Mars in Pisces conjuncts Neptune: Zen in Action.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship

My senses have been stripped, 

My hands can't feel to grip

My toes too numb to step.

~Bob Dylan, Mr. Tambourine Man [1965]

Photo by Vasilis Linidis

This year is just about to end and one of the important planetary aspects happens in "zen waters." Mars, the planet of desire and will towards action, sets up his camp in the sign of Pisces, where Neptune the planet of transcendent freedom has been reigning strong in his kingdom for the last five years. This may sound as a challenging conjunction considering that Mars already in Pisces seems to be like "a fish out of water." On the other hand, Neptune is in the sign he rules where he attunes perfectly with the urges and needs that the planet has been traditionally associated with: merging with whole and escaping limitations of self-boundaries. 

This seemingly odd union between Mars and Neptune in Pisces is symbolically described in one comic dialogue written by the first-century CE Greek writer and satirist Lucian of Samosata. In this dialogue the god of seas and rivers, Poseidon (the Greek name for Neptune) is talking to his legendary son Polyphemus the Cyclops who has just been blinded by Odysseus. The words of the Cyclops fit very nicely to the key concepts related to Mars in the sign of Pisces. As I will discuss below Mars in this sign is like the blinded Cyclops where his physical energy and drive seem to lack direction upon touching water. However, the dialogue/conjunction between Mars/Cyclops and Poseidon/Neptune in this Piscean campaign, provides many insights about this planetary transit. So, let's see in some detail how these energies debated the journey of the fiery Martian essence through Neptune's kingdom.

"Oh help me, Father!"

The dialogue starts with Cyclops complaining to his father: "Only look, father, what that cursed stranger has been doing to me! He made me drunk, and set upon me whilst I was asleep, and blinded me.[...] He called himself 'Noman' at first: but when he had got safely out of range, he said his name was Odysseus. [...] The villain! that name of his was just a trick! And what I minded most was the way in which he made game of my misfortune: `Not even Papa can put this right,' he said."

Cyclops' words describe some of the attributes related to Mars in the sign of Pisces. Even though restless, Mars here is also passive and withdrawn as the Cyclops who has lost his sight yet he wants to take action for what has happened to him. He is outside of his cave seeking the one who deceived him with alcohol and then blinded him, seeking the one who is no one with no name. He is trying to be assertive taking control over his life, but is confused as if he has been literally blinded. Mars in Pisces as Cyclops in Lucian's dialogue feels short in directing his aggression: he sits outside his cave letting his pasture out, while the one who blinded him is slipping away (Odysseus) under a ram's belly. We can also see here the subtle difference of Mars in Pisces/Cyclops and Mars in Aries/Odysseus who is all about outward action and always one step ahead. 

"Go with the Flow, Son!"

So what piece of advice does Poseidon offer to his son? In few words he advises to take a short break from action or follow zen in taking action: "Never mind, my boy; I will be even with him. I may not be able to cure blindness, but he shall know that I have something to say to mariners. He is not home yet." Poseidon's words is another way to make sense of this unusual union of Mars and Neptune in Pisces. To harmonize these energies (fire and water) Neptune directs Mars to slow his pace and surrender his tempo to a tranquil flow. This is not a time of pioneering action, rather it is a period for one to reflect upon a personal Martian quest but in spiritual colors. Impatience needs to be tamed to sustain the fiery Martian energies, otherwise water will eventually evaporate. 

Poseidon/Neptune admits to Cyclops/Mars that he cannot give him back his sight. Swimming in Neptunian waters is all about surrender and experience a oneness with life itself; that is water where life emerged in the first place. Poseidon tells his son, that it is not yet the time to find and punish who did this to him. Therefore, during this irregular planetary conjunction of Mars and Neptune in the sign of Pisces, the words of Poseidon to the Cyclops provide the best of advice: be patient and go with the flow. Poseidon will take care of business punishing the one with no name who did this to his son. But, only when Mars enters his Arian home. Now is not the time. Besides, in Neptune's words ... Mars "is not home yet!".

