I’ve been writing these forecasts on lunar time (aligning with the New, First Quarter, Full, and Last Quarter Moons) for a little bit but I will be transitioning to manmade time in time to publish forecasts that start on Wednesday’s. But until then – we are at the Last Quarter Moon in Gemini preceding the Solar Eclipse New Moon in Virgo on the 1st of September.
Mars catching up to Saturn this week is a big deal! For the last few months, Mars has been close behind Saturn – back in April on the 17th when Mars went retrograde, he was just seven degrees behind Saturn. But rather than having them meet at the last moments of a difficult trek where we can just start to make out the finish line, we were delayed an entire season. We began the Mars retrograde. The karmas of the Mars retrograde began February 17 at 23 degrees of Scorpio, which is the depth at which Mars would eventually retrograde to. So, think about any transitions and shifts you’ve undergone since then. We’re at a sealing moment with Mars joining up with Saturn, as well as a turning of the wheel – a new phase.
We have been doing battle with our own limitations which are dissolving – this time has given us the opportunity to face our deepest sense of limitation, the will coming up against a wall in which our efforts melt, are deflected, are futile. Some efforts. In the midst of this, we have probably also discovered strength in reserve, or come into contact with a more transcendent inner-compass (or intermittently struggled with the loss of our inner compass). The combination of these two, if you factor in the square to Neptune also- had been rather Sisyphsian for some – rolling a boulder up a hill for it to only roll back down at the end of each day. The plus side of this is that we’ve had the chance to see where our fight is no longer of use – perhaps how we’ve been applying ourselves in a way that is no longer true for us and therefore drains our energy. We’ve experimented with what could actually work, and in so doing have accessed deeper truths about our natures.
As Mars catches up to Saturn though, a shift occurs in which Mars will be entering a new phase with Saturn. This is referring to the cycle between these two planets that begins at a conjunction, and ends with a conjunction. It measures the time in which Mars travels around the zodiac in comparison to Saturn. Since Saturn is the slower moving planet, Mars completes this cycle relative to Saturn. In Mars’ lap around the zodiac, he makes key resonating points with each of the planets including Saturn, and we are starting to emerge from a Mars-Saturn dynamic that has been signified by struggle, confrontation with limitations, and confrontations with faith or the lack there of. This conjunction between Mars and Saturn occurs on the 24th at 4:27 AM PST. They will not be conjunct again until April 2 of 2018, in the sign of Capricorn. When we look at Mars and Saturn together, we are looking at the ways that our will is formidable and suited for its intentions, versus the ways that it is limited or blocked. Freedom to move comes from discipline and diligence, integrity and responsibility to one’s true work. Privilege and mobility stacked with work over time.
Have you been tested the last few months? Especially your sense of optimism, or your belief in the bigger picture?
For the new phase between Mars and Saturn, this could be a time of setting intention of how you will see your life’s challenges as opportunities to grow. We can certainly organize our lives so that we are more able to meet challenges, but none of us are exempt from coming up against difficulties and limitations. This can be a start of some old baggage or old soul-shackles falling away, and you can assist this process by engaging in your courage and optimism about your resiliency. This as a shift toward the side of renewal – a burst of new competence and energy to meet existing challenges. It may also signify new experiences around responsibility and exploring new dynamics of freedom that comes with increasing maturity. Ultimately the conversation between these planets can ask us to take accountability for our own vitality – how it is we design our lives to feel most alive, even despite the challenges that pose limitations on us or are vexations to the spirit. We have to believe that we can move through the challenges and alchemize them, rather than allow them to become something overbearing and domineering in our lives. We get to make that choice. It is up to the inner-warrior to rally and have courage in the face of what seems impossible or too daunting to bear. The particular vehicle of expansion here is through cosmology or bigger picture perspectives – this is a time to be seeking answers to questions, rather than assuming there is no answer or that the problem is in itself all there is to it.
In the immediate meantime, observe the limitations and do not become vain in trying to overcome them when it is not honest (but instead a self-illusion or compensation) or not ripe timing. This is not a great lineup to be overdoing anything. Time is going to be an excellent asset, so make sure you factor it into your plans. The lights may very well turn on and show you where to go – but it may take a little bit to complete the vision.
