March 27th ~ April 3rd

We’re seeing the world with plague eyes now. We’re all going through the same experiences. People in Seoul, Milan and New Jersey are connected by a virus that reminds us of the fundamental fact of human interdependence. ~ David Brooks

Mars has made its way through the Capricorn gauntlet, and still has a few days to go. Here in New York City, one emergency room doctor described the scene in her hospital on Wednesday as being apocalyptic. Mars was conjunct Pluto last week. A very serious combination. And deadly. This is when we are confronted with forces beyond our control. This is about fighting for our lives. Lucky for us, Venus is in Taurus trying to keep our priorities straight. Canada passed a generous emergency stimulation package. And scientists all over the world are figuring things out! Remedies and vaccines are in the works. And for those who are practicing social distancing and staying in place… it has been proved that it works if you work it. 

On Monday, Mars enters the sign of Aquarius where it will then immediately meet up with Saturn. When Mars is conjunct Saturn not only are we stopped in our tracks, but we are also forced to face our fears. For those who have not been practicing social distancing, you just may be compelled to. Saturn is like: if you’re not going to quarantine, isolate and stay in place, we’ll take care of that for you. Mars/Saturn in Aquarius could feel like we are being pressured to conform. But it’s more than that, because Mars conjunct Saturn in Aquarius is about taking responsibility, not just for our own sakes, but for everyone, and especially for the least among us. It is time for us to circle round and protect the frail, the compromised, and the weak. When Saturn comes to the foreground, it’s about what we HAVE to do, not necessarily what we want to do. 

With Mars in Aquarius through mid-May we are going to be more motivated by what is best for the group as a whole, as opposed to a chosen few. No one is to be left out. There is that whole freedom thing with Aquarius. There is that. And people will be feeling antsy, wanting to break free and resist all the rules. But at what expense? One thing that can become apparent as we dip our toes into the upcoming nascent Aquarian age is, as David Brooks wrote in the New York Times last week: the fundamental fact of human interdependence. There is also the fact that when people work together and collaborate for a common ideal or cause, they can make ground breaking and evolutionary changes. 

Mars is something of a catalyst, stimulating the Saturn in Aquarius ideals as well as its fears. Some of the obstacles that we are likely to come up against over the next few years with Saturn in Aquarius could be: 

• Scapegoating and isolation: Blaming others and scapegoating individuals or groups. There can be feelings of not belonging or connecting to the zeitgeist or the group. Interesting that we were all asked to stay in place and socially distance ourselves as Saturn was entering Aquarius. 

• Reality: Tolerance for other’s views will be sorely tested which can become even more polarizing than we already are. There could be the inclination to want to only surround yourself with ‘your own’ group, and people who agree with your world view. However the more confident you are, the less defensive you will need to be. 

• The mob mentality: We lose our inhibitions when we are drawn into the collective mentality. Individual motives can be lost in any trending zealotry and extremist views. Fears and panic and anger are exasperated within the group which can also lead to extreme actions. Collective fears can arise when we feel that things are out of our control.

Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay. ~ Maya Angelou

This is what we are being asked to cultivate: 

• Humanitarian pursuits: Focusing on what is best for the group as a whole, not just a chosen few, not just our own isolated group. It becomes evident that what benefits the whole, benefits everyone. Everyone matters, and everyone has something unique and valuable to contribute to society. And when something happens in one part of the globe, it impacts everyone. 

• Social causes: We are in danger of losing ourselves in the collective, but we can also band together for positive social improvements, reforms and causes. The group dynamic can also be moderated by cooler, more peaceful heads, in order to achieve a mutual goal. 

• Science is real: Recognizing the importance and validity of Science, Expertise and Technology. And using these to benefit and improve society, making progressive social advances. 

• The Greater Good: When we collaborate, rather than compete with each other, then we can use the talent, ingenuity and skill of each to our greater advantage. We are then capable of much swifter advances, when we combine different perspectives and talents.

• A new world: Aquarius values the past, in order to invest and bring deeper meaning into the present. But it does so with a vision for the future inspired by ideals. Saturn in Aquarius aims to evolve and change society from within the existing status quo and within the already established order. This will create a basis for the evolutionary growth that will be more deeply ingrained during the 20 years that Pluto will be in Aquarius. 

The sign Aquarius has two ruling planets: its traditional ruler, Saturn, and its modern ruling planet, Uranus. As Saturn and now Mars are now in the early degrees of Aquarius, they will be approaching a square to Uranus, which will be wreaking all sorts of havoc in the financial markets and the economy. Although the Saturn/Uranus square does not perfect until 2021, we’re getting a taste of it now. What can we expect? Financial instability for one. This could be a little radical. And it will bring many ramifications as well as responses. Saturn/Uranus can tend towards extreme solutions. Sometimes motivated by fear: fear of change, fear of socialist or antiestablishment ideals. This can lead to absolute authoritarianism and loss of freedoms as we saw with the conjunction of 1941-43. 

Or we can do the complete opposite, recognizing the need for social safety nets and radical reforms that will prevent the instability that we may be experiencing from happening again in the future. In our own personal lives it will become more apparent that there are some things that we will want to conserve and protect; and some things that we realize need to change or reform for the benefit of the whole. 

This coming week, in addition to the Mars/Saturn conjunction, Venus will be attempting to get our priorities in order. Thank you Venus. And Mercury will finally reach Neptune in Pisces. It seems like light years ago when Mercury first stationed retrograde in Pisces in February. At that point it was almost, but not quite, conjunct Neptune. Then it went retrograde for 3 weeks. Now it is direct and back in Pisces, and will finally complete the conjunction to Neptune. Feels like it went full circle. And it certainly seems that since then, all we’ve been talking (Mercury) about is the pandemic (Neptune in Pisces). Another issue with Mercury conjunct Neptune in Pisces is Misinformation; seeing only what we want to see and ignoring the rest; or looking for conspiracies under every rock. Question claims that sound too good or too outlandish to be true. Fact check everything. 

What Mercury/Neptune is great for: getting lost in a novel, fantasizing, watching movies, activities that enhance your intuition, meditation and mindfulness practices, daydreaming, music, anything creative… and quiet. With Mars conjunct Saturn and Mercury conjunct Neptune we are all being asked to slow down, be mindful, and be present. It will do us all good if we can but manage it. Be safe everyone!

For next week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES