by Robert Wilkinson
Mission control, we now have a successful launch! Mars is said to be the "trigger" for all that happens in our world and lives. Wherever this conjunction falls every 2 years becomes a huge focus for our future!
Whenever Mars and Saturn conjunct, it begins a new cycle of Saturn’s lessons being expressed by Mars lasting a little over 2 years. It blends the areas ruled by Mars with those of Saturn, and shows us the pulses of changes associated with Saturn.
Thus our Aries and Scorpio sectors and planets are now merged with our Capricorn and Aquarius sectors in the Scorpio house in our chart. The house where this conjunction falls will be the one where we work through our Saturn issues, using Mars experiences.
Mars conjunct Saturn in Capricorn completes the last Mars-Saturn cycle in Sagittarius, and from here we get to take our experience of the adventure of “forced growth” of the past two years and move it to the next level of our ability to exercise mature authorship, self-control, and alignment with our invisible helpers! The aspects indicate how certain energies will play out over the next two years.
Aspects and more
The primary inner planet aspects made at this conjunction include the Moon in Scorpio quincunx Mercury, partile separating sextile with Mars and Saturn, conjunct Jupiter, trine Neptune, and quintile Pluto; Mercury retrograde square Mars and Saturn, sesquisquare Jupiter, and binovile Pluto; Venus trine Mars and Saturn, quadranovile Jupiter, and biseptile Pluto (activating the Grand Irrationality!); and Sun conjunct Uranus. Outer planets aspect include Mars and Saturn semisquare Jupiter, tredecile Uranus, sextile Neptune and conjunct Pluto; Jupiter triseptile Uranus, trine Neptune, and sextile Pluto; and Uranus semisquare Neptune.
So we have an extraordinarily high number of favorable and specializing aspects to/from all the planets which release through the Mercury square to Mars and Saturn, which means that the Aries releases through Capricorn, and Capricorn releases through Aries. This puts the brakes on some old Mars/Saturn manifestations while releasing new ones into collective consciousness. This one opens up unique opportunities, some of which will take a roundabout path to find us, due to Mercury retrograde. Still, the Earth and Water trines will stabilize a tremendous amount, very harmonious and stabilizing energies thrown into Cancer and Virgo.
The last Mars-Saturn conjunction at 10 Sagittarius helped us mobilize, and those who were ambitious in the right way “won the prize.” We’ve had to be flexible magicians on a quest these past two years, knowing “when to hold ‘em and when to fold em’, when to walk away and when to run.” The previous conjunction was at 18 Scorpio in August 2014, and those structures we lived in the 2 years after that became the foundation for all that has begun to come forth since the Mars conjunct Jupiter on that exact degree in January 2018.
The Moon in this chart shows there are reunions promised during the next two years. This features “group personality emergence” based in experience we shared in the past with those we will unite with in some sort of “fellowship supper.” This is a very productive Moon, even if more intense than the Moon is usually comfortable with. Just remember that when you instinctively want to push beyond safe limits, stop, and unless it’s absolutely necessary, DON’T go there!
With Mars in the sign of the Innocent, it re-sets the previous wide, free, and adventurous energy of Sagittarius with the organized responsible energies of Capricorn. The last cycle with Saturn in Sagittarius indicated we would be dealing with our fear or rigidity around Sagittarius things, while this cycle indicates that we will be spurred to action promising power and influence, as well as a new approach to conflict and conflicted people and situations, by exercising discipline and maturity. It all depends on how we act or react to the Mars and Saturn planetary dualities. Grace and power, or error and bondage, are indicated by these two powerful planetary principles.
The Sabian Symbol for the Conjunction
The 9th degree of Capricorn is "An angel carrying a harp.” In the Astrology of Personality, where Rudhyar uses the original Dr. Jones' class notes on the symbols, 9 Cap is said to be a symbol of “the basic harmony of fulfilled selfhood” and “realizing harmony in everyday life through detached and lofty understanding.”
