There’s a lot going on today astrologically and the Universe is giving us a serious dose in tough love. Think of this as the stern reminder of what you can take with you beyond 2012 and what you cannot.

First, let’s focus on Mars conjunct Saturn at 24 Libra.

While Mars/Saturn contacts have a well deserved reputation for frustration and thwarting (trust me, I have a Mars/Saturn square), the conjunction represents the energies of Mars (action, impulse, aggression) merging with Saturn (discipline, restriction, hard work). While it can be a bit like driving with the parking break on, the conjunction represents cool, calculated movement that can seem slow at first, but instead builds to a steady and measured movement. Mars/Saturn in a conjunction is a force to be reckoned with and it’s marching through Libra and pushing its relationship agenda. Note that the dispositor of this conjunction, Venus, is opposing Pluto and squaring Uranus. The lesson is about beginning a new cycle in how you engage in diplomacy and how you assert your will over other people (Libra). Don’t push too much — frustration will set in and that Pluto opposition will bite back. Hard.

Think back to July 30, 2010. We’ve come full circle since that last Mars conjunct Saturn at 0 Libra. And this is a big review of Saturn’s transit during Libra, which exposed cracks in a lot of relationships. What lessons have you learned, sometimes painfully so?

Now for today’s other main event: the Venus/Pluto/Uranus t-square.

This energy has been building over the last few days. People have been noticeably on edge as Venus in Cancer triggers Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries. Because Venus has had a costarring role in the astrology of 2012 with the Transit of Venus and the retrograde in Gemini, this is something to really watch. Venus is what we attract, what we value, and it is the feminine archetype. Venus in Cancer feels very vulnerable as it tangles with Pluto and Uranus. We’re probably feeling very sensitive, like we just got a big dose of tough love from the Universe. What this is serving to do is really challenge us on what we value and what we attract in our life that might not be serving us anymore. Use this energy to make lasting changes in how you relate, engage in partnership, use your will, and stand up for yourself.