Astrologer Jessica Adams reveals what the stars have in store this week
Aries
There is really nothing wrong with escaping from reality and considering the difficult time you have survived from 2012-2015 with your money, business, house or apartment – you need the escape. Even now, in 2016, you are still yet to have total closure over the aftermath of one extremely challenging episode involving your company, finances, bank, mortgage or lease. Thus, you turn to aspects of yourself or your life which are hidden from view, in order to escape. Nobody else can really see, understand or know what goes on below the surface. This has been the case for some years now, and it will be the same for some years to come. Yet, this week, what is so out of focus about yourself or your world, is now very much in focus. Neptune Retrograde in Pisces square Saturn is pretty unusual in your horoscope – all in one week. It is your best chance in months to become more aware of what you do unconsciously, or how you live your life behind the scenes, or at a great distance from what most of us would call reality. Escaping is fine as far as it goes, but you are likely to be confronted with the practical ramifications of your voyage away from the everyday, the mundane and the ordinary. This should help you realise that you need an anchor. You also need to honour a few sensible limits and control and contain what has been going on.
Taurus
Whenever I write your horoscope, Taurus, I am reminded of Lena Dunham (another Taurus) and her ensemble cast in the HBO series Girls. There are lines being crossed all over the place in that show. It is about friendship, and also very much about the hive mind, or group psychology. At the same time, ironically, Lena Dunham, who shares your Sun Sign, is also dealing with issues about boundaries in her storylines, at the same time that she is crossing boundaries by working with (and in fact, working above) friends. We all have our ensemble casts and yours may involve a passion, interest or professional concern of yours. Maybe it’s only social, in which case you no doubt use the internet a lot to stay in touch. At the moment, you are going to be shown what has become impossible to navigate, in your particular situation. It is time to turn to the personalities of the friends involved, or the very particular way the group conducts itself. Maybe there is a question about the porous structure of the group itself. It may seem a little formless, shapeless or lacking in clear outlines. All of this is typical of the Neptune in Pisces cycle you are experiencing now. By rights, both friendship and group pursuits should be a holiday from reality. Lord knows you need one! At the moment, though, it’s a holiday from nothing. Time for some deep and meaningful discussions. Maybe a tweak here and there, or even an out-and-out change.
Gemini
Freddie Mercury was interested in astrology and in fact the famous Queen logo hides the Sun Signs of each group member in its coat of arms. I mention Fred, because of his famous question ‘Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?’ in Bohemian Rhapsody. This is a pertinent question, given what you have been up to in your career, and also your extra-career pursuits, over the last six months. Of course many of you are at university, involved in unpaid work, or occupied as full-time parents. That too, is a career. This week sees unusual activity in this area of your chart, all of which should whip you and your world into shape. The alternative is to be cast adrift, floating without any real direction or sense of organisation in your world. Sometimes you are surrounded by bosses, lecturers, classmates, clients, colleagues or staff who encourage this kind of floating. They have the kinds of personalities which shy away from boundaries, controls or restraint of any kind. It’s all loose, Mother Goose. Occasionally the issue will be a project which is all over the place, all the time. It can also be a position which ‘wanders’ or a large organisation, like a business or corporation, where people lost their ropes a long time ago. Just identifying the issues and the source can really help. In fact, this week is rather like that crucial moment when you recover from an ocean wave long enough to rub the salt from your eyes and blink, hard, in the sunlight. (Just before you walk to shore). Do all you can to help yourself make that walk.
