This could be a fairly intense week on several fronts as we continue to feel major shifts, welcome new developments into our lives, and heal old wounds. I should say upfront that this is not going to be a week for the faint-hearted!

The biggest news this week, of course, is Saturn’s entry into Libra. Saturn is far happier in Libra than he’s been in service-oriented, nitpicky Virgo. Commitments to social justice and restoring balance in government should be evident in the headlines soon.

In our individual lives, honoring our commitments in relationships will take on more importance as we come to understand that good relationship don’t happen by accident. They require diligence, compromise, and hard work.

Just so you know, Saturn turns retrograde in January and returns to Virgo from April to July. So whatever you’ve been grappling with will come back for review at that time. Likewise, societal trends might seem to change and then take a step back. It’s a given that we’ll be revisiting healthcare reform, a very Saturn-in-Virgo subject. I do believe that we’ll get a better deal next time around.

None of this is going to happen without a fight, either. As he moves back and forth through the early degrees of Libra, Saturn will square Pluto in Capricorn. There will be seemingly insurmountable obstacles to change, both in the collective and in our individual lives. Once Uranus gets in on the mix in the middle of next year, it could be a real free-for-all. But we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

This week will be like college orientation, when we get a lay of the land and learn more about what will be required of us.

Although the other shifts this week aren’t nearly as radical, they will be noticeable, starting right out on Monday and Tuesday, when the Moon is in Aquarius. Jupiter turned direct in Aquarius on October 12, and this Tuesday, the Moon will conjoin the Big Guy for the first time since he began moving forward again. The Moon is often a trigger for releasing pent-up energies, so if you haven’t noticed any changes since Jupiter went direct, keep your antennae up this week.

Also on Tuesday, the Moon conjoins Chiron, which turns direct on Friday, and Neptune, which turns direct next week. With Wednesday’s trine between Venus and Jupiter and her trine to Chiron on Saturday, there will be no doubts after this week how the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction is going to play out in your life. The handwriting is on the wall, in huge, black spray paint.

On Wednesday, Mercury enters Scorpio and sextiles Pluto, the Scorpion’s modern ruler. Typically, this combination turns up hidden motivations or activities, but since this is an easy sextile, I don’t expect that we’ll be overly shocked by the revelations. They may come via dreams or psychic flashes, even if you’re not normally prone to such insight (but especially if you are). If you need to pry information out of someone, this is a good aspect for doing so. Just make sure you’re using the information for the right reasons and not for your own power trip.

Overall, I see this week as holding a lot of potential for deep healing and higher growth. How much depends on whether you’re committed to doing the work.

Saturday’s square between Mercury and Mars is the big exception. Depending on where this aspect falls in your chart, you could end up in a stinging confrontation with someone. Since both planets are in fixed signs, neither side will want to budge, and what starts out as a trivial difference of opinion could escalate into a knock-down, drag-out fight. If someone is in your face, step to the side and wait until next week to call them on their behavior.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Image: Justice, from the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot. Most of the Major Arcana have an astrological association. Justice corresponds to Libra.