Mars in Libra, with Ketu: Oct 3-Nov 16, 2023: SYSTEM DISRUPTION / GRACE
Mars in Libra comes around once every 18 yrs to sit with Ketu, the South Node of the Moon. Mars is a fighter and a headstrong activist, preferring to be quick and direct. When uninhibited, it’s passionate for action, eagerly moving forward, sometimes without much thought and with an intensity that can bring friction and even destruction. Its goal is to shake things up to usher in change, even if it makes a mess.
Ketu is elusive in nature, relies on its intuition for guidance and yearns for moksha/liberation. In mythology, Ketu has no head and so must go within and to the past to remember where it’s been. When Ketu is prominent, what is being presented is up for change, healing and release. It can also bring up doubts and confusion, as it highlights the more nebulous aspects of our lives. Yet it is the magician, the mystic, and the intuitive one who, when it gets out of its own way, can have the deepest trust in the guidance it’s receiving.
Mars and Ketu coming together can be a bit like riding a bike blindfolded. At first, it can feel terrifying and dangerous. The action the planets are asking us to take is to remember and trust that we know how to manage this energy. We’ve been here before; granted, it’s been a while and we’ve had a lot of life happen in the meantime (think back 18 yrs ago to Nov 2004, and then 18 yrs before that to Dec 1985, etc).
Mars and Ketu are sitting in Libra for the next 6 weeks, and so we look to this sign for the guidance, the anchoring and the focus we need to move forward on this path. This planetary combo can be conflicting: it can make us feel untethered and also eager to take action at the same time. Libra’s symbolism is the balance and scales, and is drawn to justice, equality and harmony. It’s a diplomatic sign ruled by Venus connecting to peace, beauty, abundance, equality, the arts, women and marriage. Once we drop into our core (Ketu and Libra both connect to the pelvis) and frame our “inter”actions from a Libra space of remaining within peace, then we can get rolling and unraveling with the previous experiences we’ve had with this planetary connection.
Of course it’s not always easy when these two planets come together in Libra as they tend to highlight where the imbalance is occurring and is in need of adjusting (within ourselves and society). Historically, it’s a time when things get shaken up and systems get disrupted. There have been crashes in the stock market, assassinations of political leaders, volcanoes erupting… But also firsts for human rights, such as BIPOC being appointed for the first time to prominent public positions, amends being made with political adversaries, public works of art challenging people’s comfort zones. It can bring major leaps, in both directions.
Where they sit in our own birth charts determine how we will personally engage with this time of change. This planetary connection can sneak up on us and slam us – usually with opportunities for personal growth, shifts to be embraced, and breakthroughs to occur. We will be reminded of our past ideas and experiences, being brought back up for us to remember, reengage, and hopefully come to terms with so we can release. The higher expression helps us to take action to undo the traumas of the past so we don’t have to revisit them again and again. However, this is usually unexpected and can make us feel destabilized at first. Libra reminds us the way to peace and balance is through partnerships, creativity and connection, and above all with keeping a mindset of grace in all we do.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
· What areas are up for disruption in your life?
· In your community?
· How stable do you feel within yourself?
· Are you on the precipice of a major breakthrough? (*remember, breakdowns often precede breakthroughs)
· Do you have support to lean on?
· Are you actively being creative and pro-active?
· Where are you feeling doubt?
· What does your inner guidance say?
:::PEACE:::
