Astrology of Now: Into the Red Zone
Mireille Enos as War in the TV series Good Omens.
“Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion.”
Proverb from Egypt
If you happen to have any planets or important angles between 17° and 22° in just about any sign, you will be feeling a mighty pull of astrology this week and next. But the astrology is so strong that every one of us who heeds the zeitgeist, will witness something. This is a season of tension.
First of all, there’s that tough knot in Capricorn — South Node 17°, Saturn 19° and Pluto 22°. This unforgiving combination has been transforming the lives of many over the past month or so. This triple conjunction is about flushing something down the toilet. In the mundane world, this is about the disappearance of structures that we took for granted — legal systems, say, or democracy. Or possibly the illusion that tackling climate change can be postponed until Thursday week?
But just as we’ve become used to that constant energy-sapping triumvirate, along come Mars, followed by a very slow Mercury, in opposition to these three. So, just to be a bit scary, the gods of death face off against the god of war and the god of quick-quick who goes slow. This is across the axis of tribe-family vs. governments; mother vs father; parents vs children; the axis of security. So we may well be feeling a trifle insecure.
Today, Mars is at 18°, and by next week (June 20) he’ll be exactly opposite Pluto — and so will Mercury. This is volatile, aggressive, fast, war-like energy ricocheting across the sky. It’s bullets flying back and forth. Wear your flak-jacket — especially if you have stuff in Cancer or Capricorn. (The UK has it’s Moon at 19° Cancer.) The incident in the Gulf could be escalated — viz the Gulf of Tonkin and the “weapons of man destruction”. Just to add to this, for the next few days, the Moon is in Scorpio, ruled by both Mars and Pluto. This could mean events happen swiftly.
At the same time, there’s something completely different happening around these degrees in other parts of the sky. The two planets of boundless expansion, Neptune and Jupiter, in the signs of expansive boundlessness, Pisces and Sagittarius, come into an exact hard aspect — at 18°. These two are both in their own signs, so very powerful — and just to add to the tension, Neptune is standing practically still before turning retrograde on June 21. This is dams bursting, floods (of water, people, money, ideas); things going out of control. On the plus side, these are planets of compassion, sacrifice and spiritual rebirth.
This creates a massive tidal pull across that corner of the sky, but there’s more. Saturn is also precisely at 18° in his own sign in that same quadrant — making a beautiful, supportive sextile to Neptune. It’s strong, strong stuff, and it’s important to go with the flow, but not be pulled under. I wouldn’t be getting into a dinghy to cross the Mediterranean this week or going white-water rafting.
On a personal level, this mixture of strong planetary energies could be a moment of tension, then breakthrough and release. It really depends where this is happening in your chart. For many, there’s going to be some loss.
We are in the build-up to eclipse season, of course, in July — and a major Mercury retrograde. The good news is that Mars exits Cancer on July 2, the day of the eclipse, and Pallas Athena may also be strapping on her peace-keepiner’s helmet later this summer.
It might be useful to remind yourself of an important principle of martial arts — use your enemy’s own weight against him.
Excellent, as always. ????????
Great writing! Adds a lot to my understanding . Major opposition on Capricorn , Cancer really hits hard. I have it in 12th (Cap) and 6th house (Cancer), with my progressed Sun in Cancer on 17th degree. And my spine protested – I was so tired and overloaded that one disc slipped. I couldn’ t walk last week, now it s better.
Glad to hear it’s better… also nodal axis is like a spine sometimes.
I’m having a tough time of it too. I did a little too much early this week and I’ve been recovering since. It seems like I’m paying a higher price than usual? Can’t believe how much I’m sleeping.
Apart from that, which isn’t so bad, all is quiet for me. No news. Which is good news. [*touch wood*!!] I was worried about my uranus/pluto t-square being triggered. That’s uranus/pluto, venus/mars, and saturn, all the mid degrees. Although I’m still learning about that, not sure what to expect. Neptune trining my neptune is alright though! 🙂 Enjoying that. I’ve spent a year looking deeper at spiritual stuff, learning more about what enlightenment means afte a conversation here on your website. 🙂 Now I think it’s time to just meditate and lots of time out, the energy is intense.
I really liked Anne Ortelee’s podcast about doing something different you don’t usually do. Uranus in Taurus, Jupiter in Sag. Step out of your comfort zone. So I don’t usually sit still through a boxset, I’m too fidgety, I take breaks during single episodes. So I gave that a try, I watched Killing Eve. 🙂 It took me about 3 or 4 days, but that’s good going for me.
As for the world, when will the Tories go? That’s dragging on f o r e v e rrrrrrr! There’s all this talk of change, accelerated change, exponential change, dramatic change. I get all excited ‘ooh the Tories will go!’ ‘new kind of politics!” ‘social democrats!!’ 😀 … and then … nothing. They’re still there. Brexit hasn’t been cancelled. Trump’s still there, still not impeached. So I dunno. How do we tackle climate change when so much seems fixed?
I’ve been thinking lately, we focus a lot on protecting victims, we don’t seem to focus on standing up to bullies. So that’s my next thing, drawing attention to that. People don’t stand up to bullies out of fear, but bullies are cowards, so the fear is unfounded. Once people know that, the fear is healed and we can collectively stand up to bullies. Just wanted to put that out there. 🙂 That’s what “Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion.” means to me.
