So what is SHOW ME THE LOVE? It’s a new currency to quantify the human, energetic and spiritual compensation that reflects meaning and value in our lives.

We are entering an era where money is no longer the only thing of import. In fact, financial incentive has drained out of most endeavors. The familiar excuse that you may hate your job, that you’re not fulfilled by your work, that your day-to-day is immensely stressful or that it’s not really what you WANT to be doing, but you just can’t quit because the “money is just too good” has become a hollow one. Those days seem to be — by and large — over.

The same is true for Hollywood. Compensation ain’t what it used to be. A-listers are hanging in the game and newcomers or very low paid artisans are getting opportunity because that’s all the financiers want to pay. It’s all the market will bear. The result: very little in between. The layer in the middle is gone. And that “middle” is almost everyone else.

What that means is that people are forced to reflect on their fulfillment quotient. They start asking themselves: “If I’m not getting paid to do this, is this what I love? If it’s not what I love, what is?” And that’s exactly the right question. Because compensation needs to be more than monetary.

MONETARY is MOMENTARY. Money is a resource to facilitate enjoyment in this brief nanosecond we are gifted with a life on the planet, but you can’t take it with you. And truly, monetary compensation is not the mark of success: it’s the RESULT of success. If you are living successfully, the money will follow.

I’ve always been an “Even Steven” personality — feeling like I want to repay someone’s gift in greater or equal value to what I’ve received. I’ve come to realize that payback may not be fiscal. Typically, it doesn’t even NEED to be. See how far SHOWING THE LOVE can take you without money changing hands. Because it’s not just about the money. I’m sure everyone has had the experience of getting paid, but feeling that the experience wasn’t worth the dough or that it fell into the “life’s too short” category. Why is that? Because you got paid, but you weren’t SHOWN THE LOVE.

Gandhi said: “Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it’s important that you do it.” So while we’re on this journey of unimportance, shouldn’t we make the best of it? Do something that makes us happy and fulfilled? Do something of meaning and value? Leave behind a spiritual legacy of consequence?

I was just at the Big Bear Film Festival where Tom Schulman, the writer of DEAD POETS SOCIETY, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. We were treated to the key scene from the film where Robin William’s teacher imparts upon the boys the imperative of CARPE DIEM: “Seize the day.” Carpe Diem is all about making the most of the time we have. And that means MEANING. Following our bliss. SHOWING THE LOVE.

In essence, it’s a value proposition. It’s about doing something worthwhile and fulfilling with our lives. Something that fills the well, inspires us and feeds us with energy to continue to do our thing, to keep on keeping on, to persevere through it all. And to have fun and feel rewarded along the journey.

And that’s SHOW ME THE LOVE: the currency of exchange — our human, energetic and spiritual compensation — in a form that takes into account the totality of our experience.

As a new currency of exchange, SHOW ME THE LOVE is easy to quantify because it’s based on HOW YOU FEEL. Money, despite its numeric absolute, is, ironically, harder to quantify. What is the real price you pay for something in terms of time, stress endured and life force expended for the financial payoff? Did someone else get more than you did for the same amount work? Are you getting enough? Was it worth it in the end? Was it a fair payoff for that expenditure of yourself? All of these questions surround the financial quantification of our existence.

Reevaluating our lives through the prism of SHOW ME THE LOVE is a paradigm shift that can be eye-opening. SHOW ME THE LOVE is about getting in touch with your inner barometer and figuring out how that energy exchange (or lack thereof) makes you feel. It’s about whether you grok a sense of energy being returned to you in a similar manner to which you are putting it out.

As you go through your work day ask yourself, AM I BEING SHOWN THE LOVE? THE LOVE is the totality of your feelings regarding your self-worth, your financial remuneration, being treated with respect, dealt with equitably, considerately, as a valued member of the team, being appreciated and ultimately feeling like your work has lasting value. SHOW ME THE LOVE pushes you to evaluate if you are being and feeling fulfilled. In this way, SHOW ME THE LOVE is sustaining.

SHOW ME THE LOVE is also a great way to focus one’s energy and talents. In the business of Hollywood, you are broadcasting yourself and your energy outwardly — or you need to be (see Hollywood Drive & Talk: HANG IT OUT THERE) — and that requires transmitting your life force out into the universe in myriad directions. SHOW ME THE LOVE is your pH test for what’s working and what’s not; what direction to travel in and who to enlist in your cause — who to work with, run towards, run from — who the universe is magnetizing you to and who it’s not. It’s about being directed to the right people who will support you and what you are trying to accomplish. If you find you ARE being SHOWN THE LOVE in kind, then cast your life force in that direction — toward those projects, people and partners who are reciprocating. It’s that easy.

To get anything done requires a village of supporters and an aligning of the energy of the universe. With SHOW ME THE LOVE, the energy that feeds you keeps the fires of your project stoked. It magnetizes other like-minded individuals to your endeavor. It also aligns and acknowledges the ethereal, magical and synchronistic forces at work on your behalf and encourages them to help you make it happen.

SHOW ME THE LOVE is also a barometer for your own awareness of how the energy, appreciation and resources should be flowing FROM you TO others. SHOW ME THE LOVE heightens your own awareness of the help you DO receive, which should be acknowledged and returned. And by heightening your awarenes of SHOW ME THE LOVE in all facets of your life, you’ll become attuned to where LOVE is coming at you from directions you weren’t previously aware of or from individuals whom you had previously disregarded.

The universe is telling you something. Go where you are SHOWN THE LOVE.

Remember, it’s about reciprocity. It’s about the LOVE you RECEIVE in all of its forms and the LOVE you RETURN to others in all of its forms. It doesn’t work if you just take-take-take. It’s a two-way street. A famous Beatle once sang, “In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

So make some love, Hollywood party people.

SHOW EACH OTHER THE LOVE!

Content Engine

In this episode, Seth proposes a new currency for doing business that reflects the monetary and non-monetary energy exchange between us he calls “SHOW ME THE LOVE.”

Hollywood Drive & Talk: “It’s a business seminar… from the car.”

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Content Engine

The weather had been fierce of late. Your friendsthought it wasn’t the best time for you to take that rock-climbing trip. You weren’t necessarily scared, but you weren’t feeling at your physical peak, either. But you packed your gear anyway and set off to accomplish your longtime goal. What those around you didn’t understand was that your will was set, and you weren’t going to change your mind.

True, it didn’t start off easy, but the more you(carefully) slogged away, the higher you ascended. It wasn’t Mount Everest, but for you it was always about the sheer effort, the challenge of the next moment. A rockslide almost doomed you, and one time you freaked out when you looked down rather than up, but you kept going.

Finally, the peak was in sight and you’d done it the hard way. You hauled yourself onto the topmost plateau, rested awhile, then got up and enjoyed the view. You knew how John Muir felt, how the Native Americans felt, how anyone who had any sort of heart or sensitivity felt. The only word for it was “sublime.”

And that’s the energy of this two-week period.With a Full Moon illuminating our physical and psychic landscape and the transiting North Node (life destiny point) changing signs, THIS IS A TIME OF CREATIVE CULMINATON. Bringing projects to completion through hard work and focused attention pays off now for creative individuals.

We are in the Waxing and Waning Moon-phase called “Gibbous,” the time just before and after the culmination point which results in the Full Moon we so adore. The energy is intense, driven, sometimes just plain tense. There is a feeling that things need to come to a boil now, so the traffic in the city may be chaotic, but there is more internal pressure as well. So, as my beloved guru, Swami Satchidananda, used to say, “Take it easy…but don’t be lazy.”

The actual Full Moon occurs on Friday, August 31st, at 6:59 am PDT/9:59 am EDT—directly opposite the Virgo Sun at 8 degrees, 33 minutes Pisces. The energy of the Virgo/Pisces axis is about merging practical know-how with service to others, or to oneself. It’s a very idealistic, even spiritual energy that longs for the purity of one’s dreams to be made real.

Virgo energy is about the ability to recognize how everything systematically fits together. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the planet associated with the intellect. Virgo natives are notorious worriers, because their astute minds are able to categorize information quickly. This makes them very sharp when it comes to such things as finances, office protocol, even military crispness. They love order, cleanliness, lots of details. You want a Virgo to be your bookkeeper, secretary or health instructor.  

Pisces energy is very different. It’s more diffused, creative, even cosmic. Pisces energy is about going beyond the mental boundaries and uniting withone’s ideal. One could call it “The Urge to Merge.” The longing to become One—inseparable forever—with one’s beloved or with one’s ideal of the Divine is what gives Pisces natives their oft-deserved reputation for being “space cadets.” This ethereal energy is not really of this Earth—it’s actually a recognition of the spiritual fact that there are no real boundaries except what we ourselves create.

Needless to say, this may create much confusion on the level of everyday life. The escapism sometimes associated with Pisces—a propensity toward drugs or alcohol, religious zealotry, etc.—comes from this innate feeling that there is more to life than what is actually visible. The Virgo/Pisces polarity is sometimes called the Martyrdom Axis, because giving oneself away to a Greater Cause, whether it be one’s romantic partner, creative ideal or one’s belief in God, is common. Psychic perception, also common with this energy, is another aspect of this attunement to the Boundless.

There may be problems in relationships because of what we can simply call “boundary issues.” Think of Michael Jackson, who was born under this polarity. Creative, idealistic, otherworldly in his talent; and yet…well, you know. The cautionary lesson here is that sometimes spirit and matter have a hard time mixing. This is why it’s so important to meditate. Mental clarity helps emotional clarity, and vice-versa.

So this is a time of practical idealism. There is no better time to meditate on one’s dream and workhard to bring it into being.

How close are you to finishing your screenplay? What details do you need to take into consideration as you begin to market your talents? What creatively motivates you to get out of bed and activate that urge to express yourself? This is a week where it pays to pay attention to your own dreams. The gift this week’s energy can bring to you is the ability to manifest your deepest dreams in everyday reality. But you’ve got to do the homework.

