More importantly, stay aware of how you speak to others; particularly if you need to persuade them of something, it could be easy to come on strong. You only need to take a look at the field of Republican political candidates to get a sense of how Capricorn colors the less productive side of this conjunction: misusing power by misrepresenting oneself, misrepresenting the past, and man-handling established institutions. That could apply to the illustration of how leaders of developed nations influenced the COP21 climate summit in Paris, also.
In the end, both with those political examples and in your personal experience, a question emerges with Mercury-Pluto: Are you willing to accept what is necessary for growth and development? Remember the idea of a ripple effect and small first steps if that idea invokes anxiety for you.
Finally, because we do so much of our living, learning, growing, changing, loving and light-sharing in relationships with each other, a word about an aspect forming between Mars in Libra and Eris in Aries. These two planets, named after mythological siblings (each of whom had some anger management issues), are moving into an opposition that’s exact Sunday at 6:03 pm EST.
It can be easy to let your desires -- whether for acknowledgement, sex a certain way, an equal say, room for all parts of your identity, or something else -- hide in the shadows. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of asserting yourself. You might hurt the other person’s feelings; you might disrupt the seeming stability you’ve found or crave; you might have to reveal parts of yourself whose existence you barely admit to yourself; you might not be comfortable taking the lead; and so on.
Yet between the way Libra can compromise Mars’ ability to be direct, and the myth about Eris using covert means to express her hurt and anger over being left out (thereby causing tremendous chaos), it’s a good idea for the next few days to be extra-aware if you’re feeling at all frustrated, thwarted or passive in a relationship. Because those qualities and the current astrology could be a recipe for passive-aggressive behavior to get attention or get desires met. Since this is an opposition, you might find that you’re projecting this state onto another person, or that you’re seeing it mirrored back to you.
Either way, if some part of you is feeling left out or forgotten, remember to be direct about expressing this need. Diplomacy -- a hallmark of Mars in Libra -- is great up to a point, unless the other person is not getting the message. You don’t need to get into a power struggle or get manipulative, sneaky or overly persuasive (the Mercury-Pluto influence). Just make sure you are being clear, honest and accurate, and that you own your desires, frustrations and other feelings.
As mentioned, Pholus is in the picture. And Pholus is harmonious in aspect to both Mars and Eris, lending a hand. A little will go a long way.
This is just as true for expressing what’s missing in a relationship as it is for acting as if to hold the world together with a shared smile, or by walking instead of driving your car. You might have to reach into the dark to see what it is that wants to be brought to the light; and you might have to step from the shadows to let others see your own soul’s glow. But as we approach the longest night of the year, even a single candle can shine far and show you the way home.