In the Astrological Mandala, he says this degree involves “the revelation of the spiritual meaning and purpose at the core of any life situation.” He offers that “this picture simply says that ‘heaven is within us.’ All we have to do is to be open and listen to the total harmony of life, a harmony in which we play a part that is necessary to the completeness and meaning of the whole.”
He continues that to find this, we must “surrender our separative ego-consciousness and flow with the universal current” showing us the Path Spirit is revealing to us. He tells us this is a technique “of attunement to the rhythm of universal life. Angels are … considered personalizations of various aspects of this life, and totally subservient to its rhythms and purposes. He says it falls in the span of Illusiveness, and it’s the technical degree of the emotional-cultural level of the scene of Crystallization in the Act of Capitalization.
According to Dr. Jones, creator of the Sabian Symbols, the degree is one of “the eternal and unabated interest of the human spirit in the simple potentialities of experience, and of the unconditioned enthusiasm of all human motives in their original inception.” He says this provides “a continuing sense of spiritual source as it pervades (human) consciousness, enabling (us) to avoid the limitations in any given situation” to achieve slef-fulfillment.
He tells us “there is an over-all harmony of which each individual remains essentially a part,” and offers us the keyword ATTUNEMENT. He states that when operating in a positive manner, this degree is "a special gift for inspiring others to accomplishment and for realizing the ultimate dreams of self as a consequence.”
This clearly implies over the next two years we all will be able to learn techniques of attuning to our invisible helpers, finding harmony of fulfilled selfhood in higher understanding, and best of all, can surrender our “separative ego-consciousness” and learn to flow with the Divine Will. As we mobilize in the area of our chart this falls in, and observe the aspects this conjunction makes in our charts, we will begin to see how this larger global force will impact our particular planetary lights. As you sort out what fits where, you may see that you’re done with a chapter of life in your Sagittarius house, and entered a new Capricorn era of focus.
I believe those who embrace an active discipline will find themselves in the groove with the Higher Law of the moment, in tune with invisible helpers, and able to fulfill any situation they’re in. This is a degree of inspiring others and being inspired by others, so see what’s opening on the social, emotional, or cultural level in your life, accept your power to make a constructive difference, and enjoy focusing your will power, backed by courage, to find the harmony possible in each moment.
On the material level, things will become very clear and stable over the next two years in areas in your charts where you have planets between 4-10 degrees of Earth and Water signs, with exceptional specialized serendipitous and favorable gifts and circumstances awaiting those with planets or points near 1-5 Sagittarius/Gemini, 7-11 Capricorn/Cancer, 13-17 Aquarius/Leo, 19-23 Pisces/Virgo, and 25-29 Aries/Libra. That implies many blessings will be set into motion when Mars moves through the Aquarius zone in the 3rd week of October at the same time the Sun is in the Libra zone.
This begins a long cycle of becoming precise and disciplined in our use of energy in responsible ways. Be pragmatic, take the long view, activate your authorship in an organized way, and keep it simple as you expand into more enjoyable and rewarding realms via the Earth trines. Flow is up, practicality is up, and pots of gold are to be found at the end of the rainbow!
In part 2, we’ll take a look back at previous Mars-Saturn cycles to get some perspective.
The new is here. The Now is here. What adventure are you willing to live?
© Copyright 2018 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks Robert. This is helpful and personally relevant as 4/4 is my birthday. Most of your observations resonate with my perceptions. And with natal Mars at 17'47" Scorpio, yes, the 2014 conjunction was significant, though at the time I knew nothing about Mars/Saturn conjunctions. It was the Pluto square to my natal Sun a few months later that triggered my interest in astrology - had to find out what the $#%* was going on!
Posted by: Denise | April 03, 2018 at 07:31 PM
Thank you Robert. I think 9 degrees of Capricorn is my Ascendant, so I am excited for these years ahead. As ever I am very grateful for your attunenments!
Posted by: Florence Devereux | April 06, 2018 at 12:35 AM