About 12 hours after the exact Full Moon on Friday, August 31st, the planet Mercury (associated with communications/intelligence/transportation) shifts into one of the two signs it rules, Virgo. Mercury entering Virgo puts the emphasis on details, details, details! The next two weeks present an excellent opportunity to clean up that manuscript, think things through in systematic ways, labor in such a way that “flawless” is the only word people can think of when they look at the fruits of your actions.

On Thursday, September 6th, Venus (lovey-dovey pleasure energy, whether of sex, money, relationships or ice cream) moves from cozy Cancer into vibrant Leo. Can you say PARTY?!? Remember that Venus rules the arts, so consider this current period a time where the sweet, nurturing energy you need around you to finish the project then transforms as you complete it into a grand celebration. So create now, party later.

One more currently shifting element deserves our attention.

There is a mathematical point in astrology called the North Node of the Moon. It indicates an open space for personal growth, a movement toward the unknown. Where it falls in one’s individual chart is an indicator of where one’s life destiny is calling, and what it might be. Its opposite point, the South Node, on the other hand, is an indicator of past karma, personal issues, accumulated skills. It is, in short, familiar ground.

Every year-and-a-half or so, the North Node changes signs. As it moves from one sign and element to another, a major shift in energetic patterns occurs in the world, and in our individual lives. Since in relation to the Earth this point moves backwards through the zodiac, it is now leaving Sagittarius and entering the sign of Scorpio. This occurs on Saturday, September 1st.

Expect a shift of emphasis in the news from big-picture philosophy and religious ideals to deeply-held personal issues. Scorpio is associated with sexuality, passions generally, in-depth research, banking and shared resources. Since the ruler of Scorpio is Pluto, a planet associated with extremes of behavior, and Pluto is now locked in an astrological brawl with Uranus, the planet of Awakening Through Chaos, we should not expect this year and next to be especially peaceful. But the energy IS useful!

What the Universe is saying now is that wherever your real passions are, that is where your attention needs to be. Many personal issues may surface for the purpose of helping you stay on target. It may not be easy, but transformation is promised, both on an individual level and in the world at large. Stay tuned! And stay tuned in.

Speaking of shifting emphasis, this is the 26th week we have presented STAR PRESENCE! (nee, STAR POWER!) in this format. After preciselyhalf a year, we are evolving into something a littledifferent. Expect more topical subjects, an astrological roundup of the Hollywood starscape and more, when we meet again shortly.

Until then…“Stay Cosmic, My Friends.”    

Content Engine

Childhood pleasures have their place—even in the midst of responsible adulthood. Especially in the midst of responsible adulthood. Life sometimes gets very tough, and the yearning for simpler times becomes overwhelming. So it was that you made your way back to the swing set—still standing there as if it was waiting for you. The seats were rubber now, held by chains that looked vaguely like a torture device, but you sat down in one and began to pump forward and backward with your body weight.

You laughed as the familiar sensations began to reappear, the swinging becoming easier as your arc grew longer and the laws of physics took over. Eventually you were level with the horizontal metal pole where the swings were clamped, then rising above it with the breeze you created whistling in your ears. You decided to jump off, but you weren’t eight anymore and for a moment you doubted the wisdom of it. But then you thought, “That’s what swings are for!”

And that’s the energy of this week—a backward glance and a movement toward clear vision and a sense of wonderment, even in the midst of hard times and worldly turmoil. It’s a time to refresh our vision so that we can see familiar things as if for the first time. For creative artists, this is a time when the Muse can strike more easily because we are pulled into our inner being.

THE KEYNOTE THIS WEEK IS FOLLOWING OUR REAL BLISS.

We are past the hinge point now of this long 23-day Mercury Retrograde period, and the downslope is a little easier than the first couple of weeks. (Not that anything about Mercury Retrograde is completely easy!) Mercury, Messenger of the Gods in Roman mythology, is a later version of the Greek god Hermes, God of Wisdom. The caduceus familiar to us as the symbol of physicians was in origin a depiction of the path of the Kundalini, the spiritual energies twirling as they rise up the spine.

Mercury Retrograde periods are famous for disruption of communications and missed signals—hence, accidents or great frustration—but because the energy is naturally indrawn, this can also be a time when real wisdom is found. So the best thing a creative person can do while Mercury is retrograde is to hone, hone, hone! Sharpen the dialogue until it can cut glass; practice the dance until it’s Olympian-style perfect; sip tea and meditate until the perfect musical riff drops into your consciousness.

Speaking of consciousness, the Full Moon occurs this week on Wednesday night, August 1st (8:38 pm PDT/11:38 pm EDT). The Sun sits at 10 degrees Leo, so the Moon is in its opposition in relation to the Earth at 10 degrees Aquarius. This is a sacred day for more reasons than one.

In physical astrology, Leo rules the chest and heart, the central point of the upper torso and symbolically the center of our being. Its ruling planet is the Sun, now at the pinnacle of its strength in the Northern Hemisphere. A fixed Fire Sign governing the human and Divine Will, it is said that there is nothing that Leo energy can’t do if it focuses its own force. (The Sun, of course, literally creates our lives.) So creativity is heightened when the Sun is in Leo. A great exuberance in self-expression pervades the atmosphere.  Have you ever known a Leo who voluntarily left the stage?

Aquarius is given to collective consciousness, the place of the individual within a larger spectrum. An Air Sign, it has to do with a comprehension of context, of what is best for all concerned. This is why many Sun Sign Aquariuses are cerebral, eccentric, sometimes genius types—they have an understanding of both individual freedom issues and how social cohesion works for the collective good. Hence the famous “Age of Aquarius,” where the visionary and compassionate aspects of humanity begin to unfold, and everyone accepts one’s individual expression. This is an actual astronomical age, and we are now entering the cusp of it.

This week, we can have a small taste of it. In the East, the Full Moon of July is called “Guru Poornima,” the day set aside for worship of the Divine in the form of one’s own teacher, the one who shows you the path to Enlightenment. Annual celebrations occur under this Full Moon which release strong currents of harmony and peace into the world. So this is an excellent time to meditate and celebrate the creative force of peace.  

Many are currently watching the Olympic Games being staged in London. They provide a forum for athletes from every nation to experience a collective event, even if it involves competition. The creative arts also have a role to play in bringing personal and collective harmony and peace.

One had only to watch Sir Paul McCartney leading the masses in a rousing “Hey Jude” to realize that creative works written generations ago can still hold great potency. The arts have a therapeutic effect on our existence; they hold healing power—the ability to take a sad song in our heart and make it better. And because everything is frequency and vibration, that can affect not only our own little corner of the world, but perhaps also the whole.

Let this week be a time to create works of beauty and power that raise awareness of our innate unity.

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun Signs, dates approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): Who is that man over there with a incendiary device and why is it turning into a flower as you watch? The answer is that it’s entirely in your own vision. Uranus in your sign is a portable lightning bolt but this week the lightning stands still and gives you a chance to harmonize with yourself and others. So don’t throw too many bolts.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): Aunt Sophie’s recipe for what ails you is up for a return in your life. If you want to be well you have to take the right medicine. Purge your life of things that arise out of a sense of need, as opposed to true desire. How much do you really want what’s good for you? What would you give for it? This week, Aunt Sophie wants to know.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): You’re coming into the airport on the jumbo jet and the pilot’s voice says, “We’re experiencing a little turbulence, but we’ll get you there safely.” He’s not telling you about the stuck landing gear, he’s communicating his confidence that he can solve the problem. That’s your week if you aren’t too cocky–an eventual smooth glide despite the issues.

CANCER (June 20-July 19): It’s not so much that you enjoy being moody, it’s that you respond so deeply to unseen energies. This week could give you the Moody Blues if you don’t take care to keep your emotions cool. So if you want some “Nights in White Satin,” keep the emotional volume down to a dull roar. And don’t rip those satin sheets, they could come in handy now.

LEO (July 20-August 19): It’s not often that you have the opportunity to be King of the Jungle and Lord of Your Own Life while simultaneously being challenged to be egoless. But that’s what’s up for you this week—communicating your greatness purely through your selfless example. The applause you hear is not because you’re so great, but because you got it.

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): That glint in the boss’s eye says he likes you. That’s because he knows you’re such a detail-oriented personality. This week, there’s a need to detail your own rationale for why you do what you’re currently doing. Rethink your sense of duty. Butterflies are free, and they grace the world with beauty. It’s time you fluttered on up to the heights.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): It’s hard to be popular; just ask George Clooney. You think he enjoys red carpet events, being an idol for both men and women, being politically active and and devilishly handsome, too? OK, maybe he does. But I’m sure he has days when he’d trade it all in for some solitude. This week, so would you. But your eager fans are waiting.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): Sometimes the hand is waving to you from a spa, and sometimes it’s just three inches from your face attached to a raving maniac. This week, you may experience both. Questions of life direction come up and you need to choose well. I’d go with the spa; no sense tussling with life when you can have all the tension massaged out of you.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): The invitation says, “Bring your own bottle.” So you stop and pick up a bottle of wine, 6 bottles of beer, a bottle of iced tea and a replica of a bottle-nosed dolphin. Then you bring them all to the party and say, “You didn’t say what KIND of bottle!” Life is good and fun this week if you can keep a sense of humor amid the glitches.

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): The parking meter is about to run out, but you consider it beneath you to worry about it. So you come out of the restaurant and there stands the parking enforcement official, looking officious. But you catch their eye and they know better than to give you a ticket because of your own fierce glance. This week, work hard, park hard.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): Those fangs growing in your jaws aren’t just because of the Full Moon in your sign this week. They’re there because you’re evolving and about to take a bigger bite out of life. This means no more biting down on items that are bad for you, whether human, animal or financial debt. Sharpen your vision and your teeth will follow.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): Birds gotta fly, and fish gotta swim. But the old swimming hole is so filled up with muck lately that’s it’s impossible to tell if there are any fish still there in the creek. This week, take a rake and go clean out the silt from the bottom. And while you’re at it, clean out your own psyche. It’s time for a major renovation project, starting with yourself.

