Friendly neighborhood mundane astrologer here, with thoughts on the Pluto Return of the United States; Mars retrograde in Gemini as foreshadowing for the Uranus Return of the United States; the Election Day Eclipse; and a hopeful holiday season. Please be advised, this report is LONG and less focused than some I’ve done in the past. It’s not going to tell you much about personal or psychological impacts of these transits (For that, I recommend Jessica Lanyadoo’s Ghost of a Podcast, or Kelly Surtees’s Instagram, or this TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@mysticrebels/video/7117297192586546478?lang=en).
But if you like disturbing historical correspondences, this is the report for you! (Standard trigger warnings not to read this if it's just going to stress you out apply.)
So it’s not that there’s been nothing going on in the world or the stars for the year and a half since last I wrote, it’s that most of it was more long term ambient effects than Mundane astrology (i.e. astrology of world events) is strictly useful for.
Astrologers were pretty dead on about Jupiter in Pisces being the brightest (if overly optimistic) parts of 2021 and 2022, first for the removal of mask mandates and then for the stock market. More on act 3 of that story at the very end of this overly long report.
Most of 2021 and 2022 has been dominated by the tug of war between slow and orderly innovation and stubborn grassroots chaos exemplified by Saturn in Aquarius squaring Uranus in Taurus. In particular, we’ve seen these effects on the supply chain, and may continue to see them in terms of food shortages and innovations. The juxtaposition of these planets with the qualities of their signs is interesting. Change will happen, but is it going to be slow and orderly or stubborn and chaotic?
Speaking of which…we’ve also been living though the very first Pluto Return of the United States which only happens for nations, not people*, because it takes approximately 248 years. (*This is not the time for my vampire astrology pitch, but ask me later!) If we use an orb (i.e. area of effect) of 3 degrees, then this slow moving transit has been in play since February 2020 and could last through November 2024. I don’t need to delve into what could be significant about those dates, so instead, let’s narrow the window a bit to when we’ll find Pluto returned to it’s exact spot in the USA’s natal chart (27 degrees 33 minutes, Capricorn): February 20, July 12 and December 28, 2022. Now, all this is moving so slowly that the exact dates don’t mean a ton, but if we look at February and July rather generally what I see is the Supreme Court. The Roe v Wade decision that leaked on May 2 (right after an eclipse, which can bring things to light) was drafted in February. And June 24 is close enough to July that that was still a big part of what everyone was talking/worrying about. Now, that isn’t everything. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 23 and that remains an ongoing story. As do the January 6th committee hearings (Roger Stone and Michael Flynn were the focus of the one on July 12 specifically). So those are the things I’m watching in terms of this death and rebirth crisis of identity for our country and its institutions. Keep an eye out for a third act to this story in December.
As a side note: I also happen to have Pluto at 27 degrees of a Cardinal sign (Libra) in my natal chart, which means I’m going through my Pluto Square. Since this happens to everyone around 40 years of age, it is considered one of the primary “midlife crisis” transits. A time when things will die so they can be reborn and (hopefully) make you better for it. I’m sharing this because many of you were also born with Pluto at 27 Libra (October 24-November 18, 1982, April 24-June 4, 1983 and August 9-September 14, 1983) or close enough to be on your way in or out of this same kind of energy (more broadly December 23, 1980 - August 27, 1984). So take a look at the house in your chart where Libra falls, and what trials or lessons of evolution Pluto might be bringing you from the house that’s ruled by Capricorn. (If you find you’ve got Pluto in Scorpio instead, don’t worry, you have this to look forward to!) You can also take a look at February and July to see if they offer you any hints about December.
But enough about the big slow moving stuff! Why am I finally writing again now? Because it’s time once again to talk about my old nemesis…Mars Retrograde.
Now, it would be easy to say that I, a Scorpio, only want to talk about my ruling planets Mars, and Pluto…and maybe a little Uranus because I’m an Aquarius rising. But the thing about Mars is that he moves at the perfect speed for you to know what he’s up to. Mars takes about 2 years to make his way around the zodiac because he goes retrograde every year and a half. Where Mars will usually spend about six weeks in a sign, retrograde can strand him there for SIX MONTHS. Our last Mars retrograde was in Aries in the Fall of 2020. And I wrote about that here (https://www.elliepylewrites.com/astrology/marsmercury-retrograde).
But before we get to the retrograde, let’s take a quick look at what else Mars has been up to. Pretty much any time he’s crossed into a fixed sign since…oh…January 6, 2021 (yes, you read that right) he’s been a match thrown into the powder keg of Saturn and Uranus turning their cold war hot. In 2022, this has included March 5-April 14 and July 4-August 20. I didn’t take great news notes about March-April because as a triple Fixed Sign (sun, moon, and rising) I was dealing with the personal manifestations of those energies, but if we look at what’s going on right now…
August 1 - Mars conjunct Uranus and North node
August 7 - Mars square Saturn
So…we’re starting to see some surprising actions and consequences come out of some slow moving stories. Alex Jones was forced to pay damages to the Sandy Hook Families and his texts turned over to the January 6th committee. Actual bills being passed through the actual Senate! An FBI search of Mar A Lago! And I think there will be more revelations to come from this sudden forward motion in a (hopefully) responsible direction because on Thursday…
August 11 - Full Moon in Aquarius, conjunct Saturn, square Uranus and the North Node.
Full moons bring illumination. They bring conclusions. They bring things to light that would otherwise be in the dark. So think of this week as Mars suddenly running through this bull’s china shop (it’s Taurus…I had to) doing a bunch of stuff and igniting a bunch of slower planets into more obvious action. And the Sun and Moon are going to meet up in a couple days to shine a light on what broke, what was maybe hidden inside, and what’s been going on behind the scenes all along.
Speaking of things coming out from behind the scenes… apparently this Full Moon has a lot of context in common with one from August 11, 1999. And on that day Boris Yeltsin named some ex-KGB guy as Prime Minister. Most people had not previously heard of Vladimir Putin. So. We’ll keep an eye on how history rhymes for him this week.
Back to Mars, let me be clear, Mars may be a malefic, but unlike certain ex-spies, he isn’t all bad. I actually LOVE Mars transits because they’re exciting. All my big moves, job changes, and great loves had some sort of Mars spark to get them going. A Mars that’s having fun is one of the most exciting things there is…or at least one of the most interesting. But you know what they say about “interesting times…”
August 20 - Mars into Gemini until March 2023
Mars’s initial foray into Gemini should be fun! Gemini is a fun sign! Those twins love moving fast! So take a look at where Gemini falls in your chart to see what house/area of your life is about to get an extra burst of energy and attention. (Here’s my cheat sheet for houses: https://www.elliepylewrites.com/astrology). We’ll also get some good hints about how to mitigate some of Mars’s more malefic energies in Gemini around August 27 when Mars squares the new moon in Virgo because Mercury and Jupiter will be checking in to help.
The problem is that by September 3, Mars will be starting to wear out and slow down into his shadow period or “retro-shade”. Mars retrograde is a problem precisely because Mars likes to go fast. And when he starts slowing down and ultimately appearing to move BACKWARDS he gets frustrated and angry. And honestly? That’s relatable. The reason Mars retrograde is one of my least favorite things is because I almost always get physically sick, or depressed, or something I’m waiting for takes way too long and I end up blowing up at someone I shouldn’t (i.e. Mars Retrograde 2018 or How Ellie Burnt Out at Riot Games).
Just for extra fun, we’ll also have Mercury Retrograde to contend with from September 9 - October 2 in Libra. So expect confusion and miscommunication that in this specific case may primarily be driven by people pleasing and passive aggression wreaking havoc on diplomacy whether personal or international. Take a look at the Libra house in your chart and remember to say what you mean and try to be patient making sense of anyone else.
If there are things you can get done before everything starts to slow down in September or during that time to prepare for some backtracking, delays, or scarcity, do. Take a look one more time at the Gemini house in your chart and think about how best to use the energy of those first few weeks and the shadow period to prepare for everything to grind to halt at the end of October.
Officially Mars Retrograde runs October 30-January 12 (the back half of the shadow will last until March 15, 2023). Mars will station retrograde at 25 Gemini and backtrack to 8 Gemini. My initial reaction to those degrees was a verbal declaration of “Oh no, I don’t care for that at ALL.” (Only the peacock statue heard me and she did not offer any advice.)
The thing is, that in the chart of the United States, natal Mars sits at 21 Gemini and natal Uranus sits at 8 degrees. So basically from the perspective of national events, Mars is going to run from natal Uranus to Mars, turn around back past Mars to Uranus, and back to Mars one more time before heading out. So if Mars is Action/Passion/Violence, Uranus is Innovation/Surprises/Revolution. The exact dates of those conjugations are:
Mars conjunct US Uranus (8’55 Gemini) - September 5, January 1 (retrograde), January 24
Mars conjunct US Mars (21 Gemini) October 14, November 23 (retrograde), March 6, 2023
So what’s EXTRA interesting about this, to your friendly neighborhood historical astrologer, is that the USA’s Uranus return (to 21 Gemini) happens approximately every 84 years and ties in very closely to the 80 year cycle of US history and crises (specifically as laid out in The Fourth Turning, which is a rabbit hole I’m going to try not to go too far down here, but highly recommend!)
In short: about 80 years ago was the Depression/WWII; 80 years before that: the Civil War; 80 years before that The Revolution. And from there you can keep going back into English history (or if you’d like, the Salem Witch Trials).
So here are some previous events that corresponded to Uranus being at either 9 or 21 degrees of Gemini: The Declaration of Independence, Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, D-Day.
But you’re right, we were talking about Mars, not Uranus. Uranus won’t even move into Gemini until July 7, 2025. And Mars goes through Gemini every two years! But because these degrees are so specific, I’m hoping that they may give us a thematic preview of what fields the great battles of 2027-2028 will be fought on. The very essence of Uranus is surprise, but if you look back at those pivotal moments above, there were roads that lead there. And while it's safe to assume we’re already on one, I’m hoping (and that is still the right word) that this Mars retrograde will be some kind of sign post and give some clues about how to prepare.
In the USA chart, Gemini is the seventh house of Partnerships. So we may be called upon to be allies, we may see partnerships broken, or bickering as things are stalled. Needing to work together but being unable to do so. And of course right in the middle of all this, we have an election.
I’m not going to lie, the 2022 election day chart is not pretty, but I have a weirdly optimistic take on what that means. Eclipses always come in pairs, so October 25 will see a Solar Eclipse at 2 degrees Scorpio. November 8—Election Day—Total Lunar Eclipse at 16 degrees Taurus, conjunct Uranus and North node, opposing Mercury, square Saturn.
There will be surprises, confusion and attempts to restore order. You probably didn’t need an astrologer to tell you that. In the USA chart, this is playing out across the axis of Service, Communications, and Secrets/Enemies. So there will be shenanigans.
I’m notoriously optimistic, but to me that doesn’t sound like things go well for the people most likely to, say, attempt an insurrection. You don’t need shenanigans when you’re winning. Now, I do question whether they know that at this point because they’ve been all propaganda and stolen elections/Supreme Court seats for so long…but to me it looks like there will be darkness and confusion but then some things are going to start coming to light in a big way.
It’s worth noting that this is a rough chart for both Biden and Trump. From Biden we may see some kind of health crisis or betrayal. (Last fall’s Taurus eclipse say Kamala granted temporary powers while Biden was under anesthesia). Trump may somehow be “eclipsed” in his public life by his private thoughts or communications with consequences coming from his partnerships.
Finally, I promised a little more Jupiter in Pisces idealistic positivity. Jupiter will retrograde into Pisces on October 27 in the midst of the gathering storm and won’t be able to do a ton to help until stationing direct on November 23. But we should get a nice burst of hopeful softness to carry us from Thanksgiving to Yule when Jupiter departs Pieces for the last time on December 20. With Mars retrograde and Jupiter direct, we may actually get an expansive watery vibe for a bit. (Just in time for Avatar: The Way of Water, of all things). Previous Jupiter in Pisces dates include: May 14-July 28, 2021 December 28, 2021-May 10, 2022. So that’s the dropping of mask mandates which led to the giant Covid wave, coupled with stock market highs. So something will expand in a way that seems too good to be true around this time. And it will be, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of it while it lasts.
Because that’s why I write these. So you can prepare for the storms, but also be ready to catch the waves that might offer a thrilling, if short lived ride.