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Mars Direct
Towards the end of this
month, the planet of War, fiery Mars, will come to the end of a
three month retrograde period in the signs of Gemini and Cancer.
This retrograde
event began in November of 2007. Mars is due to station
around the 30th of January 2008, in preparation for its
return to direct motion on or around the 3rd of February,
which for many people, couldn't come a day too soon! I am
sure many of you will agree with me when I say that for many
people, this has been a particularly difficult period of
strife and pain. Many people I know went through some kind
of Underworld experience of suffering on a soul level and
came face to face with many painful realisations.
This process may
well have been accelerated by the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction
in late Sagittarius that took place on December the 11th.
Jupiter rules the mastery of knowledge and spiritual growth
whilst Pluto rules deep and penetrating insight. Put
together, this may have been a time of big realisations or
spiritual change for some, though this might have involved
some harsh realisations or dramatic events with far-reaching
consequences.
Interestingly
enough, as Barbara Hand Clow recently said in an interview,
this process has allowed people to open their hearts more: "One
of the things I have been noticing since...November
[2007]...is a lot of heart opening going on. [This point]
seems to be that point where everything is extremely painful
and so your feeling body opens up more. So, on the one hand,
people are feeling a lot of pain but on the other hand they
are feeling a lot of the opening of the heart and a
connecting with other people "
As I wrote back in
mid-November 2007, "Towards
the end of September, Mars entered moody and maternal Cancer
and since then, the focus of your actions may well have
become security and caring for others. Now, Mars begins to
move backwards in this sensitive sign and you may decide to
use the time to review the actions you took during the month
of October, particularly in relation to family or lifestyle
matters. Once again, listen to your instincts before
reversing any major decisions. There is no point in changing
things just for the sake of it – if things seem fine,
then let sleeping dogs lie. Also, don’t spend too much
time rehashing the past – this is a waste of energy and
will only make you crankier...Your best option would be to make use of any
spare down-time to rest and relax – chances are you’ve
been overdoing it anyway, so allow yourself some time
off to eat some good food, take some walks along the
sea, or spend quality time with loved ones."
This was true up until
Mars changed signs at the end of December, entering
late degrees of Gemini on the 1st of January 2008.
Thereafter the focus would have switched to communication,
siblings, your thoughts and patterns of thinking and
expressing yourself, as well as the way in which you take in
and organise information, or teach it to others. Perhaps you
might have realised that some of your ideas are no longer
valid or no longer serve you, in which case, Mars retrograde
offered you the perfect opportunity to review and discard
those thoughts or ways of being that you are no longer
passionate about or which drain, rather than enhance your
ability to express yourself or act on what you perceive to
be reality.
Those of you who
are Mars-ruled, which is Aries in modern astrology, and Both
Aries and Scorpio, in traditional astrology, may have felt
physically drained, more thoughtful or a little out of sorts
while this has all been going on. Some of may even have
gotten sick and found it more difficult than usual to make
as quick a recovery as you usually do. Or you may have found
yourself feeling more indecisive than usual and possibly a
tad moody or more sensitive than usual.
The beginning of
the year is generally an excellent time to review one's
plans and make new resolutions for how one wishes to act in
the future. However, with Mars retrograde, consider the
emphasis will have been stuck in the review part of
this equation and that direct action can only be taken once
we enter the beginning of February and Mars moves out of
reverse gear for the first time in 2008. One could almost
say that this is the real New Year since one may have had
very little impetus or opportunity to move forward and put
these intentions into action prior to this!
Bear in mind that
Mars retrogrades once every two or so years, so this is a
cycle that lasts a couple of years in duration. February
2008 therefore marks a new beginning for everyone on both a
physical level and as far as taking actions and making
progress is concerned.
Will an asteroid
collide with Mars on January 30th?
Interestingly,
astrologer and writer, Barbara Hand Clow is suggesting that
on the same day that Mars stations in the sky, scientists
are predicting that the planet may get hit by an asteroid!!!
The timing is somewhat uncanny, to say the least!
Here is what she
has to say. It sounds a bit left of centre, I grant you, but
one can't help wondering if there is some truth in it...
"Recently,
astrophysicists announced there is a 1-in-25 probability
that asteroid 2007-WD5 will strike Mars on January 30. The
early probability was 1-in-350, it dropped to 1-in-75
December 21, and then to 1-in-25 a few days ago.
Soon, I believe, you will hear that
a large asteroid may strike Mars just when it is stationary
in the sky according to Earth's view. As I've written many
times before, when the comet Shoemaker-Levy pounded Jupiter
with 22 (mastery number) fragments in 1994, the cosmic
masters opened their teachings to Earth. If this asteroid
does strike Mars, the planet that rules war, on January 30,
2008, human aggression will just fizzle."