NEXT WEEK: The Messenger of the Gods uses Federal Express and  delivers some energy in the right direction! Will the Mercury station help us deliver the creative goods? Find out when we open up that mysterious package that’s glowing in the dark, right here in STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine

At first, you’re just glad to get away from the world’s tension; but the longer you persist, walking up the trail and into the trees, the quieter your mind becomes. An occasional hiker passes you—and they looked stressed even out here! But pretty soon, you’re alone with your thoughts. That’s when it gets tough, and you have to sit down to consider things.

The greenness of the leaves before you commands your attention. You watch a squirrel scurry about, unafraid. You notice the whiff of wind curling your hair. And your mind is able to connect with your environment in a manner that allows you to not only handle past events but calmly prepare for the future. Your perspective broadens. You accept the moment and listen to the brook threading its way unnoticed through the greenbriar patch.

And that’s the energy of this week. The keynote is RESTORATION OF HARMONY. It’s time to have an adventure, but make sure you have good treads on those walking shoes. The unknown calls us and we need to answer, but we need to not take anybody’s word as final even when they seem authoritative. The process this week is about self-discovery.

This week is a bit of a respite after the cruelly hard energy of last week that gave us headlines and images we never wanted to see. Coming as it does after such intensity, this week may seem unnaturally calm, even sleepy. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be uneventful.

After all, Mercury is still retrograde. By the end of the week, we’ll be right in the middle of its three-and-a-half week trip through the early degrees of Leo. Mercury Retrogrades are famous for screw-ups, miscommunication and general missed signals. The old adage about never putting off what you can do today cannot have been written under a Mercury Retrograde!

This is the time to review, reflect and prepare for implementation of plans when the Planet of Communications turns direct on August 8^th. Finishing up old projects is supported now. Getting that scene in Act One down perfectly is a better use of your time now than making constant calls to the agent… who, being also under the Mercury Retrograde, would probably just blow you off anyway!

Leo is the sign associated with leadership, entertainment and creativity. This portends some drama—and drama is Leo’s middle name—in the creative fields, political spheres, and personal matters of the heart and feelings. In the human body (as delineated by astrology), Leo is associated with the heart and chest. As the Sun is the ruler of Leo, and we are currently passing through the first decanate (10 degrees) of Leo, all things leonine are to the fore.

So the creative arts are actually accentuated right now. This can be a very inspirational time period if we do not allow the distractions and disturbances that naturally come with Mercury Retrograde to define our mental space. The best use of this period is to perfect your manuscript, song or other creative work to the best of your ability. Come the time when Mercury goes direct, you’ll have something you’ll be proud to represent.

With Uranus (sudden changes/possible chaos) still in its hard square (90-degree angle) to Pluto (power issues/extreme behavior), this is not going to be an especially mellow time…it’s just that this week the pressure is not quite as intense as it was last week as Mars moves out of its direct opposition/square to these powerhouse planets.

The energy starts out slowly on Monday with a long void-of-course Moon. A void-of-course Moon is a gap between the time the Moon, as it travels through a particular sign (in this case, Virgo), makes its last aspect (angle) to another planet and the time when it enters into the next sign. The energetic effect is like a piece of fluff drifting through the air as it’s carried by the wind—the energy isn’t taking us anywhere in particular, so connections may not happen right then. It’s like a mini-Mercury Retrograde: don’t count on much. Then the Moon slides into Libra and things get more connected and harmonious.

Tuesday is more intense with the Moon’s opposition to Uranus and square to Pluto, followed by its conjunction to Mars. This is the aspect that brought recent tragedy (which we directly warned about in last week’s column) and needs to be negotiated carefully. But other, more positive aspects help mitigate the intensity.

Wednesday is a day when Mercury makes a harmonious trine to Uranus and is like the lightbulb going on in your head. (Now it would be a twisty thing rather than bulbous, but you get the idea.) Make good use of this energy and you could end up like Frederic Handel, who went into his room, closed the door, and three weeks later emerged with his masterpiece, Messiah.

Thursday is the quarter-Moon, when the Moon—now in Scorpio—looks like it’s cut in half in the sky. It’s a gotta-work-it-out time, where things take effort. Focus can help us work through conflict. In human terms, think Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, or Bill Clinton (Leo) and Hillary (Scorpio).

Friday starts out with another long void-of-course Moon, so be careful you don’t make plans that leave you up in the air. It’s not until 10:18 pm PDT/1:18 am EDT that the Moon goes into Sagittarius. But then the fun begins! The entire weekend is filled with harmonious trines and few difficult aspects, and Moon in Sagittarius is all about the party, so have fun! Otherwise, you aren’t doing your astrological duty!

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun Signs, dates approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): If there was an award for Best Actor in a passionate scene, you might win it this week. With all the Fire Sign energy at your fingertips, action (in the intimate sense) may entice you now. But check that the window’s still open when you enter the boudoir of someone’s life, because with the retrograding energy you may need to exit fast.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): Fireworks on the home front may involve reviewing why you did the thing you swore not to do, but couldn’t help doing. The good news is that things are often cleared up by decisive action, and right now you need to be decisive. It’s not often that mellow lethargy breeds conflict, but this is one of those times. Stand up now! Forward, ho!

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): Sometimes it pays to be Cecil B. de Mille. If you feel like Moses watching the Red Sea part in front of you this week, it’s not just because you like the movie. The emphasis on Air and Fire Signs has you primed for leadership, and in an enjoyable way. Communicating that to others, though, may not be so easy. So don’t drop the ball, uh, tablets now.

CANCER (June 20-July 19): Financial matters may require you to twist yourself into a pretzel this week, or at least a yoga pose. Flexibility is required, and the more you can bend your brain into something harmonious, the easier it will be for you. Your empathic skills may be on high alert, also. But others’ brokenness is not your own. Own your own energy this week.

LEO (July 20-August 19): There’s not a lot of difference between lion and a saber-toothed tiger, and this week you could either end up with your hopes extinct or be roaring with contentment. It’s a powerful moment fraught with possibilities. Opening your mouth comes easily now, so be just aware of what’s coming out. Pride goeth before a fall, and lions move in prides.

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): The way to think about all the current prospects that promise so much pleasure is to simply say, like Joseph Campbell, “Where’s my bliss?” Right now, yours is right in your face, chewing on your lip and tempting you to simply say, “Yes!” But you may not recognize it even when you’re touching it. Trust your secret instincts.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): Why bother about thinking when events do all the work for you? Your job this week is simply to see what’s what. It’s like Michelangelo went out and sculpted your perfect scene and you still weren’t sure he had it right. Ultimately, the Universe has it right, so take the mote out of your eye. Stevie Wonder laughs because he sees in other ways.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): Those changes you didn’t want to come for so long have arrived with a moving van and are hurriedly disassembling your previous environment. The best thing to do is not get in their way. You can take the most valuable parts of your psyche with you, but let go of the superfluous. When the bill comes, you’ll pay it gladly.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): Somebody is expanding your heart simply by existing. What’s nice about this is that you are able to act without feeling insecure. And act you will this week, as the passion for—well, everything—intensifies. This is a time where your impulses are actually a form of attunement. Flickering flames call to your moth-like heart.

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): The letter has come but you can’t quite make out the handwriting. So you take out your magnifying glass and attempt to read it, but it’s too squiggly even for that. Don’t be surprised this week if you can’t understand people. Even with the most powerful of lenses, sometimes you just have to let things reveal themselves. Patience is a virtue!

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): If you haven’t convinced yourself that you’re Shakespeare (or at least Ben Jonson), this is the week to do so. The Air/Fire Sign energy uplifts you but you need a proper forum in which to shine. Hold court at Tiffany’s, an appropriate place for jeweled thoughts. But don’t trip over yourself and smash things. Be careful; be a gem yourself.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): Your favorite song is playing on the car radio and you’ve completely forgotten the words. But you hum until they come back to you and join in with the last chorus. This week is like an invitation to join the band and finding out you’ve got laryngitis. Sure, it’s awkward in spots. But fake it until you make it and no one will know.

NEXT WEEK: In the forest, the mighty forest, the lion sleeps tonight: but that was before Mercury went retrograde in Leo! Right now there’s a rumble in the jungle, but it could just be the drum circle celebrating life! Join in the Cosmic Rhythm—right here in STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine

Come the day, off you went and it was as disruptive and chaotic as you had envisioned. But this was about the future, and the issues struck you personally, so you stayed. But then the unforeseen occurred, and suddenly you weren’t at all sure you should be there anymore. That’s when you were overwhelmed by the riot and struggled to your feet, bloodied and shaken, but still unbowed. Others weren’t as lucky.

Just when things looked darkest, the street was cleared and everyone was allowed to leave. You and others began making plans for next time. Now that you knew the intensity of what you were facing, you’d be smarter. Determination became your middle name.

And that’s the energy of this week.

This week is one of THOSE WEEKS that astrologers have foreseen for some time as crucial and potentially critical to our individual and collective well being. It’s a testing time as to whether or not we can keep our feet under us. Not all the news is bad, and often personal awakenings occur as a result of crises, so this week has the potential to make us feel VERY awake!

THE KEYNOTE THIS WEEK IS CRISIS MANAGEMENT.

Whether it’s simply a family dispute, a turf war with a Hollywood studio exec, an argument with your friendly neighborhood banking institution, or just those nasty habits you want to break that keep disturbing your body or peace of mind, this is a week where we must put effort into resolving issues that seem to come out of nowhere to disrupt our lives.

We’re in the first week of Mercury Retrograde, an astrological period where, for about three weeks every four months, the planet Mercury shifts its apparent position in relation to the Earth and seems to be going backwards in the sky. Mercury Retrograde is infamous for being a time of miscommunications, accidents and general disruption.

The rational intelligence—represented by Mercury in astrology—seems to be in a fog, so we miss the cues that we would normally catch to make things flow smoothly. So double-check all details and don’t take anyone’s word as final. (I wouldn’t sign with that agency right now.)

Mercury is currently in Leo, associated with leadership, creative self-expression and dramatic personalities. As it’s a Fire Sign, don’t be surprised if there are more eruptions of enormous fires, and heightened personal dramas around us. It’s one of those times when everyone seems to be a drama queen (or king), and the Sun doesn’t even make its entrance into Leo until Sunday! President Obama (born a Leo) should continue to do well, but may be as prone to gaffes right now as Mitt Romney. But there are additional factors that may make this week particularly headline-worthy.

Mars was the Roman god of war, and this week he may live up to his name. Whether it’s a literal war or figurative, inner, psychological war, this week Mars gets to demonstrate his demonstrably aggressive nature. Conflict, in short, may be the order of the day.

That’s why it’s important to take care of our energy and to avoid needless conflict. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, like tell that director or star or petty tyrant who claims he’s your boss to take a flying leap. But stepping in crap and just staying there while stuff flies all around your head is not where we should be.

This should be a time of COURAGE. Much can be accomplished now because of the raw and vital energy at work. Sometimes projects don’t succeed because the wrong people are involved. Under energy like this, necessary changes can be made quickly, and if there’s drama involved, so be it. So don’t be afraid to take on people and situations that you’ve let slide. Mercury Retrograde periods are good for reviewing and releasing old things.

Mars in astrology also represents ego, physical drive, sexuality and just plain action. He’s the star now, gunning through early Libra, the sign associated with artistry, but also open enemies and social justice. This week he makes hard angles to Uranus (sudden change/sometimes chaos) and Pluto (obsessions/power issues). Personal relations may now take some sudden turns. Breakthroughs or breakdowns—if they’re going to happen, they may well happen this week.

Be careful not to get on the wrong side of your Muse; the positive aspect to this intense energy is the ability to go deeply into your own soul. Still, don’t be surprised if there’s a high-profile dogfight between politicians or celebrities. The issue this week is POWER, and that often means that sex—a subliminal substitute for raw power issues between people—may headline the news again.

But no sleaze, please. Film a romance, not a porn movie. Mars in Libra wants to believe in flowers, personal connections and the equality of the soul. Lawsuits that strive for fairness or equal rights are also now advantaged. Mars in a flowing trine to Jupiter this week mitigates some of the chaos and supports righteous action.

The exact T-square aspect—an opposition by Mars to Uranus and a square (hard-edged 90-degree angle) by Mars to Pluto, Lord of Death—occurs Tuesday and Wednesday precisely but stays in effect throughout most of the week. So it promises to be pretty intense. If there is one of those “we’ll-all-remember-where-we-were-when-we-heard-about-it” sorts of events this week, remember that you heard it here first. Keep yourself centered, open to inspiration. In the words of Bob Dylan, “Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters.”

The New Moon occurs on Wednesday night/Thursday morning (9:25 pm PDT/12:25 am EDT) at 26 degrees, 54 minutes Cancer. This is a close square to Saturn—Lord of Discipline, Structure and Hard Knocks—so it’s not particularly light energy. Nevertheless, it gives those who lack focus incentive to achieve. As it comes in the latter degrees of the fertile and healing Water Sign, Cancer, this is like the Universe giving us a nice, cool bath before we go out into (or come in from) the heated-up world.

Take advantage of it and stay cool this week.

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun Signs, dates approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): When you’re hot, you’re hot, and right now you’re scalding. But are you a 4-alarm blaze that consumes a house or a less damaging persona? Irritation or impatience can undo you this week if you’re not careful, so keep a bucket of ice water handy in the form of a steady mind. But not too icy. You may be aflame now with inspiration. Stay hot!

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): The problem with you, an Earth Sign, being in a forest is not so much that you’re lost and alone but that you want to stay there. This week, stress may make that forest very inviting, but resist. Try to smell which way the wind’s blowing in your life; if you need somewhere to do that, even a busy café will do. Avoid sharp opinions, including your own.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): It’s like you see your ship coming in, but just as it gets close to the harbor it’s held up by a Coast Guard inspection. Delays and tomfoolery from those around you may frustrate you this week, but your captain can see you from his POV offshore. He’s smiling and still heading your way. So unpack your flares and be visible now. He’s about to dock.

CANCER (June 20-July 19): The dinner party was a success, everyone enjoyed the dessert, but then Uncle Frank and nephew Egan got into it over politics and it went downhill from there. Things may turn ugly this week if you let them, so be careful with your words and actions. Sun may exit from your sign with a bang, so usher him out gently. The peace sign still works.

LEO (July 20-August 19): You’re on “Jeopardy” and Alex Trebec calls on you. Do you have brain freeze or do you get it right? This week for you is all about right use of mental force, and clarity may be hard to come by. Still, the energy favors you, so don’t let momentary difficulties disable you. There’s still the matter of Double Jeopardy to deal with, and that’s up next. Buzzer!

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): Why is that old acquaintance showing up at your kitchen window and hounding you for attention? Maybe he has a hot stock tip for you, or just wants to see you again. Either way, this week could bring the return of previous drama into your life and it’s up to you to make sure it’s just summer stock and not an unlimited run. But play that tip.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): Sometimes explosions are good…like a fireworks display or a full-body orgasm. Then there’s literal war. This week, you could either be Katy Perry or the beach at Normandy. It’s pretty intense if you aren’t on your toes watching for every little arc across the sky. Sometimes we get clues as to what’s next. For you, it’s radiant encounters.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): The glass is either half-empty or half-full, but that still means that you have to deal with half a glass. This is a week that asks how thirsty you are. Motivation may be hard to come by; tension seems to drain life’s fluid. But guess what? You can take the glass and just fill it yourself. That’s better than moaning about the waiter, anyway.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): You’re in a tailor’s shop and he promises your clothes will be repaired like new. When you return, you discover he’s not only sewn up your clothes but also given you three new pieces. You come out of this tense week with fresh blessings if you don’t say no to things you may not have thought about before. Don’t fight life’s “yes.”

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): You opened the door to let the cat in and a huge wolf also just bolted in from the wild. Try to keep your mind on how beautiful the creature is, even as it knocks over your precious valuables and cherished memories. Peace may be elusive this week, but it depends on how hard you try to maintain it. “Tranquil”-ize your scenario.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): The circus clown you thought was so funny turned out to be less than scintillating without make-up. It’s not that he didn’t have humor, he just wasn’t your type. The week could bring emotional cancellations that are counterbalanced by tickets to that show you wanted to see more anyway. Be open now to having what you really want.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): When you think about it, some people don’t really deserve their luck. You think about it a lot this week because you need that luck and it’s little too foggy to get to the casino. Never mind: life is dealing you two aces and you’ll have to pull the rest of the hand. Still, two aces are a decent start. Make your hand better by not giving up—or in.

NEXT WEEK: Leo the Lion roars into camp, and with seven planets in Air and Fire Signs, it’s time we take off for parts unknown. Or at least close our tent flap tightly. Adventure awaits, for good or ill, so bring your pith helmet and join us here again for STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine

All went well for a while, and you were having a hellava great time, until your raft took on a little too much water and the pace began to speed up even more. There was a roaring in your ears, you seemed at the mercy of the foaming current. You began to rethink your somewhat foolhardy ideas. But there was presently no way out, the only way to move was forward. You remembered there was an eddy just ahead that would slow things down, but it didn’t help you at this moment. Breakthrough or breakdown, something was coming! So you just gazed ahead, got your feet under you and prepared to meet either chaos or inertia, maybe both.

And that’s the energy of this week.

In the latter part of the week come two planetary stations, with Uranus (sudden change/sometimes chaos) and Mercury (communications/transportation) both turning retrograde within 48 hours of each other. This portends a big shift of energy in our everyday lives and the world at large, not all of it peaceful or easy to manage. The days just before these planetary U-turns are usually pretty tense.

Uranus stations at 8 degrees, 32 minutes of Aries on Thursday at 11:20 pm PDT (1:20 am Friday EDT). Aries energy is forceful and raw, so this station may have an especially potent effect on us. Mercury turns retrograde on Saturday (7:09 pm PDT/10:09 pm EDT) at 12 degrees, 33 minutes of Leo, a very creative and leadership-oriented sign. Both Aries and Leo are Fire Signs and can be inspirational as well as frenetic. The energy has to MOVE!  So the keynote of this week is DRAMA.

Mercury Retrogrades are notorious in astrology for being periods that are usually full of misunderstandings, accidents, mechanical breakdowns, delays of projects and general miscommunication. This is due to the shifting of the orbital ratio between the Earth and the planet Mercury, so that from our perspective it looks as though Mercury is going backwards in the sky. And it often feels that way! Every four months or so, many things in our lives seem to descend into a 3-week whirlpool of “Why Bother?”

I always say that you can’t stop your life under a Mercury Retrograde, but double-checking details is essential. Avoid commitments like weddings or signing business contracts if you can, rescheduling them for when Mercury goes direct—which in this case occurs on August 8th. Reviewing previous decisions is the order of the day.

On the positive side, this is certainly the time for a family reunion, or for polishing up that conspiracy script that Oliver Stone is salivating over. The energy supports study, reflection and revisitation. The best use of a Mercury Retrograde is watching the mind at work, observing all the details of the things that have tripped us up and making sure we correct them. It’s an excellent time for a yoga retreat or meditational practices.

This Mercury Retrograde comes right on the heels of a bigger event, Uranus turning retrograde. Uranus, which represents the “I Gotta Be Free, I Gotta Be Me!” energy, is currently in that hard square (90-degree angle) to Pluto, the “I Hold Power and Will Transform You Even If It Kills You!” energy. This is a revolutionary aspect that is sort of like Bob Marley meeting Dick Cheney: don’t expect to see eye-to-eye without a lot of effort.

Remember that the awakenings of the 1960s, when Uranus and Pluto were conjoined, occurred in the midst of great social turmoil. The Sixties were not an especially peaceful time, even though that was the sentiment of the day. The Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt occurred in 1967 during the so-called Summer of Love. How loving was that event? Now that Uranus and Pluto are duking it out again, a planetary station of one of them, in this case Uranus, is like an alarm bell going off. So this week could be a bit tumultuous.

