Midlife Transits

If you need a job, go for it before the 9th, which is when Jupiter leaves Aries. Crush the competition if you must. You’re the best; make sure everyone knows it. Aries does not reward timidity in pursuing a goal, so don’t hold back. You can worry about how you’re actually going to do the job once you get it. If you don’t get the job right away, keep up hope, for Jupiter will return to your job sector in February. Once Jupiter does retrograde back into Pisces on the 9th, he won’t be much practical help to you. He’ll be hanging out with Uranus, perhaps cooking up some fun or romance for you, but he won’t be focusing on bread and butter issues.

This month, you also have 2 planets enter your sign for the first time all year. The first to enter will be Venus on the 8th. Mars will enter on the 14th. Venus is a bit of a careless planet, and Mars loves danger. This is great if you love danger, too. You can present yourself in a charismatic way with these 2 planets in your sign and attract all sorts of opportunities to flirt with crossing the line. If you don’t love danger, just be aware that you’re more magnetic than usual and steer clear of folks that seem dicey to you.

Before the 14th, Mars will be in Libra advocating for the spiritual approach. Faith and perspective are the watchwords.

Let’s start with job and career. Jupiter and Uranus start the month in your 6th house of jobs, and then Uranus moves back into your 5th house of love life, children, and creative projects by the 14th.  Meanwhile, Jupiter is challenged by Pluto, Saturn, Mars, and Venus all by 16th of the month. Put bluntly, your beliefs about jobs, and work and employment are scheduled to be challenged.

Meanwhile, your career and professional projects get a boost from the sun in Leo until the 23rd. The time around the new moon on the 9th provides a good time to initiate a new important creative, intellectual, or career endeavor.

Pluto in Capricorn may have an impact on your professional choices as well, as he hammers at Jupiter in your job sector. For some reason, research or gaining more knowledge seem to be key. With Pluto in your 3rd house and Jupiter in your 6th house, a profession like teaching seems to fit the bill astrologically. Yet, Venus, Mars, and Saturn in your 12th house of the subconscious seem to disagree or resist your long-term direction regarding your job or vocation. It is possible that momentary feelings of laziness are discouraging you from pursuing the knowledge you need to succeed. If that’s the case, the doldrums should subside relatively early next month when planets start moving into your own sign.

The most difficult clash comes from Pluto square Saturn. This aspect becomes exact on the 21st but builds before then. Both of these planets are concerned with reputation by nature, and they don’t seem to agree on what yours should be. Possible outcome: a secret is outed.

Self-confidence month for Scorpio as the inner planets (sun, Mercury, Venus) move through Leo, your own personal sign of achievement and visibility. Behave as if you have that self-confidence and an otherwise astrologically tense month will be more likely to pay off for you.

You can also lean on your friends this month and count on them to give you the straight dope, as 4 planets spend time in your friendship house this month. Let them perk you up when you are down or ground you when you’re flying unrealistically high.

Another area of activity could be long-distance travel, as a new moon eclipse in Cancer on the 11th highlights the sector of your chart in charge of roaming far and wide.

That’s the inner planets; now we gotta deal with the outer ones. The most powerful one of all, Pluto, is rumbling along in your solar 3rd house of communication. He’ll be there for a long time, so that’s not news. He wants you to share your knowledge in a rigorously honest way. Typical, long-term, gradual Pluto goal.

What’s news is that he’ll be squaring off with Jupiter in Aries in your job and health sector for most of the month. Someone, perhaps in your work sphere, such as a co-worker, apparently does not want to hear the truth. Whoever it is thinks that your truth is too grim and instead wants to bounce around optimistically with his or her hands over their ears, singing “I can’t hear you!”

Not being heard punches Pluto’s buttons, and when Pluto’s buttons get punched, he wants to let you know about it. Everyone has this experience of not being heard at some point, but Pluto is slowly working himself up to a towering rage over this issue in your life, and you’re getting a taste of this in July.

Bottom line: you’re going to have to speak your truth, even if the idiots you’re speaking to make you want to strangle them. This is going to stir up some subconscious fears, but scared or not, you’ll eventually have to lay things on the the line. Because the more powerfully you learn to own and speak your true thoughts, the more powerful you’re going to be in every facet of your life.

First on the agenda for June: Jupiter moving into Aries on the 6th. Be on the lookout for sudden, unexpected job opportunities. Jupiter joins Uranus in the job sector of your chart, so most of the opportunities are likely to come in the form of short-term, temporary, free-lance, or independent contractor work. Jobs that require you to be outgoing, independent, show initiative or even aggression or a competitive spirit are the most promising.  Other areas job-hunting Scorpios can investigate are those in Mars-ruled industries like those involving metals, tools and instruments, the military, energy, and heating and cooling. Jupiter is all about expansion, so if you already have a job, even part-time or free-lance work, look for ways to increase the extent of it. Finally, if you are looking to get experience in a new field, Jupiter will help you try to get it. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities.

Travel may also be on the agenda for some Scorpios. Long-distance travel energy hovers around most of the month. The only week that does not have long-distance travel energy is the week of the 14th through the 20th. Scorpios without funds for travel may do some armchair traveling via books or even web-surfing. Learning about your family may appeal.

There may be a sudden short trip on the agenda around the 26th, or, alternatively, a planned short trip may be canceled at the last minute. Finally, the pace of your social life may also pick up after the 7th, as Mars tries to increase the volume of your social contacts.

Hmmm, the joy of cooking or the joy of career success? Your chart wants both in May and sometimes that creates a bit of a conflict. I say go for both. In fact, go for it is a key concept of the month. Mars is near to finishing up his tour of your solar 10th house, which means he is not going to bring as much energy to your chart in June. Translation: the time to act is now.

Now I don’t mean that you need to act thoughtlessly or without consideration. There will be squares from Mars to planets in Taurus and other fixed signs that will mean that you’ll need to think things through. But as long as you do that, then your route to happiness does lie through action.

Speaking of action, Uranus is moving into your solar job sector at the very end of the month. This is a very action oriented placement so you can expect job activity to perk up during the summer months of this year. Sooner or later there will be drama in this area of your life, or perhaps just melodrama. Uranus is the planet that likes to ignore humdrum things like cause and effect in favor of exciting things like surprise and stuff that happens for no apparent reason. He’ll probably try to amp up the emotion level in your workplace, too, possibly in bewildering ways. Why is Uranus doing this? Quite simply, because he wants you to have more fun on the job. You may not approve of his methods, but do try to get on board with the intention.

April presents quite the mixed bag. The other fixed signs are represented in abundance (Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius), which means they are basically being snarky with each other. The mutable signs of Pisces and Virgo are also over-represented this month, and the mutable sign of Gemini sneaks in on the 25th. The mutable signs aren’t just being snarky in April, they are brawling.

Here are the players. Uranus in Pisces in your solar 5th house is in the mood to rebel like crazy against the authority that Saturn in Virgo represents. Yes, Saturn moves back into Virgo on the 7th. In your life, the authority could come in the form of your know-it-all friends, the government, local officials, bureaucrats, corporate lackeys, old people, or critics. The desire to rebel may play out in your love life, your children’s lives, or your creative projects. However it plays out, your chart does not want to be repressed by these forces any more. So…go ahead and rebel. As long as you don’t do anything insane, it should be good for you. Good luck Jupiter is on the side of the rebel planet this time, so you may even get away with taunting your tormentors–as long as you don’t go too far over the top.

On the fixed side of things, we have Neptune in Aquarius, sun, Mercury, and Venus in Taurus, and Mars in Leo. The general result is confusion in the major areas of your life. There is just too much going on. Don’t even bother trying to sort it out. Instead, indulge in some good old fashioned escapism by going to the movies, or even better renting a bunch of them to watch at home.

Job and career. Job and career. Job and career. Those are big themes for Scorpio in March.

Maybe you love to learn on the job or maybe you find extraneous learning generally tedious and uninteresting. Regardless of how you usually feel, the second half of March is specifically designed to highlight learning all you can about job-related stuff so that you can utilize all the energy that’s still glowing in your career sector thanks to Mars in Leo. Even if you think of your day job as just a job, for the moment, you need to treat it like a career.

