The Planets This Week 2/17/2020

Welcome back! Pluto/Saturn took out more of me than I expected, so I haven’t been on here as much as I’d like. Luckily, I have some contingency plans to make sure that doesn’t happen as much.

Plus, we have a big week.

Mars in Capricorn

Mars entered Tropical Capricorn and that’s not a terrible thing. Actually, since Mars is exalted in Capricorn, it’s the best sign for this planet.

Why? When planets enter Capricorn, they’re made to put on their “work clothes.” They’re given direction and focus, throwing their energies into discipline, structure, and ambition under Saturn’s ruling sign. Mars, a fiery, energetic planet that controls our physical outputs and aggression, is like a little angry kid. And what do you do with an angry kid, or some other petulant person with too much time on their hands and a lack of focus?

You give them a job.

Mars in Capricorn is energy working towards a goal. For the next month and a half, it’s giving some much-needed focused energy to those born under this sign, and a positive boost to people born in Taurus or Virgo. However, it can give restless energy to cardinal signs.

This week and next, people born in early Cardinal signs and early earth signs will be feeling it. People born later in these signs will be feeling it, too, but they will also be feeling Mars added to the energies of the big planets affecting their suns as we speak. However, this energy shift is still going to be overshadowed by that infamous astrological phenomenon:

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury will be retrograde starting Tuesday. In all places, it will be retrograde in Pisces, where it’s already fallen. Luckily, unlike this time last year, it won’t be conjunct Pisces’ ruler, Neptune, but it will be close. Also thankfully, it will move into Aquarius in the last week of Retrograde and it will be short, lasting about three and a half weeks.

Globally, this won’t be a nasty one. it’s not making any aspects to malefics, hard aspects to anything, or conjunct any “enemy planets” like last year (looking at you, Neptune). That said, standard rules apply: take more time to get anywhere (yes, that means setting that alarm a few minutes earlier, and setting a few more alarms in case the first one bugs out), factor in wiggle room if you are travelling, and if you have to sign a contract or start a new job, double and triple check everything before you sign. Also, try to suspend big purchases or double and triple check your finances if you have to make them, especially if Mercury is travelling through your second house.

Speaking of houses, as usual, check the house Mercury is transiting retrograde in in your chart. That’s where you will encounter Mercury retrograde shenanigans the most. If it’s transiting your third or sixth, you will have a stereotypical retrograde: losing or misplacing things, travel and communication delays, etc.

And remember, Mercury Retrograde is a nothing-burger at best, a nuisance at worst unless it’s hard-aspecting (square or opposing) any planet, conjunct an “enemy planet” (for Mercury, that’s Jupiter and Neptune), or aspecting a malefic in any way (Mars, Saturn, Pluto), so pay attention to where your natal planets are vs. Mercury!