Aspects for the week beginning 17 August 2008

The main forces of the day, both the inspirational and the challenging, may have taken place while you were sleeping or during the night’s revels. Venus trining Jupiter early on encourages social get-togethers, reunions and celebrations. There will have been a bitter-sweet flavour to last night’s eclipse though, with Mars squaring Pluto which releases long-smouldering resentments and in some cases leads to physical confrontation. The positive way of looking at it is that energy is released, and freed, to be recycled. If you are in a group situation, be aware of and responsible about what you are contributing to its harmonies and tensions. Tomorrow (18th) Mercury trines Jupiter, so yesterday’s tussles may have paid off with an expanded awareness, a broadening of horizons, and a sense of freedom and enlightenment. On Tuesday (19th) Mars leaves Virgo and arrives in Libra, so it’s a good day to put the finishing touches to projects started at the beginning of July, and to turn your energies to relationships and how peace can be achieved. Use the struggle for peace in your own relationships as a metaphor for peace between nations, then turn back and forth in your understanding of both. For Mars will be in Libra until early October, and it is the positioning of the diplomat who understands both war and peace, who sits on the fence and sees both sides of the story. Thursday (21st) is the most weightily constructive day with Sun trine Pluto, Mercury conjunct Venus and Moon trine Sun. If it’s your birthday, you’ll be greatly honoured by this planetary line-up. Words will take on an eternal meaning today, and diplomats and politicians will enjoy the gift of the gab. It is a good day for articulating what is in your deepest subconscious, for putting words to music, for that heart-to-heart you have longed for with a dear one, and for balance between inner male and female. The Sun enters Virgo on Friday (22nd) – leave behind the pleasure-seeking of Leo, there’s a job to be done now during the Sun’s passage through Virgo! What is the service which is being asked of you now? Relish the task, and put your best energies forward. Saturday (23rd) will show you the obstacles to your plan or task so that you know the complexity of what you are dealing with, for Uranus opposes Mercury and Venus on that day. Uranus opposes Mercury at breakfast, and controversial words could be spoken at the breakfast table over unusual combinations of leftovers from the night before. Mid-afternoon Uranus opposes Venus, so unusual feelings could be allowed to surface and given expression over tea and cake. Make sure the cake is a completely new, never-before tried recipe with flavours and ingredients such as to impress John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Give it the wow factor. You need to distract the judges today and even raise a smile on their faces. For on Saturday, all your fine words and plans could temporarily go out the window, as you learn to think on your feet and provide solutions from the infinity of your intuition. Got a problem? Find the solution that’s twinned with it.