This week, two inner planets change signs within a couple of days of one another, Mercury and Mars.
Wednesday night, Mercury ingressed Sagittarius, after spending a bit more than two months in Scorpio. The reason that quick-moving Mercury was in one sign so long was because it was retrograde there, so its ingress into Sagittarius is a final release point of the Scorpio drama that ensued in October and November.
Mercury is an important planet because its domain includes communication in many forms, as well as all the digital gear that now surrounds us. In 1980, your desk may have had a telephone, a typewriter and a clock on it. By 1990 you might have had a PC and a fax machine. Today your desk probably has more microprocessors humming along than NASA had for the Moon landing. There are 10 different ways to reach you.
So today, in our era, Mercury makes a difference. Mercury also describes many facets of state of mind, emotion and awareness. In Scorpio, we get a world of intrigue, and not necessarily as friendly or easy to resolve as a Nancy Drew mystery. That Mercury retrograde came along with an eclipse in Scorpio that was conjunct Saturn — it was all a pretty big deal as astrology comes.
Mercury moving into Sagittarius, changing signs for the first time since late September, will arrive with a change of color and tone. But the first major event that happens to Mercury is a square to Neptune (exact Friday), which describes a need for high-focus on integrity.
This is a perfect environment for denial, self-deception and lying to others — I suggest you remember the whole ‘correct speech’ thing, meaning that your words and what is true must align. I say this in part because Mercury soon makes a series of stops in aspect to points in Virgo and Pisces that will extract the truth whether anyone likes it or not.
Next, Mars ingresses Libra. This is another placement involving a retrograde, this time one that’s about to happen. Mars enters Libra on Saturday at 3:41 pm EST and will be there until late July. That’s because it makes a long retrograde between March and May, and in so doing, takes up a starring role in the heavens.
Ingressing Libra, Mars makes an opposition to the Aries Point — the mysterious first degree of the zodiac that acts as an intersection between all things public and all things private. When something hot goes over the Aries Point (such as the ruler of Aries) there is always an effect; let’s see what it is. Even as I write, protests are heating up in many cities around the world, for a diversity of causes, though I think there is something else brewing.
By late December, Mars will be part of a grand cross aspect that will light up the Uranus-Pluto square, the 2012-era aspect that has been influencing every facet of our lives for the past several years. Mars will be square Jupiter, square Pluto, Mercury and the Jan. 1 Capricorn New Moon, and opposite Uranus. This is a volatile arrangement that will have everyone on the edge of their seats.
This will be no ordinary New Year’s Eve, and we are about to get the first scent of what is brewing with the entry of Mars into Libra and its contact with the Aries Point.
Amidst all of this, there is one especially useful aspect that has been in long development — Jupiter in Cancer trine Saturn in Scorpio. While this one deserves a book chapter, I will offer this interpretation. This is an aspect about accessing some emotional stability. The two largest, heaviest planets, in a cooperative aspect (a trine) in the water signs, is offering a level of stability that you may be taking for granted.
I suggest you make the best of use of this one — it is helpful, it’s happening now, and it reaches an exact point of focus on Dec. 12. As it is we are living with the constant sensation of our daily schedule, our society and the world running out of control. Imagine what that would feel like without such a powerfully stabilizing influence. Be grateful it’s there.
For hardware Eric, I see the association of mercury and Uranus so information beyond our everyday universe, I think to aeronautics, astronomy… the mobile phone that has revolutionized our lives and astrology one software help valuable for astrologers…
Thank you for your description of the current astrology, Eric. I feel more prepared now. I have seen some interesting manifestations of the Mercury square Neptune transit while driving today. With awareness and adaptation, I had a good day.
Thus far, I am doing great at my internship. I am learning new skills, and I feel like I will have a more developed personality as a result. The Saturn trine Jupiter is probably playing a role there.
The astrology surrounding Christmas and New Year’s will probably manifest in the form of a family visit in my case. It’s usually pretty wild anyway.
