It will feel like somebody upstairs is pouring gasoline on the fire when Mars forms a square to Pluto on Tuesday and then opposes Uranus on Wednesday. This is as wild and crazy as it gets, and it will be hard to tell if you’re being shown the door or if you should stay and fight. Both impulses are equally strong, which means you are going to have to put aside your temper (along with your feelings of victimization) and decide what you want in the long run. Mars is all about power and how you harness it. Left to its own devices Mars will run roughshod over your life and trample everything underfoot. Give it proper direction, however, and Mars will motivate you to master insurmountable challenges and to achieve your aims. It will also broadcast — and in no uncertain terms — that it’s not a good idea to mess with you. Own your Mars and you will own your corner of the world.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
You have a couple of trouble spots this week. The first will be on Tuesday and it pertains to work. It looks like you can’t do right by a demanding boss or client and the Mars/Pluto square shows you hitting the wall. Now, you can go ahead and have a meltdown. It’s a free world and everyone knows that you’ve been stressed out. However, it would probably be a better idea to schedule a meeting with this person who seems intent on making your life a living hell and to have a frank discussion about what is — and what is not — working. Not only will you learn what’s expected, but you will both be on the same page. Opening up the lines of communication is a surefire remedy for diffusing tensions. On Wednesday, Mars will form an opposition to Uranus in Aries. This is an extremely volatile energy and it will put you at odds with a partner or a creative collaborator. It will also bring out all of your “I’m taking my toys and leaving the sandbox” tendencies. It’s important to remember that you are not five years old and that this isn’t kindergarten. The simple truth is you’re not going to get your way, which is why you’re throwing a hissy fit. Take it down a notch or two and you will work something out by Saturday.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
This is not a good time to issue an ultimatum – unless you want people to take you up on it. You will need to curb those bullish “my way or the highway” declarations on Tuesday and Wednesday. It may feel like there’s a lot at stake; like you have to stand up for yourself or people will walk all over you – but the truth is there isn’t. You are over reacting. What’s happening is that the Moon is getting caught up in the crossfire of Uranus and Pluto on July 17 and 18 so these are days when it’s very likely that slights are more imagined than real. The Moon rules over our emotional life and it reflects what we feel about ourselves to be true. That sounds like a reliable barometer until you remember that feelings – like the Moon – wax and wane. What seemed important one day can leave you scratching your head in bewilderment the next. Remember that you were born under Venus, the planet named after the roman goddess of peace and harmony. You are built for comfort, not for conflict. Give yourself until Friday to see if you really are that emotionally invested in the things that you say you are invested in. Chances are you aren’t and that you will see mountains revert to molehills by Saturday.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
There’s opportunity in the mayhem if you can keep a cool head while the people around you are losing theirs. Disruptive planetary energies on Tuesday and Wednesday will be shaking everyone else’s trees, but yours. There will be a wave of cancellations, last minute retreats, and no-shows rolling through and you will be uniquely positioned to take advantage of all this thanks to a spectacular Jupiter/Mars trine on the 17th. Make a point of bird-dogging listings, fire sales, and auction sites because you will emerge with some amazing deals. If you are involved in a lawsuit or custody battle then this will be the week for you because Jupiter is the planet of courts and judges. Jupiter in your corner of the sky (Jupiter is currently in the zodiac sign of Gemini) means that you will hear news of a settlement or that there will be a judgment in your favor by Friday. And while you’re at it, you may also want to check back with someone who turned down a bid or offer you made weeks ago. There’s a good chance that things didn’t go according to plan. Perhaps the buyer walked away from the deal or lacked sufficient funds. In any case this seller may be grateful to hear from you and receptive to what you have in mind. It would certainly be worth another round of negotiations.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
You will go out of your way to avoid conflict. You really don’t like it and you don’t see the point of talking to people when they’re angry. As a child of the Moon, you know how restorative a good night’s sleep can be, which is why you won’t return phone calls or emails until heated tempers cool down. Unfortunately, this won’t be happening on Tuesday or Wednesday. It looks like a certain bane to your existence is hell-bent on having a fight and will do anything to get your attention. This person may go so far as to badmouth you to friends or try to steal business away from you at work. Clearly, this person doesn’t realize that they are messing with the wrong zodiac sign. Scorpios may be famous for their stingers, but Cancers have the claws and once riled up you will grab your opponent below the belt (metaphorically speaking of course) and refuse to yield until s/he cries “uncle.” Just because you go out of your way to avoid conflict doesn’t mean that you can’t put a stop to it when you need to. Meanwhile, heads up on Friday. The Moon-occult Mercury retrograde shows that a buyer or seller will try to introduce some additional costs that you didn’t talk about. Simply say “no can do” and said costs will be unintroduced just as quickly.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
Life may feel a bit like a road trip nowadays which is why you shouldn’t be in such a hurry to reach your destination. You could be between jobs, relationships, or living situations and you should take this opportunity to toss the map and discover for yourself what lies around the next bend. There’s a lot for you to take in right now with Uranus, the planet of revolution and change, turning the familiar signposts upside down. There are new people and places coming into view as well as unexpected opportunities and fresh takes on old perspectives. This is a very illuminating and enlightening time for you and you should embrace every moment of the adventure because it won’t last forever. However the wealth of this experience – if you live it to the fullest – will. Meanwhile the Sun will enter your zodiac sign on Sunday, July 22. This will do a lot to recharge the psychic batteries because one is always in peak season and top form when the Sun is traveling through your zodiac sign. This is especially true for Leo because you are ruled by the Sun. In the next four weeks you will feel like you’ve got your mojo back. If you can combine this renewed sense of purpose with the spirit of discovery then you will go further and perform better than you have ever done before.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
Shake-ups in a partner’s financial status could throw you for a loop on Wednesday. It will be hard to tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing so you will want to wait a few days for the dust to settle. If your partner is pink-slipped then this won’t be a surprise because the signs were there last April. If anything this frees him to find a better job instead of waiting for the ax to drop. However your partner could find out that he will be transferring departments at work or relocating all together. This could translate into a better career opportunities so you’ll want to study the possibilities. Finally he could inherit a chunk of change, close on a major deal, or receive news of a windfall on Wednesday. It’s a game-changing day so you’ll want to track developments as they unfold. Meanwhile flatterers are expecting to get everywhere with you on Friday. For instance a banker may praise your business acumen to sell you on a loan you that you don’t need or a supervisor might lionize your problem-solving talents while gently pushing an impossible assignment across the desk and into your lap. You can say no if you want to, but if you say yes when you know that you mean no then you will have only yourself to blame.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
Nobody can force you to do something that you don’t want to do. You will need to remember this for when the pressure builds and the tension mounts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Right now you have Mars traveling through Libra. Named after the roman god of war, Mars brings conflict and stress to whatever zodiac sign it visits. This is why you find yourself at the center of a controversy wondering what you said or did to put yourself there. Actually you didn’t say or do anything – yet. The reason you’re being targeted right now is because you have something that other people want. It might be a contract, a pledge, property rights, or final approval on a deal going through. Now you can expect to be provoked, harassed, and bullied by all sides because you are standing at the epicenter of such conflicting cosmic energies. But your foundation is strong. It’s built on brick and not straw or wood. The wolf at the door can huff and puff all he likes but he will not be able to blow your house down. Keep that in mind and you will get through this week in one piece. In fact you will even find yourself in a position where the tables turn and you can start laying down the law as you see fit as early as July 30.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
You are looking at a fresh new start in your relationships if you would only let go of the old expectations. You were born under a zodiac sign that anticipates the worse and braces itself for it. Part of this is based on experience (you are no stranger to being handed the short end of the stick) and part of it comes from the belief that if you’re prepared for the worst then you won’t be taken by surprise. It makes sense in a self-protective way, but is it any way to live and to love? That’s the question you will be asking yourself this week when your two ruling planets – Mars and Pluto – form an extraordinary square. Squares are like crossroads in Astrology and you are going to have to choose between fixating on pain and disappointment and living in fear or opening yourself up to the fact that loved ones can grow and change and that you can grow and change right alongside with them. The problem with worse case scenarios is that they can become self-fulfilling prophecies if you aren’t careful. The beauty of the Sun entering Leo on July 22 is that it will give you the opportunity to side with your heart, not your head, and to get over the dread that you’ve been living with. Scorpio is all about rebirth and this is when yours begins in earnest.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
