With your occupation, this can be a time to move upward on the career ladder. You’re definitely looking for a place where you can be appreciated and make your mark as part of the team.

This year, relationships are going through a huge reevaluation, whether they are business or personal. You are just trying to make sure that both you and your partner have a goal and that you are both pulling in the same direction. For many of you, this can be a year of real commitment, which could mean cohabitation or marriage. And for a few of you, this will mark the end of the relationship and a time for you to look for new ports of call. Whatever the actual outcome may be for you, you are definitely restructuring your current relationships so that there’s more quality and more long-term security.

Don’t be surprised if some career opportunities open up for you in March and September of this year.
March through June is a good time to pay attention to health, diet, and exercise regimens. During that same time, relationships among coworkers may be testy.

Your career energies are finally stabilizing some this year. You may have felt rudderless over the last couple of years and are now more ready to make a decision rather than waiting for that perfect thing. You may feel that you’re in the doldrums during the middle of June and the early part of September. Try not to push yourself so hard and overthink situations in those months. Things are getting better, and you can feel it.

CANCER
(June 22–July 22)

4 CancerMoon Children continue to be on the very busy and active path of growth that most of them have been on since 2008. The growth and change has been coming so quickly that it has been very difficult for you Crabs to adapt before you have something else to react to. The intensity of this growth will lessen as we get past the spring of 2016. You will still be on a growth cycle, but you will have more time to acclimate.

In the career arena, you will be looking for new and inventive ways to do your work, and you may even consider starting your own business. If you are happy where you are working, this is a good time to be taking on new projects or even creating some new projects on your own. You will have new and inventive ways to open up the business to potential new resources. At the same time, there is a reorganization going on in how the business functions. This could be a time when your office moves, or you get new office equipment, or you get a promotion. Try to be the agent of change and don’t resist the energies.

Health, diet, and other chronic problems resurface all through 2016 and through most of 2017. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to start that brand-new health regimen, this is the year to do it. You are instinctively taking more time for yourself and standing up to people, rather than operating in your usual passive-aggressive way. It’s not to say that passive-aggressive doesn’t work, it just takes longer than a direct approach.

Just like your career sector, relationships are also in a time of rapid growth and change. Try to go with the energy and it will reap great benefits. In some cases, it may be that the relationship has finally ended and it’s time to move on. Remember, it’s you that’s changing, not your partner!

LEO
(July 23–August 22)

5 LeoWith two outer planets in fire signs, this should be a much better year for Leos. You are feeling creative and innovative without the pressure that you have to perform, but only that you want to.

In your career, you can easily take a leadership role and feel very confident with your ability to lead and inspire other people. This is also an excellent year to be extending your education or taking some classes to bolster your existing skill set. You can easily sell yourself and your services this year, because you will naturally exude a strong sense of confidence.

If you have children, this can be a year where you see your children taking on a more adult point of view. For those whose children are older, this can be a time of marriage for them—and grandchildren for you.

One area in which you are continuing to work and improve is your current living environment and your physical health. You are starting to rid your home and work of the piles of stuff you have been collecting. You are also starting to take a harder look at your health and eating regimens. It will be much easier to break bad habits and eliminate negative foods and behaviors in 2016.

Your finances are still a little foggy, but you are working harder than ever to get that part of your life in order. If your investments and/or career are connected to the oil and gas industry, this could be a year where you feel a pinch financially. You may want to spend conservatively and make sure your investments are sound.

Keep your schedule open and flexible between March and June, as you may have to respond to a family issue that demands your attention. Do what you need to do to satisfy yourself, rather than just to please others.

After August, you are much more social and are looking for distractions and entertainment. It will be a good time for travel until August 2017.

VIRGO
(August 23–September 22)

6 VirgoThis is going to be a very significant year for Virgoans. Three planets are influencing you; each with a different agenda. Let’s look at each one, from the fastest-moving to the slowest-moving.

Jupiter, planet of growth, social activity, expansion, and travel, has been in the sign of Virgo since August 2015. Jupiter will remain in Virgo until August 2016. Typically Jupiter represents a positive and optimistic time in your life, making you more open to new ideas and different points of view, while enhancing your magnetic personality. It’s easier to sell yourself or services associated with your business. Jupiter likes to be busy, and this should keep all Virgoans especially active. Relationships are improved, and if you are single, this is an especially good time to be out there trying to connect with other people. With Jupiter, it’s easy to overcommit yourself because everything looks like fun!

Saturn, planet of reevaluation, repair, and long-term security, is moving through the home and family sector. Saturn likes to be safe. She wants to plan ahead and work out every possible strategy so that nothing can go wrong. She can make you think things to death. With every action Jupiter wants to take, Saturn wants to know if that action is really going to benefit you! Psychologically, this is a time of working on your emotional and family foundations. You are feeling older and noticing the passing of time. Saturn wants to make sure that investments of your time, love, money, and talents have a good return.

