Rockie Weekly Horoscope July 22 – July 28

Aries: Mar. 20 – Apr. 19Charge-ahead Rams may think that Mercury going retrograde in your Leo house of romance and other creative pursuits will hamper the progress you could be making. But if you look at the development process another way, you’ll realize that your project could probably use some fine-tuning. The three week retrogression will afford you opportunities to reevaluate and redo the glitches you uncover along the way. Another change in the works: your Mars ruler leaves Aries on the 27th for patient, pragmatic Taurus and your house of profitability.

Taurus: Apr. 20 – May 20If not quite a time of trial and tribulation, solar Leo often proves to be a challenge for Bulls who expected to have fun in the summer sun. Also beginning on the 22nd, your magnetic Venus ruler crosses from Leo, where your ruling planet been has been drawing admiration and affection, over to the critical sign of Virgo. Artists should benefit from Venus’ insistence on excellence rather than exuberance. Hard-workers may notice that they’ll have energetic Mars in their sign from midweek through the rest of the year, and then some.

Gemini: May 21 – Jun. 20On Friday your Mercury ruler goes retrograde in the sign of the Lion until August 15; after that you’ll have another two weeks to refine the adjustments made during this period. Relax and let the creative, good-hearted Leo vibe solidify your popularity with the people who are paying you and those you want to impress. It’s also an appropriate time to acquire gold items for yourself, because if not during sunny Leo, when? Around Thanksgiving, when Mercury next retrogrades in not very ornamentally-oriented Sagittarius, the focus will be on what your partners prefer.

Cancer: Jun. 21 – Jul. 22From July 22 through August 15, Mercury retraces the advances it recently made while transiting your Leo money house, thereby putting a financial matter you thought was over and done with back on the table. Don’t push for a resolution. Take as much time as you can and wait for new information that should appear around the new moon in early August. Meanwhile Mars’ move into Taurus, a productive but realistic earth sign, eases the pressure applied by your employer, perhaps by a pushy parent, to go further faster. Whew!

Leo: Jul. 23 – Aug. 22You win some, you lose some. The loss is lovable Venus vacating Leo for Virgo on the 22nd. There goes the popularity contest. The win is having your cheerful sun ruler back in your sign again, even if it has to conjunct serious-minded Saturn this weekend. If you don’t feel especially glad, you shouldn’t be terribly saddened by the sun’s contact with the planet of roadblocks and detours. Not only is this meeting an annual reality check, it can also be quite constructive. Another incentive: Mars’ enters your productive Taurus midheaven midweek.

Virgo: Aug. 23 – Sep. 22After so many times around the block, by now a resourceful Virgin has probably figured out what’s best to do while your Mercury ruler is retrograde. Make the most of the next three weeks by clearing out closets and files, checking the medicine cabinet and pantry for expiration dates and editing what you once considered written in stone. This shouldn’t be a particularly stressful retrogression, so why not focus on art, romance and your social life instead. Until August 15 lovable, delectable Venus in Virgo has you looking good enough to eat.

Libra: Sep. 23 – Oct. 22If you were running for office this weekend, you’d be a shoo-in. Nothing says leader of any organization like the sun’s merger with respectable Saturn in your career midheaven. But if you’re looking for an exuberant celebration, forget it. Your inner parent has taken over and it is determined to succeed where your inner child slacked off. Adding to the restrained, refined mood is your Venus ruler’s entrance into Virgo where she’ll help you pick up every stitch and iron every seam until she gets to Libra in mid-August.

Scorpio: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21For some Scorpions Mars’ entrance into your Taurus complement on Wednesday suggests that you’re about to embark on a passionate physical relationship. The others are about to take on an assignment that could last much longer than anyone anticipates. Your horny co-ruling planet will spend the rest of the year in your house of life and business partnerships, retrograde from October 1 until December 9. Not until next Valentine’s Day will Mars finally finish what it begins this summer. Forewarned, forearmed and fortunate.

Sagittarius: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21Mercury retrograde can keep you poring over travel books and college course catalogs for the next three weeks. If you haven’t already booked your trip or registered for a class, a pure adventure of the mind—no cancellations, no commuting— could be surprisingly satisfying. Meanwhile charming yet relentless Venus venturing into your Virgo midheaven calls up the image of an iron fist in a velvet glove. Who is the ambitious woman or the influential artist who’ll have such a significant impact on your career?

Capricorn: Dec. 22 – Jan. 20An excellent week for earth signs such as yours. First agreeable, well-mannered Venus enters value-conscious Virgo this weekend and provides a sense of satisfaction, a feeling of accomplishment about something you and significant others have been pursuing. Then midweek passionate Mars enters Taurus, the sign governing your house of romance and risky business where it’ll remain for months on end. This could well become the most active area of your life because desire-filled Mars will advance, retreat and slowly recover lost ground from now through Valentine’s Day.

Aquarius: Jan. 21 – Feb. 18While Mercury is retracing steps it recently took as it traversed your Leo house of partners, step back and literally, musically, let it be. Variations and commentary on what occurred, what is about to occur, what should occur instead may drive you slightly nuttier than you already are. Over the Labor Day weekend, after Mercury has cleared out of Leo, you can eliminate the tired conversations and get on with a new topic and a fresh approach. Meanwhile assertive Mars in your Taurus domain of family affairs and furniture won’t make those departments any easier, just a lot busier.

Pisces: Feb. 19 – Mar. 19Even though you’re not an earth sign, Fish will benefit this week from Venus’ entrance into Virgo and Mars’ move, or is that an invasion?, into Taurus. Having luscious Venus in your Virgo marriage house is bound to be an improvement; if nothing else, the people you become involved with will be attractive and well-mannered. Courageous Mars in Taurus for the rest of the year, and then some, forms a supportive, opportunistic liaison with your natal Pisces planets; thereby allowing you to become more adventurous about financial matters, travel and education.