Joyful Jupiter, Mars on the Move, Venus in Love but ‘it’s complicated’…
The Astrology Blog 12 November 2018
All times given are stated in GMT
Last week I wrote that it was arguably one of the most important weeks in this year’s calendar, and the huge surge of change is ongoing. There’s one spoke in the wheel to contend with – Mercury turning retrograde this week – but Jupiter’s arrival in his own sign of Sagittarius last Thursday is now the big backdrop. It will be for the next year, and is already making himself felt.
One client with Jupiter transiting her natal Uranus at 0 Sag received a totally unexpected lump sum from family to help with a property renovation.
Another got her dream job, as Jupiter transited her Midheaven 0 Sag – and has a start date for the day that Jupiter transits her natal Saturn at 3 Sag.
My own Sun is at 9 Sag, so I am feeling optimistic … watch this space!
But I’ve already experienced a breakthrough with a health issue that’s doing wonders for my energy, which fits with a First House (the physical body) Sun (energy and vitality).
Joyful Jupiter
Jupiter will be traveling through the whole 30 degrees of Sag over the next twelve months. So if you have planets in Sagittarius check the degree – and then look up in the Ephemeris to find when Jupiter gets to that same degree. (If you want me to check a Jupiter transit date for you just get in touch).
Mars on the Move
That’s the backdrop, but players on the stage this week are also making themselves felt, starting with Mars.
With a two year cycle he would normally spend two months travelling through each sign, but because of a long retrograde period in the summer, the journey has been a slow meandering one.
Here’s the sequence:
- 16 May – Mars ingress Aquarius
- 26 June – Mars turned retrograde at 9 Aquarius
- 13 August – Mars went back into the previous sign of Capricorn
- 27 August – Mars turned direct at 28 Capricorn
- 11 September – Mars entered Aquarius for the 2nd time
This week Mars makes a final aspect to Uranus – who is currently retrograde and slid back into Aries last Tuesday. And then Mars finally changes sign:
Thursday 15 November
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Mars 29 Aquarius sextile Uranus 29 Aries 09.32
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Mars ingress Pisces 22.22
Final aspects indicate closure, a shift of focus or the start of a new cycle.
If you have natal Mars in Aquarius, or if you have planets or angles in the late degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries in particular, but also Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) – you can expect a significant link in the chain of recent events.
Or not so recent, as Uranus has been moving backwards and forwards over 28/29 Aries since the middle of last year and is “stuck” at these degrees now until the beginning of next March.
So any other planet reaching 28/29 degrees of any sign, but especially the Cardinals, will play into this scenario, which paints a picture of turbulence that is hard to contain.
The most devastating image in the news of wild child Uranus in a fire sign is the Californian fires.
In terms of day-to-day life the message is to troubleshoot and to expect the unexpected.
Mars changing sign also signals a new way of “doing” things, as this is the action planet and he’ll be travelling through Pisces until 1 January 2019.
Here’s a flavor of this combination from Be Your Own Astrologer –
Mars in Pisces
Mars in the mutable water sign of Pisces creates two contrasting images. Either it’s the graceful speed of the beautiful, iridescent fish flashing through the water, or it’s the slippery fish, the type that is crafty or amoral. The former approaches life in an imaginative, creative or romantic way, the latter in a deceptive, manipulative or fearful way. Here we find the archetype of the conman, the seducer – this is Casanova’s Mars – or the “poor me” victim who plays, consciously or unconsciously, on the finer feelings or vulnerabilities of others. In my own client work this Mars has shown as the “struggling artist” who drained his girlfriend’s bank account over a period of years and vanished when the money ran out, and a son in prison on drug charges.
Whether their talents are used for good or ill these individuals tend to operate on instincts rather than on rationale. At worst it is others who make the sacrifices, at best this is a charitable Mars, the self sacrificing person who will work their fingers to the bone in order to ease the suffering of those truly in need.
Mars in Pisces is a subtle and complex energy. They dread rejection and anger is passive-aggressive, often learned from an early environment in which it was not safe to express strong feelings. Anger can be mistaken for hurt so these individuals are more likely to cry, sulk or brood than throw things.
