Romantic Natal Report

AYou're something of a homebody. Whether that means your physical home or your emotional one is up to you, because for you, home is really where the heart is -- which can make it difficult sometimes to meet new people, if you're always hanging out on your couch or with your same set of tried-and-true close friends! Your best venues for meeting a potential date are dinner parties, which combine the benefits of good food and time to talk; or through friends, so that your potential sweetie comes complete with good recommendations from people you trust. You're definitely on the emotionally sensitive side, so you can get hurt easily in relationships -- even more than you might like to admit. When your feelings are hurt, you often pull into your shell rather than trying to talk things out, at least at first. You need a lover who understands you at a deep level, someone who draws you out of your shell in a tender and gentle way. Needless to say, this kind of precludes short-term, casual affairs! But once you find someone to love, you're an incredibly nurturing lover. You tend to their physical and emotional needs as best you know how, and give them your true devotion.

Like every other powerful experience in your life, love to you is an opportunity to transform yourself into a higher being -- to grow, change and deepen within your soul. Even your casual affairs are learning experiences for you; you look to every experience you have as a lesson, one that increases your understanding of yourself and of the world around you. And while your breakups may have been painful, they have all been welcome learning experiences for you, ones that taught you even more about love. You're also incredibly resourceful, and you won't allow a difficult relationship experience to rock your world too greatly; in short, you always land on your feet, because you're constantly looking deeply, trying to find the meaning of your experiences. This alertness is an attractive quality in itself; your admirers are drawn to the way that you live consciously, trying to learn as much as you can from everything that happens to you. Furthermore, your sense of understanding and resourcefulness lends you a confidence that is really compelling to your lovers! They see you as a powerful person, one they want to be around and to learn from.

You want true love and a relationship that will last, but you keep getting in your own way of letting that happen. One minute you're involved with someone special and dreaming of the long term, and the next you're feeling restless and pressured, as if the relationship is cramping your personal style, hindering your ability to be yourself and go where you want to go in life. Who knows? Maybe it really is, but if so, it's likely because you're subconsciously attracted to relationships that will present a challenge to your personality and your goals at a basic level. Since shorter or less committed relationships work out fine for you, you may decide that's all you can handle, and go through a string of those before you finally start to realize that your love life isn't as fulfilling as you want it to be. Don't delude yourself into thinking you're just not 'the marrying kind'; if you want love and intimacy and partnership, you are. Your challenge in life is to figure out how to make a long-term relationship work. How can you get past the feeling that your independence is challenged by intimacy with a lover? Remember, for one thing, that practice makes perfect.

When you're getting involved with someone new, you should rely on your close, trusted friends for their opinions of your potential sweetie. The problem is, you're just not the greatest at choosing a mate for yourself, because your perceptions are muddled by love. When you fall for someone, your admiration for them just cancels out everything else. You ignore red flags and are blind to their faults; all you can see is how wonderful they are, how goofy in love they make you feel, how the whole world is full of sweet music and roses! Of course, on the one hand, that can be a positive thing; you certainly do bring a sense of reverence to a love affair that can really deepen the emotional experience for both of you. But you have to make sure that you're in love with the person you think you're in love with. They could take advantage of you and you'd never know it, because you blind yourself to reality, preferring to live in a fantasy world where love conquers all. You idealize your lovers and your relationships, which can be crushing when you're finally forced to accept that the relationship isn't going to work. Try to avoid this disillusionment by choosing well in the first place, attending to your small inner voice when it complains, and asking your friends for guidance.

You're opinionated, that much is for sure, and you're not afraid to make your opinions known. That means that sometimes in conversation, you may walk the line between confidence and arrogance -- but in general, the confidence will win out in terms of attracting admirers. You speak in a warm, appealing tones that draw people to you, because they want to hear your thoughts and bask in your glow. People are also drawn to you for the strength and creativity of your mind, and you bring that creativity to a love affair in planning extra-special dates or dreaming up the perfect gift to make your honey feel like royalty. You're outgoing in social situations; you love talking to all kinds of different people, and at any given dinner party or other gathering, you'll likely be found at the center of a group of people, all eyes and smiles trained on you. You're especially good at reading the 'big picture' and not getting caught up in the unimportant details, which can be a big help in a love affair -- especially during an argument or a difficult talk. You can zero in on the real issue at hand, and you can reach out with warmth and sincerity to bridge the gap between you and your sweetie.

