HOROSCOPE PUZZLES Your week in the stars

By Joanne Madeline Moore

27 February-5 March, 2023

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Love, luck, generosity and opportunity are linked, as Venus and Jupiter hook up in your sign. So it’s a wonderful week to join an online dating site, go on a first date, propose, get married, renew your wedding vows, launch a passion project or buy a lottery ticket. Good fortune could also knock on your door via a local friend, a business partner or an international contact. But you must have the inner confidence to truly believe that you deserve happiness and success.

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 21)

Are you tired of being a paddock-bound Bull? This week Jupiter revs up your usually tentative Taurean nature, and you will feel more restless and curious than usual. So it’s time to break free from boring boundaries, escape from your pedestrian paddock, go free-range and start exploring the world around you. Your motto is from birthday great Elizabeth Taylor: “I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”

GEMINI (May 22 – June 21)

You’re keen to connect with others as six planets activate your professional and aspirations zones. It’s a terrific time to converse and communicate, text and tweet. People are waiting to hear what you’ve got to say as you brainstorm your creative ideas, and proactive Mars is charging through your sign. So stop procrastinating, walk your talk and start delivering! Be inspired by birthday great, writer and illustrator Dr Seuss: “Only you can control your future.”

CANCER (June 22 – July 23)

Venus and Jupiter join forces in your career zone, so a professional opportunity could come your way this week. But you must keep your eyes and ears open, and nurture potential influential connections along the way. Mercury also links up with Saturn, so you need to take a disciplined look at money and tax matters, especially if you’re part of a financial partnership. Friday, Saturday and Sunday favour travel, tourism, education and communication.

LEO (July 24 – Aug 23)

This week’s spontaneous stars increase your restless side and your independent streak. Travel and communication are particularly favoured, as you connect with creative friends from close to home and far away. Clever Cats will resist the urge to be bossy and self-indulgent. You’re in the mood to take a professional risk or go on a grand adventure but avoid saying the first thing that pops into your head. Sometimes silence is golden, and some things are best left unsaid.

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

With no less than five planets in your relationship and intimacy zones, it’s a suitable time to sit down with a loved one and talk through a sensitive issue that’s been bothering you. Clear communication and deft diplomacy are the keys to peaceful partnerships at the moment. Attached Virgo – it’s a wonderful week to take your sweetheart on a spontaneous adventure. If you’re single, a seemingly ordinary date could head off in an unexpected direction!

LIBRA (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Thursday is the luckiest day of the year for love, when Venus (your patron planet) hooks up with Jupiter (planet of good fortune) in your relationship zone. So make the most of it! Coupled Librans – plan something romantic with your partner, like a candle-lit dinner or a well-chosen present. Singles – look out for a sexy, amorous Aries or a sassy, hilarious Sagittarius. And you could meet them while you are travelling or via an introduction from a close friend.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

A relationship (at home or work) looks unsettled this week, as Uranus continues to upset the apple cart and throw some surprises into the mix. Someone could say or do something that rattles your sense of security. Or a colleague, client or customer could throw you a curved ball. Whatever happens, avoid the temptation to brood and fall into a slump. As birthday great Elizabeth Taylor declared: “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together!”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

This week Venus links up with your power planet Jupiter, so it’s time to accentuate the positive and count your lucky stars. Quit blaming life, fate, karma or other people for the messes you’ve created and the mistakes you’ve made. Adopt the motto of birthday great, actress and adventurer Joanna Lumley: “Only you can make yourself into who you want to be. Don’t blame anybody else. You are entitled to free fresh air, and that’s it. Do the rest yourself.”

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Venus and Jupiter encourage you to listen to loved ones closely and keep the channels of communication open. Is a family member going through a rough patch? Don’t lecture them! Strive to help them in a compassionate and generous way. But expect a stressful week financially, as Saturn shakes up your previous expectations. Time to reformulate your fiscal plans. When it comes to work and business, it’s much better to under-promise and then over-deliver.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

This week Mercury and Saturn hook up in your sign, so your progressive ideas and unpredictable antics could upset some people. But that’s life when you’re a free-wheeling Aquarius! So your motto is from this week’s birthday great, ‘Cat in the Hat’ writer Dr Seuss: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” For extra creative inspiration, look to avant-garde Aquarian role-models like Mozart, Bob Marley, Yoko Ono, Oprah Winfrey and Harry Styles.

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

The Sun, Neptune and Mercury are transiting through your sign, so you’re emanating some serious charisma! Make sure you appreciate and celebrate the creative and compassionate Piscean within via writing, singing dancing, drawing, painting, playing music or helping others. And with Mars visiting your home zone (until March 25) it’s also time to tackle a domestic problem or a DIY project that’s been dumped on the backburner for a while.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2023

General knowledge crossword No. 869

Solution next edition

Across

1 What is the chest also called? (6)

8 Which republic was formerly known as Abyssinia? (8)

9 To abut, is to do what? (6)

10 The Eastern Hemisphere is known as the what? (3,5)

11 Name an annual plant that has flattened biconvex seeds. (6)

13 What is an indirect intimation about a person? (8)

16 Which term describes the leading element in an enterprise? (8)

19 What are proprietors known as? (6)

22 Which photograph is taken quickly? (8)

24 Who composed “White Christmas” and countless other songs, ... Berlin? (6)

25 What are halos also known as? (8)

26 Name the birthplace of poet Henry Kendall. (6)

Sudoku

Down

2 Which row of bushes planted close together forms a fence or boundary? (5)

3 Upon which perch do fowls rest at night? (5)

4 What is a rock fragment, foreign to the igneous rock in which it is embedded? (8)

5 Name a republic in northern central Africa. (4)

6 What is the prairie wolf known as? (6)

7 To be designated by an appellation is to be what? (6)

12 What is the US National Aeronautic and Space Administration commonly called? (4)

14 Which term describes patronage bestowed in consideration of family relationship? (8)

15 Who coordinated the Festival of Light, Fred ...? (4)

17 What is a large, slender, long-limbed, long-tailed Asiatic monkey? (6)

18 Name a ground squirrel of western North America. (6)

20 What is a fictitious narrative of considerable length? (5)

21 Who was the drummer for The Beatles, ... Starr? (5)

23 Name the Australian Prime Minister 1966-67, Harold ... (4)