{Mars in Gemini} Traité des nativités, attribué à Aboû Maʿschar. Abū Maʿšar al-Balh̲ī, Ğaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar (0805?-0886)

The annual chart for the Vernal Equinox is among the most important considerations in Mundane astrology. Quite simply, it’s the horoscope of the New Year and it provides us with insights into all elements of life for the year to come. The Lord of the Year in this case is Saturn.

The chart is importantly Diurnal.  Saturn is in his sect and domicile. The Planetary Day is Saturn, the Hour is of the Sun, with Mercury as Almuten. Saturn is the Ultimate Dispositor.

The Sun enters Tropical Aries GMT with Mars, waxing Crescent Moon and Ketu (S. Node) ascending. Remarkably, Mars is less than a degree conjunct the Fixed Star Aldebaran, one of the Four Guardians in Persian cosmology, Watcher of the East. The star is the fiery eye of the Bull in the constellation Taurus. Cornelius Agrippa states that “Aldebram or Aldelamen: eye or head of Taurus. 8°34’17” Taurus.  destruction and hindrances of buildings, fountains, wells and gold mines, the flight of reptiles and creates discord revenge, separation, enmity & ill will     A soldier on a horse, holding a serpent in his right hand” (Three Books on Occult Philosophy p.  368).

Vivian Robson adds: Aldebaran possesses the significance of: “Great military preferment but attended by much danger; liable to accidents, fevers and violent death. If at the same time the Moon is with Antares, especially in an angle, death will come through a stab, blow or fall. [p.121.]  In Hindu astronomy, it is identified as the Nakshatra Rohini – “the red one” –  and as one of the twenty-seven daughters of Daksha and the wife of Chandra. According to Komilla Sutton. this Nakshatra relates to passion and sensuality and considered the “favourite wife of the Moon.” ( Nakshatras. p, 59). The second quarter or Pada of this Nakshatra falls in the Taurus Navamsa which is ruled by Venus. The focus is on the material world and all things Taurean. This essential materialism has the courage to face adversities who may deny these desires.

The star is easily found by reference to Orion. This also serves as a reminder that the star is in fact in sidereal Taurus and not Gemini.

Aldebaran location. Image Wikisky

However, the Ascendant itself is in the 5th Nakshatra known as Mrigasira. Mriga means deer and Sira means head. This is also a symbol for the Moon in Indian mythology. The ruler of this nakshatra is Mars and there is strong resistance to the status quo.

Chandra, the Moon God; Folio from a Book of Dreams

The Ascendant Lord is Mercury, in his Fall in Pisces. No planets or luminaries are in their Joy. The overall effect is one of rashness. Mars is Lord of the 6th house, which in this case is most specifically related to the common people, along with Moon. The people, in this case, are specifically those in the United Kingdom.

Unsurprisingly, we find extraordinary domestic unrest rising.  The people will be heard. The Sun exalted in Aries in the House of the Good Spirit becomes a blessing, along with Venus exalted in Pisces. Without their mitigation, what is being raised might more easily be quashed.

When Saturn is Lord of the Year or Revolution,  we do not anticipate radical change or particularly sensitive considerations of the people. The 9th  house placement brings into play the judicial system, morality, religion, diplomacy, foreign affairs and more. Saturn in the 9th house is wont to bring corruption and deficits for the fortune of the country. Clearly, this is not being accepted without rebellion of any sort.

Mercury falling in Pisces – Drawing from: The Book of Felicity

The passionate intensity of the 1st House and Ascendant are weakened by the Sign of Mercury. The question becomes, how or where does all this energy find an outlet.  While Jupiter is Lord of the 10th House, he is debilitated by his place in the domicile of Saturn. Indeed, the 10th House speaks of a degree of incompetence and a potentially misguided sense of what it means to govern for the benefit of the people. This is accentuated by the 9th House which informs the 10th and the 11th which supports the same.

The nodal axis is one that should never be underestimated. With Rahu in the 1st House and Ketu in the 7th,  the social and political interests of the population may not be ignored with impunity. The case is made even more cogently when we note that the Rahu is in the sign of his Exaltation.

It is said that Rahu ‘enjoys’ being in Rohini. There is a lack of commitment and that hedonism can become extreme. But Rahu in the 1st house is like a self-will run riot.

Fears of economic instability, less than stellar governance, mistrust of authority and at the same time demands for more of the same will be a theme throughout the coming year. Of course, much the same could fairly be said of any given year, but in this case, it’s on a scale unprecedented for decades. 2021 will see the world changed in ways we are only beginning to grasp.

It is impossible to ignore this essential conflict between the strong desire for personal freedom and expression and the heavy restrictions of Saturn. The term, “social isolation” could scarcely be more saturnine, yet more of it is being called for as yet another wave of Covid 19 makes further demands, often at the expense of mental health and concomitant and diminishing hopes of a full socio-economic recovery. Moreover, hard-fought freedoms we once took for granted hang in the balance. The economy is teetering on its own form of life-support.

The reactions to this tight and prolonged lockdown are evident throughout the western world as people watch the world they once knew become extinct. Saturn and Mars are not considered astrological friends because Mars destroys structure while Saturn is adamantine about resisting structural change. We are living during a time of extraordinary consequence wherein the clash is gathering momentum. The legal and social consequences of disobedience to authority over all this are in many cases draconian. We tread a path between fear of a pandemic and the loss of much that had given our life meaning.