Horoscopes | Week of October 3-9, 2005

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Aries, it falls in your 7th house, coinciding with a substantial shift in one or more key partnerships (romantic, professional, friend, etc.), and inaugurating a six-month period in which your own behavior in relationship to others is a primary issue. An existing relationship may show its true colors, or simply to come to pass. A new one could be in fast-track development. In any case, it's the basic matter of how willing and/or able you are to negotiate peer-to-peer—rather than insisting on your own version of truth, or else just jetting off and doing whatever the hell you want, with no consideration or discussion—that will show up to pester you again and again. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 8th/2nd-house axis, you must weigh (1) the desire for greater passion, intimacy, and/or transformational intensity against (2) the exercise of safe control over who you are, what you have, and what you're doing with it. To get deeper in relation to another, and to mutually gain more from the bond, you'll have to give something up… maybe physical 'stuff', or perhaps the necessity of being in charge. The psychological discomfort will indicate you're rewarding yourself with healing. The mess will bring the merging.

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Taurus, it falls in your 6th house, heralding a significant focus on the tasks, labors and habits that comprise your daily routine, and introducing a six-month period during which the goal of greater moderation—and a pleasant 'whistle-while-you-work' attitude all the while—is of primary concern. If you're doing too much of one thing (e.g., work, housecleaning, tending to the pets, errand-running, sleep, exercise, scarfing down banana cream pies) and/or not enough of another, your physical system is probably out of balance. Seek to refine the day-to-day grind (or lack thereof) so it promotes a more livable, enjoyable and healthy long-term existence. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 7th/1st-house axis, you've got to decide if it's more important (1) to stay fully independent and self-directed… and obstinately unswayable or (2) to take pleasure in the unpredictability that occurs when others are allowed greater influence in your world… and the unforeseen emotional reactions that come with it. Somebody else holds just the right words of support, advice for easing the burden, and/or the willingness to pitch in and join forces. Do you believe you can listen, allow and involve the other person without losing your staunch self-reliance? I do.

 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Gemini, it falls in your 5th house, the domain of creative expression and love for being alive, the children in your life and the child inside you, and initiates a six-month period of discovering greater self-satisfaction through the playful joy of putting yourself out there. You embrace the worldly privilege of 'Creator' status when you make something that has never existed before (a pretty picture, a song-and-dance routine, a funny quip or flirty wink… or, of course, a child), in a manner that no one else but you could have, and for no other reason than because you wanted to. This magic is at the core of why we are here. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 6th/12th-house axis, the challenge is to follow inspiration all the way through the physical work, so you bring your visions to literal being… and don't permit fantasy to overtake reality. It's a fine line between creativity and delusion, and what divides the two is what you actually do with your unique way of seeing things. Choose creativity, and help leave this world a more beautiful and delightful place than you found it.

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Cancer, it falls in your 4th house, triggering activity in the realm of your most private emotions, and sparking a six-month period of reflection on their fundamental roots. During this time, you could choose to strengthen your familial ties… or to cut certain ones altogether. And as your current home life mirrors the one in which you were raised (or mimics its psychological qualities through a 180-degree reactionary setup), similar efforts may prove necessary. For best results, your ultimate purpose should be to attain greater inner peace than you've had in a while, accepting what has been without assuming it must always be. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 5th/11th-house axis, you might have to act against party lines or forge out independently, in order to discover the true pride of being your own man or woman. The initiative you take, of course, is liable to disrupt the apple cart among the bigger organization or social grouping. It's your job to convey that the shared affinities and affiliations remain intact, though you may opt to seek greater 'selfish' contentment in your 'personal' time. If they're truly your friends, they'll want you to prosper… even if they lose that part of your caring you redistribute to yourself.

 

LEO (July 23-August 22): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Leo, it falls in your 3rd house, spawning an increase in type and frequency of communications and contacts, and igniting a six-month period of intensified social activity in which you can experiment with the Saturn-in-Leo lesson of it not being all about you. (I apologize if that sounds harsh, but how else do you expect me to interpret an eclipse in the sign of 'the other person' and 'concession-making'?) The point is not to take any encounter too seriously, for there are always more people to meet and more ideas to receive and ponder, so it must never seem a 'do-or-die' situation to emerge with the best pose or the right answer. You are the hummingbird, flitting from flower to flower, sniffing while you hover and then spreading the traces haphazardly. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 4th/10th-house axis, you'll want to respect the private/public divide and not expect your professional environment to be the best-suited venue for venting your deepest emotional concerns. It's part of lightening up to relieve the figures in your outer-world existence of their responsibility for caring much about your personal ups and downs. When the possibility that you're stirring aggression or conflict with professional peers or in public situations approaches, shift to pleasant small-talk… and make it all about them, not you.

 

VIRGO (August 23-September 22): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Virgo, it falls in your 2nd house, generating excitement in the traditional sector of money and material resources, and launching a six-month period of better balance in what you spend and what you reserve. You needn't hoard every last thin dime, sapping all enjoyment from the efforts you've made to earn the goods. But neither should you drain the coffers on unwise indulgences and poor planning, just so you can guilt-trip yourself to kingdom-come in the days and weeks that follow. It's not the money that has the value, but what you decide to use it for that matters. Releasing the tight grip on the wallet informs the universe you intend to receive more soon, and opens your door to abundance. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 3rd/9th-house axis, you'll find fresh motivation for spontaneity and pleasure through exchanges and acquaintanceships that belie the common expectations placed on you. You don't have to be the person they assume you to be, to instinctively reiterate the same old personal ethics because you haven't bothered to consider whether they still hold relevance. And you're probably the one who'll take the most convincing.

