Uranus and Jupiter come together in the zodiac sign of Taurus on April 20th.

Uranus is the planet of revolution and change. Its job is to kick over the gameboard and send all the pieces flying. It delights in treating everyone to a wild spin on the Wheel of Fortune.

Jupiter is the planet of faith in Astrology, and it’s also the planet of higher purpose. It’s Jupiter’s job to make sense of all of Uranus’s crazy goings-on and to extract a divine plan from all the chaos.

For some people, this conjunction may prove disastrous. They don’t want to see their best-laid plans turned on their head or their belief systems exposed as false securities.

For others, this conjunction will prove to be both rewarding and fulfilling. Rewarding in that they have paid their dues and can stand on their own two feet, and fulfilling because after years of pressing their noses to the grindstone, they can now purchase the destiny they have worked so hard for.

This is the first Solar Eclipse in the zodiac sign of Aries since 2006. This is especially powerful because the Sun is exalted in Aries and the eclipse itself will be taking place at 19 degrees Aries – the degree of the Sun’s exaltation.

Solar Eclipses traditionally spelled trouble for monarchs and other public figures but over the years they’ve taken on a more consciousness-raising aspect because it’s during a solar eclipse that we recognize the need to get right with heaven.

In ancient times this was a call to repent because people often blamed themselves for the Sun disappearing from the sky and, like with any crisis, it was only by promising to be good that the Sun would be restored again; nowadays eclipses are more about finding your way back to the path you should be on.

Whether you’re slightly out of step or wildly lost will become clear on April 8th. Moreover, given the sheer determination and grit of Aries, there’s no denying that you will do everything in your power to rectify your course.

It could be said that Mercury takes a poltergeist’s delight in wreaking havoc on the clockwork regularity of our day-to-day lives when it’s retrograde. Appliances stop working, cars malfunction, and mobile devices start transmitting absurd messages with all the freewheeling abandon of an unruly Ouija board.

Needless to say, you’ll want to take things with a grain of salt and keep your sense of humor handy.

Yet even backwards, Mercury is still a guide; it’s the planet most responsible for getting us from here to there – although the next three weeks may feel more like you’re on a Scavenger Hunt from Hell.

You may be sent on a series of fool’s errands, find yourself netting a school of red herrings, or spun about in place by contradictory directions that suddenly reverse themselves.

Nevertheless, in the end, you will wind up being where you’re supposed to be. It may not be where you wanted to be but it’s definitely where you should be. Mercury will be retrograde from April 1st – April 25th.

For centuries, the Spring Equinox heralded the start of a new year. In fact, it still does in Iran, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It’s called Nowruz, which means “new day.”

The Sun is exalted in the zodiac sign of Aries because this is when the young Sun – full of hope and possibility – begins the climb to its heavenly throne where it will be at the peak of its powers later in the year in Leo.

However, an exalted Sun doesn’t mean a strong Sun, it means a celebrated one. This is the time to look ahead, to raise your sights, and to think about how you want your future to be different than your past.

It’s also a time to think about light triumphing over darkness. This isn’t the lightness of day versus the darkness of night – both are harmoniously balanced at the time of the Equinox – but rather your personal light triumphing over the forces that seek to discourage, disparage, or disenfranchise you.

The Sun starts its new year on March 19th – and so do you.

It isn’t always easy to tell the difference between a vision and a fantasy. Each beckons you to have faith in the phantasmal; to put aside your doubts and fears and follow your dreams.

You pray that your dreams are taking you to where you want to go, that you’ll arrive at a place in life where you can get everything you want; but you also can’t escape this uncertain feeling that they might be leading you astray.

This is the question you’ll be struggling with on March 17th when the Sun conjoins Neptune in Pisces.

Are you really on track to getting what you want or are you just chasing after another mirage in the desert?

Unfortunately, there’s only one way to find out, and that’s by pursuing your hopes and aspirations. Even if you wind up with a fistful of sand, it’s better than not having pursued them in the first place and being left to wonder – what if?

Uranus is the planet of revolution and change; however, it takes on a more enlightening aspect when it forms a sextile to the Sun in Pisces on March 9th.

