Your horoscope for the week ahead: The Venus retrograde midpoint brings surprising insights into relationships

Venus is about to go through a fiery transformation. Her light has been consumed by the Sun in what is called an inferior conjunction: when the Sun, Venus and Earth form a straight line with Venus in between the Sun and Earth. 

This is the halfway point of the six-week Venus retrograde. It's a rebirth. You will reach some surprising insights about your relationships and your self-image, but be patient. This is still a work in progress. The Venus retrograde is producing some interesting results, giving you a chance to get a better insight into what's wrong and what's right in your love, work and business relationships. Things will be clearer after Jan. 29, when Venus resumes direct motion.

A square between Mars and Neptune on Tuesday may cause some confusion that you'd rather just sleep off. You're best advised not to make any big decisions during this alignment. It will create a mental fog, especially with the three-week Mercury retrograde cycle coming up on Friday. Prepare for glitches in communication, transportation and technology. We are already being affected.

Nevertheless, try to remain light-hearted and seek out humour during this time. Mercury's counterpart in Greek mythology is Hermes, known as the Master of Strategy. He'll help you come up with a clever plan of action to reach your hopes, dreams and aspirations.  

Here is your horoscope for the week of Monday, January 10, 2022.

Aries

The worst enemies usually begin as the best of friends. Some, sadly, don't wait until they have officially ended the friendship before engaging in hostile activity. It can be hard to know the difference between the people who are truly on our side and the people who merely seem to support us. After all, our allies can make life far more difficult and uncomfortable for us than our opponents. This week, you will find out who your true friends are. 

Taurus

Right now, you feel weary and weighed down. You are conscious of a hundred things you must do, a hundred things you ought to do and a hundred things you simply cannot do, even though you feel you should. The momentum of life is pushing you beyond your limits. Let some of it go. Just for a second, consider the idea that you are pushing yourself too hard. As you start to ease up and put less pressure on yourself, you'll find that this week goes much better than anticipated.

Gemini

A little pragmatic magic is what's required to get things moving in a certain area of your life. All that's needed is a tiny spark to get the engine running. So dwell for a moment on an inspiring vision. Nurture a dream. Cradle a hopeful fantasy. What once seemed like pie in the sky has the potential to manifest in reality. But for any of this to come to pass, you must have real faith in your ability to make good things happen. 

Cancer

You have been through a challenging but highly productive cycle. Soon, you will start to see why things are no longer as they were — and why that is so good. That's the thing about life on planet Earth: nothing stays the same for long. Not the good stuff, nor the stuff that you've been struggling so hard to cope with. Now you have a chance to properly understand all that has gone on. You have an uncanny ability to steer events in the direction that is best for you and those near and dear.

Leo

Things happen. Some are seemingly good and some are seemingly bad, yet the bad things tend to fascinate us more than the good. The good, we take for granted — until or unless there has been a shortage of it for a long while. Otherwise, we focus on the stuff we don't like. We should look at the good and appreciate it more. Sometimes, it even makes the bad stuff seem good. This week, you will appreciate all of that good, and it will make you feel a whole lot better. 

Virgo

Action, we think, is almost always preferable to inaction. But action requires energy. If you really try to bring about a much-needed change now, you may be successful. The wind is helping by blowing in a favourable direction. If you allow the wind to take you, it will lead somewhere worthwhile. You are on the move to a much-desired destination. You'll still have to work hard for what you want, but when you get it, you'll be supremely happy. 

Libra

It's time to get back on track, redefine priorities, finish what you started in the first place and forget the diversion you took. When you sit down to take stock, you will find that you have not lost what you once thought you had to write off. It disappeared from view for a while, as if it was running out of steam or losing its relevance. But now you need to take a second look. Return to favourite, familiar ground and rejuvenate an old dream. 

Scorpio

You feel a strong temptation to bend a rule. There are good reasons why you would like to try: you are short of things you need, there's pressure upon you to do more than you can and it looks like you may be able to get away with it. Even so, if you do draw the line in the wrong place, it will be noticed. Something will be wrong, and ultimately, you'll just have to do things again, the right way. Save yourself the bother and stick firmly to first principles. That way, you'll save time in the long run.

Sagittarius

There is a real sense of pressure at the moment. You are trying to do far too much in too short a time frame. People who ought to be encouraging you to slow down are instead exacerbating the situation with their exhortations to speed up and move on. Some good news, though, is on the way. Positive change is coming that is sure to please you. You'll find yourself working faster with much less stress, seeing with greater clarity and communicating more skillfully. Make good use of it. 

Capricorn

Things haven't been easy of late. You've had to cope with a constant barrage of obstacles and communication problems, and it's bringing on nostalgic memories of easier and better times. While things seemed extraordinarily complicated then, they were quite straightforward compared to what you've been through lately. If you're wondering whether all the angst this time around has been worth it, don't despair. You're due for a major upturn this week. All will fall happily into place.

Aquarius

Our ancient ancestors, who lived up trees and in caves without spoken language as we know it, enjoyed some advantages over us. For one thing, we tend to assume that because we share the same vocabulary, we know what people are really saying to us. They had no such misleading preconception. Don't waste your time this week, trying to unravel the nonsense that a certain individual appears to be articulating. Rely on your sense of humour to deal with it. 

Pisces

There needs to be a bit of give and take this week. Consider yourself charged with the task of finding a reasonable balance in an area of life where everything now seems hopelessly unfair. Be aware — especially in your dealings with people who you are emotionally close to — that you are reaching a new understanding of an old matter. That new understanding is very good. It will open doors, present options, generate opportunities and help create goodwill. Things are simply more likely to go well now.