April 4 | Mars opposite Pluto http://planetwaves.net/chart.php?c=mars_opp_pluto THERE is still one bit of the 3/29 cluster left to happen, and that is the opposition of Mars and Pluto. Occurring once every two years, it's not one of those super rare aspects, but anything between Mars and Pluto moves energy. The opposition, which factors prominently into the eclipse scenario, is about to reach its exact peak in about three days, which partly accounts for some of the tension still dangling in the air. When looking at an opposition, it makes sense to go back and look the conjunction that preceded it, and assess what was developing at the time. This is a little like looking at the New Moon chart when you're seeking some understanding of a Full Moon chart. The metaphor in planetary cycles is similar. Related to the Mars-Pluto opposition that occurs April 8, there was a conjunction Jan. 28, 2005, about 15 months ago*. That same day, there was a conjunction of Mercury and Chiron, with Venus close by. This second aspect opposed Saturn -- particularly Venus. I remember the feeling well...that week I happened to be standing in for Jonathan Cainer, and the feeling of the two conjunctions approaching was palpable and made for the most intense week of horoscope writing I ever remember. I'll include my daily horoscope from that day at the end of this blog, which we'll redo shortly as a non-subscriber page (currently it's behind a password). These aspects were what I would call 'all over' the lunar nodes. The Venus-Mercury-Chiron group in Capricorn squared the lunar nodes (then in late Aries/Libra), and the Mars-Pluto aspect made a trine/sextile to the nodes. The nodes are like an energy orientation line, and when planets make aspects to this line, they tend to have added impact or expression in the world. This was a week after the re-inauguration Bushco, which was Jan. 20. In the chart of that event, which we've discussed a lot here and which I'll include at the end for those who are interested, cycles involving Mars, Mercury and two outer planets (Pluto and Chiron) are about to come to a close and a new story begins a matter of days later -- and now we're at the point of manifestation. What I find interesting about the current Mars-Pluto opposition is how many ways it weaves into the Inauguration chart and the 3/29 cluster of events. The conjunction and thus the cycle involved link directly to the Inauguration chart. Then, on 3/29, we had a triple grouping of events: the total solar eclipse, the progressed Moon reaching opposition to Pluto in the Inauguration chart, and Pluto stationing retrograde on the Galactic Core. What all three have in common is the Mars-Pluto opposition. Mars recently came through the progressed Moon / Pluto setup in the Inauguration chart; Mars is the ruler of the eclipse and the North Node; Mars about to oppose Pluto and the Galactic Core; and the opposition itself dates back to a conjunction at the time of the Inauguration. And, this week, we are getting a little taste of the unthinkable: the United States and England really do appear to be getting ready to bomb Iran. Once again they are going after "weapons of mass destruction" to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. It is almost believable, except for the last time they told that very same lie. Does everyone remember? It's the lie that we're all living right now in the nightmare of Iraq. There is something to be said for first impressions. I happened to be in the home of an Iranian friend in Canada when the results of the 'election' of the 'hard liner fundamentalist Muslim' were announced, and my first thought was: the United States set this election up so they could go in and bomb the guy. Heck, I wonder if he even knows. Protestors against a second Cheney-Bush term had signs and stickers that said "four more wars." It is a sick irony, but just as sick that people get high on war and feel that because it's so -- hmm, dramatic, urgent, justified by and justifying of racism -- that it's always right, it's always for a good reason. Then there's the point where war is its own reason. We seem to get there a lot these days. --- Jan. 28, 2005 daily horoscope (currently password protected with the normal Planet Waves subscriber area passwords -- we'll fix that soon): http://planetwavesweekly.com/drdc8/cainer/050128.html Feb. 2005 monthly horoscope (not password protected, and not 2006 as previously printed here -- this is the horoscope closest to the Mars-Pluto conjunction.) http://planetwaves.info/astrology/horoscopes/050200PWM.html Inauguration chart - basic version with four asteroids and Chiron: http://www.planetwaves.net/charts/inauguration/inauguration3.html *NOTE, the Mars cycle is about 24 months, but the opposition does not happen exactly in between the two conjunctions, because Mars retrograde delays the process. The next conjunction is Jan. 13, 2007, less than one year away.