Online edition of Sunday Observer

Our regular forecaster Gamini Dissanayake has gone AWOL and Offy Professor steps in with his predictions for the week that are... well... erudite, enlightened and knowledgeable. Don't tell him all three words mean the same thing, but read on and enjoy his divination for the week beginning November 3, 2002

Aries March 21-April 19
Taurus April 20-May 20
Gemini May 21- June 21
Cancer June 22-July 22
Leo July 23-August 22
Virgo August 23-September 22
Libra September 23-October 22
Scorpio October 23-November 21
Sagittarius November 22-December 21
Capricorn December 22-January 19
Aquarius January 20-February 18
Pisces February 19-March 20

Everything changes for the better on Monday if you can wait a few extra hours for it all to come down. By Tuesday you love being where you are, even as you anticipate something better. Pleasant restlessness puts you in a generous frame of mind through Wednesday night.

The rest of your week, however, is far from perfect. You could experience major disappointment on Thursday or Friday as you fail to meet a deadline that comes and goes. Maybe a friend or loved one is ignoring you for no good reason.

Speak up to make sure you're not imagining some of this. Saturday finds you bluffing your way out of trouble. Don't overuse this strategy. Thanks to the weekend's celestial conditions, a little bit of deception goes a long way.

You step into a trap sometime on Monday, and you could be stuck here through Wednesday. Maybe you're physically confined. Maybe logic or honour shackles you to a dead-end situation. Do you really doubt this is a prison of your own making? Thursday brings immediate and drastic improvement.

Awkwardness turns graceful. Suddenly you're clever, playful and popular. Now people are looking at you with an altogether different expression. Everybody wants to shake your hand and listen to your stories. By Saturday you've had enough of these wild extremes. You'd rather spend the weekend at home with your art or housework. Loved ones make Sunday a special day.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are filled with the right kind of surprises. You develop unusual powers, find new friends or make a proclamation that everyone honours. Doors and windows open miraculously. Maybe this is your horoscope, but know that others are feeling the benefit as well. On Thursday, it seems as if your allies are turning against you.

In reality, people move on after giving you your share of attention. You'd like to switch gears just as easily, but you're obsessed with doing a full inventory of what you're about to throw away. Loved ones may be confused by your motivations on Friday, but everything becomes clear on Saturday and Sunday. An archetypal situation feels fresh and personal when it happens to you. Love and enlightenment are just about the same thing.

Some of the weekend's glory still clings to you on Monday. Life returns to normal for a few days, but that's okay. Count your friends and your remaining funds. Even when you're not up there on the peaks, the valleys don't seem as low as they once were.

Any lingering doubts are gone by Thursday. Put your real self on display, or maybe the ideal version that's usually visible only to intimate friends.

When you convince yourself, what you see might as well be real. Self-delusion works beautifully through Friday, but you're in trouble if you try to play this game on Saturday or Sunday. Innocent lies turn easily into vicious rumours. You could get stuck in a role you don't like. The least you can do is be ready for it.

Wisdom and skill are strongest between Monday and Wednesday. Smile away your fears as you accept the key to the city. Triumph is where you find it. Everyone wants to be involved with your projects. You may know all the answers, but you're too busy for boredom to take its toll. Thursday and Friday are different.

Either your energy is lower or your focus is more scattered. Others become jealous of your advantages even when you're being fair. Good luck isn't your fault unless you make it so. But naturally high-profile people can't worry about these things, especially on Saturday and Sunday. Participation matters, especially when the Universe matches your contribution. Next week will be different. Make your mark while you're here

This great week makes up for some that have been less than perfect. A good, solid push on Monday sends you coasting along the path of least resistance on Tuesday and Wednesday. Good excuses look exactly like reasons. In the eyes of people who don't expect much, adequate work passes for a major achievement.

You're obviously dealing with an easy crowd. Launch your pet project on Thursday, when the stars give you everything you need. You turn sows' ears into silk purses with a relaxed, sure gesture. In this harvest season, your plans should come to fruition no later than Friday. Whether you hope to sell what you've done or just socialise, the weekend finds you out and about. It's hard to concentrate when everyone around you is busy having fun.

On Monday it's unclear if your heart is betraying your mind, or if your mind is subverting your heart. Integrate instead of pigeonholing, and let the week unfold into what could be your favourite time of year. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you master the situation every time you walk into a room. You don't force your will on anyone.

You just make the most sense. Correct your course on Thursday or Friday. If you change your angle or backtrack soon after a wrong turn, you won't have to waste time and resources on a bigger fix somewhere down the road. The real payoff comes on Saturday or Sunday. Almost by accident, the world reshapes itself around your desires and ambitions. Life is beautiful and remarkably free of hostility.

The first three days of the week are a time of high drama and low credibility. You have a chance to avoid all this stress, but only if you take quick action on Monday. Trivial responsibilities or false accusations overwhelm you on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is the price you pay for belonging to the wrong club.

When Thursday comes, put on a costume and lose yourself in a crowd of strangers. This perspective shift confirms your innocence. Now that you feel better, enjoy life again. New friends don't care about your personal business.

Make their day by being less assertive. Continue this strategy through Saturday and Sunday. A great week lies ahead of you, and you want everyone to be as ready for it as you are.

You're still immersed in bittersweet endings on Monday, when you should be excited about fresh starts. Maybe you come in late, but that shouldn't disqualify you from playing. Tuesday and Wednesday bring energy and creativity.

As a Fire Sign, your only choice now is to change the world from the inside, beginning with the heart and working your way outward. Strategies might change, but this has always been your cosmic goal.

On Thursday or Friday, you learn the acceptable limits by being unlucky enough to stray beyond them. You can apologise for offending others, but there's nothing you can do about their jealousy. Saturday finds you back in the world's good graces. You hook into a trend that will go on for a while. It's okay to build on your mystique again.

What is it about Monday that demands snap decisions? Like some of the other Signs, you have to be an early bird if you want to catch that worm. Otherwise, you can resign yourself to an even less appetising diet on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The prevailing mood early in the week is restless. If you seek approval, you get it on Thursday. Between that moment and bedtime on Friday, don't let anything distract you from your mission. The facts are on your side, but time has other plans. Does it help to know that you'll get many more chances after this? Look on the bright side.

You're notoriously unstable between Monday and Wednesday, but you're having fun. You'll make noise and shake things up even if you have to pay a high price later on. The people you attract now may become ghosts you can't exorcise once you're tired of them. Despite all this, you wouldn't trade places with anyone.

Remember this good feeling when it suddenly fades, because the memory may be all that gets you through Thursday and Friday. Now you absolutely have to follow the rules if you want to keep your friends or your place in the community.

Explanations may be amusing, but they're not valid as excuses. Your luck returns on Saturday and Sunday. Use it responsibly. If others are going to notice you, it should be for only the best reasons.

Extra caution is called for on Monday, when rushing or not thinking carefully may cause you to make mistakes. Signing legal documents is not advised. Tuesday and Wednesday give you the chance to try on a new personality. Have you ever wanted to be someone else? Playact a new life, go places you've never been or try on a disguise for size.

Just don't try too hard to fool someone. Usually taciturn Pisces may be all excited about some new health regimen on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, someone may ask for your opinion, but telling the truth might only lead to trouble. Beware.

Pisceans are not known for being critical or unkind, but Sunday brings out those tendencies in you. Help someone you love, and resist the temptation to pass judgement.