Individuals born under the water sign of Scorpio possess huge reserves of energy which need to be harnessed constructively, both physically and emotionally. The forceful combination of Pluto, the planet of power and renewal, which rules your birth sign, and Mars, the planet of energy and aggression, which rules the health angle of your solar chart, is one which can move mountains and command multitudes. However, without a clear-cut means of expression, those powerful Scorpio energies are liable to turn inwards and fester, causing you to become brooding, resentful, jealous and self-destructive.

There tend to be few compromises in the makeup of the typical Scorpio. It is very much an all-or-nothing sign. You are madly passionate about those you love, fiercely loyal to those you trust, and deeply protective of those you care for. You demand the same in return; anyone who crosses a Scorpio is cut out of their life - for ever. To forgive and forget is not part of the Scorpio vocabulary. You are deeply perceptive and know, instinctively, if someone is being less than honest with you. You cannot stand any form of deception, hypocrisy or pretence.

Your tendency to be over-possessive of loved ones can cause difficulties in close relationships. A spurned or rejected Scorpio can become spiteful and vindictive - although seldom petty or underhand. A new motivation or raison d'être must be found to deflect such negative energies.

It is often possible to recognize Scorpios by their eyes. They tend to be prominent, unblinking and intense. Your predilection towards suffering in silence means that your piercing eyes are truly the windows to the Scorpio soul.

Unlike people born under many of the other signs, you are happiest under pressure. Perversely, Scorpios suffer tension and stress when they are inactive or under-employed. You need constant and powerful challenges against which to test your physical and intellectual muscle. Without that kind of stimulation, you become restless and frustrated, laying yourself open to minor ailments and illnesses.

One of the biggest problems for Scorpios typical of their birth sign is their jealousy - of people, possessions and circumstances. Used positively, it can make you intensely competitive, spurring you on to your own lofty heights. However, at its most negative, it can be a source of simmering bitterness with the potential of making you physically ill. Many Scorpios have a deep fascination with spiritual matters and it is a way in which you can build up your inner strength and still your turbulent passions.

Being what is known, astrologically, as a Fixed sign makes you stubborn, intractable and resistant to change - until you feel that it is irresistable. At that point you embrace it with the same energy and enthusiasm which you bring to all the other areas of your life.

You tend to be vigorously healthy, under normal circumstances, with enviable powers of regeneration, but need to guard against your own self-destructive urges. Moderation does not come easily to Scorpios. More than anything, you must avoid mental and physical stagnation. Exercise is a must, the more strenuous the better.