we are heading into an interestingly alignment of planets that is building now but is exact next week. on august 24th mars and saturn- known as the malefics in ancient astrology- align at 9’52 sagittarius. and three days later venus and jupiter- know as the benefics in ancient astrology- align at 27’21 virgo. the meaning of malefic is ‘causing or capable of causing harm or destruction’ and in astrology this term relates to saturn and mars because traditionally they are seen as having an unfavorable influence. on the other hand benefic means ‘beneficent or kindly’ and in astrology this relates to jupiter and venus because they are traditionally considered to have a favorable influence.
when i first heard about these terms i was slightly up in arms- as with my background in depth psychology i know that there is no such thing as something that is all Light and no shadow just as there is no such thing as something that is all shadow with no Light. the yin yang symbol (or the symbol of the tao) accurately displays this by showing a half of a circle that is white with a dot of black in it and vice versa. ‘both Light and shadow are the dance of Love’ (rumi) and the two are intimately related to each other. in fact enlightenment is really about enchanting the Light and the dark into Union- which is what brings wholeness about ;)
so yes mars and saturn are known as the malefics and yes they can be heavy and carry some big karmic weight. mars is the planet of war and he governs anger, aggression, violence, surgery and knives. yet he is also the planet of will, drive and direction- and when we have a healthy working mars we are able to make our mark on the world and we have healthy boundaries to boot. saturn is the Lord of Karma and Father of Time and he governs limitation, restriction, discipline, self mastery and spiritual adulthood. saturn forces us to grow up- and if we are on board with this evolution he can reward us for the hard inner and outer work we commit ourselves to. if on the other hand we want to stay spiritual children and not be accountable for our actions and not pay the consequences for choosing Unconsciousness over consciousness- then we will see him as negative and we will resist his energies and lessons (but what we resist persists!).
the mars/saturn alignment on the 24th can be heavy but it can also be grounding. it can be harsh but it can also be real. mars/saturn can help us to step up and mastery our will, desires and ego energies so that they are working with us and for us rather than against us. yes mars/saturn can be limiting, restrictive, depressing and irritating. but it can also be an opportunity to creatively work within limitations and show the Universe that we are ready to take full responsibility for where we are at in life as well as full responsibility for where we are going. when you look back over your past with saturn’s eye you see all the ways you did not show up and did not do your best and with this knowledge you can see clearly what you need to change in order to not repeat the past. the key is not getting stuck in the poor me/victim stance otherwise you will just spiral into depression and stop taking healthy conscious actions for your own betterment in life.
that is where venus/jupiter come in. these two are the benefics and they were called this because they are the brightest planets in the sky. they translate a lot of Light- so when you get the two together you get massive Light downloads incoming. with this illumination occurring in virgo the focus is on your path of service (either awakening to it or a new part of it revealing itself), deeper well being health and healing, profound discernment and clarity of self and others, and anchoring into deeper reservoirs of humility and integrity. wherever virgo is in your natal chart is where the massive amount of Light is being translated (so check your weekly horoscopes).
of course since i am into depth psychology i have to make mention here that both venus and jupiter have a shadow ;) venus can overindulge and be overly focused on what she desires at the expense of others or her own pocket book and jupiter can think he knows it all which can turn into hubris and an inability to understand other people’s Truths. luckily they are both in virgo- a sign that has a natural ability to reign things in and not over do it (thank Goddess).
so i see this malefic benefic dance as one door closing and another opening. in one area of life there are karmic consequences playing out, the need for closure and completion and the need to show up and do the work. whereas another area of life a major door is opening and massive gifts, opportunities, connections and/or collaborations are incoming. the key is in realizing what door is closing and doing what you need to do to complete that process. and then we need to stay open to the new that is coming in. when we are busy holding on to the people, places, things or emotions of the past we keep ourselves energetically tied to the past- which hinders our ability to move forward and onward in life.
this can also play out as one area of life requiring a lot of hard work to really make something of it- whereas another area of life the gifts are just pouring in naturally. i see saturn in the natal chart as the place where we have lessons to master in this lifetime whereas jupiter is where we have the gifts of lessons mastered in the past. in theory our jupiter in this lifetime could have been our saturn in the past- and our saturn in this lifetime could be our jupiter in the future. the key is in learning to work with them from a neutral space- not chasing jupiter’s gifts and boons but also not resisting saturn’s hard earned lessons. sitting with both of them and allowing both to teach us is the key to mastery (and perhaps sanity) right now.
in the coming week give thanks for the lessons of the past and if you are ready, willing and able you can let go of karmic patterns that have been playing out perhaps for lifetimes. letting go opens you up energetically to the new that is just waiting to come in. when one door closes, another opens. such is the dance of life!
blessings…
~divine harmony