Subduing Mars

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Venus, Mars, and Jupiter have been circling one another all week warming up for their inevitable confrontation as they prepare to challenge our ability to assert ourselves, relate with others, and broaden our consciousness. Yesterday, the last aspect the Moon made before leaving Scorpio was a square to Neptune and to the Nodal Axis suggesting that we may be feeling a little confused about where we have been and where we want to go in our lives. Today, the Moon in Sagittarius is quincunx the Sun and Mercury indicating a point of irritation between our emotional and mental well being; our emotions are ready to explore new terrain but our mind is stubbornly holding onto an old way of thinking not entirely convinced that change is a good thing. Mercury in Taurus is notorious for taking time to slowly digest a new idea especially when the idea concerns change. Not surprising, this is irritating the planets in cardinal signs ever ready for action. Learning to be patient is one of the celestial lessons offered this week and the sign Taurus is the master of patience in the zodiac. Taurus does require more time than any other zodiac sign before making a decision or taking action but that is because once action is taken Taurus will endure what ever needs to be endured to finish what has been started.

Today, an Aries Venus, a Cancer Mars, and a Capricorn Jupiter are in open conflict their battle cries reverberating throughout the week and we on earth stand with our tempers flaring on the threshold of change. Venus is the dimension in ourselves seeking relationships with others so that we can experience ourselves reflected in our experience of others; one reason why Venus rules Taurus the sign of self worth and Libra the sign of partnership. Venus is that aspect of ourselves weighing our value and for most of us on earth this means looking into the eyes of the world to see what we are worth. But this doesn’t have to be so, we always have the opportunity to take our gaze within, and this is the challenge offered us today and throughout the week.

When Venus is in the sign of Aries our impatience with others is quick to ignite and we may find ourselves in conflict with those around us. While writing these words I am suddenly reminded of a minor confrontation I had on Monday evening with someone who was trying to give me helpful information and I became annoyed with him because it wasn’t the information I wanted. If this is sounding familiar, take heed, this week we have the opportunity to learn the graceful art of negotiation so that everyone’s needs, ours included, are considered. Better be prepared for some minor frustration along the way and remember that frustration is an important component for change as long as we can refrain from blaming our frustration on others.

Mars is the dimension in ourselves seeking to actualize our desire and in Cancer our desire is to be emotionally secure. With the influence of Mars we have a warrior on our team ready and willing to do battle on our behalf. But this week we are learning to include the other guy’s feelings as well as ours, something Mars has difficulty understanding, so we may need to tone down how we assert our needs in order to get what we want. Remember we are learning the art of negotiation which is practiced as such a refined skill that people never realize that they have given to the negotiator what the negotiator wanted in the first place. This week we are learning to disarm our Martian tendency to crudely oppose our opponents and with Mars and Jupiter opposing we are well advised to make the effort all the more.

Jupiter is that dimension in ourselves seeking to expand beyond our conscious understanding of ourselves so that we can connect with something greater than ourselves. When Jupiter is in Capricorn our aspirations to expand into the Universe are brought to earth and take place within the material realm. This is the week to give form to a new aspect of ourselves something that has been brewing within ourselves for the last months. It is not likely that we will while away our hours this week in gossamery dreaming, not as long as, Mars and Uranus are working together encouraging us to take risks and make the changes. And with Uranus close to hand we can always expect the unexpected.