Mercury went retrograde early last week, and he/she stays so until the 13th of the coming month. The air has been tense, to say the least, fraught with communication deficiencies and malfunctions especially where consolidating different philosophies, or maybe even spiritualities or religions, for some of you.

We all work differently, as large and small cogs turn at different speeds, though inherently serving the same greater function. We would all do well to keep in mind the differences between us all, or maybe moreover, the similarities, in particular. It seems at the moment as if we are experiencing collectively the weight of the world of varying perspectives, on our collective shoulders. A hint of seriousness pervades our relationships with Venus in Capricorn now.

As we see our prairies in Southern Alberta go up in smoke, it would seem a synchronicity to any astrologer that fiery Mars, the planet of aggression and impulse is in Virgo, the planet of the harvest. Mercury having gone retrograde and fraught with negative aspects, finds us witnessing the harvest by fire heralded by the burning winds of turmoil and inevitable change.

Aries - Knowing Is Half the Battle
March 21 - 23 to April 20 - 23

Hit hard by the straight-faced tone as of late, you find your nose to the grindstone of self-discovery. Keeping your head may be easier now than in times previous, so recognize that and take strength from the knowledge itself.

Perhaps this means not opening your ears so much to suggestions from others and listening to your heart.

Taurus - Opportunist Alley
April 21 - 23 to May 20 - 23

You're probably feeling the effects of Venus, and Pluto in Capricorn with thoughts turned toward finance and business, though not in working hard with your hands so much as wondering hard with your head where you can make a buck, and create opportunity. Be of your underlaying motives and that business dealings do not become miserly.

Gemini - The Choice To Choose
May 21-23 to June 20-23
Boy, what a time you're about to be having! Travels, plans and coffees canceled, mishaps, chaos and a hard work week are due for you, Lafoo.

You may be a little extra impossible to those around you, as you're so incredibly sure of yourself, it can be overwhelming. Be open to being open, because you're on the precipice of moving forward or backward, and at this juncture, you have a choice.

Cancer - A Comfortable Discomfort
June 21-23 to July 20-23
　
Slammed, you are! You're feeling torn with Venus and and Pluto in your opposite sign, emotions run deep and they are wrought with obstacles to overcoming them.
You're poised between moments of ultimate understanding between yourself and others, and moments of feeling closed off and separate from even those you hold dear. Try to remember the one, when experiencing the other.

Leo - Manifesting
July 21-23 to Aug. 20-23

You can work easily with the dominant signs, Capricorn and Sagittarius but even you may find yourself affected by Mercury's retrograde, postponing correspondences and creating setbacks despite your personal drive remaining intact.

 

Use the fire in the air to fan the fuse of your imagination, toward the ends of a future creative explosion. Now is a time for reserving your energy, and deciding what's really important, and deserving of your deeply contemplated priority.

 

Virgo - Servitude
Aug. 21-24 to Sept. 21-23

Having had time to temper your temper since Mars entered your sign, you still may find yourself dealing with short fuses, or a substantial amount of challenges these days;
Situations which seem to be coming to their apex. Use this time to appreciate the great art of debate which I know you do, and to consider in relation to this, the depth concerning your vocation.

 

If you don't believe in what you do entirely, what about it can you come to believe in? And how does what you do, serve you?

Libra - Right and Wrong
Sept. 21- 23 to Oct. 21-23
You're hard headed lately, letting the issues that shake your very bones send your skeleton dancing. As you rattle along, you can't shake the feeling you aren't getting very far.

The answer to your current set of dilemmas lies in allowing yourself to not only let go of the past, and insecurities you may be hanging on to, but also in immersing yourself in your work, both literally and in seriously reflecting on self-development. There are right and wrong ways to respond to things.

Scorpio - Depressive Tendencies
Oct. 21- 23 to Nov. 21-23
With all too serious Capricorn pervading fairly strongly right now, your already negative tendencies lean even more toward the doomy and gloomy as of late.

You seem to be having trouble seeing the silver lining or simply feeling at all like you are covering any ground, even if massive changes ensued in your life after your season this last month. You are in fact, getting somewhere but not being allowed to feel as if this is so. Resist the urge to give into your overwhelmed emotions, be they to suppress, regress or depress.

Sagittarius - Tied Line
Nov. 20-23 to Dec. 20-23

Today (Monday) will be a "power" day for most Sagittarians, finding that it will flow along rather smoothly, with an ability to act at exactly the right times, with wit and sharpness. Straight up, you may be experiencing an unnatural klutziness, dawg, so don't trip, yo. But just because your tongue isn't tied up doesn't mean the phone lines aren't either.

Capricorn - Lock and Key
Dec. 20-23 to Jan. 18-21
　
You find your world exaggerated lately, with a few planets in your sign, which carried with it the strong sense of seriousness. The inevitable steady grind of your well oiled machine has you hard at work, engaged and yet, unfulfilled.

You've been questioning the self and your personal demons whilst busy keeping those elbows greased. If not, this may be the key to unlock a door.

Aquarius - One Without the Other
Jan. 18-21 to Feb. 18-21

You just can't help feeling like you aren't working up to your standard, though being bombarded with the Scorpio currents last month has left us all catching our breath.

Having trouble empathizing, instead of feeling empathetic and nurturing, you simply aren't interested in focusing outside of your own sense of priority. Remember that emotional and material well-being are interconnected.

Pisces - Call A Friend
Feb. 18-21 to March 18-21

This may sound a little strange but I anticipate weird goings-ons with your domain, so something going haywire in your homestead, be it the computer, the fridge,
television or your coffee table. Annnnnyway, you may be feeling a little less emotional than normal, and quite earthed, despite an undercurrent of melancholy.
Ride the wave until sunnier skies reveal themselves, and in the meantime, if you're feeling glum, call a friend as opposed to going it alone.
For consultations, questions, harassment, and devotional confessions, write Iris here: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it