Mars Opposite Neptune: Fighting the Fog

Mars is in Virgo opposing Neptune in Pisces right now. They pass like ships in the night as Mars is going forwards while Neptune is going backwards. So when Mars is at 26° of Virgo, Neptune is at 27° of Pisces but when Mars reaches 27° Neptune dodges back to 26°of Pisces. They get close by a few minutes but it’s like a dance.

In her book on Neptune Liz Greene sums up the complex and contradictory nature of this combination:

Dennis Wheatley by the way was a kind of whistle blower – chickens or not. He showed what the establishment was up to through the medium of fiction long before anyone else. This combination of energies is peculiar and can go in split ways. It has as Greene says a bad reputation of working some evil. Hannah Arendt’s study of Adolph Eichmann characterised the attitude the ‘banality of evil,’ but at the same time, it is also special as in Terry Eagleton’s definition- so it’s a conundrum and cannot be contained easily, more like wetiko which thrives exactly where it is most disregarded and misunderstood.

Mars is the planet of force and action opposing the planet of sacrifice, martyrdom, confusion and mystification so what comes to mind are mass suicides in Jonestown in 1978- when 918 people died voluntarily.  Mars was conjunct Neptune and Mercury in Sagittarius on that day November 18^th so that’s the combination of false messaging with religious fervour in the Scorpio season, which can point to the self- administered poison. And then there’s been a baby murderer who it turns out was protected by the health service bureaucracy.

This aspect is active for a few days before and after, but it reaches a peak on August 22^nd. But also we can point to what is currently boggling minds in the world:  Mass scapegoating, the dissemination of secrets and lies about the actual origin of the wildfires in Maui, Canaries and in Greece etc., and all the floods. Rampant ideological distortion pushing woke agendas where control and creating ghettos are the ultimate goals, so it’s more about greenwashing and virtue signalling than saving the planet, or any concern for minorities. And the forcible displacement of people, exiles, disillusionment, the use of AI to create deep fake videos- all of these could be heightened during this time. The push for war in China with Taiwan, and in Niger and Mali, against the French could be described. Niger has just discovered oil deposits and am sure there’ll be a competitive rush to exploit that resource.

Mars is needlepoint accurate in Virgo in its incisive digging, and Neptune, which has 14 moons, is still diffuse and foggy in Pisces- water and earth so it can leak into dark and hidden tunnels and create a mess.

These two planets do not mix well and can cause a lot of frustration where action is demanded but it is still not clear what action to take. Yet on the other hand people with this aspect in their birth charts can take direct spiritual action and be intensely intuitive and purposeful, and even healing. It can bring the esoteric to the forefront.

Just a quick look at a selection of people who have this opposition in their charts:

H.P. Lovecraft (b1890) who created the Cthulhu mythos of dark formless primeval creatures hiding in the cellar which is really inner space, our very own ancestral archetypes, has Mars opposing Neptune conjunct Pluto.

Bela Lugosi (b1892), the first great Dracula in film, has Mars opposing Neptune. But he suffered from severe alcoholism.

Truman Capote (b1924) author of ‘In Cold Blood’ (1966) dissection of a particularly gruesome murder had Mars opposite Neptune conjunct Venus.

Charles Manson (b1934) charismatic leader of a killer cult that circulated around him and allegedly took orders from him was born with these two planets conjunct not opposed so this stands out.

Iggy Pop (b1947) has Mars opposing Neptune and I see him as the ultimate trooper-survivor but he almost killed himself through drug addiction.

How to cope with this? Perhaps you’ll be lucky and it won’t affect you at all. But, we may need to just be aware that anything we hear about is not black and white, there are is a whole range of possible interpretations; and that there could be nefarious elements at work; and that some are conscious and deliberate working to cause harm, and some are unconscious, just as a result of human foibles and weaknesses and a bit of perverse psychology.  Tread carefully and interpret news wisely during this time- don’t fall under anyone’s spell whether that is politicians or people you know- watch for cat-fishers on the internet.

Avoid any inclination towards escapism, gloominess, despondency, watch for that death wish, over-indulgence in news that brings you no benefit. Be aware when you are being seduced by certain narratives. Be ware of cat-fishers on the internet whose sexual desire could catch you in their net.

And soon it will pass and we’ll have learned the lessons but as with many Neptunian aspects, it might leave a faintly bad smell that lingers for a while.