Coming after a turbulent and difficult Year of the Pig, the incoming Year of the Rat marks the beginning of a more harmonious phase – both on an individual and a broader community level. While divisions will be healed, this won’t become apparent until we ascend into the second quarter, with the Pig’s more baleful inclinations likely to linger longer than some might prefer.

For many, though, it will be sunshine after dark, a time of new beginnings and fresh agendas. While some zodiac signs will inevitably prosper more than others, there is little likelihood of widespread discord and mayhem for any, regardless of birth date or temperament…

Rat – This is your year and, of course, it’s time to shine. Pretty much everything you do will have a little added lustre over the next 12 months, so it’s the perfect time to make some bold, life-affirming choices. For those who find themselves in a rut, whether in career or relationship terms, this is the optimum window for change. Discard the unwanted commitments that are holding you back and take a leap of faith. If you wait another 12 years it may be way too late.

Ox – Being strong is a way of life for you, something colleagues, companions and loved ones expect from you almost as a matter of course. This year, though, will see that particular quality tested, possibly more than it has ever been before. Tribulations and trepidations are massing on the horizon, seemingly queuing up to deliver blow after blow as the year progresses. Weather this, though, and your reputation will soar, with a much-needed reward clearly well-starred toward the year’s end.

Tiger – Like your namesake zodiac sign, you are something of a rare breed. Your blend of old school charm and early-adopter enthusiasm makes you a real asset to whichever business has you on board. This year, it’s time to reassess how valued you actually are by your colleagues. With one or two happy to ride on your coattails for some time now, asserting your preeminence – subtly yet firmly – is now less of an option and more of an obligation. You really do owe it to yourself.

Rabbit – Last year left you a bit shell-shocked. Certain events came to pass that you could never really have anticipated, with their longer-term repercussions as yet not wholly apparent. You can’t, however, play the victim of circumstance for very much longer. In the wake of any calamity, someone always emerges to lead those at its very epicentre back toward the light. This time, that someone is you. It’s not a role you get to opt into. It’s one you’ve been destined for.

Dragon – The board is surprisingly clear. A 2019 cull saw many of your competitors and rivals taken out of the game, leaving you triumphant, yet unsure. With the old certainties and antipathies banished, your 2020 is unclear, lacking both precedent and benchmarks. Resist the temptation to map out this new territory for yourself. Let others be the trailblazers and the pioneers, while you sit back and learn from their mistakes. While many may fumble and fail, your gradually emerging overview will give you the killer insights you will ultimately require.

Snake – You’ve been on the lookout for something special for quite some time now, without really being all that sure what it might be. An opportunity? A possession? Or even a new person in your life? This year, the veil will be lifted and all will become much clearer. Only one thing is certain – it will be very different from what you expect. The challenge is to ensure you have the agility of response required to capitalise on what will be a surprising turn of events…

Horse – As the years roll on, your baggage seemingly only gets weightier. There are a lot of expectations on your shoulders, with every aspect of your life – work, family and personal – having the apparent capacity to supplement them with additional ones with every passing month. Contradictory, costly and, in some cases, all but impossible, you can’t satisfy them all. While you’ve become more than adept at keeping plates spinning, it’s time to choose just which crockery falls. Super-serve your true priorities and bid a polite adieu to any undue burden.

Goat – This is the year you get to show the true, unleashed you. Several of the constraints that have seen you suppress the more outré aspects of your personality have now faded into irrelevance, giving you carte blanche to turn things up a notch or two. Enjoy a bit of extravagance, immerse yourself in a little indulgence and let the hedonism happen. You only live once the say and, up until now, you’ve been barely living at all. It’s time to stop going with the flow.

Monkey – There’s one situation where you’ve long postponed your intervention, no matter how much it seemed required. Before the year is half-way done, though, your involvement will become mandatory. Use the next six months to weigh up the odds, calculate the consequences and consider strategies. While timeliness is important, preparation is all – especially as no-one is expecting you to swoop in at all. Make it decisive, make it comprehensive and – if you deem it absolutely necessary – make it brutal.

Rooster – The Rat Year is never kind to you. Look back in your journals at previous iterations and you will see the disappointments and minor tragedies that have befallen you in spans gone by. Sadly, it’s not a trend you can particularly buck. Fortunately, the last 12 months have left you well-positioned and strategically ahead. Be content to let this lie and enjoy the fruits of your earlier successes. Anything new and too ambitious is likely to be thwarted, while the waiting Ox will oversee a far more fulfilling year for you.

Dog – You are internalising too much of the insecurity that characterises many of those around you. In fact, the last 12 months have been almost wholly negatively transformative. When it comes to initiating action, you have become almost paralysed by the learnt neuroses of those in your immediate circle. With your logical side set to blossom this year, turn your analytical skills inwards and root out the unfound fears and excessive considerations. A little emotional detox is all you need to restore the balance, allowing you to return to the fray with a vigour not seen for several years.

Pig – While 2019 was a year for planning and laying the groundwork for various initiatives, 2020 will be the year for reaping benefits. While not every project is set to bear fruit, you might be surprised by just how many do. Although the first three months of the year may prove disconcertingly quiet, the spring will make the start of a series of triumphs – both minor and major – that will sputter into life intermittently as the Rat enters its more mature phase.