(Image: Rose McGowan, whose current headlines reflect the Mars-Pluto transit)
This week begins with the conjunction of Mars and Pluto in Capricorn, which I spoke about in last week’s forecast as we were building toward it. I wrote that it was an upcoming new relationship between the car and the driver, or the conscious will and the underlying motives/deeper purpose. What to look for with these two now in conjunction in a new phase is the alignment of the will with more deeply felt desire: matching in action your intention. In the mid-degrees of Capricorn we are seeing the most archetypal height of the Capricorn archetype, with its arch of maturity, accountability, and pragmatic ambition and its dramas around boundary, regulation, and control. This is Mars, God of War and Pluto, God of the Underworld after they have just finished one entire storyline together, and they are specifically working through conditioned taboos (culturally or personally), culture of secrecy, and personal and cultural repression… and of course the deep-seated shadows of patriarchy, of which Capricorn as an archetype has been distorted through for centuries (but to be fair, patriarchy as a cultural construct distorts the expression of every archetype). Capricorn relates to rules, structures, and cultural mores, and the process of building and calcification these values. With Pluto moving through the archetype of Capricorn, there is an intention to evolve the way culture structures and regulates itself, as well as for individuals to wake up to their own authority and maturity. We are hearing Trump’s “locker room talk” and seeing a lot of headlines of women coming forward about sexual violence and that to me, feels very much like this Mars-Pluto energy, especially of their culmination in phase prior to this week, which is so often characterized with disillusionment (in Capricorn: disillusionment of power, of culture and society). On an individual level, there is a surfacing and transforming of the variety of ways we have internalized judgements and imposed restrictions on ourselves and others.
The new phase between any two planets is characterized by the birth of new urges and new instincts which set the tone for the rest of the cycle. This could be the start of something boldly empowering, and your impulses may be auguring a new dimension of self-authority and courage that is emerging. Mars in Capricorn in conjunction to Pluto implies challenges to the status quo as well as more defensiveness around keeping power. This is an intense transit and it will really depend on the individual(s) as to how this force is expressed. The boldness that is coming forward with Mars here has the power to destroy and transform (Pluto).
(Image: Onur Dinc)
One expression of Mars in Capricorn catching up to Pluto before this week would be a total exhaustion of the will where it was directed towards control/routine/maintenance of some status quo where that control was needing to be relinquished. The opposite side of this coin is where there is not suitable structure for the raw energy of Mars to apply itself. There is a real amount of frustration for many with this transit, because it is speaking to a relationship between the unconscious and conscious will, and how willing or resistant a person is to act on their desire/deeper nature, as well as the concrete manifestations of this very dynamic over time. The contact of Mars and Pluto brings these dynamics to the surface, whether or not they can be understood immediately.
On the 20th, Mercury in Libra will be opposite Uranus in Aries. Last week’s Mercury-Mars and Mercury-Pluto square and the Aries Full Moon brought similar scenarios to the fore; that of information coming out under pressure. The Libra influence adds in an ease and a tendency to simply listen, and for this to offer a lot of opportunity and expansion (Jupiter in Libra). The information coming forward now has the power to liberate people and shake up stuck situations, just as much as it can initially trigger or upset people. Libra is inclined to keep the peace but these configurations speak to conflicts and friction that create a more vital peace, rather than cooperating existing for the sake of itself or for the avoidance of conflict. Listening to others and to one’s environment and letting those messages sink in will radicalize consciousness this week.
The Moon in Cancer will enter Last Quarter on the 22nd, beginning our last lunar week until the Scorpio New Moon on the 30th. The Last Quarter phase heralds a shift in consciousness. Examining this Cancer Moon as it applies to the Sun in Libra, think of the Cancerian crab and how it protects its soft body with a hard exterior shell. It is very selective about revealing itself to others or letting others in, and will do so based on how safe it feels. Libra is a relational air sign that is impulsive and curious about discovering others, it expands and discovers itself through mirroring. The Last Quarter phase is the start of questioning something that has been built within consciousness, so it may eventually dissolve and change forms into something new. Following this symbolism, watch around the Last Quarter Moon for the experience (in yourself or others) of some aspect of comfort zone coming into question as to whether it is needed any longer. This could be something inspired by others or for the curiosity about other people or a new dimension of relationship.