 

LIBRA (September 23-October 22): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse… and it's in your sign, Libra, so you're the one to watch for self-redefining twists and transformations, during an upcoming six-month period of more straightforward (as opposed to covert) assertion of will and less giving-in to others so everything (supposedly) runs more smoothly. Last October's solar eclipse also fell in your sign, framing a perfect invitation to compare where you are now with where you were then… and patting yourself on the back, or reestablishing and recommitting accordingly. This is also the last month of Jupiter's beneficent influence in your sign for another 12 years or so, so take those last-minute risks and horizon-broadening opportunities over these next few weeks. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 2nd/8th-house axis, you can expect one of your more intimate companions to react to your good-fortune expansions with resistance or envy, by feeling threatened or becoming overinvolved. If that happens, don't kowtow or back down, just to alleviate the momentary discomfort—the problem will not go away that easily. Just keep doing what you know you need to do, and let any relationships evolve as they must.

 

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Scorpio, it falls in your 12th house, drawing attention to that most mysterious sector of your life where ghosts and dreams and visions and unconfirmable hunches reveal esoteric forms of knowledge that connect you to something much larger than you can see, and arousing a six-month period of getting in touch with your spiritual reasons for being. Now, for those of you who balk at 'spirituality' or prefer not to engage with metaphysical entities (or metaphors), then perhaps you should explore the 'mysteries' of your own life history… to better understand why certain feelings don't always match up with the current events to which they supposedly rise in reaction. (The sense you've made of them thus far doesn't make much sense, does it?) With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 1st/7th-house axis, you have the choice of (1) expending your magical charm to draw certain folks closer to you over common interests, as a way to help you both grow and expand, or (2) casting such a spell against the other's better judgment, seductively persuading her or him to drink the kool-aid and do whatever you say. Fostering that spiritual connection may provide your best impetus for choosing what's 'right' over what satiates the ego.

 

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Sagittarius, it falls in your 11th house, delivering great promise wherever you join forces with like-minded individuals into some enthusiastic team effort, and ushering in a six-month period of enhanced participation in ventures with a broad sphere of influence. To which organizations or causes will you devote a chunk of your physical energy? Which meetings, workshops, focus groups, study groups or coalition rallies will you attend? Who else is 'one of you'? Of course, you needn't be a selfless saint to take advantage of the socially-minded spirit being stimulated by this eclipse… merely willing to understand the impact of your commitment and your labor as one important node within the whole network. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 12th/6th-house axis, you may have to adapt your methods for getting the job done, in order to attain that subtle, hard-to-describe sense of cooperation-not just with the other players involved, but with the universe at large. Sometimes it's important to stick to your own way of doing things. Other times, such as now, you'll gain more by letting the currents guide you… and offering the best you have within the wider circumstances out of your control.

 

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Capricorn, it falls in your 10th house, signaling heightened dynamism in your career and/or public reputation, especially as it pertains to how well you get along with others, and setting off a six-month period of gaining a finer finish on the authority you wield in the world. You can get further faster—and enjoy the journey all the more—by sharing the duties with one or more key partners, and demonstrating to them your talent for darting and dodging in diligent reaction to the perpetually changing circumstances. If they observe a keen adaptability (and a pleasant demeanor) in you as you work together, you will move to the head of their line of favorite collaborators. And that's a good position to be in. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 11th/5th-house axis, the hardest part will be to swallow your pride and take one for the team, instead of proving (or trying to prove) for the umpteenth time that you'll be okay without anyone else. 'Okay' should not be good enough for a Capricorn. How about aiming to split up the burden with those who are eager for their own shot at responsibility, lightening your own load and showing goodwill in the process?

 

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Aquarius, it falls in your 9th house, portending major structural transition in the system of beliefs and values you use to define what matters and what doesn't, and commencing a six-month period in which you actively seek possible areas of overlap between your system and those you've previously rejected. You may not think so differently from those you think are so different than you… or maybe you do, and still need to find better ways to coexist with those adherents to an alternate philosophic reality. Don't let matters of terminology or symbolism cloud the potential to connect with those who share a similar motivation or intent. Though you may find their methods misguided, there's a message of truth for you somewhere in them. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 10th/4th-house axis, developments in your outer-world lifestyle (promotion, raise, reputation enhancement or career change) will necessitate a loosening of your stubborn self-nurturing (self-management, really) techniques, in order to make room for new private reactions to new public situations. Look beyond where you've looked before for guidance. A foreign culture, discipline of study, or language of principle is a virtual goldmine of undiscovered riches, waiting for you to dig through it for its treasure.

 

PISCES (February 19-March 20): The big event of the week is Monday's solar eclipse in Libra… and for you, Pisces, it falls in your 8th house, whipping up a fervor of swirling and colliding psychological forces, which can only be explored through facing what you fear most in relation to another person, and instigating a six-month period of consciously heading into those dark and scary places, to come out the other side healed. If you're stumped on how to proceed, let me tell you the three most widely discussed symbols of the 8th house's archetypal maelstrom—sex, death, and other people's money—and see if fears related to one or more of them holds power over you. Well, duh… of course there's something terrifying here for each and every one of us. Now, to permit yourself to get all gloppy and gooey in this heavy-duty muck, you've got to get into it with that intimate companion who you're scared will find your most unglamorous truths too messy to mess with. There's only one way to discover what's underneath the surface of the relationship: Rip off the cover. With Venus's opposition to Mars retrograde in full gear across your 9th/3rd-house axis, your best attack is to let go of the finicky specifics (which keep you unhealthily focused on what matters least) and head straight for the big questions. Not only will you learn something fundamental to why it's worth getting better at what you do, the honest-to-God truth will obey the cliché and set you free as the highest-flying bird in the sky.