This week’s question comes from Moonlock in London, UK:

Hi, I’m new to this site (found it quite by accident). I like the way it fills the gap between sites that do astrological sound bites and long lengthy overviews … Right now I am experiencing the Mars into Scorpio transit as it crosses my Descendant, and as Mars is also semi-squaring transiting Saturn right now, which in turn is sesquiquadrate my Ascendant, I’m feeling a little concerned to even step out the front door! Any comment, please?

Neith’s response:

Hi, Moonlock. First, thank you for your kind words about Real Astrologers! As someone with lots of Libra and Scorpio myself, I can relate to your discomfort with this particular Mars transit. That said, Mars transits have the virtue of moving on fairly quickly, unlike some of the trans-personal planets.

With both your Sun sign and your Ascendant ruled by Venus, you probably prefer harmony and usually are pretty good at keeping things on a more or less even keel. You do have a Moon-Venus conjunction in Scorpio, so it’s true you are drawn to emotionally intense relationships. However, a trine between the rulers of your Sun and Moon (Venus and Mars) keeps the peace there.

This transit of Mars over your Descendant and your Moon-Venus, may cause you to feel emotionally sensitive and raw, especially in your one-on-one relationships, but once Mars moves past your Moon in the second week in November, things will smooth out once more. You have had Mars transit over your Sun and Mercury here recently and that’s always aggravating too.

Another more difficult transit for you, completed in August this year, was Saturn passing over your natal Pluto. Your Sun is semi-sextile Pluto natally, so this transit triggered that increasing awareness of security and identity issues. This is now in the past thankfully.

Moonlock, the longer I work with astrology the more I appreciate Bernadette Brady’s approach of keeping it simple. We can be our own worst enemies and create more stress for ourselves by not doing that. I know this from personal experience and that’s why I prefer to look at the broad strokes rather than every detail.

For now I recommend choosing your favorite form of stress reduction, perhaps a luxurious massage with scented oil and soft music playing in the background and allow the transit to slide into the background.

Pat’s response:

Happy birthday, Moonlock — albeit, a week belated.

There is no reason, astrologically speaking, that you should fear stepping out the front door! In fact, everything looks pretty good for you right now. As Neith noted, you recently experienced your Saturn-Pluto conjunction, which is happening right now for everyone born in the mid-1960s. For those like yourself born in the early ’60s, this troublesome transit is done, and you’re no longer being slammed from all sides.

I wouldn’t worry about Mars in your seventh house. This happens once every year and a half or so, and you’ve managed to live through it so far. That’s not to say that it’s easy or pleasant, but this isn’t a “sky’s falling on your head” transit.

If I had to guess what might be causing the irritation, I’d place my money on the square by transiting Mars to your natal Saturn. You would have started feeling this about a week ago, and it will be over in another week. Typically, a Mars-Saturn square can bring brushes with authority or just irritating circumstances with others. This is all the more true with Mars moving through your house of close relationships. Fear and anxiety can be part of this transit, too.

But, as Neith pointed out, Mars transits are over fairly quickly, and unless the transit itself is afflicted or there are complications in your chart, there’s rarely any lasting damage.

The last thing I might add is that Mercury is retrograde in Libra, sign of your natal Sun and Mercury, and this could be making you feel jumpy. That said, your natal Mercury is retrograde, and many of my clients with natal Mercury retrograde tell me that they actually fare better during retrograde periods.

In any case, I think you can relax!

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