RAT: The next few weeks represent the low point of the year, with obstacles emerging at every turn. Counter this volatility by exercising control and avoid confrontation in your professional life. Tread lightly and avoid making financial commitments. The adverse stress may also tell on your health. Rat of the Month: Siqin Gaowa, Chinese Actress, 20 January, 1949

OX: The difficulties you have been facing will reach a resolution this month, thanks to help from an unexpected quarter. With the decks cleared, you will find opportunities opening up in the workplace, while the recognition you have been denied will finally come to pass. Ox of the Month: Jacky Cheung, Hong Kong Singer, 10 July, 1961

TIGER: Displays of empathy and generosity will provide a timely reminder to those around you of the softer side of your nature, an aspect that has lain dormant while your grittier self has been to the fore. With tough decisions behind you, your more ogre-like tendencies can be put on hold. Tiger of the Month: Shia LaBeouf, American Actor, 11 June, 1986

RABBIT: Love surrounds you. Should you be single, there are signs that any new relationship will flourish. For those in existing relationships, a renewal of sentiment or a truly purple patch beckons, though someone new might provide an illicit distraction. Rabbit of the Month: Foluke Atinuke Akinradewo, US Volleyball Player, 5 October, 1987

DRAGON: Your ever-changing fortunes will find a degree of stability this month. Your months of hard work will deliver. For once, you can allow your more frivolous side to be in the ascendant, while you enjoy a celebration that you richly deserve. Dragon of the Month: Erik Aadahl, American Sound Editor, 16 September, 1976

SNAKE: Expect a month where nothing is quite as it seems. A friend has been harbouring a grudge and may have been the source of misfortune, while a one-time rival testifies to his admiration of your leadership, bequeathing you an advantage in a business beauty parade. Snake of the Month: Vivienne Westwood, British Designer, 8 April, 1941

HORSE: A calamitous month. Work will throw up an unexpected new challenge, which will seriously derail your mid-term masterplan. Take it on the chin and don’t let others see how irritated you are. It would be unwise for certain parties to discover how easily you can be vexed. Horse of the Month: Brigitte Lin, Taiwanese actress, 3 November, 1954

GOAT: While your fortunes take a slight dip this month, this is nothing but a hiccup within the grand scheme of things. Normal service will be resumed almost immediately, with any small loss quickly recovered. A holiday with a loved one is now long overdue. Goat of the Month: Evgueniy Alexiev, French Operatic Baritone, 5 May, 1967

MONKEY: A communication from a faraway friend triggers a yearning for adventure. However unappealing, moderation is important. The appetites of earlier times sit oddly on the more mature man of means and a reputation for wanton eccentricity is not one you want to embrace. Monkey of the Month: Jānis Ādamsons, Latvian politician, 3 November, 1956

ROOSTER: This October is a month for consolidation. You have more loose ends than days of the year and you need to start putting some of your affairs in order. Not that this betokens any valedictory obligation, more that a new phase is about to dawn. Rooster of the Month: Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, 19 June, 1945

DOG: Moderation in all things should be your watch words this month. A hefty expense is waiting in the wings and any funds put aside now will ease a difficult transition for you. Focus on individuals who may not always be accessible to you. A spot of unusual honesty will benefit you around the 15th. Dog of the Month: Läjä Äijälä, Finnish Musician, 29 September, 1958

PIG: Having been tested severely of late, you are understandably a little disheartened and inclined to lose faith in yourself. Stay the course and you will find that there is indeed a light at the end of this particular tunnel. You will struggle health wise unless you take action. Pig of the Month: Hasnat Ahmad Khan, British Surgeon, 1 April, 1959