posted November 04, 2007 09:15 PM
Astrology Stress Zones Predictions for November 2007 Pt. 1 - Mars in Cancer Going Retrograde with a lot of Irrationality and then a Balance Shift
by Robert WilkinsonMars triggers whatever happens of note in our charts. In November 2007, Mars moves from 12 degrees of Cancer to its stationary retrograde at 13, then moves back through the same small span through the end of the month. The second half of the month will mirror the first half, just as December will mirror October, and January will mirror the last half of September, so get used to familiar lessons repeating themselves from a variety of angles.
The first half of the month, Mars is completely unafflicted by other planets, making only a major biseptile with Mercury on its direct station. Since it's a waxing biseptile, there will be some interesting karmic balancing events during this time wherever this falls and rules in our natal charts. Early November continues the sequence begun in late October when the Sun and Mercury also made biseptiles to Mars.
All septiles, biseptiles, and triseptiles show forks in the road forcing choices and changes, where pretty weird stuff is in the air and things aren't very rational. They are also associated with minor and major obsessions, good and bad, or sometimes compulsive behaviors in others. As we're also finishing up the Jupiter biseptile Saturn through the early part of the month, it lends another layer to the on-going Grand Irrationality that Neptune and Pluto are setting into the hologram. As I've noted,
Regarding the on-going Grand Irrationality created by Neptune septile Pluto, all septile series aspects indicate strange choices, crucial decisions, and general edginess and the sense that forces beyond our control are at work. Not necessarily bad, as long as we remember that we may not be able to reason our way through what's happening and the energy doesn't get too crazy or destructive.
This aspect set moves us to make choices that affect our potential "higher destiny." The days when the Moon moves through the 7 trigger zones of the Grand Irrationality will be points when the generic weirdness is triggered, and bring decisions that may not make much sense but have to be made anyway.
Mercury's stationary degree being biseptile Mars will fuse this late Libra "hot zone" that will be triggered every time the Moon crosses over it. This long term influence will bring forth ideas and perceptions directly related to when it originally crossed late Libra just before the Autumnal Equinox followed by the Sun illuminating the nature of the biseptile.
This late part of Libra is said to expiate old karmas and reconstruct the balance of things on the social, emotional, and cultural levels of our lives, so I suspect our emotional alliegences are now shifting, as are our relationships, responsibilities, habits, and our sense of how our needs are or are not being fulfilled. We'll definitely re-work a lot of how we do our daily lives over the long run as a result of this configuration.
The two irrationality patterns at play in late October and early November involve areas ruled by Mercury and Mars, as well as Jupiter and Saturn, showing many have been under heavy non-rational pressure. These rule 8 signs and occupy Libra, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Virgo respectively, thus affecting a total of 10 signs. That's a lot of our reality under pressures that are shaping our "destiny" for the rest of our lives, since character choices do tend to create major effects.
The Moon will trigger the Mercury biseptile Mars effect on Nov 3 in Virgo before it conjuncts Saturn when it biseptiles Jupiter, and then again when it passes over Mercury's stationary degree point Nov 7-8 and then septiles both Jupiter and Saturn. Expect forms of widespread life choices to take shape.
The middle of the month shows a square from Venus in Libra, which should help put some grace in the Mars station. It will certainly stir up new identities and perspectives, "bombs" will go off or get defused depending on how frustrated or impatient energies are, all of it challenging self-transcendence. Venus is the stronger of the two, in its home sign of elegant balance and style, and shows emergent social energies grounded in a deeper rhythm of feeling.
The second half of November, the only afflictions are sesquisquares from Sun and Mercury in late Scorpio, producing agitation bookended by trines and biquintiles. The joker in the mix is Venus going over the Mercury stationary point the end of November, triggering the biseptile to Mars retrograde, put into focus when the Moon is in early Virgo Nov 30/Dec 1.
November quickens the Plutonic energies as Jupiter draws near the conjunction in December. Mars is out of range of the opposition to Pluto, but various Mars oppositions will return full throttle and dominate the atmosphere from mid-December on, making for very volatile circumstances. So take this month to enjoy, consolidate, and become strong and flexible, since December's oppositions will bring a rough ride to many while bringing new decisions, powers, and beginnings into major focus.
