On July 1st and 3rd, 2021, we have some of the most charged energy of the year, as Mars hits 13° of Leo, and activates the square between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus.

The Saturn-Uranus square is the most powerful planetary force impacting the collective right now. Throughout 2021 (and tbh, since 2020 and into 2022), humanity is moving through a collision between innovation and tradition; freedom and control; power and institutions. Saturn represents the structure: traditions, policies, organizations, institutions. And Uranus is the call for revolution and form. Because Uranus is an outer planet, this transit is most acutely seen and felt on the collective level — in the news, in politics, in weather events, etc. (Unless, of course, you have personal planets or points at 13° of Taurus, Aquarius, Scorpio or Leo — keep scrolling to see how this will impact you personally).

As the god of war, conflict, and action, Mars has a tendency to throw lit matchsticks on powder kegs. Mars adds a lot of heat, activity, and movement in the zodiac signs he moves through. The last time Mars activated the Saturn-Uranus square was when Mars entered Taurus on January 6, 2021 — the same day as the attack on the US Capitol. During this time, we also saw massive weather events impact infrastructure that was in long need of repair and rejuvenation — take the Texas power crisis, which revealed the state's "lack of preparedness for such storms."

This aspect has been building up since late June, and since Mars entered Leo, we have already seen record-setting heatwaves, increasing drought, and warnings of a dangerous fire season ahead. And it's only going to intensify this week and next, as Mars moves through these volatile aspects to Saturn and Uranus.

As planetary energy, Mars is all about action, movement, and violence. If Venus' job is to build bridges and diplomatic ties, then Mars' job is to burn those bridges — to declare war, to annex, to conquer. In the modern days, we embody Mars energy when we demonstrate courage, when we sacrifice ourselves for a greater cause, when we complete and when we exert our will into the world. Mars adds an extra intensity, a sense of urgency, that can make us feel very impatient. However, this impatience is going to run into problems, as Mars forms an opposition to Saturn and then a square to Uranus, as we'll see in the next section.

Mars opposite Saturn on July 1 — velocity and speed meet concrete boundaries

And when Mars faces off against Saturn, the stern patriarch of the zodiac... It's kind of like a sports car slamming into a brick wall. Mars wants to move forward, but Saturn says "Not so fast, kid."

Saturn puts up roadblocks and barriers, slowing us down with paperwork, rules, regulations, and other kinds of nit-picky details. And because Saturn is currently in Aquarius, a sign where it is extremely powerful, Saturn is ruthlessly efficient in stopping us from moving forward. Our ability to act and accomplish what we desire might be thwarted or frustrated by circumstances outside our control.

But Mars wants to go — fast. Mars wants to bust through its obstacles. Mars doesn't want to do the paperwork and get the permits. There is a very strong feeling of frustration and obstinance in this transit. Mars' energy is inhibited and frustrated. There's a strong sense right now of being stuck — everything is a grind, everything is hard, and there is just so much to fucking do.

Mars opposite Saturn asks us to put our nose to the grindstone and to test our endurance. It makes us feel like we need to go, go, go, but there's nowhere to go TO. We just have to do the fucking work. And it sucks. And is annoying. And feels extraordinarily oppressive or restricted or frustrating.

There are so many ways this might be appearing in your life — you might be working on a project at work that just feels like a huge slog and like your boss will never be happy. You might have a million orders to fill or commissions to produce and you can't get ahead of the work. You might be stuck in an impasse with your partner, who refuses to change.

How can you find moments of pause and stillness within the noise? Are there ways you can stop pushing for a moment? Sometimes with Mars opposite Saturn, we get tunnel vision and a sense that the only way out is through. But is that true? Is that answer to just push push push until we're worn out? What if you just... pressed pause for a bit? Or what if you looked for another way around? Maybe there's a solution you haven't noticed.

Sometimes when you're stuck on a video game level or a crossword puzzle, the best thing to do is to put it down and go do something else for a while. This transit very much has that feeling to me. Mars opposite Saturn is recognizing the need to put it down and walk away. And Mars square Uranus, a few days later, might be the sudden realization or idea that finds a way through.

Mars square Uranus on July 3, 2021 — reckless abandon

The frustration and stagnation of the Mars opposition to Saturn soon takes on a very different tone, when Mars squares Uranus.

