Fellow Mages, Astral Aspirants, seekers of the way...

I am here to inform you of the impending Mars-Saturn square that will align in the sky at the end of the week...

The Mars-Saturn square can be one of the most challenging aspects that develops in the sky. Both the malefic planets of astrology form a square - a hard aspect. It’s a tripling down of roadblocks, tension, and dynamic growth.

If you’re interested in getting a deep, comprehensive look at this square and what it’s all about…if you want to truly know how this aspect will affect you and seek to go beyond the pop astrological oversimplifications…

…then you have come to the right place.

And buckle up, because I have a treasure trove of analysis on this aspect. By the time you finish this article, you will know everything there is to know about this specific Mars-Saturn square, and, most importantly, what to do about it. Because real astrology is practical - it helps you take total control of your life.

First, a little note on timing: as soon as Mars enters into Scorpio on October 30th, 2021, he will form a square to Saturn, the God of Death. This aspect begins on October 30th. It will build in energy until it reaches its apex when it perfects on November 19th. After that, the tension will begin to wind down, and we will have an opportunity to integrate and process the challenges that arose. the square finally ends on December 13th.

Saturn - Lord of death

Saturn is the furthest visible planet from the Earth. In the classical worldview, this places him closest to the realm of the heavens and the other side of the veil. Saturn derives most of his traditional associations from his intimacy with this veil.

Saturn is the wild, untamable forces of spirit which tear down structures and individual ego. Saturn is death and functions as the ferryman who takes us from the material world to the heavenly realms from which we originate. Saturn is the dark night of the soul, the great God of transformation who leads you to a deeper spiritual awareness.

Saturn is malefic, because the process of abandoning ego and releasing the structures of life to which we are attached can be painful. But Saturn will always replace what he takes away with something much closer in alignment with our true spirit. This is the gift of Saturn – transformation that, while difficult, is grounded and permanent.

Saturn currently occupies the sign of Aquarius. Saturn occupies his rulership in Aquarius and so his most positive traits come to the fore. The lofty, idealistic, and humanitarian nature of Aquarius brings out the best in Saturn, where the impulse to break down the self and burn away impurities becomes about as gentle and constructive as it can be.

Aquarius represents the part of Saturn that can use his connection to the other side as a conduit and portal for insights, inspiration, and ideals to reveal themselves to us from the other realms. The essence of Aquarius allows us to enter into heaven – not to stay there, but to bring something back that will heal humanity and move our society forward. Selflessness is a big theme here, as we do not make this journey for ourselves, but for something greater than us and beyond us.

All in all, this Saturn placement is about as good as it gets! Saturn is moving us all back into the heavenly realms during this period. Ideals, perfection, and absolutes will become more important to all of us, as well as finding concrete steps to make them tangible, forming heaven on earth eventually.

So long as Saturn occupies this placement, a very special doorway opens for Saturn Magic, releasing egoic attachments and self-obsessions that keep us away from realizing our highest potential. If you’re curious about Saturn Magic, you can learn about the the course that I offer on astrological magic here.

In Aquarius, the lord of death and selflessness asks you to sacrifice your own needs and wants for the sake of the whole. You have actually found yourself compelled to do this since Saturn moved into Aquarius exactly one day before the Covid lockdown was declared in the U.S last year.

If you want to know more about Saturn in Aquarius, then you can read the article that I posted last year. In some way or another, you will continue to find yourself asked to limit and restrict yourself for the sake of those around you so long as Saturn occupies this sign, until March 7 2023. But this obligation will intensify when Mars moves into Scorpio. Speaking of which…

Mars - lord of destruction

Saturn is cold, chilly death. Saturn is norms, responsibility, and duty. It is the snuffing out of life, joy and the ecstasy of embodied experience and incarnation. Saturn represents too little life, and disdain for the game of existence. Think of all the kids that sat on the bleachers wearing all black who were “too cool” to play dodgeball in high school.

Mars, on the other hand, does not possess an absence of diminishment of life. In fact, Mars has too much of it. Mars is fire and passion. It is the overexcitement of the ecstasy of life. It is yelling, conflict, violence, and even war. These are the kids in high school that got wayyy too into dodgeball.

