Making the Gesture
There are myriad ways to show our caring – with kind words, a gift, a back rub. But when Mars trines Neptune, the planet of empathy and kindness (Oct. 28, 2024, 5:31 am PDT), simply taking action might be the best way.
Do you care deeply for animals? You could volunteer at a shelter… or simply treat your own pet to an extra hour of play this evening. When your spouse drags through the front door after a particularly draining day at work, roll up your sleeves to make dinner – or at least be the one to call for take-out. As Mars aspects Neptune, the size of the gesture is far less important than the fact that it’s offered at all.
Only What’s Essential
I’m fascinated by minimalism, a movement that emphasizes living as simply as possible, with only the possessions that you consider essential. I’m not sure I’m made for this lifestyle, but the promise of clean, uncluttered serenity is very appealing.
Venus currently in Sagittarius is attuned to this streamlined aesthetic, preferring the beauty of nature and wide-open spaces to possessions (with the exception of books). Traveling light makes exploration and adventure easier – and that includes relationships, also under Venus’s purview, as well.
But when Venus squares Saturn in Pisces this week (Oct. 28, 2024, 6:35 am PDT), messy reality intrudes on this minimalist ideal. The beloved pet who snuck in under the radar makes travel more complicated. The gift of a cherished family heirloom that means so much to you also takes up a lot space in your snug, Thoreau-like cabin.
Venus square Saturn delineates the boundaries of possessions and social obligations. But like minimalism, it doesn’t say no to them altogether. It simply insists that we confine ourselves to the ones that feel absolutely essential.
Supper
The Sabian symbol for the Scorpio New Moon (Nov. 1, 2024, 5:47 am PDT, at 09º35’ Scorpio) is 10 Scorpio: A fellowship supper. With Scorpio’s ruling planet, Mars, in Cancer, the vision of a shared meal at the supper table is especially apt. And the New Moon trines Saturn in Pisces, so it’s not just a sentimental picture, but one that’s about building community – an opportunity to break bread while we talk about the day, compare notes, and exchange advice.
The Scorpio New Moon symbolizes the mysteries that lie beyond our earthly perception. This year, it falls on the day that Mexicans celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. It’s a day to honor loved ones who’ve passed away, with altars of remembrance or even by taking a picnic lunch to the cemetery to share a “fellowship feast” with loved ones. During this New Moon, build stronger relationships by taking the time to share meals with family, friends, and maybe ancestors.
Storytelling by the Campfire
Mercury enters Sagittarius this week (Nov. 2, 2024, 12:18 pm PDT), and it will be in this sign a lot longer than usual, until January 8th, 2025, because it will be retrograde while it’s here (Nov. 25-Dec. 15).
It’s the last of Mercury’s big moves for this week, after it finishes up its Scorpio journey with a wake-up call, opposition to Uranus (Oct. 30, 3:14 pm PDT); trines to imaginative Neptune (Oct. 31, 5:33 pm PDT) and walk-it-like-you-talk-it Mars (Nov. 2, 1:21 am); and a sextile to penetrating Pluto (Nov. 2, 8:02 am PDT).
Mercury’s love of details isn’t particularly well-served by Sagittarius’ Big Picture view, and we may skip over some of the finer points of things during this transit, especially during the retrograde. But on the plus side, Mercury in Sagittarius is well-suited to long term strategic thinking, planning big trips, and taking time to mull over life’s important questions. And Sagittarius is a wonderful storytelling sign and often a gifted orator. If the opportunity arises, while Mercury is here, to stand up at the campfire, tell a story, and share your thoughts and experiences, by all means take it.
Big, Bad Wolf
Mars opposes Pluto this week (Nov. 3, 2024, 3:37 am PST) at the very end of their signs: 29º45’ Cancer and Capricorn. Mars is insistent and impatient, the big, bad wolf from the Three Little Pigs fairy tale, determined to have what it wants – and that’s pork barbeque for dinner. The pigs build houses to protect themselves from the wolf. The first pig builds his from straw; the wolf huffs and puffs and blows it down. The second builds a house of sticks, and the wolf makes short work of that one, too. But the third pig builds a house made solidly of bricks, and the wolf is out of luck.
Pluto is a pig that builds with bricks. There is no penetrating its house. The harder we push and the stronger we blow, the less impressed is Pluto. And so, this is not the best week for pushing an individual agenda; one tends to be met with cold indifference.
But we forget, sometimes, that we own the Pluto in our charts. It’s not just the planet that resists our determined advances. It’s also the fortress of bricks, the power place within ourselves that we can retreat to when we feel attacked.
Pleasurable Horizons
Venus opposes Jupiter this week (Nov. 3, 2024, 7:25 am PST, at 20°16’ Sagittarius and Gemini ). Any combination of Venus and Jupiter is generally considered to be hopeful and useful. Venus symbolizes what gives us pleasure, what it is that we like, our associations with others; and Jupiter tends to amplify those things and offer some element of luck.
The opposition aspect may point to a fortunate relationship development, or suggest that somebody very close to us is experiencing particularly good luck just now. In order to leave the door open for these beneficial influences, get out and explore new places and things. Let yourself meet new people. Follow pleasure in the direction of new adventures and broader horizons.
We Few, We Happy Few
Leo’s great gift is its ability to let us see ourselves in a noble light. When Mars, the warrior planet, enters this regal sign (Nov. 3, 2024, 8:10 PM PST, through Jan. 5, 2025, then again on April 17, 2025 through June 17, 2025), it rallies support for a cause not just because it is worthwhile, but because the fight itself elevates those who support it. Mars is the planet of battles and those who fight them, and in each sign of the zodiac it symbolizes a different style of warrior. As Mars leaves mute, defensive Cancer this week and enters Leo, it’s time to fight like kings.
The classic example is Henry V’s magnificent speech to his troops, badly outnumbered by the French at Agincourt. His essential message? “It’s actually a good thing that we’re outnumbered, because that means a greater share of glory for each of us when we win. This is a very exclusive club we’ve got here. We’re going to kick some serious ass, and as we tell this story for the rest of our lives, other men will be green with envy that they weren’t here. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,” etc.
Henry got lucky that day, and his army won. But from a rhetorical point of view, it didn’t much matter. Simply fighting alongside your brothers made you better than the next man, shinier and more resplendent.
In the interest of full disclosure, Mars in Leo can have an ugly, self-serving, bombastic side. The preening, vain, and vacuous playboy that was Prince Hal of Henry IV, before he renounced his old boozing pal Falstaff and became King Henry V, is the failed, shadowy side of Leo. That Prince Hal could never have rallied the troops at Agincourt. First, he had to become the exemplar of men’s highest vision for themselves.
There’s your struggle for this exceptionally long journey of Mars through Leo: Put forth a vision of yourself that you can be proud of, and apply every ounce of it to each important task at hand; be the example that inspires others to do the same.
Writing and images © 2017-24 by April Elliott Kent