Mars Square Neptune

Mars Square Neptune - Misled Inspiration

"Once you have dialogue starting, you know you can break down prejudice."

— Harvey Milk

Both Venus and Mercury arrive in Sagittarius by the end of this week after trining Jupiter, still retrograde in Pisces. There is a gradual release of the pressure that was felt under last Tuesday's Taurus Full Moon (3:01 AM PST 16° Taurus/Scorpio), which opens the door to productive communication. The Sun also makes trines to both Jupiter and Neptune this week, expanding optimism and suggesting building enthusiasm. The seeds of a new, collaborative framework are being planted here — but there is still plenty of work to be done in order to nurture what we begin to see offered this week. Some of our attempts at communication, especially early in the week, may only seem to create further conflict through impulsive recklessness. Nonetheless, we are offered opportunities to persevere in pursuit of deeper understanding, especially in terms of understanding the perspectives of others. The efforts of determined individuals is seen in an 'each one, teach one' approach that does, in fact, offer the chance to slowly create connections and a productive sharing of our individual insights and perspectives. The 'undertow' of the retrograding Mars is highlighted as Mars returns to make the second of three squares to Neptune by Saturday. Mars square Neptune, in this context, helps us begin to recognize areas where we may have been misled or where we may have allowed our creative inspiration to take us too far down the wrong road. However, it is important not to be too hard on ourselves or others but rather, seek to honestly assess our individual motivations and intentions. Certainly, we see challenges this week in the effort that is required in order to put forward our individual beliefs. We should not expect that any of our individual perspectives are simply accepted at face value. The tendency to doubt or mistrust the optimistic vision that others are sharing with us is prominent. The Saturn-Uranus square, which is finally waning in influence, has taught us to be skeptical and not quickly trust any optimism or enthusiasm without taking a close, hard look. However, we are now at the point where the new lessons are focusing us on building a brand new framework for cooperation, collaboration and group effort, using the hard-won lessons of the last two years.

There is a swirl of new ideas coming forward on Sunday, showing courage but also impulsive recklessness. Extreme protectiveness is stirred by heightened emotions. Perseverance yields results on Monday if we don't let our ego vulnerabilities keep us closed down. Focus is scattered and progress may be haphazard. Individual power comes forward on Tuesday. If we stay with the process, important seeds of understanding are found. We find the potential for more pleasant, fruitful interaction on Wednesday with the arrival of Venus in Sagittarius. There is a great deal of talking taking place but some difficulty staying focused on meaningful dialogue. The pressure eases noticeably on Thursday. Optimism creates a buoyant atmosphere. A leap of faith will help us make progress in understanding the perspectives that others are sharing. Our connections to those closest to us begins to emanate outward on Friday. Although there may be some impatience or intolerance to sort through, we also seem to find a better ability to distinguish some perspectives that resonate with our own. The Mars-Neptune square on Saturday helps us to see areas where we may have been misled or allowed our creative inspiration to take us too far in the wrong direction.