Mars and Pluto Embrace Authoritarianism
The good vibes of early June take a hit this week as our petty malefic squares off with the underworld ruler and we are bent, forcefully, to their will.
What is happening?!
Welcome to mid-June, everyone! The first part of our month was a refreshing break from the crucible of April and May, astrologically speaking; following April’s evil bitch of a solar eclipse and the inertia of a Taurus-heavy May, a lovely new moon in Gemini last week was a breath of fresh air that reminded us of friends, ideas, and conversations that give us life and keep us engaged. Additionally, the sun is beaming down at us from a higher and brighter perch in the Northern Hemisphere as we gear up for next week’s solstice, bathing us with rays of senioritis and the urge to play hooky instead of knuckling down and achieving practical goals. The brunch crowd was out in full force over the weekend, and even this misanthropic, terminally cranky astrologer found herself pelted with a laundry list of social possibilities.
I hope everyone got their ya-yas out and blew off their responsibilities without too many repercussions last week, because this week could see us feeling far less sanguine. The malefic planets Mars and Saturn are up to their typical fuckshit, creating friction, delay, and general low vibes when it comes to our dreams and desires; not killing them entirely, of course, but definitely forcing a damper on our momentum, whether that is via critical feedback, disciplinary slaps on the wrist, or the dogmatic pressure of authorities positioned higher than ourselves. (Who decided these entities were an authority? Does having been once designated an authority require that we submit to institutional, outdated wisdom in perpetuity? Should it? These are the questions Pluto will be forcing us to answer as he travels deeper into Aquarius territory.)
A major square at the outset of the week will color our attitudes for the next 7 days, and it’s looking a bit rough, to be honest. Despite being galvanized to action by last week’s new moon, we continue to struggle with boundaries and choices, in large part because Gemini struggles with boundaries and choices, and we are at the mercy of those scatterbrained Twins until June 21st. On top of our social and creative lives going full on ADHD, there is a dogmatic, ruthless kind of miasma encroaching upon the week; almost as though an invisible dictator is telling us to follow his orders or face dire consequences - which, come to think of it, is par for the course these last few years, if not decades, on planet Earth.
If we are able to keep our heads above the fray and our hands unclenched this week, we’ll have a beautiful solstice marking the beginning of Cancer season with which to congratulate ourselves, as well as a lovely full moon in Capricorn that could point us in a more fruitful direction when it comes to beating back the modern forces of doom. Until then, however, we will be forced into a kind of pressurized discernment, both personally and collectively, because there will be so much information and so many different paths that we will be physically unable to follow them all. Something has to give! Shady news and terribly timed setbacks are fixing to come at us like Vin Diesel; fast, furious, and irritating enough to create a constant, constipated scowl.
Why would this affect me?
The big downer that begins our week is actually a continuation of something that hit us this past February, when Mars and Pluto began their little synodic dance-a-thon with a foreboding conjunction on February 13th. When these planets get together, people tend to actualize power grabs that they’ve been contemplating for a while; Mars loves aggression, and Pluto play a long game of domination via chaos. People with this aspect in their natal charts get egotistical, dogmatic, and dangerous very quickly. In short, we can expect that any human being who is sociopathic enough to work in politics, the judicial system, or or the military industrial complex will somehow top their previous record on the socio-path-o-meter this week. Fun!
Unfortunately, there might also be an emotional component for some of us when this information overload descends from up on high, due to master disciplinarian Saturn and his transit through watery, empathetic Pisces. On Wednesday, Saturn is squaring Mercury in Gemini, which foretells some sort of collective vacillation between logical solutions, which are the default of air signs like Gemini, and empathetic solutions which are the natural route for water signs like Pisces.
We might find ourself stuck in frustrating stasis at work, at home, and in a collective, experiential way as we navigate between feelings and logic, particularly with how we express ourselves to others. We see this being broadcast on news and social channels in real time - some of us are making emotional appeals to try and staunch daily injustice, and some of us cling to a removed, chilly logic in an attempt to stay above some perceived fray. It increasingly seems that we are deluding ourselves if we think anyone can stay above Earth’s current frays - the modern storms of imperialism, corporate power, and high-speed information are practically designed to envelope us, whether or not we acknowledge them.
