I’ve seen a bit of a kerfuffle among astrology fans, freaking out over contact between Mars and Pluto. A couple of points: the current aspect, still in effect today, the 10th, is a quincunx. That’s an aspect of adjustment, of moderating the flow between the two energies, often requiring we change both of them, just a little. Here it’s a matter of weighing the strengths of asserting our Will vs. creating permanent change (how much do we need to get our way, and how much do we really want to irrevocably alter the landscape); or it’s about expressing our own anger/ temper vs. the destruction this might do (can we live with it? Is our anger only a momentary acting-out that could wreck something we otherwise value?); or it asks us to decide between how much action we want to take and how much change we are willing to handle; or, will we lead (and so take responsibility) or pursue pure power (and so not even question our right to act); or will we be called to make choices, and in the process decide whether we will transform things, or end them.

So, nothing to be afraid of. We should also note that Mars is closely conjoined Pallas, reassuring us that we have wisdom available to guide our actions and choices–we’ll just need to accept that this is new, raw, and perhaps a little unpleasant on initial contact, bringing out criticism or pointing to details we’ve missed (00 Virgo). This is one of those times when we’d do better to seeing this info as beneficial, rather than nagging.

We also see Mercury at 29 tense degrees exactly opposed Pluto, making for some extreme, maybe panicked, thinking, with reasoning power under pressure and perhaps overly influenced by fear or the power situation. Know that nothing in this arena is what it seems, especially our assessment of power–and that means we should probably delay making any big decisions for just a day or two. Mercury enters a new sign, Leo, at 9:11 PM PDT tonight–not very long to wait for clarity, especially concerning what each of us needs as individuals.

That move also links thinking to instincts and what we ‘know but don’t know’ (sextile to Sedna), and forms a T-square with the Nodal axis (a Grand Cross if we include Pluto, making for a sense that what we’re thinking now will determine our life direction, and will directly affect our personal power situation).

A great deal of the sensitivity we’re feeling and seeing displayed around us may be the result of the Sun’s current position in Cancer; we care, the spotlight’s on what and whom we care about, and everything seems to be run through a filter of nurture (are we doing it enough? Are we getting enough?) and sentimentality, the latter threatening to bog us down in visits to the past, when we really need to be present in the now.

The message, then, is: Relax, if you can. The invisible pressures you’re feeling are atmospheric, rather than personal (though they are likely to fool you by presenting in personal ways). In other words, it’s not you, it’s everything else.