Astrologically, the love and romance outlook is somewhat improved this week. Venus is in Scorpio, and although some astrologers will tend to pick on that placement, it’s a pretty darn sexy neighborhood for Venus to be in. Venus in Scorpio is better suited to the “fishnets and heels” approach to seduction than wine and roses. Adding a further kick is that Venus is no longer retrograde and is just coming off Venus opposite Uranus, which has a tendency to make things even more exciting with your romantic pursuits. Just keep in mind that although Venus retrograde may be over, Venus doesn’t leave the “shadow” of that retrograde until December 17th. The shadow period is when a planet is going direct but is still making up the ground it lost during the retrograde period. Thus, you can think of Venus as still being a little impaired (or, if you prefer, “hung over”).
As you may be aware though, Venus is only part of the love and sex equation. Mars provides the drive (specifically, the sex drive), and that planet finds itself in some interesting aspects this week. On Monday, Sun square Mars will cause an uptick in sex drives, even though the square aspect is a bit challenging. The sex drive is sometimes referred to as “an itch,” and this aspect makes things a little itchier. Try to practice a little decorum in your pursuit of a physical relationship. Combining Sun square Mars with the aforementioned condition of Venus, the early part of the week could be pretty exciting.
Friday brings a New Moon in Sagittarius. New Moons are always an excellent time to sit down and think things through and consciously reboot your expectations and your goals for the following month. Since this New Moon is conjunct Jupiter, any ambitions you may have towards a committed relationship — whether finding one or strengthening one — are particularly favored.
All this Venus and Mars activity this week seems to add up to a lot of sex, doesn’t it? Sex is great, of course, but it’s best to apply a little common sense when selecting or pursuing a partner. That may not be easy this week, as the big aspect for the week becomes exact on Friday, just in time for date night. Mars conjunct Neptune will color this weekend with a certain warm-and-fuzzy lack of realism. It is a time to be charmed and to be charming, but make sure you think your actions through. Just because Mercury finally turned direct on Thursday doesn’t necessarily mean your thinking will be entirely clear just yet.