Mercury is the planet that rules over communication, the transmission of information and the operation of small machinery, and for the next week or so it will be under stress, potentially causing disruptions in the way we communicate with others and the smooth operation of business. 

Mercury is in its own sign of Virgo where it is usually practical and logical, good with details and effective in creating order out of the routine of day-to-day life.  It is approaching a conjunction to Saturn which will encourage us to take a more serious approach to the everyday workings of our life.  This is a time to knuckle down and honor responsibilities rather than seek the freedom of our individuality.

Mars is the planet that stimulates desire and passion, and it is in Mercury’s other sign of Gemini.  A heightened intensity in communication is one of the hallmarks of Mars in Gemini and we are certainly seeing this with the fervor exhibited in the Town Hall meetings over health care that began last week when Mars (aggression) made a square to Saturn (authority figures).. 

Mars in Gemini also seeks new experiences and does not like to be tied down, and as Mercury gets closer to the conjunction (a challenging aspect)  to Saturn it will also square Mars which will exacerbate the heightened passions that we are seeing and perhaps feeling as well. 

Mars is raw energy, and offers the potential to harness that energy and utilize it to accomplish our goals.  However, these are challenging aspects that make it necessary to use a conscious application of WIll in order to focus this energy in a specific direction and mobilize our intentions.  

The exact square from Mercury to  Mars will occur on August 27, so this tension is likely to prevail until then and will be most problematic for those of us with planets in the later degrees of the mutable signs (Virgo, Pisces, Gemini, Sagittarius).