1 YEAR CYCLE:
Christina Applegate - Gloria Arroyo (Philippines) - Hanan Ashrawi - Donna Brazile - George Bush Sr. - Barbara Bush Jr. - Jenna Bush - Naomi Campbell - Raul Castro (Cuba) - Bill Clinton - Hillary Clinton - Stephen Colbert - Anderson Cooper - Ellen DeGeneres - Stedman Graham - Peter Hain - Eddie Izzard - Jesse Jackson - Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan) - R. Kelly - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Imran Khan - Dennis Kucinich - Kim Jong Il (North Korea) - Junichiro Koizumi (Japan) - Lindsay Lohan - Cindy McCain - Harriet Miers - Michael Moore - Evo Morales (Bolivia) - Hosni Mubarak (Egypt) - Michelle Obama - David Petraeus - Michael Phelps - T. Boone-Pickens - Colin Powell - Chris Rock - Lynne Spears - Andrew Sullivan - Mark Warner - will-i-am - Prince William

2 YEAR CYCLE:
Mohamed Al-Fayed - Abdullah Badawi (Pak Lah - Malaysia) - Corinne Bailey Rae - Hilary Benn - Ingrid Betancourt - Richard Blackwell - Chris Brown - Jackson Brown - David Cameron - Helen Clark (New Zealand) - James Clyburn - Tom Cruise - Howard Dean - Elizabeth Edwards - Jimmy Fallon - Anthony Famiglietti - Diane Feinstein - Harriet Harman - Paris Hilton - Richard Holbrooke - Vicki Iseman - Elton John - Angelina Jolie - Ban Ki-moon (U.N.) - Naomi Klein - Dave Matthews - John McCain - Phil McGraw - Martin McGuinness - Kate Middleton - George Monbiot - Marilyn Musgrave - Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan) - Robert Novak - Keith Olbermann - Mary Kate Olsen - Bill O’Reilly - Gwyneth Paltrow - Ron Paul - Mark Penn - Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan) - Shimon Peres - Guy Ritchie - Karl Rove - J.K. Rowling - Arnold Schwartzenegger - Naseeruddin Shah - Marina Silva (Brazil) -Stephanie Tubbs Jones - Michael Ware - Brian Williams - Asif Ali Zardari

3 YEAR CYCLE:
Mahmoud Abbas (Palestine) - Freema Agyeman - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran) - Roger Ailes - Madeleine Albright - Bashar al-Assad (Syria) - Kim Basinger - Evan Bayh - Pope Benedict XVI - Tony Blair - Silvio Berlusconi - Jimmy Carter - Chelsea Clinton - Ann Coulter - Brian Cowen (Ireland) - Cameron Diaz - Mia Farrow - Bill Gates - Julia Gillard - Caroline Kennedy - Rob Lowe - Chris Matthews - Terry McAuliffe - Gerry McCann - Cynthia McKinney - Markos Moulitsas - Bill Moyers - Gavin Newsom - Hayden Panettiere - Tim Pawlenty - Nancy Pelosi - Harold Pinter - Rene Preval (Haiti) - Vladimir Putin (Russia) - Mahinda Rajapakse (Sri Lanka) - Linda Sanchez - Nicolas Sarkozy (France) - Kathleen Sebelius - Wesley Snipes - George Soros - Ted Stevens - Martha Stewart - Elizabeth Taylor - Donald Trump - Melania Trump - Steven Tyler - Rick Warren - Jim Webb - Bob Woodward - 

4 YEAR CYCLE:
Shinzo Abe (Japan) - Bertie Ahern - Victoria Beckham - Mary J. Blige - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari - Ewart Brown (Bermuda) - Fidel Castro - Michael Chertoff - Roger Clemens - John Conyers - Jerome Corsi - Jim Cramer - Alistair Darling - Tom Daschle - Taye Diggs - Larry Flynt - James Frey - Sonia Gandhi - Julie Gerberding - Alberto Gonzales - Seymour Hersh - Katie Holmes - Karen Hughes - Jeff Immelt - Janet Jackson - Patrick Kennedy - Kwame Kilpatrick - John King - Larry King - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (Argentina) - Bill Maher - Elisabeth Murdoch - Bill Murray - Barack Obama - Ehud Olmert (Israel) - Brad Pitt - Richard Quest - Daniel Radcliffe - Aishwarya Rai - Nicole Richie - Kevin Rudd (Australia) - Luke Russert - Jessica Seinfeld - Sophie, Countess of Wessex - George Stephanopoulos - Jon Stewart - Sting - Helen Thomas - Ted Turner - Henry Waxman - Jack Welch - Robert Wexler - Robin Wright Penn - Oprah Winfrey - Jose Zapatero (Spain) - Fareed Zakaria

