This Past Week Has Been the Equivalent of Changing Time Zones!

Greetings, my lovelies and uglies. In this final unofficial week of summer (officially, summer lasts till September 22), it is time to take stock of two major planetary shifts that occurred within the past week: the Sun's entry into Virgo (August 22) and Mars's entry into Scorpio (August 23).

The Virgo period pulls us away from such Leo-type venues, pursuits, and states of mind as the beach, parties, vacations, disco naps, and summer flings -- and toward literal or figurative freshly sharpened No. 2 pencils. The Sun-Neptune opposition on the 24th encouraged daydreaming and escapism, but now we are beginnning to feel the self-improvement bug. It's either back to school or back to the grind (even if you never really left the grind because to take even a week off would cost you your livelihood). It's that time of year to do what's good for you and take the long view, even if this mind-set is not nearly as much fun as your want-to-dos. However, with Mercury still lingering in Leo, there is still time to howl at the upcoming Full Moon in Pisces (which also happens to be a Blue Moon!) on Friday the 31st...and on the imminent Sun-Pluto trine (exact today at 8:20pm EDT), if you allow Pluto's shadowy, underworld rays to commingle with the Sun's more forthright ones, you may wind up with a tincture of magnetism, magic, and power to have some serious fun with.

And speaking of power, Mars in Scorpio has much more potential for that than Mars in Libra, a placement considered to be in its "detriment," as Libra is a Venus-ruled sign and far more concerned with maintaining harmony than dealing with conflict and desire. Mars transiting through Libra this summer had its ups and downs as well as side-to-sides, but most certainly affected (or infected) romantic relationships as well as politics. In the sign of Scorpio, however, Mars finds a true home; in fact, before Pluto's discovery in 1930, Mars was Scorpio's sole ruler. Therefore, Mars operates far more effectively in this fixed water sign. Coming to terms with sexual desires and ambition is a hallmark of this transit; so is shedding your skin to accommodate the considerable growth spurt you will experience between now and October 6. (If you were born with Mars in Scorpio, this transit will mark a Mars Return for you -- a double dose of business as usual.) That said, Mars is far from harmless when traveling through Scorpio...unless you consider a snake or eagle to be harmless. If you are unfortunate enough to make enemies with a Mars-in-Scorpio individual, rest assured that person will not only fail to forgive and forget, but also subscribes to the belief that revenge is a dish best served cold, so you will never see it coming.

On a personal note (for it's high time I reveal some of my steamy entrails), the change from Mars in Libra to Mars in Scorpio has breathed new life into my body, my soul, and my relationship with a certain Pisces who I have become increasingly convinced is the love of my li -- are your eyes turning green? I also lack equity, a steady job with benefits, still battle nightmares on a regular basis, and am about 15 lbs. overweight, which for a petite person like myself is the equivalent of twice that.

Now take out those freshly sharpened No. 2 pencils in case I decide to give you a pop quiz.