When you need to, you know how to talk things out with your lover. Though you and your sweetie will misunderstand each other as much as the next couple, you generally won't let things go too far. You're not one to stew, and you won't let your honey sit on their anger for long either. You know how to get past their defenses and get things out in the open. Too often, perfectly good relationships go down the tubes because the people involved fail to communicate well, but that's not likely to happen to you. If it does, it's likely to be more on the part of your lover than on yours, because you know when it's time to stop acting childish and start resolving things. This gift also comes into play in other areas of your relationship besides arguments; you're a great listener, for one thing, and can really be a wonderful source of support and advice for your sweetie. Any issue they might have in their life, they know they can bring it to you and find a ready ear, a strong shoulder and an open heart. In fact, one way you'll know you've found a keeper is when you go out with someone new and end up talking the night away, discussing everything that comes into both your minds!

The way your mind works can sometimes be a bit much for other people to handle, especially for people who don't know you well. You have a way of probing into others' feelings and motivations, deeply and relentlessly, that can make them very uncomfortable. And when you're doing this to someone you don't know well -- such as on the first date with someone new and special -- it can come across as overwhelming, or even inappropriate. Sometimes people want to hold their cards close to their chest; they have their own, valid reasons for keeping some things private, and it's not always the best idea to push and push at them until they open up, especially if you're not willing to reveal your own. Though you want to know what makes other people tick, you're rarely willing to reveal your own motivations; you want to maintain an air of mystery while exposing others' mysteries to the light. In a romantic relationship, your urge to get to the bottom of things can sometimes verge into the territory of outright and often unfounded suspicion. Sometimes, it really is best to take things at face value, such as your lover's word.

You're an incredibly romantic and demonstrative lover. You adore the sighs and caresses of lovemaking almost more than the act itself; you love making your sweetie feel cherished, head to toe. You're all about the sweet, sensual approach to affection, and foreplay is definitely one of your strengths! Foot rubs, flowers, poems, chocolates -- you'll pull out all the stops to woo your heart's desire. And you don't lack in persistence, either. You're perfectly willing to take the slow, steady, long-term approach if that's what it takes to crumble your lover's walls and get to the sweet stuff within. This approach works especially well for you because your heart is true, as is your devotion. You don't fall in and out of love fast; you take your time at it, enjoying every step of the way. So when you say 'I love you,' you mean it. When you say 'I'll always be there for you,' you're serious. And you let your honey know that, in no uncertain terms. Your only flaw in love, in fact, may be that you can go overboard with the affection and the declarations of love! Make sure that you don't smother your sweetie with all your loving intentions, and you'll create a love that's steady and true.

You're not one to lie back and let your lover make all the effort in your relationship. For you, love is essential to happiness, and you recognize that making it last is one thing; making it work for both of you, long-term, in a satisfying way, is yet another. You're attracted to a lover who is every bit as charming as you are, and who takes as much pride in their appearance as you do. For you, it's understood: Part of love is showing your partner respect, which includes keeping yourself up and always being your charming, flirtatious self -- even if you've been together fifty years and counting! Trust and physical affection are also biggies for you; you love to cuddle, and while you won't put things harshly to your sweetie -- you recognize the value of sugarcoating things from time to time, in order to maintain harmony -- you're committed to honesty and loyalty. And you expect the same from your partner. If anyone has a chance at finding and maintaining a long-term love, it's you, because you're ready, willing and able to put in the effort in order to make that happen. Your reward? A love as sensual, affectionate and fun as you can make it!

You crave intimacy, but you just don't know how to make it happen. Looking back over your past romantic experiences, it may look like one bad decision after another; you left good relationships, stayed in bad ones for too long and never quite figured out how to make love happen in a natural, spontaneous and satisfying way. It might be that you've never had a good model of functional, stable love in your life, but whatever the reason, the experience of love is, for you, a complicated and even painful one.