Attend or organize events to raise your visibility. Go after a promotion, some kind of an achievement, or an honor. Do something important; step in and save the day when there’s a crisis. Concentrate on the here and now and leave aside for a moment your sign’s normal attraction to research and the past. Learn by doing and by taking action. Be opportunistic. What you have is a nice conglomeration of influences designed to reward ego, confidence, and your own individual contribution, so make the most of them. This is also your best month all year to attract what you need in terms of a new job or allies in the job you already have.

Finally, take heart if this job stuff is not what you want to emphasize this month. You also have the possibility of enjoying love (Venus in your love life house from mid-February through March 6!). You could also gain a little money through creative endeavors.

This is your month to make a vow that you will think of your family and give them the attention and affection they need. If for some reason you don’t have family to consider, then shower your house with love, and invite some friends over to show it off. Why do I say this? Because it’s Aquarius month, and in your chart, Aquarius represents home, family, and friends.

It’s also Pisces month, which means it’s love life month, creativity month, or appreciating your children month. Jupiter is in this sign in February, as well as the sun and Venus during the second half of the month. Valentine’s Day this year is just packed with aspects, some of them quite romantic and favorable to your sign. Jupiter is also the travel planet, so some of you will be traveling either as a result of a romance, in furtherance of a creative project, or in connection with your children. (Jupiter is actually in this sector all the way until early June, and then from early September through the end of the year.)

Finally, the action planet Mars is still at the top of your chart, urging you to actually do something about your career, status or reputation. You are being asked to perform at your best. Saturn in Libra can actually help you with that this month, especially during the astrologically action packed Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend. You may actually end up working that weekend and working hard. It’s best for those who get their income from business, and it’s especially favorable for moving tangible items with Leo or Libra themes (luxury items, artwork, books, decorative or rare items, etc.).

There are two different areas of focus in January for Scorpio. One is the little stuff, the stuff of daily life and the ordinary business of life. You may see a subtle or large shift in everyday matters around the time of the eclipse on January 15. It would be the structure of your activities that would be most affected. If your daily life is not affected, relationships with siblings, neighbors, or extended family relatives (cousins, etc.) may be.

The other focus has to do with residence and property matters, as Jupiter leaves your home sector on January 17. Scorpios who have been searching for a place to buy or an apartment to rent could get a lucky break this month. Some of you will also want to finish up home improvements before Jupiter leaves this area of your chart.

Career matters continue to be important, although there aren’t likely to be major new developments. This is a time to pay your dues in your career and keep momentum going.

As for your 2010, one big change starts this month when Jupiter moves into Pisces. This is likely to bring happy events, perhaps a new love affair, plans for children, progress on a creative project, or something else that you enjoy. In the summer, the focus switches to employment and health-related matters, but that’s a ways off, so we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

December is eclipse month. A lunar eclipse in Cancer occurs at the very end of the month. Because eclipses can be felt over a wide range of times, you may notice something at the beginning of the month, at the end of the month or in late January. In a general sense, this eclipse is about giving up false beliefs, false hopes, false plans–letting go of something you think, rather than something you have or someone you know.

This is also money month for you thanks to Venus in Sagittarius and a new moon in that sign on December 16. Expect calls from people with income opportunities. If no one calls you, make some calls yourself.

This month has a lot of Capricorn energy, too. Mercury will be in this sign from the 5th, and it will go retrograde right after Christmas. Capricorn is the sign of shoulds, ought tos, must dos, and so on. It represents your solar 3rd house of words, and it is big on integrity. If you make a promise this month, you must keep it.  In fact, a big area of growth for all Scorpios is learning the power of keeping your word. That’s why it’s important to let go of plans you can’t or aren’t willing to follow through on.

Career continues to be important, with Mars in Leo stuck at 19 degrees for much of the month. If you were born in the middle of November, you are being challenged to do your best work.

