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By Tracy Allen ~ Week of September 24-30
LIBRA
September 23-October 22
The sun just joined Mercury in Libra, kicking off your official birthday season. You’re still feeling the aftershocks of last week’s Uranus-Pluto skirmish, with the Libra planets continuing to get in the middle. And when your ruling planet, Venus, quarrels with Mars, the friction between your agenda and other people’s agendas will probably get to you. The full moon even gets in on the action, turning a bright spotlight on your relationship angle and the emotional needs of others. The planets will not let this issue drop! But seeing as how you’re the sign associated with relationships, diplomacy, fairness and peace, you should be ready and willing to rise to the challenge of restoring the equilibrium between you and the people in your life. Compromise means mutual promise, so decide what you can sincerely promise and what reciprocation would mean the most to you.
SCORPIO
October 23-November 21
Mars—co-ruler of Scorpio—is bringing out your sign’s strong will, but when he spars with Venus in your goals angle this week, it’s clear you’re not getting what you’re after quite yet. Your other ruling planet, Pluto, also gets into a fight, mixing it up with the full moon, Uranus and the sun and creating a potentially volatile situation. Now for the silver lining: Messenger Mercury in your subconscious sector syncs with knowing Jupiter, quite possibly revealing your darkest desires in a dream or a quiet moment. And revelation-bringer Uranus in your daily-routines zone is trying yet again to get his message across that your bad habits need to change. Redirect your will to the desires and habits that require your attention. Give the unearthed desire some intellectual and emotional energy, but as a Scorp, you’ll want to keep it private for the time being and not act on it. Do work on eradicating those intractable habits, though. Ovid’s words from more than 2,000 years ago still hold true today: “Nothing is stronger than habit.”
SAGITTARIUS
November 22-December 21
“You’re not disabled by the abilities you have. You are able by the abilities you have.” ~Oscar Pistorius
When I first saw Oscar Pistorius at a track meet on TV, I told my dad about him. (In case you don’t recognize his name, he’s the South African double-leg amputee sprinter whose prosthetic devices earned him the nickname “Blade Runner.”) My dad—ever the logical Gemini—commented that he’d never be allowed to run in the Olympics, because he had a mechanical advantage. Scientists eventually determined that although Pistorius had some advantage, his disadvantage cancelled it out, so after qualifying for the Olympic team, he went to London. As much as he inspired people around the world this summer, the controversy over whether he should be allowed to compete didn’t vanish. It dawned on me that we were all missing the point. What was most noteworthy wasn’t how he could run, but that he ever decided to run at all! A boy whose legs were cut off at the knee thought to himself one day, “I want to be a runner.” Not a painter. Not a lawyer. A runner. An Olympic sprinter. When the full moon and anything-can-happen Uranus activate your self-realization house this week, your homework assignment is to think like Oscar Pistorius. The very thing that appears impossible might be the one thing you must do above all else.
CAPRICORN
December 22-January 19
You’ve been consumed with chaos at home and drama on the job, obsessing over how to maintain a power position while everything is spinning out of control around you. Smooth-talking Mercury and lucky-charm Jupiter in your work sectors will help you right the ship at the office. But how do you find your true north when you’re alone? What guides you internally and keeps you centered? The temperamental full moon in me-first Aries lights up your foundation angle, insisting that what really matters right this second is how you feel and what you need. You have a gift for figuring out how the world works and proceeding to maneuver through the system with great success. But unraveling your own emotional complexities may not come as easily to you. Ask yourself a simple question: “What would make me feel better?” Put getting what you want out in the world aside for a minute and dedicate yourself to getting what you need deep down inside.
AQUARIUS
January 20-February 18
Uranus is still trying to get you to change your mind—and not in the small way that the phrase implies. It’s not about reversing a decision or coming to a different conclusion. Uranus and Aquarius are big-picture. Stepping back to get the general idea is one of the things you do best. And yet no matter how broad thinking you are, your brain can get caught in a repetitive loop like anybody else’s. This week, the full moon and Uranus join forces in catalyzing Aries and oppose the ego-oriented sun, creating a polarizing axis across your cognition houses. Meanwhile, Pluto in your unconscious sector is pointing the finger at subversive actions whose motivations originate in repetitive thinking. What things do you do because you’ve always thought (fill in the blank)? Do you do x-y-z because you think you have to? Because you figure it’s what everyone has always said you’re good at? Because you think you’re not capable of stopping? If you don’t like the answers, in the words of Funkadelic, “Free your mind…and your a** will follow”:
PISCES
February 19-March 20
As sensitive as you Fish are to the vibe around you, you’re really feeling the effects of the ongoing Uranus-Pluto war. But when the full moon in self-oriented Aries pairs up with independent Uranus and plays tug-of-war with the sun in your shared-resources zone, it’s time to draw the line between your stuff and other people’s stuff. Pisces are highly permeable, so whenever you make an effort to maintain good boundaries, you’re promoting healthy growth. Separate your feelings from those of others, your values from those of others, your needs, your talents…whatever has been merged to the point of enmeshment. Communicative Mercury in your intimacy zone forms a simpatico angle with hopeful Jupiter in your foundation angle, paving the way for a heart-to-heart with someone you’re close to. Troubles with money, work or friendship (possibly all of the above) have taken their toll on your spirit. Unburden yourself to someone you trust, and in the process, seek insights into where you might need better boundaries.
ARIES
March 21-April 19
With the sun and Mercury in your partnership angle, Venus in your romance sector and Mars in your intimacy house, relationships are first and foremost on your mind this week. And when the full moon illuminates Aries, containing your feelings will be close to impossible. The temperamental nature of the moon makes it likely that your emotions will overwhelm you, while Uranus in your sign is speeding up your reaction time. As a doer sign, it’s only natural that you’d want to take action to address the strain in a relationship. But warrior Mars, your ruling planet, oftentimes blurs the line between “act” and “fight.” (And that’s not always a bad thing—if you’ve ever seen an Aries fighting for a just cause, you know what I mean.) Edifying Jupiter in your cognition-and-communication zone suggests there’s a big learning opportunity at hand. Do you see how tension from other areas of your life is getting lumped together with this relationship issue? Give your feelings considered thought. Then put them into words.
TAURUS
April 20-May 20
The voice in the back of your head has been cranking up the volume from the faintest whisper to an insistent roar lately, thanks to lightning-bolt Uranus in your subconscious zone. The full moon joins Uranus this week, shedding light on a message that’s trying to break through to consciousness. For clues to the content of the message, we can look at what the other planets are doing now. The sun and Mercury are in your job-and-daily-duties house, while Venus in your private-life angle is not getting along well with Mars in your relationship angle. Venus represents the attraction principle, so she’s telling you about your core desires. Mars is what you’re actually doing. He’s how you go about getting Venus what she wants. So your intuition is picking up on the fact that your desires and your actions are not in accord. And in addition, the work and activities you’re devoting your time to are out of balance with what your instinct says you need. Decode the message, and trust your gut.
GEMINI
May 21-June 20
Your ruler, Mercury, in your self-expression house clicks with expansive Jupiter in your sign, which theoretically makes for easy communication this week. Problem is, confusing Neptune in your career angle spells crossed wires with higher-ups, and Venus in your talk sector’s clash with Mars in your coworkers zone means you won’t fare much better with coworkers. So who are you clicking with? Young people and love interests are on your wavelength, since they’re also connected with the house that Mercury is traveling through. It’s the part of your chart that rules joy and creativity, two types of positive energy that we exude from within. Playing with kids and allowing yourself to fall for someone can tap into a wellspring of positivity now. And when the full moon shines in your groups zone on Saturday, ask yourself if your friendships are feeding that positivity. If there’s one that isn’t making you happy, it’s okay to get some distance.
CANCER
June 21-July 22
Assuming you can’t afford to quit your job, a mental-health day is not a bad idea if you reach a breaking point at work this week. The aftermath of last week’s Uranus-Pluto battle may prove as difficult as the initial onslaught for vulnerable Crabs, who are getting it from all sides. The full moon in feisty Aries joins up with rash Uranus in your career angle, bringing work woes to a boil. The positions of several other planets suggest that your problems may include the following: You’re not earning enough; your job isn’t as creative as you’d like; you’re not doing work that’s in agreement with your core values. And especially if you don’t feel supported by someone significant in your life, you’re probably a bit daunted by the thought of tackling your professional dilemma head-on. Hitting snooze and pulling the covers over your head is a temporary fix to save your sanity, but it won’t carry you forward into the future that you’re yearning for. Confide in a family member, roomie or childhood pal to de-stress and gain clarity.
LEO
July 23-August 22
Practically everything going on with the planets this week points to the need for you to revamp the mindset and way of doing things that you developed in your formative years. Your habitual actions are not serving your ability to shine and attract what you want, and your habitual thought patterns are not nourishing your vision of the future. On close examination, you’ll see that your work and time management are showing perhaps the most glaring symptoms of this disparity between your thoughts, your deeds and your desired destination. Clever Mercury in your communication sector links up with wise Jupiter in your networking zone, presenting the possibility of a helpful mentor. Don’t let your Leo pride make you hesitate even for a moment to reach out to someone further along on the path you’re trying to travel.
VIRGO
August 23-September 22
In an article published in the current issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, the authors (psychologists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Vanderbilt University) state, “Stereotypes about others leading to prejudice…and schemas about the self leading to depression…are fundamentally the same type of cognitive structure.” When mental Mercury in your self-esteem sector forms a harmonious angle with optimistic Jupiter in your goals angle this week, discriminating Virgos would do well to weed out any self-prejudice that’s keeping you from pursuing your dreams. Even if you’ve never experienced clinical depression, you’ve no doubt trained your laser-sharp critical faculties on yourself from time to time and felt how exhausting it is to absorb the blows, even when it’s you beating yourself up. In one column, write down all the self-critical statements that come to mind. Next to those, give each one a positive spin. For example, last night my friend LaShieka sent me this text: “You know you’re a jerk when you owe the library $32.” I wrote back: “1. You made a much-needed donation to the public library. 2. You and your family are readers. 3. By making use of the library, you’re probably helping the environment.” Give it a try.
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