The combination of Mars in Gemini, the sign of communication, opposed to Pluto in Sagittarius denotes an escalation of verbal confrontation, threats of war and the concept of speaking truth to power. Rather than seeing outright war in the news, such as we have seen with Mars square to Pluto, we are seeing events that create the conflict that leads to war:

• A French official threatened war against Iran on Sunday, resulting in a flurry of counterattacks by Russia and China.
• The attack on civilians in Iraq by the US contractor Blackwater that resulted in the deaths of between 10 and 30 people has provoked increased anger in Iraq against the American presence there.
• Israel has cut off power and water supplies to the Gaza strip, setting the stage for increased conflict there.
• Also in Israel, Netanyahu admitted that Israel was involved in an air strike against Syria on September 6.
• NATO launched a new anti-Taliban offensive in Afghanistan.
• A student was Tasered when confronting John Kerry in Florida about why he didn’t contest the 2004 election.
• Jesse Jackson accused Barack Obama of “acting white” for failing to react to the violent “Jena 6”

Venus and Neptune are approaching an opposition which will be exact tomorrow, creating some confusion during this time that will make it more difficult to pursue the kind of self-examination required by the Mars/Pluto event. Although we are experiencing a heightened creativity now, there is also the possibility for delusion and confusion that combined with the bombastic verbal style of Mars in Gemini when opposed by Pluto could get us into trouble. Cultivating patience and attending to our creative and spiritual needs will assist in this process.