5 YEAR CYCLE:
King Abdullah (Jordan) - Kirsty Alley - Jennifer Aniston - Christian Bale - Charles Barkley - Beyonce - Joe Biden - John Bolton - Barbara Boxer - Barry Bonds - Helena Bonham Carter - Kenneth Branagh - Christie Brinkley - Gordon Brown - Robert Byrd - George W. Bush - Jeb Bush - Dick Cheney - Lynne Cheney - Jacques Chirac - Rosa Clemente - Charlie Crist - Sheryl Crow - The Dalai Lama - Leonardo DiCaprio - Prince Edward - Mel Gibson - Arianna Huffington - Marion Jones - Jack Kevorkian - Gayle King - Rush Limbaugh - Stella McCartney - Claire McCaskill - Paul McNulty - George Michael - David Miliband - Heather Mills - Andrea Mitchell - Janet Napolitano - Benjamin Netanyahu - Conan O’Brien - Pratibha Patil - Billy Piper - Prince - Erik Prince - Nancy Reagan - Rihanna - Al Sharpton - Than Shwe (Burma) - Ashlee Simpson - Howard Stern - Sharon Stone - David Tennant - Morgan Tsvangirai (Zimbabwe) - Ivanka Trump - Jesse Ventura

6 YEAR CYCLE:
Ben Affleck - Jason Alexander - Roseanne Barr - John Barrowman - Cherie Blair - Barbara Bush Sr. - Neil Bush - Gurinder Chadha - Dave Chappelle - Sacha Baron Cohen - Chelsy Davy - Portia de Rossi - Chris Dodd - Dick Durbin - Russ Feingold - Douglas Feith - Isla Fisher - Ari Fleischer - Melinda Gates - Monica Goodling - Kelsey Grammer - David Gregory - Chuck Hagel - Rielle Hunter - John F. Kerry - Henry Kissinger - Elizabeth Kucinich - Jude Law - Barbara Lee - Spike Lee - Jay Leno - Ken Livingstone - Rachel Maddow - Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) - Roh Moo-hyun (South Korea) - Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) - Rupert Murdoch - John Murtha - Dana Perino - Valerie Plame - Amrita Rao - Sumner Redstone - Harry Reid - Nicola Roxon - Shilpa Shetty - Jacqui Smith - Britney Spears - Arlen Specter - Ben Stiller - Justin Timberlake - Maxine Waters - Kanye West - Venus Williams - Amy Winehouse

7 YEAR CYCLE:
Joshua Bolten - Bono - Laura Bush - Andy Card - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall - Johnny Depp - Lou Dobbs - Pete Doherty - Kevin Federline - Carly Fiorina - George Galloway - Rudolph Giuliani - Whoopi Goldberg - Nancy Grace - Kathy Griffin - Sean Hannity - Prince Harry - Barron Hilton Sr. - Conrad Hilton - Nicky Hilton - Mick Jagger - Hu Jintao (China) - Scarlett Johansson - Toby Keith - Ted Kennedy - Madonna - Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) - Paul McCartney - Matthew McConaughey - Angela Merkel (Germany) - Rosie O’Donnell - Ryan O’Neal - Natalie Portman - Rachael Ray - Henry Rollins - Mitt Romney - Mikheil Saakashvili (Georgia) - Mark Sanford - Jerry Seinfeld - Potjaman Shinawatra (Thailand) - Thaksin Shinawatra (Thailand) - Joss Stone - Oliver Stone - Kiefer Sutherland - Sara Taylor - George Tenet - Charlize Theron - Usher - Tiger Woods

8 YEAR CYCLE:
Paula Abdul - Dan Abrams - Gerry Adams - Abhishek Bachchan - Alec Baldwin - Tyra Banks - Bob Barr - Dan Bartlett - David Beckham - Wolf Blitzer - Michael Bloomberg - Richard Branson - Des Browne - Prince Charles - John Cusack - Bill Daley - John Edwards - Queen Elizabeth - Melissa Etheridge - Geraldine Ferraro - Harold Ford Jr. - Barney Frank - Michael Franti - Morgan Freeman - Robert Gates - Al Gore - John Gotti Jr. - Stephen Harper (Canada) - Kathy Hilton - Richard Hilton - Mike Huckabee - Bobby Jindal - Boris Johnson - Radovan Karadzic - David Letterman - Gong Li - Nelson Mandela - Scott McClellan - James Murdoch - Willie Nelson - David Paterson - Sean Penn - Prince Philip - Amy Poehler - Condoleeza Rice - Ron Reagan - Pat Robertson - Salman Rushdie - Charles Schumer - Will Smith - Eliot Spitzer - Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma) - Barbara Walters - Paul Wolfowitz - Viktor Yushchenko (Ukraine) - Jay-Z - Jacob Zuma

9 YEAR CYCLE:
Pamela Anderson - Tom Brokaw - Carla Bruni-Sarkozy - Jack Cafferty - Felipe Calderon (Mexico) - Rosalynn Carter - Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) - Liz Cheney - Mary Cheney - Wesley Clarke - Natalie Cole - Schapelle Corby - Katie Couric - Simon Cowell - Mike Farrell - Al Franken - Mark Foley - Amy Goodman - Adrian Grenier - Katherine Heigl - Whitney Houston - Steve Jobs - Tessa Jowel - Garry Kasparov - Nicole Kidman - Bill Kristol - Joseph Lieberman - Dick Lugar - John Mayer - Kate McCann - George McGovern - Idina Menzel - Kate Moss - Ray Nagin - Graham Norton - Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) - Joel Osteen - Charles Rangel - Robert Redford - Bill Richardson - Tom Ridge - Bernie Sanders - Cindy Sheehan - Maria Shriver - Don Siegelman - Jessica Simpson - Catherine Tate - Manmohan Singh (India) - Jamie Lynn Spears - Patrick Swayze - John Thune - Donald Tusk (Poland) - Desmond Tutu - Liv Tyler - Tang Wei - Serena Williams - Joe Wilson

This weekly column is updated every Tuesday

As you continue to travel the complex corridors between one era of your life and the next, there are bound to be times when you cannot tell the difference between an ending and a beginning. August’s diverse energies are all connected in some way, and are urging you to be more alert than usual so you learn how to change something you thought could not be changed, or more easily accept an unexpected change to your reality.

