PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY July 7 2008 to July 13 2008 Monday July 7 Planet of restless energy Hi Jonathan, Over the last few weeks, my cat has started fighting over nothing. A friend says hers have "gone mental" too and another friend says her cat won't feed its kittens. Is something going on in the sky? Janine Dear Janine, I specialise in people, not animals - but, now you come to mention it, my own pair of ebony fluffies (born July 27, 2002) have been more ridiculous than usual lately. It started in May and has got better in the last week or so. I wonder if it was Mars (planet of restless energy) passing through Leo. Tuesday July 8 Born is the USA Dear Jonathan, You said America was born in 1776. Surely this was the date of conception. The actual birth of the new nation did not arise till the defeat of the British, the capitulation of the loyalists and the 1783 treaty acknowledging independence. Brett Dear Brett, The wording was agreed on July 4, 1776, the surrender of the British was October 17, 1781, full legal independence was attained on November 30, 1782. But the whole process was only complete with the swearing in of the first President on April 30, 1789. Even so, just ask any American when America was born! Wednesday July 9 Pluto Since Pluto was 'demoted' in 2006, astronomers have been holding heated debates. Many believe a terrible mistake has been made. In an attempt to pacify these objectors, the International Astronomical Union has defined a new category of celestial body called a 'Plutoid'. They say the recently discovered Eris is one of these - as, of course, is Pluto. A top NASA scientist feels it is not enough. He is organising a conference next month to help Pluto regain full status. Astrologers are not much involved in this discussion. We all know that Pluto is important, no matter what they decide. Thursday July 10 Subjectively Objective Dear Jonathan, How do you write forecasts for your own zodiac sign? Can you be sure that you are not sub-consciously spinning them to suit your own situation? Trevor Dear Trevor, I'd love to claim that I have god-like powers of objectivity! Sadly, though, that's not so! All I can say is that I am aware of the potential problem and try hard not to think about myself when I am writing the forecast for my own sign, just as I try not to think of my friends or loved ones when I write predictions for any of the other signs. Friday July 11 Sunrise at the Big Chill Glastonbury is not the only festival I go to each year. I also speak at the Sunrise Celebration in Somerset. This year, though, flash floods forced a cancellation, (New Moon, Retrograde Mercury). All worked out in the end, though, because another event, called The Big Chill, stepped in to offer Sunrise a field in their festival in early August. I'll be giving my talk there, then, instead.. along with the likes of Leonard Cohen, Bill Bailey, Martha Wainwright et al. Saturday July 12 Your Weekend Mercury now moves into Cancer, just as Venus leaves this sign. A Mars-Saturn conjunction starts the week and a Mercury-Jupiter opposition ends it. Decisive developments are in the offing. Wherever there have been soap operas endlessly unfolding without resolution, we can soon look forward to grand denouements. We are all about to discover whodunnit and why. This in turn will tell us who is about to try and do what next. Virgos will probably be busiest - for Mars will energise them. But Cancerians and Leos also have reason to expect adventure. Nor will any of the rest of us find this a quiet or unproductive time. Back to Index   Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts