Week of April 18th
Mars-Saturn: finding the good in bad apples
Week of April 18th
Mars-Saturn: finding the good in bad apples
This stars this week are the sort that gives astrologers fits. Early in the week, there will be a fairly intense three-planet alignment of Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Mercury and Mars will conjoin in Pisces and will almost exactly oppose Saturn in Virgo. Since both Mars and Saturn are considered first-rate malefics, this may be a stressful and intense time for some people. According to most astrological theory, this is a fairly nasty combination that does not bode well for any new projects started this week. To be on the safe side, the thinking goes, it might be a good idea to delay them until next week after this pattern has separated.
At the same time it’s important to acknowledge that even "bad" planets have good sides. Mars and Saturn are the bad apples of the solar system in desperate need of a PR firm to boost their image. Yes, they are malefic and can cause damage and generate all kinds of stressful situations when they are afflicted in a horoscope. But Mars also symbolizes action and vitality that is necessary for any decision making process to move forward. Mars is also associated with taking charge and the expenditure of effort, both of which are useful when confronting challenges in everyday life. When Mars combines with Saturn, it can translate into situations that require hard work, both in terms of effort and in terms of the nature of the problems encountered. Just which side of this Mars-Saturn pairing we will get depends on how they are oriented in one’s horoscope. Some people will not notice much of anything at all because the alignment does not fall on a sensitive point in the chart. Others may be compelled through events to take action and respond to the challenges that these planets create. And no doubt some people will get promoted or win the lottery this week. The moral of the story is that even bad planets can deliver good results if they are strong in a natal chart.
The Mercury influence in this unholy trinity directs the energy more towards the mind, thinking and communication. So if this alignment is situated close to a key planet in your chart, you may have to confront some hassle or difficulty surrounding communication (computer glitch) or perhaps transportation (car repair). It may also manifest more positively in the form of addressing a key problem in a constructive and thoughtful way. Mercury with Mars and Saturn can be an excellent combination for figuring out a complex problem or doing some other mental task that requires intense concentration.
The most important thing is not to fall prey to negative thinking during this transit. This is all too common in astrology, especially Vedic astrology, which unfortunately has a reputation for grim readings whenever malefics are involved in a significant aspect. One of the occupational hazards of astrologers is they can read too much into some transit patterns for good or ill. When apparently negative transits are in force, many astrologers may go overboard in predicting all manner of hardship and disaster. Sometimes I have to catch myself from doing this, too, as I let my theoretical imagination get the better of me. But the key to remember here is that there is a huge grey area in astrology. Not everything is known about how the planets operate in our lives. Astrology makes huge assumptions based on a particular set of deductive principles that while sometimes correct are not necessarily going to be right all the time. For this reason, astrologers will not know the outcome of every configuration of planets. Some bad planets will give good results, while the opposite may also be true. When you’re working with such a partial system of knowledge, it’s important to leave enough epistemological space for all outcomes. When in doubt, stay hopeful but acknowledge the relative probabilities in both directions.
In other words, take everything astrologers say with a big grain of salt. I know I do. 🙂
Have a great week,
Chris
p.s. I have posted a new article on Obama’s recent budget deal with the Republicans. You can read it here.