What’s Coming in April and early May 2020

Today, March 30, 2020, Mars enters Aquarius. What does this mean for all of us?

It means that how we generally “attack the problems of life,” or how we “take the initiative” leaves the highly organized and disciplined practical Cardinal Earth of Capricorn and now expresses it through the cooperative vision of managed energy in Aquarius. Having activated the January conjunctions in Capricorn and launching new ones in March with Jupiter and Pluto, it now makes its fateful conjunction with Saturn at 1 Aquarius, launching the initial pulses of the coming Aquarian 20-year sub-era which begins in December.

Mars in Sagittarius took the remains of the “stripping down and purifying” energy of Scorpio and moved it up and out, freed of obsolete things and considerations. Mars in Capricorn organized the Sag initiatives into practical forms of power which can now be applied to a greater vision of a greater good for a greater number. This begins “visionary organized activity” directly related to the “expansive structures” which begin with the Grand Mutation of Jupiter conjunct Saturn at 1 Aquarius in December!

This period is a “foreshadowing” of the multiple conjunctions of the inner planets with Jupiter and Saturn in early 2021. In early 2021, Mercury will conjunct Saturn at 3 Aquarius, and conjunct Jupiter at 6 Aquarius in mid-January. The Sun will then conjunct Saturn at 5 Aquarius and Jupiter at 10 in late January, powering up echoes of the Mars RX effect which began at that degree in June 2018. You will recall that period was one of pulling back from old roles, old projections, and old images so we could plan anew.

Venus will make its conjunctions in early February, first with Saturn at 6 Aquarius, then with Jupiter at 13 Aquarius. However, because Mercury goes SRX at 27 Aquarius in late January, it will make retrograde conjunctions with the Sun at the Inferior Conjunction at 21 Aquarius. It will then make a RX conjunction with Venus at 15 Aquarius, then with Jupiter at 14, then go SD at 12, and make yet another conjunction with Jupiter in early March at 18 Aquarius. As you can see, there will be many “hot spots” in Aquarius next year, so pay attention to Mars’ transit of the first half of Aquarius in April, since it shows how to deal with the numerous conjunctions in Aquarius in 2020.

Mars is now at maximum cruising speed around 41.7 minutes of motion per day. We are in the middle of Mars’ cycle, in between the previous retrograde slowdown of late Capricorn and mid-Aquarius from April to October 2018, and the next one coming between 18-28 Aries from early September to mid-November 2020. While Mars direct helps us get a lot done, Mars retrograde requires us to slow down and undo, re-do, or re-plan our lives with an eye to making things more efficient during the direct motion periods.

Mars’ Path To Where We Are Now

We navigated deep feeling waters and saw the need for closure in old parts of our lives during its time in Pisces in November and December 2018. After that, in January and the first half of February 2019 Mars transited its home sign of fiery Aries, so we had more energy helping facilitate direct action. It is noteworthy that the next Mars retrograde will be in Aries, so expect to revisit some initiatives set into motion in January and early February 2019.

It transited Taurus between mid-February and late March 2019, stabilizing our forward momentum while learning to enjoy simply doing what we had to do. Its transit through Gemini and Cancer in April, May, and June opened a time of discovery and reorientation to conserve our energy to support our continuing growth. Its transit of Leo between early July and late August gave us new initiatives wherever we have Leo in our charts, allowing us to know what our hearts were into.

Its transit in Virgo between mid-August and early October coincided with a lot of conjunctions which shaped September through December 2019. We were all making practical adjustments and sacrifices in our Virgo sector, taking care of business with an eye to details and how to do what we needed to do. Mars moved through Libra between early October and late November 2019, with new ideals and a recalibration of how much time and energy we were devoting to our Libra influenced affairs. This was a period of learning to find the balance and hold it, rather than keep “comparing and contrasting,” paralyzing action.

It then entered Scorpio in mid-November, one of the signs it rules, along with Aries. Mars is most naturally itself in those two signs, with Scorpio the zone where it eliminates all which is unnecessary to attain the fulfillment of the process it’s engaged in. It then entered Sagittarius in early January, it’s in a sign in harmony with its Fiery nature, so we’ve recently “Flamed on” and set elements of the future into motion.

It entered Capricorn on February 16, the sign of its exaltation, or greatest growth. Since then, we’ve learned how to be pragmatic and organized with an eye to the long game. We’ve needed lots of discipline and “responsible action” since mid-February, and now we move into a month and a half of seeing how we can make a greater contribution to our greater good, as well as cooperate through managing energy and things with an eye to the future.

Mars in Aquarius also means that any planets or angles we have in Aries or Scorpio have moved out of an earthy expression into an airy expression. This also impacts the houses where we have these signs, and puts a huge focus of activity in the house where we have the first 10 degrees of Aquarius during the first half of April, and the second 10 degrees of Aquarius during the last half of April. The last 10 degrees of Aquarius will be transited by Mars between April 28 and May 12, when it moves into Pisces.

The Mars Challenge Since January 2019

When Mars was in Aries, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra, and fulfillment to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer. (Again, these crucial points of choice and change will be revisited in some way between September and November 2020.)

While Mars was in Taurus, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo. (This will be re-set with Mars’ next transit of Taurus beginning January 2021.)

While Mars was in Gemini, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius, and fulfillment to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo.

While Mars was in Cancer, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra.

While Mars was in Leo, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio.

While Mars was in Virgo, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius.

While Mars was in Libra, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn.

While Mars was in Scorpio, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius.

While Mars was in Sagittarius, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces.

While Mars was in Capricorn, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries.

While Mars is in Aquarius, it will bring new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus.

Obviously within these transit spans there are other “phase relationships” between transiting Mars and all the planets in our charts, but to go into all of them would make this article a book. For example, Mars makes aspects to your other planets which are different than aspects to your Sun and Ascendant. All aspects, waxing and waning, fall within “The Whole Cycle” of each planet to every other planets and our Ascendant. You can find out more about the Whole Cycle in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. where I explain the various phases in the planetary cycles in terms of the Whole Cycle for various generations.

Mars Links to the Past, Present, and Future

While Mars now initiates a new time of activity wherever we have Aquarius, it activates the information Venus confirmed, the Sun illuminated or vitalized, and Mercury helped us understand when they all transited Aquarius between late December and late February. These Aquarian patterns set into motion by Mars in the next few weeks “pre-forming” what will take shape in expansive form once Jupiter and Saturn are in Aquarius from December forward. Mars activates what the other planets have set into play with their transits, which in turn affects what springs forth when Jupiter subsequently transits those points.

The conjunction with Saturn at 1 Aquarius tears down the barriers between past and future! This launches a totally future oriented period of human existence. This is the next to the last transit of Saturn through Aquarius before we “slip across the edge of the Age” after 2050.

I explained how various Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto transits over the past 3 centuries each strengthened the advent of the Age of Aquarius in the article here! Uranus Awakened the Age of Aquarius, Neptune Dreamed It Into Collective Consciousness, and Pluto Will Sprout It Into Life , as well as why we are not yet fully into the Age of Aquarius yet, but will be in the third quarter of this century. Of course, living on the cusp of a Great Age means we will be dealing with the dying echoes of the Age of Pisces for some time to come, since many who were born under those dying assumptions will try to perpetuate them as long as they can.

Just remember that the Capricorn cycles set into motion by Mars in March will have far reaching implications, some of which won’t be completed 2053! We won’t have another Saturn conjunct Pluto for over 30 years, nor another Jupiter conjunct Pluto for 13 years. These Capricorn cycles will play out until the next transit of the outer planets over the conjunction points as a finish to what just began, and as prelude to the next cycles beginning then. (There will be an exact Sun conjunct Jupiter as both conjunct Pluto in Feb 2033 at the Angel Point at 15 Aquarius. That promises to be a much happier cycle than the current one!)

Aspects in Play

We’re now going to experience a renewed Aquarius experience in the house(s) where we have that sign in our charts. Mars enters Aquarius and immediately conjuncts Saturn with both semisquared by Mercury. In the first and second weeks of April, Mars semisquares Neptune and Mercury septiles Mars, while Mars squares Uranus, triggering the Rhombus Diamond and giving us a front end look at the conflict and chaos which will begin to dominate the public atmosphere due to squares involving Taurus and Aquarius in January 2021.

Remember transit to transit aspects are generic energies, which we can use wisely according to how they are placed in our charts. Mars noviles Neptune in mid-April, Mercury sextiles Mars the third week and quintiles Mars the last week of April. Venus continues its March trine to Mars as both slip into air signs, staying within 2 degrees of an exact trine from April 7 through 28. The Sun quintiles Mars from March 30 through April 12, and noviles Mars the last 9 days of the month. Mars finishes April with a binovile to Uranus in the 4th week of the month.

