It’s time again for a “heads up” about Mighty Mars as he is seriously the boss now while all the grahas (planets, Sun, Moon and lunar nodes) as well as outer planets are now bowing down to him. This is because he is the final or sole dispositor of the sky mirror until May 19, with a small reprieve from May 11-13 when the Moon will break out into its own sign of sidereal Cancer for a few days. On May 19, Venus will move into its own sign of sidereal Taurus and this will break the current reign of Mars as sole dispositor. This dynamic has been in play on and off since the Moon entered sidereal Leo on April 16.

Here I am using sidereal zodiac (always) and traditional rulers (dispositors) of the planets, not modern ones. For instance, the Sun, Mercury and Venus are in Aries so they are all disposited by (ruled by) Mars who rules Aries. Jupiter and Rahu are in Leo which is ruled by Sun which is disposited by Mars. The Moon throughout this period is in Mars-ruled signs or signs that are disposited by planets in Mars’ signs, except for when it is in its own sign of Cancer. Saturn is in Scorpio with Mars/ruled by Mars. Uranus is in Pisces ruled by Jupiter which is disposited now by the Sun in Mars-ruled Aries. Neptune and Ketu are in Aquarius ruled by Saturn disposited by Mars. Pluto is in Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter disposited by the Sun in Mars-ruled Aries.

A “dispositor” means ruler. A final or sole dispositor occurs in a horoscope when one graha lies in its own ruling sign—like Mars in Scorpio now; while at the same time, all the others lie in signs which are owned by that ruling planet through a series of steps. A final dispositor is said to be the head of the chart, with full autonomy over all the others. In this case, Saturn is sort of vying for this position as he is the nakshatra dispositor or higher consciousness overseer of Mars. Let’s hope this partial sambhanda (Mars in Saturn nakshatra/lunar mansion and Saturn in Mars rashi/sign) means they will work in some harmony for positive results, rather than at odds which will lead to stressful results.

To a large extent, we each have a choice how it plays when we keep the inner connection with the Divine and surrender our egotistical will (Mars) to the higher will (Saturn). That means moving gently in ease; aligning with grace and the unconditional inner witness; not joining in the chaotic drama of the craving and obsessing monkey mind; hearts open to the sky with full breath; grounded and allowing, accepting, en-joying in the flow of the Divine moment by moment. The higher manifestation of Mars can help us do all of this!

However, everything in duality has a shadow, including Mars. In his lower expression, he is considered the most malefic (evil, difficult, challenging, willfull) of the grahas, and this is according to Vedic astrology’s Sage Parashara. And so, he tends to make the absolute worst final dispositor. He is the planet of willpower, sharp and quick actions, eruption, violence, energy, and conflict.

Mars is not always “evil” but he is now potentially so while transiting with enemy Saturn in Anuradha nakshatra which is ruled by Saturn. I have previously blogged about the Mars-Saturn dance in recent weeks and months, as well as having blogged my “Musing on Fire” two weeks ago, when I made a prediction that we would be having large fires burning out of control (which tragically is happening now in Canada).

Being retrograde and conjoined malefic enemy Saturn, Mars potentially disrupts the fire energy especially as Saturn fans his flames. On a positive note, with this Mars energy so intensely on board, we have a chance to reevaluate issues related to personal power, specifically how and where that power is being given away. This can be a great time to deal with personal problems and face our challenges if we slow down and “act, rather than react.” Yet, with the energy of both Saturn and Mars turned inward, external matters may not be easy, and the Universe may give us some intense “opportunities” to work on our “stuff.”

Mars corresponds to the third chakra, the will center known in the yogic tradition as the manipura chakra or “city of jewels.” This center regulates health through an energetic download into the digestive organs and adrenal glands. It distributes prana (life force) to the whole system. As the main karaka (significator) of the fire element according to Vedic astrology, Mars also relates to our mental strength, the courage of our convictions and self-worth.

Mars in Scorpio can usually give us some strong warrior energy to help us get things done quickly, but Saturn’s slower more inhibiting influence can point to some potential for frustrations, accidents, violence, stubbornness, impatience and conflict.

With Mars as the boss but under some frustration now, and with so many retrograde planets happening now, we can get hung up with decision making or make impulsive decisions that are not harmonious with our path and purpose. It can also be hard to set goals. So if this is true for you, take a chill pill and relax and please go with the flow and wait to be carried. This energy is intense and we can manage it better by slowing down and listening and being guided from within.

Now’s a good time to do health cleanses with Mars being so influential in the sign of toxins with disease significator Saturn. Work/karma yoga is important for a balanced Mars-Saturn; Haidakhan Babaji said, “Work is worship” so stay steady and devotional in your work to help Mars. The Hanuman Chalisa and other Hanuman practices are very helpful for this period. Lord Shiva, the great Narasimha or Archangel Michael can be propitiated for Mars pacification. Aerobic exercise in moderation is helpful, especially yoga or martial arts practices. Energy healing work for the solar plexus and head are useful, such as Polarity Therapy and Craniosacral work. We can pacify imbalanced or frustrated Mars (fire) with bitter herbs like gentian or aloe.

On May 22, a few days after Mars loses his final dispositorship, he will achieve his opposition, right after the full Moon in Scorpio where the full Moon will conjoin Saturn and Mars in Scorpio opposite the Sun and Venus in sidereal Taurus. The opposition phase of Mars always occurs 11 months after the conjunction with the Sun, and happens about five weeks after the retrograde phase of a planet begins, which was April 17 for Mars retrograde in this case.

Mars will remain visible for more than twelve months after opposition and then will disappear in the Sun’s glare in June 2017 as it approaches the next conjunction with the Sun in July 2017. Mars will be closer to the Earth on May 22. 2016 than it has been since 2005, but not as close as it will become in 2018. This means Mars will be very bright and powerful, so that his astrological essence will continue to dominate through at least the  next few weeks after the full Moon (and ongoing for other reasons we will discuss at another time). Astrologically, this lineup seems to promise a very emotionally intense and possibly conflictual or violent full Moon effect ahead for some people and locales, and I will write more about this soon. For more information regarding Mars Opposition on May 22, please refer to EarthSky.org