This is like that moment in a Shakespeare comedy when things are made right. Identities are revealed, outlandish schemes explained, and warring parties – now privy to the truth – put down their swords and make amends.

It’s the moment when we discover that villains aren’t always malicious any more than heroes are always right. Some may say these sorts of things only happen in a play, but plays are drawn from real life.

If we can find ways to hear the other person out, interject humor and sympathy into the proceedings, and let an opponent back down without losing face, then we might discover our own happy ending.

Ultimately, these are nothing more than makeshift truces and temporary ceasefires, but they add up over time and usage, and can go a long way towards cooling down the temperature and allowing reason to prevail.

Triple conjunctions are rare birds as is, but the fact that two of the planets will be cazimi makes them rarer still! On February 28th, the Sun will conjoin both Mercury and Saturn in the zodiac sign of Pisces.

Typically, a Mercury/Saturn conjunction acts like a wet blanket in the horoscope.Thoughts are leaden, apathy prevails, and you might even feel hopeless because everything you do seems like an exercise in futility.

However, the cazimi changes all that. “Cazimi” comes from the Arabic “kasmimi” and is meant to describe the planet as being in the heart of the Sun. Here the planet becomes resplendent and full of light – but only when it is exactly conjunct the Sun to the degree.

What this does is bring out the best in Mercury and Saturn so that the thoughts of Mercury combine with the profundity of Saturn leading to answers, solutions, and discoveries that are incontestable and empowering.

It’s like knocking on a door on a cold dark night and being welcomed into a home bathed in light and heat. Not only will this uplift your spirits, it may very well bring to an end a search or a journey that you set off on months ago.

A Venus/Mars conjunction is supposed to be favorable for romance. The thinking is that women are from Venus and men are from Mars, so what’s to keep this combination of cosmic energies from creating a match made in heaven?

Well, that might have been true back in the day when men got their way, women had no say, and gender binarism was here to stay, but a lot of things have changed over the past 2500 years.

Although a conjunction still signifies that two planets are in the same place at the same time in the sky above, it doesn’t mean that those planets are on the same page – much less see things eye-to-eye.

It’s true that women are from a different planet than men (astrologically speaking at least), so any assumption that guys are naturally fluent in gal pal or women can talk full bro-speak is mistaken. What can happen when these planets get together is a recognition of differences and an appreciation for the other person’s perspective.

Instead of reverting to stereotype, the Venus/Mars conjunction in Aquarius on February 22nd provides an opportunity to ditch the role-playing and to get to know an individual for who they truly are.

Mars and Venus join Mercury, Pluto, and the Sun in the zodiac sign of Aquarius this week.

Usually, this would signal a time for everyone to put aside their differences and interlock arms for the greater good, but that won’t be happening because of the dark planet in the room.

Pluto is a lot like the 13th fairy that nobody wants to invite for fear that she’ll spoil the party. Unfortunately, disasters often result from NOT inviting said fairy. This could materialize as a situation where you have to make a Faustian bargain, forge an unholy alliance, or bend the knee to someone you know is undeserving.

Do it. It may feel like you’re betraying everything you stand for, but sometimes you have to welcome the unwelcome characters into your life. They may start off as repugnant, but over time you may begin to see them in a new light.

In fact, they could prove to be truer friends than the people you thought were.

Once again, the Sun will be forming a square to Uranus, the planet of revolution and change, on February 8th. These are bi-annual occurrences when most of us watch in disbelief as our best-laid plans get turned upside down or inside out.

You can think of Sun/Uranus squares as Mercury retrogrades on steroids. This one will be particularly potent because of its close proximity to the New Moon in Aquarius. This signals something under the radar that’s bound to have a surprise impact.

Admittedly, this sounds a bit distressing, but Sun/Uranus squares are just as likely to bring a breakdown as a breakthrough. It really is anyone’s guess.

If it’s a breakdown, then think of this square as the only way out of a situation that’s dominated your life for months.

And if it’s a breakthrough? Then consider it payback for all those upset apple carts you’ve had to pick up after.