@Alexander de Witte
I didn’t think about the effects between Mars in Libra and Venus Rx, but it makes sense. I have felt like I needed to use this energy to change the way I relate to others.
ah, yes. Thank you so much Eric … that Jupiter-Saturn trine is happening ontop of my own natal Jupiter in Cancer and Saturn in Scorpio, as in I’m experiencing my 2nd Saturn return among other aspects. It was / is my sense that my Moon (conjunct Saturn in Scorpio) aches to attach outward to another and, with the help of Jupiter in Cancer, I’m metaphorically tethered to my own inner juice; thus, I lose the urge to join the fray on the surface and allow source energy to fuel this ship. Bring it on, Mars!
mary mack
Concise and cogent. Thank you, Eric, for the coming agenda of Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. These transiting planets have either just formed conjunctions or will soon do so to my natal Mars, Mercury, Sun, Jupiter and Black Moon Lilith. Looking forward to a respite of emotional stability coming off a Tr Mars N Mars conjunction, as I head for a Tr Mercury Natal Mercury conjunction, Tr Sun conjunct N Mercury, and a few other aspects with the rest of the transiting suspects. Then there will be the oppositions and squares of Uranus-Pluto to my natal U-P. Definitely need the grounding of the next few days of stability. Thanks for the alert.
JannKinz
I must admit to finding traditional astrology possibly conducive here, when it comes to identifying themes of this Mars ingress and long transit.
Mars is in detriment in Libra, which makes his energy somewhat disorganized. There are a few delineations here which could capture the essence. One of these may be “attempts at diplomacy” (being in Libra and all). We might have cause to question the sincerity of such because of another retrograde (this time a month long one) involving Venus. She is of course the domicile Lord of Libra. The condition and action of Venus therefore gives some sort of dialect to Mars’ intonation and expression in Libra. Venus is fairly neutral in ability to assist Mars while she is in Capricorn. However those signs are square and via triplicity (Venus rulership of Taurus) there is some assistance.
What is interesting to note is two things really about Venus Rx in Capricorn. First, there are several moon/Venus meetings in that sign ( the first due very soon and the next early in the new year) AND Venus retrogrades to within nearly a degree of Pluto at closest orb, in late January.
This cycle of moon contacts and Venus approach right back close to Pluto is graphic. Not forgetting that the moon is in detriment in Capricorn (which again is disorganized expression), it feels like any Mars diplomatic energy in Libra is accompanied by an attempt of something woman-focused to help express that energy, something normally assigned as receptive rather than active. And yet, this Venusian energy, which keeps being joined by the moon, continues to plod back toward Pluto.. hmmm.
This does have the feeling of a stage managed puppetry, involving the feminine principle. Even once in Aquarius Venus is not really much help to Mars and we must wait until she enters her exaltation in Pisces before the feeling tone transforms.
I’m with Len on this one ! ( although that’s usually the case 😉 )
With some new applications like Viber (free calls and texts..anywhere in the world) and WhatsApp (free texts) it seems that our relationship circles have become wider, well, it has for me. Suddenly, friends I had made while travelling are texting or calling at all hours of the day and night. At first it was a novelty, Viber is fairly new App, but more and more I just want to shut them down. I am burning out from being accessible all the time.
Eric: Thank you once again for pulling together the threads of the astrology into an inspiring and coherent tapestry. You have been doing this for so long, you are like the the trine from retrograde Jupiter to Saturn that you have described – easy to take for granted but important to appreciate. Please accept my appreciation – there is nobody who does astrology the way you do it. There is nobody who contributes to our connection with the Cosmos better than you.
Thank you for this great piece, Eric,
Be, next May sounds good!
I am grateful for the Saturn trine Jupiter exact on December 12th. I’ll will be especially interested in what is happening in the world on and near that day because next May, Saturn and Jupiter will repeat the trine in the same degrees, and this time they will also be trine Chiron in Pisces. Supporting this grand trine, the Moon will conjunct Uranus, having just squared Pluto, and Mars and Venus will be in mutual reception. It just feels like some kind of accord will be reached then, something that will be tentatively reached at the first trine. If so, I’m sure that Mars in Libra will be the deciding factor. You know, the old “iron fist in a velvet glove” diplomacy!
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