Under a Uranus station, the wackiest things turn out to be true. Your job is boring, so you take a break and a bus goes by with this slogan on its side: “Your soul is more important.” Pay attention to the synchronicities occurring in your life at this time. The energy is calling us now to express more of who we truly are. As in the 1960s, expect fashion to get more colorful, sexual issues to be more to the fore, social upheavals to become the norm. The downside of Uranus energy is real chaos and revolt.

Don’t be surprised if the Revolution IS actually televised, or streamed live on the Internet, especially from the Middle East. This can unfortunately be a time period of severe violence. And remember that all those recent solar flares have a big effect energetically, too. These change agents acting together may also produce upheavals in the Earth. Many astrologers don’t like to predict such things, but the signs are unmistakable. We are involved in a collective revolution that also includes our abused planet. As that sergeant used to say on Hill Street Blues: “Let’s be careful out there.”

Uranus asks the question: “What does freedom mean to you?” Whether your answer is “I do Tarot readings on Venice Beach” or “I buy that mansion in Bel-Air,” this is a time period where we need to get serious about our own personal dharma, our individual destiny. Creative energy is freed up by this transit, which lasts about three years. Uranus and Pluto move back and forth in the heavens like boxers, retiring to their corners only to come out swinging again. So get used to it.

This is the time for personal transmutation, for the alchemy of the heavens to be poured into our everyday lives. The times call for creative thinking. Flexibility of mind, openness of heart and dedication of will are essential elements to cultivate now.

So the dance that attunes our soul through movement, the poetry which uplifts our heart, the movies which express personal awakening—these will thrive in the coming era. AND THAT TIME IS NOW.

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun Signs, dates approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): You’re seeing a burning bush. You puzzle over this until you realize that the bush isn’t truly on fire and you’re not Charlton Heston. What’s really happening is that your soul is aflame. Your deepest self is calling you and taking this guise because you’d recognize it. But that means also burning your bridges. Uh, oh: time for new self-commandments!

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): With most of the planets in Air and Fire Signs, it’s hard to be a bull right now. But that’s because your motivation needs to be higher. “Security” isn’t to be had right now—adventure is! Wear a fedora like Indy and crack a bullwhip, or at least the mental equivalent. You may not find the Lost Ark, but this is a week for new discoveries.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): The door closes. It opens. Closes. Opens. You push it and discover somebody’s on the other side acting weird. That’s your social life right now, and your goal is to keep the door open regardless of what that crazy person in your circle is doing. Uranus and Mercury, your ruler going retrograde, don’t make it easy. Still, keep an open-door policy.

CANCER (June 20-July 19): Do you like firefighters? Oh, I know you do! That’s why you baked that special treat and headed down to the fire station. Then why are you complaining when Uranus in Aries (a Fire Sign) changes your life scenario so you have to bring your goodies to someone else? This week, just bring those treats to yourself. At least you know where you are.

LEO (July 20-August 19): This week you imitate that statue by Rodin, “The Thinker,” and sit down with your head on your fist. But you’re still in motion so you miss the chair and land hard. If you want to make the most of two almost-simultaneous retrogrades in Fire Signs, maintain your balance. Don’t flame out, don’t mega-ignite. Activity isn’t the same as inspiration.

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): With your ruler, Mercury, stationing retrograde in Leo, your 12^th House of past karma, the next three weeks are a time for cleaning up unfinished business. Fortunately, you’re good at that. But that nasty ram (Uranus in Aries) keeps knocking over the furniture. This week, just learn to live with chaos. It’s easier than being Martha Stewart.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): The lightning bolt can be fierce, but at least you know its power. This week, much illumination may come regarding relationships (Uranus in your opposite sign) and communications (Mercury stationing in Leo). But what does the sudden light reveal? Courage now. Mars in your sign says you’re stronger than you think, so act like it.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19):Life direction issues are what’s up for you this week. It’s like you’re looking up at a sign that says “Change Ahead.” Yeah, yeah, you say to yourself, but what sort? Health/work issues may be involved (Uranus stationing in your 6^th House). Don’t fret, it’s not as though the sign is written in hieroglyphs. Wait—maybe it is. Figure it out.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): If there’s one thing you don’t mind, it’s a new horizon. This week, life obliges you. Two planetary stations in Fire Signs makes you feel like Marlon Brando on that motorcycle. That they’re going retrograde means a bumpy road, but so what? What’re you rebelling against, Brando was asked? Like him, say: “Whaddaya got?”

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): That charcoal burning everything up means you should pay more attention to your diet anyway. This week, things go awry in a good way for you. Uranus stationing in your 4^th House (home/family/security) says say goodbye to hopes for a non-dramatic week. Surrender to the moment. You could learn about raw foods, so it’s all good.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): You’ve been steamy lately, but in a positive sense. The humidity inside your heart is now making everything in your life a passion, and that’s good. Mercury turns retrograde in your opposite sign, so don’t believe everything you’re told. Actually, just record it. You’ll be replaying it later. Use it for speaking your desires into being.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): You feel like, well, a fish left high and dry on land. Not a comfortable feeling, and even though the Sun’s in a Water Sign, the atmosphere is arid. Before you gasp and flail about, remember that you can bring your own fishbowl with you. Immersing yourself in your own element—your own talents—helps you deal. OK, it’s necessary, but still fun.

NEXT WEEK: The God of War confronts the Lord of Heaven and the Ruler of the Underworld. Who will win and why should we be calling up Roger Corman to make a movie of it? Find out when we release the Kraken, right here in STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine

You hadn’t counted on seeing someone that made you almost drop your Slurpee. Yes, it’s your secret dream come true. An attraction so visceral you’re almost ashamed of your depth of passion. Where did it come from? Sure, the person is definitely hot—but does that really account for your immediate swoon? Maybe these feelings were there all the time, just waiting to awaken. It speaks to you of forbidden issues of personal freedom. Or maybe your desire IS the issue! In any case, there’s only one way to find out.

You slowly rise from the bench and walk steadfastly toward the person, sweating a bit, not knowing what will happen but knowing it may be a life-changing moment. Ready or not, here you go!

And that’s the energy of this week.

The revolutionary Uranus square Pluto aspect is still in effect, making our individual lives the mirror of the “Change is Inevitable, Why Not Now?” harmonic happening in the heavens. Leaving room for the unexpected (Uranus) and the power of transformation (Pluto) is what this time period is all about. Downside: Chaos in the world. Upside: Changing ourselves from within. Eliminating the unnecessary allows us to focus on the essential. Conscious choices about our lives may now lead us in very different directions than we had previously conceived.

This week, we have three factors which aid in these efforts. First: Mars, the Planet of Action (whether good or bad), finally enters Libra, the sign of relationships, art, beauty, social justice and balanced judgment. This occurs on Tuesday at 5:33 am PDT, 8:33 am EDT. Jupiter (expansiveness) is in Gemini, another Air Sign, so the social whirl generally picks up.

Barry Manilow must have had Mars in Libra in mind when he sang: “Music and fashion were always the passion…” Libra is ruled by Venus, the Planet of “I Love Love and Look Good Doing It!” Even if you’re not going to the Copa—Copacabana—expect to see socializing, the arts, personal aesthetics and physical action entwined. It’s a hot and romantic time. Creative energy rules. But it’s more mental, ideal, elegant and refined. That means: no torn jeans! Everyone will be more concerned with relationships. There’s a general yearning for an “I and Thou” scenario.

The Full Moon also occurs on Tuesday (11:53 am PDT, 2:53 pm EDT), at 12 degrees Capricorn. The Sun is now in mid-Cancer, fraught with emotional sensitivity. But Moon in Capricorn, the sign of status, ambition, business and authority, is not especially touchy-feely. It’s very practical energy and good for getting many things done. Honoring those who’ve been teachers in your life is also appropriate under this Full Moon. It’s a steely but useful energy.

A rare aspect called a “yod” also occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mercury (communications) and Venus (pleasures) form a “sextile,” or easeful 60-degree harmonic, to each other. They both, however, form a “quincunx” (awkward 150-degree adaptation angle) to Pluto (power and passion). Together, they make up a yod, called a “Finger of God” aspect. Things that seem fated occur now. We may not know the reasons why until much later. So it’s entirely possible for someone/something to turn your life around. Good time to reserve judgment and just go with what feels right.

This can be a very liberating time if we have the courage to follow our soul’s convictions. This is the sort of energy that gave birth to the counterculture of the mid-1960s, when Uranus and Pluto were conjoined. Creativity in general is highlighted now. So creative projects that have a revolutionary cast to them, that present old truths in new ways, that operate from a more spontaneous, intuitive level in their creators’ minds and on the audience at large, have a greater resonance now than tired old formulas.

We are entering a new age of awareness, with a different level of perception, and if you have uniqueness in your project that can speak to this, untold multitudes will appreciate it. This is the time, as it was in the Sixties, for doing your own thing and doing it well. I’m expecting the revival of bellbottoms any minute now.

Monday is a decent, if somewhat muddled, start to the week. The Moon rolling into Capricorn gives a serious tone to the day even though it’s nicely leavened with an imaginative Moon-Neptune sextile. Good day to TCB.

Tuesday is intense, what with Mars changing signs and the Full Moon occurring as well. Use caution today, as the Moon also aspects the Uranus-Pluto square and the yod takes effect, confusing our minds but striking our passions. Dealing with powermongers may be part of your fate today.

Wednesday is actually pretty smooth. The yod begins its separation but can still pull us into emotional waters we may not recognize. Easy does it! No arguing with superiors! Moon enters Aquarius later in the day and lightens things up.

Thursday’s energy has an early riptide to it (Moon opposing Mercury) but calms down and leaves us with a lovely Moon trine Venus. Good time for a romantic dinner date.  

Friday is more stabilizing with a sturdy Moon-Saturn trine, and the Moon goes into imaginative Pisces in the evening. I’d find music to complement the mood. The Muse is knocking on the door.