Cancer
The Ninth House of your horoscope is now in focus, having been out of focus for a very long time. Which areas of your life are covered by the Ninth House? Begin with the idea of expanding your horizons, and opening up your world to all that is new, different and an education – as well as a revelation. You can do this just by finding a home office one suburb away. You can also do it by involving yourself with people whose nationality, culture and belief system are literally quite foreign to your own. The Ninth House is also associated with libraries, universities, weekend workshops, the internet, publishing houses and astrology itself. You have had long enough now with Neptune in your Ninth House to appreciate just how glorious it is to escape from the old, real world when it comes to travel, or travel in the mind. I am sure you have been enjoying the trip for quite some time. Simultaneously, you probably have no idea what is actually going on, or who fits where, or where the line is being drawn. This is characteristic of this cycle. Normally it isn’t a big deal, but Neptune’s change of direction this week and his clash with Saturn, is likely to pull you up short. Of course you can avoid everything that is all too dull, predictable, ordinary, mundane and limiting. That is the whole point of what you are learning or teaching; where you are travelling to; what you are exploring. The trick is not to get lost. That’s when good old rules have to be applied.
Leo
For some years now, nothing has been normal or ordinary about your money, apartment, house, business, possessions or charity. Every Leo has found her/his own strange pathway with this. One thing is sure. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to the way you used to handle your bank account, because you have managed to find ways to escape or avoid what other people must live with. Every so often, this Neptune cycle confronts you with its basic realities – and then you have to deal. This week is a good example of that. If there is any vagueness or woolly thinking about the exact boundaries in a house or apartment, for example – or regarding precious possessions- it may be time to rein that in. Maybe you are just drifting through a business phase when you have absolutely no idea what goes where, who owes what, or when the interest is charged on your credit card. There are so many examples, Leo, I won’t go into them all. Suffice to say the most important arrangement of all will either be deadly serious (the fine print actually takes the chance of your own death into account) or sexually intimate (a marriage is one example, a relationship where you leave property to your boyfriend is another). The clash between Saturn and Neptune this week will show you what’s what, and who is where – and why. Your little vacation from ‘normal’ is over, but that’s okay. Sometimes you need that to make the next part, better.
Virgo
If you want to know what it’s like to live with Neptune in the Seventh House of your horoscope for years, ask a Leo. They had this cycle before you. Maybe ask Madonna. She knows a thing or two. The truth is, for some months now you have been immersed in something which has absolutely no relationship with the real world. It may be a crush which keeps you in a state of suspended animation and – year by year – puts an end to your fertility. It may be the fantasy of some kind of enemy, ogre or beast which fills your imagination. By deflecting everything onto this hideous person you distract yourself from other, more fundamental issues about yourself and your life. It’s like people who watch war documentaries all the time. The war ended decades ago, but sometimes the battle is the escape route. Sometimes astrology has to be rather rude in order to engender a wake-up call, so apologies if I am being rude about your life. The fact is, Neptune can waste your time and energy and sometimes lead to deep regrets later. All the more reason to wake up to whatever Neptune is spinning in your life. The issue will be your former, current or potential partner. Equally as valid is a rival, enemy or opponent. There is no way you can be born under the sign of Virgo and not know what is going on – but weirdly, you haven’t guessed the half of it. If ever there was a time to ask some hard questions and set some boundary-defining tests, this is it. If you have been pining after a slippery, elusive person who teases you and tantalises you, for months on end – call and ask for a date. So what if he or she rejects you, at least you’ll know. At last, you’ll know.
Libra
You are moving through the same cycle which Paul McCartney experienced in the Sixties, for the entire time he was with The Beatles, experimenting with drugs (or ‘tea’ as The Rutles would have it) and working on songs like Strawberry Fields and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. He was going through Neptune in his solar Sixth House, and so are you. How does this cycle characterise itself? Well, for many years now, your working day has been an alternative to the real world. I am sure your old world of work was never like this! It’s been one long trip in a yellow submarine, no matter if you are working full-time or part-time, studying, volunteering or labouring as a full-time parent. Now and then the submarine hits a brick wall, and that is the case this week. Neptune is clashing with Saturn. Neptune is also reversing. It is time to look at every tiny aspect of your lifestyle and often, the tiniest things of all are the pills you pop, or the forkfuls of food you put in your mouth. In this same cycle, Paul McCartney encountered meditation for the first time. That is a healthier example of small things making a big difference to your lifestyle. Whatever trip you are on with your daily routine, body, food, drink, healer, drugs, doctor, gym, job and all the rest – sometimes you need to step back and seriously examine what is going on. Even prescribed medication should be given the once-over on a cycle like this. It is very likely that your project, task or role has zero boundaries with someone who keeps crossing them. Time to ring-fence that as well.
