January 2/3: Mars and the Tarantula Nebula transmute aggression into productivity; Pluto and star cluster M70 help to fix collapsed situations

January 2/3: Mars is in ecliptic conjunction to the Tarantula Nebula and parallel to Pluto. This combination is extremely powerful, and must be channeled adequately. The Mars/Pluto mix usually matches dominant and aggressive behavior. Of course, being aware of this can help us channel this trend and transform it, making it work for a good or transcendent cause. This is about raising the manifestation of an intense and strong energy, using it as a leverage to achieve really important things! Leaving matters in the plane of the confrontation may have exaggerated and negative results. We must avoid unnecessary litigation, friction, dangerous provocations and even accidents by impulsivity. All this can be avoided, since the combination of Mars in ecliptic conjunction to Tarantula Nebula shows a great deal of productive activities for channeling such an energy, and this is because this nebula is huge, one of the largest known star-making regions. So, no shortage of activities into which we can channel the powerful Mars/Pluto parallel. There are no excuses for fighting when there are many other, better things to do ...

     This may include unresolved, pending issues aas well as new processes in gestation. It is as important to start fresh projects as cnsciously closing cycles that come to an end. The parallel Mars/Pluto is excellent for competitions, sports and training (without overdoing), and for deep cleansing at home or other places. But social and personal relationships may be affected with an impositive or dominant attitude. If we detect tensions between people around us, above all we must avoid power games, and put common goals as a priority. Common goals make an individual ego feel recognized, proud to be at the service of a collective mission. Remember, today and tomorrow, let's show kindness above everything else! For many, it will be a challenge, but it's worth to control oneself and be diplomatic.

     Interestingly, the Tarantula Nebula is not in our galaxy, but in a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way called the Large Magellanic Cloud, near the south pole. This galaxy, like other objects with extreme declinations, near the North and South poles, have largely been ignored because traditional astrology emphasizes the closeness to the ecliptic, zodiac, or apparent path of the Sun trough the celestial sphere, which is near to the Equator, far from the poles. However, the projection of its position toward the ecliptic makes us aware that Mars will be activating the nebula for a few days. The Tarantula is synonymous with great fertility and productivity, but being in another galaxy, it can symbolize an effort to achieve or be indicative of positive resources that are available, but untapped, as if they were separate, outside our main focus of attention. We should not underestimate talents and resources other than the normal ones. Like the Large Magellanic Cloud, sometimes small projects hold great treasures (in this case, the huge region of ionized hydrogen is the Tarantula). Anyway, to take advantage of them, we must work hard, and then it nis convenient to start the year 2013 with a dynamic progress in our activities. This will certainly be reflected in abundance and prosperity in the coming days.

     It should also be noted that Pluto is conjunct star cluster M70, located in the constellation (not the zodiac sign) Sagittarius. As Pluto is a slow planet, it is a marker of processes that take one to two years to develop, and may coincide with both social and personal events which imply transformations. Therefore, it is wise to know about Plutonian activity, because during the year, sooner or later we will be affected by the processes related to it. In this case, we must know about M70, a star cluster whose core has collapsed, which represents a lack of control, a loss of values, social confrontations, anarchy. However, M70 is also an indicator of stability, as it has the least number of variable stars in globular clusters in our galaxy. Therefore it symbolizes collapse conditions that gradually stabilize.

     This implies that for a good part of 2013, our job is to rebuild disasters, to support the solution of social problems or to get over personal meltdowns. No matter if it's something little or something big, the important thing is to contribute to the recovery and stabilization of collapsed situations. Pluto represents major changes and transformations, and if given proper use, it may indicate a positive development, a regenerative impulse, for the good. Therefore it is important to give a hand (or ask for one) to rebuild, rebirth, reinvent, recover what was lost in another form in the past, like a phoenix. At an international level, some situations will be enhanced and others will accentuate their collapse, but be sure most of them will not remain as they are. This trend will be in effect the whole month of January, until February 2. Subsequently, this conjunction will happen again in June, and then  during the months of October and November. But actually it constitutes the prevailing atmosphere during much of the year, a good background image for our individual, personal dramas.

      Definitely, the year 2013 has a very regenerative pull; let it flow and have clear objectives where to go after rebirth.This time, we must take those New Year's resolutions seriously...

      Greetings and have a happy and productive start of the year!

Carlos Duarte
Research Astrologer