the astrology of palpable dread

in the ring: pluto v mars

Hi to you!

Anyone else feeling an inescapable sense of dread? With the election looming, I think it’s safe to say we’re having a collective moment of existential crisis as the fate of our nation hangs in the balance. The astrology of late and leading into election day, are reflective of our collective clenched jaws and balled fists.

As above, so below, y’know.

So, I wanted to give a little energetic breakdown of what’s leading us into the election.

As I am writing this, the New Moon in Scorpio is perfecting. The potent and powerful entryway into the last moon cycle we will ever live through under watchful eye of Pluto in Capricorn. By the time the next New Moon rolls around, Pluto will be in Aquarius for good and Pluto in Capricorn will not be seen again for generations. Which is partly why this particular New Moon feels dire. The agonizing call to alchemize the uncertainty and unknown into something we can control. Lol at Scorpio trying to do the literal impossible. But here we are, trying to shield ourselves from feelings of powerlessness in the face of a force much larger than our lil individual selves.

All of this is colored by Mars in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn who have been inching toward a face off at 29° of their respective signs. Whenever anything happens at the final degree of a sign, it’s full-scale spectacle level intense.

To help ground us into the players involved in this transit, let’s talk about it in boxing terms —

DING! DING! DING! Ladies, theydies, and gents! Get ready for the main event!

In this corner, weighing in at the price-of-your-soul, the forever undefeated, current world heavyweight champion and god of death himself, Pluto!

And, in this corner, weighing in at a svelt and agile 10x less than Earth, we have the acclaimed warrior Mars!

Pluto has been working hard since 2008 to transform the Capricorn ruled areas of our lives by initiating the crumbling infrastructure of gov’t, corporations, institutions, hierarchies — and he’s not done yet. This is a career fight. Giving one last, evolutionarily necessary, one-two-punch to The Man™. Right in the jugular!

I bet Mars is sweating bullets. Mars has been off his game since moving into Cancer on September 4th. The fighting planet, typically known to be aggressive and even down right feral, has shied away from his competitors. Looking timid in the ring and favoring defensive moves over his typical strike-first style of fighting.

The tension has been mounting between these two cosmic powerhouses for days — As they prepare to be unleashed on one another on November 3rd.

Though, the fight is slated to take a shift on November 4rd as Mars moves into courageous Leo for the last half of the match. This could be a real hero’s journey for Mars. Marked by struggle, but given a fiery, heart-centered boost from Leo might be exactly what he needs to take the W!

Okay — that was fun, wasn’t it? But what does this mean for us.

The sense of Pluto and Mars in a face-off like this is like living on the razors edge; teetering in life-or-death territory. It is a reminder of what we can control and what we do not have the power to control on our own, if at all. It triggers our self-preservation and survival instincts.

Pluto is not the planet of abject peril — though our subjective experience may color it that way. It is the way we cannot control an incoming storm or the force of gravity. It just is what is it. Not good or bad but neutral and natural. And sometimes gravity drops us on our ass and we say “fuck you gravity.” — But gravity, in a much more subtle way, allows for us to be grounded, connected, and move through our days/lives without quite literally floating away.

Under this larger than life opponent, we must find our own center of gravity. Accepting what we cannot control and take responsibility for what we can (ourselves) by doing our part. This is when I tell you to vote. Definitely vote!

As we wade through this treacherous territory — find grounding in the whirling-swirl of the unknown. Seek joy, even when the walls feel like they’re crashing in around you. And hold one another, because this is a collective experience.

I love you.