The last planet, Neptune, which activates your need for a spiritual retreat, has also been affecting Virgoans since 2011. This is the part of you that wants more from life than just the basic necessities. Neptune has made you more sensitive and more careful about the company that you choose to keep.

All three of these planets have a strong influence on you this year, and each will have a say about what goes on in your life. You shouldn’t choose one over the other, but instead try to get them to work as a team. Let Jupiter the optimist, Saturn the builder, and Neptune the dreamer find a way to pool their energies for your best benefit.

LIBRA
(September 23–October 23)

7 LibraLibra is experiencing a real mixed bag of energies for 2016. Home and family energies are very active, as well as the relationship sector. You’re also trying to put yourself back on a reasonable schedule, which may have been missing for the last three or four years.

The home and family sector has been especially active. A part of you is letting go and cutting the umbilical cord of your past. You are also attempting to regenerate connections within the family to establish a whole new set of personal traditions. The reasons for all this change could be just the natural process of aging and beginning to understand your position in the family in a different way. You are also going through a process of personal downsizing. You may be letting go of fears and beliefs that always drove you unconsciously. You are seeing yourself in a whole new light.

Relationships continue to be an unsettled topic because the universe is pushing you to be more self-oriented and to pay a lot more attention to your boundaries and your personal freedoms. You have learned that you need a lot more personal space and that you want both a good, solid, reliable relationship and a partnership that doesn’t cramp your style. You are changing your relationship patterns, and you will want both more closeness and more distance in your relationships.

Nevertheless, you are definitely making some decisions and setting your priorities. You will find that it’s much easier for you to say no and recognize your own needs for boundaries and space.

Getting from place to place this year may be more difficult than usual. You may need a new car—or you may want to find a new way to get to work and run your errands.

After August, your life gets a little busier and a little easier. You will feel better and more optimistic about your future. This positive boost will be in effect from August 2016 through August 2017. Get out and have a good time!

SCORPIO
(October 24–November 21)

8 ScorpioThis year you’re paying particular attention to your finances, resources, and work skills. Any type of activity that you’re involved in—whether it’s work, relationships, business organizations, or diet and exercise—you will want to feel that your time counts and your efforts have purpose and meaning.

This is an excellent year to get your financial picture in shape and do some conservative investing that can really make you feel safer and secure.

You are in a more creative time, which can be good for teaching or writing. But even that activity still has to have a return on your investment or you may not attempt it.

You are in a restless phase, where you are looking to change your habits, patterns, and routines. If you’re older, you are looking for more personal time and will want to cut back on your work hours. Regardless of your age, you are looking for something that stimulates you and makes you feel connected to what you’re doing, instead of rolling the rock uphill every day because you’re good at it.

Being involved in community organizations and business groups, as well as being more connected to your friends, can really give your life a whole lot more meaning this year. You are certainly being drawn toward a more humanitarian view. You are wanting to educate people about compassion and understanding.
You will have plenty of energy to put into whatever projects interest you as Mars, the planet that makes everything personal, enters your sign of Scorpio in January 2016 and doesn’t leave until August 2.

Normally Mars spends about 45 days in each sign, but this year it will be retrograde in Scorpio from the end of March until the end of June. You will not be able to filter and control your feelings as well as usual, because Mars wants you to be more authentic and less controlled. This can be a great time for getting in shape, starting a new project, or really enjoying some sort of competition. Don’t try to hold it in—find yourself a healthy outlet!

SAGITTARIUS
(November 22–December 21)

9 SagittariusFor the next two years, Saturn (planet of career, long-term future security, and priorities) will be visiting your sign. This will certainly help to bring some stability and decisive action into your life.

For the last couple of years, you’ve just been doing what’s necessary. You haven’t been as social and as passionate about your life as you normally are. With Saturn visiting your sign, you are reestablishing new goals—particularly those associated with your career and your long-term security. You’re concerned with making the best use of your resources.

In your relationships, both business and personal, you will need to reestablish new long-term goals so that you are both pulling in the same direction. You are wanting your partner to participate more in the relationship. Normally with Saturn, she wants the relationship to continue because of what she’s already invested. But Saturn is also the cut-your-losses-and-move-on planet. If you can’t find common ground or feel that you’re not being appreciated, you will be bringing the relationship to an end.

This is also an excellent time to pay attention to your health, your physical body, and how you look to other people.

Career opportunities are especially good this year through August. If you are looking for a new position or wanting to take on a greater level of responsibility at your current location, this is an excellent time to be doing that. This same energy is also very good for any type of travel, but because of Saturn’s influence, you may think it’s too much trouble this year. It may be better to travel for work than for pleasure.