Mars and Saturn are both Malefic. Saturn belongs to the daytime sect (read more about sect here), and so his significations encompass the aspects of the inner, spiritual world that we don’t like - depression, dark nights of the soul, etc. Mars belongs to the nighttime sect, so his significations encompass the aspects of the outer, material world that we don’t like - strife, war, conflict, bloodshed, arguments, illness, and injury.

Mars is in a similar position to Saturn here because Mars is entering into a sign of the zodiac that he rules - Scorpio. The deep, introspective, and even brave aspects of Scorpio put the fire of Mars to good use, where Mars can use his aggression and confrontational attitude to peer right into the depths of human experience and confront the shadows of the unconscious that most people do not want to face.

Most people who are accustomed to reading modern astrology have trouble understanding the association between Mars and Scorpio. Think of it like this: Scorpio indicates all the aspects of war that do not happen on a battlefield: spying, stealth, subterfuge, manipulation, power games, and an ever-present awareness of the impending, inevitable end of all things.

As such, some of the darker aspects of Scorpio can show up as interpersonal manipulation, playing power games, and doing whatever it takes to fortify your position and keep yourself safe within your Scorpio-shell. Scorpionic people are incredibly perceptive and can see right to the heart of people’s lived experience.

But Scorpio also excels at emotional alchemy, more so than any other sign of the zodiac. They have access to the power and fortitude that Mars provides in order to face difficult emotions and difficult experiences head on. Scorpio does not run from the shadows - it faces them head on. Scorpionic natives choose to dive headfirst into difficult topics and difficult emotional experiences because they are most comfortable and familiar with them.

The brutal truth is that emotional alchemy is not easy. It’s never easy. It takes courage, bravery, resilience, and chutzpah. Not everyone can do it. In fact, most people don’t. But those who do it gain power, becoming stronger witches, sorcerers, and mages. Their emotional intelligence increases, and their ability to be of service to other people’s emotional pain outmatches anyone else. They become excellent space-holders.

When Mars enters into Scorpio, we all have the opportunity to dive deeper into our own emotional processes and excavate real treasures from the repressed, painful experiences that we would rather not look at. Mars will give us all the courage and bravery required to examine our shadows and integrate the disparate pieces of ourselves more fully.

Scorpio mars in an excellent placement because it marries the unconquerable, driven character of Mars with the interpersonal intelligence and patience of Scorpio. The fires of Mars are supported and nurtured in order for people to move forward confidently in their purpose without losing any awareness of how it may affect other people, or by being too headstrong or self-interested.

Compared to the Libra placement that Mars is leaving, you will find that you have significantly more drive and initiative to pursue and claim what you want in life. You will find yourself obtaining greater focus and clarity. Acting on your desires and moving forward in your life will become easier. Any decision paralysis that you faced with the Libra-Mars period will dissipate.

Mars and Saturn in Square

So I have described Saturn as being cold as ice, and Mars as being hot like fire. These aren’t just my characterizations of these planets. These descriptions go all the way back to Ptolemy and Dorotheus (just throwing that in here in case you’re nerdy enough to know who they are.)

Bearing this characterization in mind, you really can view the Saturn-Mars square as a song of ice and fire. But this story will have a much better ending than Game of Thrones.

Indeed, you will notice that most of my descriptions of Mars and Saturn in their respective signs has been very positive. This is because both of these planets are essentially dignified - they both quite enjoy being in their respective signs of Aquarius and Scorpio. For this reason, we see the best side of both of these two planets showing.

So whatever happens during this period, you can be sure that this transit will be productive. You will learn a lot. You will grow as a person. You will leave behind behaviors and patterns that do not help you. You will find it easier to tap into the power that this kind of activity can bring. If you are familiar with astrological magic, you can use this is an opportunity to perform magic with both of these planets.

However, no amount of essential dignity can make this configuration easy. A square is still a square. A square between both malefics is still one of the more challenging situations that can arise in the sky. Here are some of the patterns and themes I expect to arise from its beginning on October 30th until its conclusion on the December 13th.

