On June 5 (June 6 in Europe and Asia), Venus will appear to march across the disk of the Sun. This also happened in 2004 but it won't occur again for more than a century, and it was more than a century before 2004 when it occurred previously. Even though Venus passes between the earth and the Sun every year, it only very rarely does so at precisely the right angle to smack the Sun's face with a kiss.

Called the "transit of Venus" or the "passage of Venus," it will be quite a sight to see - but don't look at it with your bare eyes! Like a solar eclipse, doing so could blind you. Special filters or contraptions are required, so it's easiest just to see it on the news or the internet.

Their hook-up is at 15-16 degrees of Gemini. If you have anything in your chart at that degree, or if June 5 or 6 is your birthday, this should be a big time for you, with the possibility for positive attention or rewards for your creations. You can utilize their favorable influence to garner kudos for your endeavors in the arena shown by the house in your chart where 15-16 degrees of Gemini is located.

To see a cool animation of the Venus-earth-Sun interactions and learn more about the Passage of Venus, here is a quite technical but fascinating site to visit.

Closer to June, I will likely write more to you about this wonderful transit. Meanwhile, I mention it now in the spirit of looking ahead and getting ready for upcoming astrological phenomena. This passage will occur during a Venus Retrograde, which is not always the best time for love, marriage or finances, or let's say, a time for adjustments in those areas. A better time for these pursuits will be approaching the May 5 Full Moon (after Mercury and Mars Retrogrades are over and before the Venus Retrograde).

For guidance in making the most of astrology's influences as they affect your chart, contact me to schedule a personal reading.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, an intensification of our experience of the Piscean realm comes courtesy of little Mercury. It turned tail March 12 in Aries, where it has been since March 2, and returns to Pisces (where it was previously from Feb 13 to March 2) March 23, resuming forward motion April 4, remaining in Pisces until re-entering Aries April 16. It spends a total of about 40 days in the sign of the fishes whereas normally, it breezes through a sign in about three weeks. When Mercury is in Pisces it is a great time for art and imagination, visualization and dreams, but a fuzzy time for thinking. We are more likely to rely on gut instinct than logic in decision-making. Be vigilant in attempting to be clear in all your communications.

While Mercury crosses in and out of Aries, three times it passes by Uranus, which is in the early degrees there (3 - 6). They join forces on March 5, March 18 and April 22. Their combo is electric, with sharp insights, inventiveness and intuition. Together they also provoke impulsive speech, which can be argumentative or aggressive in Aries. Watch your tongue and your temper around these dates!

To see the year's Retrogrades at a glance (as well as the New and Full Moon dates, signs and degrees), download the free PDF 2012 On a Page.

If you think you're having a bad Mercury Retrograde, it probably can't compare to the woes of Rush Limbaugh, which I just wrote about in my latest blog. If you're a fan of his, you will probably want to skip this.

If you have looked through the 2012 Janet's Plan-its, you have an astrological "heads up" about these phenomena. So you already knew when Mercury was turning Retrograde, and there is more to read about the Transit of Venus. If you still don't have this year's calendar, order it now and it will ship out within a day or two.

Always be sure to read ahead in your Janet's Plan-its! It's good to know a few weeks ahead of time before Mercury goes Retrograde so you can schedule important plans for before or after the backtrack, especially avoiding the days on either side of its directional change (called the "station").