The weekend promises to be somewhat inspirational, with Saturday’s energy being more conducive to relaxation and mind-clearing and Sunday’s about being in the moment so you don’t miss that great idea that comes through intuitively. Practical considerations and creative energy work hand in hand.

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun-Signs, with dates being approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): Why can’t everything just go into Fire Signs and make your life easier? Grousing is easy with Sun and Moon making a big T-square to your impatient energy. But your favorite food is on order: hot love! Mars entering your opposite sign heats up your personal life. Just  don’t scald each other in the process. Cool out and so will your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): Your Venus-ruled life is up for a treat as Mars enters Venus-ruled Libra. But you still have to work for it—not your favorite activity. Full Moon trine your sign is like getting a raise for merely Being Yourself. Now just figure out how to keep it going! This week gives you hints. Sometimes it’s not so much in the wrist as in the direction you gaze.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): At the risk of sounding full of hot air, your life right now is like a huge balloon that rises above the Earth, filling spectators with awe and your eyes with fantastic visions. This week, the practical world calls, too. Financial issues dominate the week even as your mind tugs at the rope, longing for the heights. Why not sell your visions to the groundlings?

CANCER (June 20-July 19): Your energetic highlight is Sun in your sign and Moon opposite, and that time is now. A Grand Cross in Cardinal Signs makes this more a week of giddy tension than frustrated joy. The energy comes with obstacles you need to surmount as you go. It’s like running a 440 over plastic pylons: they’re annoying, sure, but they won’t hurt you.

LEO (July 20-August 19):“’Ttention! Mars into Libra—forward ho! Full Moon in Capricorn—to the side, march! Yod with Pluto as pivot point—backwards, step! Mercury in your sign—double-time, march! This week is a conglomeration of energies that you simply have to take as they come. By the end of the week, you get leave and R & R. Could be worse! Be grateful!

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): The Full Moon comes into that office in your home and starts to tidy up your supplies. You’re not sure why just yet, but it’s doing a fine job, so why stop it? This week is one of organizing your thoughts—and possibly your life—for future projects. The somewhat disconnected energies work for you if you’ve got it a bit together already.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): Lawrence of Arabia is taking you by the arm and steering you toward the romance of—well, romance! Mars in your sign gives you extra sex appeal while increasing your already acute sense of social justice. Looking dashing while you’re saving a nation is just a side benefit. Easy. Don’t get freaked by authorities under the Full Moon.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): It’s not that you don’t like snakes—after all, they’re one of your symbols. It’s just that you don’t know what they’ll do. This week is like that for you. It could slither harmlessly into the grass or rise up and bite you unexpectedly. So no moonlight diving in snake-infested waters for you. Stay out of conflict and emotional situations now.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): The motorcycle’s engine needs a good cleaning and overhaul, and so do you. This week is that opportunity—a chance to reorganize some priorities in your life, while Mars into Libra provides more harmonious energy over the next eight weeks. Be a joyful greasemonkey. Don’t shy away from fixing what needs to be fixed.

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): Full Moon in your sign is a once-a-year emotional highlight: you’re either a basket case or totally sympathetic to all. With the yod and Mars entering Libra, the odds are good you’ll be OK. But it’s an intense time, so be wary of taking on too much, as is your wont. Go climb the mountain, but wear extra suction cups on your shoes.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): You’re like an ancient aircraft that’s lately been dusted off and reconstructed—and you still work! Mars entering Libra makes a Grand Trine in Air Signs that engenders good fortune for at least the next eight weeks. The issue right now is finding your emotional compass. This week, it’s a little difficult. Take your time. The sky awaits.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): Sun in another Water Sign is a blessing for you, and even the Full Moon is like a friendly salesperson who will give you a deal. This week comes to your door laden with blessings if you open up to the possibilities. So don’t say no to much this week, but keep your reason strong. Wouldn’t want you to buy a lemon. Yellow’s not your color.

NEXT WEEK: Chaos and creation in the front yard, as Uranus and Mercury go retrograde almost together! Will we see New Visions or Old Yeller? Find out right here, in STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine

OMG! Immediately, you started to worry. Everything you had worked for, all your personal efforts, all your goals and hopes were going to collapse! You were too worried to even think clearly. But you did as you were told and came back this week for what you hoped would be different results.

Well, guess what? The stress levels are still high, but the abnormality has receded. If things continue in this direction, odds are it will disappear. Perhaps it can’t be fixed completely, but it won’t be a danger to your health and happiness. Certainly an important turning point for you, if you choose to make it so.

And that’s the energy of this week.

After last week’s stressful lead-up to the Uranus-Pluto square—the compelling energy of transformation occurring in the heavens right now, which has important implications for our personal lives and planetary culture—this week’s energy is like a warm bath that washes a bit of the mud away. If not a complete cleansing, it at least lowers the temperature a bit and makes us feel as though things won’t be half as bad as we feared.

Uranus—which manifests as sudden change, sometimes chaos, freedom from the known—is currently in a tough 90-degree angle ( a “square”) to Pluto, known as the Lord of Death and Rebirth. Last occurring in 1966, this is an energetic pattern that manifests seven times over the next three years. These are years in which we are likely to see a great deal of social, economic and political chaos, but it is also a crucible of personal and cultural renewal. If you think you can emerge from this time period the same sort of person that you are right now, think again.

Our lives are the cosmic patterns writ small. Simply put, we experience on a personal level whatever is happening in the heavens, in accordance with our own birth pattern laid out in our astrological chart. As above, so below; as within, so without. So, prepare for personal transformation. It’s a restless period filled with opportunities to break free of past restrictions. That could be your dead-end job, the movie exec who doesn’t greenlight your movie, or your own mind’s endless moods.

This week, the heavens offer us some help. Jupiter is sometimes called the Cosmic Santa Claus, because his energy gives joviality, generosity and just plain luck a chance to manifest in our lives. He’s all about inclusion and represents abundance and grace. A Jupiter transit (currently at 3 degrees Gemini) is often experienced as a time of easefulness and blessing.

As of early Monday, Mr. Jupe’s in a precise square to Neptune, the ruling planet of Pisces, at 3 degrees of its own sign. Neptune’s energy is subtle, diffused; it can be very confusing if you’re looking for diamond-like clarity. It’s like the marine layer coming off the ocean—it seems to veil the light, but does, in fact, contain it. Neptune in its higher sense is about dreams, ideals, creativity and spirituality—going beyond boundaries, merging in the Cosmic Sea of Consciousness. It’s an egoless sort of energy, so it can represent escapism as well. On the lower side, Neptune can manifest as ill health, addictions and emotional confusion. Both Jupiter and Neptune are associated with religion and belief in higher, unseen things.

We can call this Jupiter square Neptune transit a “blessing in disguise.” Coming as it does in concordance with the exact Uranus square Pluto aspect, this energy gives the world—and ourselves—a Bridge Over Troubled Water. Paul Simon doesn’t own the copyright on this one. It’s an opportunity to work out personal or social confusion through faith. We have to believe that the seemingly impossible can be done. If we approach personal problems now through spiritual attunement, just breathing through the impediments, seeming miracles can manifest. It’s time to discern through intuition what is real and what is not.

We’ve got further help from three other sources this week. Saturn, the taskmaster who tests us and says, “Be organized and responsible,” shifted late Sunday night from retrograde to direct motion. He’s stationary, sitting virtually still in the sky. He says, “OK, I’m opening the door for your personal projects again. Now just get it done.” The more focused you are right now, the more help you get. But he needs to be persuaded, so take him seriously. Authorities can still get your goat this week. Practicality is the name of the game. This is a better indicator for the economy, as Saturn rules business. But it’s slow going right now with Saturn still stationary.

Then there’s lovely Venus, the Pleasure Principle, synergy and harmony personified.  She’s also been retrograde for the last six weeks, messing with our love lives and creative energy but giving us a chance to look at some unfinished business in those areas. She turns direct on Wednesday at 7 degrees Gemini (8:05 am PDT, 11:05 am EDT). If you’ve been itching to make a call to that special person and set up a date, now’s the time. The creative Muse should also be ready for her next visit. Life in general gets easier. Sensuous times return. I’m expecting scandalous celeb news and possibly an engagement or wedding notice. Maybe even from you.

Mercury, the Messenger Who Can’t Stop Talking, also enters the royal Fun-in-the-Sun sign of Leo at 7:24 pm on Monday. This makes for a more lighthearted if self-oriented week. That ain’t so bad. So those who’ve had a hard time lately may still be stressed, but this week is a window of opportunity to rectify things gone wrong. It’s a glad-handing sort of week.

Consider that Egypt’s election—the first truly democratic one in perhaps 5,000 years—took place under the Uranus square Pluto and Jupiter square Neptune aspects, along with a Saturn station and retrograde Venus and Chiron. This does not portend an easy time, but it does speak to the revolutionary and religious fervor of the event. Islamic radicals may yet try to shangai the country into accepting Sharia law, but the people will resist the radicalism. It looks like the army will be forced to cede some power also.

Jupiter (abundance) square Neptune (oil/fluids) should also lower gas prices for a while because of more supply being available. But we’re going to see more attempts to install religious concepts (Neptune) as law (Jupiter). Expect more brouhaha over blatant religious bigotry. Yet sincere spiritual practice brings much reward. Have faith in the power of faith.

Mercury entering Leo gives President Obama (a Leo) a better week; if the Supreme Court overturns his health care law—which is likely—he’ll speak to the decision in a strong way. Mitt Romney, a Pisces native, may commit another gaffe and have to re-explain himself (again). Mercury crosses his Saturn, which can give foot-in-mouth disease or delayed responses.

The Sun in Cancer provides an emotional and empathetic cast to this period. In the Northern Hemisphere, high Summer is now underway. Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer, though, can provide more than just R & R. Cancer’s energy is about empathy, the ability to feel. It’s actually related to healing. It is the nurturance of Mother Nature that heals our bodies and souls, so this period is about experiencing a sensitivity to not only the emotional moods of the mind, but an intuitive connection to the Earth.