Deep emotions are involved and it is essential to express them honestly as they arise. Acceptance of your situation, on a moment-by-moment basis, will help you prepare for the new direction that is starting to open up. The stress you are feeling is inevitable when you consider what is actually happening to you - feeling the pain of being wrenched from your norm - standing at the end of a familiar road with nothing but uncharted territory ahead of you. You are likely to be afraid of what the future may bring, or afraid that it will be a repeat of the past. In reality, there is no way ‘around’ these feelings. There is only a way through them. It’s called acceptance.

Until you accept the reality of how your life has progressed over a long period of time, you will find that you will have to go in what appears to be the wrong direction - backwards - in order to go forward. If this is the case, don’t fight it. This back and forth emotional movement will churn up your inborn courage as you sift through your past and tie up the loose ends that are binding you to it. As each emotional issue is concluded, the bonds are released and forward movement is again possible - only faster - as if you are being catapulted to a new position. Don’t worry. You are experiencing evolutionary movement. You will land on your feet.

Something you thought was lost may now return. But anything you let go in this cycle will probably not come back, and probably to your advantage.

You are evolving so fast that it is difficult for your present environment to contain you. As your desire for personal fulfillment expands, you cannot help but outgrow certain people, places, beliefs, and situations. As you courageously leave the old behind and focus on where you are now, strong feelings will arise. Let them flow - and know that there is never a need to hurt yourself or anyone else when expressing what you feel. Stop hurting yourself by holding it all in.

Nothing is more needed than for you to release all those feelings that are bursting to get out. It is not easy to let go of a belief, especially if it is one you have staunchly upheld or imposed on others, but it is a truly wonderful feeling when you finally let go of your own stubbornness, and better still when you realize that something you previously feared need not be feared at all.

You may find yourself extending great compassion in a situation that would once have evoked anger or disinterest. You may not believe you can cope with having to face so much reality at one time. You may want to ignore certain aspects and focus on the more comfortable ones. But until you take everything into account, you will not find the emotional connection that will make sense of it all.

Life is not giving you more than you can handle. It is showing you how much simpler life can be when the reality of everything is accepted. Accept it all, and you will be amazed at the new doors that open and the change of direction that occurs in the months ahead.

An important change is inevitable this month, and if you do not succumb to pure self-interest, the conditions are ideal for you to sow the seeds of something new and positive. If your intent is loving (as opposed to manipulative), other people will be able to see you, and what you have to offer, in a new light, and they will be only too willing to support you.

Slow down, observe, feel, and sense. The more you relax, the more easily you will be able to see your way ahead. Recognize how calm, efficient and self-reliant you are when you’re not struggling to explain yourself - and how effective you are when you freely pursue your own methods. There is no need to push. You can now proceed with ease. No matter what your age, you are in the process of growing up. Evolving.

Although others will continue to affect you for the rest of the year and will undoubtedly need your time and attention, the emphasis is now on you and your ability to recognize the importance of certain details, and take charge without seeking any kind of reward.

Although this is a chance to shine, impress and, possibly, make amends, it is also a time to recognize the talent or input of others and give credit where it is due. Too much emphasis on how good or wonderful you are, can actually work against you in the 2 year, as can the desire to show others that you are right and they are wrong.

Take a good look at your life - past and present - and realize what it has led to, and where it is leading. You are undergoing a personal metamorphosis this year and, now, you are suddenly able to see life from a different angle. This is an opportunity for a softer, gentler, and stronger side of you to emerge. As exciting as this may be, it can also trigger fear as to how the end result will turn out, especially when it comes to your personal, professional, social, and emotional security. Work through your fears and doubts. Don’t deny them. Count your blessings too. You have many.

Start something new or start a new phase of something already in progress. Unexpected circumstances may interrupt the flow from time to time, but what appears to be a distraction may actually be a catalyst for developing abilities that you knew you possessed but could not implement until now.

Feel your freedom, your power, your uniqueness. Feel the peace and ease that you have it in you to create. Feel the amazing change in the quality of your life once you have finally accepted yourself as you are.

There may be a sense of loneliness or guilt connected to your current situation, especially if others are stuck in less desirable circumstances. Whatever feelings arise, experience them. Feel them. They will provide you with vital clues about your true direction.

Take responsibility for your own well-being. Know when it’s time to rest or change your focus. You have been tied to other people’s needs for most of the year. Now it is time to take care of some needs of your own. You have been promoting peace with others and easing the way for them to move ahead. Now, it is time to take a personal step forward and, at the same time, make peace with yourself.

