CAPRICORN HOROSCOPE

You can feel how fundamentally life has changed since Pluto left Capricorn and Saturn entered Aries. This is different from the mountain climbing of the past few years when you were summitting new heights in pursuit of loftier goals. Back then you were looking up and ahead and nowadays you're more concerned with the here and now. Living in the present tense isn't easy for Capricorns, but it's something you'll come to appreciate while Saturn is retrograde from July 12th to November 28th. It allows you to get your house in order – both literally and figuratively – as you begin the next chapter in your life.

Neptune turning retrograde on July 4th may not be a bad thing. You yourself were questioning how resolved you were about concluding matters so this might have bought you time. You're not a big fan of going back the way you came but if there's anything you need to get used to with Neptune traveling through the base of your solar horoscope for the next few years it's fluidity. Simply put no one knows how life will turn out and despite your Saturnian proclivity to read the ending of a book before the beginning, being open to whatever happens isn't the worst way to live.

Part of being there for someone is knowing when NOT to intervene. And this includes weighing in with unsolicited life advice, offering pointers from the sidelines, or bailing them out financially. Capricorn has a reputation for being cold and unfeeling, but the truth is you're paternal. You don't want the people you care about to fall on their face, however the Sun/Neptune square on June 23d insists you let them find their own way. There are some life lessons that people have to learn for themselves and your respect for that and faith in them speaks more to your love than any last minute rescue will.

You may find yourself torn between the truth you want to believe and the way you hope that things will turn out when Jupiter forms a square to Neptune on June 18th. This may sound like the dilemma of dreamers who don't want to face reality but not even skeptics are immune to manipulating an argument to suit the result they think is right. In other words nobody's being objective or impartial right now so question the experts and don't be so quick to pass back the reins. You need to follow a higher authority and that may reside within you rather than in them.

Jupiter in Cancer may seem disconcerting at first as you watch the good fortune you were enjoying make a beeline to your partner or business associate. Suddenly the person you were bankrolling is doing better than you. Most people would be happy to hand over the financial responsibilities to somebody else, but you're a Capricorn. This will only make you feel dispensable. The test that you're being put through here (remember that Ruling Planet Saturn is also squaring Jupiter in Cancer) is to learn to rely on someone else. It's time to dismantle the outdated defense mechanisms and bond with the person who matters most.

You'll want to pay close attention to any exchange of information or innocuous transaction that takes place on June 8th no matter how trivial. This is when Mercury and Jupiter will form their final conjunction in the zodiac sign of Gemini before they both enter Cancer. What starts out as something inconsequential – like a boy selling his cow for three beans perhaps – promises to grow into an opportunity of enormous beanstalk proportions. If you remember that big things come in small packages when dealing with Mercury and Jupiter, then you'll be able to manage everything that follows and profit from the experience over the next year.

The New Moon in Gemini on May 26th is perfect for beginning a new project, but be ready to switch mental caps first. You'll have to keep those high expectations in check and take things on a day by day basis. That's because Gemini is a zodiac sign that makes things up as it goes along. This flies in the face of Capricorn's insistence on planning ahead, but what you lose in terms of a fixed agenda, you'll gain with the playful spirit that's so fundamental to a Gemini's creative process. Live in the moment and you'll reap the rewards of spontaneity, inventiveness and discovery.

You'll be grappling with unresolved father issues as long as Saturn is in Aries. Both Aries and Capricorn are heavily invested in propping up their father figures so this could be a time when repressed resentments surface or when you debunk a myth that's held you in its grip too long. Be ready to experience anger, guilt, gratitude and pride as you cycle through all the contradictory emotions. What you'll get in the end is a profound understanding of why your father had a hard time being Dad. And if your father's not around? Then this is your chance to step in and father yourself.

You've gotten self-absorbed lately – putting in long hours at the office while chasing after the almighty dollar. It happens to the best of workaholics. And this would be fine if you lived alone, but you don't which is why you need to listen to loved ones when they say that they miss spending time with you. You will also want to take associates up on their offer to take some of the burden off your shoulders. Life doesn't have to be lonely at the top. Take this opportunity to change the order of things and you won't end up living a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There comes a time when you have to make the things you've studied your own. You've collected all the facts, stats, graphs and flow charts. These things can support what you have to say but in the end it's still up to you to make the case. What people want to hear is your voice; your take on things. The more complicated your subject matter, the simpler you should be. The more straightforward you are in your presentation, the more inviting you become. Do this and you'll win people over to your way of thinking. Who knows? They may even want to come back for more.