Fireball Deluxe… With Extra Heat

6.3.07


Thanks to Mars, it's perfect astro-weather for building and gaining momentum, blasting through obstacles, and zapping the bad guys.

If you've got a battle on your hands, and need both the spontaneous courage to bare your sword and the formidable staying-power to guarantee it's worth your exertion, this is your week to fire the starting gun.

If you're looking for things to cool off, quiet down and fade away into the ethers… um, not so much.

Mars has already been in his ruling sign Aries, a fantastically fierce and rather primitive energy of unfiltered self-assertion, for the past two weeks or so. Maybe you've noticed a heightened readiness to go all the way for it, spur-of-the-moment strength and sauciness flared up… rather than settling for whatever meager portion of compromise has been doled out? Perhaps you've felt the heat, especially around Thursday (May 31) night's Full Moon, when Mars trined our lunar lady in fire-sign comrade Sagittarius?

As I mentioned in my prior article, Mars in Aries brings unmitigated warrior currents into our lives—bravery, bluster, a big stick to pound things with. But his downfall, alas, is an infamous lack of longer-term endurance. Once the fire's burning, it becomes someone else's problem. Such an impulsive Mars shows up in a blaze of glory… yet once the big racket dies down, he's already hunting for the next great adrenaline fix.

Not so over the upcoming several days, however—and to our great benefit, too.

Mars is lucky to be bolstered by dynamic-duo Jupiter and Saturn… for both an especially optimistic big-picture vision (courtesy of Jupiter in Sagittarius) and a reality-check dose of sobering focus (thanks, Saturn in Leo). Mars welcomes exact trines from Jupiter tomorrow (Mon Jun 4) and Saturn early next week (Mon Jun 11). Together, these three form a grand fire trine, which will be in effect all this week and into the middle of next.

If this whole thing sounds more than a little familiar, it's probably because this is actually the fourth major grand trine involving Jupiter and Saturn in the past three months. It began back in March with Venus as the third point of the triangle, and was followed up by the Sun and then Mercury. But it wouldn't be a stretch to say that this one, involving metabolic master Mars, is the granddaddy of 'em all.

First off, two of the three planets involved are at their strongest, as they're in their ruling signs—Mars in Aries and Jupiter in Sagittarius. Then, consider that Mars and Saturn are traditionally thought of as the two malefics, or the planetary bodies that augur bad luck or misfortune. But when they are forming trines to each other and to Jupiter, the 'greater benefic', they're set up in one of their most ideal arrangements possible. When viewed in this manner, the astro-configuration we're seeing this week is exceptional indeed.

The actions we take will not only make a bigger-and-bolder impact than usual, but they are less likely to taper away once the initial punch is taken.

The direction we select, the side we choose, the goal upon which we set our sights… these will become ours that much more quickly, confidently and concretely.

The people we see as allies, we'll like and trust them to the nth degree. Those who aren't our cup o' tea, meanwhile, could soon wind up in our crosshairs as pitiable prey. 'Shoot to kill!' is the cry we may hear, straight from the boiling blood in our hearts.

And therein lies the biggest potential problem with this otherwise amazing pattern. The sum of these forcefully fiery planets doesn't make for a particularly good environment for listening. Listening for clues on how best to attack and win, perhaps… but certainly not for listening as a means for coming to understanding of, and compassion for, another person's position. It makes sense when you think about it: If we are so intent on using this inferno of astro-elements to fight our battles and achieve our goals, what's possibly left for somebody else?

Still, a few interpersonal headaches may be worth the temporary sacrifice of considerateness, since this is a spectacular moment for self-determination.

In this circumstance, it's really not about attempting to turn down the heat or squelch our spirits. It just requires us to find somewhere productive to channel it.

With our targets lined up, we can shoot right through 'em all: Pow! Pow! Pow!

Without 'em, who knows where our stray bullets will land? And that can be dangerous…