With Mars about to emerge from its pre-retrograde shadow zone, I thought this would be a good time to check in and do a little review of what we’ve been learning since Mars first entered this sign back in December of 2013. Mars is wrapping up its nearly 8 month long trek through Libra and will dip into Scorpio’s waters on the 25th, so this is a great time to see what we’ve taken away from this time period so we’re prepared for the next leg of the journey! During the last 8 months, have you:
Honed your social skills/manners, focusing on tact & diplomacy?
Learned who your comrades-in-arms are; those who will fight the good fight alongside you, even if you do wind up as sparring partners from time to time?
Re-balanced relationships; taken a stand when/where it was appropriate and acquiescing to foster cooperation and harmonious relations when it was needed?
Learned the way of the Peaceful Warrior – how to create mutual win scenarios and practice the balanced application of force to get what you want in life?
How to weigh both sides (pros and cons) of a course of action without allowing this process to hamstring you?
Become more considerate/aware of others’ desires?
Uncovered/discarded any “frenemies” in your orbit?
Learned to wrangle potentially hot social situations while maintaining grace under fire?
Practiced being polite but direct?
Examined/slowed down the impulse to partner, with the understanding that chemistry does not automatically equal compatibility?
Learned that actions speak for themselves in relationships?
Striven for reciprocity and become focused on cohesion, collaboration, and fair dealings?
Well, how did you do? This is the Mars in Libra cumulative review, and taking stock of these important themes allows us to stay on top of Mars’ energy as it prepares to transition into a new sign. If we’ve challenged ourselves in these ways and managed to rise to the occasion, we will be well-positioned for Mars-in-Scorpio season, which runs from July 25th – September 13th this year. If, on the other hand, we failed to confront the above issues, the likelihood of resentment surfacing during Mars’ passage through Scorpio is quite high – things could get ugly. This is a super-passionate, potent placement for The Red Planet – anger tends to seethe into resentment or bitterness when this energy is done in Lo-Fi, and we want to avoid the potential for this kind of toxic brew. It’s not too late to correct any of the above Mars-in-Libra issues to help head this off at the pass, though – we still have another week to go!
Double your pleasure, double your fun – that’s what you get when Venus in Gemini teams up in supportive aspect to another planet! In this case, we have Mars in Libra benefiting from Venus in Gemini’s gift of gab, so if you are looking to partner the next few days are a great time to get the dialog flowing and to be brave & make the first move in a relationship. If you do, you’ll get a +1 for initiative with Mars in Libra. Keep the conversation sweet & flirty, and also consider enlisting the aid of a good wingman/wingwoman because Venus in Gemini + Mars in Libra loves to tag-team when hunting for a mate. Others can help you get what you want with this astro-influence in play, and if you pair up w/ your BFF to form a dynamic duo, he/she may talk you up in a way that causes the object of your desire to look favorably upon you. There’s good astro-chemistry in the air right now, so get socializing and don’t be afraid to chat up a cutie (or two!) 😉
Wow, so the last two weeks have been INTENSE, am I right?! It’s been a pretty chaotic astro-scene with Mars re-triggering the Uranus-Pluto square for the THIRD time since the beginning of the year, and I’m about ready for all the madness to stop, aren’t you? I have been observing many sudden upsets all around during this period, from clients to friends & family, so count yourself blessed if the last couple of weeks have been relatively smooth sailing for you & yours!