What Do Mars Oppositions Teach Us?

At this point in its cycle, Mars is done with being the nozzle of “focused activity” for all the other planetary energies which it was during the Spring of 2019. It made its oppositions from Gemini to Jupiter in early May, and from Cancer to Saturn and Pluto in June. The June oppositions had Mercury joining Mars in Cancer, giving us FOUR different ways to become more aware of how to transmute dysfunctional Mars energies into healthy Mars expressions.

We received Neptunian realizations when Mars opposed Neptune in September, and finished the last major spiritual Mars test of the year with the Mars opposition Uranus in late November. Different Mars oppositions require different skills, since the “Tension of Opposites” between the planetary expressions in the signs they’re in entirely determines the spiritual tests to learn and demonstrate.

As I noted in Chapter 2 in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend,

Mars' duality is Grace/Sin. This is the aspect of consciousness that shows whether our responses are manifesting error or truth, maladjustment or beauty. By our Martian function we force things before their time or confront abrasive, aggressive, or hostile energies in ourselves and others, and thus we learn how to sever what must be severed, and further what must be furthered, quickly and directly. (As an aside, the original meaning of “sin” had nothing to do with moral failure. It was an archery term meaning “to miss the mark,” or not hitting the center of a target. I use it here in that sense.)

So from May through November 2019, we all went through “tests of skill” in expressing the realizations which surface at Mars oppositions. May and June gave realizations about Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. September and November gave us realizations about Neptune and Uranus.

The September oppositions had strong stabilizing trines from Virgo to Capricorn, which helped us get organized and grounded in our self-expression. This is what we’ll be practicing between January and March. However, because Mars will go retrograde within the outer planet span, we won’t have another Mars opposition until June 2021!

Picking Up the Pace On the Way to The Grand Mutation of 2020!

After the 2018 Mars retrograde and its incredibly long 8 month stay in the span between late Sagittarius and late Aquarius, in 2019 Mars moved quickly through Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio, activating those sectors of our charts. In January and the first half of February 2020, Mars moved through Sagittarius and then through Capricorn in late February through March. We now take that disciplined structuring energy of Capricorn and move the emphasis into the fixed larger vision of a greater good, a greater contribution, and a greater way to manage collective energies synergistically so that all parts cooperate together for a greater achievement than any could have done separately.

In the past 7 weeks we’ve learned to accept and/or execute our “disciplines of Self-realization,” organizing our energies so we can excel over the long haul. As I told you in February, Mars in Capricorn is the chessmaster, who calculates every move with an eye to 8 moves out, and where there is no wasted time, energy, or money.

We’ve also learned the value of play, since too much work and self-discipline must also remember moments to “keep it light.” We’ve now launched and continue to build the Capricorn structures within which the larger future vision will unfold. As I told you when this began, it’s been a time when “if you build it, it will come.”

Now we activate the Aquarian ideal will come forth in the future, giving a huge boost to Aquarian energies for the coming 13 years which will be replicated in transformational seed forms after Pluto enters Aquarius 2023 and goes SRX at 1 Aquarius, sprouting new seeds from this Mars/Saturn conjunction and the coming Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, both at 1 Aquarius. As I mentioned earlier, everything Aquarian accelerates in 2033 when it conjuncts Pluto at the Angel Point.

Mars in Capricorn uses its power in stabilizing ways, expressing itself through the sign of the Ruler, the Lawgiver/ Orphan archetype, a.k.a. “The King/Queen.” We all have the ability to “rule our realm,” learning how to bring abundance and fruitfulness to our life by embodying the Divine Law we know to be true. Aquarius is a sign which “rules with integrity,” serving a greater vision of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Mars initiating Aquarian energy can be cold and very efficient, but it’s also humanitarian and understands the principles of synergy, knowing that the Whole is always greater than the sum of the parts.

Mars in Virgo taught us “All play and no work make for an ungrounded life.” Mars in Libra taught us “All work with no socializing makes for an unsustainable life.” Mars in Scorpio taught us “doing the wrong thing in the wrong way with the wrong people will never make us happy, so do the right thing and be happy!” Mars in Sagittarius taught us how to be a “stylish and bold Archer riding our Sacred Arrows to our dream,” as well as “scattered effort leaves us frustrated.” Mars in Capricorn taught us “Work for the now, work for the future, work for all time.” Mars in Aquarius will teach us “As you strive for greater things, you make manifest a future ideal which will outlive you.”