Horoscope: Wednesday, Feb 4

As the first and most dynamic sign of the zodiac you often get your way through sheer force of personality, but the planets warn you will need to take a more subtle approach this weekend. If you don’t know the meaning of the word then look it up!

Your energy may have taken a bit of a dip of late but overall you are still on red hot form. If you want to get the most out of the day ahead you must limit yourself to important things only. Avoid trivial issues and trivial people.

Don’t allow a minor setback to knock you off your stride. You are still well ahead of the game, both at work and in your private life, so stay calm and carry on as before. There is no such thing as failure – every setback makes you stronger.

Speak up and say what has been on your mind these past few days. Some individuals may not appreciate your loud and assertive manner but you can afford to ignore them because the people who matter will be impressed by your go-getting attitude.

You won’t be in the mood to try too hard today but that’s okay. People you live and work with will be happy to do things for you, so long as you remember to ask. They can’t read your mind (and you wouldn’t want them to!).

With today's planetary energy, you'll find yourself a little more extraverted than usual, Cancer. You'll finally be able to say what you really think about things. It's an important change for you, and you'll find that expressing your ideas and beliefs is a great help in reaching all your goals in life.

It does not matter if you are behind in your work and colleagues and employers are urging you to get a move on – if you feel like taking it easy today then do so. It’s not other people you have to be kind to. Be kind to yourself.

A relationship that has been going through a difficult patch should improve over the next few days, which is nice, but the deeper causes of your falling out have not yet disappeared and won’t until you start being honest with each other.

Feed your mind with new knowledge, Virgo. Visit a bookstore or read some interesting information online. If you have more time, visit the library or explore courses that you might like. There is knowledge to be had everywhere you look, provided you're open to receiving it. People are often the best resource. Ask someone to explain something, if that's what you need.

What happens in your life over the next few days will more than make up for recent disappointments. Thursday’s solar eclipse in the sympathetic sign of Aquarius will boost your confidence, which in turn will attract a number of exciting opportunities.

Are your worries real or are they illusions created by your overactive imagination? Most likely it’s the latter, so stop fretting and start searching for reasons to be cheerful – there’s plenty of them if you care to open your eyes and look.

If a contact or colleague says something hurtful about you this week don’t take it too seriously. According to the planets they are going through a rough patch at the moment and need to blow off steam. You will be friends again very soon.

Your luck has just turned with regard to issues of love and romance, and wow! Has it turned for the better, Sagittarius! You should be sitting on cloud nine today when it comes to matters of the heart. If, for some reason, you aren’t, perhaps you should consider who is sitting next to you on that cloud. Maybe it’s time for a change. This is your day to be happy.

By all means indulge in a bit of wishful thinking today. It’s not wrong to fantasize about how you would like your life to develop – on the contrary, if your thoughts and feelings are strong enough you might just make it happen. Passion makes all things possible.

If you are thinking about investing some of your hard-earned cash you must make sure that your choices are based purely on fact and logic. Your emotions must be allowed no part in your decisions. Never let sentiment cloud your financial vision.

Family links will be strengthened over the next few days and if you make an effort to get past issues that have caused friction in the past your domestic situation will improve and soon everyone will be smiling again. More unites you than divides you.