New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- Somewhere in their early 40s, many people report an unexpected shift: the self-doubt that once shadowed every major decision begins to quiet, replaced by something steadier and harder to rattle. They become more difficult to argue with, more settled into what they actually think. Astrology has tracked this progression across cultures for centuries, arguing not that everyone peaks young but that each zodiac sign carries its own power timeline, and for a significant portion of the 12, the most formidable chapter has not yet arrived.

the sheer speed of Aries, the magnetism of a young Leo, the verbal brilliance that Gemini deploys before it has fully worked out what it believes. Others are structured by their ruling pla...