We say that things “come to a head” to indicate a build-up of pressure or emotion that can no longer be contained. It always makes me think of water boiling in a covered pot, building up enough of a ‘head’ of steam to lift the lid right off and overflow in a big mess. Generally the mess can be avoided if attention and respect are paid to the container, its contents and the forces (in this case, heat) being applied to it. It’s a useful image as we head into the middle of this week, which features an opposition between Mars in Taurus and Saturn in Scorpio early on Wednesday.
The opposition is exact just before 1:12 am EDT Wednesday morning. Mars and Saturn have an interesting and challenging relationship, being essentially opposite principles (Mars being expressive energy, drive and immediacy, Saturn being structure, containment and time). According to Isabel Hickey:
“In any aspect between Mars and Saturn, wisdom says, ‘Follow Saturn, ignore Mars.’ Mars and the area in which Mars is placed looks more attractive. Who wants discipline and the confining of energy. The trick is to use the right amount of martian energy by confining it within the bounds of Saturn.”
It all sounds so sensible on paper, doesn’t it? But with Mars in the lush, sensual, acquisitive fields of Taurus — flanked by Venus, Pallas Athene and the Sun — I can see how it might be hard to acquiesce to Saturnian responsibility. Taurus is where the party is these days.
Now recall how most astrologers describe Taurus: placid and slow to anger, but when they do, watch out. It’s the slow build that you usually have to watch out for with Taurus; you have to be observant enough to sense the subtle signs of increasing pressure and internal heat. It’s kind of like geologists monitoring a volcano: you can’t just watch the outside of it from afar. You need to have your instruments tuned to what’s rumbling quietly beneath the surface.