By Jack Fertig

Forecast for Dec. 13-26, 2005

ARIES (March 20 - April 19): Playful swagger usually works for you, but now it will open doors, especially for passionate encounters. Being helpful at events -- like volunteering at a fund-raiser -- will bring you all kinds of opportunities!

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Your caution and high standards around the house may read to others as "tight assed." Family drama promises to get interesting. Maintain your standards, but keep an open mind. You can gain a lot from new perspectives.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Measure your words carefully, and throw yourself into your work. Discretion and discipline now will pay off big time down the road. It's also a good time for a medical checkup to nip any potential problems in the bud.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Games and sports -- and also the player's approach -- reveal deeper values. You can learn a lot about others by playing with them, especially now. Don't worry about winning the game. That's not in the stars. But you can win great insights.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Saturn in your sign is tough, but you can handle the challenge. You can get strength from family and cultural traditions, even (or especially!) those hidden in scandal or tied to your religious background. Talk to your oldest relatives, and dig for info.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): Bothers and stresses that have been nagging at you are now open to examination. Find someone to whom you can say absolutely anything -- a good friend or a therapist -- and let it all out!

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): You're on a roll financially. Figure out what you want to do with that dough in the long run. Suggestions from friends shouldn't be accepted too readily, but there are one or two excellent ideas among the many bad ones.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): This is the time to make your big career move. This week, take the first of three big steps -- think ahead, then be responsible, and carefully calculate your best shot. This opportunity repeats during June and October in 2006.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 20): If you're a Catholic, go to confession. If you're in a 12-step program, do steps four and five You can benefit hugely from tough self-examination and self-criticism -- a psychological housecleaning toward self-improvement. You'll feel better when it's done!

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19): Your erotic charisma is often much underrated. Now it's at full power, and you can use it, along with your strong values and keen insights, to sway people in any mode of social activity, horizontal or otherwise.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Don't fret about competition at work. Your rival offers chances to learn and to improve yourself. Better yet, find common ground to cooperate. Whether by cooperation or competition, the pressure should help you focus your goals and succeed.

PISCES (February 19 - March 19): You need an intellectual challenge to break the lethargy at work. Embrace new ideas and jump into any good argument where you're challenged to think in new ways and to re-examine your dogmas. Erotic adventures can also pump the juices, so to speak.

Jack Fertig has been working as a professional astrologer since 1977 and is a founding member of the Association for Astrological Networking. He can be reached for consultations at (415) 864-8302, through his Web site at www.starjack.com, and by e-mail at QScopes@qsyndicate.com.