Mars in Libra

Mars in Libra: Striving for balance

art by Kate Monkman

When the planet of drive and desire, anger and frustration travels through the sign of peace and harmony it’s not always easy.  Mars in Libra craves harmony and true partnership- the equanimity that occurs when everything in our lives is in balance.  Libra is the sign of love and beauty, certainly, but the underlying energy here is the sense of harmonious integration which is experienced when we are surrounded by beauty and feeling the comfort of love. The love and beauty are means to an end rather than the end itself.

Mars is none of those things. Mars is easily frustrated when needs aren’t met, and eager to achieve desires and goals. It cares nothing for harmony but instead seeks personal satisfaction. Mars is therefore often disrespected by astrologers as a “bad” planet – a malefic, one that is up to no good. But as my readers know, an effective Mars is essential for a healthy personal eco-system. Our needs must be met, and our truths must be spoken.

Mars is the ruler of Aries, Libra’s opposite polarity so Mars is said to be in its detriment in Libra, where it is less easily able to find its full expression as the planet of aggression and self-direction.  Under Mars in Libra we sometimes tend to sacrifice who we are and what we ourselves need in order to find that peaceful integration that will soothe our jangled nerves – we yearn to find balance and integrate the confusion of opposites into one complete whole of understanding and compassion.

Mars will be in Libra until it moves into Scorpio on October 30th.  Scorpio is the other Mars-ruled sign, and Mars is intense and passionate in Scorpio.  […]

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By |2021-09-15T07:03:02-04:00September 15th, 2021|Planetary news this week|1 Comment
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Astrological update for the week of September 13-20, 2021: Full Moon Rising

art from Astrosignum

Retrograde update:  We currently have five planets (including Chiron) in retrograde motion: Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Chiron.  Mercury, in preparation for its retrograde turn on September 27th, has slowed down and we are in the “shadow phase” of the Mercury retrograde cycle, where communication becomes more personal and therefore more important.  Mercury is retrograde when it is closest to Earth, and its influence becomes more critical.  Once Mercury is retrograde there will be seven planets retrograde for a short time, the peak of the 2021 retrograde season.  During these periods our world seems to be at a standstill, making it difficult sometimes to make new plans until the old situations are resolved.

Full Moon on Monday September 20:  The energies will begin building this week for next Monday’s Pisces Full Moon which follows last week’s Virgo New Moon, taking us from the details of life which is Virgo’s domain into the Piscean realm of fantasy and spiritual transcendence.  I’ll be writing more about this later in the week so stay tuned.  Full Moons are times of potential peak experiences, and in Pisces there are opportunities for moments of intuitive breakthrough and surges of creativity.  Not, however, the best times for dealing with important details especially with Mercury preparing to retrograde so just use the best common sense you can muster in those situations.

And now, the week ahead… (dates and times are given in EDT and UTC, please adjust for your own locality)

Monday, September 13.  We begin the week with the Moon in Sagittarius, and around 10:30 am EDT/2:30 pm UTC it makes a pleasant sextile to Mercury, helping to instill positive thoughts and optimistic viewpoints.  The Moon is active all afternoon, forging […]

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By |2021-09-13T21:18:08-04:00September 13th, 2021|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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Inspiration for Mars in Libra

Art by Caitlin Connolly

You’re waiting for that magical day when someone makes the connection and recognizes who you really are. Maybe they’ll first catch the sparkle in your eye. Or perhaps they’ll marvel at your insights and the depth of your spirit. Someone who will help you connect the dots, believe in yourself, and make sense of it all. Someone who will understand you, approve of you, and unhesitatingly give you a leg up so that life can pluck your ready, ripened self from the branch of magnificence. Well, I’m here to tell you, your wait is over. That someone, is you.

—Mike Dooley

Mars in Libra craves harmony and true partnership- the equanimity that occurs when everything in our lives is in balance.   Under Mars in Libra we sometimes tend to sacrifice who we are and what we ourselves need in order to find that peaceful integration that will soothe our jangled nerves.  However, Mars is the ruler of Libra’s opposite polarity: Aries.  Mars is said to be in its detriment in Libra, where it is less easily able to find its full expression as the planet of aggression and self-direction.

I like this Mike Dooley quote for Mars in Libra – as we strive for that equanimity we can remember that we ourselves are the key to that polarity and true partnership.

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By |2019-10-03T03:51:17-04:00October 6th, 2019|Inspiration|1 Comment
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Planetary news this week! Tiptoeing into the realm of Pluto

Art by Palace Productions

September 30-October 7, 2019

Like the other two outer planets, Pluto is retrograde about half the year.  This cycle of the ebb and flow of planets appearing to travel backwards, completing their tasks, and then moving ahead as normal is an important part of the astrological flow of life.  Though we often complain about Mercury retrograde, for example, these periods give us an opportunity to go back and re-do whatever had not yet been completed before we attempted to put them away, and therefore move more completely into our future.

Pluto, though small, is a powerhouse of astrological energy.  It presides over nothing less than death and regeneration, and the kind of creative destruction which enables us to emerge out of the fire of devastating change and rebuild our lives to be stronger and more effective.  Pluto has been retrograde since April and has barely moved since then so if like me you’re undergoing a Pluto transit you have been feeling its effects! Pluto turns direct on October 3rd and we will begin to feel the pressure lift.

Meanwhile, though, we have a challenging square from Venus to Pluto on October 1st that will intensify our personal interactions, and then Mercury enters Pluto-ruled Scorpio on the 3rd, beginning the shift from Libra season into Scorpio.  Scorpio’s traditional ruler is Mars – it is a fiery water sign that’s full of passion and intensity.  But Mars will move into polite Libra on October 4th, which will soften the effect of Pluto.  This may be considered a good thing, because we generally think of easy stuff as being preferable to hard stuff.  But Mars isn’t very effective in Libra where everyone else’s opinions must […]

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By |2019-09-30T08:34:55-04:00September 30th, 2019|Planetary news this week|8 Comments
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