Last week, Pluto entered retrograde. This week, Mercury follows suit. As a nearby inner planet, we feel the influence of Mercury’s retrogrades more directly. Communication gets hazy, accidents are more likely to occur, and people can start acting a little wily.
No matter what the retrograde brings for your sign, remember: it’s all about perspective. The stars are objective forces. While they’re chaotic at times, they’re overwhelmingly neutral. The positive or negative aspects you place on their authority are largely self-produced.
Unfortunately, Mercury loves to make you forget that fact. How will your sign fare this week?
Aries
March 20 – April 19
Your passion dances the line between motivation and aggression on a daily basis. When your zest for life boils over into mania, that’s when things tend to fall apart. You lose sight of your goals and reality itself. Consequently, you start picking fights and burning bridges.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a full-out brawl is the only way you express conflict. It’s in the small, subtle ways, too—those aren’t as unnoticeable as you think. While you’re not stuck like this forever, only you can break this pattern.
Taurus
April 19 – May 20
The stars are offering valuable insight into your ego this week. Will you listen or turn a blind eye? It can be tempting to assume that things go wrong because of someone else. Your stubborn streak (and well-disguised pride) don’t let you accept fault easily.
Still, that doesn’t mean the fault is never yours to have. This weekend, your darkest shadow self will be thrust into the spotlight. How you react to this emotional obstacle will greatly impact the quality of your relationships—both with others and yourself.
Gemini
May 20 – June 21
When the universe presents you with something negative, you have two options. You can either accept the negative at face value or turn it around into a positive. Those obstacles, however cumbersome, offer invaluable lessons and strengthen your character.
Brace yourself for these challenges ahead, but don’t shy away from them. You have the know-how to face whatever comes your way head-on—don’t let your insecurities tell you otherwise. You’ll carry the knowledge you gleaned from this experience with you for the rest of your life.
Cancer
June 21 – July 22
Radical problems require similar solutions, which is why you might feel like you’re getting nowhere. You’ve been trying to troubleshoot from within the confines of your comfort zone. But what’s the point if the solution is lying outside of it?
There’s no doubt this will be difficult for you. Not only do you hate change, but you also hate direct conflict. Passive-aggressive suffering in silence is your usual M.O. Surely, you’ve noticed that it hasn’t gotten you anywhere you want to be. Go ahead and take that first step, Cancer.
Leo
July 22 – August 22
People are quick to assume you love the spotlight because of the attention. But most of the time, you prefer the lead spot because you want a lack of attention—specifically, no supervision. You hate being told what to do. If you’re the boss, no one can.
Still, life doesn’t work that way. Sometimes, you have to take a backseat role to keep the ship afloat. Learning when and how long to step down is a lesson you’re still learning. Midweek, an opportunity will arise to reflect on how you might help by not helping.
Virgo
August 22 – September 22
You have no problem setting and achieving goals for concrete, definitive concepts. Whether it’s money, a new job, a house, or otherwise—these objectives are clear and easy to measure. However, when it comes to abstract ideas, you become less focused.
Measuring ideas like happiness, fulfillment, and engagement is another ball game. It requires brutally honest self-reflection and a willingness to change direction if necessary. But until you start putting as much energy into the abstract as you do the concrete, you’ll keep running into the same issues.
Libra
September 22 – October 23
The stars are aligned in your favor this week, Libra. A new opportunity will present itself to you at the end of the week. While it might appear as an obstacle at first, you’ll realize it’s a launching pad once you get closer. Don’t second guess yourself during your approach.
You often downplay your intelligence, but you are incredibly insightful. Your listening skills have filled you in on other people’s mistakes and blunders, allowing you to think ahead and avoid the same. It’s essential that you don’t mistake your kindness for weakness.
Scorpio
October 23 – November 22
Despite your keen sense of perception, you’ve been known to live in a fantasy world every now and then. It’s not that you’re blind to reality. It’s more like a defense mechanism, separating you from the outside world as a means of protection, not ignorance.
You can navigate the real world from this detached state without fear of actually getting hurt. But what else are you missing out on? Choosing not to face the facts not only keeps you from feeling pain. It also keeps you from feeling joy, intimacy, and love.
Sagittarius
November 22 – December 21
Assuming that other people understand your intentions is dangerous. You can never be certain of someone else’s past experiences and self-beliefs that would alter their perception of your words and actions. It’s not up to them to decode you; it’s up to you to be direct.
From personal relationships to professional goals, all aspects of your life stand to gain from this lesson. No one can progress when every communication requires two days of analysis, reflection, and rebuttal. Speak with love, but do it firmly.
Capricorn
December 21 – January 20
It seems like every week, you’re facing a new challenge. Things go wrong, you take up extra responsibilities, and your burnout intensifies—it’s almost like clockwork at this point. This week, the stars are going to show you just how much you play into that dynamic.
What are you hiding from under the guise of productivity? Why are you so quick to isolate yourself with self-bestowed duties? The answers to these questions are the foundation on which your sense of self rests. Addressing them directly might make you feel unsteady, but the ship will right itself eventually.
Aquarius
January 20 – February 18
You struggle between wanting something new and something safe. Your desire for both is so equal that it’s hard to know which to prioritize. It seems that no matter which you choose, you’ll be left unfulfilled. In this case, it’s important to pinpoint what, exactly, feels unfulfilled. Is it your ego? Or is it your heart?
If it’s the former, then there’s good news: an unstroked ego is a survivable ailment. A lonely, broken heart, however? That’s a bit harder to fix. Luckily, you can find “something new” in opening up to those around you.
Pisces
February 18 – March 20
It can be hard to admit how much of our own melancholy is self-produced. Indeed, the space between desolation and satisfaction is often filled with “coulds.” You get stuck on the goals you could achieve, the connections you could make—and since those coulds don’t become wills, you grow sad and dejected.
The only thing stopping a “could” from turning into a “will” is you, Pisces. You have the power to shake yourself out of this funk. And this week, the stars are rooting for you to do just that.