This Mars also often embodies the struggle between awesome creativity and artistic talent, versus the lure of escapism from harsh reality through the means of alcohol or drugs. Johnny Cash, with Sun, Mercury, Mars and Ascendant all in Pisces, faced this battle, as portrayed in the movie Walk The Line.
In a nutshell: hypersensitive, elusive, imaginative.
So Mars in Pisces is not in your face – it’s genuine gentleness or seduction, or it’s oh so charming but with a secret agenda.
Look out for the shark in dolphin’s clothing and don’t fall for sob stories.
Exaggeration and escalation are themes as Mars’s first aspect will be a square to Jupiter next week that I’ll be talking about next time.
For now keep things real, and keep the focus on your own truth, and your spiritual and ethical integrity, a message underlined in bold by Mercury …
Venus in love
Two other major events are lined up for the end of the week:
- Venus finally turning direct after her retrograde period of 42 days (which happens every 18 months so the next retrograde for Venus will be May 2020)
- Followed less than 24 hours later with Mercury turning retrograde
Friday 16 November
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Venus turns direct at 25 Libra 10.52
Saturday 17 November
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Mercury turns retrograde at 13 Sagittarius 01.34
This is a mixed bag and signals contradictions.
If you have planets or angles at or close to these degrees then you can expect to reach a crossroads of some kind.
For example, no sooner does one issue get resolved than another comes along right behind it. Or new information or a new person coming into the picture may be the cause of a huge rethink. Suddenly there are twists and turns instead of an open road ahead.
Note that Venus is turning direct in her own sign of Libra, so in romantic terms she’s getting back to business.
But knowing who you want, or what you want within a relationship, is not as straightforward as you could have reasonably expected.
New romance is certainly likely to be the real deal, but could start as a secret or as a long distance relationship.
Business partnerships may also bring some frustrating complexities.
But whatever your personal situation, these next three weeks – while Mercury is retrograde, turning direct again 6 Dec – will put things to the test, point you in a new direction or bring you up close and personal with obstacles, logistics or the spanner in the works.
Textbook interpretation says “problems with communication and transport”. And these are definitely major themes, and especially so this time around as Mercury turns in Sagittarius, sign of long distance travel.
But the retrograde ripples in the pond spread themselves much further and wider than that, so here’s the usual checklist:
- Guard against trying to construct situations or distress yourself with regard to anything beyond your control. Forcing any kind of round pegs into square holes won’t be worth the effort and could cost you dearly
- Try to operate by “re” words – review, revise, research, reappraise, rethink, repair, redress the balance and so on.
- Also remember rest and relaxation, give the brain some time off and try not to put yourself under unnecessary pressure
- Buy yourself time wherever needed – Keep options open
- When in doubt, check it out – second hand opinions are a dead cert for getting hold of the wrong end of the stick – and don’t believe everything you hear
- Write things down and double check everything – forgetfulness, being distracted, inattention etc can be a troublesome theme
- Back up all your computer work
- Don’t delete any documents – you may need them at a later date
- Getting back to ideas on the back burner
- Getting back in touch with those who’ve been neglected or important to you in the past – let them know how much they matter
- Keep a close watch on all belongings – especially keys – or anything linked to communication, such as phones, laptops, tablets, cameras etc and don’t even think about buying new ones for the time being
- The same for cars – never buy any mode of transport under a retro Mercury
- Plan any journey with extra care, don’t trust to luck and don’t travel unless you have to
- Kill your speed when driving – allow extra time for getting there slowly but safely
- Take extra care with form filling/signing on dotted lines
- Assume nothing. No matter how certain a situation might seem there is a good chance that it will morph into something else over the next couple of weeks – the “x” factor is at work …
- And finally reserve the right to change your mind, and keep an open mind. As you start to see something from a different angle you may then also start to question the truth, reality or logistics involved
Forewarned is forearmed!
Until next week,
With love from Greece
Joanna