(2 February 2025)  The transits this week look very active and energized.  Mars will be front and center as it aspects both the Sun and Mercury with its full-strength 8th house/210 degree aspect.  This Mars aspect will be exact to the Sun and Mercury on Friday, although it will be within fairly close range for the entire week.  The strong Mars influence suggests bold actions will be in evidence as the urgency to act and fulfill one’s goals becomes more manifest.   Its association with speed and impatience means that the Mars aspects could bring sudden actions and reactions.  Of course, every bold action increases the possibility of conflict as diverging interests are laid bare.  The insistent and bullying quality of Mars also can create frustration and miscommunication since Mercury is also involved in this alignment.

This Mars-Sun-Mercury alignment could coincide with some negative sentiment in financial markets.  Given the imposition of Trump’s tariffs on Saturday, the Mars aspect increases the likelihood of a negative market reaction at some point this week.  Trump’s disruptive tariffs are a manifestation of this Mars energy as he intends to make the US economy more self-sufficient, apparently with little consideration of its long term effects of the global order.  Despite calls by some political allies to temper the tariffs, the urgency of Mars to act in clear self-interest appears to have the final word this week.

Interestingly, the Mars (25 Gemini) will also closely align with Saturn (24 Aquarius) and Chiron (25 Pisces) this week although not by full-strength aspect.  This may intensify the consequences of any actions taken this week as the combined energies of Mars and Saturn suggest hard work, onerous actions, and dutiful or obligatory conflict. While Mars is very strong this week, it is possible that meetings and appointments could still be worthwhile as long as all parties recognize the appropriateness of blunt and transparent interaction.  Needless to say, this is not a great time to be launching new ventures in the arts, unless there was some obvious Mars tie-in such as the military or law enforcement.

The early week will feature a conjunction of Venus and Rahu (North Lunar Node).  This can be more positive for social interactions, although there may an undercurrent of unfamiliarity or weirdness as Rahu can distort the purer intentions of Venus as the planet of harmony.  But Rahu can inject a measure of novelty and eccentricity into the mix which can make for a more stimulating mood for business and social gatherings.  Rahu’s association with change and non-conformity could introduce an element of unexpected creativity.  The Mars influence notwithstanding, the early week could be favorable for any artistic ventures, or even business ventures with an aesthetic component.  And as I discovered in a recent research study, this pairing is slightly bearish for stock market although the most effective window lasts about 12 days.  With the exact conjunction occurring on Monday, February 3, this would extend back to early last week (Jan 28) and would include all of this week until Feb 9.

The other big celestial event this week is the direct station of Jupiter in the early morning hours (EST) of Tuesday, February 4.   Jupiter’s direct station marks the end of its retrograde cycle and is generally considered auspicious.  The time immediately before and after the station is most favorable.  Based on this Jupiter influence, the early week is therefore a good time for initiating new projects of all kinds.  Of course, the benefic influence of Jupiter will be partially offset by the forcefulness of the Mars aspects.  Nonetheless, for business ventures, the bold actions of Mars may still be channeled into productive ends, especially on Tuesday given the effect of the Jupiter direct station.  The Jupiter influence will likely fade soon thereafter.  Arguably, some of this benefic influence may already have manifested last week as the Sun and Mercury were aspected by Jupiter later in the week.  The aspect with the Sun was perhaps the last major outlet for the Jupiter energy.  Perhaps not coincidentally, the Sun-Jupiter aspect was exact on Thursday and marked a weekly closing high in US stocks.