Bust the Limits! Smash the Paradigm! Go For It!

4.12.09


When Mars and Uranus come together, as they do this week (exact on Wed Apr 15), we must prepare ourselves to encounter abrupt discontinuity.

A Mars-Uranus conjunction, a once-every-two-years affair, is perhaps the number-one astro-indicator of 'surprising actions taken' or 'traditions discarded for sharp detour'.

But we've got to keep our eyes and ears open, lest we unsuspectingly end up in the crosshairs of someone else's rash departure, off-the-map oddities or actings-out… shocked stupid by the fallout, left to pick up pieces.

Mars and Uranus make a highly unstable pair, tending to inspire in us a surge of physical resistance to doing things the way they've always been done. Need we become radically uncompromising, or even violent, to throw off the shackles we feel are holding us back from a truer liberation (even if such a sensationalistic 'overthrow' seem a bit like overkill), we probably won't hesitant. We are braver than usual-or perhaps we're crazier? We may not care much about the distinction, as long as our stalled lives finally get going again.

(I wrote a pretty cool article about this aspect a few years back, still applicable today as Mars and Uranus conjoin again in the same sign. Check it out.)

This go-around, Mars and Uranus's conjunction plays right into the ongoing Saturn-oppose-Uranus business… delivering a powerful compensatory pendulum swing the opposite direction to where it swung a couple weeks back, when Mars was blocked by Saturn. If you'll recall, that 'blockage' also brought (or tried to bring) a balancing integration to a recent scene of much self-centered impulsivity on our part, due to Venus's epic retrograde through Aries. Well, count on this week's Mars-Uranus activity to react against such integrative slowdowns-to pull us away again, perhaps, toward whatever 'imbalance' leaves us the impression of really altering our lives, though it may read as altogether abrupt or 'out there' to those around us.

As if that weren't enough, we confront an interesting coincidence in timing… with Venus finally returning to direct motion this week as well, standing still on Fri Apr 17 before beginning her forward retracing traipse through the recent retrograde degrees. Venus had slipped back into Pisces last week, and having her in the same sign as the Mars-Uranus conjunction draws these two astro-events even closer together.

The mix of these two speaks volumes about our making dramatic choices based upon what we've learned, over the past two-plus months, about what and who we really want-though this may require walking boldly through certain thresholds marked 'exit', while being acutely aware of the emotional undertones emanating from both those who'd rather us not depart and those we're coming toward. Venus retrograde often shows us things about the true nature of our relationships, and the people with which we have them, we weren't willing or able to previously see. It also sometimes welcomes new faces into our lives, folks we hadn't expected to like so much, but here they are ('and now what the hell do I do?'). Mars and Uranus, meanwhile, spur us to act on all these new stimuli and data.

On the financial front (because Venus retrograde can also be about 'the money, too'), this week and into next is liable to hand you a clarity you didn't have before… but please don't expect said 'clarity' to appear in the garb of rational practicality. No, this form is about intuitively knowing what your best next step will be-and probably no more than that, though honestly that's all you really need to know. The deal may be finalized, or fall through. The money you thought you had might disappear, or perhaps you're ready to sign it away. If you're hedging on a decision, pay attention to the signs on Wednesday (Apr 15) and make your move on Friday (Apr 17) or early next week. And if the whole damn thing plays out way differently than you'd originally suspected, don't feel bad about your initial misguidedness. It took this long to iron itself out for a reason… and the reason was your learning from the process.

I would be remiss not to mention the one possible manifestation of this astro-energy I never enjoy mentioning-and that's the increased likelihood, under a Mars-Uranus influence, of accidents or other such unpleasant surprises. I tend to shy away from raising topics likely to instill worry in other people, which could then lead them to unconsciously play out the very scenario they most fear. Still, Mars conjunct Uranus does deliver a bodily unpredictability, sometimes resulting in our taking foolish risks with our physical safety… or in others taking such risks, and consequently putting us in the line of danger. Be careful throughout the week, to avoid this type of manifestation. I must tell you, however: The more avidly you consciously take a radical step in some other area of your life, the less likely you are to play out the Mars-Uranus energy in an unconscious (read: dangerous) way.

One last thing: During two of the last three Mars-Uranus conjunctions, I experienced a computer crash. (Read accounts here and here.) For me personally, Mercury retrograde is not nearly as treacherous on the electronic level as Mars and Uranus together. Be forewarned, and back 'er up.