Libra Moon Conjunct Saturn; Mars square Nessus

Today is Friday, June 10, 2011. The Libra Moon is conjunct Saturn today; the aspect is exact at precisely noon EDT. The Moon and Saturn pick up lots of energy from the air signs — Gemini is home to the South Node, Mercury, Venus and the Sun. Three minor planets are in Aquarius: Pallas, Vesta and Nessus. This is a lot and I do mean a lot of air sign energy. It’s a grand trine — a thing in which it’s possible to get caught, which will feel like obsession of some kind. If that happens, how to get out? Fast!

Now, the thing about air signs, particularly when they’re all going at once, with the Moon there, is that life can be a lot of talk and a bit less action; so make sure you know what side of that line you want to be on. Air can also have a volatile quality. Venus in Gemini is working her way toward a square to Chiron. That has an addictive, pleasure-seeking quality. It’s a kind of trigger. So too is Mars in Taurus about to make a square to Nessus in Aquarius. That may be suggesting something to be angry about and if so, it’s likely to be something old: perhaps even ancestral. So before you get outraged at something you think is one thing but is really something that afflicted your great great grandfather, use some of that airy energy and reason a bit. This is a good time to talk it out — gently. As shy as we often get about it, we all want to be known for who we are; sometimes we do this via our actions, sometimes by words. This is a weekend for stating who you are — that is, both sides of who you are. Let your inner twin of opposite gender come out to play a bit in conversation, and listen for when others do the same. The air may be abuzz with apparent contradictions, so remember to make room for everyone else’s alter-egos as they think out loud.

Today’s edition of Planet Waves describes the Nessus-Asbolus square that I introduced in Wednesday’s edition of FM. Notably, Mars is conjunct Asbolus in Taurus. That’s pretty interesting and it suggests that this aspect is in full effect right now. If you cannot tell from the news, maybe you’ll have some indication in your own life. The aspect is the titanic struggle between the human drive to survive, procreate and be sexual; and the psychological impulse to make wrong, to seek revenge and to betray. The centaur planets (Asbolus and Nessus are in this class) are about healing. They may represent situations we don’t necessarily like, but that’s a lot easier to address when we let them guide us to take up the cause of repair, making amends and going deeper into the causes of what makes us act in strange ways. We can bring to these things the healing balm of awareness.

Moon-Saturn, meanwhile, might be a picture of balanced emotions; it could also feel oppressive, and Moon to Saturn aspects can represent business opportunities. Are these feelings contained in a box, or rather does Saturn provide a blessedly solid form, some grounding from which our feelings can float in midair? Either way, Venus (ruler of Libra) has an influence by way of her current transit through Gemini. She lends an air of elegance, an appreciation for the beauty of what we’re feeling and a safe container in which to feel them. We could do worse; after all, unbounded expansion and emoting can be tough for innocent bystanders to handle, and may leave us feeling spread too thin. Make your words fewer and meaningful and you will feel better.

The steam heat of Mars-Asbolus-Nessus is giving us something to push against. It’s also providing motivation or a kind of a spur — be conscious of this. Later in the weekend, Mercury moves into a conjunction with the Sun in Gemini. This is the halfway mark between one Mercury retrograde and the next. Also, remember we’re heading toward the Full Moon in Sagittarius, which is a total lunar eclipse: there is momentum building, potentially toward something unexpected, or a peak, or a point of release. Walk gently on the Earth.

— Additional interpretations by Amanda Painter