Relax your concerns about the future. Stay calmly in the present, cooperate with others where you can, and take care of whatever crops up on a day-to-day basis. A gentle and considerate manner, as long as it is genuine, will reap its own rewards this month.

A certain task needs to be completed, or an old habit needs to be eliminated, so you can finally slow down and relax. Yes, relax. Remember how that feels? It is time to release yourself from all that tension and pressure and take the time to reflect on your new reality.

Many shifts have taken place this year. Look how far you have come; how much old emotion you have expressed, and how much new understanding has replaced it. Everyone is afraid of change - and everyone has a natural ability to adapt. But why, oh why, is it so hard for us to adapt to feelings of happiness and satisfaction?

We resist happiness because guilt tells us that we are unworthy of these beautiful emotions, or that they cannot possibly last, so why even tease yourself with them? But that is the nature of emotion - spontaneous, temporary, ever flowing through us and out of us in response to how any given situation makes us feel. It is guilt that stops this natural and healthy flow.

Remember those times in your past when you believed - or were made to believe - that you’d broken a rule? You may think that rules were made to be broken, but that is usually not the intent. Rules are made to control. We break a lot of rules as we proceed through life. However, each rule we break sets in motion the very stuff that control depends on: guilt - and its mirror-image blame - which are now effecting the way you express yourself and, indeed, the very words you use to do so. For as long as you remain in a situation in which you have to watch every word you say or follow irrelevant rules and guidelines, you can never be happy. That path is made of eggshells and it is not for you any more.

You have been the captain of your own ship for quite a while now, and you have brought yourself to many new interests, ideas, people, places, and feelings. You have done well. So, this month, take a real break! Sit back - peacefully - and just BE! Observe the wheels (of whatever system you’re living in) turn and spin and grind along. Watch the race in progress - the human race - and ask yourself what it is that humanity is racing towards. As the truth sinks in, ask yourself once again: “What do I want?”

You now have an opportunity to rest and revitalize, consider the true nature of your relationships, desires and goals, and quietly contemplate your options. Issues need to be approached in a patient and confident manner. An important goal must be looked at in the full light of reality, and the events of August will give you a chance to appreciate and understand the details more clearly.

Aggression on your part is the result of fear of both failure and success, and will result in further frustration or resentment. You need to regain your confidence and peacefully proceed with your life. Consider yourself part of a team as your success does depend on the cooperation of others. And you, too, must cooperate with whoever else is involved. Be considerate of other people’s feelings and needs. Diplomacy is a major theme this month, so be tactful, or you could find yourself on a path you had no intention of traveling.

The events of August are teaching you about the power of words, as well as how to cooperate and become closely involved with others without losing yourself in their reality. You are learning how to be a friend or, at the very least, how to be friendly.

Hold on to your optimism. Hold on to your dreams! Your plans are benefiting from this month of interruption and delay. By the end of August, you will know that the waiting is over and that you are in control of your own journey. Meanwhile, patience my dear, PATIENCE!

You have faced some harsh realities this year, but, seriously, how long can you stay on that tedious treadmill without hurting yourself in some way? If you feel trapped or overwhelmed, it is only through a more optimistic frame of mind that you will find your way out. Take a complete break from the monotony and pressure so that you can recognize - and appreciate - the progress you have made, which is probably more significant than you realize. A vacation or change of scenery can work wonders for you.

August emphasizes personal happiness, first by showing you how unhappy you are in a certain area of your life, and then by showing you what it will take to restore personal satisfaction to that area. Open your neglected imagination and start to dream new dreams. You need a different approach to an ongoing problem - and a new way to live your life.

Realize just how exhausting this year’s events have been; how your senses were shaken, and how you diligently carried on. It really is time to relax your stressed-out body and mind - and revitalize your sense of beauty. Yes, beauty! Get into a lighter frame of mind as you travel August’s invigorating, optimistic, and healing energies.

You may wonder who your friends really are and whether they understand what you’re experiencing. However, you have been so preoccupied just lately that you may be unaware of the genuine concern and friendship around you. This is a cycle of expression, communication and creativity, but much of what you need to express is stuck inside you because you are trying to “keep up appearances”. If you repress these feelings any longer, you could actually harm your physical body in some way. Say what needs to be said. There is no need to hurt yourself or anyone else when expressing yourself - not if you do so with loving intention.

Entertain, be entertained, indulge yourself in a little luxury, and experience some of life’s social and creative joys. If you are concerned about your appearance or the condition of your physical body, or if you want to reduce the limitation in your life - stop limiting yourself. Rearrange your circumstances so that you can take a break from it all, treat yourself to something nice, and have some fun. You could make some valuable contacts while you’re out there mixing and mingling. Loosen up and bring social enjoyment back into your life.

A creative breakthrough, which will be the result of your ability to both imagine and follow through, is possible this month. Ideas, no matter how clever or innovative, have no value unless they are brought to life.

How can you change things so that you can live more freely? Whatever your answer, this goal can be achieved if you approach it realistically. A major step forward is possible next month. So, for now, let optimism flow - and let hope, confidence, and creative thinking re-introduce themselves to you.

