Mars in Pisces Activates the Saturn-Chiron Square: Stay in the Game, Champs!

Warrior planet Mars is currently part of a large concentration of bodies and points in Pisces, joining Chiron, Neptune, Venus, Pallas Athene, and the South Node of the Moon in the sign of the fishes.

Mars is also coming up on a conjunction to wounded healer Chiron at 21 degrees Pisces (January 16) and a square to Saturn at 23 degrees Sagittarius (January 19).

Mars-Saturn squares, in general, have a tendency to stir "between a rock and a hard place" frustrations. This is the two traditional malefics of the zodiac interacting in a frictional and potentially angsty way. Two heavy hitters of the zodiac are sending up some sparks. It may seem, under this aspect, that we've been stuck with the same set of stinky old problems for a coon's age now, unable to gain satisfactory traction toward a long-term solution. We may be rubbing up against certain aspects of our circumstances in frictional ways, stirring feelings of anger, impatience, or defeat. Unfortunately, this aspect can also indicate suicidal thinking and actions, so watch yourself and the people around you and reach out if necessary.

Add wounded healer Chiron in Pisces into the mix, and it may seem as if the challenges we are facing have no beginning and no end, no suitable course of action, no concretely applicable solutions.  Just a messy, heavy, soupy mess.

Because of this, and because of the concentration in "tired old soul," end-of-the-zodiac-line Pisces, it may be tempting to just throw in the towel, to give up and spend the day in our pajamas watching paternity test drama on Maury. (Not that that isn't a perfectly fine way to spend the day once in a while...)

Pisces does have the tendency to easy discouragement and to a sort of inertia or paralysis under the weight of the general problems of the human condition.

But we can't forget here: Pisces is also the sign of the underdog, of the long shot, of the miraculous turn around. And with never-say-die warrior Mars transiting this sign, the exhilarating "come from behind" stories are just waiting in the ethers, itching for a chance to manifest.

These aspects indicate the potential inflammation of some tough issues, it's true. There's some depression, some fear, some malaise, some anger, some "why freakin' bother?" These are challenges that we may have been struggling with for a good long while now, and we may be just plain worn down.  Fed up. Sick of it.

But again, with Mars speed boating through this watery Piscean terrain, there are clear indicators of energized new directions to power us through old problems and sticking points.

In other words, this is no time to give up and play dead, hoping the universe will lose interest in fucking with you and just mosey along.

This is the time to set your jaw and dig in, to pour the last bit of energy you have into one last offensive. Because this time, under these aspects, there's a very good chance things will advance - at least a step or two, at least enough to get some breathing room.

With all this Pisces, and especially with Venus in exaltation conjunct Neptune, it's actually possible that we could see some near-miraculous progress - but we have to go out and get it. We have to show the universe our steely-willed intent. No one is going to drop it into our pajama-ed, TV-glazed laps.

So suit up and show up, even if you don't feel like it, even if you feel that it's pointless. Keep your head in the game, eyes on the immediate moment as the play unfolds, even if you feel like zoning out and forgetting about it all.

And most importantly - humour these really terrible sports analogies I have going here. It's Mars the action planet, after all.

The effects indicated by the Mars-Chiron conjunction and Mars-Saturn square will come to a head January 16 - 19, lingering until Mars enters its own sign of home-sweet-home Aries on January 27.

Until then, we have to understand that the perception of the difficulty and immovability of our challenges is somewhat different from the reality. The effectiveness of our actions could surprise us and those around us now. With Mars taking part in the large concentration of bodies and points in Pisces, we have to stay active and willing, despite the Piscean pull into the "why me/why bother?" void.

What you do matters. What you don't do matters. It all matters, even when the point seems lost in the fog.

The toughest of knots can come loose under these aspects - but we have to stick with it right to the last second. We have to show up and put in our best effort in good faith, without burdensome expectations, in order to access that classic "come from behind" story that fills and renews the collective human heart.