You can read more about Barbra's
predictions and other fascinating work on the Mayan calendar
by visiting:
http://www.handclow2012.com/astroflash.htm
Pluto moves into
Capricorn
From late January,
Pluto will change signs, moving from expansive and
optimistic Sagittarius to prudent and careful Capricorn.
This is a very important shift because Pluto takes an
average of 20 years to move through a sign, though
this does vary somewhat because of Pluto's strange
elliptical orbit. At any rate, Pluto is due to stay in
Capricorn until 2024. During that time, you can be sure that
some huge shifts in society, especially in relation to those
things that Capricorn traditionally rules, such as
tradition, patriarchy and the monarchy, money and power,
including career and political ambitions, and one's public
image - how one is viewed by and in relation to society.
Many astrologers
are predicting that this could lead to some dramatic changes
in wider social institutions such as governments and
political regimes, as well as economic structures, like
capitalism and the global banking world. Money markets are
currently doing some strange things and there are many
rumblings about an economic recession in the USA.
If you are a
historian, you may be interested to know that the last time
Pluto toured the sign of Capricorn was about 240 years ago,
between January 1762 and December 1778. Marjorie Orr points
out that it was during this period that America first gained
it's independence (1776) so this may be a seminal time for
America as a nation. 1778 also marked the start of the
French Revolution - was this partly a culmination of the
Pluto phase which had ended in that year? Many astrologers
associate Uranus with the French Revolution, given that it
was around this time that Uranus was discovered (1781), so
it is interesting to see Marjorie Orr making the following
prediction about Pluto in Capricorn this time round:
"Old political and
economic structures will slowly be overturned, some even
reduced to rubble. The Uranus square from Aries in 2010
until 2018 will make this placing violently revolutionary at
times. The phoenix will rise from the ashes as it did last
time around in 1776 when America declared independence and
set a new form of democracy on its way"
So what could this
mean for individuals? Well the first thing to say is that
because the outer planets move so slowly, their effects tend
to manifest on a generational scale, rather than an
individual one. However, having said that, one can expect
people ruled by either Pluto (Scorpio) or Capricorn (Saturn)
to feel these transits on a more personal level.
Sun sign
Capricorns could find themselves undergoing a dramatic
transformation in terms of values, physical appearance or
direction in life during this 24 year period. It will be a
time of review, revisioning as well as breaking down major
life structures - an almost total rebuilding of one's
life. This may be somewhat traumatic but it needn't be - it
all depends on how badly you want to remain in denial or
cling to an outmoded way of life. My suggestion is to see
what happens to you during the next few months - during this
time, Pluto will enter Capricorn and then briefly move back
into Sagittarius for the last time, before changing signs
for good. See this first foray of Pluto into Capricorn as a
taster for what may be to come.
For those who may
not be too well right now, Pluto is associated with healing
- the phoenix or the snake shedding its skin - so if you
choose to follow a path that involves shamanic work, body
healing that involves kinaesthetic energies, or archetypal
dream journeys through the Underworld, you could come out
the other side having completely healed yourself or renewed
your body. This may seem miraculous but on a spiritual
level, it is entirely possible. However, this process may
involve a lot of letting go, of purging negative thoughts,
or undergoing an emotional catharsis. the good news is that
you have 24 years to do it in, so take your time - trust in
your most primal self to guide you through gut instinct
through this process.
Scorpios, on the
other hand, may find themselves less keen to immerse
themselves in hedonism or renounce the worldly pursuits in
favour of more spiritual studies. Strangely, over the next
quarter century, you may come to view these activities as
escapes, particularly if you are not currently balancing
them with your more mundane responsibilities and
obligations. As your ruling planet changes signs, you could
find your thoughts turning to matters such as your
contribution to society, whether you have made proper plans
for your retirement, whether you need to think about
securing in your future in the form of a pension fund or
long-term financial investment. Capricorn as a sign is more
conservative and prudent than Sagittarius and is prepared to
put in the hard work to lay the foundation for lasting life
structures. Sounds like a time of growing up to me. I think
it is worth remembering that life is not all about fun and
floating on clouds - it is also about hard graft, earthly
duty and responsibility and earning the right to be
considered an authority on something. Sorry if this
sounds a bit harsh - consider it a small taste of what may
lie ahead. And if anyone can take the brutal truth, it is
you, Scorpio.
I will leave you
with this quote, which might put matters into perspective:
"You need the shadows in order to see where to walk."
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