Major astrological connections this week as the Gemini sun sheds light on the heart of our galaxy, the spot in late Sagittarius where powerful Pluto is currently holding court. On Saturday night, Mars and Saturn, the classic “malefics” – i.e., the bad guys of astrology – meet in imperial Leo, the sign of entitlement and entertainment. Maybe we'll manage to bob and weave our way through Father's Day, but on Monday we're in for a surprise as barrier-breaking Uranus flips into retrograde for the next five months. At the same time, prosperous Jupiter is challenged by slash-and-burn Mars and, next Thursday, by a culturally significant square from restrictive Saturn. In between, early Wednesday morning, the summer solstice. Protect yourself.

Aries

If, for some reason, you need to stiffen your backbone or put the brakes on your freewheeling lifestyle, then Mars' meeting with strait-laced Saturn could be just what the spin doctor ordered. But if you don't cotton to restrictions and have heard “Prevention is the best medicine” one time too many, you'll probably accept whatever over-the-top offer is dangled before you when exuberant, extravagant Jupiter squares Mars this weekend. Entrepreneurs with a bit of the daredevil in them can't help but love the challenge.

Taurus

Bulls born around May Day should not insist on getting their own way. This week there's too much macho energy (a powerful Mars-Saturn conjunction) aimed at deflecting your desires and making you feel more frustrated than you've been in years. That being said, let's look for a bright side. Well, a partner could add the extra funds or otherwise help you with an expensive proposition. In fact, the more you rely on another person's (not a colleague's) generosity, foresight and sense of fair play, the better off the Bull will be.

Gemini

There's a lot of posturing and muscle-flexing going on right now, but since your Mercury ruler isn't affected, you don't have to take part in the passing parade. However, you may want to celebrate the last of the Gemini birthdays – birds of a feather really do flock together! – or take time to welcome the summer solstice. Nothing should shake your equilibrium, unless it's the surprise in store when unpredictable Uranus turns retrograde in your career midheaven. How drastic a change can you handle?

Cancer

A powerful planetary partnership takes place in your Leo financial zone when Mars provides the nerve and Saturn the necessity to do something significant. Urging you to look beyond the immediate fix and ahead to the future is farsighted, socially/politically savvy Jupiter. There's an outside chance that Jupiter's enthusiasm will ask for a greater contribution than you're comfortable giving, but since the jolly giant is in Scorpio, a supportive, emotionally attuned water sign, you might not worry as much as you usually do.

Leo

It bears repeating: The situation you find yourself in won't come around again for another 30 years. This weekend's marriage (some call it a merger) between ballsy Mars and conservative Saturn in your sign may raise eyebrows, but since Mars tends to court danger, you're liable to raise a storm of protest instead. How you handle the divergent planetary energies could be influenced by what generous Jupiter in your Scorpio sphere brings to the table. Will the family give their blessing, or will an expensive real estate matter take precedence and use up their goodwill?

Virgo

Some will succumb to the pressure a friend exerts, knowing that generous Jupiter in your money house is likely to come to his or her rescue. Others may get solicited by a social crusader looking for a sizable donation. A few Virgins may turn to a neighbor for their support. However, chances are that all Virgos will experience an emotional disconnect when Uranus in your Pisces marriage house turns retrograde for the rest of the summer. Whether this lets you off the hook so that you can stop paying attention to what an erratic partner has been demanding is a mystery.

Libra

The summer solstice strikes a chord with all the cardinal signs (Libra, Aries, Capricorn and Cancer), because you're the folks whose lives can be dramatically affected by these seasonal transitions. Since Cancer governs the highest point in your chart, the transiting sun will call attention to whatever career success you've achieved or it'll brighten the family's reputation in the community. So try to be on your best behavior and graciously accept whatever goodies – the perks, the press – come your way over the next four weeks. Better read for Virgo as well.

Scorpio

Contemplating the start of summer is a good excuse to let down your guard and slather on the sunscreen. But if you need another reason, how about learning that erratic Uranus in your house of fun and games goes off duty when it turns retrograde on the 19th? No need to vigilantly monitor a romance or other risky behavior for a while. But what can you do about the competition in your Leo career house? Will the rigid old man (Saturn) limit Mars' independence, or will your spunky co-ruler help you get around the latest rules and regulations?

Sagittarius

It's possible that the uncertainty you've been harboring will lessen when Uranus in dualistic Pisces turns retrograde. It's also possible that your concern about home and hearth will veer off in another direction or that another question will supplant the one you've been stuck on. Only time will tell. However, right now you might be facing a two-fisted approach to a money matter involving a colleague or a casual acquaintance. Your judicious Jupiter ruler should help you to weigh one person's eagerness against another's reticence.

Capricorn

Read for Libra. As one of the four cardinal signs, you know full well that a change of seasons can suddenly shift your focus from one area of your life to another. While the sun is in Cancer, you may have a hard time not becoming intimately involved with people who qualify (if only for the next three months) as “significant others.” Whether they are potential marriage or business partners doesn't make much of a difference; what you'll be drawn to are qualities that complement, not duplicate, what you bring to the table. Is this the time to lighten your load?

Aquarius

So, say you survive Father's Day with a minimal amount of conflict, and you manage to adjust to whatever weirdness your tricky Uranus ruler has in store when it flips from direct to retrograde on Monday. Where does that leave you? Getting good reviews for the work you intend to do as soon as protective Jupiter in your Scorpio midheaven turns direct on July 6. Until the Independence Day holiday is over, you shouldn't expect much progress on the career front. However, before Mercury turns retrograde on the 4th, make the initial contacts, send the requisite r??sum??s.

Pisces

This summer should be better in all respects than the last few, because lucky Jupiter, you old-school ruling planet, is in Scorpio, a compatible water sign. That the jolly giant is in your house of sex and other people's money is another plus. So once the sun enters nurturing Cancer, the third of the instinctive, sensitive water signs, Fish become the target (in a good way) for the benefits coming from the two largest bodies in our solar system. A grand water trine is about as emotionally and spiritually satisfying as the grand design gets.

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