Whoopi, Mercury the communications and gadget planet goes direct this Wednesday. Direct means his apparent backwards motion stops.  He stands still for a few hours and then heads forward again. It’s time to untangle any miscommunications and prepare to move ahead with projects. First, a caution, Mars the aggressor is still going backwards so don’t start anything now until the 15^th.

Today Venus the social goddess and romance deity saunters into Gemini the siblings sign. Most of us will be visiting with close relatives and having a good time. The ladies will be flirty but don’t take it seriously. Venus rules the voice and in Gemini, she can charm a brass monkey off the stand. She’s in the mood to have her ego stroked, so don’t fall for her tricks.

On the 5^th

Venus and Neptune have a disagreement. She thinks she’s being very clear but Neptune can misread anything. Mind your words unless you intend to eat them within a day.

The Moon starts this report period in Leo. You know, Leo the me sign. By midmorning, she slides into Virgo. Now the ladies want to straighten the house put everything. For that matter so will the guys. Virgo is a persnickety sign and needs to keep order; at least her idea of in order.

The full moon is at 3:19 PM Friday just in time for rush hour. Be extremely cautious while driving. The Aries full moon impels us to rush, rush, and rush. Take your time and think for you and the other drivers. The moon is in Libra and can’t make up her mind while also hastening. It’s an awful combination. The person driving ahead of you may slam on the brakes and decide to go into reverse.

In chorus with the full moon Venus and Mars, the girl and guy planets are primed to bicker. Just be patient and understand this mood will pass by the end of the weekend.

We have a very good week coming. Late on Monday, we have Jupiter the good fortune planet making nice with Pluto the powerbroker and ruler of social reconstruction. I take that to mean the leftist will have a strong week.  Pluto also rules nuclear reactors and weapons of mass destruction. I hope that there will be some progress on stopping Iran from making an atom bomb.

The middle of the week is a good time to have a first date. Venus the lesser fortune planet snuggles with Jupiter the greater fortune planet. They both have a good relationship with Pluto the planet of unrecognized fortune. Well, that sounds good at least on the surface.

At the same time, Mars and Venus are in a cordial mood. In addition, Mars is also sucking up to Pluto. There is a lot happening in a short time. Politically we could see a major power play or coup. Maybe the Syrian tyrant will lose his grip on the country.

On the darker side, be careful of hunches or sudden impulses. It just may be an unrecognized compulsion welling up from the deepest depths of your unconscious. Pluto is the most active planet this week and he rules matters we have banished to our id. To quote from the great sci fi movie Forbidden Planet, “Monsters, monsters from the Id.”

We can expect all this to crest on Thursday evening (the 14^th), when the Moon conjuncts Pluto.

Neptune is now in Pisces the sign of romance the mysterious. I think old-fashioned love songs, singing, and harmony will come back in vogue. Here is a great quote about Neptune from a good astrology site. Neptune, the planet of idealism, mystery and imagination, is also the planet of illusion, self-delusion and dissolution. It is a subtle yet powerful disintegrator, source of hallucinations and the deceptive forces of the subconscious mind. Its principle is to dissolve barriers, being capable of raising us up to mystical experiences, or pulling us down into chaos and confusion.

To learn more about Neptune go here.  http://www.skyscript.co.uk/neptune2.html

The big news this week is the potent full Moon across the Pisces Virgo axis. Mars the warrior planet is in the seventh house of war along with the moon. However, Mars is moving backwards and that means he’s avoiding the issues. We have passed a critical point and for now the confrontation with Iran goes on the back burner. Mercury and Mars both in retrograde motion  give us a topsy turvy feeling for the next couple of weeks.

It’s that time to talk about Mercury the chatterbox appearing to be backwards across the zodiac again. Kids old your hats and hunker down.  This retrograde last from March the 12^th until April the 14^th. It’s time to redo, relax, repair, well you get the idea. We need to stop and scrutinize our plans. Yes, you have a great idea but is it workable? Huh? This is a time to get in touch with old friends and party. Retrogrades are a great time to review not start.

Meanwhile Venus the love planet entered Taurus her home sign. It’s a great time to enjoy the comforts of home. Make the most of life. Venus here is most affable and wants you to come to her. Maybe buy her a nice dinner take her to a show.  It’s definitely not a time to make advances to her. When Venus is here, she wants to be the one to make the moves. She will be coy and maybe even pretend to be shy. Guys if you have any sense let her have her way.

