This should be a fairly quiet week, and yet it won’t be without movement. Shifts continue to take place, but overall they’re less jarring.

We still have just over a week left to Mercury retrograde, and while certain events may be happening without any effort on your part, don’t be too confident or too fast to embrace them. Changes are still likely, as well as delays and perhaps a change of heart by others. Or you may change your mind about something you thought was a done deal. And, of course, all the usual caveats still apply: no signing contracts, making major purchases, or starting important new projects. Stall, if you can, until the middle of next week.

Venus, meanwhile, has entered discreet Virgo, not her favorite sign. From the tone of your comments, most of you have not been out partying all night for the past several weeks, and yet for one reason or another, you might need a reminder to treat your body right by increasing your exercise, eating more vegetables, and reducing your intake of fat, sugar, and toxic substances. I swear, I gained three pounds this weekend just by looking at a piece of chocolate cake. OK, so I didn’t just look. But who gains three pounds in a weekend?

If you need help rebalancing your system, the Sun’s entry into Libra on Tuesday also will help. This is the equinox — fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the southern half of the world — when the days and nights are of equal length. Libra is ruled by Venus, and we can use the Sun’s passage through Libra to find harmony and balance within ourselves. For many of us, planetary influences since last spring have pushed us past our limits and created a lot of stress. We need to regain our center.

The Sun squares Pluto on Wednesday, which may provide us with yet another glimpse of what we might expect with the impending cardinal T-square between Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. The Moon joins the pattern on Friday, when she conjoins Pluto in Capricorn. Keep your antennae up this weekend for anything that seems new or unusual. If you’re asked to stretch outside your comfort zone, try it.

On Thursday, Mars conjoins Comet Lulin in Cancer. I admit that I don’t have a solid grasp of what this means, as we don’t know enough about Lulin yet. This mysterious visitor appears to be working on a subtle level, urging us to look back at where we’ve been before we can move forward. Moving backward through Cancer suggests looking back at our childhood and genetic roots for clues about what we need to know.

Wishing you all lots of love and a much-needed break,
Pat

Image: This Venus doesn’t eat her vegetables but wears them on her head instead. Maybe she needs a lesson in hair styling from Leo? This creation was modeled at a fashion show by Colombian designer Laura Martinez earlier this year. Photo by Raul Arboleda for Agence France-Presse.