Let's optimize

Some thoughts on the current sky:

• think about what your heart wants

• If there are big money-related snafus, stall for a bit, if you can, to see if other developments happen

• work on your diet

• fix things around the house, but try not to take on massive projects that will necessitate more than a few weeks to complete

• find some time to space out

• go antiquing

The fastest-moving planets right now are Mercury and Mars, and "fastest" means most normal-functioning, though this is going to be short-lived, because just like Venus appeared to be chasing Mars around the zodiac and not catching it earlier this summer, Mercury is going to do the same thing: chasing Mars in Virgo, and stalling out to go retrograde before they connect. But they'll be in range for about 2.5 weeks in August, which looks to me like a lot of talking that doesn't go anywhere, especially because when Mercury stations to go retrograde, Mars opposes Neptune. Oopsie. Second possible scenario: you're talking to someone for 2.5 weeks and all seems normal and then they say something COMPLETELY left field and you head for the hills.

I think Ariana Grande wins Venus retrograde so far for best example of what not to do, by the way, as the turbulence surrounding *that* situation is textbook. Venus retrograde = your love life patterns come up for review. (She has Uranus conjunct Venus right now, but the whole kerfuffle is on point.)

You probably remember from previous years that when a bunch of planets are retrograde in the sky, it's not a good time to make forward progress. This year it's September that wins least productive month, with 5 retrograde at a time. This happens when all the "outer" planets (the ones on the other side of the Kuiper belt) are roughly on the same side of the zodiac, and is a trend that will continue through the rest of the decade, though it will vary in intensity and will always happen in fall. So for people who like productivity, September is not your month, but, just like in past years, January - March is mostly a retrograde-free zone (as long as we're not counting Mercury).