with the last lot of cosmic activity in your career sector not leaving until the 27th December, just 4 days before 2009 began.

The year and your future was adamant, that when the door to the past closed, at midnight on New Years Eve, that the manic work and professional drives of the past would be locked out, playing no part in your future. That doesn’t mean that the professional advantages you gained are also locked on the other side, far from it, for you are riding a tailwind that means that you've finished a period of proving yourself and running yourself into the ground and now it’s time to reap some of the rewards.

2009 is a year that has a look and feel that is completely different to every other year and while your cosmic mates may not notice the transition between the two years, the difference is so great that it will hit you in the face from Day 1.

The main difference is that less is required of you. Not only are the manic professional stars of last year gone, but they have been replaced with a much more personal focus. You begin the year with a line up of planets in your sector of friendship, teamwork and networking that includes the Sun, Jupiter, Pluto, Mercury and Mars, the planets of luck, change, communication and passion. This is akin to a cosmic intervention, where you are being rescued from a life of all work and no play, by planets that want you to engage more socially and participate in life more. While all but Pluto will have moved on by mid February, this is a theme that will dominate not only the coming year but the next 16 years, creating a new era. In the same way that Pluto had dominated your career sector since 1995, creating such a professional focus, that same attention has now shifted to your social life, your personal and professional networking and to becoming more plugged in and connected with others.

It is on the 6th January that Jupiter, planet of luck, begins what I consider to be the most important year in his 12 year cycle of expansion, for this is the final year in your current cycle, with a brand new Jupiter cycle beginning next January when Jupiter returns to your sign. It is during the course of the next 12 months that you will become even more of a dreamer than you already are, for not only is Jupiter moving into your sector of subconscious thinking, imagination and review, he’s embarking on that journey with Neptune, planet of dreams and fantasies and your ruling planet at his side.

Move into the coming year with an open mind, allowing your imagination and your intuition to be your tour guide as you revisit the past and start sowing seeds for the future. 2009 is a transition year for you, as you wrap up a Jupiter era that began in 1998 and prepare for a brand new era that begins in January 2010.

This is going to colour your year and the fact that Pluto is making this a much more social year, means that you're going to have to find a balance between staying plugged in, but also needing the space and time to think and imagine that this year requires. When you compare this with the manic work years of the past, there couldn’t be a greater contrast.

Don’t think that this means no professional opportunities in 2009, for that is far from the truth, with both Venus and Mars having a big impact on your fortunes this year. It is because of the work and focus you've already put into your professional game, that you're now poised to seize the rewards, which are destined to come very early in the year.

It is on the 3rd February, less than 6 weeks after Mars left your career sector at the end of 2008 that Venus, planet of money and the laws of attraction, moves into your income sector. Here, Venus not only brings a desire for more and a sense of entitlement, she turns you into a magnet, as she triggers the laws of attraction. This is a 4 week advantage Venus brings once a year, but instead of staying her normal 4 weeks Venus will arrive in February but won’t leave until the 6th June, 4 months later. Coming just weeks after the biggest era of professional focus ever, this is when you should see the financial results, especially as she will spend part of that time in retrograde motion.

Mars too is going to have a big impact, bringing a lot of work opportunities later in the year. Mars, planet of passion, drive and ambition normally spends 6 weeks in your work sector, once every 2 years, but when he moves in on the 17th October he won’t be going anywhere in a hurry, spending an epic 8 months here, right through to June 2010, by which point Saturn will be at the point of getting ready to leave your relationship sector and into your financial sector, at the end of October.

Meanwhile Saturn will continue to keep your relationships on track, making sure that you don’t let things slide. He turns retrograde on New Years Day and will stay in retrograde motion until mid May, giving you an opportunity to resolve past issues, reconcile or lay things to rest, ready to move on.

Work:
Since 1995 you've moved into each new year with a monkey on your shoulder, whispering in your ear that you have to do more, aspire to more, be more and keep fighting, for that’s how long Pluto, planet of change and revolution has been in your career sector, pushing you beyond what even you knew you were capable of achieving. You can be forgiven for feeling a little bewildered this year, when you find the monkey gone and the competitive drives that fuelled you in the past no longer there. At first you could mistake this thinking that you’ve lost your edge, but think of it as having had to push start a car, uphill! For the last 14 years you've been pushing and pushing, but you've reached a tipping point where you've crested the top of the hill and that kind of effort is no longer required. Its absence doesn’t mean the opportunities have gone, its absence means you've made it! Never again will you be required to put as much into making things happen. Give things time to settle down, focusing more on continuing the momentum already gained and putting things in perspective and steering them in the right direction. There is a period of job opportunities, with possibly a new job or growth into new area, from July onwards. Expect a steady growth after that, with things set to explode once Mars reaches your job sector in October. November and December are huge professional months, with both your work and your career sectors active.

Love:
The fact that Saturn, the planet responsible for any relationship challenges since September 2007, turns retrograde in your relationship sector on New Years Day, is a sign that he won’t be pushing any relationship issues as you move into 2009. That doesn’t mean he’s going away, for he’ll be on your case until he leaves in October. While Saturn may appear to bring challenges, he is in fact raising the bar and where before you may have either been unaware of things or managed to sweep them under the carpet, that’s no longer okay. As the bar is raised so too are your expectations and when you know that more is possible, then settling for less is impossible. Where there are challenges there are opportunities, for Saturn is working to create phenomenal relationships and he’s not afraid to employ some tough love to make it happen. In retrograde motion between the 1st January and the 17th May, this gives you an opportunity to deal with and resolve old issues, for a reconciliation or some kind of resolutions. It is just 3 days after Saturn turns retrograde that Venus returns to your sign, bringing a very romantic start to 2009. She’ll leave on the 3rd February, but will return for a rare second chance between the 12th and 24th April, an auspicious few days for all matters of the heart. June, July and August are the stand out romantic months of the year, with the focus then switching to your relationship sector and bringing this important Saturn era to a close.

Money:
You're set to experience phenomena that is all too common, that when you stop trying, things come to you. On the 3rd February Venus, planet of money, desire and the planet that triggers the laws of attraction moves into your income sector, for what would normally be a 4 weeks visit. During this time Venus enhances your desire for more, creates a real sense of entitlement and expectation and triggers the laws of attraction. During the 4 weeks she usually stays here, she creates more income opportunities than the rest of the year combined. Imagine then what she can do if she was here for 4 months, instead of 4 weeks, except you don’t have to imagine, that’s your reality. After the 12 days that Venus will return to your sign in April, Venus will arrive in your income sector on the 3rd February, but won’t leave until the 6th June. This begins less than 6 weeks after the last of the manic career forces in your chart ended and you finally had permission to stop pushing so hard. It’s no coincidence that Venus has arrived to attract income opportunities, for her timing is perfect. That whole period, from February through to June, is an extremely good period for all income matters, but it’s the end of April to the beginning of June, when Venus and Mars are working together that is especially good. Once Saturn moves into your financial sector in October you'll need to take a much more sensible approach to money, so keep things on track now, to avoid any challenges later on.