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Mars, Saturn, Antares Conjunction

Back in the middle 90’s as I was leaving my temp legal secretary job, I stood on the corner of Wilshire- and- something fuming about the day’s grinding frustrations. It was a hot, humid August day. Struggling spirit being that I am, my heart’s desire lay somewhere between bursting into tears or kicking the shit out someone. The air stank. Road crews were destroying part of Wilshire on one side while laying down asphalt on the other. I heard a sudden ear-splitting, migraine inducing sound: workmen had just fired up a jack hammer and a concrete cutter.

As I watched the concrete cutter at work, it came to me: Mars conjoined to Saturn. Perfect. A steel blade cutting (Mars) into dense, resistant concrete (Saturn). That was the story of my life that day on the corner of Wilshire and- something. As it was then, it is now. Mars comes to meet Saturn on August 24, 2016. We’ve been feeling the run-up to these gangstas meeting up for some days now. The zone of crushing intensity tightens like a vice from Monday the 22nd and stuns us with its mighty crushing weight until at least Saturday August 27th. I guess we could say the good in all this is that Monday means Mars has left its retrograde shadow degrees. Once we get out of the black hole of the conjunction, Mars’s forward motion means an easing of certain tensions.

Mars conjoins Saturn on the Royal Fixed Star Antares:

From Anne Wright’s Constellations of words. Here is a quick overview of Antares in dialogue with Mars and Saturn:

“With Mars: Detrimental habits powerfully affecting the life, quarrels with friends and relatives, fairly favorable for gain. If at the same time the Moon is with Aldebaran, danger of death by sword or hanging. [Robson*, p.138.]”

“With Saturn: Materialistic, dishonest through circumstances created by environment, religious hypocrisy, many disappointments, loss through quarrels and legal affairs, trouble through enemies, many failures, hampered by relatives, unfavorable for domestic matters, much sickness to and sorrow from children. If at the same time the Moon is with Aldebaran, danger of death by sword or hanging. [Robson*, p.138.]”

“A Mars nature, in which the powers of Mercury and Jupiter and Saturn are also added. Antares makes people tough, belligerent and pugnacious. This is an important star for military personnel and is said to convey mental alertness, strategic ability and courage and to make dare-devils, especially if tied up with the MC, Ascendant, Sun or Jupiter. If associated with Mars, courage is said to become foolhardiness, leading to increased dangers. Natives with this particular configuration have to be prepared at all times for sudden incidents, unforeseen events and potential accidents. According to tradition, Antares is of violent character and is credited with being significant for a violent death, either in battle or by process of law. On the other hand, danger may come about by fire, weapons or machinery. Antares is also said to be unfortunate for the eyes, if in conjunction with the Ascendant, Moon or Sun and this has proven to be the case by later researchers. [“Fixed Stars & Their Interpretation”, Elsbeth Ebertin, 1928, p.70-71.]

When moving from the personal to the world of people, their countries, governments, religious and secular institutions, we can safely assume we’re going to see much more of the same, but the “same” under the grinding compression of two planets that are antithetical to each other.

Personal belief systems come up against everybody else’s sacred cows. The phrase, “somebody’s ox gets gored” is apt, even though the thought pains this astrologer who is an avid animal rights advocate. So imagine my rage and dismay at every single animal abuse or hunting trophy slaughter picture posted on Facebook. Nobody gets out of this phase without bruises and cuts of soul and of body. [Caution: be careful. Don’t try to hang a new curtain rod or start constructing a gazebo in the backyard. Wait until Labor Day Weekend!]

Religionists of extreme sects, political ideologists that adhere to whatever extremist drivel they love will execute [ISIL/Taliban] people and launch reprisals with the zeal of the “crusaders” they profess to hate. Politicians on the side of raging extremes whether it’s the Right or the extreme Left will brook no negotiations or compromise. For the Right it’s Trump or nothing. For the extreme Left its Bernie or Jill Stein. For conspiracy theorists nothing and no one will ever be good enough and some will offer prayers for an alien starship intervention.

There is no center. It cannot hold. [Shout out to W.B. Yeats]. There is a rough beast slouching.

Mars and Saturn key concepts:

Positive:

Energy that has a purpose; fine motor control; concentration; persistence; driven to finish whether it’s the Olympic goal line or cleaning out those cabinets; Abundant access to enduring force; reliability; resolute; clear and definitive; conscientious to a fault; every jot and tittle; ability to grind it out whatever the challenge; Pulling oneself together through effort and courage; untiring sexual stamina and ability to prolong pleasure.

Negative:

Saturn: consistent, unyielding, grim, hard work, depression, melancholy and with Mars: fighting to the bitter end; gritting one’s teeth; cold war tactics; controlled and suppressed urges; rage stifled and frustrated; like driving with the breaks on; grinding teeth with danger of cracking them or bruising jaw bone; timing is off leading to clumsy accidents; danger of bone breaks and fractures; Muscles fire (Mars) but Saturn makes them contract simultaneously leading to muscle spasms, leg cramps and sciatica (Mars-Saturn in Sagittarius); freezing up sexually because one can’t relax.

The Mars-Saturn-Antares conjunction at 9 degrees Sagittarius presages September 1, 2016’s Solar Eclipse at 9 Virgo. Nine should be noted as a highly sensitive degree. Any planet including the lights (Sun and Moon) triggering “9” can bring a surge of activity, news and events. There is a window of degree opportunity starting at 7 degrees to about 11 degrees by transit that marks the most intensity. The planetary rule is: “Hard aspects bring visible effects in the material world.” Especially when considering the chronocrators, or timers, Jupiter and Saturn. They work together to expand (Jupiter) but not so much that a lasting structure (Saturn) can’t be built. Saturn absolutely MUST manifest as something. This threshold God (lying between the inner and outer planets like a gatekeeper) IS this job. It’s not that he “does” it, although we like to shorthand our astrological language, it’s that this energy/entity/force DOES IT. We ARE it. We are channeling it into physical form in accordance with the laws of the dimension in which we live.

The Mars-Saturn-Antares hook up squares dissolving, mystical, spiritualizing, dreaming, idealizing, fantasizing, spinning, duplicitous, image making, deceiving, confusing, confounding, uncertain, vague, unreasoning irrational fears, Neptune. In this political season of lies and liabilities spurred on by populist rebellions Uranus still in close enough of an orb to square (struggle) with Pluto of collapse and rehabilitation, the road only gets bumpier as autumn unfolds.

A lovely Venus conjoined faith-filled Jupiter with messaging Mercury in crisp, precise Virgo opens the window on an optimistic silver-lining for those who are constitutionally disposed to making lemonade and la-la out of lemons. There are such types. I don’t know too many of them. They tend to make me gag, but then again, I’m born with Saturn in Virgo smack on my ascendant in opposition to a Pisces Moon.

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Claudia Dikinis/Starcats

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