Mars enters Scorpio, the sex sign of the Zodiac, on August 23. This will bring an increase in flirting, sexting, and TMZ ratings as Stars of both the astrological and the Hollywood variety partake in scandalous liaisons over the next six weeks. But this isn’t just about people being naughty. There’s a real need to get naked, wet, and primal when Mars is in Scorpio. If there was ever a time to get your man off the computer and back into bed then this would be it. Mars in Scorpio gives everyone a chance to brush up on their lovemaking game by lowering defenses, raising arousal levels, and giving you complete freedom to talk about the things you didn’t feel like you could talk about and by encouraging you to explore the things you didn’t feel like you could explore before. Mars in Scorpio reminds everyone that sex is more than just an act; it’s a sacred mystery.
ARIES (March 21- April 19)
On Thursday you will be surprised to discover that you have been angry for months. It won’t come out in an obvious way like losing your temper or suffering a meltdown in public. It will be brought to your attention by a loved one. Try to understand that this person is reaching out to you. There are different types of anger – just like there are different types of love. You can have hot anger, cold anger, pissy anger, wounded anger, etc. You’re suffering from grudge anger and grudge anger is hard to recognize because Aries is a fire sign and fire signs don’t typically hold grudges. Fire signs (the other two are Leo and Sagittarius) vent – they express their rage by getting mad, loud, and uncontrollable. Fire signs make scenes (they can’t help it; they’re Astrology’s drama queens), but afterwards that anger is totally gone because it was burnt away. But anger doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes it lodges itself in the psyche and hangs out in the background like a low-grade fever. The source of your anger stems from what took place between January 23 and April 13, 2012 when Mars was retrograde. And it may have manifested as work-related stress, muscle strain, cyclical headaches, and even dizzy spells. Talk about what ails, get things off your chest, and you will experience a release in tensions by Saturday.
TAURUS (April 20 -May 20)
There are times in life when you don’t go looking for a fight but when the fight comes looking for you. Right now is one of them and it will last until October 6. Now the intelligent course of action would be to avoid conflict all together by making yourself scarce or giving demanding types what they want. Unfortunately it’s not going to work. Not only will the bullies find you, but they will increase the level of harassment in direct proportion to your attempts to diffuse it. The more you ignore, the more they will taunt you. So do you fight back? That won’t work either because it will only ignite an already incendiary situation. The solution is to stand your ground. One always has to “man up” when Mars is traveling through your opposite sign – and that applies to women as much as to men. Thankfully you were born under a zodiac sign that can take a licking and keep on ticking. And it will be your unflinching refusal to back down – or to raise your voice in retaliation – that will get you through this trying period. Standing your ground will express true power and true strength. It will also communicate to those bullies who thought that they could rattle your cage that it would be a better idea to go rattle somebody else’s cage instead.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
The penny drops on Monday and it will make a very loud ca-ching! But this dawning realization will be more than just a matter of you picking up the clue phone. This realization will show you how to get out from under that Sword of Damocles that’s been hanging over your head. This stems from developments that took place between January and April 2012 when someone (or perhaps something – like a company or lending institution) unexpectedly pulled the rug out from under you. This would have thrown you for a loop, but thankfully Geminis always land on their feet– just like Catwoman! However landing on your feet doesn’t always mean you have a game plan and that’s what’s wonderful about this week. This week you will meet with the people you need to meet with, make those connections that you need to make, and be outfitted with the information, assurances, and whatever else that’s necessary to fortify your position on what has been until now – a very slippery slope. The tide of Fortune turns on Wednesday and you will make more headway in the next six weeks than you have in the past six months. Meanwhile make a point of repaying a loan or favor this weekend – even if this person doesn’t need it. It’s good business sense and it’s also the karmically correct thing to do.