I hope you will get better, I know that planets triggering t-Square can be tough! Old karma
My both little sons born 8 years apart have quite similar t-Squares . Mars opposite Pluto in Capricorn Square Jupiter or Mercury.
Old karma. That’s interesting, thanks. So when the moon or another planet trigger my t-square, it’s old karma again? My t square is uranus/pluto conjunct, opposite saturn, squaring mars/venus.
I feel wiped out, enjoying a quiet day today, thanks. Also, grateful I don’t have to deal with anything urgent or any dramas. 🙂
karma results
Thank you! Nodal axis as spine- this is very interesting! I will see red when Saturn will be conjunct my early Aquarius Ascendant opposing Mars and Saturn and squaring natal Uranus.
Lately when Mars crossed my ascendant and activated this combo I have burned 2 hairdryers in the row, and I had 2 car crashes at the parking zone (luckily).
Old karma triggers..
Oh — I had slo’mo crashes when Uranus-Mars-Mercury stuff was activated in my chart, too.
Thanks! Great explanation – best I’ve read so far on this coming week. Wonder who or what is the scorpion in the USA. POTUS seems too obvious – must be the snake. McConnell perhaps?
POTUS & etc whole MO is distraction.
I’ve got a 19 square
I think many of us will remember it as before and after kind of thing.
With recent events in the Gulf, this is pretty scary.
Personally, it’s on and opposing my Sun, tying into Uranus, Jupiter, Venus. Trying to stay positive, despite the weather.
Been a rough time since last Novemebr for me. Pluto on Moon.. now moving past but Saturn has come to same position, conjunct Moon, square my natal Saturn/Neptune conjunction (many of my generation have this.) Have had some losses in past 6 months. Not sure if I can handle any more. Oh, Natal Mars in Cancer,too.My natal chart is one big opposition and square. I do have a lovely Venus in Taurus. But right now feeling the tension aspects mightily.
Hang in there.
If you haven’t already, take a look at how these transits sit on the Great Britain chart of 1801. It speaks volumes about the current Tory/PM situation, Brexit and even this week’s floods!
Yeah, my health, partnership, and housing situation are all dissolving. Largely amicably, as to the partnership: the more peacefully I let go, the kinder we can be to each other as our last day together (June 30) draws near. Then, he will drive off on his long-distance journey. I will be awaiting the results of requests and questions posed — I hope — before Merc goes retro in a few days, while camping in a tick-iinfested forest as I wait to find out if I will have a safe home or if I have to emigrate somewhere cheaper (less support, less infrastructure, harder to get good health care) to eke out enough time to get some books done before I give up the ghost.
Feeling not quite human lately. I can’t really afford to be; this is not a time for me to be in my wants and wishes or even breathe a hint of “but I deserve better” — definitely a time to breathe only air and to notice how good and kind I can persuade things in general to be.
On looking at this chart, I notice the Grand Trine between Mars (in the popular 11th), Neptune (in the mystical/shared 8th), and the Moon. The Moon looks like the nocked arrow in a drawn bow; traversing the orb of the 15th (Merc) to 18th degree, I expect the populace has flung, or was flung, from that Scorpionic 4th house. That’s out of sight below the horizon though… Visually, the energy hurls into 10th house Taurus, practical and earthed. I don’t know if that works out astrologically. In any case, it looks like one hell of a revolution, even if it starts so quietly, and I can only hope for an outcome that does the earth more good than harm — for a change.
It’s worth adding that my Scorpio partner’s dream is a delusion, or resurgent brain-washing (he’s been through a lot.) In any case, it seems like an orchestrated suicide (won’t go into details, but it’s so obvious.) He has the right, though, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I can let go with anger & resentment or with love, but in any case, I will have to let go. I can’t stomach any more anger or resentment, so..
I am supposed to have Jupiter in my first house of Sag all year but it’s been just awful! Sadly had to put my elderly Collie Dog to sleep during all the astrology mayhem of the last week after the Full Moon in my 1st house as well. As a beginner to astrology how does that work out? Is the luck and good energy from Jupiter, being blocked by other things going on? I was hoping this year might bring good things my way finally and there is still time <3
This is a good question.
1. We tend to over-egg the whole luck thing with Jupiter, and forget that above all Jupiter magnifies. So in you first house he can make you somehow “larger”. This has a good side. Do you want to be noticed? Or be pregnant? But it also can go the other way. Do you want your enemies to notice you? Become a bigger target?
The most important thing is to look at the condition of Jupiter in your natal chart anyway, and of the planets he’s magnifying by aspect.
2. Jupiter is associated with death in my opinion. You often see a Jupiter transit when someone dies. More often than a Saturn or Pluto transit. These latter show one grimly carrying on, but Jupiter shows a release beyond the boundary.
I also believe that a Jupiter death is probably lovely for the person (or dog) departing.
3. Jupiter is squaring Neptune this year. This is boundlessness to the power of 10. Super-duper boundlessness. Again, this might be great: real spiritual or artistic breakthrough and awakening. Or it might be awful: a feeling of disintegrating, a reversion to drug dependency that kind of loss of control.
4. The Full Moon brought all this out.
5. Jupiter goes direct in August, and you should feel the beneficial side of this transit more than the tragic side after that.
6. It may help you to look back at previous Jupiter transits to see how it worked for you.