The following is an excerpt from The Year Ahead 2005: Your Ultimate Astrology Planner by Susan Miller.

Astrology can be used to help you in many ways. It can reveal damaging behavioral patterns or forewarn you of upcoming challenges. It can help you pinpoint latent talents you may possess and provide you with specific hints on how to best develop them. Astrology can also point out expansive, rewarding trends that are coming up and assist you in figuring out how to take advantage of them before they fade. Finally, astrology is an excellent means to determine the perfect timing for certain actions.

The beauty of astrology is that it will help you to always be in complete control of your life. Astrology is not fortune telling: but it is a recognition that we have free will. We know we are not controlled by the planets, but the planets do create a certain atmospheres of constriction or ease, that keeps us on our toes. Alas, you cannot blame the planets and say, for example, “Saturn made me do it!” The few times I have said this to an audience, most people laugh—it does sound funny.

The planets work to help us help ourselves. By applying pressure, planets help us to overcome inertia. At other times, they help us to see unproductive or even self-destructive behavior that we may have never noticed before but that we can fix. Astrologers believe we must be accountable for our actions and to recognize that we do have choices. The study of astrology will help you sort out all your options and to act at the proper time.

When you are going through a hard time, astrology can give you hope because you will know when the cosmos will give you a hand to get you back on your feet. When you know you’re due for some good fortune, you will have time to prepare so you can position yourself to benefit from it.

To make astrology work for you, you will need to show the universe your intent and be willing to roll up your sleeves and work. Nobody said life would be easy all the time, but it can be quite an adventure. That I promise.

Short-term trends are activated by new moons and full moons and by the inner or “personal planets”—Venus, Mercury and Mars—that circle close to the Sun. Longer trends are activated by eclipses and by the movements of the outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Astrologers believe in the maxim As Above, So Below. By that I mean there is a direct relationship between the activities of the planets and human activity on earth. Most people see a relationship between full moons and human behavior; astrologers just see this phenomenon in much greater depth and detail. We are not sure why astrology works but we are certain there is a connection. There are many theories as to why, but science does not admit that there are forces in the universe that we still do not fully understand. It is possible that in the future we will discover why astrology works.

As I study astrology I have concluded that the universe wants us to succeed. Full moons bring debris to the surface so that we can see it and sweep it away. New moons bring the right conditions to plant new seeds. Certain aspects bring feedback and a chance to correct our courses. Other aspects bring obstacles to test our resolve and allow us to recommit to our goals with greater determination. Still others bring opportunities to help us move forward or bring rewards to make us realize that our hard work has been worthwhile after all. Blessings are often disguised as challenges and it is up to us to recognize them for what they are.

Good energy always attracts more good energy. If you act courageously, prepare thoroughly, work passionately and are honest and ethical, you will overcome obstacles and ultimately achieve your dreams. If there is anything I want to impart to you it is this: life rewards action.

Make decisions not out of fear but out of conviction. Sometimes the line dividing the two is thin, but it is an important one. Also listen to your intuition, even if you have no reason to believe it is right. Your intuition is the voice of your heart and it will protect you. You can hone your intuition by paying attention to it, trusting it and using it. Finally, take your goals seriously and others around you will too.

Dear reader, you will be limited only by your imagination. If you open your mind and ask lots of questions, even more information will be revealed to you. Cast a wide net and then consider all of your options—astrology will aid you in the process.

When you begin to solve your problem by deciding on a course of action, you will probably only think of the most obvious solutions at first. This is not unusual. However, if you stay with the problem-solving process, more original and creative responses will emerge as you go along. These new ideas, conceived after hard thinking and working with your horoscope, often are the truer ones because they do not represent knee-jerk reactions. In fact, these solutions may be the best ones for you!

Astrology is also valuable in helping us form realistic expectations and a clear perspective. Many of our most frustrating disappointments stem from misguided expectations. Sometimes our thinking is too idealistic or muddled, while at other times we feel our problems stem from a miscommunication. It doesn’t matter. Life has a way of giving us the feedback we need to get us back on track.

My mother, who taught me astrology, told me recently that after years of studying astrology she has come to learn that personality drives a chart and that personality and character are greater indicators of destiny than any other quality. Ruled by the first house of the horoscope, personality rules your response to your environment. Give twelve people the same problem and you will get twelve different responses—this is what makes life interesting. Another thought to consider: If you give the same person the same problem every year for twelve years (if that were possible!), you will probably get twelve different approaches due to the changing circumstances of that person’s life.

This is true of good opportunities as well. Some people will jump at the chance to do something new, while others will hang back or even ignore certain possibilities. I can’t use astrology to know what you will choose to do but I can use it to tell you about the environment you will be entering, whether conditions will change, when they might change and, if so, how they will change.

By having new experiences and watching your responses to them, you learn about yourself. Ultimately, you will come to understand, as I have, that the act of living is a highly creative endeavor that is always a beautiful work in progress. We are never done maturing, even in old age.

Here is a lovely truth to hold in your heart: on the day you were born, the star pattern overhead was truly unique, and those eight planets plus the Sun and moon will never occupy the same placements ever again. You were born for a reason and the year ahead offers a precious resource: time. You cannot save it or buy more of it, so use it to your best advantage. Everything begins with your desire to succeed. Happy New Year, dear reader!