The focus is now on freedom, truth, work, details, reputation, and your sense of identity. The serious and orderly nature of this cycle makes you aware of how disorganized certain aspects of your life have become. You must now set priorities, eliminate pettiness and clutter, and get your life in order.

Don’t waste any more time agonizing over the problem. Accept that it exists and look for a constructive solution instead. The 5 year is about real change - drastic change - a completely different way of living, thinking, doing, and feeling. Remember your life just six months ago, and you will realize how much change has already taken place. Give yourself time to get used to it!

Solve a problem by digging up its cause - the reason this problem resurfaces over and over. What mistakes are involved? What mistakes did you make last year or the year before, which are still being paid for now? This cycle responds positively to honesty. You need to finally admit to the real cause of this problem. Until you admit it, learn from it, and stop repeating it, the same old mistakes will continue to create the same old situations. Learning from mistakes often means learning how not to do something. In this year of change, nothing is unchangeable. Even severe limitations can be changed into opportunity. Sometimes it is not the limitation that needs to be changed, but the fear of change itself.

August is a complicated month, but it offers you the chance to remove certain obstructions so that the path ahead is free and clear. You are now realizing the extent to which you are still limiting yourself, and the extent to which you can expand your power in the world and start living as you want to live. But this level of freedom cannot be attained without your constant participation. Don’t let impatience or impulsiveness create more problems for you. Get organized! Stay organized.

Delays and postponements are common in this monthly cycle, but don’t let minor setbacks weaken your enthusiasm. How many times have you made that mistake before?

You are traveling through an unpredictable obstacle-course this August, so stay alert. Be practical, logical, hard working, and totally honest with yourself. You now have the ability to function successfully in whatever your reality happens to be. If you do not like your reality, realize that only you can change it.

5 is the energy of the unusual and different and you have to admit that different attitudes and approaches are needed now. August invites you to make a place for everything you love and to move away from unloving circumstances. Wake up and pay attention. Feel what is happening to you. Don’t be deceived. You are experiencing a breakthrough.

August is an accident prone cycle which emphasizes sudden movement, change, and freedom. You may be at ease in this vibration, or you may realize just how afraid of change and freedom you actually are.

It seems that someone else needs change and freedom too, and that place called “middle ground” needs to be reached together. Yes, you do have responsibilities, but in order to solve this matter amicably, everyone involved must eventually feel satisfied with the outcome.

This cycle is magnetically attracted to your own expectations. Whatever you expect will materialize. However, your expectations may not be what you think they are. They stem from your core beliefs and deepest feelings and you may need to be more aware of them. Reality is being revealed to you, and it may not be a pretty sight at first. But it is reality nonetheless - and a great opportunity to redesign your life through a series of small changes that you yourself must make. Then, your level of positive expectation will rise and more beneficial changes can occur.

Recognize a mistake, learn from it, and then allow yourself to move on to a new level of understanding and a new potential for positive change. What is your most common mistake regarding relationship and responsibility? Are you about to repeat it?

You may think you know what is best for someone else, or that you can “save” them in some way. But, when this is not your true responsibility, and it seldom is, the obligation you assume becomes a burden for all concerned, leading to resentment and even hatred. Cooperate and encourage if you can, but do not make unreasonable demands or rules.

Notice that in one instance, what you think is a mistake or bad luck may actually be an opportunity for positive change. Often when we are looking for something, we discover something else which makes us realize the irrelevance of what we were originally seeking.

Don’t jump into a new situation without first assessing how it will affect your long-term freedom and security. What sacrifices will you and others have to make? What is your real motivation for wanting this change - or for opposing it? Where will it lead? What are your alternatives? What roles are guilt and blame playing? What do you really feel?

August illuminates the various ways in which freedom is abused and exposes people’s addictions to relationships, duty, food, alcohol, drugs, sex, extravagance, media, gambling, power, or anything else of a controlling nature.

You are now at your most resourceful and ideas are flowing. Use these gifts constructively! Try to include others in your adventures, or there could be some burned bridges to mend in September.

August is a cycle of healing. It highlights matters of the heart and reveals both the flaws and the joys in your life. Whether children are involved or not, childhood issues - maybe your own - will emerge.

This is a time to analyze all that has ever happened to you in the name of LOVE. Some issues run very deep and are likely to involve close relationships, home, health, education, family, pets, and the question of duty. Someone in your life needs attention and, quite possibly, cautious handling.

August emphasizes responsibility, or the question of who is responsible for a particular situation. If you are blaming someone or depending on them too heavily, take responsibility for your own part in all this. If they are blaming you, or if their dependence on you has become too much to handle, insist that they be responsible for their own actions.

So much emotion is involved here, and you may want to avoid a flare-up with someone you care for - or even with someone you don’t know very well. However, in a year when you are looking deeply into your prospects for long term happiness and security, ask yourself how you will feel a year from now if this situation is not resolved.

By changing your expectations, you can create a more desirable atmosphere; one in which a friendly and workable partnership can materialize. Analyze everything, but do not overanalyze. Do not be judgmental if you do not wish to be judged. You need to forgive and/or be forgiven. Assess what your responsibilities really are and carry them out in the most practical ways.

