Astrology followers have been abuzz with news of a rare planetary event happening this August called the Cardinal Cross. Sounds like the ordination ceremony for a Roman Catholic clergyman (at least, to us). What it really is: a cycle when SEVEN planets in the cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn will form a cross-shaped configuration in the sky. More specifically, these planets are in “squares” (meaning they’ll be at 90-degree angles to one another), an astrological angle that symbolizes dynamic tension, unavoidable change, and a tug-of-war between forces that don’t naturally fit together. Others will be in “opposition” (180 degrees apart), a similar sort of face-off.

While we often see two, even three, planets squaring or opposing each other, it’s rare that so many engage in heated dialogue at once. To top it off, the cardinal signs are known for stubbornness. (Think of the Aries or Capricorns you know—great leaders, but not famous for backing down. Or the Libras and Cancers—they pretend to go with the flow, but oh, the passive-aggressive backlash and resentment when they do!).

A metaphor for this Cardinal Cross could be an arms negotiation between the U.S., Iran, Israel and Russia. Or a Real Housewives of New Jersey conflict resolution session between its four cast members. The caveat: nobody’s leaving until SOMETHING has been settled or decided. Everyone must give something up for the greater good, but it will require a delicate balance, drawn in the face of much resistance. (Bravo’s Andy Cohen and the U.N. Secretary-General would earn some serious overtime.)

August 7^th is the big Cardinal Cross day, because the Cancer moon completes the actual cross shape. However, the effects are already palpable. Several of the planets involved are already in square—and you can probably feel the tension (or the exciting changes) brewing in your own life.

Planets involved:

Jupiter — planet of expansion (in Aries, sign of the self/individual)
Uranus — planet of radical change (in Aries, sign of the self/individual)
VS.
Venus — planet of harmony (in Libra, sign of relationships)
Mars — planet of aggression & action (in Libra, sign of relationships)
Saturn — planet of restriction and caution (in Libra, sign of relationships)

VS.
Pluto — ruler of the unconscious & deep transformation (in Capricorn, the sign of career and ambition)
VS.

Moon — ruler of emotions and reactions (in Cancer, the sign of home and family)

That’s a whole lot of contrasting energy happening at once. Jupiter, the ruler of expansion and risks, isn’t happy fighting over the last drumstick with Saturn, the father of restriction and temperance. Gracious, well-heeled Venus would prefer to avoid the intensity of Pluto bringing up everyone’s dark sides and moral transgressions at her cheery summer cocktail party in the Hamptons. Yet, the clashes are inevitable.

Naturally, if you’re a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn), you’ll be affected the most. However, each of us will somehow have to hit “reshuffle” in our own lives. Expect to feel pulled between personal desires, family, relationships and work—a classic modern dilemma played out in the astrological amphitheater. Political tension could certainly build, hopefully forcing an effective intervention for the BP disaster and other international crises.

Our August Monthly Horoscopes will have more details on how the Cardinal Cross affects your sign specifically. The best advice: remain flexible and open to change, but also know your bottom line. Pick your battles and stand up for your principles—but not just for the sake of winning the argument. Be willing to look at yourself, but call a time-out if debates get too heated. Change is nigh, but you’ll waffle between facing it like a warrior and a wimp.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Or, as Kenny Rogers sang, “You’ve gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” Just please, let’s all check ourselves before staging our own versions of Teresa Giudice table-flipping and Danielle Staub weave-pulling. Like each season of reality TV, the effects of this Cardinal Cross shall pass. Don’t let your own bad behavior be caught on tape, or end up a permanent part of history.

There’s no such thing as an issue-free relationship. Anyone who tells you otherwise, probably isn’t having very much (or very satisfying) sex. Dynamic tension is what keeps the chemistry alive in love. Dealing with differences in a healthy way is what keeps a commitment strong over time.

This week, Mars the warrior enters Libra–the sign that rules marriage and monogamous relationships. Spears are drawn, shields come up, as we ready ourselves to go to battle with the problems in our love lives. Watch out though! The thing to attack here is the denial or refusal to communicate about problems. It will be all too easy to turn those weapons on our partners and get caught up in a war of words.

For people who find themselves in this jam, may we gently guide you to that couple’s therapist’s office? Between now and September 14, having a third party to interpret and mediate could save many a relationship. Warning: things could seem to get worse before they get better. That’s because we’ve all been repressing so much that we have to sort through the resentment before we can bring back the love.

Read your sign’s full Weekly Lovescope at mylifetime.com/astrology

This week, challenging Saturn wraps up its tour of Virgo, not to return for another thirty years. How does this affect our love lives? Virgo IS the sign of the virgin, but that doesn’t necessarily mean life is bound for Orgyville when Saturn moves on to Libra on the 22nd. No, this week is about getting solidly grounded in what we will put up with and where we are unwilling to compromise. Everybody’s gotta have a bottom line. While it can be easy to lose sight of these boundaries when face-to-face with a breathtakingly sexy someone who’s pouring on the charm, Saturn in Virgo has been trying to teach us the importance of remaining grounded in our true selves.

No matter how dearly we love another person, it’s important to give ourselves permission to say “no” to them when our inner voice objects or simply doesn’t want to go somewhere. This does not have to be a turn-off or a relationship dealbreaker. Quite the contrary–it helps the people who love us see the shape of our personalities. Nobody likes a “yes man” for long; it’s just too grating and inauthentic. So, while Saturn is in its final phase of Virgo this week, look at where you haven’t been saying no, but desperately want and need to. Have a heart to heart, spell it out, but don’t blame! Our partners are not mind-readers and it’s up to us to assert our own needs, wishes and desires (lovingly) if we’d like to have them met.

Read the full Weekly Lovescope for your sign at MyLifetime.com

It’s been said that self-love is the foundation for all healthy relationships. True that, but then there comes a point…This week, unpredicable Uranus turns retrograde in Aries, the “me first” sign of the zodiac. What was once a healthy, balanced relationship could turn into a vintage Jerry Springer Show vignette, with divas snapping fingers in their bewildered lover’s faces, as they announce, “you haven’t been taking care of my neeeeeeds.”

In a word, oy.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. If you want to get your needs met, then you’re responsible for enticing the object of your affections into doing just that. In many cases, this even required training. But there’s another question to ponder here: what are YOU bringing to the table? Love is a two way street. No matter how much of a catch everyone has told you that you are, you can’t lie back and be pleasured without serving up something in return.

This phase is an opportunity to deepen your connection to your own generosity and fabulousness, so don’t start keeping score unless you’re monitoring your own giving spirit.

That said, if you’ve been giving and giving and GIVING to a lazy mofo, AFTER you’ve vocalized your needs a thousand times sweetly, this is the week where you stop laying your pearls before swine.

Read the full Weekly Lovescope for your sign at MyLifetime.com