The favorable aspects to and from Mars this month include a trine from the Sun the first part of the month and a biquintile toward the end, a tredecile then trine from Mercury the first three weeks of the month, a quintile from Venus early, a quadranovile to Jupiter, a sextile to Saturn, a trine to Uranus, and a biquintile to Neptune. Quite a string of favorable, specializing, gifting arrangements and relationships. Things we've been dealing with that were difficult will become easy if we did what we had to up front. You can find more about the quintile series aspects at the link.
When Mercury forms its brief tredecile to Mars around Nov 9-13, we should get some brilliant flashes of insight or coordination of life affairs, final insights into the recent past, and a new take or two into how this combination of aspects has worked in the past few weeks to bring forth a generally productive and unique time when gifts fit circumstances, and circumstances fit gifts between our Gemini/Virgo sectors and our Aries/Scorpio sectors.
We're now stalled in the middle phase of the Sun-Mars cycle that began October 23, 2006 at 30 Libra, a degree of philosophical completion. After the opposition of Sun and Mars just after the Winter Solstice, we should experience things picking back up again, accelerating in late January and resuming course in March after Mars crosses over its stationary retrograde degree.
Another important cycle began in December 2006 with the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter at 4 degrees of Sagittarius, marking the end of the last Mars-Jupiter cycle that began at 1 Libra in late September 2004. The cycle that began in December kicked a new period of expanded activity into motion through February 2009, when they will next conjunct at 10 Aquarius. These larger cycle conjunction points are important in showing us where our outreach will occur in the future.
As noted earllier, Mars sits in early middle Cancer all month long. When it left Gemini it moved energies out of the Act of Differentiation (Aries through Gemini) to the Act of Stabilization (Cancer through Virgo). As I wrote about this last month:
When in Cancer, Mars is in a zone whose keywords are "Decision" and "Expansion." Dr. Jones terms this span Sustaining, Critical, Universal, and Specializing in physical, social, and spiritual ways. It will be in the first half of Cancer through the end of the year, so figure the Cancer keywords and qualities will dominate through then.
We will be dancing between Gemini and Cancer until March 2008, so get used to learning a lot about how these energies relate to each other. Gemini energies will be dominent again in January and February 2008, as it retrogrades back into Gemini December 31 at 8:01 pm PST. Keywords for the last half of Gemini are "Restlessness" and "Exteriorization." Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, says this span is Manipulating, Practical, Ingenious, and Generalizing. It retrogrades back to 25 Gemini, goes stationary direct January 30, and resumes its forward motion in Gemini through March 4th, when Mars again re-enters Cancer and resumes its present Cancerian qualities.
From October through December, we'll see the Cancer terms and keywords working most clearly in the Aries and Scorpio houses in our charts, as well as wherever we have Cancer by house. In January and February, the Gemini terms and keywords will be seen working most clearly in the Aries and Scorpio planets and houses and wherever we have Gemini in our chart.
In September we got a first look at what we'll have to revisit and master in January and February. We moved through diversity, multi-tasking, new curiosity and new discoveries that led us to major decisions in October that won't be finalized until March 2008.
We're now over 3/4 of the way in the important Mars-Saturn cycle. As noted in past articles, their last conjunction in June 2006 at 9 Leo indicated
...this 2 year cycle is about authenticity, creativity, play, and reconnecting with our enthusiasm in mature and measured ways wherever we have early Leo in our charts... simplify, stabilize, and see a bigger picture to move into a broader cooperative group purpose. Be a gentle angel, cut back on extravagances as well as pessimism, and find ways to enjoy life without overdoing it... For eleven months, Mars has developed the promise of whatever that conjunction portended for us. The growth process quickened in December... January 2007 showing a natural self-expression of the truth of this cycle... This stabilized the turning point in the larger “destiny cycle” in late November at the biseptile, where important decisions were made and meaningful actions were taken.
February helped us adjust to prepare for whatever surfaced the second week of March when Mars opposed the original conjunction point. This provided us a sense of what needed to change, what has been coming to importance, and what we can expect for some months to come, relative to the lessons that have been presenting themselves since June 2006 in the early Leo area of our charts.
In March, things cut loose in ways that began to bring Spirit to matter, and challenged us to be eager in learning a greater way to live and not take anything for granted. Appreciation was the big keyword, and that theme will continue to be important in June and July 2007 as the gifts continue to come from Spirit. September through December 2007 will be a big time for those who are open to the blessings we've been promised, and followed through on the Neptunian lessons.