For every action there is a reaction. For every cause there is an effect. Peer pressure must be seen for what it is - part of the big “race”, the massive competition between people which is causing so many problems on this planet. If you feel anxious about something that has not happened yet, don’t deny your feelings, but don’t overreact either. The more you honor another’s reality, the easier it will be for love and respect to flow.

Accept the individual nature of someone who may be criticizing you, or whose viewpoint differs from yours, and you will realize that you cannot change anyone but yourself. Don’t take it all so personally. Know the difference between helping and interfering; loving and controlling.

Wherever there is judgment, guilt or control, love suffers. Use this month’s soothing vibrations to heal the LOVE that has become damaged by the weight of too many conditions placed on it. Only by accepting and loving yourself first - exactly as you are - can you ever experience the unconditional love that is now trying to reach you.

A deep analysis of your situation can prevent you from jumping to the wrong conclusion or losing faith in yourself. You so much want to BE who you know you are, but before you can take the next step toward self realization, you have some serious learning to do. Knowledge is power, and what you learn this month will enable you to advance significantly.

You appear to be clinging to a situation that is draining you, and now is the time to flush the mental clutter out of your system by allowing yourself to feel what is really going on inside you. Stop thinking blindly and let your intuition - your feelings and instincts - create a much needed inner balance.

Whatever your situation happens to be, you need to understand it more fully. You need to clearly see how every aspect of it works. You need to be aware of its protocols and procedures - and the mechanics of what went wrong as well as what a successful outcome will take. Observe how you, what you have to offer, and the people you are dealing with all fit together.

You may believe that you’re moving too slowly. You may even think that others are conspiring against you. Perhaps someone is jealous. Or, perhaps you are afraid you don’t have what it takes to fulfill a particular goal or responsibility. The truth is that you are now standing at the edge of what could become a new way of life. Lack of knowledge is all that is stopping you from entering that world. Your fear is perfectly natural but, as you are about to discover, it is unnecessary. You do belong in the world you have envisaged for yourself, but you have to believe it. Breakthrough will take courage, patience, and determination. However, no matter how much you want to surge ahead, outer action is not required this month. You need the self-assuredness that comes from correct information, and your accurate understanding of it.

Move yourself mentally and emotionally inside whatever you are trying to create so you can decipher it and clearly see its reality. Do not look only for the flaws. Appreciate all that feels good, too. Think of your goal as your baby - your creation. Give it your love and attention. Nurture it and prepare it for its own entrance into the world in September. Your priority is to take what you already have and breathe form, definition, and life into it. Spend plenty of time alone this month and let yourself imagine the possibilities.

At the same time, a situation may occur which feels like a battle of wills. Do not overreact. Clarify what you will and will not tolerate. If you feel that you cannot allow your time or space to be invaded any longer, express whatever feelings arise with dignity, diplomacy, and authority. Maintain faith in yourself. Forget about the potential rewards. Focus on what has to be done on the inside. Take your own personal needs seriously, and others will take them seriously, too.

Life has pulled you to a bend in the road where you would do well to accept your losses and count your blessings. The events of August may appear to be more talk than action, but there is more reward involved here than you may be able to realize or are willing to admit. In at least one situation, you may have bitten off more than you can chew, or perhaps a much needed reality check is revealing areas of your life which have run their course.

August emphasizes your own personal power, finances, ambitions, and your ability to salvage what you want to keep in your life. Your confidence is being challenged and, if you feel hurt, angry or defeated, it is because you are experiencing the results - the return - on something you invested into without fully considering the long-term effect or, perhaps, the need for a more sustained effort on your part.

August marks the end of that era in which you succumbed to unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. You will benefit greatly once you are able to pick yourself up, feel how empowered you have actually become through this experience, and efficiently wrap up the loose ends of a phase of your life that is now well and truly over.

The new beginnings you crave cannot happen until the necessary endings and completions have occurred. This month, money may come in and important agreements may be finalized. You will receive what is due but may still feel disappointed - until you experience the sheer relief of letting go of something that was hurting you in some way.

You are not defeated at all. You are simply realizing that one particular direction has run its course. In fact, you now want more out of life - much more! Of course, you are the only one who can make it happen.

The fear that has always placed limitations on your true needs or ambitions must be faced head-on. Much of what you have focused on is no longer of interest to you, and it’s time to go back to the drawing board of your imagination. Give yourself time to figure out what you really want. Ask yourself how much of the “old you” was created out of fear of loss; a need for position or status; to give the appearance of happiness and success while, all the time, your real desires, potentials, and perhaps reality itself, were being denied because you needed the approval or reassurance of others.