Whenever we get a planet traversing one of the 4 Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) this lights up the status-quo busting dynamic duo Uranus & Pluto. Things are shifting, and these shifts are pretty seismic – I see them as metaphorical for evolution or extinction. While this does push us to bring our “A” game to the table, sometimes there is also value in knowing when to lay low, because while YOU may be bringing your best to bear, it most certainly does not mean everyone ELSE is! People respond differently to pressure; some rise to the occasion, others snap & lash out. But …Read more…
One potential manifestation of this placement can be staying locked into a screwed-up situation because we fear letting go. Maybe we think we’ll be obliterated if we do, and left with nothing. But Saturn in Scorpio has been challenging many of us to know when to cut our losses. It may be time to acknowledge the reality that we have to fold – even if we think we stand to lose a lot – rather than keep on throwing in more time, energy, effort, etc, into a situation that has kept on degrading. This can apply to relationships, jobs, friendships – anything, really – in addition to literal financial situations. The Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) have been getting the brunt of this energy since late 2012, and if you have planets or angles in any of these signs, you definitely know what I mean even though we’re allseeing this theme playing out somewhere in our lives to a greater or lesser degree.
The alternative to this, as I have said before in my newsletter, is that we wind up in a metaphorical “moneypit” scenario where we continue throwing in good money after bad despite their being no chance of a Return-On-Investment. Sometimes the best you can manage is to pull out before you’re sunk, and protecting ourselves from situations that are unduly taxing is a far wiser use of this energy. It takes a lot of maturity to be able to look at a situation and admit “This is not working for me” and then steel ourselves to take the hit. But some do not know when to quit – if this is you, time is running out. Saturn will be leaving Scorpio for good next year, and when that happens you definitely don’t want to find yourself with an “F” for this particular life lesson. Saturn is the Cosmic Taskmaster, and when we don’t make the grade by failing to do the right-but-hard thing, it means we wind up paying for it in spades and living with the consequences for a very long time. As always, the choice is ours. This may seem harsh, but it’s really not – Saturn is actually quite fair. We’ve had almost 2 years (so far) to straighten this out, and Saturn’s mission is to teach us there are consequences to every choice we make. This is an important part of being an adult – we gain valuable life experience whenever we deal with the ramifications that come from our decisions, hopefully resulting in an increased level of maturity and wisdom as we age.
Upon mulling over the tale of Edward Snowden & the NSA, it conjured to my mind the image of an ouroboros – a serpent eating its own tail. I found this quite interesting, as the snake is 1) a symbol of Pluto energy and 2) also another word for traitor. Interesting, and decidedly not coincidental as these two appear to have a mutually parasitic relationship to one another where they do seem to be going around & around in an eternal circle….
The story of the NSA scandal has Saturn/Pluto written all over it on a number of levels. The government (Saturn) reaped the consequences (Saturn) of spying (Pluto) on its citizens w/ Snowden’s exposure (Pluto) of what the NSA has been secretly doing to …Read more….
Something is about to emerge – can you feel it? Mars has just stationed direct in Libra, and it won’t be long now before a flurry of activity commences. Watch for developments in relationships & alliances in particular. But not *quite* yet, as Mars has to warm up his atrophied muscled first before making his grand re-entrance….be patient, but stand at the ready and be alert for the signal. It’s almost “go time”…..
In this viral video clip, superstar heroine feline Tara comes to the aid of her “boy” when he’s viciously attacked by a neighbor’s dog that was on the loose. She springs into action and trounces the marauding canine, sending it packing and giving chase before swiftly turning on her heel to make sure the little boy was OK.
Now what’s the astrology of this event, you ask? Well, both children and kitties are Leo’s domain, and that’s where Black Moon Lilith is right now. BML is a dark feminine energy, and a real force of nature when provoked. Seeing a “cub” under attack would certainly elicit this kind of fierceness, because when she gets juiced up by Mars (as she is now), she has no qualms about throwing on the war paint and going into battle – it’s on like Donkey Kong! Mars sometimes gets a bad rap for being aggressive, but at its very best it represents hero energy. This little kitty was very brave – she had no idea she wasn’t “supposed” to attack a dog that was larger than her. She simply took split-second action when she saw one of her pride under attack.
Double astro-bonus points? Lion goddess Sekhmet, protector of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, (asteroid #5381) was also joined with Black Moon Lilith at the time of this event. Maybe this feline was only doing what had been hardwired in her DNA to do on a primal level since ye olden times – protect the young pharaoh!