Scorpio
It was interesting to see Her Majesty the Queen flanked by her Scorpio son Prince Charles, his own son Prince William, and his son, young Prince George recently. It was a pure Neptune moment. What does Neptune rule? The inner pictures in our mind’s eye, which the art of photography can sometimes make real. Prince Charles is a Scorpio like you. He is going through the Neptune in Pisces cycle, also like you. Naturally your personal life is wildly different, but the same general theme applies this week – it’s time to get real about the children. In the modern world, you can ‘have’ children in your world in a number of ways. There is the standard model of pregnancy or parenthood. Then there is adoption, fostering or the paid or unpaid work for the young you can accomplish, which can sometimes give you a substitute parenting role. Beyond this there is termination, IVF, step-parenthood and that crucial ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’ status which can mean so much. This cycle is very much about lovers who could bring a younger generation into your life in a new and different way – perhaps by blending their family or friends with your lifestyle. Neptune is just as you would expect. It is about the sea and the ocean. So if you feel all at sea, or other people do, then quel surprise. Time for the BBC Shipping Forecast. Time to find out where the compass points rest and where you must head to, rather quickly, to avoid ending up over your head.
Sagittarius
I recently stayed with a Sagittarian friend whose neighbours dug up her garden while she was away (their boundaries were confused). That’s Neptune in Pisces. I also know a Sagittarian who works on the conservation of ancient buildings with a government who cross the lines all the time and occasionally look downright dodgy. That is also Neptune in Pisces. I am sure you have your own example of this cycle. Pisces rules your home town, country, garden, apartment, house, relatives and flatmates. It also rules anyone sharing your house, from a husband to a cat. If you imagine Neptune as King Neptune with his trident, ruling the ocean waves, you get some idea of the way this cycle works. This week it is very, very strong – and that will help you deal with it. Just like the ocean creeping onto the sand, there is a sense of ‘little by little’ with what you are experiencing. Little by little, in the most subtle way, things just creep up on you, or they creep over the line. It is like drawing lines in the sand on dusk when the sea keeps washing them away. It is also like trying to guess where your feet will be dry from the tide. You can’t do it. Just when you think you know where to walk, your feet get wet. Even though the clash between Saturn and Neptune this week is uncomfortable, you will come to bless it in time. Why? Because it tells you what is going on, it shows you why it is happening, and with any luck you’ll figure out how to stop it. Rules are not cruel. Sometimes rules are godlike. This is especially true in families where the children have no boundaries, because they have never been applied. If this is messing up your life as well as theirs, you know what to do. Remember the ocean tides. Do you need any more ‘little by little’ in your life?