The Saturn station and Mercury’s entry into Leo are the prime characteristics of Monday. The weekend’s intense hangover begins to recede. On Tuesday, the Moon enters Libra and makes a flowing angle (trine) to stationary Venus. That’s a lot of social grace, even with the Quarter Moon (technically Moon square Sun) causing some difficulty in communications.

Wednesday, Venus turns direct and leads us into the store to eat chocolate bon-bons. The feeling of easefulness returns and the path is smoothed for creative projects or personal matters which have been delayed. Jupiter is also conjunct the transiting South Node, or World Karma Point, and it’s another indicator of letting bygones be bygones.

Thursday’s a little tricky, with the Moon entering Scorpio and making an awkward angle (quincunx) to Neptune. Its square to Mercury doesn’t help. Difficult issues may be brought up again, this time to be healed.

Friday’s Sun opposing Pluto aspect is pretty tough, and egos could get out of whack again. It’s a power-oriented energy that says “My way or the highway!” I’d stay out of dark alleys tonight. A Mercury-Jupiter sextile (flowing angle) helps us out, so reconciliation is possible. But don’t watch the news.

Saturday is generally fuzzy, so remember yesterday’s resolutions. Moon square Neptune doesn’t give a lot of clarity even though the Moon-Mars sextile wants to go places and do things. Watch the partying tonight.

Sunday is the time to call upon your inner maid to clean up your mess. A good time to review the week’s events and with Moon in Sagittarius, be active but optimistic. Next week promises even more relief as Mars finally bursts into Libra, a less picky sign than Virgo.

Meantime, how do we spell relief? S-A-T-U-R-N A-N-D V-E-N-U-S-S-T-A-T-I-O-N-S! This week, be active, but try to be more relaxed. Things will still get done.

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun-Signs, with dates being approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): Repairing the floorboards in your old cabin is somewhat akin to your work this week. You want a good foundation, don’t you? Then why not call up some friends to help you? And tell them to bring some beer. Mercury’s now in another Fire Sign, promoting action, fun and fewer moods. Saturn going direct helps you with partnerships, too. You can work hard to create security, but not have people hammer you about always being out for yourself. This week, the revolution includes inclusiveness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): This week is like a party that you crash just because you happen to be walking by it and see no reason why you shouldn’t go in. Your ruling planet, Venus, turns direct and Saturn in Venusian Libra picks up your coat and compels you to go off and enjoy yourself. Of course, this means that, being in the flow, you also meet your next revenue stream in the process. And that could be yourself. Your financial and personal assets now work together for your progress.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): Remember that awful love letter that devastated you because you thought it was goodbye? Well, this week the author returns with a peace offering. The dessert that’s offered to you now should be eaten with relish. And I don’t mean the kind you put on hot dogs. With Venus stationing direct and Jupiter approaching a conjunction to it, the missed pleasures of the recent past return with a vengeance. Well, not vengeance exactly, but intensity. Lady Luck hands you something sweet. Bon appetite!

CANCER (June 20-July 19): The Sun is shining in your eyes, so why are you putting on a hat? Solar energy has healing properties, even if you stay inside. And this week, the planetary stations urge you to be a social butterfly. I know, I know, you like solitude. But the closet door keeps opening by itself and confetti keeps flying out. It’s a sign that sometimes it isn’t what you want to do, but what you don’t want to do that may be best for you. Get out. Move forward. The confetti will keep flying until you do.

LEO (July 20-August 19): The drag strip called and they want you to announce the next race. It’s for the championship and with Mercury now in your sign, you’re perfect for the job. This week is about the excitement of communicating possibilities, even to yourself. Why go elsewhere when you are your own best audience? It’s a shame that others have been deprived lately of your scintillation, but this week begins the process of rectifying that. No need to dip your foot in the water, just dive in! Let life catch up.

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): It’s been a 7-month-long workout at the gym and now your muscles are as big as Arnold’s. But with Mars leaving your sign next week for Libra, this is your action-movie’s finale for awhile. Your ripped torso has drawn some good-looking financial aspects that are being waved in your direction by admirers in the crowd. This week, think carefully, but not too long before taking them. Opportunities that come your way now tend to work out. Patience is required, but you’re in your groove.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): You’re in the elevator and it just started to move upwards. Why was it stuck in the basement for so long? Saturn could tell you, but he’s taking his time as usual. He wants to give you a last long look before moving out of your sign into Scorpio. Meanwhile, your colleagues in the elevator include a couple of party types. Well, when in Rome, be like Romans! This week is the start of an easier time in your life and you get a lot of winks and hints of better things to come. Wink back!

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): This week may feel like a hard punch from Muhammad Ali. Rather than crumple to the ground like Sonny Liston, be aware of how it lifts you from the mat. Your ruling planet Pluto wants to make off with the belt by being an immovable force, but Uranus floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. You may have to move your feet more. Situations compel you to think in terms of more movement in your life, and that’s how to win championships. Act like you’re The Greatest!

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): Venus turning direct in your opposite sign, near to approaching Jupiter, is like receiving a free makeover from a Hollywood salon. You may not know why it’s being offered, but you’re certainly going to get the benefit while you can! The fact is you’re being set up to be a star, and with Mercury entering Leo, it’s all about being visible. The salon, of course, benefits, too. This week the energy shifts into a mutually beneficial pattern that allows your better self to shine. Don’t resist.

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): Your ruling planet Saturn has now decided to cooperate rather than withhold. This is good news for you because you were left with a few rotting morsels of, “Well, it was a good idea at the time.” Now that time has come again. The problem is that Pluto in your sign squaring Uranus is like Bernie Madoff taking Che Guevara to lunch. Don’t expect much cooperation now without a lot of persuasion on your part. Patience, though. Order another course. Life will come around.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): It was said in ancient Greece that the sage, Daedalus, was the inventor of a fantastic pair of wings which could give humans flight. His son, Icarus, grabbed them, flew too close to the Sun and fell into the sea as the wax wings melted. This week, you get to redeem poor Icarus. Saturn’s station in Libra, combined with Venus stationing near Jupiter in Gemini, gives you enough Air Sign oomph to fly near your sunny dreams without worrying about your wings coming apart. Now be brave!

PISCES (February 20-March 19): The gist of your week can be summed up in three words: Plant bigger trees. The ones with roots that can penetrate into underground caverns and find hidden sources of water. The energy for you this week is likewise about expanding your sense of personal nurturance. It’s a time of seeking out further avenues for your energy so you’re not uprooted by circumstances. Security is hard to come by, so you’ll need to make some adjustments. But right now, water your own tree so it’s in full bloom.

NEXT WEEK: Mars gets romantic and slips into something more comfortable, like Libra. But Uranus and Pluto are also having a fling. Find out if that means passion in the bedroom or war in the world…next time on STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine

You start out casually, taking care of some old business via headset, and pretty soon the traffic opens up and you’re cruising along with impunity. Or so you think. For out from the lane on your right comes an enormous big rig, which cuts in front of you and then seems to lose control. It jackknifes and bursts into fierce flames right in front of you!

You swerve to avoid a catastrophe and almost sideswipe a guy on your left, who gives you the finger and guns it into the spot you were heading for. You finally pass the disaster but find yourself in the middle of a protest march-cum-riot. No way can you avoid getting mixed up in this, so you just get out of the car, join the crowd until it picks another target, get back in your car and cruise out of the subsequent traffic jam.

You finally arrive at your intended destination and when someone asks you how your day is going, you look up and say, “Great! No problem. What’s up with you?” You’re grateful you made it through and feel like looking ahead, not back.

And that’s the energy of this week: obstacles galore and lots of drama, some of it pretty fierce. But your awareness can make the difference between a true disaster and a momentary, if galling, delay. No path is smooth and keeping your eyes on your goal is what gets you through. These are indeed the times, as they used to say, that try men’s souls. This is a time of personal breakthroughs or breakdowns. Sometimes, both.

This week leads up to the first of seven precise squares (90-degree, tension-filled angles) between Uranus—the Revolution come to call—and Pluto, the slow-moving but deeply transformational energy that is shaking up the world’s status quo. This occurs on Sunday, June 24^th (12:44 am PDT, 3:44 am EDT). Uranus is then at 8 degrees 24 minutes of arc in Aries (a sign whose motto is: “I want it NOW!”). Pluto is at the same degree and minute in Capricorn (which says: “Now, let’s not be hasty and respect tradition.”).

This is the first time since the mid-1960s that Uranus and Pluto have been in major aspect to each other. That vibrant period saw a mass awakening of consciousness that is still reverberating, along with social chaos and the rise of the counterculture. Reactionary forces were also fierce, just as they are today.

In the 1960s, Uranus and Pluto were conjunct…their energies blended together and planted seeds that are returning now to our awareness. Many of the same issues from the Sixties are back—unpopular wars, environmental issues, social protests and resistance to needed change.

But the square, in astrology, signifies internal tension that can have outward consequences…it is no longer enough to be aware; now we have to do something positive and actually resolve these seemingly intractable issues. And this on a worldwide scale. Otherwise…well, you don’t want to know.

Uranus, synchronistically discovered around the time of the French and American Revolutions, carries the energy of freedom, innovation and immediate demand for change. In response to this energy, voila!—we have seen the Occupy movement suddenly spring to life.

Government and Big Business is associated with Capricorn, the tradition-minded sign of ambition and the status quo. Pluto’s entry into Capricorn heralded the global recession and Wall Street’s various foibles. 2012 through 2015, during these seven exact squares, is where the rubber hits the road.

We are—right now, this week—entering a time period that will be so dramatic it will make the 1960s look positively dull by comparison. It’s an exciting time to be alive, but there are so many obstacles to overcome that maintaining our own inner peace is an essential part of our task as we navigate through this tremendously difficult celestial traffic jam. If we do it well, there is a real chance of a global cultural renaissance. If not, say goodbye to much of what we have known and loved.