A few hours after the Moon is exactly last quarter, the Sun will leave Libra and enter Scorpio. On the 22nd, Mercury will also enter Scorpio. While Libra engages the mind and the relational qualities of getting to know one another by listening and sharing, Scorpio is a water sign that delves into the depths of human experience. It is where we confront and transmute the shadow and it’s where we psychically regenerate. Intimacy and deep connection are parts of the Scorpio archetype, and the information (Mercury) can be exchanged on subliminal or psychic channels. Scorpio is an archetype of extremes and is one of the most passionate signs – it guides us through the experience of moving toward and merging with something, as well as letting go, moving away.
We’ll end the week with a square between Venus in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces, which is essentially a challenging (but not at all lacking in magic) aspect for Venus. It is a clashing dynamic between the forces of love, self-esteem, relationship, and the forces of Oneness, forgiveness, non-separation, delusion/disillusionment/despair, or ultimate connectivity to all of creation. Squares denote conflict between two forces that are seeking integration. People will handle this transit differently based on the stability and strength of these archetypes within their lives and consciousness. It is often easier to feel the divine content of Neptune when we are resonating with value (Venus) toward our circumstances, or it might be through spirituality or meditation that the value of something is illuminated. With any circumstances, this transit can speak to a tendency to attribute more significance to events than is due for better or for worse. Interpersonally, Venus-Neptune contacts speak to the potential for highly spiritualized relationships or relationships in which there is a degree of illusion – such as loving someone for their potential or what they could be, versus what they are.
(Image: Daniel Serva)
Another potential of the transit of Venus in Sagittarius squaring Neptune is to feel more extremes around lack or longing, and wanting more from your experience. Maybe you have a clear dream or it’s just a ‘something’. With this transit it can be beneficial to stop investing so much energy in hope for the future and transfer that to faith in the future, and then to let go and find ways to expand into what you do have or what is in your means to experience right now. The ineffable longing for greener pastures speaks to your ability to comprehend them, as well as their likelihood to exist for you because of your ability to comprehend and desire them. Even though Sagittarius is an outward moving, masculine sign, when applying to Neptune it does not speak as much to efforting to reach greener pastures but it is about relaxing into what is already, always here and trust life to carry you into the next stage. It’s letting beliefs and values that stand in the way of that dissolve. One belief or value that can come with Venus in Sagittarius and be challenged here is that we should always be expanding and increasing in happiness and abundance. Yet the actual flow of nature and of life includes expansion and contraction, ups and downs. As Venus in this dynamic attunes its attention more to natural cycles, or that which is beyond what comes and goes, the Neptunian frequency it aligns with will resonate more pleasurably. Likewise, it is not just the valleys of experience that demand our spiritualization (“this is what I need to learn”) – we are at times, called to fully experience the highs and peaks without fear. One expression of Neptune in action is really just to surrender.
While Mars and Pluto are meeting each other and starting their new cycle, the Moon and Venus will both highlight planetary cycles (Last Quarter phase) where we start to question what we’ve built and see through it in new ways. Capricorn as an archetype is actually on the Last Quarter part of the zodiac wheel, and it too relates to the capacity to build massive structures and to know when to let them go. The shift from Libra planets Sun and Mercury into Scorpio will bring things to an internal simmer as we experience these shifts.
Thanks for meditating on the planets with me this week! For those of you who are new here, these forecasts come out every week and you can subscribe to my mailing list to get them straight to your inbox, and follow my page on Facebook here. These forecasts are written broadly about the current transits as they apply to everyone (and I tend to focus on psychological dynamics more than things like current affairs and politics but this week called for some world news), but I also do personal astrology readings and take a look at the dynamics of your specific natal chart in the light of your current experience and questions. For a limited time, the rate for your first reading with me is 50% off for a rate of $60 when you enter coupon code “revolution” at the checkout. Book a reading with me here. I love your comments, so please drop a line here or on the Facebook comments and share this article if you’d like to spread the word!
~Sabrina Monarch
Sabrina Monarch is a soul-centered Evolutionary Astrologer who publishes weekly astrological forecasts. She has been collecting astrological experience for over a decade. She also enjoys kundalini yoga, hiking and creative writing. You can subscribe to receive her weekly forecasts by email here.
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