(22 September 2024) The transits this week argue for caution. Last week’s entry of Venus into sidereal Libra on Wednesday may have supported collective sentiment as evidenced in the continued rise of the US stock market. The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by 50 basis points was welcomed by most investors in the hopes that lower borrowing costs will fuel economic expansion.
Sadly, this strengthening of benefic Venus had little effect in the Middle East where the Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah war threatened to spiral out of control. Any such ongoing conflict is unlikely to find resolution as long as Mars in Gemini squares the Sun and Ketu in Virgo. The Sun’s entry into Virgo on Sep 16 activated this Mars square aspect and may have been one of the planetary catalysts for Israel’s unprecedented pager attack in Lebanon on Sep 17. The attack occurred at the time of a near-exact square of Mars (aggression) and Ketu (unbounded) and opposition of Mercury (communication) and Saturn (distortion, corrupted). The square of Mars to the Sun will be exact on October 14. In the meantime, we can expect to see higher than normal levels of conflict involving authorities, leaders and governments.
The early week looks more amenable to cooperation and creativity as the Sun aligns with Venus and Mercury aligns with Uranus. Mercury’s entry into its own sign of Virgo on Monday could coincide with more productive outcomes generally. Monday and early Tuesday are therefore good days to schedule meetings, make requests and begin new projects. The midday (EDT) alignment of the Moon, Venus and the Sun looks particularly harmonious.
Later on Tuesday and Wednesday could be less constructive, however. Wednesday morning’s (EDT) Moon-Mars conjunction looks energetic but runs the risk of actions becoming overly assertive. Mercury’s opposition to Neptune that day could facilitate artistic endeavours but may be less amenable for delivering results requiring rational analysis.
In addition, we can see there is an interesting pair of 45 degree aspects on Wednesday. Saturn will be 45 degrees from Pluto while Mars will be 45 degrees from Uranus. The 45 degree semi-square aspect is widely used in Western astrology and is the equivalent to a conjunction in the D-8 Ashtamsa chart. (N.B. The D-8 varga chart is the same as the 8th harmonic chart.) We can see that Saturn is conjunct Pluto at 14 Taurus and Mars is conjunct Pluto at 23 Sagittarius in this chart. Thus, the midpoint of Saturn-Uranus (26 Pisces) is equivalent to the midpoint of Mars-Pluto (26 Pisces). The association of these four planets looks stressful and is another reason why caution is advised in midweek. Saturn-Pluto alignments symbolize the exercise of power and control. Mars-Uranus is connected with sudden and often violent actions. While alignments in the 8th harmonic chart are theoretically less powerful than in the Rasi chart, this pattern is still noteworthy. Financial markets may become more vulnerable this week, especially around the time of these two Ashtamsa conjunctions.
Creative projects may be more favoured on Thursday and Friday as the Sun and Mercury move closer to Ketu. Ketu symbolizes the erasing of boundaries and its conjunction with the Sun and Mercury in Virgo could enhance efforts to innovate and solve problems in unconventional ways. Communications and technology can be subject to improvements under these influences. The Sun-Mercury-Ketu conjunction is exact next weekend (Sep 28-29) and should be a good time for making spiritual progress and enhancing self-knowledge. Intellectual breakthroughs are also indicated by this conjunction.
