Completing the Circle
Thoughts of Saturn and Mars

Lately, if you have ben up early in the early mornings before dawn, you may have noticed the red planet moving closer and closer to the ringed planet. Mars and Saturn will officially be in conjunction on April 2nd and will be dominating the early morning sky for much of April, with Mars encroaching more and more toward the evening sky. This meeting closes a circle than began in 2016 and has helped (along with Venus’ shifting of the feminine) the growing erosion of the patriarchal rule while at the same time creating powerful counter-reactions to that erosion.

The cycle between Mars and Saturn has been a major theme between 2016-2018 with 2016 becoming a year of nationalistic fever across the world from Britain to the Philippines to the United States, but especially for “strong-men” coming to power. If you have been following what I’ve been writing about in regards to Saturn and Mars, you may recall that Saturn and Mars were in the same area of the sky for much of 2016.

On March 27, 2016, Mars came within 10 degrees of Saturn, which is considered the orb of conjunction for thousands of years. This alignment in the constellation of the Scorpion held true for nearly 6 months until September 11, 2016, when Mars began to move away from Saturn until just recently this year. The 2 planets actually stayed within 20 degrees of each other for 219 days in 2016 (60% of that calendar year) and within 10 degrees for 89 days total.

Let’s take a look at what has taken place under the guise of Saturn and Mars. Going back to March, 2016, The US was beginning to experience the rise of Donald Trump as a force in the political world while Brexit was heating up across the Atlantic Ocean. In the Philippines, another Donald Trump-like character came into power. Before this, there had been a steadily evolving global community and forging of multi-nation accords and pacts, especially in the economic areas.

In the United States, promising an “America First” policy, Trump reached into the heart of America with a certain propaganda of “greatness”, Trump began to occupy the lead position of the Republican nomination. His rise to power was part of a counter-reaction by the alpha-male shadow of a multi-decade re-definition of the masculine and its role in Western culture. This was a natural, if radical and unnerving, response, of the holding onto the perceived “golden age” of America of the 1950s and before.

Mars represents the Masculine Principle in Shamanic Astrology while Saturn represents “growth through limits and boundaries/barriers” in a basic way. But these are more complex than those simple definition. Mars’ dance with Saturn in the sign of Sagittarius in 2016 triggered a collision of the masculine against hard-edged boundaries that were formed over a long period of time. This collision brought out an expression of the masculine that had regressed, showing up in certain people and groups that was fragmented and extreme.

After March, Mars went into retrograde (perceived as “backwards” movement in the sky), then began a whole new synodic cycle at acronychal rise (rising in the east as the Sun set in the west). This set the overtone until the next point of acronychal rise (which happens on July 26, 2018) in the sign of Sagittarius. Saturn was still nearby with Mars at this point, with the backdrop of the Scorpion constellation. This constellation brought out an underworld flavor for this Mars cycle in combination with the pressures and barriers of Saturn.

But Saturn also brings out the planting of “seeds of knowledge” and the gift of the “fork in the road”. For Mars, in the truth of the quest in Sagittarius, went forth into this cycle under these conditions. Over the long 26-month period between acronychal rises, the truth of the masculine would be revealed, but it would take a combination of other influences to fully bring that out.

First Mars-Saturn Conjunction was on August 24, 2016

As Mars retrograded in the mid-to-late spring of 2016, Mars then began to go direct (in space, this is when Earth has caught up in its orbit and passed the red planet). By then, it was late June and several things had happened: the vote to approve Brexit happened and Rodrigo Duterte had assumed power in the Philippines. In the US, Trump was capturing the attention of the American public and was in the news daily. His firebrand, brash, narcissistic and unapologetic behavior somehow spoke to a certain segment of society. But as that was happening, the seeds had been planted to counter it, beginning to re-balance and in turn re-orient the trending direction of the masculine.

The political conventions had been completed in the US and the time for debate was in its fullness. But little did we know, the conversation would become ever-more intense and divided. Mars can act as a trigger to what Saturn brings up. Saturn’s nearly 3-year passage through Sagittarius would help bring up the issues of accountability to the truth and the world would enter into a time of debate around “fake news” and the realities we manifest.

The result of the US election surprised most of the world when roughly 18% of the US population elected Donald Trump to be in the oval office. At least half of the voting age population did not take part of the election. The course of history was changed once again and the shadow elements of the alpha-male masculine entered a new stage.

Revelations of Trump’s treatment of women during the election cycle and subsequent lawsuits filed by those who received sexual mis-treatment made the widening gap between the elite and powerful men much more evident. This would broaden the following year and help bring into greater consciousness that while we as a people have come long way, we still had a long way to go.

Over that autumn and early winter in the northern hemisphere, Mars continued to pace faster and close in on its first square (90-degree aspect to Saturn), which took place just before the inauguration of number 45.

First Mars-Saturn Square was on January 19, 2017

At the approaching inauguration, during and after. Controversy swirled about, especially around the nature of truth itself and its revelation. “Alternative Facts” entered the public sphere once again but this time from a representative of Trump after inauguration. This is the single-most important phrase that showed up in 2017 relating to Saturn in Sagittarius, coming on the heels of the 1st Mars-Saturn Square.