Our lady the Moon is now in Virgo and she stays there until midnight Thursday the 8^th. She will be at odds with everyone. But that’s ok, she can never make up her mind or get it together to do anything. She’d rather put it off. On Friday the 9^th she enters Scorpio where she’s intense and sarcastic but you can’t fool her now. She will be like that until near sunrise on the Tuesday the 13^th.

We start with the Moon in Taurus where she is most comfortable. The lazy moon is contented in comfort loving Taurus. Taurus is a stable sign and takes the edge off the Moon’s moods. At 10:29 PM, she slides into hectic Gemini. This is neither her best or worst sign. The best we can say is her nerves are ragged and she’s almost on her last one. However, like it or not she gets herself moving. After all, she only has to put up with it until Friday when she enters Cancer her home sign and she’s likely to spend her time cooking and baking. On Sunday at 5:18 in the afternoon, she jumps into Leo the show off sign. If could be a warm day and the girls could decide to wear their shorts.

On Friday Mercury the light-footed one stumbles into Aries the let’s do something sign. Aries doesn’t know how to relax and neither does Mercury. The pace of life increases over the next couple of weeks.

The Sun and Mars are fire planets and they are opposing each other this weekend. Mars is in Virgo the digestion and routines sign. The Sun is in Pisces the confused sign. Fire opposed Water, hum you better have the Tums ready and lay off the fiery foods. On Sunday the 4^th. Venus to love planet has a row with Saturn the discipline planet. Venus symbolizes young women and Saturn the stern parent, usually the father. This is a classic teenage rebellion pattern. Saturn is in his strong sign and you young ladies should let the issue go for the present. On Tuesday, the she gets some help from Neptune the persuasive.  It’s a better time to slip something past to warden of deportment. 

The moon is new tomorrow the 21^st. Mercury the talker opposes Mars the want it get it done now planet early on Thursday morning. They are both hurry up planets and Mercury has sway over anxiety. Be extra cautious while driving. I promise you the road rage will be in full force. Mercury is in the house of personal issues and Mars is in the house of open enemies and marriage. Ladies don’t be fooled it the guys seem to be back stepping. He is thinking, “Just you wait.” I will get even later. It’s also not a time to force an issue with your boss.

The weather seems normal for this time of year. The problem with this time of the year is that normal never fits. The sun is now in Pisces and it’s only a few weeks until spring.

Meanwhile Venus the love and luxury planet is sizzling and burning her way through Aries the impulsive sign. It’s a lousy time to make any sudden decisions. With Mars still appearing to go backwards it’s time to wait. Act in hast repent at leisure as the saying goes.

Neptune the confused dreamer planet is also in the marriage and open enemies house. We astrologers say it’s angular. A planet on an angle is very strong and Neptune has a close affinity with earthquakes. With the new moon also angular, we may see another earthquake on the east coast.

Otherwise, we should have a smooth and quiet weekend.

The week starts with Mercury the planet of reason in Pisces the mystical sign. Poor Mercury is going to be confused at the least. Be sure to double check your checkbook balance. Then check it again. Mercury in Pisces makes mistakes. On Thursday, Mercury gets an assist from Jupiter the planet of good fortune.

The moon in Scorpio is her worst position. Astrologers say she is in her detriment.  By 8 o’clock on Tuesday, she sashays into Sagittarius and her sense of humor improves. Most of us will be in a good mood until Friday when she stumbles into Capricorn, a sign she hates. Capricorn is very cautious and never admits to having moods. The moon is the mother of moods and Capricorn makes her feel like she is in a straightjacket.

Meanwhile Venus the Valentine’s Day planet crosses swords with Pluto the power and control planet. So avoid issues with your honey on Valentine’s Day. You cannot win.

We start this report with Venus at 29 degrees Pisces an emotional or relationship turning point. Then she enters Aries a fire sign. Boys the ladies will be hotter than a firecracker on a July afternoon. In the tarot Venus in Aries is the Four of Wands and it’s one of the better cards. It doesn’t have a negative meaning and it usually indicates pleasant surprises and good meals.

Mercury in Aquarius and it the tarot it equates to science and precision. If I were drawing this card I’d show a person with a slide rule or an I Pad.