With so much planetary activity in the chatty sign of The Twins, we can expect to watch and listen as this aaaaallll plays out very publicly, because Gemini can’t keep their mouth closed and gossip is the name of the game until at least June 21st. So we have several questionable planetary aspects this week and each one will get a big, fat public platform, replete with chaos agents, true believers, and an angry, riotous peanut gallery split down the middle; one side is speaking from the heart, and the other from the head. There are bound to be disagreements with no perceptible solution. Proceed very carefully.
When do I have to deal with this?
TUES 6.10.24 - Fixed Square Irritation Day
Our fighter planet is in the realm of The Bull and our creepy lord of shadows planet is in galaxy-brained Aquarius. News could get weird, people could get cruel, and damn, do not expect anyone to budge about anything for several days following this aspect. For real, don’t bother arguing any points today, just back away slowly and regroup in a safe space.
WED 6.12.24 -Mutable Square Indecision Day
Mercury is in his chariot, Gemini, but he’s facing off Saturn in gooey Pisces. All communication will be conflicted, if not downright combative via holdover from Tuesday. I wouldn’t be surprised if the emotional aspect teeters toward collective hysteria, possibly as fallout from some news item or other subject of public interest. In a personal sense, this is a tough day for anything decisive, so put off anything substantial like signing papers or making major purchases until Friday if you can.
FRI 6.14.24 - Chatty Cathy Goes Viral Day
Mercury goes cazimi on Friday, meaning they conjoin with our sun in Gemini. Expect a few quick wins, and for this day to feel like one of those dreams where you say all the right things in exactly the way you wish to say them. Often, after a troublesome interaction, we will rue our own slow reflexes and revisit conversations in our heads wherein we have a witty comeback immediately and our opposition is devastated. That doesn’t usually happen in real life, but it could happen today! Conversely, if we are not careful and we move too quickly with our words, or a devastating comeback, we could hurt someone that we don’t mean to hurt. Choose wisely.
SUN 6.16.24 - Fuck It, Let’s Stay in Bed and Get Hammered Day
Venus is in Gemini, and on Sunday she makes a square to Neptune in Pisces. These are not zodiac houses known for their discernment or grounded habits, so I think it’s obvious where Sunday is headed. Expect zero progress in any area.
Cool, what does the Tarot say about this?
Monday we engaged with The Empress, who cheekily reminded us that even when we don’t realize she is in charge, she very much is. In a way, this card is speaking to the logic vs. emotion debate in which air and water are dueling; there are various schools of logic and philosophy and lots of crusty men who enjoy debating the merits of other, crustier men, but the buck will always stop with feminine creation. Without it, the crust men would not exist.
The Ace of Cups reversed indicates a loss or a delay in something to which we are emotionally attached starting Tuesday, 6.11. We may already be grappling with unexpected feedback and dashed hopes, but we need to remember that they are only dashed temporarily. Perhaps we needed more space in our lives, considering all the activity of the Gemini landscape, and this card is giving us a gift - the gift of time. Saturn can behave like a spiky alarm clock, but he may also be trying to show us a necessary path to some new maturity - one where we know how to manage our own emotions so that we may better serve others.
Justice reversed is telling us something about money, power, and culpability on Wednesday, 6.12, and it might exacerbate public rifts and private disagreements. There could be loud denunciations from any number of corners regarding the perceived fairness of our decisions, and the 4 of Wands reversed on Thursday, 6.13 could be an indicator of continued fallout. It may also be that everybody is just in an extremely shitty mood due to all the exacerbated tension in the ether.
Something feels like a reversal on Friday, 6.14, possibly because of new information seeing a very public light of day. Justice appears to have righted herself just in time for Mercury to conjunct the sun, which makes this an auspicious moment for internet sleuths, talking heads, and anyone else who makes their way in the world on the strength of their communication. This feeling of comeuppance gives our wings a lift on Saturday, 6.15, when the 9 of Wands brings back the feeling of accomplishment we lost earlier in the week. (Fucking planetary squares.) We will realize that we have a decent body of work with which to further our goals; we might not be there yet, but visible progress is the ego boost we need to finish what we started.
Sunday, 6.16 is a day that will devolve into hedonism if we allow ourselves to be social, yet it harbors the dangerous potential for delusion if we isolate. The best case scenario might be splitting the difference in order to avoid a hangover; we shouldn’t lock ourselves away with a bottle of wine and despair, yet neither should we pub crawl until we puke next to 30 of our colleagues. The Hermit reversed must learn to walk the middle path; socialize with one or two trusted compatriots to avoid spiraling into woe-is-me territory, but avoid anything bombastic. You never know what will be recorded, replayed, and made viral during Gemini season.
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