Secrets, Power Trips, and Self-Deception--Oh My!

We are approaching two challenging aspects that already have manifested in a political scandal that could be called "Big Brother Is Watching You, Part XLIV." I am referring, of course to the phone companies in bed with the Obama administration, since apparently everyone is a potential terrorist. Yet we should all be comforted to learn that, unlike various invasions of privacy during the Bush II regime, this one has been sanctioned by the courts. There, don't you feel much better about it now?

The Mercury-Pluto opposition (exact 6:01pm ET) cautions us that communications are neither open nor transparent at the moment. You may be keeping a huge secret, or you may be deliberately kept in the dark about something important. Either circumstance will lead to paranoia and an imbalance of power. It is also possible that you will blow the lid off very sensitive information if the price is right or the pressure to spill the beans is too intense. If you run with a particular type of crowd, you may find yourself at the bottom of the bay, feeding the fish. Even if you run with no crowd at all, you may have an unpleasant interaction with a neighbor or sibling. Even if you are alone, you may wind up arguing with yourself. This will be a fun time for snipers and vipers.

The Mars-Neptune square (exact 7:58pm ET) unfortunately will not assist you in terms of intuition and timing. Self-deception is very likely, as is the desire to tie one on. If you insist on hitting the bars, try to wait till after the square -- Happy Hour will be more like Crappy Hour. If you have another type of poison, you may not react well to it. This is definitely not the right evening to go out for sushi and sake.

Mercury Square Pluto: Sticks & Stones, Concealing vs. Revealing

If you do not know whether you should spill the beans or keep mum, join the club (or not). If you are caught between keeping your own counsel or confiding in someone you "should" ostensibly trust, yet are getting a funny vibe from, welcome to the dilemma of the upcoming Mercury-Pluto square (exact 4/25 at 10:50 a.m. EDT).

Mercury communicates on the road, in the air, and through the rye; Pluto communicates if and when it damn well feels like it, in its own inscrutable, relentless way, since trust and power are often major-league Issues-with-a-capital-I. The face-off between these two planets should make for some interesting fireworks (especially since Mercury is in the fire sign Aries) but also some intense burns.

Verbal manipulation or downright abuse is all too likely, so be prepared either to fight back or steer clear of any black belts in tongue karate. Any long-suffering resentment will boil over now, so if you know you're on someone's shit list and cannot avoid that person (particularly a sibling or neighbor), try to make gracious and sincere amends, even if it is long overdue. People are far more likely to obsess over perceived wrongdoings under the square, and it will be difficult not to be on the defensive.

If you find that you cannot crack an important code under this aspect, or are unable to suss out someone's true motives (including your own), take a deeeeeeep breath and come back on Thursday, when the Moon enters the intuitive water sign Cancer. Under a Mercury-Pluto square, what is hiding in plain sight may just as well be swallowed up by shadows or buried six feet under.