Is this love? This season the universe is in for a treat. The planet Mars entered the sign of Taurus July 29th and doesn't leave until February 17th, 2006. On top of that, Mars goes retrograde on October 3, 2005 until December 12th, 2005. What's this about? It's about Mars. And Taurus. And you.

Venus enters Capricorn on November 6th, 2005 and stays there until December 16th, 2005, when she enters Aquarius for a brief stay until she goes retrograde on December 24th at 1 degree of Aquarius. She then immediately goes back into Capricorn for her retrograde period until she rightens on February 3rd while still in Capricorn, which she finally leaves on March 5th, 2006. Whew, got all that? Well, its not as complicated as it sounds. So, what are the planets of sex and love telling us?

Both Mars and Venus are spending a long—and I do mean long—stay in earth signs. Now no one is more lusty, if I may be so bold, as an earth sign, though Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, the three earth signs, each express that in different ways. First, let's us look at the planets involved and see what exactly they have to say to us, then let us listen to the different signs Taurus and Capricorn and see where they are coming from. Finally a look at retrograde planets themselves and what they mean, and we may just have a picture puzzle out of all these zigzag shapes lying there on the boudoir floor of the universe as it were.

Mars is the first planet to look at. Mars is the ruler of passionate Aries, and the co-ruler of intense Scorpio. In fact, Mars was initially the ruler of both Aries and Scorpio, until Pluto poked his Darth Vader-like head out of the cosmos in the early 1930s and took over Scorpio rulership (what else would you expect from the dark lord of the dark planet)?

Anyway, even though Mars was regulated to being the sole proprietor of one sign, he still had holding papers to Scorpio. That's important to remember as we go though Mars' intent for you and your chart. Mars refers to the energy drive, and it also represents how you express your sexuality. Your Mars placement by sign, house and aspect can tell you a lot about that sexuality, in terms of what turns you on, who turns you on, what you are looking for in a sexual partner, and how you experience that sexuality. Once all that is digested by you, you come up with a complete package.

And that's Mars. Mars is not by the way for men exclusively, a Mars placement is as much a part of a woman's chart as any other planet, as Venus is as much a part of a man's chart as any other planet. Mars in a woman's chart, as in a mans, shows all the above. The big difference between doing a chart analysis for a woman as opposed to for a man, is simply that an astrologer looks to Mars, along with the Sun, to show what type of men she may be interested in and influenced by. But a woman has the same signature as a man in her Mars placements in terms of how she deals with her sexuality.

Venus is of course the love planet. Venus rules both Taurus and Libra, and is the place in your chart that tells you how you experience the love principal, how you want to be loved and who by. In what way do you express love? That in either a male or female chart is where an astrologer goes for information. Venus can show the wife in a male chart for predicting purposes, as does the Moon. The Moon is also representative of emotion for both genders and represents the mother, as the Sun represents the father. So much for the astro talk of Basic Astrology 101.

Now on to the fun part. Taurus is a very sensual sign. Very, very, very sensual sign. Taurus loves the touch of soft silk, the smell of fresh cut flowers and a new mown lawn, and the aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls. No sign gets more out of an aromatherapy massage with hot stones and rose hip oil than a Taurus, no one. And now this sign of sensuality is being paired with Mars, the planet of sexual energy drive and oomph. And so Mars in Taurus is a placement dealing with a lot of oomph.

The fact that this placement is going to be in the heavens and in our lives for six and a half months should tell us something. It should tell us that now, right now, with all the turmoil in the world, the universe is asking us, or no, take that back, instructing us, in the art of learning to love ourselves and take time out for ourselves.

Now is the time we are being given the gift of exploring our sensuality. Now is the time to indulge in our desire to be pampered, to watch our garden grow, to get creative with what makes us happy and enjoy life. Now is the time to connect with our partners, and to enjoy them intimately and explore the mutual delight an intimate physical relationship can bring to both parties.

For those not in an exclusive relationship, it is the time to feel relaxed enough about ourselves to seek one out, and while we are looking to not forget our needs. After all we do not need to have a special partner or spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend to enjoy the sensual side of life. Not at all. A great massage, a soothing bubble bath, or even a great meal cooked to perfection and dining at a table graced with an abundance of fragrant flowers can do wonders for our spirits.

Mars is going backwards during his time in his foray through the garden of earthly delights. That means he is taking his time before he leaves this garden and slowing his frenetic energy down. He's strolling through the pathways, and so should we. When Mars pauses and looks back, as he does every two years or so, it's time to do the same.

Mars in Taurus retrograde is not a time to run around and wave your dating resume in front of everyone. It's a time to sit back and review your social life and your relationship accomplishments and see where you are at. Where do you want to be, really want to be, relationship-wise, in the next two or even five years? Mars retrograde is a time to look back at what you have done, and what you need and what to do in the future, to make better relationships for yourself.

Now on to Venus. Venus is in Capricorn, except for the brief two week foray into Aquarius in mid-December, for about five months. Now some of you may have heard that Capricorn is a cold, reserved, and inhibited sign. Not at all. Capricorn is an earth sign, the sign in mythology devoted to Pan, the goat-footed piper of sensuality run rampant. How repressed is he, I wonder? Not very.

Capricorn is a sign that is afraid of rejection and that finds it hard to show its feelings. That doesn’t mean Capricorn doesn't have feelings, its just hard to make them known unless they are assured of the security of their being welcomed. And Capricorn is a sign very associated with security and safety and having the bottom line explained to them in detail, before they sign on to any project, especially a project designed in the love section of their lives.

When Venus goes backwards, which she does about every 18 months or so, she is taking time to think over where she should go and what she should do. She is reviewing the situation, and taking stock. Who knows more about that than Capricorn? No one. And who wants to be in a secure loving relationship more than Capricorn? No one.

Venus retrograde is not the time to schedule a wedding, if you can help it, or get cosmetic surgery done, again, if that's possible. Venus retrograde is the time to be sure you are on the right path in your love relationships, or if you are not, to see what you can do to make your love relationships more meaningful and worthwhile for you. The more you are investing in a relationship, the more you are going to want to read the fine print, to be sure you are going to get a good return on that investment. That's the Venus in Capricorn signature.

Venus in Capricorn is a placement that wants to and needs to feel secure before they allow themselves to enjoy the fruits of the tree in the garden of earthly delights, the one Mars in Taurus is so happily gamboling in. Both Capricorn and Taurus are earth signs and they love the meadows and pastures of the earth, and find it soothing to their souls and spirits.

Mars and Venus are connecting on many levels this time around, both in the heavens and in your individual charts. Please take note of the dates they are going to be in harmony in a trine relationship. A trine relationship is one where the planets are closely connected by an orb of just a few degrees, no more than one or two. These are dates your sexual and love natures will be joined together. And it's an especially good time to create space within yourself and with your significant other, to explore the Mars and Venus desires you have.

The two most important time periods to keep in mind are November 16-19, 2005, and January 21-27, 2006. On these dates your chances of embarking on a love relationship and experiencing good communication and companionship are excellent. Use this time to create the love relationships you want, and to explore the existing love relationships you have.

Mars and Venus are giving us a place to configure ourselves and our relationships with others with new thoughts, feelings and creativity. It's a nice place to be in, for both ourselves and the universe.