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 first half of December are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorns born the first few days of April, July, October, and January. The second half of Dec. this applies to March Aries, June Cancers, September Libras, and December Capricorns. 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 Mars effect in light of planets you have in the signs that are conjunct, square, or opposed to/by Mars. Because this month it retrogrades back from 11 to 1 degree of Cancer, that span is specifically activated.

For instance, if you have Mercury between 1 and 11 degrees of a Cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), examine this month’s 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 1 and 11 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn.

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.

The first half of the month, Aries people born the first few days of April are doing a review, consolidating recent major life decisions related to what first emerged around late May 2007. This month retraces your new life direction or the beginnings of new ways of expressing yourself, so get grounded, and remember that "as the roots, so the flowers." This applies the second half of December to Aries born in late March.

Effort now affects future success. 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. 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 the first half of December, Cancers born the first few days of July finish a cycle they began late April or early May 2006. It continues to be a time of endings and beginnings, though the pace has slowed so they can redo or rework whatever is needed in order to move forward in March and April 2008. Despite the seeming backward motion, stay focused on not clutching or being crabby at the pace. Continue to embrace the new, get ready for the pace to quicken next year, and try not to be too blunt, impulsive, abrasive, or leap before you look.

After mid-December, this applies to Cancers born in late June, who also confront the end of a 2-year cycle. Begin anew with an eye to what culminated in late May 2007 of the cycle that began April 2006. For all Cancers, this month slows the new beginnings, and gives a chance to take one last look back at whatever needs taking care of in order to clear the decks for new action in March and April 2008. Continue to apply new skills and strengths, and face a future that’s already underway. Finish what you need to, realize an old way of life is over, and your new efforts and sense of direction are merely slowed, but not abandoned.

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, preparing you for a new two year pulse that has already opened up to a degree. Now you’re finishing up what you need to in order to initiate a whole new set of activities in the Spring. Be thoughtful but not touchy, self-initiating without impulsiveness or haste. Definitely don’t internalize negativity, though you could get new insights into how you internalized old hurts in the past and can release them.

The first half of December slows the fulfillment of an old cycle for Libras born in early October. You should redo or take care of things from the recent past that may have been neglected or overlooked related to what’s been culminating in your public or professional affairs in the cycle that began September 2006. Keep learning as much as you can, prepare, revise your sense of what you’re willing to take responsibility for or not, since this continues to be a very high profile time for you. This occurs the last half of December for Libras born in late September.

All Libras should examine recent events showing what’s culminating in their public and professional sector, take a new look at what they are and are not responsible for. They should try to see what is and is not needed to 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, organized, 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. As with all who are impacted by Mars RX in Cancer, Libras should take a look at what needs are and are not being taken care of, and dig up old feelings to release them, or at least get a new perspective on recent major decisions and changes that will lead them to a new vision or truth in January and February 2008.

During the first half of December, Capricorns born the first few days of January are tested not to get aggravated, sidestep oppositional or passive-aggressive people, and decrease agitation or impulsiveness while correcting things that began January 2007. The last half of October this applies to Capricorns born in late December. 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. If normal interactions seem to become power struggles, it’s because of subconscious factors in one or both. 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 also are finding new forms of self-expression and self-adjustment to practical necessities.

For Capricorns in a relationship, it’s been 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.

The quincunx effect significantly influences 9-11 degrees of Sagittarius and Aquarius the first week of December, 7-9 degrees of Sagittarius and Aquarius the second week of December, 5-7 degrees of Sagittarius and Aquarius the third week of December, and 1-4 degrees of Sagittarius and Aquarius the last 10 days of the month. Quincunxes are associated with physical, emotional, or mental health issues requiring sacrifices and adjustments.

Thus the first week of the month most impacts Sagittarians born around November 30-December 2 and Aquarians born around January 28-31. The second week of December most impacts Sagittarians born around November 28-30 and Aquarians born around January 26-28. The third week of December most impacts Sagittarians born around November 25-28 and Aquarians born around January 23-26. The last 10 days of the month most impacts Sagittarians born around November 21-25 and Aquarians born around January 19-23.

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. This is another chance to redo or consolidate on the basis of decisions and changes back in October.

Sagittarians born in late Nov or early Dec 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 born in late Jan 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.

The first half of December, Taurus born between May 11-17 and Leos born between August 13-18 are extraordinarily affected by the Mars semisquare to their Suns. The last half of October primarily affects Taurus born between May 5-11 and Leos born between August 7-13. 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 since October in the cycle that began in late July 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 rework some endings of things begun in early July 2006. 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 have entered a fallow period where they are preparing for a new cycle to come in June 2008. Due to the Mars retrograde, it’s a time to rethink how you are or are not achieving closure, and perhaps 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 are taking a look back, preparing to do a “new” Gemini culmination in January and February 2008 of what was set into motion when everything was in late Virgo this time last year. 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 2007 and September 2007. Expect more definitive developments in December 2007 through early April 2008.

