Faulkner - The signs: decode the stars, reframe your life

So many amazing people have inspired, educated and supported me through the twists and turns of my life, way too many to list them all but Ill make a humble attempt. Many of the people mentioned have supported me no end throughout the creation of this book.

First, thanks to my sisters Kathryn and Sara, and especially to my mother: your support and belief in me as a creative gives me the confidence to believe in myself and follow my dreams, as only Capricorn with Leo mid-heaven could. Thank you!

My beloved son Kam: you give me reason consistently to reach for the stars! I love you to the Moon and back. Youre amazing.

My incredible Taurus godmother Marian: you are the most humble person I know, there is no one on Earth like you, and Im so grateful to the universe for bringing you into my life.

To my incredible teachers, His Holiness the Seventeenth Galwang Karmapa, the late great Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche, Lame Yeshe Rinpoche, Sir Tom Lucas, and to the man I know is raising a glass to me from his own star for sharing my take on the beautiful language, my Taurus teacher, the late Derek Hawkins.

Thanks to my best and oldest friends: Emma, youre the most loyal and funniest Leo I know, you never fail to make me laugh, and Sarah Jane, you and your Cancer Sun have supported me, counselled me and defended me for more years than I care to mention.

To Bob: we fight, laugh, cry and then create. Youre the best friend anyone could hope for and I love you. You gotta turn down all that sixth-house Virgo stuff, though.

To my US family and friends, for your support and unfaltering belief in me: Janet, the Aquarius connector, Bonnie, Meredith and Jess, I love you like family; Pardis, youre hilarious, I love you like one of my sisters, and Hilary, what can I say? Thank the stars that connected us! Youre a real star!

Julia, your wit, inspiration, mentoring, support and straight talk helped to change the game for me. Thank you for everything.

Emily, I still recall the very first time we met and I read your chart. You said, I just want everyone to be able to do that and to know what you know about astrology. Your vision, smarts and determination made this book a reality! Thank you.

Helen, I still think its your Moon in Aquarius that made you grasp astrology so fast. You helped make my words pop off the pages!

Adam, your handling of me is commendable: Carolyne, I think you might be the most interesting client I have ever worked with. What a smooth Gemini understatement!

To my friend Ade (a.k.a. Retipuj), for all the last-minute urgent design work you sorted out for me. You always said yes and never complained once. Thank you!

Finally to my publisher: Im so proud to have your iconic Penguin symbol on the cover. What kudos! Thank you.

Thank you to the universe!

May all beings be happy and free from suffering.

If you, like so many people I know, find astrology interesting but are put off by confusing technical terms or esoteric trivialities, such as orders not to leave your house until Mercury moves out of its retrograde phase, I hope you will find this book refreshing, perhaps even enlightening, and, above all, useful. I wrote it for people like us (I include myself), who were looking for a book that made astrology accessible and fun, as well as practical. I believe astrology can be a powerful life-coaching tool, which everyone can learn to use for themselves. In fact, Im on a mission to place its power in your hands. (I am Aquarius, after all, and Aquarians have a job to do here on Earth, in raising awareness and promoting equality.)

Lets clear something up right from the start. It cannot be possible, nor is it logical, to split the whole of humanity into twelve star signs and expect them all to be the same types of people experiencing the same things at the same time. Neither does it make sense to over-generalize. Assuming that all Leos are funny and outgoing or Scorpios are sexy but prone to jealousy is not realistic. Human beings are way more complex than that and our star sign (also known in astrology as the Sun sign) is only ever a rough guide to our personality and potential. As youll see, learning the helpful and harmful traits of your sign and putting the former into practice will indeed enable you to shine with the brilliance of the Sun. Even so, astrology can never tell the whole story about who you are. After all, assessing anyones character (including your own) solely on the basis of their star sign is like judging them on their looks. Sometimes we get lucky and nail them accurately, but very often we are mistaken and this can lead to trouble!

And one more mistaken belief to get out of the way at the beginning: its not set in stone that certain signs do or do not gel with others. The only way to make any kind of assessment of a relationships durability is to assess both individuals charts and study them alongside one another. Many of the successful couples I know have one person with the Sun in one sign and the other with the same sign as their Moon or rising sign. Traditional astrology would say that they wouldnt work out but, in my experience, its rather like a game of snap: you just need to match signs with a potential partner (or friend or colleague) somewhere along the line. Two of my oldest friends are Leo and, as an Aquarius, they are my direct opposite. My other closest friends star sign matches my rising sign. Astrology can yield fascinating insights, when you have the desire to dig a little deeper.

I have been studying astrology for more than eleven years. For the last nine I have also been using it to coach people to deepen their understanding of themselves and others, as well as to signpost ways for them to experience more honest and intimate relationships and enjoy professional success. The method I use, which I call Dynamic Astrology, helps to improve emotional, spiritual and physical health, and to increase overall well-being. You will notice that I use the word karma frequently. Karma is cause and effect: for every action there is a reaction. Seeds planted in fertile soil are likely to yield a healthy crop; the opposite is also true. Try to think of karma as seeds that you plant. You cannot change past karma, but you can become more aware of every choice you make in the present and indeed alter the future.

I know that when Dynamic Astrology is used as a tool to enhance self-awareness, it helps us to navigate a much smoother path through our lives. It can bring about an empowering transformation and a deeper connection with the more authentic part of ourselves. This is vital because, as I see it, only our truest vibe attracts our real tribe.

My experience of working with people from all over the globe and all walks of life has taught me that astrology is essentially a framework for tuning in to the rhythms of your own life, a tool for managing human behaviour your own and others. I like to think of it as the scaffolding for a renovation only in this case the building being sympathetically restored is you!

Astrology has been practised by societies all over the world for thousands of years. Its a bit like the ancient worlds forerunner to the modern science of psychology. And when you start to think of it in these terms then its incredible stoicism, even in our sceptical modern world, where most people have lost faith in anything other than what they see with their eyes (as opposed to what they feel with their hearts) begins to make sense. I believe that our own minds shape and then create our reality. Neuroscience has proved it. Nobodys future is written in the stars, it is ours to create.