2010?

★ LIBRA 23 September-23 October What a bundle of contradictions is a Libran: pushy but eager to please; shrewd but oddly indecisive. This is the sign of the well-dressed charmer with a hidden agenda – not you, obviously, but those other, dark side Librans. You just do charm.

In 2010, what counts is not your easy smile but your inner steel. With Saturn dominating your horoscope for most of the year, it's a time for tough, long-term decisions, for ambition tempered by pragmatism.

Even among non-astrologers, Saturn has a weighty reputation; it's the planet of age, maturity, responsibility and hard work. In a related guise Saturn is about exactitude and turning a bright idea into reality; it represents the patience and persistence that allows masterworks to be written and cathedrals to be raised. Such projects invariably demand rather more effort than we anticipate, but once completed, become defining achievements.

Plan the new year with that perspective in mind. Indeed, since Saturn is resident in your skies right through to, gulp, October 2012, it's a perfect time for a major undertaking; restoring your mansion, founding a company, becoming prime minister (take note David Cameron, born 9/10/66) or casting the Ring of Power into the fires of Mount Doom. Prioritise ruthlessly and stick to your chosen quest.

Until April, it's birthdays between 23 to 28 September (and 1980 Librans) who feel Saturn's touch. From September onwards, the rest of the Libran tribe are in the frame, especially 1981 birthdays who complete one cycle of Saturn's 30-year orbit (the well-noted "Saturn Return").

Relationships that require commitment or closure also come under Saturn's remit. Here, August looks pivotal. The duo of Mars and Venus (your ruler) in your skies lend a forceful, magnetic touch for either finding or consummating a romance. July and August are – not just for Librans – a potentially incendiary phase; keep your cool with friends, family and partners. Show grace under pressure.

February promises enchantment in your personal life, whether you're collecting Valentines or rekindling old flames. The unusual movements of Mars (your partnership planet, whether in love or business) make the first five months of 2010 ideal for networking, mixing business and pleasure, or changing your favoured in-crowd. October and November, with Venus in retreat, is a time for adjusting finances and having second thoughts about decisions made in the summer.

Other people are invariably vital to Libra's mission, but part of Saturn's message is that when push comes to shove, no one helps you but yourself. Take a sidekick shopping to help choose the right colour ("I should have got the blue") but the big decisions should be taken alone.