June through November 2008 shows Pluto exactly square the degree, Saturn conjuncts the point in October 2009 and April through July 2010, opposed by Uranus from 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 continues to slow down, get as much accomplished as you can since we are in a threshold zone 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 in our lives we need to prune back because of decisions made at that time. We’re still making decisions, reconsidering some decisions we’ve already made, and finding a new emotional position regarding decisions that will be final by March 2008.

Mars entry into Cancer in October brought major reorientations, and a lot of new work to be done. This month mirrors October through the lens of the retrograde. Keep practicing demonstrating an open mind and an open heart, make adjustments and reevaluations about what needs to and do not need to be fulfilled, and keep welcoming what comes since it’s consolidating recent major shifts that will be final by next Spring.

For a one-stop shop on prior articles about Mars retrograde, here they are so far:

How Astrology Works - Mercury Retrograde in Cancer Heralding Mars Retrograde 2007-2008

Mars Retrograde in Cancer and Gemini in November, December 2007 and January 2008 - Pt. 1

How Will Mars Retrograde in Cancer and Gemini in November, December 2007 and January 2008 Affect Everyone - Pt. 2

What is the Quality of the Mars Retrograde in Cancer and Gemini in November - December 2007 and January 2008? - Pt. 3

How Will Mars Retrograde in November-December 2007 Affect Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces?

A Cosmic Perspective on Mars’ 2007 Retrograde Station Conjunct the Star Sirius - The Sun of our Sun

© Copyright 2007 Robert Wilkinson

by Robert Wilkinson

Mars triggers whatever happens of note in our charts. In December 2007, Mars moves from 11 back to 1 degree of Cancer. This month almost exactly mirrors Mars’ forward motion in October, so expect returns from that time but seen or done from a different view or approach. As with last month, get used to familiar lessons repeating themselves from new angles. However…

The big news is that from mid-Dec on, various Mars oppositions are at full throttle, dominating the atmosphere and making for very volatile circumstances that will bring a rough ride to many while bringing new decisions, powers, and beginnings into major focus. As it involves Capricorn-Cancer polarizaton, expect things to get very personal in some ways, but as Saturn provides a sextile-trine to the oppositions, there will also be practical ways to work a plan to move out of old nebulous circumstances and misunderstandings into greater vision and compassion while knowing “we won’t get fooled again.”

The first half of the month, Mars is completely unafflicted by other planets except for quincunxes from the Sun and Mercury. These adjustments will open productivity in Aquarius and Taurus sectors, so do what you must in those departments, since early December Mars is supported by a very favorable trine from Venus in Scorpio. This trine is exceptionally strong due to Mars ruling the sign Venus is in.

This trine throws a harmonic void into early Pisces, helping us attune to a deeper compassion, emotional intelligence, and larger feeling awareness. For those who are still suffering from ambivalence, this will help with getting very clear about the “call” we’re supposed to hear, and reawaken the resolve to participate in some social work as widespread crises approach.

Take a look back at whatever was awakened in your life in Spring 2005 that led you to the “gates of the Sanctuary” in 2006, and see if there’s some way to “refertilize the ground,” or readdress something from then that will be needed for you to move into the new dedication in March 2008.

This month Mars takes a break from participating in non-rational aspects, except for brief ones triggered by the Moon. However, the bigger picture for December, which I’ll address in the next series of “Spiritual Astrology” articles coming soon, involves Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter all septiling Neptune and conjuncting Pluto at the Galactic Center, triggering The Grand Irrationality in a BIG way. 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.

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.

Mercury’s stationary degree in early November biseptile Mars fused this late Libra “hot zone” that will be triggered every time the Moon or any other planet 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 allegiances have been shifting, as are our relationships, responsibilities, habits, and our sense of how our needs are or are not being fulfilled. We’ve been reworking a lot of how we do our daily lives over the long run as a result of this configuration.

As noted last month, 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. Thus late November and early December cements the process as a result of the Moon and Venus transiting that degree span.

So the first few days of December we have a quincunx from Sun at 11 Sag to Mars at 11 Cancer, opening productivity in terms of being shown rewards for what we’ve cultivated the past 5-6 weeks, showing us how effectively we’re “partnering” with Nature. We also have a very good opportunity to contact an inner creative power and see its relationship to social behavior. This gives a brief period where we can crystalize a form of power, finding ways to exploit parts of our lives to further larger goals, ambitions, and friendships (and maybe secure some resources as well!)

We’ll understand more and be able to coordinate the energies better with the Mercury quincunx the second week of December which falls from 10 Sag to 10 Cancer. This triggers productivity through taking a look back at why certain projections had to be abandoned or rejected so we could see our larger consecration, whether to an ideal, a way of life, or a greater service to humanity.

The second half of December features a plethora of oppositions involving Mars beginning December 22. The first involves Mercury at 4 Cap to Mars at 4 Cancer, the second brings in the Sun at 3 Cap in an “inferior opposition” to Mars at 3 Cancer, the third involves Jupiter at 2 Cap opposed by Mars at 2 Cancer, and the final one brings a return of the Mars opposition Pluto at 30 Gemini and 30 Sag on January 2-3, 2008. Since there are many conjunctions to Jupiter and Pluto during this time, expect an expanded “otherworldly” quality to events, some of which will spin out of control fairly quickly.