Meanwhile the moon is in Leo another hot sign. Keep an eye out for a wardrobe malfunction. Leo likes to show off to say the least. She starts off the week in Cancer but leaves there around 7AM. She stays in Leo until 11; 43 Wednesday morning. On the 7^th she has a faceoff with the sun.  This full moon is a struggle between social needs and personal pride.

Venus is at the 29^th degree of Pisces so we will have an emotional crisis or turning point in a relationship. Then at 8 PM on Wednesday she snuggles up to Uranus. It astrology talk we call this a conjunction.  It means is this case we are due for a happy surprise. I have found money on several occasions when Venus had a good relationship with Uranus. Actually the Greek myths say she was born from the blood of Uranus that dripped into the sea after Saturn gelded Uranus. The famous Botticelli painting of Venus on the Half Shell is from this legend. The two get along well most of the time.  Unique relationship is the best way to describe them. Venus rules relationships and Uranus rules unique. Good time to find an Antiques Roadshow quality item.

The full moon is on Tuesday the 7^th at 4:54 PM at 18 and half degrees of Pisces. The focus is on personal needs and the outer world. This is a classic confrontation. The situation with Iran intensifies. Neptune has moved into Pisces for the next 14 years or so. The focus will be on music dancing and the supernatural. Oil will take center stage.

Mars the aggressor is in the house of personal values and individual pocketbooks. Expect a rollercoaster ride in the economy.

Today the moon is in Aries until 1:09 Monday morning. Then she goes into Taurus where she is happier than stock broker in a bull market. Astrologers say the moon is exalted in Taurus. Guys it you have something you want to ask your lady do it while she’s in an obliging mood.

On Wednesday the 1^st of February she moves into Gemini where she runs around like a chicken with its head cutoff. Also Venus and Mars are in direct conflict on Wednesday. Venus will likely win because she’s in her best sign and Mars is in a sign that makes him nuts. Ladies your guy will likely be a little on the schizoid nutso side. He’s not going to listen to reason so just give him a few days to cool off. This situation can be violent. At the least he will raise his voice.

Early Saturday morning the moon enters Cancer and will want to cocoon. She rules Cancer and is very comfortable there. The ladies will want to do homey stuff. We could all get lucky as Cancer is cooking sign. Don’t be surprised when you smell goodies baking. Guys and ladies like to play in the kitchen under this influence.

The retrograde of Mars the warrior planet is the big news. A planet in retrograde appears to be going backwards in the sky. It’s due to the difference in orbital speed between Earth Mars. Projects started now have a great chance of backfiring. If you have an issue with someone let them start the discussion. Whoever starts an argument on a Mars retrograde loses. I got this quote from http://www.lynnkoiner.com/astrology-articles/everything-that-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-mars-retrograde. Lynn Coiner is the best astrologer I know. Here’s direct link to her Mars retrograde article. “Matters commenced while Mars is retrograde will be frustrated and plagued with disruptions and until they finally fizzle out. At this time, people become irritated when activates do not run smoothly. The anger may disrupt indirectly and inappropriately—like getting a traffic ticket when you feel annoyed with your job.” A big thank you to Lynn Koiner. www.lynnkoiner.com

The moon is in Capricorn where she is very uncomfortable. Capricorn is opposite her ruling sign and our lady is at her worst here. For instance I’m a Cancer and the moon in Capricorn is awful for me. Due to the bad weather I had to reschedule a group reading. Late on Sunday evening she hops, skips, and jumps into Aquarius and she prefers the unusual.  On Wednesday she dances her way into Pisces and wants to hear music and dance.

Right now the Sun is in a good relationship with Uranus and we can expect the unanticipated. Then he get tussle with Jupiter the good fortune god so don’t count on things going your way. People with Taurus and Aquarius planets will feel this the most.

Mercury the short trips and errands planet has a good relationship with Mars. Be careful. Mercury is the god of liars and Mars is in a sulk. Please think before you go anywhere. On Friday the 27^th Mercury has a tussle with Saturn the go slow and thinks it out planet. Now Mercury wants to do everything in a hurry so anxiety will be at its maximum. Then on Saturday the 28^th Mercury enters Aquarius where some astrologers say he’s at his strongest. We’re likely to hear about some scientific breakthroughs.

Also on Friday the moon rushes into Aries where she is headstrong and opinionated In other words it will be an interesting week. The Chinese saying applies here. “May you live in interesting times.”