Next Tuesday Mars 'squares' Jupiter. Some astrology books say that squares are a bad thing, and some say they add vital energy to a situation, but five minutes looking at the night sky will show you exactly what's going on.
Face south, after sunset when the stars are out. On your right is Venus, bright and easy to see; and up a bit and to the left from her is Mars, now quite faint, though identifiable from his orange-pink colour. He's much, much dimmer now than he was last summer, but he's still there.
On your left, on the other side of the sky from Venus and Mars, is Jupiter, clear and bright like Venus. Jupiter and Mars both have something to say, but they are at ninety degrees to each other - hence the term 'square' - and so they are talking across each other. Imagine trying to hear what someone standing in front of you is saying when there's another person at your shoulder saying something quite different, right into your ear; what you see and what you hear aren't the same, and you get confused. It's exactly the same here. Face Jupiter, and Mars shouts into your ear; face Mars, and Jupiter does it. The effect is like being at a party where you're trying to have a conversation with someone you've just met, but the music and other people's conversations are louder, and you have to try to filter them out.
Jupiter and Mars are both energetic planets which take things forward, and to have them both visible in the sky at once is no doubt a good thing; but when they turn up the volume like this it can get a bit hard to handle, and you find yourself looking for somewhere quieter to continue your conversation - or waiting until they are no longer square to each other. This week is going to be loud; next week will be quieter.
Can't find Jupiter? The moon pays him a visit today, so look out any time this evening and you'll see them together. Around them are the stars that make up Leo.