These oppositions challenge us to slow down, be more thoughtful and deliberate, and not exaggerate or overreact to circumstances. Good luck! Jupiter conjuncts Pluto in Sag in mid-month, followed by Sun and Mercury conjunct Pluto in that sign. Sag isn’t a very restrained energy to begin with, and adding Jupiter and Pluto to the mix makes everything a bit over the top.

Mercury then conjuncts Jupiter at 1 Capricorn followed by the Sun conjunct Jupiter at 2 Capricorn, showing new power players will soon hit the world stage, as well as new levels of violence. The degree of the Sun-Jupiter conjunction is the same as the Mars-Jupiter opposition, indicating a great time to withdraw from dramas and struggles that aren’t your business, and refuse everything that is petty or petulant. If you must do something or convince somebody of something, it’ll be more a matter of style than substance.

There are some rays of light in the fog, so take heart. There are quintiles and sextiles from Sun and Mercury to Uranus, a Venus tredecile Uranus mid-month and biquintile Mars just after Christmas, with Mars sextile Saturn all month moving into a quintile toward the end of December that will last through mid-February 2008.

Quintile series aspects bring an element of favorable, specializing, gifting arrangements and relationships, and in the case of the biquintile, things we’ve been dealing with that were difficult will become easy if we did what we had to up front. To find out more about the quintile and biquintile and how they work, please check out this link to the quintile series aspects.

The second week of December should be extremely productive, given we have Venus trine Mars, both in sextile to Saturn, adding a level of sanity, thoughtfulness, and harmony to the times. This will harmonize planets and houses involving Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Aquarius, so go with the flow of practical self-gathering that should establish some deep feelings, as well as a greater maturity, in our relationships. This productive harmony of understanding will be valuable as we surf the oppositions that immediately follow this period in mid-December.

One thing that will help the oppositions toward productive focus are the trines from Mercury and the Sun to Saturn, opening the void in Taurus, a very stabilizing configuration. The last week of December will show us signs of understandings and activities to come after Jupiter slips into Capricorn and begins its trine to Saturn. Use late December to see ways of creating happiness and hope in the midst of difficult conditions, sound a joyous counter-tone to whatever cold or “barren” circumstances that present themselves to you, and be pure of heart as you see clearly what practical work is to be done in 2008.

On a final note, the oppositions will force us all to drop every unnecessary consideration and every superfluous element in our lives and affairs so we can quicken our dedication to and pursuit of whatever social goals we’re aiming for. Late December will be a time when we must joyously rally to some higher task at the end of an old cycle in our lives and use our power to bargain and do trade-offs, demonstrating fairness.

In December 2007 we will also have to find forms of self-protection against aggressive social elements so we can secure better foundations as a basis for greater realizations , be more conscious in handling our affairs to know what within us is truly indestructible, and move through metaphoric traffic jams as we become accustomed to more intense social interactions and link to greater community values,

As noted last month, 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 I mentioned earllier, Mars sits in early Cancer all month long. When it left Gemini in late September it moved energies out of the Act of Differentiation (Aries through Gemini) to the Act of Stabilization (Cancer through Virgo). To remind you:

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 dominant 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 E. 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. November we hit a threshold, and are now retracing steps to get new perspectives on decisions and reorientations we made since September.

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.

November featured 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. 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.

November we had the blessings 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 helping us get focused in our gifts. We should capture beneficial results of that “grand understanding” as Venus tracks the Grand Water Trine path through Scorpio the second week of December.

Though November was somewhat weird and edgy, we had opportunities to make good progress by shifting social gears, not getting deflected by distractions, making sure we were using the right means to achieve our ends, and fitting everything into a wider long term perspective. We certainly had opportunities to see what needed to be eliminated to further the flow, and what needed regenerating or renewing to keep our lives moving in the direction already established.

In December, use the first part of the month to establish the harmony and understanding that will enable you to use the gifts that will come forth later in the month. That way the generic multiple oppositions won’t throw you off your game, and help you to understand amidst the widespread polarization and struggles that you have a specific part to play in your society in 2008.

If you find yourself caught in obvious or subtle power struggles after mid-December, please re-read the many articles I’ve written about Mars retrograde in Cancer, take a deep breath, slow things down, and refuse to play games that only drain you or leave you feeling frustrated. Look within, rework your feelings, your needs, or your memories, and don’t clutch as you move forward into a new practical understanding.

In Part 2 we’ll explore how the Mars stress zones are affecting each individual sign.

© Copyright 2007 Robert Wilkinson

The appearence of bruising underneath Madonna’s eyes while she was visiting New York City caused some magazines to speculate on some possible cosmetic enhancement work! Below are scans from UK magazine Look (31 December issue) and the current issue of French magazine Voici. Click to enlarge.

 

Thanks to Manuel

The appearence of bruising underneath Madonna’s eyes while she was visiting New York City caused some magazines to speculate on some possible cosmetic enhancement work! Below are scans from UK magazine Look (31 December issue) and the current issue of French magazine Voici. Click to enlarge.

 

Thanks to Manuel