In astrology we have 3 categories of planets: 1) personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars), 2) social planets (Jupiter and Saturn), and 3) generational planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto).
If we want to understand someone’s personality we look at their personal planets – Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars.
If we want to understand how society works, we look at Jupiter and Saturn.
And if we want to understand how the Universe works, at a meta-level, we look at Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Basically, the farther a planet is from the Sun, the less it is about “Me” and the more it is about “We”.
If you want to know what will happen to you, you look at Sun or Mars. If you want to know what is going on in the world, we look at Jupiter, Saturn, or Pluto.
The personal planets are of course the most familiar, and the most accessible from an individual perspective. They are under our direct control.
The Sun and the Moon is our identity. Mercury is our thoughts, Venus our feelings, and Mars our actions.
Mars – The Bridge Planet
Mars is the most important personal planet from an evolutionary perspective, because it is the first personal planet that goes a full circle around the Sun.
As a comparison, Mercury and Venus never travel more than two signs away from the Sun.
And because Mars is the first planet to take this giant leap into the unknown, because Mars is the first planet to apply squares and oppositions to the Sun, Mars plays an extremely important role in our evolution.
That’s why Mars is a bridge planet – it bridges the personal planets with the social planets(Jupiter and Saturn).
Mars says: “This is who I am, and this is what I want, as an individual in my own right, with my unique wants and needs, and you, society (Jupiter and Saturn) had better listen to me, and take into account my needs”.
Mars – Me Against We
Of course, each person has their own Mars – their own wants and needs. And your friend, your spouse, or your co-worker’s Mars’ wants and needs, may clash with your own wants and needs.
Mars can lead to conflict.
That’s why Mars is not only the planet of personal assertion, but also the planet of war and conflict.
What do we do with all these people’s Marses that want different things? Should our consciousness get stuck at the “Mars” operating level, we’d become stuck in a permanent state of conflict.
Thankfully, we don’t stop at Mars.
Jupiter – The Path Of Least Resistance
The planet that comes after Mars is Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and the first social planet.
Jupiter is the planet of consensus and coherence.
In our evolution, there comes a time when it doesn’t make sense to operate from our individual needs alone (Mars), but to merge with others and reach a consensus (Jupiter).
There comes a time when we need Jupiter.
Jupiter is the sign of justice, morals, and what everyone agrees on. We all agree on some basic principles, such as human rights, or that we need health and education to function as a society.
Jupiter is what everyone agrees on, at least within our defined social circle: the community, village, town, country, culture, or religion that we belong to.
But Jupiter is not enough.
Saturn – Rings, Rules, Responsibilities
To make sure that these societal values are held, we need Saturn’s rings, rules and responsibilities.
Saturn makes sure everyone follows what society has agreed upon (Jupiter). That’s why Saturn comes with “how TOs”, procedures, enforced laws, and of course, repercussions.
Let’s take traffic as an example.
Imagine if there were no traffic rules. Everyone would drive as fast or as slow or as erratically as they wanted to, and in any direction (Mars). Drivers would not give way to others.
Of course, there are societies (with a weak Jupiter) where this kind of driving is a reality.
But in most places in this world, there is a consensus on how to drive. We have driving schools. We have traffic lights (Jupiter).
And, of course, we have paperwork, point systems, and fines (Saturn).
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
To make all this work, we need to follow the logical order or the planets.
We start from Mars. We need Mars to voice our opinion and to state our needs. And we need a lot of people acting from their Mars energy.
We need as many opinions as possible so that we can find the best Jupiter solution, the path of least resistance.
And if a consensus is not found – we can’t blame Jupiter. It simply means we haven’t done our ‘Mars homework’ properly.
It means there are not enough individuals voicing their points of view, debating, and exposing the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of other people’s points of view.
Only when we have enough back-and-forth debating (Mars), can a robust solution be found (Jupiter).
The dance of Mars and Jupiter is what democracy is about. The status quo (Jupiter) needs to be continuously challenged (Mars) so that we never become complacent (Jupiter’s dogma).
Once we formulate solutions that everyone can agree on (Jupiter) – then and only then – can we enforce this consensus with rules (Saturn).
Trying to enforce things that society has not agreed on with rules, will only backfire. Because this is not how the Universe works.
We cannot ‘force’ other people to follow rules they don’t believe in. We cannot ‘skip’ Jupiter.
That’s why, for example, politicians don’t just enforce rules. They try to ‘convince’ the public through television or other communication campaigns. If they are successful, people also accept Saturn’s rules.
But if the solution they come with is not in the best interest of the system – even if the rules are enforced – things will again, eventually backfire. People will rebel (Uranus, the planet following Saturn) against these rules.
The ‘Mars Homework’
TO RECAP: Any change in society starts bottom-up, with Mars. It starts with people expressing their needs.
Once enough opinions are being expressed, we move to Jupiter.
Jupiter finds the path of least resistance, the best possible solution, given the Mars circumstances.
The solution is then measured and controlled through Saturn’s rules and systems.
To get to Jupiter, to find a solution everyone agrees on, we need to do the ‘Mars homework’ properly.
The law and the politicians (Jupiter and Saturn) cannot independently solve society’s problems if there is not enough Mars. That’s why it’s our individual responsibility to get involved. To express our point of view.
In the coming months (from August 2020 to January 2021) Mars squares Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. This is a long and challenging transit.
Let’s take these challenging months ahead as an opportunity to do our Mars homework. Not to hurt each other, not to be the one that is ‘right’, but to exercise our free will so that we can find the best Jupiter resolution.
There are two ways to express our Mars energy: through healthy conflict (when we express our point of view with the aim of finding a solution, without hurting others) or through rage (when we seek destruction).
Needless to say, healthy conflict is preferable.
On December 21st, 2020 Jupiter is conjunct Saturn at 0° Aquarius. This is the beginning of a new era. All the ‘rules’ on how society works will be re-written.
And it’s totally up to us (Mars) on how this new world will look like.
Astro Butterfly