You’re moving into a period when job and family will wrestle for your attention. Or, more accurately, career and domestic concerns in general will tug at you. The conflict is not unmanageable though, and, in general, your career should get more preference for the time being. Scorpios who do mental or intellectual work will find November to be particularly intense, as will Scorpios with 3rd house occupations, such as secretary, writer, PR, communications, transportation, knowledge workers, and other occupations related to Mercury. (You can look at my other website Practical Astrology for more keywords related to Mercury and the 3rd house. Scroll down for keywords.)

It is likely that you will be quite busy and you may feel that you do not have time for everything you have to do this month. When stresses get to be a bit much, use your home as your retreat; it is your place of healing these days. Doing chores around the house can help you unwind.

Of course, this is your birthday month and time for a party. Fortunately, you have better astrological support for a good time this year than you have since 2007, as grumpy Saturn has moved out of your solar house of friendships and socializing. Your birthday wish new moon is on the 16th.

Your Scorpio year ahead looks to be full of changes, as we have many more planetary shifts than normal, as well as heavy-duty outer planet influences to shake us all up and make our lives interesting. You’ll want to check back often during the year for your current horoscopes, for if there’s ever a year in which we could use a roadmap, the next 12 months are likely to qualify for that distinction.

Take care and enjoy your birthday celebrations!

Your sign finally gets a little personal attention this month when the sun moves into your sign on the 23rd. That should hopefully make you quite happy. Jupiter also stations this month in the part of your solar chart that governs your home. That should make you happy too, especially if you stay home when you want to stay home.

This little vibe also works quite well with the new moon in Libra on the 18th in your solitude-loving 12th house. Those of you who don’t love solitude all that much could take advantage of the nice vibes to do some entertaining, invite a few people over. Another possibility is to go with a friend (or lover) to some sort of spa or retreat. FYI, the whole happy home life/spa &retreat vibes begin in late September (around the 20th).

For those of you who must think about work instead of fun, there are a couple of things going on. One’s a full moon in your job sector on October 3. There’s a small possibility that a job-related matter will wrap up around then. In bigger news, Mars enters your career sector for an astonishing 8 month stay on the 16th. This is when you either start to receive the applause you’re due for career efforts or you start making efforts to earn that same applause. If you’re not that visible in your field, it’s time to start getting more so. Volunteer for highly attention-grabbing activities like public speaking or otherwise take action. This kind of a long stretch of career help from Mars comes along only very rarely.

This month is a strange illustration of the principle that big changes happen slowly and in little steps. Some of those steps involve moving backward instead of forward, as is symbolized by this month’s Mercury retrograde. You can use this Mercury retrograde to just let yourself be aware of the changes  that have been occuring over the last 12 months, slow and small as some of them may have seemed. If that sounds entirely too philosophical for you, you can also use it to get in touch with some old friends.

Or both. Your chart is anticipating major changes in your friendship sector as Saturn moves out of Virgo in very late October. Right now, these changes cause resistance and anger; later they will cause relief and a feeling of burdens lifted. In short, you’ve come a great distance with these old friends, and soon enough you should be able to see the ground you’ve covered.

Meanwhile, you’ve also got Venus in Leo this month. Good career energy! Socializing with the boss, praise, congratulations, or other goodies may be on tap. If you need career luck, get out and about and be seen. Don’t be afraid to show yourself in all your glory.

New moon in your career house this month, Scorpio. The new moon itself occurs on August 20. Before that, the sun will be in your career sign (Leo) and then Venus will be. Time to get creative when thinking about career options.

Sometimes Scorpio as a sign wants things to be black or white when the universe would prefer something entirely different like fire engine red or tartan plaid. Part of your job this month is to start looking for career colors you normally ignore. This can mean things like mixing part-time careers, expanding the range of what you do, tweaking your path, or devising ingenious ways to dodge a bullet. The economy has got a lot of people in a career spot these days, so creativity and flexibility are more important than ever.

If you’re already where you want to be career-wise, use the moon to do a brief ritual of gratitude. Many people are not so blessed.

Finally, there’s a lunar eclipse in the sector that governs your home and family. If you feel it, it would most likely be to say goodbye to something that you no longer need.