It is the time of year when most of us will be thinking about money because we will be preparing income tax returns. As we consider the facts about income and how it is managed, we often find ourselves thinking about the time and energy we put into earning money. Earning and managing money accounts for at least one third of our time as adults.

When I think back, I realize that I received very little information about how to manage money. What instruction I did receive was colored by my parents' stories of having lived through the Great Depression, a time that brought severe limitations in terms of purchasing power. They also experienced rationing during World War II. I heard about how no one but the babies got new shoes because my parents didn't get enough shoe coupons to go around. Their views on money were severely warped by their childhood and early adult experiences of material limitation.

While I have not always had every single thing I thought that I wanted, I must admit that I have never gone hungry like many people in the world today. If I missed a single meal, it was a rarity. I also have never been deprived of adequate clothing and other basic physical needs. In addition, my parents, who were themselves limited for many years, provided every educational and social experience they could manage. I learned to occupy my time with reading, experimenting, and enjoying school, friends, and extracurricular activities.

In short, I think I learned a whole lot more about time management than I did about money management. It's true that if you are an avid reader, you can entertain yourself and learn something without spending any money. All you have to do is get library card for your public, university, or college libraries. You can usually borrow books from distant libraries for a minimal amount, too. While reading is not the only way to use spare time, it is available, inexpensive, and enjoyable. Today, the Internet provides a good source of entertainment and information.

In my family, where money is concerned, there was a sort of understanding that if we learned arithmetic, we could balance a checkbook. If we could balance a checkbook, we could manage money. Financial life isn't really that simple. I was taught almost nothing about insurance, savings or retirement.

Where Astrology Comes into the Picture
The reasons for learning astrology are as numerous as the activities in your life. Some astrology books are entertaining to read. All of them are informative. You can find books for any level of expertise and interest. Astrology can help you with:

• Understanding yourself on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels
• Forecasting important events and understanding the past
• Developing closer, more meaningful relationships
• Answering any questions that arise in your life

Where time and money are concerned, astrology reveals its most basic, and its most precise, capabilities.

Timing May Not Be Everything …...but it sure is helpful. When we can plan for the immediate, mid-range, and long-term future, we can design our lives to suit the currents of energy around us. You probably know someone who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. If you could manage that too, how would your life change? Here's how:

• You could be better prepared for major events.
• You would experience less stress.
• You could have the energy, time, or money you need, when you need it.
• You could be in the right place to take advantage of everything life offers you.
• And much more.

Basically, astrology helps us to perceive the energy around us and to make more direct use of it. When I know that I have opportunity aspects coming up in my chart, I take time to consider them. When I know I have difficult challenges coming, I prepare ahead of time, to the extent that is possible. I experience fewer major surprises, so I am generally more relaxed. Of course, astrology can't prepare us for everything, but it surely does help to have a map of the future that shows the major landmarks!

Money Can't Buy Everything …...but it sure is nice to have enough to provide for your basic needs, purchase a few "toys," and provide for the future. One thing I was missing before I discovered astrology was a way to understand my personal relationship to money, spending, saving and other material considerations. Astrology has given me tools to understand this area of my life better.

When you focus directly on money issues in your birth chart, you can gain a clear understanding about how you relate to the material world. You discover ways to handle money more effectively, new ways to make money, and a fresh view of economic management for the long haul.

If you are in a relationship, you learn how you and your partner think and feel about money matters. You can help each other to satisfy both short and long term needs better. This could be very useful, especially if the two of you see things differently.

Kris Riske's book Mapping Your Money gives you all the information, and includes an astrology program to easily create and interpret your chart in specific terms of money matters.

Managing Time and Money
Even though I have been a professional astrologer for over thirty years, I learn something new every time I read a book or consult with a client. More than anything else, I learn about my personal biases. I understand my own time and money management styles, in contrast to ones I was taught. The books I have mentioned in this article have provided important insights into my life and the way I practice astrology. I hope you find them helpful, whether you have time and money management problems or not.

Planetary Success Cycles
Each planetary cycle reveals something fresh and new. Two or more planets combine their energies to form additional categories of life experience. If you identify problem areas in your life among the keywords in the following list, you will benefit from studying astrological cycles.

Your Birth Chart and Money
Just what can astrology teach you about money matters? A whole lot. Your birth chart reveals some very interesting things: Your "money mindset." The birth chart reflects how you approach money and financial matters of all kinds. Thus, it reveals your attitudes about income, how you manage it, what security means to you, and the importance of career and work. Your money mindset is shown through the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, and Midheaven.

The "money planets" in your chart—Venus, Mars, and Pluto—indicate the most important facets of finance in your life, and also highlight where your energy leads you in terms of getting and spending money.

Certain segments of your birth chart—the Second and Eighth Houses — provide a picture of your basic strategies regarding your own or other people's resources.

The remaining planets — Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—indicate other considerations regarding money matters.