By Milky Way Maid

Mercury is quite a troublemaker this week. First, Mercury conjuncts Mars on Sunday night. This is great for making impassioned speeches in debates, but also produces the most unfortunate cutting remarks and flaming rows. Practice biting your tongue. Mercury is conjunct Neptune early Thursday; this can lead to very fuzzy and wishful thinking so make sure you pay attention to traffic on the commute in to work. (Neptune can lead to accidents, wrong turns, getting lost, etc.) It is also capable of producing insights into larger spiritual or philosophical matters, but please stay grounded in your everyday transactions.

Venus can be problematic too because it goes retrograde on Friday at 15 degrees Aries. Make sure you have a cash supply and have made up with your mate. Commodities ruled by Venus include sugar, cattle, copper, banks, the dollar, art and jewelry, and I think butter. The degrees of the stations are not mutation degrees nor critical degrees, (but it is a world degree so it does not look as if these points will cause drastic price swings. Maybe something will occur regarding government support prices, trade, or something like that. Venus' core meaning is VALUE; what do you value? That is the question.

Readers can follow not only their Sun sign horoscope but also the sign of their Ascendant for further clues to how your week will develop.

ARIES - March 20-April 19 – Venus goes stationary retrograde in your sign on Friday. See above notes. Venus is at the midpoint between Jupiter-Juno in Aquarius and Pallas Athena in Gemini; sorry I am not a specialist with midpoints but you will be the fulcrum between the clubs you belong to and the local papers announcing meetings and events. Perhaps you gain the job of recording secretary or promotions officer. I wonder how you manage to juggle your calendar with all the club meetings and dinners with friends.

TAURUS - April 20-May 20 – The week starts with the Moon in Taurus till very early Tuesday. A sextile from the Moon to Sun in Pisces favors dinner with friends Sunday. Take care not to overdo anything that evening, tho. Monday morning you are raring to get to work and can get a lot done (doublecheck your instructions), tho you peter out before quitting time; have a decent lunch to keep your energy up. You'll wind up grabbing some sugary junk otherwise. Monday will be an exhausting day due to several squares so be well prepared. Wed. or Thurs. you benefit from a conference with a woman counselor or advisor.

GEMINI - May 21-June 20 – The Moon is in Gemini from very early Tuesday till Thursday morn. You will probably be delighted with your tax refund. Career and relations with the boss could be a challenge tho so be prepared with progress reports and soothing words for ruffled feathers. Wednesday is full of both challenges and ease. You and a woman friend enjoy a moment before work; perhaps a jog or a coffee together? The work day agenda is full so expect to keep your shoulder to the wheel. Fortunately your energies are up to the task. Ask for a good joke in the afternoon; a square to Uranus can tickle your funny bone, and I bet you have fun retelling it that night.

CANCER - June 21-July 22 – The Moon is in Cancer from Thursday morning till Saturday morning. Take care not to say anything you would not repeat, or you might kill a relationship that means a lot to you. Make a decision to seek counseling together rather than throw away years of memories. Friday's sextile to Saturn favors getting lots of work done, also consulting with seniors. Friday evening it's OK to knock off work and relax with a comedy or the TV, or go out dancing. You may be affected by the Venus station in Aries, in your solar tenth house of career, so brace yourself for the worst but hope for the best.

LEO - July 23-Aug. 22 – The Moon is in Leo from Saturday morning thru the weekend. The Moon is inconjunct Pluto Saturday, a creative aspect. You might have fun converting found items into art or some other use. Leo is one of the more creative signs, and BTW loves children too, so you might adapt something into a play set or a sandbox for the youngsters. The Venus station affects your ninth house of higher education; it is possible that a tuition fees could change or course offerings get trimmed. If you have publishing projects, this period is better suited to writing or revising rather than sales or getting approvals.

VIRGO - Aug. 23-Sept. 22 – Saturn in your sign is getting a lengthy workout, with the inconjunction to all those planets in Aquarius: Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Mercury, Chiron, Neptune. Whew. The latter planets are past the exact aspect so the pressure should ease; however, you are probably the disciplinarian and referee and teacher to many people who just want you to let them be 'free'. Perhaps some of your charges might be ready to take greater responsibility in return for a bit of leeway. Offer makeup points for extra papers, projects, etc. A child may get use of the car on Sat. night if he does the grocery shopping, for example.

LIBRA - Sept. 23-Oct. 22 – All those planets in Aquarius are trining your natal planets, but gosh, I can't imagine how you decide what to do first. Your solar fifth house is overflowing with Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Mercury, Chiron, Neptune, plus a trine to Pallas in Gemini. The fifth house rules children, creative and artistic pursuits, speculation (stock market, gambling), and pleasures/entertainment. Probably all of those are very active right now, with Pallas in the solar ninth house helping you get published or noticed on the national stage. You were getting a moderately helpful boost from Venus sextiling Aquarius, but now she is stationing; use some time in seclusion to good effect.

SCORPIO - Oct. 23-Nov. 21 – Your co-ruler Mars is conjunct Mercury on Sunday night; take care to drop the sarcasm especially at home, with family members. Venus stations in your solar sixth house of health and job; brace yourself for cutbacks at work but hope for the best. Pluto is solidly in your third house now; cultivate influential neighbors, siblings, relatives that you can trade services with. BTW Ceres is in your solar eleventh house of friends (and clubs) thru July; sounds great for having dinner with friends on a regular basis – just bring the home-baked bread or wine.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov. 22-Dec. 21 – Your solar third house is really busy with the many planets in Aquarius; Jupiter receives a trine from Pallas in Gemini, too. Pallas in your opposite sign signifies that a spouse or partner is a capable career person and knows how the system works; let him or her take the reins to manage things for the best possible outcome. Venus will station in your fifth house of children and speculation (such as the stock market); perhaps a child will decide you are not their favorite person but you know how that goes.

CAPRICORN - Dec. 22-Jan. 19 – The Moon makes challenging aspects to Pluto transiting your sign on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; perhaps you are frustrated by a seeming loss of control over situations. Cie la vie, as they say; learn to roll with the punches and adapt your game plan as needed. Call on contacts who are Virgo and Pisces. The Virgo may be someone in the legal, publishing, or education field, whereas the Pisces may be a relative or neighbor. Both have some insights and soothing dinners to offer.

AQUARIUS - Jan. 20-Feb. 17 – Mercury is conjunct Mars in your sign Sunday night; measure your words or even better, count ten before saying anything. This past January and February must have seemed like you were inside a mixing bowl. Everyone is coming to you for something, expecting that you have resources and answers. Maybe so, maybe not. But you will need to have a good receptionist-type person to screen calls and ration your time. Venus stations in your solar third house, not an angular house fortunately but it could bring nagging problems with neighbors or siblings. Stay cool as always and perhaps you could chat with a child about it, one who has tabs on the facts.

PISCES - Feb. 18-March 19 – The Sun will square Pallas in Gemini in your solar fourth house of home and family; this brings challenges as you try to disentangle your house from the mortgage crisis; perhaps a family member is in better shape to buy it from you and let you lease it back. The Sun will also sextile Vesta in Taurus; you might find it helpful to journal about your feelings and experiences to help you process all that is going on around you.