This month will feature powerful changes in almost every area of our lives due to the forks in the road prominent the first half and end of the month, with Venus square Mars helping us continue to adjust the focus, ideal, balance, or rhythm of events. The patterns were set by late September's tremendous pressures to change directions, shift gears, or do something different in the areas ruled by Aries, Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Pisces due to the T-square. Some things may have fractured in a big way, but we had excellent opportunities to cultivate faith, trust intuition, and say goodbye to old inefficient ways.
October should have brought us harmony in many areas of our lives, with the inspirational Fire of Jupiter and Pluto fed by the Air of the Sun and grounded in deep feelings of connectedness brought by Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn all favorable to each other from Earth and Water. Mercury's influence should have brought us reunions with all kinds of people and feelings, along with a mutation allowing us to show a new heart strength.
This month, enjoy the flow of the Grand Water trines from Sun and Mercury to Mars and Uranus and the quintiles of Sun and Mercury to Saturn in early Virgo. All in all, it should be a month of continued progress, even if things get weird and edgy. Shift social gears, don't get deflected by short term distractions, make sure you're using the right means to achieve your ends, and keep a lot of things in motion through fitting it all into a wide, long term perspective. You'll certainly see what needs to be eliminated to further the flow, and what needs regenerating or renewing to keep your life moving in the direction already established.
In Part 2 we'll explore how the Mars stress zones are affecting each individual sign.
Astrology Stress Zones for November 2007 Pt.2 - Mars stimulating Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces
by Robert Wilkinson
Mars activates and accelerates the pace of events in our lives. People currently going through dynamic activity, a hectic fast-paced period, or having the hardest time the entire month of November are Aries, Cancers, Libras, and Capricorns born the first few days of April, July, October, and January. If you were born in these zones, focus on what constitutes responsible action, given these birth periods show more highly agitated energy than usual.
Mars tests us to get a grip on our energy and shows us how well we are demonstrating self-control or not. Mars is our "fight or flight" principle, and symbolizes what aggravates us, so beware of hasty action, argumentativeness, or impulsiveness. A way to use what I post here is that if you know your chart, examine the effect for the signs in light of planets you have in these signs.
For instance, if you have Mercury around 10-15 degrees of a Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), examine the challenges relative to your mind, interpretations, or thinking patterns, as well as other planets influenced by Mercury.
If you have Venus in those degrees of Cardinal signs, examine what is said in light of your likes and dislikes and other Venus-influenced areas in your chart.
If you have a Cardinal sign Mars between those degrees, regard what is stated in the context of Mars-ruled affairs and activities. This shows an important shift in your Mars cycle, so heads up! You can also apply what follows regarding this month if you have an Ascendant (Rising sign) between 10 and 15 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn. You can even safely expand the exact zone of influence a couple of degrees farther forward, as well as the entire first half of the Cardinal signs.
This expanded orb of influence is because the first 12 degrees of these signs were highly energetically impacted in October, important since December mirrors those exact degrees of Cardinal signs, but the retrograde will show us different perspectives in the energies of those experiences, of show us how we need to rework or redo something in our method of "attacking" life's problems and challenges. This month is a "sea change," a crest and forward look while preparing to retrace the ground of October back to mid-September before doing it all one last time in February and March 2008.
While the rest of this article deals with how Mars will specifically impact certain signs and birthdays, please remember to relate what is said here to yesterday's Stress Zones article, as it introduces primary considerations about the overall influence of Mars this month.
Whatever is said about these signs born at these times of the month applies to the same signs born later in April, July, October, and January. Aries, Cancers, Libras and Capricorns born later in those months will be going through this in the Spring of 2008, so they should consider this a dress rehearsal of sorts.
The entire month Aries born in late March and early April are seeing the first emergence of something begun late May or early June 2007. This month shows you the threshold of a new life direction or the beginnings of new ways of expressing yourself, so get grounded, and remember that "as the roots, so the flowers." You will begin to shore up your foundations, reviewing what works with an eye to taking care of your needs in a different way than before now. This will profoundly impact the new beginnings that will actually launch in March and April 2008.
Effort now affects future success. Since Mars is your ruler and now in Cancer, don't allow hassles or aggravations around the home or with family to put you off, and be a good communicator. You'll get new insights into how you view your early life and family situation, or review old hassles and challenges to see what you need or how to nurture yourself to secure your foundations. Just try not to get aggravated by neighbors and expect intense activity around the home.
