It’s welcome to Spring Equinox, as Sun enters Libra on September 23, four days before a powerful Full Moon in Aries. The Chinese word for crisis also means opportunity and it’s potentially both for Aries and Libra on September 27. Happily, communication and peace making are readily achieved as Mercury eases things. This helps out Gemini and Sagittarius too, who recently hosted the opposition of Mars and Pluto. Exact for the first time on September 21, this opposition repeats on New Year’s Day and the story keeps unfolding until early March. For many of us, a battle of wills or a difficult choice between two compelling options, also unfolds.

We have only just emerged from a challenging Venus ‘retro’ cycle and relationships and business ventures really leave its shadow in early October. But Venus was only the first repeat act – on October 12 a ‘retro’ communications cycle begins and Mercury has us going back over old ground for 3 weeks. This is rather odd timing because Libra New Moon on October 11 plants the seeds of growth within relationships, in teamwork and creative ideas. Yet ‘retro’ Mercury will internalise energy, stirring complications, uncovering secrets. The most satisfying results come with a willingness to look beneath the surface, to cook up new ideas from the old.

Astro events become richer again when a passionate sensate Full Moon in Taurus rises in the East on October 26. On November 2 Mercury goes direct and for twelve days new ground can be covered, furthered by Scorpio New Moon, on November 10, boosting our sense of purpose, stirring high hopes. But Scorpio’s ruler, warrior Mars is not going to make things easy, rather it too goes ’retro’ in Cancer, on November 15 and stays that way until February 2008. Emotions internalise and feelings must simmer for a while. Patience and reflection is a must to get the most from these spectacular repeats. Read on to find out how these planetary complications most strongly affect you.