No matter how free or how powerful we believe ourselves to be, it is in August of the 9 year that we realize our vulnerabilities. Appreciate what you already have in terms of love, support, talent, desire, resources, and a willingness to learn new things. Be determined to live more freely and openly. It is from an acceptance of where you are today that you will be able to create a new tomorrow of your own design. By absorbing the knowledge that August provides, you will have every reason to feel confident again. But do remember that knowledge is power only when it is correctly understood.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS 2008

1 YEAR CYCLE:
Christina Applegate - Gloria Arroyo (Philippines) - Hanan Ashrawi - Ed Balls - Donna Brazile - George Bush Sr. - Barbara Bush Jr. - Jenna Bush - Naomi Campbell - Raul Castro (Cuba) - Bill Clinton - Hillary Clinton - Stephen Colbert - Anderson Cooper - Ellen DeGeneres - Stedman Graham - Peter Hain - Eddie Izzard - Jesse Jackson - Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan) - R. Kelly - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - Imran Khan - Dennis Kucinich - Kim Jong Il (North Korea) - Junichiro Koizumi (Japan) - Lindsay Lohan - Cindy McCain - Harriet Miers - Michael Moore - Evo Morales (Bolivia) - Hosni Mubarak (Egypt) - Michelle Obama - David Petraeus - T. Boone-Pickens - Colin Powell - Chris Rock - Lynne Spears - Andrew Sullivan - Mark Warner - will-i-am - Prince William

2 YEAR CYCLE:
Mohamed Al-Fayed - Abdullah Badawi (Pak Lah - Malaysia) - Corinne Bailey Rae - Hilary Benn - Ingrid Betancourt - Chris Brown - David Cameron - Helen Clark (New Zealand) - James Clyburn - Tom Cruise - Howard Dean - Elizabeth Edwards - Jimmy Fallon - Anthony Famiglietti - Diane Feinstein - Harriet Harman - Paris Hilton - Richard Holbrooke - Vicki Iseman - Elton John - Angelina Jolie - Tim Kaine - Ban Ki-moon (U.N.) - Naomi Klein - John McCain - Phil McGraw - Martin McGuinness - Kate Middleton - George Monbiot - Marilyn Musgrave - Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan) - Robert Novak - Keith Olbermann - Bill O’Reilly - Gwyneth Paltrow - Ron Paul - Mark Penn - Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan) - Shimon Peres - Brian Piddick - Guy Ritchie - Karl Rove - J.K. Rowling - Arnold Schwartzenegger - Naseeruddin Shah - Marina Silva (Brazil) - Richard Simmons - Michael Ware - Brian Williams - Asif Ali Zardari

3 YEAR CYCLE:
Mahmoud Abbas (Palestine) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran) - Roger Ailes - Madeleine Albright - Bashar al-Assad (Syria) - Kim Basinger - Pope Benedict XVI - Tony Blair - Silvio Berlusconi - Jimmy Carter - Chelsea Clinton - Ann Coulter - Brian Cowen (Ireland) - Cameron Diaz - Mia Farrow - Bill Gates - Julia Gillard - Salma Hayek - Caroline Kennedy - Rob Lowe - Chris Matthews - Terry McAuliffe - Gerry McCann - Cynthia McKinney - Markos Moulitsas - Rocco Mediate - Bill Moyers - Gavin Newsom - Tim Pawlenty - Nancy Pelosi - Harold Pinter - Rene Preval (Haiti) - Vladimir Putin (Russia) - Mahinda Rajapakse (Sri Lanka) - Linda Sanchez - Nicolas Sarkozy (France) - Kathleen Sebelius - Wesley Snipes - George Soros -  Elizabeth Taylor - Donald Trump - Melania Trump - Steven Tyler - Jim Webb

4 YEAR CYCLE:
Shinzo Abe (Japan) - Bertie Ahern - Victoria Beckham - Mary J. Blige - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari - Ewart Brown (Bermuda) - Fidel Castro - Michael Chertoff - Roger Clemens - John Conyers - Jim Cramer - Alistair Darling - Tom Daschle - Larry Flynt - Sonia Gandhi - Alberto Gonzales - Seymour Hersh - Katie Holmes - Karen Hughes - Jeff Immelt - Janet Jackson - Josh Kelley - Patrick Kennedy - Kwame Kilpatrick - John King - Larry King - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (Argentina) - Bill Maher - William Moschella - Elisabeth Murdoch - Bill Murray - Mike Myers - Barack Obama - Ehud Olmert (Israel) - Brad Pitt - Richard Quest - Daniel Radcliffe - Aishwarya Rai - Nicole Richie - Kevin Rudd (Australia) - Luke Russert - Jessica Seinfeld - Sophie, Countess of Wessex - George Stephanopoulos - Jon Stewart - Sting - Helen Thomas - Ted Turner - Henry Waxman - Jack Welch - Robert Wexler - Robin Wright Penn - Oprah Winfrey - Jose Zapatero (Spain) - Fareed Zakaria

