The shape of the week
This week is quieter than the last two. There is no lunation to set the tone and no hard aspect between the faster planets. What you get instead is a change of pace. Some of last Saturday's friction between Venus and Mars still hangs over Monday, the sense of wanting one thing and pushing for another. By midweek the mood tends to turn toward getting things done.
Two planets are taking their time in Scorpio. Venus has been retrograde since the 3rd and keeps reviewing what you want and what you can afford. Mercury is heading toward its own retrograde station on the 24th and moves more slowly every day. Contracts and conversations you want settled before then are better closed this week than left hanging.
Pluto turns direct and Mars trines Saturn
Pluto stops at 3°04' Aquarius and turns direct. In the Americas this happens on the evening of Thursday the 15th and in Europe in the early hours of Friday the 16th. Pluto has been moving backward since the spring. Stations are the moments when a planet seems to stand still and its themes tend to feel strongest. Pluto deals with power and with what has to change at the root. A situation that seemed stuck for months may start to move again, often quietly.
A few hours later, on Friday morning, Mars in Leo forms an exact trine to Saturn in Aries at 10°23'. We have been watching this one approach for two weeks. Mars brings the drive and Saturn brings the form. In a trine they cooperate. Effort put in now tends to hold, especially if it is steady and not dramatic. It is a good day to commit to a schedule or a piece of work you have been circling.
Saturn is retrograde, which softens the trine a little. The structure it supports is often one you are revisiting. Think of the project you abandoned in spring or the routine that slipped. It tends to be easier to rebuild now than to start from nothing.
The days around it
On Thursday the 15th the Sun in Libra sextiles Jupiter in Leo. It is a generous contact for agreements and for people who can open a door. A favor asked that day tends to be granted more easily than usual.
All week Venus retrograde in Scorpio moves closer to a square with Pluto that perfects on Tuesday the 20th. Questions of jealousy and control can come up, along with money you share with someone. These feelings are often old ones coming back for a second look. Letting them surface without acting on them straight away tends to work better.
On Sunday the 18th the Moon reaches its first quarter in Capricorn. Halfway through the lunar month that began with the New Moon in Libra, this phase often asks for a small decision. By then the Sun is also approaching an opposition with Chiron in Aries, exact on the 21st or 22nd depending on the time zone. Old sore spots around self-assertion may start to speak up.
Where it falls for your rising sign
I count the houses by whole signs, one sign per house from your Ascendant. It is the only method that stays accurate for everybody in a general article. In your own chart under Placidus, which is the system I use in readings, a transit can land in the neighboring house.
Aries rising. Mars, your ruler, trines Saturn in your house 1 from your house 5. It is a good week to give real structure to something you enjoy, a creative project or a plan that is meant to be fun. Pluto turning direct in your house 11 can move a group situation or a friendship that has been stuck. Venus retrograde in your house 8 keeps shared money under review.
Taurus rising. Venus, your ruler, is retrograde in your house 7 and edges toward a square with Pluto in your house 10. A partner and your career may pull in different directions this week. Mars in your house 4 trines Saturn in your house 12. Quiet work at home or behind the scenes tends to pay off. Pluto turning direct can restart something professional that stalled in spring.
Gemini rising. Mercury, your ruler, slows down in your house 6 ahead of its retrograde. Clear your desk of what needs signing before the 24th. Mars in your house 3 trines Saturn in your house 11, a good pairing for organizing people or speaking up in a group. Pluto turning direct in your house 9 can bring a plan for study or travel back to life.
Cancer rising. Mars in your house 2 trines Saturn in your house 10. Effort around money and work lines up this week. A practical step toward earning more or being taken seriously tends to land well. Pluto turns direct in your house 8. Something around shared resources or intimacy that had been stuck below the surface starts to shift. Venus retrograde in your house 5 still asks what you truly enjoy.
Leo rising. Mars and Jupiter are both in your house 1. Mars trines Saturn in your house 9 and the Sun sextiles Jupiter from your house 3. You tend to have energy plus a sense of direction this week, which is a rare mix. Pluto turning direct in your house 7 can move a relationship question that has been on hold. Venus retrograde in your house 4 keeps home matters under review.
Virgo rising. Mars in your house 12 trines Saturn in your house 8. Work done privately or around shared money and debts tends to go well. Mercury, your ruler, slows down in your house 3. Finish the important messages and paperwork before its retrograde on the 24th. Pluto turning direct in your house 6 can shift a routine or a health habit you have been reworking for months.
Libra rising. The Sun is in your house 1 and sextiles Jupiter in your house 11. Friends and contacts tend to be generous this week. Mars in your house 11 trines Saturn in your house 7, a good pattern for formalizing an agreement with a partner. Venus, your ruler, is retrograde in your house 2 and approaching a square with Pluto in your house 5. Spending on pleasure may need a second thought.
Scorpio rising. Venus retrograde and Mercury slowing are both in your house 1. You may feel more inward than usual and more careful with words. Pluto, your modern ruler, turns direct in your house 4. A family matter or something about home can start moving after months on hold. Mars, your traditional ruler, trines Saturn from your house 10 to your house 6. Steady effort at work tends to be noticed.
Sagittarius rising. Jupiter, your ruler, receives a sextile from the Sun in your house 11. Friends and groups open doors this week. Mars in your house 9 trines Saturn in your house 5, a strong pattern for disciplined study or a creative project with a deadline. Pluto turning direct in your house 3 can unblock a conversation with a neighbor or a sibling.
Capricorn rising. Saturn, your ruler, receives a trine from Mars. Saturn sits in your house 4 and Mars in your house 8. Repairs at home or a decision about shared money tend to go more smoothly than expected. Pluto turns direct in your house 2. A long reworking of your finances may start to show results. The First Quarter Moon on Sunday falls in your house 1.
Aquarius rising. Pluto turns direct in your house 1. After months of looking inward at who you are becoming, you may feel ready to act on it. Mars in your house 7 trines Saturn in your house 3. Clear agreements with a partner or a collaborator are well supported. Venus retrograde in your house 10 squares Pluto from there by the 20th. Pressure at work can stir old questions about recognition.
Pisces rising. Mars in your house 6 trines Saturn in your house 2. A practical routine that protects your income or your energy tends to stick this week. Pluto turns direct in your house 12. Something you have been processing privately may begin to settle. Venus retrograde in your house 9 keeps a belief or a travel plan under review.
Reading it in your own chart
The house a transit lands in depends on your birth time. If you don't know your rising sign yet, the free Sun, Moon and Rising Sign Calculator gives it to you in about a minute. To see Pluto standing still and Mars lining up with Saturn, set any date this week in AstroVisor 3D.