Tara the housecat is a perfect (or is that purr-fect, LOL?) example of this astro-energy in action – may she long bask in the glory of her newfound Leonine rock star status!
The other thing I like about this event is it can help spur a needed re-balance in the ages old cats-vs-dogs debate. This isn’t to imply that one is better than the other; however it’s possible a story like this can help level the playing field so people see them more as equals, because there’s nothing BML dislikes more than being considered a lesser/subordinate. Since Black Moon Lilith represents the outcast (in Leo, it can represent the exiled/disowned feline), perhaps those who have previously counted themselves as cat detractors will start to come around to equalize their position a bit in the wake of this kitty’s daring, defiant actions! At the very least, I’m sure this event will prove to be a boon for all the shelter cats looking for good homes!
With the May 2014 mutual reception between Mars and Venus having just reached a fever pitch on Sunday, I thought this would be a really good time to clear up a prevailing misconception regarding how these astrological events are interpreted. The recent article I did seems to be getting quite a bit of traffic, and I’ve also had this topic come up in consultation, so it seems this is a topic people are pretty interested in. Here is the issue we have at hand:
I have to say that I scratch my head whenever hear of blanket statements being issued within the astrological community somewhere along the lines of “mutual receptions are always a good thing”. This seems to be a fairly pervasive notion, but one I would like to challenge because I don’t think one can (or should) ever issue such a hard-and-fast pronouncement regarding this topic. My point of view is that each mutual reception must be examined on a case-by-case basis purely on its own merits, because if astrology teaches us one thing, it’s that every astrological energy has a potential dark side. It’s why there are no “good” or “bad” signs; each is fully capable of a wide range of expression ranging anywhere from Hi-Fi to Lo-Fi. In my opinion (and experience) neglecting the reality that every astro-energy – including a mutual reception – has a potential shadow only makes it much more likely that it will turn around and bite us in the butt, because then we are not paying attention! Awareness is our ally; ignorance our enemy – looking at ALL possible manifestations of an energy helps us figure out ways to avoid potholes while actively seeking out ways to create or capitalize on opportunity. I don’t think this is something, we – as astrologers – should be turning a blind eye to, because it does our clients (and our profession) a disservice. Mutual receptions should not be handed an automatic pass where they’re exempt from the same kind of scrutiny we give to any other energy in the chart, because to do so would be rather Pollyanna of us.
So let’s talk turkey, shall we? When we have two planets exchanging energy in a mutual reception, we know this creates a strong resonant interplay between two planets’ energy – they start vibrating at the same frequency, we could say. And as this vibration increases, it gets LOUDER. It becomes amplified, almost as if it were one singular sound. The solo becomes a duet, and as these voices join together they get harder to ignore because the decibel level is cranked up. If the planets involved in this mutual reception also happen to aspect one another, we could even consider the volume kicked up ANOTHER notch as this third voice is added to make it a trio! From an interpretation standpoint, it becomes much easier to see the intermingling of these planetary energies when they work cahoots like this because they are making themselves pretty obvious. Now loud is neither bad nor good; it just is. Whether or not this sound manifests as harmonious or dissonant to our ears will depend upon who the singers are and whether or not they have a case of laryngitis at show time….and we can determine this by looking at the planets involved to note if they are dignified or debilitated. Planets that are dignified are like a Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin paring – there’s a significantly higher likelihood that we’re going to like the sound they produce. But debilitated planets? That’s more like an Axl Rose/Cydi Lauper travesty – eeeesh! Oh you’ll get a sound, alright, but it’s gonna take a little work for it to hit the Top 10!
As based upon the work of astrologer Isabel Hickey.