If anyone reading this recalls the 1985-1988 period when Saturn was last in Sagittarius during a major political scandal around the Iran-Contra Affair and the spinning of truth during that time to point where Ronald Reagan could only say, “I don’t remember” and “I don’t recall” (in 1990, after Saturn moved into Capricorn creating the reality from the Sagittarius transit) to actions he took during 1986

Going from “I don’t recall” to “Alternative Facts” is a jump toward (or progression to) dictatorship. And the US was barely into the Trump presidency. This began to show how the collision of the rules of law and government with unfiltered and irresponsible words and actions of an unhealthy puer so far out of place and element as to be nearly overwhelmed by the reality in the deepest of the word.

The day after the inauguration, the largest women’s protest in US history took place in Washington DC,

Mars-Saturn Opposition on May 28, 2017

The lead up to the Mars-Saturn opposition (when the two were on opposite sides of the sky) was fraught with continuation of the circus in the White House and a flagrant ignorance of the constitution, the rule of law in the United States. This is where the truth of law and rules of a forged Republic was met by the ill-prepared and close-minded administration trying to re-invent government itself. According to Trump, the press became the enemy of the people.

A few weeks leading up to the Mars-Saturn opposition, FBI Director James Comey was fired due to the FBI’s investigation of the Russian interference of the 2016 General Election. That triggered an appointment by US Congress of a special investigator, named Robert Mueller later that month and shortly before the Mars-Saturn opposition of May 28, 2017.

Further shuffling continued in the White House, dominating US media and world news outlets. The masculine dominated administration with few women in significant roles as well as creating the most financially well-off cabinet in US history. A new “boys club” was being formed, but it was fragile due to the temperament of Number 45. The masculine was attempting to re-capture their old comforts from decades ago. But that time has long gone. It encouraged further powerful reactions from many groups and spurred activism to elect people more representative of the people, especially those with non-European ancestry and other non-male genders.

Second Mars-Saturn Square on October 11, 2017

The week leading up to the final Mars-Saturn square on October 11, 2017 was a marker in the acceleration of the continued erosion of the patriarchal hold in the US. Mars and Venus were in conjunction on October 5, 2017 in Virgo and Jupiter entered the sign of Scorpio on October 9th. It was a synchronous alignment of planets and signs. Mars and Venus were in the Lion constellation and Jupiter in the Scales constellation while Saturn occupied the Scorpion. Re-Balancing, transformation, truth-revelation and limits of power for the masculine met the feminine vulnerability while letting go of earlier identities around not having a voice and collectively having the courage to shout to the world.

Those alignments helped bring out the downfall of many powerful men in October and November. The line was drawn and the time was up as this Great Turning of a New Age enters a new phase.

In addition, at the end of October, prior to Halloween, the first indictments of former Trump campaign representatives were made public. Mueller’s ongoing investigation was netting real-world results.

In the run-up to this coming completed circle of Saturn and Mars in the Archer constellation, many more indictments were handed down and one could observe how this alpha-male dominating administration reacted without thought or plan. It is an instinctual process of government that actually called for more thought. It was if the tracing of Mars’ circle across the skies from Saturn in 2016 to Saturn in 2018 was creating the boundaries for the masculine to operate. And those boundaries were being “raged against” by those in power and abused, to some degree. And this is also coming to the point where another major shift will arrive, especially after the release of the tension between Mars and Saturn post April 2nd.

Second Mars-Saturn Conjunction on April 2, 2018

This coming major shift will be a highly delicate time in the world and for the US in particular. Where Mars and Saturn are at the time of this writing, the two planets are aspecting a sensitive part of the US chart and even on a personal level with The Donald.

With the US astrology chart, this Saturn/Mars process is activating the deeper expression of family, nurturing and compassion. The intent is to work through and re-define the nation’s definition of how it expresses itself to the global tribe and within its own family (the American people) while growing through limits and boundaries. A deeper inquiry about our future, our love as a people will be put to the test (as it has already seen several tests in the last 2 years) with potential greater clarity as to the results than in the past.

But this is a phase for the US that will lead up to the closing time of Pluto returning in the early 2020s. The table is being set for the US to experience a transformation unlike anything it has experienced in several decades, at the very least, but more revolutionary at the extreme other side.

In regards to The Donald, this Saturn-Mars conjunction will be in direct opposition to his natal Mercury and this cycle has just begun for him (and will last through mid-December, 2018). I intuit from this cycle that he will continue to lack accountability for his words and actions (primarily those that involve lies and perceived negative impacts on the country and world) but that it will get even more difficult for him to have any blame stick on anyone else. This could lead toward a downward spiral in his mind but is truly intended for him to own up to responsibility for what he done (positive AND negative). But since I have rarely seen him do that, we could be looking at a meltdown of sorts beyond what we’ve already seen from Number 45.

Final Thoughts about Saturn and Mars

Of course, Saturn and Mars will continue to circle, continue to be seen as Mars will meet Saturn again in March of 2020 (at the same time as Jupiter and Pluto) in the sign of Capricorn. This is time to keep in our minds as this develops and a pre-echo of the 2020 election cycle. In addition, this could also be a shifting of the nationalist strong-men in not surviving long in their respective offices. Perhaps new forms of government will emerge from this fragile time in which we life. For certain though, the masculine dominated-US will continue to fade with a new way of relationship emerging that I believe will be unlike anything we’ve experienced in the past.