Sources:

• Lucian's Dialogue: "Cyclops and Poseidon" in http://www.theoi.com/Text/LucianDialoguesGods2.html#2
• Arroyo S., Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements. An Energy approach to Astrology and Its Use in the Counseling Arts. [1975]

Mars conjuncts Pluto: a Sisyphean labor?

“The struggle itself toward the heights 
is enough to fill a man's heart.

One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
~A. Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus.

Artwork by The Chewu

The myth of Sisyphus is one of the most poignant insights into the archetypal process of becoming , which idealizes process over achievement. According to the myth as a punishment for revealing the secrets of the gods, Sisyphus is condemned for eternity to roll the rock up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and then to begin the process once again. Sisyphus’ story represents the willingness of man toward acts that even though they may seem futile, speak to the urge toward total rebirth, celebrating the frustrations of human existence. Sisyphus’ story is a story of aspirations and actual limitations which can transform the human condition. In the language of Astrology Sisyphus’ story echoes the upcoming conjunction between the planets Mars and Pluto in the sign of Capricorn.

Image: medi

Before rolling out the myth of Sisyphus on the Plutonian terrain, let’s talk about how these two planets can be said to represent a particular dimension of experience which is coloured by the cardinal and earthly qualities of Capricorn. Mars symbolically manifests principles associated with drive, physical energy, initiative and desire. It is the aggressive and self-assertive urge of man to act decisively in order to fulfil his need to accomplish his goals and meet his physical and sexual excitement. Concepts of transformation, transmutation and elimination have been traditionally associated with Pluto. Despite the so-called “icy-heart” formed on his surface, as NASA's New Horizons images revealed last year, Pluto represents the urge to penetrate to the core of experience, which entails total rebirth and symbolizes man’s need to let go through pain and explore new paths of personal existence.

Martian qualities filtered through the sign of Capricorn describe the kind of will-power that is methodically, consciously directed and determined to get things done.  In spite of its presence in the outskirts of the solar system, Pluto in Capricorn  speaks of  the physical realm as the key transformative energy of the transpersonal.  Here, the subconscious energies to refine oneself  are attuned to the forces of perseverance and ambition,  calculated effort and exceptional determination of one’s mind and will power to transform. Hence, Pluto in Capricorn  demonstrates that even transpersonal or transcendental realms do have immense and tangible power.  Combining the expressions of the two planetary principles, Mars in Capricorn steps into the Plutonian mountain goat fields with an agenda in his mind: to pursue personal achievement and transformation driven by his willingness, physical potentiality and perfectibility, yet facing his deepest desires and urges.  

It is wonderful how Sisyphus’ myth expresses both the planetary-sign principles of Mars and Pluto in Capricorn, and integrates their angular relationship—in this example the conjunction—not only self-destructively, but also positively as I will explain. In Greek mythology Sisyphus was believed to be the founder of Corinth and like Odysseus was both glorified and stigmatized as “the most cunning of men”. His name has been synonymous with deception, when he decided to rebel against the gods and share their powers by breaking down the boundaries between the divine and the human. The story of Sisyphus’ descent to the underworld as punishment for this defiance against the gods appears in a few versions, but the central theme is the same: Sisyphus betrays Zeus’ secrets and he is condemned to push a rock up a hill in Hades, only to have it roll down again once he reached the top. 

Although the myth here denotes that death is part of the natural process of life, and a form of punishment, especially for those who are trespassers of the divine mysteries, Sisyphus steps in the underworld with his own agenda. Ambition, selfishness and lust for power drives Sisyphus to outwit Pluto, the god of the Underworld by persuading him to demonstrate the use of his chains, and then he tied up the god in his own capturing device. Pluto became a prisoner in his own home, while Sisyphus’ improper use of force and will delivered humans from death, at least temporarily. If we extend the threads of this story and tie them to the expressions of the planetary principles as described earlier, we can easily recognize how Sisyphus’ myth is attuned to astrological language.

