Dreaded Mercury in retrograde is upon us, star children, making its rounds through secretive Scorpio. When Mercury backslides, travel, communications, contracts and technology, are thrown into a slow boiling cauldron of chaos. This backspin lasts through Nov. 3, (gasp!) Election Day. Scorpio’s psychic power invites emotional clarity and necessary cord-cutting, but its suspicious nature can trigger paranoid, destructive thoughts. A plan for survival? Repeat after me, “Feelings are not facts.”
Libra
Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
Expect planetary fisticuffs in your family sector, Libra. You’re likely to disagree with your nearest and dearest about issues large and small. Part of this conflict arises from your need to seek others’ approval or support. You don’t need permission to be you. The less you ask for it, the more you will learn to trust yourself and the clearer your path to wholeness will become.
Notable Libra: Typhoid Mary / Sept. 23, 1869
Scorpio
Oct. 23 to Nov. 21
The sun is moving through your 12th house of subconscious thought, rest, healing and endings. This illumination calls you to rejuvenate through seclusion and the completion of unfinished projects. Theologian Sinclair B. Ferguson said, “Regeneration is a divine activity in us, in which we are not the actors but the recipients.” Retreat to receive the divinity you deserve.
Notable Scorpio: Tiradentes / Nov. 12, 1746
Sagittarius
Nov. 22 to Dec. 21
In anticipation of Halloween, some of your proverbial skeletons are dragging themselves out of the closet. This particular Mercury retrograde is inviting you to operate as the funeral director of your own past. Bury what’s been, not with the fury of forgetting, but with the grace of honoring the lessons it has taught you.
Notable Sagittarius: Yotam Ottolenghi / Dec. 14, 1968
Capricorn
Dec. 22 to Jan. 19
Mars is moving backwards in your fourth house of feeling, bringing you to the brink with unruly emotions and wayward mood swings. Let them pass through you, not govern you. Your savior complex may also be activated, and while I revere your desire and capacity to rescue, do not sacrifice your own goals and progress for someone else’s.
Notable Capricorn: Sade / Jan. 16, 1959
Aquarius
Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
It’s not what you say, but how you say it, Aquarius. Current planetary placements are causing communication confusion. Be assertive and direct, but not at the expense of tact. Be careful about how and to whom you express yourself. Find the sweet spot between biting your tongue and burning your bridges.
Notable Aquarius: Yoko Ono / Feb. 18, 1933
Pisces
Feb. 19 to March 20
Have you exhausted yourself in conversation, Pisces? Have words failed to deliver the medicine you need or the answers you seek? This is your season of silence. You are meant to create what can only be cultivated in the quiet. Novelist Patricia Highsmith wrote, “My imagination functions much better when I don’t have to speak to people.” Shut out the voices so you might wholly hear yourself.
Notable Pisces: Mikhail Gorbachev / March 2, 1931
Aries
March 21 to April 19
Relationships of all depths and denominations are your focus, ram. You’re a born leader inclined to take charge of situations and often, take care of the weak and wounded. While I bow to your magnanimous nature, it may be time to start keeping company with the self-sufficient and self-possessed. You have more to learn from those who need nothing from you and want only the grace of your company.
Notable Aries: Ponce de Leon / April 8, 1460
Taurus
April 20 to May 20
The sun is illuminating your daily routines and rituals. Libra season is about the pursuit of balance. For bulls, this means finding a healthy division between work and play, holding on and letting go. Consider the wisdom of Taurus Brian Eno: “Control and surrender have to be kept in balance. That’s what surfers do: Take control of the situation, then be carried, then take control.” May you learn to both rein and ride the waves that find you. Notable Taurus: Tammy Wynette / May 5, 1942
Gemini
May 21 to June 20
My best friend and fellow Gemini, Aine, recently told me about an Irish folk tale wherein a fairy who constantly tried to escape had her wings cut off by her captors. Each time, her wings grew back stronger until she was powerful enough to rescue herself by flying away. All of your setbacks and stagnations have been preparing you for your latest and greatest flight of freedom.
Notable Gemini: Tenzig Noray / May 29, 1914
Cancer
June 21 to July 22
Mars is retrograde in your professional sector. This backspin may have you questioning your career path or a recent work-related decision. Don’t let your work conflict with your ability to be present as a partner, parent or friend. Sage poet Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life.’”
Notable Cancer: Arthur Ashe / July 10, 1943
Leo
July 23 to Aug. 22
Mercury in retrograde will be meddling in your fourth house of domesticity. Prepare for powerful emotional reckoning. You will feel more sensitive to criticism and tempted to make brash decisions based on intense, but short-lived, emotional flares.The difference between reaction and response can be measured in the exhalation of a few deep breaths.
Notable Leo: Coco Chanel / Aug. 19, 1883
Virgo
Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
My older sister believes Cinderella to be a Virgo. She reasons the future princess had a quarrelsome relationship with a mother figure and was driven by the impetus to serve others at the cost of selfhood. I suspect you can relate on some level. Consider who and what you are directing your helpful energy towards and remember there is a difference between service and servitude.
Notable Virgo: Bill Murray / Sept. 21, 1950
