Astrologer Laura Craig

Mercury Square Mars: Slings and Arrows

Niccolao Manucci “History of India from Tamerlank to Orangzeb”

Today and tomorrow, on the day of Mars and the day of Mercury, the two planets form a square to each other. Retrograde Mercury in Cancer, as the messenger of memories, stumbles into a confrontation with the Fiery One in Aries, triggering impulse and intensity, possibly old wounds too. The mind is active, but thoughts can feel blocked or challenged in their delivery. The body is spurred to action as well, but can be hindered by the mind. Feelings that bubble up may feel threatening to Mars, who seeks emotional mastery. And the desire for forward movement can be stifled by the Cancerian desire for self-protection. This tension may result in passive-aggressiveness, defensiveness, volcanic simmering or physical symptoms such as headache, heartburn, or nervous butterflies in the stomach. The psyche fights against change, while simultaneously wanting to assert its independence. It becomes a question of whether to conceal or to reveal. 

Like the hermit crab, who waits till night falls to poke its head out and explore, we can honor both urges. Water and fire together need not only fizzle or boil. They can move us, make us feel deeply, and merge the internal world with the external. The bold words and fast action of a Mercury-Mars transit, if acted upon from conscious self-awareness and in service  to personal truth, can be opportunities for soul growth, creativity and individuation. Find Cancer and Aries in your chart to see where this story is taking place. And whatever ideas are gestating in the waters now that don’t get expressed this time around will have another chance, perhaps with more clarity or success, when Mercury turns direct and makes another pass later this month.

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