5 YEAR CYCLE:
King Abdullah (Jordan) - Kirsty Alley - Jennifer Aniston - Christian Bale - Charles Barkley - Beyonce - Joe Biden - John Bolton - Barbara Boxer - Barry Bonds - Helena Bonham Carter - Kenneth Branagh - Christie Brinkley - Gordon Brown - Robert Byrd - George W. Bush (USA) - Jeb Bush - Dick Cheney - Lynne Cheney - Jacques Chirac - Rosa Clemente - Charlie Crist - Sheryl Crow - The Dalai Lama - Leonardo DiCaprio - Prince Edward - Mel Gibson - Arianna Huffington - Marion Jones - Jack Kevorkian - Anna Kournikova - Rush Limbaugh - Stella McCartney - Claire McCaskill - Paul McNulty - George Michael - David Miliband - Heather Mills - Andrea Mitchell - Janet Napolitano - Benjamin Netanyahu - Conan O’Brien - Pratibha Patil - Prince - Erik Prince - Nancy Reagan - Rihanna - Al Sharpton - Than Shwe (Burma) - Ashlee Simpson - Howard Stern - Sharon Stone - David Tennant - Morgan Tsvangirai (Zimbabwe) - Ivanka Trump - Jesse Ventura

6 YEAR CYCLE:
Cherie Blair - Barbara Bush Sr. - Neil Bush - Gurinder Chadha - Dave Chappelle - Sacha Baron Cohen - Chelsy Davy - Portia de Rossi - Chris Dodd - Dick Durbin - Russ Feingold - Douglas Feith - Ari Fleischer - Melinda Gates - Monica Gooding - Kelsey Grammer - David Gregory - Chuck Hagel - Rielle Hunter - John F. Kerry - Henry Kissinger - Elizabeth Kucinich - Jude Law - Barbara Lee - Spike Lee - Jay Leno - Rachel Maddow - Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) - Roh Moo-hyun (South Korea) - Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) - Rupert Murdoch - John Murtha - Dana Perino - Valerie Plame - Amrita Rao - Sumner Redstone - Harry Reid - Nicola Roxon - Shilpa Shetty - Jacqui Smith - Britney Spears - Arlen Specter - Ben Stiller - Justin Timberlake - Maxine Waters - Kanye West - Venus Williams - Amy Winehouse

7 YEAR CYCLE:
Joshua Bolten - Bono - Laura Bush - Andy Card - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall - Johnny Depp - Lou Dobbs - Pete Doherty - Kevin Federline - Carly Fiorina - George Galloway - Rudolph Giuliani - Whoopi Goldberg - Nancy Grace - Kathy Griffin - Sean Hannity - Prince Harry - Barron Hilton Sr. - Conrad Hilton - Nicky Hilton - Mick Jagger - Hu Jintao (China) - Scarlett Johansson - Ted Kennedy - Madonna - Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Thabo Mbeki (South Africa) - Paul McCartney - Matthew McConaughey - Angela Merkel (Germany) - Rosie O’Donnell - Ryan O’Neal - Natalie Portman - Rachael Ray - Henry Rollins - Mitt Romney - Mikheil Saakashvili (Georgia) - Mark Sanford - Jerry Seinfeld - Potjaman Shinawatra (Thailand) - Thaksin Shinawatra (Thailand) - Joss Stone - Oliver Stone - Kiefer Sutherland - Sara Taylor - George Tenet - Charlize Theron - Usher - Tiger Woods

8 YEAR CYCLE:
Paula Abdul - Dan Abrams - Gerry Adams - Abhishek Bachchan - Alec Baldwin - Tyra Banks - Bob Barr - Dan Bartlett - David Beckham - Wolf Blitzer - Michael Bloomberg - Richard Branson - Des Browne - Prince Charles - Norm Coleman - John Cusack - John Edwards - Queen Elizabeth - Melissa Etheridge - Geraldine Ferraro - Harold Ford Jr. - Barney Frank - Michael Franti - Morgan Freeman - Robert Gates - Al Gore - John Gotti Jr. - Stephen Harper (Canada) - Kathy Hilton - Richard Hilton - Mike Huckabee - Bobby Jindal - Boris Johnson - Radovan Karadzic - David Letterman - Gong Li - Nelson Mandela - Scott McClellan - James Murdoch - Willie Nelson - Tatum O’Neal - David Paterson - Sean Penn - Prince Philip - Amy Poehler - Condoleeza Rice - Ron Reagan - Pat Robertson - Salman Rushdie - Charles Schumer - Will Smith - Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma) - Barbara Walters - Viktor Yushchenko (Ukraine) - Jay-Z - Jacob Zuma

9 YEAR CYCLE:
Tom Brokaw - Carla Bruni-Sarkozy - Felipe Calderon (Mexico) - Rosalynn Carter - Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) - Liz Cheney - Mary Cheney - Wesley Clarke - Natalie Cole - Schapelle Corby - Katie Couric - Simon Cowell - Mike Farrell - Al Franken - Mark Foley - Amy Goodman - Adrian Grenier - Steve Jobs - Tessa Jowel - Garry Kasparov - Nicole Kidman - Bill Kristol - Joseph Lieberman - Dick Lugar - John Mayer - Kate McCann - George McGovern - Kate Moss - Ray Nagin - Graham Norton - Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) - Joel Osteen - Charles Rangel - Robert Redford - Bill Richardson - Tom Ridge - Bernie Sanders - Cindy Sheehan - Maria Shriver - Don Siegelman - Jessica Simpson - Catherine Tate - Manmohan Singh (India) - Jamie Lynn Spears - Patrick Swayze - John Thune - Donald Tusk (Poland) - Desmond Tutu - Liv Tyler - Tang Wei - Serena Williams - Joe Wilson