Lastly, you will still need plenty of time to yourself this year. Your psychic sensitivity continues to be strong. A good time to get away from the daily grind would be in June and in September. You will really need time to yourself then! If you can engage in some creative activities during those months, it would be especially good for your soul.

CAPRICORN
(December 22–January 19)

10 CapricornFor Capricorns, this continues to be a big year of growth and personal discovery. It means letting go of a lot of old ideas and views about yourself that you have outgrown, or maybe that weren’t really a true part of your being.

With this focus on self-discovery, you have not been as focused on your long-term career and security goals. This is because you are confronting some deep internal fears about yourself that have always kept you limited and safe. You are rejecting those notions and possibly looking at starting a whole new career—or retiring to do exactly what you want to do.

You might also feel lost and without a purpose as you let go of your past, but are unsure of what to expect from your future. As you go through this process, you are not the same person. You don’t have the same needs and desires, and it is noticeable to others.

This can have a very dramatic impact on your romantic relationship. As you open up more, you are wanting to generate a greater feeling of trust and intimacy with your partner. If that relationship hasn’t been built on trust and communication, this can be the perfect time for therapy or marriage counseling.

One thing is very obvious, and that is that you are letting go of some of the responsibilities you have always carried. This will be easily seen through the interaction with your family. You’re a lot more direct and certainly don’t seem to have the same patience with family gatherings as you did in the past.

If you own real estate, you may want to be rid of that responsibility and just find a place to rent. During this time, you will have to be drawn to something; you can’t just make a commitment to it and follow through as you used to.

Your career energies are definitely more active starting in August. This will help to bring you out of this extreme self-focused time that you have been in since 2008. Look for new opportunities for advancement after August.

AQUARIUS
(January 20–February 18)

11 AquariusAquarians are generally humanity-driven individuals who seek freedom and acceptance for all people. This year you’re taking a very hard look at any groups or organizations that you belong to. You will want to make sure that these organizations satisfy your needs and have a place for you in a leadership role. If you don’t feel that you’re getting what you need from your business or community organization, you will simply stop participating. Friends and friendships will be falling under this very same evaluative process. This can be a very trying time for all friendships. You may simply set different priorities and not have time for certain people in your life. This is pretty drastic action, as friendship is very important to Aquarians. You just won’t want to waste your time on people with whom you have nothing in common.

This year, Mars, planet of action and initiation, goes retrograde in the career sector of your horoscope. Normally Mars would spend about 45 days in this area, but this year it will hang around for seven months, from January through early August. Mars fires things up! Mars wants us to feel inspired and courageous and willing to take chances. With Mars being so long in your career sector, you may be considering starting your own business, or you may invest yourself in a particular project that you are really passionate about. In your work environment, you’re more likely to want to take a leadership role. If that path is blocked, you may feel stimulated to do something more on your own. Chronic problems at work will come to the surface. If the problems aren’t corrected, people may feel defensive and distant.

And one last thing: you’re working on lightening up your list of household chores and routines. It’s not that you can’t do it—it’s just that you don’t want to. You’re looking to have more free time so your life doesn’t feel so structured and demanding. All you have to do is just do what you like!

PISCES
(February 19–March 20)

12 PiscesFor the past few years, you Mermaids and Mermen have been taking time for yourselves. You’ve been in a period of retreat, even if you didn’t want to be there. Since 2011, you’ve been reminded of how sensitive a person you actually are. In some cases, you may have been forced into putting yourself first. The universe required you to rescue yourself. You weren’t as social, and you learned to choose your company carefully.

Now that you have that working for you, the universe is ready for you to take your show back into the public realm and use those boundaries you developed. In terms of career, this is a much-improved time for you. You are ready to step into a leadership position. People will notice your leadership skills. This could also be a time for you to go back to school to improve your résumé and long-term career options.

In June and September, you will feel a need to retreat and give yourself a time of peace and quiet. This feeling will be especially strong in September. Try to keep your agenda flexible and light during those months.

Your relationship energies are very positive this year. If you’re in a relationship, you and your partner are getting along very well. Your partner could also be experiencing good energies, especially related to career or travel options. You will want to do something to formalize and set new goals for the relationship. If you are single and looking for a partner, this is an especially good time to put yourself out there. You’re more magnetic and can draw more people into your life. Your confidence level is better, and it shows.

These positive relationship energies, which will remain strong until August, are also very good for improving social and business connections, publishing, or travel. This should be a good year for you because you will see recognizable gains in many areas of your life!

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Lilly Roddy

Lilly Roddy has been an Astrologer for the last 25 years. She counsels individuals in personal, business and financial matters as well as teaches classes in Astrology. She is a regular contributor to OutSmart Magazine.
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