CANCER (June 22-July 22)
The time has come to shift the balance of power back to yourself. You’ve tried doing things somebody else’s way and it’s clearly not working. Either this person is completely out of his or her element or is so overburdened with weighty responsibilities that they can’t even see straight. But the Stars aren’t saying that you have to do this overnight. In fact you have six weeks to take back the reins. Being a Cancer you know that the best transitions are the ones that you make slowly but surely. Not only will you accomplish what you set out to do without calling attention to yourself, but by the time you’re done loved ones and co-workers won’t even know that there’s been a change. This is your subtle non-confrontational way of exercising authority. Why bark orders when you can just quietly reset the agenda? Meanwhile you can expect things to get intense in your love life on Wednesday and Saturday when your paramour makes the switch from cool and aloof to hot and in-your-face. Sometimes we don’t really know what we want until we get up close and personal and now that you can see this person – warts and all – you may be having second thoughts. Just remember that everyone comes with blemishes nowadays. That’s what relationships are all about. It’s also why God created skin cleansers.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
It’s time to get down to business. You are entering an intense and productive period that will last through October. Over the next few weeks you will be getting your financial house in order – both literally and figuratively – and you can expect to regain much of the ground that you lost in the beginning of the year. 2012 has not been easy. Not only did things take longer than expected to come together, but you also got hit with some surprise bombshells in your personal life as well. These were issues that had lied buried beneath the surface for a long time and needed to be addressed. And now that they’ve been talked about (can we say detonated?), you can see your way clear to the other side of the psychic minefield. This is very important because as a Leo you can deal with whatever people throw your way as long as they’re honest and upfront about it. You don’t like secrets, you don’t like fuzzy math, and you definitely don’t like walking around on eggshells. On Thursday you will hear from someone you didn’t expect to hear from. This is someone who hurt you and who wants to make amends. You can expect to have a good first talk, but this person still has a ways to go to win back your trust and friendship. Nevertheless it makes for a good start.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Your birthday month begins on Wednesday when the Sun enters Virgo. You will experience an immediate boost in spirits as well as a surge in energy and a spike in confidence. This is your time of year when you will be at the peak of your intellectual powers, your creative abilities, and physical prowess. It’s the perfect time to start anything new – like launching your own business – or for making those dramatic changes you been wanting to make but didn’t feel like you could. Your birthday month is also good for visualizing what you want, setting intentions, and making resolutions. We’re used to doing this on New Year’s Eve, but it’s actually something you should do in your birthday month because this is when you start your new year according to Astrology. It will be very important to commit to your future and to resist the regressive tendencies of the Sun/Neptune opposition on the 24th. This is when you could fall under the spell of the past and start telling yourself stories. You might tell yourself things like the job you can’t stand isn’t so bad or that the relationship you want to leave is actually quite homey or other strange versions of reality that could only exist in an alternative universe. Don’t fall for it! Commit to the future path that’s unfolding before you. You won’t be disappointed.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Even you will be impressed with your perseverance and tenacity – as well as your refusal to take “no” for an answer – when you walk away with a highly desirable prize on the 20th. It’s so unlike you to push your way to the front of the line, but if Mars has taught you anything in recent weeks it’s that there’s nothing to be gained by waiting on ceremony. In fact holding back invites others to swoop in and to take what’s rightfully yours. And who’s to blame them if you gave them the opening in the first place? You will want to keep this in mind when the Sun’s change of signs on Wednesday brings a complete alteration in your mood and outlook. Instead of feeling bold and cocksure, you will start to wonder if perhaps you weren’t too heavy-handed and maybe even . . . selfish? These doubts and insecurities will be echoed by friends and rivals alike. Your friends because they won’t be too sure if they like this “new” you and your rivals because they would love to guilt trip you into giving back what you just won. This is to be expected when the Sun is traveling through the most vulnerable area of your horoscope, so don’t make any major decisions until after the Full Moon on the 31st. That’s when you’ll be clear-thinking again.