You’re often accused of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses, but you won’t be hearing that this week. In fact, it will be the opposite as the people who once pooh-poohed you now flock to you for help, support and guidance. So what changed? Most people’s worlds will be going to hell in a hand-basket courtesy of an extraordinary Mars/Pluto square on Tuesday followed by the Mars/Uranus opposition on Wednesday. This is bound to level great expectations and to bring best-laid plans crashing down around their ears. Thankfully, you won’t be one of them. Why? Because you were born under Jupiter, the planet of good fortune. Most of the time, your good fortune comes and goes (which explains your boom and bust cycles) except that this week Jupiter will be forming a trine to Mars, which is the planet that’s lighting the fuse to this cosmic conflagration. However, the Jupiter/Mars trine changes the game for you because trines confer protection. Either Jupiter’s influence will deflect the negative energy of the current Mars melee or it will move you out of harm’s way. In any case, you’re good. This will allow you to administer to the dashed hopes of the disappointed and to help them get on their feet. You know from experience that the best thing to do when you’re thrown from a horse is to climb back on again.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
Even you will be surprised by your capacity to change; to adapt and to reinvent yourself when push comes to shove. And not only will you survive – but you will thrive as a result. The perfect storm of energies formed by Mars, Pluto, and Uranus on Tuesday and Wednesday will work as both a wake-up call and clarion call to action. It’s time to rise to the occasion of yourself. There are certain zodiac signs that go with the flow and there are certain signs that only change when they absolutely have to. Guess which one you are? Now there’s good reason for being resistant and stodgy. It’s because you were born under Saturn, the planet of time. You know many people who talk about change and it’s often just change for change’s sake. They’re bored or inconvenienced with the same old same old and will casually toss out a relationship or job and replace it with something new which winds up being equally dissatisfying. You want to believe in change, but it’s got to be change that’s for the better and that will stand the test of time. Don’t fight the impulse to head in the new direction that’s opening before you. That path won’t disappear after you take the first step. And don’t look past the influx of new people coming into your life. They can be your guides if you let them.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
It isn’t always easy being the designated adult in the room – especially when it’s the adults themselves who are behaving like two year olds. Strangely enough the reason they do this is because they know that you are there to pick up after them. Disputes and squabbles are de rigueur when Mars is opposite Uranus, but they will reach a fever pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday. You will be asked to referee a spat at work, to weigh in on a contract dispute, or to settle the burning question of who gets the recently departed Aunt Bee’s beloved collection of bric-a-brac. It’s clear to you that both sides are being unreasonable, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to point that out now. You will only come across as insulting and condescending. The answer is to help the person who created the conflict in the first place (but who now sees himself as the injured party) to find a way to back out of the situation without losing face. It’s all about hurt feelings and bruised egos, so if you kiss the boo-boo then things will get better. Meanwhile you can look forward to a sudden run of luck this weekend when Jupiter – the planet of good fortune – forms a sensational sextile to Uranus. Each planet is connected to windfalls and together they show that that wind will be blowing in your general direction.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Some people see their future at the top, which is why they scale the ladder of success. And some people see their future with someone else, which is why they scan the dating sites searching for the profile that most matches theirs. For you, the future is in your home. This is a new idea for you because wanderlust has always been your secret passion. Yet with one ruling planet, Neptune, coming home to Pisces and your other ruling planet, Jupiter, taking up residence in that part of your solar horoscope that relates to hearth and home – it looks like setting down roots and establishing your turf is uppermost in mind. Unfortunately now that you know what you want it looks as if the stars are going to make your work for it, so be a good sport about the obstacles and challenges that will be introduced over the next few weeks. They are not meant to discourage you or to bedevil you. Actually there is a higher design at work and that is to teach you to treasure the things that you have in your life rather than to pine away for the things that you don’t. Sometimes we don’t appreciate how good we’ve got it until that good is yanked out of reach for a while. Embrace the adventure that is unfolding and you will surely discover that home is where the heart is.
