By Amanda Painter

This weekend’s astrology presents an interesting mix of the mental, emotional, visceral and philosophical. The inner landscape has shifted from last week, calling on you to embody your inner dragonfly.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Mercury left Leo for Virgo (a sign it rules) last weekend. Mars finally exited Scorpio on Tuesday, and is now retracing its early spring path in Sagittarius. As of 11:27 am EDT Friday (15:27 UTC), Venus will be in Virgo after three-and-a-half weeks in Leo.

All three planets have moved or are about to move from a fixed sign to a mutable sign, and from perhaps a more physically oriented sign to something a little more cerebral.

Along with Mercury and (soon) Venus, Jupiter is also in Virgo — as is the Moon until Saturday afternoon. So if you have practical details of a project to plan or organize, this is a great weekend for it.

Yet there are still planets in all three water signs, with a notable cluster in Pisces. That brings in some emotion to balance the intellectual, and some creativity to balance the practical. In Sagittarius, Mars and Saturn offer the complementary impulses of direction/propulsion and structure.

In fact, glancing at the chart just now, I saw the image of a dragonfly: two wings made of planets in Virgo and Pisces; Mars and Saturn as the rudder-like tail. Yet where the head should be — Gemini — is where you come in. You’re the one who needs to supply the omni-directional dragonfly eyes, consider all sides of any story, and make sense of all that you see.

It’s up to you to search for, notice or provide some perspective on your thoughts and emotions this weekend — and how they feed each other.

There is some caution in the astrology about getting so stuck on seeing flaws, fears and criticism that you fail to see the whole truth. Perception could get confused due to heightened sensitivity, especially in interpersonal interactions. You might temporarily find emotional fears harder to see through.

For example, notice if you find yourself thinking that just because X happens, then Y cannot happen. When you think in rigid, black-and-white terms, it’s easy to forget that there are always multiple factors in any situation, and possible outcomes that are even better than your notions of Y. Maybe when you choose X, Y will suddenly have the freedom to transform itself in a complementary way.

See what I mean? You have to use those omni-directional dragonfly eyes: take a step back from your thoughts, question them, and take in a fuller context. That’s what will let you flutter those wings productively and get somewhere (or create something), rather than just hover in one spot semi-paralyzed. And if that’s how you’re feeling, take a wider look around the garden; you’re not the only dragonfly out here who hovers once in a while.

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Now, a note about Mars in that Sagittarius dragonfly tail: when Venus ingresses Virgo, it will square Mars (exact Saturday 8:20 pm EDT / Sunday 00:20 UTC).

Virgo is not the most comfortable sign for Venus; it can be overly critical or conservative emotionally. Yet it also can be put to work positively — key word being ‘work’, or ‘service’ if you prefer.

Service to what purpose? In a Venus-Mars square, that would seem to be the release of a lot of love or erotic energy however you (with or without a partner) desire.

True, a Venus-Mars square can indicate conflict in a relationship (including within yourself), if there is unexpressed sexuality or some related hidden tension. However, assuming there’s been some sexual expression and communication in your life lately, chances are you can work this energy productively.

Consider that Mars has just been on a deep-sea expedition, and has returned to the surface with some valuable understanding of his desires, which he can now use to inform his beliefs.

That is, you have just been on a deep-sea expedition, and you likely have a more visceral understanding of your desires. Which means that you are the one who gets to use that understanding to shape your beliefs about what you want and whether it’s possible (hint: it likely is, in some form). And you get to choose your actions based on how well they support those desires and your wellbeing.

Now the real beauty comes in the fact that Virgo and Sagittarius are both mutable signs (as are Gemini and Pisces). They offer the flexibility that allows you to shift your understanding of your beliefs and desires as you grow, so that you can stay true to that growth.

Sometimes it all comes down to not letting your mind box in your heart, or not letting your beliefs dictate your desires. Not always easy, but possible. When Venus wants to serve and work and Mars wants to explore its desires and ideals, there’s a good chance humanity (and you) will benefit if you can harness that energy and get your wings moving.