Celebrity profile:
Madonna

Although you appear to be modest and shy (as described in the previous chapter), at heart you have a strong need to shine and be the centre of attention. You are very self-conscious and self-critical, however, and you often shy away from the limelight. Your dilemma is this: You want to take centre stage but you doubt your abilities. You need to avoid being overly self-critical and to practice hard at whatever you do so that you feel fully confident.

Proud and intensely individual, you really want to stand out, to be the very best you can be and to be recognised and appreciated for your unique contributions. Doing something well and being respected for it are extremely important to you; you cannot tolerate being in the background, taking orders from others or being 'just one of the team.' You must put your personal stamp on whatever you do and direct your own course in life. You need to have a place where you can shine, express yourself creatively and be the one in charge.

You have big dreams and the determination, spirit, vitality and enthusiasm to bring them into being. You also have a noble, romantic heart and a love of the dramatic, colourful and extravagant.

For you it's true that 'all the world's a stage' and you secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) desire to be the Star or Hero in the play. You want to be great and to receive the love and applause of an adoring audience, even if the 'audience' is just one other special person. You need someone to believe in you and your dreams. Though you appear radiantly self-confident and independent, you are actually very much dependent on the affirmation, love and recognition of others. You cannot bear being unnoticed or unappreciated.

You also love wholeheartedly and generously and really know how to make the person you love feel special. You love the magic of being in love and know how to keep the romance alive in your relationships. You are also immensely loyal and will defend your loved ones and stand by them to the end - as long as they never offend your pride or betray your trust. However, you like to be the strong one in a relationship and you really do not share the leading role very easily. Ideally you need to find a person who is as strong-willed as yourself, but who will not try to dominate or compete with you.

Your strengths are your zest and love for life, your creative power and your warm and generous heart. Your primary fault is your tendency to be very egocentric, so concerned with the impression you are making and with your own creative self-expression that you forget there is another, larger world that does not revolve around you.

You tend to get involved in the helping professions or in activities where your efforts are hidden, behind the scenes, unacknowledged or unknown to the public. Asserting yourself or getting up in front of an audience may be exceedingly uncomfortable for you.

Your life is apt to be blessed with more than your share of helpful friends, fortuitous connections and doors opening to you at just the right time. Because you are usually willing to share and to give back to others in a generous way, you continue to generate successes in your life no matter how unfortunate prevailing circumstances are. Beware, however, of becoming an opportunist.

However you also have a heavier side that keeps your optimism from becoming ungrounded or overblown. You tend to seesaw between your faith, vision and high aspirations and your caution and realism (or fear!). You cannot and do not rely on good luck or grace alone; you accept the need for hard work. Your doubting or 'heavy' side is described below.

Realistic and practical, you set goals for yourself that are modest enough for you to actually achieve. You are able to tackle long, difficult projects and see them through, for you possess self-discipline, concentration and perseverance. You also have a strong sense of responsibility and are very conscientious in fulfilling your obligations. Often you do things because you feel it is expected of you.

You may be a bit high-strung and overzealous in the pursuit of your endeavours. You always seem to be in a hurry and have the ability to evaluate situations quickly. You have a brilliant mind and possibly could invent something.

You have a great desire for freedom and independence and are subject to strong emotional tensions. You are very creative and forge ahead tirelessly. But you tend to make the highest demands on your physical energy and are prone to over-stimulate your nerves.

Section 4: Mental interests and abilities

You are an exacting perfectionist with a clear, logical, analytical mind and an aptitude for work that requires meticulous attention to detail and efficient organisation. Well-grounded and pragmatic, you tend to develop specialised skills and technical expertise in some practical field. Knowledge, ideas and theories don't really interest you unless they are useful in a tangible way. You are inclined to analyse, measure and dissect everything and to miss nuances, subtle shades of feeling and meaning. Your strengths are in your precise thinking, careful craftsmanship and mastery of technical skills. You tend to be very good at what you do and critical of others' work if it does not meet your high standards.

You don't speak up readily, even when you have a lot to say! Also, your mind tends to drift and you find it difficult to study very factual material that doesn't have much colour or imaginative appeal. Your intuition and first impressions are likely to be quite accurate, however, and you tend to depend upon this faculty in making decisions.

You are a natural psychologist or counsellor, interested in the inner motivations, feelings, personal life and problems of others. You are a sympathetic listener and you also love to discuss (endlessly!) your own experiences and feelings. You tend to be very personal and subjective in your point of view. You have a talent for getting others to talk about their lives, dreams, desires and other things that are personally meaningful to them. You could be an excellent interviewer, reporter or biographer. Idle talk and gossip are your vices. The study of the past - history, archaeology, genealogy, etc. - is of great interest to you. Psychology, symbolism, mythology and languages are also areas that you are drawn to.

Imaginative, intuitive and non-linear in your thinking, you have a gift for writing poetry, fiction or fantasy. You also have a natural openness to the spiritual, intangible side of life and could write or speak on these subjects. You could also develop an innate clairvoyant tendency quite easily.

Suspicious that appearances are superficial and masking the 'real nitty-gritty,' you are always probing beneath the surface to uncover the deeper, hidden aspects of a matter. You are interested in anything secret or mysterious. You have great powers of concentration and a penetrating mind, with an aptitude for research, investigative reporting or detective work. You are also keenly observant and seem to have 'x-ray vision' regarding the inner motivations and intentions of other people. You could make an excellent psychotherapist, uncovering the deeper causes and roots of a person's emotional problems. You may also be drawn to esoteric or occult studies and the development of unusual mental powers. Stories of mystery, intrigue and espionage fascinate you.

You tend to have big plans and pursue your ideas with great zeal. You also have the power to influence people and sway them to your point of view. You may accomplish this through public speaking or writing and could do well in publicity or advertising.

You have a strong desire to dominate people's minds and would make an excellent hypnotist. Your own personal vibration seems to influence people and possibly could change their lives. It is important to use this power you seem to have for the general good.