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Your Ruling Planet Mars enters Scorpio on Thursday and it will be there through October 6. Mars is the planet of “what I want” in Astrology. If you see something you want then you will go after it with the unrelenting intensity of a heat-seeking missile. Yet you were born under a zodiac sign that’s more obsessive than passionate. Passion comes from a need to have; it’s based on this feeling that you can’t live without something and that’s what drives you to pursue it. Obsession is different. The whole point of obsession is to never get what you want. Why? Because getting what you want is a downer; it’s anti-climactic because it can never live up to the excitement of what you wanted it to be. As a Scorpio it’s the constant craving that keeps you hooked. That’s the thing that excites, entices, and bedevils you. It’s like the difference between what’s sexy and what’s erotic. Sex can be over in a matter of minutes- sometimes sooner! - while eroticism is all about arousal and the promise that’s kept out of reach. You will want to be careful about what you set your sights on. Play and love responsibly and you could wind up having a lot of fun. You don’t want something that starts off as 9 ½ weeks to turn into Last Tango in Paris.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Late January through April 2012 was not a good time for you. This was when you were under attack from all sides and you felt like you couldn’t win no matter what you did. Thankfully you pulled yourself up by the bootstraps and climbed back on that horse (like only a Sagittarius can!) and things have been moving along at a gallop since. Indeed things have been so good that you could find yourself thrown for a major loop by a bad case of déjà vu on Friday. This is when your reputation will be called into question again and when you will be asked to defend your performance record. Part of you will feel like packing up your things and resigning on the spot – but don’t. The Stars are giving you a unique opportunity to show that you were unfairly maligned months earlier and to prove to critics and detractors that you’ve still got what it takes. Not only do you stand a very good chance of recouping a lot of lost ground between the 22nd and the 31st, but you may even wind up coming out ahead. Of course it doesn’t really much matter who believes in you or why. What’s most important is that you believe in yourself and rekindling that faith is what the next two weeks are all about.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You’re an odd duck when it comes to accepting attention. On one hand you underplay your accomplishments because you get embarrassed when people single you out for praise however you can get deeply resentful (and even vindictive) if you don’t get the recognition you feel that you deserve. As you can see this creates a bit of a Catch-22 where admirers feel damned if they do and damned if they don’t which might explain why you don’t really get a straight answer when you ask co-workers how you are doing. It’s a loaded question and nobody feels like stepping on to a psychic minefield where that first step could prove to be their last. Thankfully the Sun’s change of signs on Wednesday puts you at ease and in the right headspace to truly listen to what people have to say about you and your work. You will have to put up with their high praise and flattery (it’s the downside that comes with success), but there will also be some suggestions on how to improve. It’s important to recognize that you bring a lot to the table and that your contemporaries truly appreciate all that you do. You don’t have to work so hard to get noticed. In fact the sooner you get used to that mantle of authority, the better, because you wear it well.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
This Thursday Mars will begin its six week cross over the highest point of your solar horoscope. This is as powerful as it sounds and you will feel the rush of adrenalin right away. Mars is the planet of gumption and drive in Astrology and its job is to push you to push yourself. There’s no settling for second best when Mars is this potent. You will want what you want right when you want it and with no ifs, ands, or buts. Now this is good because you can be a little too people pleasing in the way that you go about things. As an Aquarian you tend to put the needs of the many above the needs of you and that can get a little frustrating from time to time. However, you will have to be sensitive to people when they say that you’re coming on too strong because Mars energy can be combative. What else would you expect from a planet named after the Roman god of war? The best way to harness this energy – which will be coursing through your horoscope through October 6 – is to give it something to do. Set goals for yourself and set them higher than you normally would. Not only will you accomplish them but you will raise the bar on your own expectations of what you thought was possible.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
This time of year when the Sun is traveling through Virgo (August 22 through September 21) is not an easy one for you. The reason is because Virgo is the sign that sits opposite Pisces on the zodiacal wheel – or six months away in the calendar year. This is when you are “out of season”, which means that you are not at the peak of your powers. If anything you’re apt to feel sluggish, run-down, and prone to making some really strange choices. It would be a good idea to run things by friends on Wednesday and Friday to see what they think before you take any action. Actually Friday is a real red flag day because this is when you will be under the influence of that mind-altering Sun/Neptune opposition. If there was ever a day for wonky decision-making then Friday would be it. But just because you’re not at the top of your psychic game doesn’t mean you should accept being sidelined all together. Make the switch from right side of the brain thinking to the left side of the brain thinking and see what happens. You might surprise yourself with how easily you pick up on things that typically elude you like math, crossword puzzles, and the step-by-step procedures outlined in most instruction manuals. This may be the week when you embrace your inner Ms. Fix-It.