Several planets (including Mr. Pluto) are still retrograde and slowing down this week, making the energy tough to navigate if you’re not completely focused. Saturn is almost stationary, turning direct (at 22 degrees, 46 minutes of Libra) at 11:50 pm, Sunday, June 24^th PDT,…yes, just 23 hours after the exact Uranus-Pluto square. Not the day to expect a lot of tranquility unless you really work at it. Generally, a Saturn station is a time of pulling teeth, but the fact that the Planet of Work, Structure and Discipline is turning direct means that projects that have been delayed may see the light of day again.

Venus, our Love, Sex, Money and General Pleasure Planet, turns direct next week as well, which should help matters in all these categories. This week, she’s still got her head turned the other way, so a little extra effort is required to catch her glance.

Chiron, the dwarf planet discovered in 1977 at the midpoint between Saturn (tradition) and Uranus (innovation), turned retrograde last Monday as well, at 9 degrees Pisces. Chiron in Greek mythology was a Centaur who is called the Wounded Healer. He represents issues which come up to be healed, and his planetary station is when such things are most intense. That’s now.

Then there’s Neptune, Mr. Fog City himself, who says that things may not be what they seem. We must use our creative imagination and spiritual awareness to clear away the mist from our life. His recent retrogradation is still pretty potent. So all in all, this is the time when we need to make lemonade out of whatever lemons life hands us.

I find it fascinating—and wonderful, since I’m a big fan—that the music of the Beatles (the very epitome of the 1960s) has had yet another resurgence. This is their 50^th anniversary (Paul’s 70^th birthday is Monday) and their music is again as widespread and relevant as ever. How many signs have we seen in the Occupy camps that say, “All You Need Is Love”, “Revolution,” “Give Peace A Chance,” even “Working Class Hero”? There’s a clue here as to what is to come—CREATIVITY IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE AGAIN.

Creative artists and free-thinking people will once again be the leaders in this revolutionary period. We cannot recreate the 1960s, but to a certain extent the creative spirit of that time period is once more loose upon the land. And this time—quite literally—the future of our planet is at stake. This is a serious time with very serious issues to tackle that will be chaotic but also free up space in the human psyche to begin to solve the problems that have been bedeviling us. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, to paraphrase Bette Davis, even a tragic one. But this is it, and this week is the beginning.

Monday is Dark of the Moon-time, the day before the New Moon when it’s best to finish up old things, keep your head down and prepare for the cycle to come. Moon in a harmonious trine to Saturn is good for steady work. Since one’s Solar Return (yearly birthday) chart can predict the upcoming year, I expect Paul McCartney to be a bit nostalgic and working on some old projects this year.

Tuesday is a mashup between the New Moon at 28 degrees Gemini (8:02 am PDT, 11:02 am EDT) and the Moon’s sliding into sensitive Cancer shortly thereafter. Moon’s fortunate trine (120-degree angle) to Neptune makes this a day to get creative with your future. New Moon days are for making plans for the next month as to your accomplishments.

Wednesday is like riding a bucking bronco, with some tension early in the day from the Moon’s T-square to Uranus and Pluto, Venus’s awkward angle (quincunx) to Pluto, Mercury’s square to Saturn. In the midst of all this occurs the SUMMER SOLSTICE, when the Sun enters Cancer and in the Northern Hemisphere is at its height (4:09 pm PDT, 7:09 EDT). This “longest day” may seem very long indeed. Take it easy and create a ritual to welcome change. The Earth’s energy is balanced today, and it’s not considered a sacred day for nothing.

Thursday is smoother, helped by the Moon’s sextile (gliding angle) to Mars. The Moon enters Leo tonight and it feels like a pre-weekend party! Friday is equally enlivening as the Moon sextiles Venus and trines Uranus. Go out and do something unusual. Wait, no, I don’t mean THAT!

Saturday starts out tough, but later the Sun’s lovely trine to Neptune puts magic, music and compassion in the air. We need it, as Sunday is D-Day. Shortly after midnight comes the exact Uranus-Pluto square, so I wouldn’t be out driving drunk if I were you. Moon square Jupiter and opposing Neptune means a weak grasp of reality, even as Uranus-Pluto smacks us upside the head and the Authorities (Saturn stationing direct) come down on us.

If the Middle East (God forbid) is going up in flames, this energy might be a catalyst for it. A big earthquake, hurricane or tsunami wouldn’t be a surprise, either. Industrial accidents, airplane crashes (Jupiter in Gemini, sign of travel, near the eclipse point) and incidents of terrorism are waiting to happen under this energy. Expect some high drama—personally and in the world at large.

So here we are, at the beginning of a tumultuous but exciting cycle. Best thing to do now is to take Ram Dass’s advice: “Hang on tightly, let go lightly.”

This week’s forecasts for the 12 Sun-Signs, with dates being approximate for convenience:

ARIES (March 20-April 19): You feel like you’re a lobster in a horror movie called Boiled Alive! Your usual impatient mindset is tested to its limit this week, and you seem to get redder with each passing moment. It’s not that you don’t want to curb your temper, it’s that life keeps throwing you back into the pot. You can escape a sorry fate this week if you keep yourself calm, so self-control is your friend. That and an opportunistic grasp of escape mechanisms. Put your high I.Q. to work and plot out Plans B, C, D and Z.

TAURUS (April 20-May 19): The best thing about you is your stick-to-it-iveness. The worst thing about you is that you’re stubborn. It’s the same characteristic, used in different ways. This week, your follow-through needs to follow through. So many canisters are exploding around you that if you pay attention to anything other than your own next step, the tear gas gets you. And what good are you then? So put your mask down and keep on steppin’. This is what’s called being intrepid.

GEMINI (May 20-June 19): The Jupiter transit of the recent Solar Eclipse point is still providing a rocket boost to your ambitions this week, and this is where you learn how to enter the next stage of the journey. Before the second stage rocket can engage, enough thrust has to occur to move you toward your goal. And things could go bad at any moment. So steering well is what this week is all about. You want height and no deviation. If you’re going to aim for the unattainable, at least give yourself a chance to attain it.

CANCER (June 20-July 19): You hear a knock at the back door at night, but are a bit afraid to find out what it was. You’re not sure you really want to know. So you go back to sleep. Then it occurs again, this time louder. So you get up and it turns out to be a neighbor with food from their garden for you. She couldn’t wait until morning. Neither can you. This week works best when you face down your fears. Otherwise, the resulting energies turn mean and give you nastiness instead of rhubarb and strawberry pie. Your choice.

LEO (July 20-August 19): That special person who’s caught your eye may be looking your way, too, but standing there thinking about it won’t make a connection happen. So you move in and try to be suave but chaos erupts around you and the resulting non-connection frustrates you. Wait, here’s another opportunity! Alas, their gaze is elsewhere. You see a car ahead and know you’ve got to make a dash before the moment is gone. That’s your job this week—maneuvering through stuff, and smoothly, too. It’s called grace.

VIRGO (August 20-September 19): Part of why you’re so practical has to do with being naturally organized. This week, the wind blows all your papers askew. What do you do now? Well, what’s worth saving and what doesn’t matter if you find it again? Oh, hell, just run quick as you can and pick them all up! That’s the energy of this week, anyway—a lot of running about and snatching things out of the air. Some could be valuable parts of your past that you haven’t looked at in a while. But these are new times, and it’s time.

LIBRA (September 20-October 19): Who’s sitting in your favorite chair waiting for you to come home? Sure, you invited them to visit, but did you really mean it? This week for you is about deciding how sincere you are regarding the flippant things you say. If you mean what you say to yourself, this week is a whirlwind of preparation for the manifestation of those desires. If not, someone may show up, but they’ll rip you off and call you names. How you speak now must be in alignment with how you really think.

SCORPIO (October 20-November 19): Why won’t the doctor just tell you what’s wrong with you? Answer: She feels you’re the one who ought to know. It’s one thing to think you’re an insightful being, it’s another to actually comprehend what’s going on. This week, your ruling planet Pluto gets into a brawl with Uranus and the result isn’t pretty. You could be beaten up by the energies at work if you don’t take care to avoid dangerous situations. What’s dangerous to a Scorpio? Your own intensity misdirected.

SAGITTARIUS (November 20-December 19): The New Moon opposing your sign, and the recent Lunar Eclipse in it, gives you an added bit of “How much more can I take?” this week. It’s a time of emotionalism, unusual for a Fire Sign, and not very serene because of the Uranus-Pluto time bomb  ticking outside your window. The good thing is that Jupiter in Gemini causes the postman to come by and defuse it just in time. Defusing crises seems to be what this week is about for you. Attend to your task carefully.

CAPRICORN (December 20-January 19): Your ruling planet Saturn, not known for its love of speed, has its foot so far on the brake right now that you may need new floorboards. But that suits you just fine. You don’t like change. What’s upsetting is that the planetary neighborhood is going to hell. Pluto in your sign is having garbage dumped on its front lawn by Uranus. It may be time to think about moving. Alas, no other neighborhood is immune from the same crud. Hold your breath if you must, but deal with things now.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 19): Uranus was known as Lord of the Heavens in Roman mythology. He’s your ruling planet, but somehow he took personal offense and decided to teach Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, a lesson. The result for you is that this is a week where you cannot count on anything to be entirely consistent. But it can be inspirational. Wherever you are, there are battles occurring. If they’re inside your own head, that’s better than being trounced in an alley. Take a tourniquet along for your brain.

PISCES (February 20-March 19): Chiron and your ruling planet Neptune are both retrograde in your sign. That’s like having stigmata but only by means of a temporary tattoo. What you have going on right now is a spiritual identity crisis, and this week is where you find out what your real questions are. What’s worth pursuing in life? Well, how about that electrifying bliss that comes from actually getting some answers? The energy this week is about life holding your head so you can see what’s really written on the wall.

NEXT WEEK: To everything—turn! turn! turn!—there is a season—turn! turn! turn! Both Saturn and Venus turn direct, Uranus and Pluto remain locked in their grudge match, and we come back to see whether we’ve broken down or broken through.

Find out, right here in STAR POWER! Astrology Unleashed.

Content Engine