One of your great gifts is showing people how to do something when their mental wheels freeze up. Whether it's walking them through a software problem, a do-it-yourself repair, or a bureaucratic maze you have a way of putting things simply without making anyone feel condescended to. It's a great talent and you should never underestimate it. This week you'll have an opportunity to show it off to your advantage. Be humble in your approach and patient when asked to explain things repeatedly. Don't give up until you see the lightbulb go off and you'll win a new fan (and possibly more).

The wonderful thing about the Sun/Neptune sextile on May 22d is that it calls us to our better selves. We may have had good reason to sidestep an apology at first, to stifle a generous gesture, or to let someone continue believing a lie because we decided they couldn't handle the truth, but the time for that has passed and the reason no longer holds. It might feel awkward contacting a loved one or associate about something that happened so long ago, but you'd be surprised by what a relief coming clean can be. You won't earn their ire; if anything you'll win their thanks.

On May 17th, the Sun conjoins revolutionary Uranus for the last time in Taurus. If you look back over the past six years you'll see that every April/May period either brought breakdowns or breakthroughs. Sometimes you were under the wheel and sometimes you were on top of it. Undoubtedly you wondered if there was anything to be gained from all this craziness and this week you'll get your answer. It's often said that Uranus delights in chaos; but there's a reason why it keeps upsetting the status quo. It's to get you to live a life that's richer than the one you would have settled for.

A sextile is perhaps the most underrated aspect in Astrology. Often treated like the trine's kid sister, a sextile is more conversational than unconditionally supportive. It acknowledges that every planet has its differences which is why it's always searching for ways for two planets to work together. It's something that will become abundantly clear on May 6th when a Venus/Pluto sextile shows you meeting with someone you don't see eye to eye with but who's in a position to help you get what you want. And sextiles being sextiles, it only stands to reason that you’re here to help this person get what they want too.

Pluto turning retrograde on May 4th promises to slow the wheels of progress. It won’t block your forward movement, but things will take longer than you thought they would to pan out. It’s important to work with planetary retrogrades even if they are devilishly frustrating and since you don't have much choice, it's wise to make the best of it because Pluto doesn't come out of retrograde until October 13th. Now that may seem a long ways off, but when you discover how things weren’t as ready as you thought they were, then you’ll be glad for the extra time to get your house in order.

The Sun/Pluto square on April 23d shows someone encroaching on your turf. It will be portrayed as an innocent oversight, but rest assured it's deliberate. But before you go full-on Hulk, take some time to research what's going on because what's happening may be bigger than you realize. There may be a regime change at work, a reshuffling of your department, or a major merger or acquisition taking place. You won't always be clear as to whether you should fight for what you have or accept a buyout while you can. In any case, you'll want to bird dog developments over the next few weeks.

Sometimes the reason a problem defies our best attempts to solve it is because it's not the right time. Maybe circumstances aren't conducive, your idea is too ahead of the curve, or things have to get worse before they can get better. What makes the Venus/Uranus sextile on April 20th more successful than the previous sextiles on January 26th and April 8th is that both planets are out of retrograde. They'll be working together instead of at cross purposes. Moreover Venus, ruler of the sextile and in Pisces (sign of her exaltation) ensures you'll produce a solution that meets with smiles instead of furrowed brows.

On April 8th you'll be approached by people who are certain that you – and only you – can salvage an unsalvageable situation. It's all very flattering and you'll be tempted to say “yes”, but this is a good time to remember that Ruling Planet Venus is still retrograde which means either the timing is off or the other parties aren't interested in making a deal right now. There's a reason why all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty-Dumpty back together again and that's because what they were looking at was an unholy mess. You might want to pass on this one.

It took a long time to get a certain someone to sit down with you, but now that you've got their attention you can expect things to proceed swiftly thanks to the Mars/Uranus sextile on April 4th. Sextiles are one of Astrology's most beneficent aspects because of their ability to alter the disposition of the planets. Neither Mars or Uranus is predisposed to being friendly much less agreeable, but thanks to the sextile you'll discover that the person you've been courting is much more receptive than you think and they will see that you're not quite the bull in the china shop that they imagined.

You like being the provider, but what you don’t like is feeling taken for granted. Yet what are you mad at really? You can’t set things up so that people are dependent on you and then in a moment of frustration tell them to pitch in. How are they supposed to know what you want them to do when you’ve been doing all the work? If you’re serious about asking them to help then delegate duties and responsibilities and be ready to relinquish some authority. It won’t be easy, but then a Solar Eclipse in Aries is all about facing a challenge rather than ducking it.