Mars in Scorpio makes self-interest strong. Very strong. You will have a lot more drive to accomplish what you want. You also know much more clearly what you want. However, you will find forces outside of you, generally related to the community, holding you back from getting what you want or achieving your goals. You may be pushing in one direction, but some kind of civic event or circumstance arises that keeps you from that.

You will find yourself getting angry and frustrated, especially if you have any natal Scorpio or Aquarius placements. But your community and surroundings won’t support you. They won’t see eye to eye. They won’t acknowledge your anger, or may overtly disagree with it. They will throw cerebral, clinical, good-of-the-many type arguments and considerations at you.

You will meet people with frustration and difficult feelings and be met with talking points that feel rehearsed. Those Scorpionic feelings that arise can feel oh so genuine...and they are. They just don’t matter right now. At least, that’s what people will tell you.

Additionally, tighter social and civic norms will arise that compel an examination of emotional processes. Do I think masks will go back to being mandatory in this era of covid? No. But I do think that there will be a spike in fear and concern similar to what we saw over the summer during the Mars-Saturn opposition. This fear also spiked back in wintertime during the previous Mars-Saturn square and back at the beginning of Covid in March 2020 when Saturn and Mars were conjunct and everyone was panicking and buying too much toilet paper. Whatever happens during this particular Mars and Saturn engagement, you’ll have lots of feelings about it and so will everyone else.

Of course, the denial and challenges from Saturn feed the emotional alchemy that Mars set his eyes on. They give it fuel. By triggering you, they allow you to see those wounds that burden your psyche that you would have otherwise never noticed. In all the frustration and anger that this square causes, you will have the opportunity to release and heal the negative responses that arise within yourself.

In order to apply this to your own life a little more thoroughly, you should examine the fixed signs in your chart - Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. What planets do you have in them? What houses do those planets rule? Do you have a fixed sign rising? If you have a predominantly fixed chart, you will find this period to be more challenging than most. Especially fixed rising sign and fixed moon.

However, the other two water signs, Cancer and Pisces, as well as Capricorn and Virgo, will find that this period brings a greater-than-average amount of clarity and focus. The earthy workhorses of Cap and Virgo will have more focus and drive to accomplish things, and our watery friends Cancer and Pisces will find more emotional and intuitive insight coming to them, and will also have greater success establishing boundaries.

In sum, will this Saturn-Mars square be easy? No. No such thing exists. Will it be productive? Absolutely - about as productive as a Saturn-Mars Square can be, in fact.

Again, this aspect begins on October 30th. It will build in energy until it reaches its apex when it perfects on the November 19th. After that, the tension will begin to wind down, and we will an opportunity to integrate and process the challenges that arose.

Magical Practices to Flow through this Transit

Those of you who have read my work for a long time know that I am all about the practical. It’s not enough for me to label every aspect that happens as a “portal for our evolution into higher conscious states of spiritual awareness and oneness” and leave it at that. I want to give you something that will actually help you accomplish whatever that means.

First off, this square is happening alongside the passage of the Sun through Scorpio. This makes everyone a lot more intense and personal, but it also means that any of the practices you apply that I wrote about in that article will work here too.

Second, if you don’t have a meditation practice, then you should definitely start one. No astrological practice is complete without doing some daily spiritual work to perfect the soul and connect with your own starry, absolute essence. I specifically teach meditation in my own astrology class, GNOSIS, because spiritual practices such as these inform all other sides of practical astrology, magic, and simply living a good, virtuous life in the best sense.

Third, you should engage in astrological magic to Saturn and Mars. Don't listen to the hype. Working with malefics, especially if you follow the instructions in my free guide Secrets of the Seven Stars, is a fine and healthy practice.

Summon these planets. Ask them to help you. Ask them what they are trying to teach you right now. This will make the entire month of November so much smoother. There’s really no reason not to do this.

Astrological magic aside, black kyanite, black tourmaline, and shungite are all excellent stones to work with to help ground you and tune out an overly-intense emotional background noise in your life. Wear them on your person, and ideally touching your skin.

Best of luck! If you follow the advice that I give you properly, you will be very well equipped to handle this aspect and really grow from it, instead of having it take over your own life. That’s what being a masterful mage is all about.

Own your power.

-Merlin