Dream that little dream while the sun's marriage to imaginative
Neptune makes a beloved fantasy seem like a possibility. How much you'll
pay for the pleasure depends on how susceptible you are to the enthusiastic exhortations
of Friday's Venus-Jupiter square: The cause of way too many “too good
for your own good” experiences? Stark reality takes over on Saturday as
the group-centered Aquarius sun opposes pragmatic Saturn in egocentric Leo and
makes the rift between idealistic Neptune and rock-solid Saturn more apparent.
Mercury in Pisces doesn't turn retrograde until Tuesday night, but we've
learned that the days before its official flip can be as mishap-happy as the ones
that follow. Stay alert; avoid another fender-bender.

Aries

Is a colleague about to mislead you? Maybe not on purpose, maybe because the Aquarius
sun is emphasizing Neptune's tendency to deceive and be deceived. If you
can help it, and you might once the sun confronts sensible Saturn on Saturday,
don't be taken in by misguided advice. Mercury turning retrograde in Pisces,
then backtracking through Aquarius, can also be confusing. Where are the pitfalls
and why won't you see them coming? Because Mercury is in your 12th house,
the place where secret enemies and self-defeating premises hide out.

Taurus

Once again, it's the painters and photographers, musicians and makeup artists
(writers included) who benefit from the Aquarius sun's conjunction with
idealistic Neptune in your career house. Are you ready to go beyond the limits
of your imagination? Religious fanatics also fare well when faith-based Neptune
receives a boost from the authoritative sun. However, pragmatic Saturn, rooted
in your family zone, might shield you from whatever crap you're being handed,
or it could act as a counterbalance to those high-and-mighty ideals.

Gemini

The area of your solar chart that's highlighted this week is the complicated
eighth house, the place where sex, death and transformation, plus other people's
money (e.g., inheritances, insurance policies, bank loans), mush together. Think
Scorpio and you'll have a better idea. While the Aquarius sun merges with
impressionable Neptune, you could come up with an array of impractical albeit
attractive ideas. Wait for the sun's opposition to realistic Saturn in your
area of assets and resources before you do something you'll regret.

Cancer

Go ahead and buy that magical, “somewhere over the rainbow” gift for
your Valentine. If ever you were willing to act out a romantic fantasy, this would
be the weekend to set it in motion. Wait much longer and practical Saturn in your
money house may discourage such an otherworldly indulgence. Besides, your innate
urge to splurge is currently abetted by the provocative (do something!) square
between beautiful Venus and bountiful Jupiter. You could try to contain yourself,
but while amenable Venus is content to soak in empathetic Pisces waters, why bother?

Leo

All you really need to know this Valentine's Day is that mistake-prone Mercury
will have just turned retrograde in your house of shared resources and that generous
Jupiter is being challenged by romantic Venus to spend beyond the bounds of good
taste. How you handle this information could affect how you'll react to
other people's “suggestions,” especially those from a significant
other who is hovering so close to your sun ruler, and is so blinded by the light,
that he or she can't see the forest or the trees. About those misgivings…

Virgo

Assuming that by now you've prepared for the Mercury retrogression that
begins on the 13th, you'd better see about covering your ass for Valentine's
Day. A decision to give till it hurts, enhanced by an inexplicable desire to sacrifice
something of yourself, could be satisfied by making a donation to your charity
of choice. At the same time, artistic Venus in your Pisces house of partners might
aggravate a situation at home by testing how far magnanimous Jupiter will go before
you have to call a halt to the spending. Enjoy.

Libra

Mercury turning retrograde on the 13th can mix up reservations for Valentine's
Day as well as screw with messages, mail and MapQuest directions. Although being
tongue-tied is hardly a Libran trait, while the Messenger backtracks through your
house of romance over the next three weeks, it could screw around with heart-to-heart
communication. Be patient: Eventually, everything you need to know will come out
in the wash. Meanwhile, during a challenge by enthusiastic Jupiter, your sociable
Venus ruler might encourage you to invite “the more, the merrier.”

Scorpio

This is an interesting time of year for Scorpios hell-bent on making a good impression
at work. Since most of the planets are below the horizon, in the zones of your
solar chart that deal with intuition and emotional responses, you could spend
time handling stuff related to finances and family. However, don't neglect
an innate talent for creative fooling around, particularly while affectionate
Venus is in your Pisces house of romance and recreation. Respectable Saturn will
make sure that your career achievements are duly recognized.

Sagittarius

Wouldn't you know it? Tuesday night, Mercury turns retrograde in your house
of short-distance travel and everyday communications. Its backflip could become
a major inconvenience if the telephones, cable connections and satellite dishes
in your neighborhood are affected. Or if the traffic lights go out. Be sure to
back up your files and have tech-support numbers handy. See that the car is serviced
and the tickets you've accumulated are paid. It's those minor, diddly-shit
things, not a major mistake, that'll wear on your nerves.

Capricorn

As your Saturn ruler wends its way through Leo, it (and you) is exposed to the
harsh winter light of the Aquarius sun. An issue you've been fretting over
can come to a head during the annual opposition, thereby moving the matter along
to its final resolution in the spring. Since this is the last winter Saturn spends
among the headstrong Lions, welcome any realization you have this week about the
resources you're sharing or what is due you. Also be careful that you don't
wind up bankrolling a Neptunian fantasy of your very own making.

Aquarius

You, more than most, could feel the pressure building from two opposing forces
this week. The Aquarius sun first touches base with dreamy, visionary Neptune
before Sol opposes realistic, restrictive Saturn in your Leo house of allies.
One part of you may daydream of being free enough to create at will; one part
(with your partner's blessing) would prefer that you remain where you and
your responsibilities have taken root. Not a pretty predicament at the moment,
but with patience and a bit more flexibility, it will be resolved.

Pisces

The yearly merger of the strong-willed sun with your impressionable Neptune ruler
is a pre-birthday gift you shouldn't ignore. Strength of purpose, an abundance
of artistic inspiration and the faith to maintain your beliefs in spite of Saturn's
song of doom and gloom: These are a few of the things you're favored with.
However, Mercury in Pisces could delay meetings, misinterpret messages or otherwise
mess with your life before it turns retrograde Tuesday night. Don't be too
eager to pay for its or anyone else's mistakes.

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