Arians need to be less abrupt in communicating, less aggressive or hassled by neighbors, being more thoughtful and considerate. Avoid impulsive or blunt responses. Be fair, just, and balanced in your assessments, see things from several points of view, and be diplomatic, mature, and responsible in owning your part of any interaction. This affects Aries' way of viewing their self image, their physical body, their desires, their magnetism, and how they deal with shared or social values and resources.
In November, Cancers born in late June and early July confront the end of a 2-year cycle, so begin anew with an eye to what culminated in May 2007 of the cycle that began April 2006. This month quickens even as it slows things down, so be patient in applying new skills and strengths, and face a future that's already underway but is still on hold for awhile. Quickly finish what you need to, realize an old way of life is over, and there is a need for new effort and directions.
This month you may feel like you're living with constant tension, or the spur of necessity, but slow down, be deliberate, see the long view of what is to come and what must be done beginning this coming March and April after you rework some motives, karma, and attitudes. Since it continues to be a time of endings and beginnings, embrace the new, get ready for the pace to quicken, and try not to be too blunt, impulsive, or abrasive. Definitely don't leap before you look.
This primarily affects all Cancers in the areas of profession, public standing, how you're perceived by others, self-expression, children, and pleasures. These are ending somehow, and a new two year pulse is opening up. Be thoughtful but not touchy, self-initiating without impulsiveness or haste.
November fulfills an old cycle for Libras born in late September and early October. This period is one of following through on what's culminating in your public or professional affairs in the cycle that began September 2006. Learn as much as you can, prepare, then be willing to take responsibility, since this is a very high profile time for you. It may be that it feels like you're backtracking somewhat, and definitely slowing down, so be mature as you figure out what and how to reorganize whatever you need to.
Libras should follow through on what is culminating in their public and professional sector, take responsibility, do their duties, and remember others are observing them. Libras should learn how to be more naturally themselves and unedited in their self-expression, be more decisive, responsible and take the long view into account. This will primarily affect Libra in the areas of equalness in relationships, money, values, and how they use what they have or how they capture what they need to sustain their self-image.
In November, Capricorns born in late December and early January are tested not to get aggravated, sidestep oppositional people, and decrease agitation or impulsiveness while correcting things that began January 2007. This is a threshold state, and you get to revisit some work or health issues before you enter into your new world or how you relate and who you relate to in the Spring of 2008.
People with these birthdays are moving through a period of tensions in relationships, and have had to shift in how they regard their health, work, or how to serve your world. If this applies to you, detach from relationship dramas that scatter you. Avoid unnecessary confrontations and don’t get hassled by impulsive, abrasive, aggressive or argumentative people. You stand on the edge of seeing future foundations, a new home, a new way of being with your loved ones, so rethink things of the past few weeks to prepare for new beginnings in Spring.
For Capricorns in a relationship, it's an intense time for your partner. This is opening new doors of perceiving and acting with others where you are an equal rather than a follower or reactor to them. For Capricorns, areas coming to surface include new ways of relating to their home and family, their past, their friends, goals and ambitions, as well as larger more effective forms of group work and/or world service.
Capricorns should embrace new ways of relating to others, since this time is a breakthrough in your way of being in relationships, and allow others to take the initiative in new ways of expressing themselves. You are finding new forms of self-expression and self-adjustment to practical necessities.
This month the quincunx effect significantly influences 11-15 degrees of Sagittarius and Aquarius. Quincunxes are associated with physical, emotional, or mental health issues requiring sacrifices and adjustments. Thus this month most impacts Sagittarians born around November 30-December 2 and Aquarians born around January 28-31.
Through the quincunxes, Sagittarians will have sacrifices and adjustments in the areas of loss, regeneration, shared values and wealth that will help them learn focus, discrimination, attention to details and procedure. They will learn how to get their magnetism and desires straightened out and eliminate that which cannot be carried into a future already taking shape. Aquarians will also have sacrifices and adjustments in the areas of work, health, and those they do service for or who do service for them that will whatever needs to be done.
In November, Tauruses born between May 18-21 and Leos born between August 19-22 are extraordinarily affected by the Mars semisquare to their Suns. The semisquare is a 45 degree aspect indicating internal crises of direction, or a sense that something is beginning to open (or close) with decisions to be made. They show important factors regarding things that are emerging or ending, and offer information about hidden or unconscious influences at work.