We also have to consider if the energies of the planets in question tend to work well together, or if they’re naturally wired to contradict one another. Using the Mars-Venus mutual reception that’s in effect during May 2014, Mars and Venus are opposite energies. They *can* work well together as complimentary opposites and help take some of the edge off one another, but in this case, they’re also BOTH DEBILITATED in the signs they occupy! Mars is in its detriment in Libra, same with Venus in Aries. Girly-girl Venus all in pink with her hair & nails done, hanging in Mars The Barbarian’s man-cave while he’s not at home? Trying to make herself comfortable in such a setting while simultaneously turning her nose up at the stockpile of ramen noodles, the sink full of unwashed dishes, and toilet seat that’s always left up? She’s definitely a little annoyed about all of this! And think of Mars (or maybe I should say Conan?) residing in her Palace of Pink, trying desperately not to break all her delicate fine china and having to civilize himself by raising his pinky in the air as he sips tea! By natural default, I think it’s going to be a challenge for either of these energies to take something positive/beneficial away from this experience, don’t you? It can be done, but it’s likely to take some work as both energies are *really* out of their element! In such scenarios, correctly identifying ahead of time the ways in which the combination of these energies can discordantly manifest helps us avoid playing into their shadows while looking for opportunities to manifest the facets of this energy that are going to work best for our specific needs. The energy is there for us to pull from – ALL sides of it! The question then becomes “How we will use it?” We are the co-creators of our own destiny – The Universe may hand us some basic parameters to work within, but knowing what these are leaves us completely free to play the hand we are dealt to maximum advantage!
My hope is those who read what I’ve written above will question the notion that “a mutual reception is always a good thing” – do test that astro-theory out before adopting it as your own to see if it holds water and is actually true in practice. Because after over 15 years of observing the effects of various mutual receptions in action, I can say with certainty that I’ve seen dark sides to every single one of them, so I urge both novice and pro alike to reconsider their stance on this topic for the sake of increasing the accuracy of our interpretations. I love this field, and my sole intention in challenging this particular paradigm is to encourage critical thinking & empirical research in a way that will only help to elevate astrology’s credibility within mainstream culture!
Here’s why this really doesn’t fly now: The counterculture icons used during Pluto-Uranus conjunction of the mid 1960’s actually *mean something* to people on a visceral level. When you try to “brand” it and commercialize it during the Pluto-Uranus SQUARE of 2012-2015, well, it just winds up pissing people off because it cheapens and commercializes the spirit of what it originally stood for. A cropped-top T-shirt for teenyboppers? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Yeah, I’m sure that’s EXACTLY what the Black Panthers envisioned their image being used for….! *eyeroll*
*snort*
Now it’s a FAR different story when something begins its life as sort of commercial icon but then later on becomes adopted as a symbol for the counterculture movement…..!
One of these represents corporate greed deliberately trying to leech off of the zeitgeist because it’s marketable; the other represents The People adopting an image as mascot because they find its symbolism resonant.
Astrologically speaking, this is a pretty clear-cut example of Pluto in Capricorn squaring Uranus in Aries. Pluto in Capricorn not only represents the corporate greed angle, but the corruption/manipulation of a public image to serve a calculated agenda (i.e. profit!) – the Lo-Fi expression of Pluto in Cap is definitely the misappropriation of an *image*. Now the square from this planet to Uranus in Aries is why we’re seeing an attempt to capitalize on that revolutionary, incendiary spirit (precisely what Uranus in Aries represents)….which we last saw during the conjunction of these two planets during the mid 1960’s. Is it any wonder we’re now seeing this re-cycled, re-hashed, re-packaged image regurgitated into something very commercialized? In my opinion, this kind of attempt to put lightning in a bottle (and sell it) is a massive #fail.
And yes, that hashtag use was quite deliberate and very tongue-in-cheek! 😉
Some vital info for May: We have a mutual reception in effect between Mars & Venus for about 80% of the month! A mutual reception means that Venus will inhabit the sign Mars rules and vice versa, which creates a strongly resonant interplay between Martian & Venusian energies, bringing them out to the nth degree. In a nutshell, this means ….Read More…
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