posted January 26, 2010 01:16 PM         

Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:30 AM PST

By Len Wallick

Once again, let’s start with the big picture for the week which ends up with a Full Moon in Leo conjunct Mars followed by the second cardinal point square between Saturn and Pluto.

Remember, the Full Moon is an opposition (180 degrees of separation) between the Moon and Sun with us here on Earth in between. Oppositions in astrology carry the connotations of relationships. The attractions that bring us together. The perspective on ourselves that we get from interacting with another. The decisions we make balancing our own welfare with that of another. The ebb and flow, back and forth as we strive to find a balance through participation and negotiation.

Squares (90 degrees of separation) tend to force an issue. Ideally this will overcome complacency and stimulate action. If action is inhibited, however, the force can translate into stress.

Today’s astrology continues the build up to the seminal events at the end of the week. In doing so we are provided with a clue as to the character and resolution of a complex opposition and a powerful square.

One aspect applying today is the opposition of Venus (in Aquarius) and retrograde Mars in Leo. It will exact either very late tonight or very early tomorrow depending on where you are. This opposition will be separating but still functional at the end of the week, adding to the rich, deep complexity that this Full Moon will represent. Venus in the sign of the collective is a light but assertive presence. Opposed to Mars retreating in Leo, it holds the promise of compromise in relationships between the individual and groups. It encourages each one of us to (in the words of former Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn) “go along to get along”. The trick for each of us will be to see the distinction between legitimate issues of autonomy and arbitrary stubbornness. In turn, any group in question will be challenged to balance its standards of conduct to allow individual expression. The outcome will depend on how open the flow of communication will be. This aspect will flow into and become part of the more powerful aspects at the end of the week.

Now moving forward with dispatch and closing out the echo phase of its recent , Mercury is feeling its oats and adding its own texture to the week’s astrology. Still in Capricorn, it is still in review of our “living tradition” as Eric referred to in his blog of December 14th. Today, however, there is more as the messenger expresses his own duality in accord with the aspects that will end this week (and month).

The ancient Greeks referred to him as Hermes. His son (through Aphrodite, or Venus), Hermaphrodite was fused with a nymph, resulting in an individual possessing the characteristics of both genders. Mercury himself displayed bifurcation in his own personality in his alternate role as trickster. In addition to being a prodigal thief (he made off with Apollo’s cattle when he was one day old) he was adept at transiting boundaries between the immortals and humans, between the living and the dead. As such, in astrology, one must exercise some discretion in dealing with the energy. One must be aware of exactly which Mercury one is dealing with.

Today, Mercury forms quincunx (150 degrees of separation), or inconjunct with retrograde Mars. This aspect in turn forms the backbone of two yods. One with Mercury as the focus, the other with Mars. The interpretation of these two will give us valuable insight into the larger events that will conclude January.

Yods are rare, hence auspicious. They are three-way aspects shaped like the letter “Y”. The upper part of the “Y” is a sextile (sixty degrees of separation) between two astrological bodies. The lower part of the “Y” points toward the third astrological body which is in a quincunx aspect with the other two. The sextiled planets are in a supportive relationship. The quincunxed planet is incompatible with the other two in mode, element and gender. It is also the focus of the energy flow. In this focus there is a challenging choice: Will the averse, estranged, mal-adjusted relationship of the quincunx prevail, resulting in a blockage? Or will the supportive flow of the sextile win out, allowing a powerful circuit to be completed? It is in this way, through the dynamics of relationship and the awareness of choices, that a yod finds common ground with oppositions and squares.

Today’s most powerful yod has Mars (in a fixed, fire, male sign) in the focus of the sextile between Mercury (in a cardinal, earth, female sign) and the conjunction of the asteroids Hermes and Psyche (in Pisces, mutable, air and female). Given that Hermes is the Greek alter ego of Mercury, Mars is dealing with a bit of the trickster. Given that myth of Psyche represented the triumph of love through patient negotiation with the collective of the pantheon, we see promise that Mars is supported to do its part to resolve its opposition with Venus. The key seems to be being aware of and present to the unique moment, nether stuck in the past or flummoxed by the future.

The other yod makes Mercury the focus with Mars in sextile to the conjunction of the Moon and the asteroid Chaos in Gemini (mutable, air and male). Here, the trickster is being called upon to be in integrity and serve the flow of creative energy rather than sabotage it. Here we see the potential that the square between Saturn and Pluto will be as forces act stubbornly at cross purposes. However, there is a promise that obstacles can be overcome and compromise reached. The key seems to be whether self awareness can triumph over self-involvement.

So if you are getting the feeling that this is a big week, you are right. If you are getting the premonition that it is complex, you are also right. However, if we, individually can move away from a narrow, obsessed anxiety, we can each be as big as the events. Conversely, if we as a collective can surrender our fixation on power over the individual, we can gain the cooperation of all. And that’s today picture inside the big picture. From here, you go.