For Taurus birthdays mentioned above, new developments and challenges in the cycle that began in July-August 2007 don't have to be a problem if you become more visionary, adaptable, future oriented, organized and mature in your values and relationship to things and money. Leo people with birthdays mentioned above need to end some things they began in July-August 2006, so capture the harvest and close out what you need to without getting aggravated at friends or the goals that you couldn't fulfill.
Leo people are entering a fallow period where you'll need to do closure rituals, preparing for a new cycle to come in June 2008. However, due to Mars going retrograde in mid-Cancer this month and moving back into late Gemini in January 2008, you may have to re-do, undo, or rearrange something concerning your sense of the future, your education, your home, your family, or revisit something of your early life, getting prepared to pick up the pace in February or March 2008 when Mars is direct.
As I've explained the past few months, sometimes Mars' influence extends far beyond whatever is going on in the sky. Notably, the Mars article from November 2006 offers an insight into why things are changing the way they are. It played a major part in last Autumn's eclipses still in force at present, and we now stand at the culminating productivity and specialization in Cancer of what was set into motion when everything was in late Virgo August-September 2006. As I wrote then:
Since the Mars degree of the recent September 2006 Lunar Eclipse is highly active and was also the exact degree of the Solar Eclipse take note of what is liberating you from a previously "narrow destiny" and hear the call that can help you joyously rise to some larger occasion.
Here's an article about the September 2006 Solar Eclipse in terms of its general meaning and effect, while in this article you can find out what it means for each sign specifically. December 2006 and January 2007 mark turning points in the liberation process.
Signposts of future developments connected with 30 Virgo presented themselves in late March-early April 2007, with important points occurring the second and last weeks of May 2007and September 2007. Expect more definitive developments in December 2007 through early April 2008.
June through November 2008 shows Pluto exactly square the degree, Saturn conjunct the point in October 2009 and April through July 2010 opposed by Uranus April 2010 through March 2011, setting up some fairly volatile developments. Escaping from a "narrow destiny" may be destabilizing, but it's also guaranteed to put you and your dharma on track and remind you that life on Earth is one of endless change.
More from the 2006 Eclipse article:
In December, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter all conjuncted... Wherever we have Aries, Gemini, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Pisces energies, they were fused and renewed in whatever house we have early Sagittarius... a very important area of major focus and attention in the next two years for us. I hope you enjoyed December and January since the wild ride accelerated toward a more amazing vision, freedom, and group involvement than we've known in a long time. Welcome to February through June 2007, the edge of dynamic change!
As I've noted previously, Mars activated the March Lunar Eclipse Sun conjunct North Node position around April 21-22 when it conjuncted that point. This launched the next phase of that eclipse, and the simultaneous triseptile to Saturn triggered an important fork in our destiny helping us dump old social rigidities and find joy in fellowship despite the general tension.
Mars in the Grand Fire Trine in June brightened up our lives in multiple areas, assisting understanding, harmony, and flow. Mars helped us secure a new momentum even as we navigated the twists and turns of the multiple septile series aspects between the visible and invisible planets.
July showed us major changes in our direction or intention, where we left behind old paths while entering into new, if unknown futures. Of course, we've been preparing for some time, so don't sweat the changes as we continue to move into unknown worlds. By now we've all had opportunities to secure what we need for further effectiveness, and had openings to new information, new perspectives, and new ways of adapting to what is last month.
As Mars goes retrograde, try not to get hassled by the change of pace since this is a threshold for all that will come in early 2008. As I mentioned earlier, September was the first pass through late Gemini, and showed signals for what to expect this coming January and February 2008 when it retrogrades back into late Gemini, goes stationary direct at 25 Gemini in late January 2008, and then moves forward staying in that sign until early March 2008.
In September we had to learn, explore, exteriorize our discoveries and see what had to be pruned because of decisions we've made, decisions we're making, decisions we're going to reconsider, and decisions that will be final by March 2008. When Mars entered Cancer in October, we were shown major reorientations and a lot of new work to be done. As with last month, keep an open mind and an open heart, prepare and adjust, and welcome what comes since we continue inevitable major shifts this month that we need to review and rework so that we can move forward in our new life orientation next Spring.
(from: http://www.aquariuspapers.com/astrology/2007/11/astrology-stres.html#more )