Capricorn
There are no rules or laws on the internet which is why it has become the jungle you see before you know. It has happened in the most subtle way, creeping up on all of us, ever since Neptune moved into Pisces. This cycle will now hit you square between the eyes, where it will make you do something about it. Why? Not only does Neptune reverse this week, he also clashes with Saturn, the planet we associate with the real world. I suspect the internet, more than anything else, is behind the confused and confusing situation which has arisen. The worldwide web in all its many windows, has evolved in such a subtle way, that you may not even have noticed what was happening to you, at the moment that it was happening. Do you know who crosses the lines, all the time, on Facebook? Do you spy on people there or are you spied upon? What about Instagram? Are those photographs of other people’s lives beautiful fakes or actually authentic, as you remember ‘authentic’ from the pre-internet years? You can go on asking yourself similar questions all night, about YouTube, Tinder, RSVP, Skype, Email, Linked In, Twitter and the rest. The fact is, with Neptune in your Third House of communication and information, you need to stay on top of the shifting sands, all the time. To describe the internet as an aquarium or a goldfish bowl is not a bad analogy. The clash between Neptune and Saturn this week says, it’s time to clean your tank. Also, perhaps, to remember that the goldfish bowl is just a little round parallel universe with tiny anchors and miniature treasure chests, made from plastic. To mistake the goldfish bowl for the real ocean and its schools of dolphins and clusters of kelp, is the sort of mistake that can make you feel all at sea. Your computer is a goldfish bowl of sorts. Start there. You also have a bunch of transits in your house of friendship at the moment. Are you on Facebook? Do you remember that Gary Numan song, ‘Are Friends Electric’? He put quotation marks around “Friends” which was a neat touch. Gary knew a thing or two about the future.
Aquarius
As you did your fair share of hard karma with money a few years ago, when Saturn was in Virgo and Uranus was in Pisces (the finance sectors of your horoscope, both hit at once) perhaps you deserve 2016. What does 2016 bring? A continued holiday from reality, where your money, house, possessions, business interests, apartment or charity is concerned. Did you know that the world’s richest woman (at the moment, anyway) is an Aquarian? That is the Sun sign of Gina Rinehart, the Australian Queen of Mining. You can be broke on this cycle and still have a holiday from the real world. Like magic, your old boyfriend is evicted and gives you all his stuff to look after for a couple of years – the fridge, the bed, the furniture, the lot. You’re poor but you don’t look it or feel it, because Neptune is in your cash zone. Here is another example of this cycle. You manage to slip through the cracks of real-world taxation because of your weird lifestyle. Again, you may not be remotely rich – yet you feel as if you are escaping, cruising, drifting, surfing, floating the whole time. That’s priceless. Neptune cycles like the one which is so prominent this week, tend to make life feel quite fluid. It’s never quite certain who owns what, or what belongs where, or what is owed, or how the currency is moving up or down this week. Everything’s porridge, oozing all over the place. Normally you can eat your porridge and get away with it, but this week you may have to do something about it. The clash from Saturn to Neptune will force you to contain and control what is mushy in your life, or slushy, come to that.
Pisces
What describes you to the world? Is it your title (Miss, Mr, Ms, Mrs) or is it some other name you use, as so many Pisceans do? Maybe it’s your photographs or your YouTube footage. What has been happening in your horoscope, the whole time that Neptune has been in your image zone, has no doubt crept up on you. Now it is time to get real. The internet may be at fault, with all its mythologies. (Thanks to modern technology, you can myth-make with the best of them, beating even the most polished public relations professional or the most gifted trick photographer). Sometimes Pisceans can drift into drugs or alcohol on a cycle like this, and imagine themselves to be glamorous or bohemian creatures, frustrated artists and the rest. The clash between Saturn and Neptune, your own ruling planet, in Pisces, your own sign, is likely to be uncomfortable this week. It is also perfectly timed, because if you drifted any further into this parallel universe of ‘Me’ then you could easily end up never coming back. Neptune can work in such a subtle way. It operates incrementally, like the action of dripping water on chalk. Eventually the chalk erodes, but nobody saw it happening. Even though this week is confronting, it will stop the drip. You need to figure out just how much your dream of yourself, your image, your internet face or name, your personal myth – is distorting other things in your life. It truly is just your hair, shoes or title. It’s your address or car number plate. When this cycle works for you, it can be delightful to forget about the real, boring, dull, ordinary old world of ‘Me’ that you remember from years ago, and spin your own portrait of yourself. When this cycle works against you (this week is an example) you have to wake up and snort the roses, then start with the manure. Everything in your Me Garden should be lovely, not at the point where you begin to wonder what is real and what is not.
Follow Jessica on Twitter @jessicaadams and Get The Gloss @getthegloss