In the Astrology Podcast's monthly forecast, they referred to Mars and Uranus as "dangerous friends," which I think is a beautiful analogy. Mars and Uranus hype each other up and bring out their reckless side. Mars is the god of action, drive, courage, and war, while Uranus represents moments of sudden change, rebellion, and revolution. Uranus can have us quitting our jobs on a whim — and Mars will have us yelling and screaming obscenities while we drive off into the sunset.

After being scrutinized and criticized by Saturn, the square to Uranus might have us wanting to blow off some steam. If you got a really big cosmic "no" on the 1st, by the 3rd, you might be feeling ready to say "fuck it" and burn it all down. Before doing that, I invite you to pause and take a deep breath. This might not be the best time to make life-changing or irrevocable decisions. Impatience is in the air. Uranus can make us extremely impulsive, and Mars can add a self-destructive streak to that impulsivity. We still have a bunch of activations of the Saturn-Uranus square to go. The story is not over yet.

But what does it mean?!

Most likely this transit will make itself known most obviously at the collective level. But, we are all human beings who need to exist within this energy. There is a LOT of tension this week (...and this whole month, tbh). There is definitely a sense that nothing is good enough and there is way too much to do and way too little time. We might feel like we're drowning under the weight of our obligations and like everything is HARD.

Try to be as gentle with yourself as possible. If you can cancel plans or keep your schedule light, that will help you be a bit more flexible in managing whatever comes up. But even if you can't (after all, we need to live our lives!), just set your expectations lower. Things might take much longer than you want them to take. You might FEEL frustrated and like nothing is happening. Take a deep breath and remember that this feeling WILL pass. If you can't move forward, just stop, do your due diligence, and then pick back up when you can.

This is also an important moment to reflect on some of the underlying structures of your life. Are there any responsibilities that are weighing you down? Any obligations you took on that you now realize you don't have the energy for? This transit is BIG — the things it is stirring inside of us are things we probably are reluctant to look at and admit. But transits like these have a habit of FORCING us to deal with the things we've been ignoring for a long time. And with Mars in the mix, you might suddenly find yourself at a breaking point or a point of burnout that you weren't expecting.

Check your chart

All transits are going to show up in your life differently, depending on your particular birth chart and your unique life experience. However, there are ways for you to tell (at a glance) whether this transit will be particularly impactful for you.

What is your Rising sign?

People who have a Fixed sign in the first house will feel this transit much more loudly in their personal lives. That means if you are a Scorpio, Aquarius, Taurus, or Leo rising, these transits will be taking place in an angular house for you. Angular houses (the First house, Fourth house, Seventh house, and Tenth house) are the "loudest" houses in our charts — they govern things like our identities, our homes, our partners, and our careers, so we tend to notice when shit goes off in that part of our chart. Even if you don't have any planets in those houses, simply being a Fixed rising sign makes this transit more important and impact for you.

Do you have any personal planets or points near 13° of Fixed signs?

This is where we start to get even more specific! Pull out a copy of your birth chart so you can follow along. (I have a free guide on how to look up your birth chart on my blog.)

Look at the signs of Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio. Do you see any planetary glyphs between 10° and 16° of the signs? If so, that means you have a natal planet being activated by this transit. Prioritize the personal planets (the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) when you do this — those planets are going to be a lot more sensitive and impactful than an outer planet like Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto.

Next, look to see if you have an angular degree in those zodiac signs. Basically, do you see the letters "AS" (Ascendant), "DS" (Descendant), "MC" (Midheaven), or "IC" (Imum Coeli) in those signs? If so, that is another clue that this transit will be particularly impactful for you.

If looking at your birth chart feels totally overwhelming — or even anxiety-inducing — why not schedule a birth chart reading? A reading with a professional astrologer gives you a map for how to navigate your chart and figure out wtf all those symbols mean — and most importantly, how they all fit together.

Learn more about astrology readings

I truly hope this transit treats you kindly, friends. It's a very overwhelming time. Between confronting a genocidal settler-colonial history and living with the effects of climate change, we're all really going through it right now.

If this transit is popping up in your birth charts, I'd love to hear from you and learn more about how you're doing and how the astro-weather is showing up for you. As always, if you need any additional support to move through this whirlwind of a time, my books are open.