Early Tuesday morning, Venus comes out of her cool luxurious bath in Taurus and leaps into the sprightly air of Gemini, looking for fun and perhaps a little mischief. As soon as she does that, she turns the heat up a notch to face off against testy Mars.
Although the start of the week usually isn’t the best time to ramp up romantic efforts, it might be time to do just that, especially if things have been a little slow. Inversely, if things have been heated with a significant other, take a breather from each other before anyone does something regrettable. Chatty Mercury might have gone direct at the end of last week, but he’s still got his sea legs. There’s plenty of room for error in how we express ourselves or understand one another.
The tensions between expansive Jupiter and restrictive Saturn on Thursday will likely mirror our own confusion about feeling both carefree and inclined toward cautiousness. A little time for contemplation will help us know when to pitch forward grandly and when to pull back tightly — rather than getting stuck by attempting to do both simultaneously. So, yes, sample a new fitness class, but, no, you might not be as ready for the advanced level as you think.
The planetary weather report: Use these guidelines to unlock the stars, not to be locked down by them.
Venus isn’t the only planet shifting signs. Mars sneaks back into stealthy Scorpio on Friday after leaving the sign two months ago. This could surface unresolved issues and plans you faced at the end of March. Use the careful consideration required for Thursday’s tense square-off between Jupiter and Saturn to find some resolution, chucking whatever’s not useful for moving on.
Read on for your sign’s Sky Code.
Gemini (May 21 to June 20)
The friskiness of Venus in your sign on Tuesday, along with her standoff against contentious Mars, will definitely amp up your libido and playfulness. You might take it as your divinely appointed duty to untangle others’ tightly wound knots, but be careful that you don’t come off as an insensitive jerk in the process. You’ll have to do a solid job of knowing who’s able to take a joke or when your SO can match the intensity of your own lusty moods.
Cancer (June 21 to July 21)
Relieve loads of stress by writing or talking out your to-do list. First, you’re more likely to see what tasks you could consolidate, delegate, or delay, and you can avoid feeling like everything needs to happen all at once. Next, respect and know your limits. If you’re feeling so tired that you can’t keep your eyes open, then take the time to catch up on sleep. Pace yourself rather than think you have to keep up some monstrous speed and please everybody. You can’t. Now do what you can.
Leo (July 22 to August 21)
You might be a lot harder to read than you realize, especially toward the weekend. Uncharacteristically, you will have to work extra-hard to be clear, as you might give off too many contradictory cues. You’d do better by managing your schedule: Be more social at the top of the week and leave the weekend to be alone or with a select few (or one). If you have to be available the entire week to anyone, reserve more quiet time for yourself. Risk vulnerability by saying you’re drained once you’ve reached your stress threshold before you lose your cool with someone.
Virgo (August 22 to September 21)
Now that you’ve given your all and perhaps gotten useful feedback, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and focus on other projects. However, don’t lose your sense of humor or forget to make time for fun, especially as the weekend approaches. Resist the need to be defensive as combative Mars backslides into touchy Scorpio. The edgy elbow-poke match between easygoing Jupiter and stressful Saturn on Thursday means that you should ease into mellow times with loved ones and leave new efforts for next week.
Libra (September 22 to October 21)
You might be learning a lot, but you can’t share everything with everyone. The better part of valor is indeed discretion, so be wary of idle gossip or chatter. Likewise, you need to rein in your social obligations to keep up with what’s most important now. With Mercury now moving forward, there might be a lot of things demanding your attention, with all of them seeming important. But that’s just not true. There’s only so much in life that we have to give, so, alas, we have to prioritize.
Scorpio (October 22 to November 21)
Perhaps your efforts to improve your financial or work life aren’t going as smoothly as planned. Be careful of the temptation to forget the progress you’ve made because you’re focused on what’s not happening. There’s no sense in tritely encouraging you to have more patience, so instead strive to persevere. You might relish the idea of having the odds stacked against you and feeling as if you’re fighting your way forward, one foe at a time, to get ahead. If that image works for you, use it, even though the only person you’re truly fighting is yourself.
Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21)
You might not have much time to keep up with recent improvements you’ve made to your work and health routines. But finding a way to stay on point as life pelts us from all directions is what keeps things interesting. You just can’t dip out when a lot is coming at you. It’s supposed to be like this. What will help is a change of perspective, a nap, and leaving wiggle room in your schedule to stay on top of things.
Capricorn (December 22 to January 20)
This week’s key to success might sound like a high-school-physics formula: Your increased momentum is directly proportional to the amount of preparation you put into getting things right rather than focusing on what can go wrong. In other words, create plans with fierce optimism, not fear. Some of your darker days are behind you, so don’t worry about repeats of old disasters just around the corner. Solicit insight from a friend or significant other for clarity on a murky issue that might be too emotionally charged for you.
Aquarius (January 21 to February 18)
Although you want to hang with good friends without a care in the world, you should be on the watch right now. As much as you would like to believe in the inherent value and goodness of people, you might be missing clear reminders that not everyone shares your high standards of integrity. This shouldn’t prompt you to become untrusting or stingy. However, you should judiciously consider your time and money as you would any investment. Think about whether a particular friend is permitting you to direct your relationship equally.
Pisces (February 19 to March 20)
Your intuition has probably led you to an opportunity recently that now requires more research. Use Venus’s entry into curious Gemini to seek out multiple sources of information, without taking any one as more authoritative than your initial gut instinct. You’ll find a similar truth with significant others and colleagues who think they know what’s best for you. However, as you head toward making bigger moves, you have to be able to vouch for every decision you make, not opinions that haven’t been vetted, no matter how much you trust the person.
Aries (March 21 to April 19)
Lighten your touch, dear Ram, as you could be a little heavy-handed in implementing improvements in your work or personal life. It’s good to be excited, but don’t get too uptight about the wrong or right way to do something that’s still new, especially if your efforts entail working with others. You don’t fully know how your experiment will turn out yet. Fussing over details might make you lose focus and lead you toward distraction instead of discipline.
Taurus (April 20 to May 21)
A conflict erupting when you ask for more doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. In fact, take it as a clear signal that you’re onto something. The temptation, though, is to be swept up by the adrenaline and drama of the dispute. What others call stubbornness is actually your remarkable talent for digging in your heels and being both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. You don’t have to charge ahead. If someone wants to change your course, then let her do the work. For now, chill and be still.
Samuel F. Reynolds is a professional astrologer in New York City and the founder of the Zodiac Lounge.
GIF reporting by Leah Rodriguez.