Mars in Sagittarius will form an exact square to Neptune in Pisces the following day (August 25 at 11:57 PM PST), so watch for inspired vision and inspired action. Meditation and entering altered states is one way that an action plan for moving forward could be revealed. When working with Neptune, there is always the question of discernment – what part of the dream is real and what is illusion? So if you don’t get too fixed on what you think is truthful, you will be more open to the flow of this particular transit. This will be Mars entering a last quarter phase relationship with Neptune, which means that some of the impulses coming through during this time will challenge that which is known or familiar. If you recognize unfamiliar impulses coming to you, take them into prayer or meditation to really glean why they are showing up for you. You may be more aware of a situation in which you would normally act on a sort of dogma or belief – yet the moment (as you are inspired) will itself call for a dissolving of that old framework.
We have Venus in Virgo conjoining Jupiter on the 27th and Venus will be conjunct Mercury on the 28th – this can be a nervous Venus, a lot of focus on detail and minutia. Yet this will be pleasant wherever we have attended to detail and organization. For contacts with others, this is a good time to get really clear on where we stand and clear our lens a little bit. Projection is one way of being out of touch with ourselves as we experience a given energy from someone else. Virgo is an internal sign, and one that is interested in purification. Rather than indulge in the avoidant side of Virgo (which only makes issues pile up), tune deeply into where it is you are feeling anxiety or lack and regard this is a place you can directly nourish or give more love to yourself. This will be a process.
On the 29th, Venus enters Libra, which is a sign it has rulership over. Venus likes being here and the current vibe around criticism and self-criticism will start to soften. Instead of the focus being on where we’re not ready or where we’re lacking, Venus in Libra becomes more relational and about discovering complimentary energies. The focus becomes extroverted and external, and we’re more interested in getting to know new people.
On the 30th, Mercury in Virgo will station retrograde. If you’ve been following me for a bit you know my position on Mercury retrogrades is not one of thinking they’re terrible. Mercury retrogrades are actually times that we access novel ways of perceiving the world and our experience. The vibe for this Mercury rx seems very much about self-improvement – an internally focused Mercury in the sign of Virgo. So even as Venus softens her edges, the way we think is still going to be in hyper-critical mode. If we can move past any of our judgements or criticisms at face value and follow them deeper, to inquire with friendliness into why it is we think the way we do, we can uncover helpful information. How much of our thinking is toxic? As a matter of mental health at this time, consider your sources of information and if you are steeped in negativity or things that otherwise drag you down. Seek media/information this week that gets your thoughts creative and vital again. Tune within and self-correct through mindfulness. However mutable Virgo is, it can get stuck in its own kind of rut which is like drilling a hole into itself. Find information that inspires you, and wrap your mind around that – not your worries, your fears, anxieties and insecurities at face value. It is not because these things should be suppressed, it is only that Virgo’s anxiety is not an end unto itself. It is a sign that something is missing. Yet when that something is found, the same analytical energy that would have been used to further analyze the absence, is used creatively and for refining that which is. This is a great time to seek perspectives that help you work with and work through difficulties, rather than obsess over them as static realities.
Virgo rules the gut – this is a great time to start taking probiotics if you don’t already. This could be a time where we are more sensitive to digestion and the way that food makes us feel. Metaphysically this is also how we are digesting our reality as a whole! Expect a refinement process to unfold and actively facilitate it. We can react with fear or avoidance when something feels off or wrong, but in Virgo’s realm, we are acutely aware of what’s wrong. As this comes up for you, regard it with friendliness and allow the micro-adjustments. Small changes will have huge results. The self-knowledge, clarity, and vitality that comes from micro-attuning to our wellness and health is worth it. Because Virgo closely relates with the psychology and experience of crisis, it can be difficult to find the right footing. Stay alert for solutions and allow pause for when things seem uncertain. The more sensitive we are, the more sophisticated our calibrations may be. This is exciting and enlivening if we let our sensitivity be an indicator for direction, rather than a distraction from a previous notion of what the direction was. You know the Mercury rx “expect delays”? Consider this. A reroute may be the key to the garden.
~Sabrina Monarch
No Comments