Venus, the planet of love, acceptance, pleasure and the arts, is now in earthy Capricorn. This is an interesting combination of soft and hard. Sweet Venus likes things the easy way, but Saturn-ruled Capricorn is about focus, commitment and effort.

This is a time when love must be earned. Effort counts as much as heart, if you want to earn the approval of others. Relationships are built on shared goals and a willingness to work through the hard spots. Venus in Capricorn rewards maturity in relationships, helping to define problems and making a commitment to solve them.

This might not be the most romantic placement for Venus, but there are some real advantages here nevertheless. One is the ability to achieve creative or artistic goals even if you don't have the greatest natural talent. Capricorn rewards those who stick with the difficult tasks, rather than flashy folks who don't want to get their hands dirty with effort.

Venus in Capricorn means that respect equals love. We may have to work a little harder to be appreciated now, but we're building a solid foundation of self-respect that can ensure the continuation and growth of the relationships that count most in our lives.

A good number of young royalty have Venus in Capricorn, including Princesses Caroline and Stephanie of Monaco, England's Prince Andrew, King Juan Carlos of Spain and the late king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley. Both Caroline and John F. Kennedy Jr. were also born with this combination.

Actors Anthony Hopkins, Jeff Bridges, Faye Dunaway, Diane Keaton and Danny Devito are Venus in Capricorn people, as were tragic comics Andy Kaufman and John Belushi and athletes Michael Jordan, Monica Seles and Lee Trevino. Venus in Capricorn is found in the charts of politicians Dick Gephardt and Dick Cheney, and singers Bonnie Raitt, Naomi Judd, Dolly Parton and Neal Diamond.