SCORPIO HOROSCOPE

Pluto out of retrograde on October 15th will do a lot to improve your mood. You won't be so inclined to revisit past mistakes with the prosecutorial zeal of a Spanish Inquisitor or to sprinkle salt in your wounds after licking them clean. Pluto in Aquarius shows you lightening up with the self-criticism and maybe even exploring constructive ways to manage your frustration. One of these might be self-acceptance; another is a more enlightened relationship to failure. People screw up all the time. It's how we learn from our missteps. You can't get things right without a more forgiving attitude towards having gotten them wrong.

You'll see how necessity makes for strange bedfellows when you're forced to work with someone you cannot abide this week. Rest assured that the acrimony is mutual, but so is the benefit, which is why you'll put aside your differences. It's interesting to see how ploys typically used to undermine one another can be redirected to complement and even bolster combined efforts. Indeed, there's a lot to learn from this experience, but have no doubt that once your aim is achieved, this cease-fire will be over and you'll resume with the hostilities you're both famous for. Nevertheless, there will linger a newfound respect and even honor.

Venus retrogrades are never easy. The planet of peace and love, Venus is anything but when she's backwards in your sign. Instead of attracting favor, she will make you a lightning rod for controversy. You might be tempted to hide out, but since this energy is going to be with you anyway, you're better off being loud, proud, and holding your head high. Remember that you're dealing with other people's projections, not yours, so consider reciting the childhood mantra: “I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you.” Venus will be retrograde from October 4th to November 13th.

Mars enters your solar midheaven on September 27th. This pumps up the volume on your ambition and will surely bring spectacular breakthroughs in your career. It will also bring overdue praise and recognition as well as money in your pocket. It's been a long time since you felt like you were on top of things and Mars here will bolster your confidence for the next 7½ weeks. Mars is a great motivator, so get out and do! But be careful about flaunting victories in other people's faces. You don’t want them to retaliate by looking for ways to take you down a peg or two.

How do you deal with someone who's convinced you're playing them for a fool? Tactfully. Usually you're the one obsessing over inconsistencies in the story as you fire off accusations, so it's weird to be in this position. Thankfully, you know what they're feeling and have the patience and sensitivity to put them at ease. There's definitely a shoe-is-on-the-other-foot quality to a Venus/Pluto square (September 15th), but it's meant to teach you what it's like to be the object of somebody else's desire. It's a new role, but one you'll handle more compassionately than others have with you in the past.

You've made it a rule not to offer advice unless asked first. This isn't easy for a Pluto-ruled sign like yours because you've always been a long-range planner and can often see where people will run afoul of circumstances before they do. However, Scorpio is a wise sign, which means that you've also learned that loved ones and friends need to make their own mistakes. How else will they learn from them? On September 10th things will mess up exactly as you knew they would. You'll be sorely tempted to say “I told you so,” but offer a shoulder to lean on instead.

Either you are pouring a lot of time and money into your business or you’re working long hours for little pay because you believe in a project. Your faith is well placed; however, your doubts about whether this will all pay off are not unfounded either. This is the paradox of the Jupiter/Saturn trine taking place on August 31st. Jupiter is all about belief and Saturn is all about tests. These two seemingly conflicting ideas will dovetail on September 4th when you receive some very encouraging news. It would be nice to receive an encouraging stipend to go along with it, but that will come eventually.

Scorpios are often portrayed as angry, and it makes sense given all the rejections and betrayals you've experienced. Scorpios love fiercely and powerfully. It's what happens when you're ruled by Mars and Pluto. Yet the thing that has always drawn you back into the grievance loop has been your resistance to forgiveness. If the Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on August 28th can teach you anything, it's the wisdom of letting go of a grudge. This isn't something you do for somebody else; it's something you do for yourself so you don't have to live with a bitterness that you never sought in the first place.

It looks like things are finally falling into place for you to take your next step forward. This comes as a great relief as there were so many stumbling blocks you needed to clear and people you had to win over to your side. Nevertheless the First Quarter Moon in your zodiac sign on August 19th shows your chances for success increasing with a creative project or career ambition. This isn't some pipe dream you've pinned your hopes on; it's actually happening so get ready to go places you've never been before and to deal with a new set of tests, trials, and astonishing triumphs.

The Solar Eclipse on August 12th could induce a bout of imposter syndrome. One moment you're in your element and the next you feel like a phony in danger of being exposed. This would be OK if the eclipse was below the horizon, but it's in the highest angle of your solar horoscope where every mistake is on show for all to see. Do what actors do when they freeze on stage. Remember that what you're doing now is something you've done a thousand times before and to great success. Moreover, you're a Scorpio and you're not going to let something like an eclipse throw you for a loop.