Artwork by Paulo Vinlua.

Sisyphus’ meeting with Death resonates with the disharmonious expression of the Capricorn energies and qualities of Mars and Pluto when conjunct. In a state of disharmony and discord, Mars/Sisyphus to avoid death upon his meeting with Pluto decides to pursue his selfish aspirations. Merging with the Plutonian transformative energies, Mars willfully manipulates others to serve his own agenda. To avoid the pain of facing his own death—symbolically and literally—Mars/Sisyphus ruthlessly uses any means to meet his aspirations, deepest desires and compulsions, rather than his limitations. Infatuated with the Plutonian power of rebirth and regeneration Mars/Sisyphus fails to achieve his personal transformation and positively transmute pain through effort and experience. Mars’/Sisyphus’ hard work to trick Pluto does pay off, but fails to experience his ideal self, where the triumph of his will-power will not overthrow the counter-will of the gods.

Artwork by Vladimir Kush

The fact that Pluto was chained and nobody could die did not alleviate the fear of death. The upcoming conjunction of Mars and Pluto can be experienced in harmony with the higher universal law, which dictates that the principles regarding rebirth and transformation could help man to ameliorate the anxiety of dying. Mars’ self-determination and urge can be used not to defend oneself against “death”, but to accept the urge towards total rebirth. Using his calculated vision and raw primal energy, Mars in Capricorn or Sisyphus can redefine the seemingly burden of the infinite rock-rolling cycles. In order to experience harmoniously the planetary principles of this aspect, Mars needs to internalize the transformative cyclical process of Pluto applying both human perfectibility and transcendent excellence. Each one of us must train his/her inner Sisyphus to discipline his will and accept his limitations, yet to transmute them through effort and intensity of experience. A positive expression of the Mars Pluto conjunction does not paint a futile and hopeless Sisyphean labor. On the contrary it may inspire man to reengage in this cyclical process without the consolation of achievement.

Ganu Gancheff

Sisyphus’ myth exemplifies the effort of man to assert the powers of his own free will and aspirations to achieve a transparent excellence; this is one of the main themes that the conjunction of Martian and Plutonian energies represent. So, is this Mars-Pluto conjunction nothing more than a Sisyphean labor? Focusing on Sisyphus’ ascent over the hill rolling the rock, we see an aspiring man. Focusing on Sisyphus’ descent we see the suffering defeat of man’s aspirations. What may seem as a cyclical rock-rolling punishment, which is symbolically related to the elemental earthly qualities of the physical senses and the here-and-now reality of the material world—attuned to the Capricorn qualities too—is only a reminder that all human endeavors involve both aspiration and frustration. But if we focus on both aspects of this cyclical labor, or on both aspects of the Mars-Pluto conjunction then Sisyphus and ourselves are capable of experiencing the wholeness of human existence, not as a finished form but as a process.

On a last note, we know today of two lost plays about Sisyphus written by the ancient Greek tragedian, Aeschylus: Sisyphus the Runaway [Δραπέτης] and Sisyphus the Stone-Roller [Πετροκυλιστής]. The existence of these two clearly distinct epithets attributed to Sisyphus seem to allude nicely to the major themes that the conjunction of Mars and Pluto represent. The Sisyphean archetype synthesizes both aspects of the Sisyphean cyclical labor, where free will meets the aspirant man, but it does not reduces his experience and effort to futility. The Mars-Pluto conjunction is an opportunity to “roll in the deep” both as a Sisyphus the Runaway and as Sisyphus the Stone-Roller.

Bibliography:

~S. Arroyo, Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements (1975)

~D. Cunningham,  Healing Pluto Problems (1986)

~E.M. Simon, The Myth of Sisyphus: Renaissance Theories of Human Perfectibility (2007)

~K. Pietruczuk, “The Sisyphus Plays of Aeschylus,” Museum Helveticum 68 (2011) 129-140.