Feb 16, 2022

March 5/6, 2022

On February 16, the day of February’s Full Moon in Leo, Mars “catches up” with Venus in a conjunction at 16˚ 53’ in the sign of Capricorn and they move into conjunction again March 5/6 at 00˚ 01’’ in Aquarius.  But this is only part of a much larger story between these two planets.

The larger story is a dance of these two planets called a “saga” in Shamanic Astrology.  It recognizes the contributions to the masculine and feminine expressions throughout the ages from the ancient Mesopotamian Inanna-Dumuzi story to the Rapunzel-Prince story beginning in the 17th Century and into contemporary times. Daniel Giamario and I are facilitating a webinar about the Mars-Venus conjunctions right here.

This saga is called a Dumuzi-Rapunzel Saga and entered a new phase in early 2022 between January and April when Mars and Venus are within 10 degrees of each other for most of the period.  This phase of the story now involves the Venus in Capricorn incarnation mixing with Mars from its original Aries overtone, but now meeting in the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius.

The story began when Mars began its synodic cycle on October 13, 2020, in the sign of Aries, at its opposition point with the Sun.  It starts that way due to the red planet being at its closest point and hence brightest point when viewed from Earth.  The cycle is experiential, symbolic and metaphoric in its nature. 

Venus’ role is was originally defined when it rose in the morning sky (heliacal rise point) on June 10, 2020 in the sign of Gemini.  Venus has this heliacal rise every 19 months (or more exactly 584 days).

The signs of each of those cycle beginnings come together.  So, between 2020 and early 2022, it was about Gemini and Aries.  But Venus completed its 19-month cycle and rose recently on January 15, 2022 in the sign of Capricorn.

During this 26-month Dumuzi-Rapunzel Saga, Mars and Venus had a rendezvous back in July, 2021 (in the sign of Leo) in the early evening sky before Mars dipped in the glare of the Sun in August.  Venus continued to brighten and rise higher in the sky.  Mars came out of the glare of the Sun (orbitally on the other side of the Sun from Earth) back on November 22, 2021 (hence in the hidden realm or underworld).  Mars was only dimly seen in the early morning sky, but it has since brightened itself and has now joined Venus in Capricorn.

What does this period of time mean, astrologically?

For Mars, is a time of maturing wisdom and knowledge.  This could be resisted of course by the masculine in those not able to grow and see beyond pride, profit and ego.  However, the opportunity is there for an instinctual assessment of what once was and now is.  It is a time to gather a full comprehension of the resources, systems and structures around to see what works and what doesn’t work.  The result is an intention to choose something that is beneficial for long-term sustainability beyond just the bottom line or the profit-margins.

With Venus, it is about the grandmother wisdom and expertise to seed something from the chaos of our times.  This can offer us patience and an obligation to manage our resources and knowledge in a more sustainable way. We can ask ourselves questions during this Capricorn period from late January to early March about what is truly important? We can an inquire about what it takes to sustain a comfortable life but not a life to excess. Where do our responsibilities fall upon? Are we taking responsibility for what we are aligned with in our soul’s journey? How will it benefit the livability of future generations (not just to live but to thrive)?

This alignment of planets is intending for the masculine and feminine working together side-by-side to accomplish something in the far future that is in harmony with Earth and humanity.  In the larger story, a maturing Mars incarnation (rebirthed in November) is looking from a place of humility to seek a higher-level wisdom with the goddess Venus as a beacon of that higher-level wisdom. 

This match of Venus and Mars contributes a reunion of the story love that goes beyond the initial attraction from their courtship of the conjunction in July, 2021 in the sign of Leo.  At this phase, it blossoms into a deeper construct.  Venus has metamorphosized from Gemini to Capricorn and Mars has evolved after its dark-night period hidden in the glare of the Sun from our eyes (what is called the underworld phase). 

The pairing of Venus and Mars may be intending to create a sounder approach to relationship building through the practical and utilization of what is of greatest service to future generations.

The two conjunctions in February and March also involve Pluto and the asteroid Vesta in Capricorn and so include a hearty dose of the deep waters of surrender from Pluto and a sacred reverence of the initiation itself in Vesta.  Meaning, this powerful and dynamic meeting of Mars and Venus takes on a new kind of wavelength with these other celestial bodies.   

Another layer is activated when Mars and Venus move into the sign of Aquarius together on March 5^th. Mars ingresses into Aquarius first late on the 5^th (on the 6^th for most of the world) and Venus joins Mars only 7 minutes later!  This Aquarius archetype introduces novel frequencies of innovation, experimentation and expansion of new ideas and consciousness itself.  Revolutionary thoughts are in the air, but they pertain to the relationship between the masculine-feminine polarity, with a sense of the sacred too.

Historically, these conjunctions of Venus and Mars at the same time with Pluto and Vesta only rarely.  It was in August and September of 1955 when it happened last between the 4 celestial bodies.  The last time Mars, Venus and Pluto were conjunct in Capricorn or Aquarius (or both) in an extremely close alignment was back in 1791 (with Mercury and the Sun), which was during the French Revolution. 

Mars, Venus and Pluto have had many other “looser” conjunctions throughout the 20^th century, but it has been over 24 years since Pluto, Mars and Venus have been together.  However, another alignment very similar to the March 5/6 alignment will take place in February, 2024 in Aquarius, with Pluto in that sign as well.

We can look up in the early morning skies and see Venus and Mars and the magic that is created, meditating ourselves on the potentiality of the relationships we have with the planets and each other.  We are in one of the greatest times of for humanity’s transformation and Mars and Venus can play special roles in helping us deeply transform the larger story of the masculine and feminine beyond the limited roles we’ve had for many centuries.  It can be unnerving and even scary but there is a sense of something greater evolving and it is up to us to embrace our higher truths and move consciously and thoughtfully into the this great unknown.