Mars and Venus Say 'Go!'

2.17.15


The time is now. Now is all we have. If not now, when?

There's really nothing more to think through. If the desire's been acknowledged, what else is there to think about? Act on it. Get it. Go!

This is the sort of lucid simplicity which drives the mindset of the Aries archetype. Maybe 'mindset' is the wrong word: The raw, straightforward Aries knowing is immediate and embodied, short-circuiting the need for mental mitigation. It is what it is. You want what you want. Make it happen, or don't; those are your two choices. Snag what you want, and you're selfishly happy. Thwarted in your efforts? Feel the blood-boiling upset.

Later this week, we'll feel a pronounced shift toward these simplifying 'go!' astro-energetics, a starting-gun for the next leg of this relay popping off in a loud heated burst. Pow! Together, the prototypical yin/yang pair of Mars and Venus move out of Pisces and into Aries. Mars leads the way (Thu Feb 19), followed mere hours later by Venus (Fri Feb 20). And then, they're exactly conjunct a day later (Sat Feb 21), a potent concentration of assertive will and spry receptivity, filtered through the forward-trooping fieriness of the ram's-tribe.

Gone are the dreamy wanderings of the preceding weeks, marked by Mars-and-Venus's travels through Pisces, the final sign of the zodiac-wheel, soaked in the cumulative emotional effects of all the signs' experiences; sensitive, inspired, sometimes overcome. Much of 2015 has so far been spent filtering through whatever's recently happened, what's passed… feeling it once more, more thoroughly, or perhaps really for the first time. Before we can begin anew again, we must identify, in our bones, the truth of what's passed—the triumphs, the disappointments, the suffering. Otherwise, no 'fresh start' will genuinely refresh us. We're doomed to repeat what we cannot accept.

Come Aries, and there's nothing left to hold onto… cherished memories, sure, but no clinging to what's in the past, no pining for what no longer is (and maybe never was), no self-victimizing refusals to move on. The only healthy direction to look, at this juncture, is ahead. We cannot, of course, confidently comprehend what awaits us ahead. We must channel our confidence into the brave willingness to confront whatever we'll find when we get there. Our innate ingenuity, our instincts, our might: what else would we need beyond what we've got? Everything else is just an excuse not to go forth. You want what you want.

And what if someone else doesn't like how you go for what you want? What if you inadvertently hit problems along the way, stomp on some toes, stir conflict or pushback? Aries is labeled 'self-centered' for a reason: Focusing so totally on personal desire naturally exposes one to lapses in interpersonal consideration. That, however, is not reason enough for Aries to resist being what it is. The positive qualities of simplicity, purity, and self-possessed directness are not often raised in praise of self-centeredness. The good-hearted Aries type is respectfully responsive when called out on their thoughtlessness, now better aware of how their actions impact others. It's only the less-good-hearted ones who don't give a crap, and will fight for their right to do whatever the fuck they want.

A Mars-Venus conjunction is the planetary equivalent of a well-fitting couple arriving on the scene hand in hand, perfectly in sync… a seamless sexual union, rising and falling rhythmically as one, transcending difference… the parents governing from a unified front, the wily child unable to appeal to any rifts among the ruling parties. This marriage of complementary forces helps us sharpen our passions to a singular point, minimizing the amount of inner discord which would otherwise lead us to take unconsciously contradictory actions. When Mars and Venus conjoin, our projective and receptive sides operate as a single unit. What we create under such an influence, therefore, carries a less internally-conflicted intention.

The singular focus of a conjunct Mars-and-Venus, of course, only becomes that much sharper due to its position in early Aries, the very first degrees of the zodiac cycle. Here is where sparks are lit, seeds planted, desires asserted, new worlds brought into being. Of the two planets, Mars is the one at ease in Aries, a sign it rules. Venus, in detriment, must report back to Mars (by dispositorship) with every relational compact it seeks to make. This isn't astrology which encourages us to rely on others for guidance, permission, or codependent hand-holding. Rather, we must do what we ourselves are driven to do—and then see how well our relationships are able to contain this unadulterated individuality.

This creative potential is powerful, but our first self-assertive steps can feel jerky, crude, even violent in their primal disruption of the mutually-agreed-upon calm. There is no alternative to that rawness, though, if we're working with these energies as they are. At the moment of surprise, shock, or discomfort, we must courageously keep going, as all good fire-sign planets should. These are the moments when the magic happens: Our instincts take over, we spontaneously embody the wherewithal we need, and we do whatever the situation requires. Upon looking back, we're awed at our adroit actions… which often, incidentally, are not what we would've devised ahead of time, in ideal laboratory settings. Sometimes, we overshoot our target or cause some undesired collateral damage, and then it's on us to make the necessary corrections. But we don't have the luxury of resting on our laurels or wringing our hands in regret. The world's still spinning. Developments continue moving onward. Now is all we have. Go!

Having Mars and Venus in Aries further amplifies an already-heavy emphasis on the fire element... and so, in the weeks ahead, we can expect loads of fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat, jump-or-you'll-miss-your-chance opportunities to propel ourselves forward. This will be exhilarating for some and overwhelming for others, based on how capably we can roll with the punches. Without a doubt, there will be no better time for self-driven risk-taking all year. Next week, both Venus and Mars will trine Saturn in Sagittarius (Feb 24-25), helping us ensure our latest impulses are philosophically in-line with what matters most to us. Following that, Venus (Mar 4) and Mars (Mar 9-11) will each conjoin Uranus, intensifying their erratic, liberatory, anti-status-quo tone. And to make matters even more dramatic, these dual Uranus conjunctions will also trigger the two longer-lasting outer-planet aspects in which Uranus is presently involved—the Jupiter-Uranus trine and the Uranus-Pluto square—bringing many persistent themes we've been dealing with over recent months and years to a palpable head.

Needless to say, the upcoming few weeks will prove quite critical and decisive to our evolution, in terms of how competently we can assert our desires for how we'd like things to go. The bold, daring, and defiant among us will fare exceedingly well; the meek, fearful, and deferent could get chewed up and spit out. You know as well as I do, however, what you need to do. The thinking's already been thought, the desires acknowledged. The time to act is now. GO, baby, GO!

Venus will be in Aries through March 17. Mars will be in Aries through March 31.