Mars moved into the sign of Libra at 1:41p PST on Thursday, 12th November 2015. When it did, it gave those speaking up for matters of equality, fairness, and justice initiative to act upon their beliefs.
Mars is the ruler of Aries – the sign known as being initiative, assertive, and sometimes even aggressive or violent. It can be very impulsive and a bit (or a lot) hot-headed. Its default motto is “Act first and act later – always be in action”. In fact, Aries rarely reflects on its actions because it’s usually too busy taking action in the moment and moving on to next to look back.
Libra (ruled by Venus) is about balance, fairness, equality, and justice. As an air sign, Libra doesn’t enjoy conflict. It usually opts for peace and diplomacy, preferring to resolve disagreements through intellectual means rather than by action or force. Yet you’d be wise not to take Libra’s often passive nature for granted – when there is blatant injustice, inequality, or imbalance in play, Libra doesn’t mind jumping on the other side of the scale as a way of bringing matters into balance. Libra can have quite a hot streak of its own, if necessary.
That’s why Mars in Libra so powerful – it represents action taken with the intention of setting things right. It is action to bring forth justice. It is action to balance the scales.
The challenge is that in this day and age, justice is a rather subjective term. Almost everyone is offended by something, and this quickness to offense is used as justification for ridiculous or egregious demands or acts. The acts taken are probably also going to offend or upset someone else, and sometimes, that’s the intention – the acts may be meant to be retaliatory offenses. As long as ego pride is running the show and as long as violence is the preferred option, this cycle of “an eye for an eye” could go on and on and on…
This is why one of the most important things to know and understand about Mars/Aries and Venus/Libra is the nature of their relationship. I call the Aries-Libra axis the “Axis of Identity”. Aries is “me, me, me” while Libra is “you, you, you” – Libra is the other to Aries’ self. Libra provides Aries with a reflection of itself, whether that representation is similar or contrary to Aries’ self-perception. This understanding of how the Aries-Libra axis works is crucial to understanding this particular 2015 Mars in Libra experience.
Whatever or whomever doesn’t feel confident and powerful existing in their own right, OR is challenged or incapable of creating their own self-identity, will often look to or depend upon others to give them an identity. They rely on the opinions or reactions of others to give them a sense of self rather than creating or defining one for themselves. Under Mars in Libra, actions are often taken with one of the following intentions:
- Acting out as a way of forcing others to respond or react, and using that response/reaction as a way of defining self (blame)
- Acting out as a way of forcing others to respond to affirm or confirm a self-identity that has been given to it/them by others (guilt)
- Acting out as a way of manipulating a predicted or expected response or reaction from others which can be used as justification for further episodes of acting-out (shame)
- Taking purely initiative action as a way of newly introducing and defining oneself to/for others (self-responsibility)
We’re all familiar with the saying, “Actions speak louder than words”. Mars in Libra finds its power when words are not enough or when words are ignored or taken for granted. This 2015 Mars in Libra period – which lasts through 3rd January 2016 – is already proving to be an interesting and challenging one in this regard.
It’s up to each one of us individually – and eventually, collectively – to choose if and how we want to contribute to the action. We can choose to jump into acts of justice by picking up arms and declaring our right to forcefully retaliate…or we can take action in a different direction – by choosing to find a peaceful yet productive means of resolving our differences. Yes, there are times you need to speak the language ‘the other side’ speaks in order to be heard; yet there are other times which may call for you to try a different language…or may even a different audience who will help you develop a majority to drown out and/or suffocate the minority and bring people together as One collective whole.
Each action we take under the influence of Mars in Libra will reveal where our egos sit on the Axis of Identity. We each have a choice about whether or not we are going to allow ourselves to be influenced or affected by the acts of others…or if and how we are going to be influential leaders affecting change through our own acts. Using Mars in Libra to take peaceful action rather than aggressive action may be a challenge. But with the way things are right now, it just might be a challenge worth taking as we each and all get to decide if what and how it happens is about me, about you, or about we. Are we trying to blame, shame, or guilt others into action; are we acting out of blame, shame, or guilt; or are we taking responsibility for how are are choosing to define ourselves and each other?
Here are some upcoming 2015 Mars in Libra transits of note:
- Libra Mars conjunct Libra North Node/opposite Aries South Node on 12th November (4 universal day) – Right before the Nodal Axis moved into Virgo-Pisces for the next 18 months, it made an exact conjunction/opposition with Mars on 12th November at 0° Libra, affirming that the “battles” for justice which are in place will be carried on and carried out (or at least amplified) by Mars during its 7.5 week run in the sign. The Aries South Node is energized by Mars’ opposition, and those who prefer aggression and/or violence as their means for dealing with conflict are likely to get fuel for their fire at or around this time. The two are still within conjunction orb now through the morning of 16th November (PST), so keep an eye out for more acts of or more demands for acts of justice in the coming days.
- Libra Mars opposite Aries Moon on 21st November (4 universal day) – I don’t usually focus on the lunar transits unless they’re part of a bigger configuration. However, the Moon makes exact opposition with Mars on this day (afternoon-evening PST), and there’s likely to be emotion-driven retaliation for perceived injustices on this day. If some haven’t already happened, look for them on this day.
- Libra Mars sextile Saturn on 23rd/24th November (6/7 universal days) – This is a complicated one as Mars will also sextile Mercury approaching conjunction with Saturn in Sagittarius. Actions will be taken to solidify positions on the matters at hand, which will likely address the growth and expansion of authoritative or disciplinary structures in some way. For a few hours (afternoon-evening PST), this Mars-Mercury + Saturn sextile will also form the base of a Lunar Yod configuration with Moon in Taurus making quincunx transit to both points. With the Moon being in the sign which addresses our lifestyle foundations, it’s likely that the stage is will be set for something on this day – this will be a point of no return in some way or another.
- Ceres in Aquarius will also have powerful influence on the afore-mentioned Yod as it will trine Mars in Libra (exact on 24th November) (7 universal day), sextile Mercury and Saturn, and square the Taurus Moon – lifestyle values will become a matter of importance not just within individual communities, but in matters of humanity at large. People may be challenged to give up some of what they believe they need to live (or survive!) as result of the actions being taken in and by the world around them, resulting in these people taking actions to defend or protect their best interests, or possibly to defend or protect the best interests of the whole of human kind.
- Pisces Neptune joins in this party as well, making an exact quincunx transit with Libra Mars, also on 24th November (7 universal day), which also makes Neptune semi-sextile Ceres in Aquarius (separating) and square Mercury and Saturn in Sagittarius (approaching). There is a strong air of delusional belief, even in the face of the “authorities” speaking and/or exaggerating their truth(s) – people really won’t want to believe that the world is changing the way it is changing until it affects them directly. Another perspective on Neptune’s influences is that those who idealize forgiveness, love, and peace bring their messages to the fore, challenging the decision-makers to consider different, more compassionate visions and approaches to what is necessary…before those “authorities” commit themselves to acts of violence. We’ll probably see some of both.
The 2015 Mars in Libra will make its presence known in a variety of different ways, for both better and worse. The thing to remember and the lesson to learn here is that Mars in Libra is always intended to goad us into action to balance the imbalances; to equalize the inequalities; to bring justice to the injustices. This 2015 version is no exception.
Thank you for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…
~ Light, Love, and Blessings,
Grace
