Retrogrades!

Okay, Mercury is now fully retrograde in the sign of Taurus (stability, security). You know the drill for the next three weeks. Stuff goes goofy and we lose money one way or another. The other and bigger event overshadowing this time is retrograde Saturn returning to the sign of Virgo, and opposing mighty, chaotic Uranus once again. This is a double whammy effect and can cause severe breakdowns in negotiations or misunderstandings/misinterpretations that can bring an entire house down. It’s likely we will see the effects played out on the world stage, and this also hits us personally, so diligence and patience are the key traits to develop.

That’s the bad news first. The good news is that Venus in Taurus is beautifully aligned with luck-bringing Jupiter, so even if we have a difficult time we’ll feel good about ourselves and have help dealing with whatever it is. Always nice to have a safety net, isn’t it?

In case you haven’t noticed, the planet has been pretty skanky (thanks, Kelly and Amber, for teaching me that wonderful word!) with earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, etc. all over the place and one event a week. This is indicative of the predicted earth changes of this time, as we race on to that fateful year of 2012; this is the process now, and it is accelerating. What do we do? We keep living, working, loving, and learning. We are part of the changes and they are part of us. Let’s be as graceful as we can be.

Aries (March 21- April 19): Mercury is now retrograde in your sector of money, so for the next three weeks, do the protocol. Understand that delays and stupid things are influenced by this phenomenon. Double and triple check everything and don’t start any new projects now. Esteem building Venus is guarding you in the same sector, so you should be just fine. Now that spring has sprung, this is a good time to putter and do some repairs; also you will be able to find flaws in our financial planning now and make corrections.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20): Mercury is retrograde in your sign, but with your powerful Ruler Venus also in your sign, things are likely to go in the right direction for you more than other signs. You may feel like there is a dragging anchor, and that would be Mercury. At this point in time, Taurean artists will find fresh inspiration and perhaps discover a new medium of expression and the canvas is most likely the home. Have fun!

Gemini (May 21- June 20): You’re all over the place, but that’s not unusual. Your Ruler Mercury is retrograde in your sector of Endings, so your mind may be sluggish and you may feel like a part of you just can’t catch up with the rest. Use this week to tend to those icky details you hate (yes, I realize you just dealt with taxes). Give yourself little rewards for each task completed and you’ll be happy. Folks who need your fine mind may show up now so pull up a chair and offer an ear.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22): Mercury retrograde in your sector of goals/friends may bring a standoff now. Don’t fight with it; bide your time and back off until the retrograde is over. You have powerful Venus helping you, and she is in charge of self-esteem so take the higher road if you get rattled. Walk, breathe and practice whatever it is that brings you to peace. If you’re not inspired to start anything new right now, it’s a good thing because you shouldn’t until next month when Mercury has gone direct.

Leo (July 23 – August 22): Mercury is retrograde in your sector of career, so tread lightly there. One good thing is that Venus is also in that sector and in her transit she is getting along very well with mighty Uranus who is in your sector of intimacy/shared assets. What this comes down to is silly stuff going wrong at work which could ultimately be to your advantage, so rest easy! Remember, no signing contracts or buying major appliances until next month.

Virgo (August 23 – September 21): Mercury retrograde is affecting you in weird ways since it is your Ruling planet, in your sector of expansion/travel. Venus is also there, but she is boosting events to your advantage in that area. The big bugaboo right now is Saturn revisiting your sign (especially if you were born late in your sign), and he is opposing chaotic Uranus once again. This is the last opposition of these two involving your sign, so there’s the positive! You’ve made it!

Libra (September 22 – October 23): Mercury’s retrograde in your sector of intimacy/shared assets may cause a delay in something owed to you, especially in terms of taxes. Don’t be surprised if your tax return is kicked back. Other than that, this is shaping up to be a good week for you as long as you remember that the retrograde is happening and not get snarky when something goes wrong. You may have to readdress some stuff due to Saturn backing into your sector of Endings, but actually the pressure will be off of you directly; however, you or someone else may have a bout of ill health during this time.

Scorpio (October 24- November 22): Mercury is now retrograde in your sector of relationships, but Venus is helping you with that. Be sure you actually said something instead of just thinking it otherwise you’ll all get frustrated. Saturn opposes chaotic Uranus once again in your sectors of goals/friends and creative expression once again, so you may experience unreliability or other types of failures in those areas. Don’t take it personally.

Sagittarius (November 23 – December 20): The Saturn/Uranus opposition (for the third time since Fall 2008) may jerk your chain now, especially if you were born within three days of December 16th. The reason this will be kind of extraordinary is because Mercury is retrograde as well, so you might really get your feelings hurt if you’re not careful. This is a time to maintain discipline and watch your words; a simple misstep in communication could come back to bite you in the behind. Be a good little Archer and you’ll be fine.

Capricorn (December 21 – January 20): Oh my, you don’t know which end is up; Mercury is retrograde in your fellow Earth sign Taurus and Saturn has now backed up into your other companion sign Virgo. Since Saturn is your Ruler, this particular position may be difficult for you since it brings the Saturn/Uranus opposition back into play. Look at this time as boot camp. Train yourself well and shore up your weak spots.

Aquarius (January 21 – February 20): Oh, boy! Mercury is retrograde in your sector of Home and Saturn is once again opposing your Ruler Uranus. Well, by now you know the drill, and you are one who can dance around it. Just be careful driving, okay? You don’t want to get yourself all banged up. As we come out of tax time and creep into Spring, you’re marching along happily down a road almost no one else knows. This is good, because you can stay out of trouble.

Pisces (February 21 – March 20): Well heck, when it rains, it pours! Mercury is now retrograde in your sector of short trips/communication, so of course it will be your ferry that breaks down or got changed. Stern Saturn is also retrograde and has now backed into yet another opposition with Uranus who is in your sign. Relationship stuff is likely to rise up yet again as a power struggle ensues. This isn’t all bad stuff, though. When it happens you feel more deserving of an ice cream cone or other treat to ease the pain.