Eric Francis writes: Mars began its long retrograde yesterday, which is likely to be testing everyone's confidence, patience and gumption. But Mars is retrograde in Pisces, which is a message about examining and understanding motives, our own and the ones that get in our face a thousand times a day. Anyone paying attention is noticing that we live in a time of strained credibility, particularly of the idea that 'television creates reality'. Mars retrograde in Pisces is cosmic permission to ask ourselves boldly, �What is real and what is not?�.

Patty Greenall writes: The planet Uranus is said to create unpredictability in our lives, even surprising astrologers. For example, just after its entry into seafaring Pisces last March, there were reports of a very unusual giant squid discovered in New Zealand � bizarre! Mercury, the planet of communication and messages, contacts Uranus today bringing an exciting touch of the unexpected into our personal lives. You probably won't get any strange creatures in your sink but if you keep your ears pricked, a peculiar bit of information could bring a revelation of a very extraordinary kind. One thing more: try not to give or take anything in the wrong way.