As humans, as conscious beings, it is our duty to recognize and respect the powerful energy we have access to and work with it responsibly.  Just like we must respect and work with powerful forces of nature like moving water or fire, we must respect and work with those natural forces that are unseen yet just as real.  Without conscious awareness of ourselves and the energies at play around us, we remain at the mercy of these forces working upon us and upon our lives, incapable of meeting them as a creator and asserting conscious will to harness these energies for a higher good - this is when natural forces such as this can be destructive rather than constructive.  We are the channels through which unseen energies manifest and act upon the world - we are its stewards - it is up to us to remain aware and to choose to act consciously and constructively.

​And that is where understanding the current astrology can be very helpful.

Astrologically speaking, a square is an interaction between two planets in two signs that is experienced in our lives as some kind of challenge - it represents an issue that comes up that requires our conscious attention to resolve, and the process of bringing it to resolution causes us to grow in some way.  This is because the zodiac is a circle - 360 degrees - made up of twelve signs measuring each thirty degrees.  The twelve signs are divided into four elements and three modalities, meaning every sign is a unique combination of an element and modality.  A square refers to the geometry of the angle at which the two involved planetary energies are intersecting - in this case a right angle or ninety degree angle.  If you have ever been at a four-way stop sign, you understand how ninety degree angles meet at an intersection and how when arriving at such an intersection we are always required to work out the entities that are intersecting in time in space, whether it is two cars at stop signs or the energies of two planets in the heavens.  

In astrology, the planets (outside of the luminaries - sun and moon) are all named after Roman deities - they are interpreted as archetypal energies.  The signs of the zodiac then each carry their signature energies that are like a prism that whatever planet/archetype is in "speaks" through or expresses through.  

In this case we have Mars in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn.  Any two planets at the same degree of Libra and Capricorn at the same time will be at a ninety degree angle to each other, because the signs of Libra and Capricorn are always at a ninety degree angle to each other.  Thus the energies of Libra and Capricorn are always at an intersection or impasse - they, by nature, are not congruent energies and therefore are energies at play in our lives that when intersecting always require effort on our part to harmonize.  

How well a planetary archetype can express through the energy it is currently transiting must also be taken into account.  

Mars and Pluto are powerful astrological players, and their energy is linked through the sign Scorpio, where Mercury, ruler of the mind, thoughts, and communication, happens to be in retrograde now.  Mars was the ruler of both Aries and Scorpio until 1930 when Pluto was discovered.  Mars is the personal planet named after the Roman god of war, and represents our sense of self and the divine masculine within all of us - our passion, motivation, sex drive, assertion of will, the ability to stand up for ourselves, and to go after our desires, defend, and protect.  Mars also rules our anger, rage, violence and destructiveness - it is the same energy.  Pluto, the most distant planet from the sun, is an outer planet that takes 280 years to completely transit the zodiac, and therefore works as a generational rather than personal influence unless it is activating a specific part of our chart.  Pluto is a force at work more deeply within our subconscious and psyche than Mars.  It is more about the shadows we are not conscious of that operate on almost an instinctual level.  Pluto is about power and transformation, regeneration, elimination, and the cycles of destruction and creation.  

This is why Mars and Pluto at an intersection have the potential to create profound transformation and momentum in our lives or be devastatingly destructive, and why it is important to understand the teachings of the Sorcerer card in the oracle.

Mars does not express all that easily in Libra, as Venus rules Libra.  That puts Mars in Libra trying to express through its exact opposite energy.  When approached consciously, working with Mars in Libra is actually a good thing for us - it just requires more effort than other Mars transits.  While a healthy sense of self and the ability to express directly and assert ourselves is necessary, our Mars needs to learn tact, manners and diplomacy as well.  There is a time and a place, and Mars in Libra isn't it.  When we are consciously working with Mars in Libra, we learn to compromise, cooperate, and respect the position of others without losing or disregarding ourselves.  We learn to make room for both for the sake of the relationship and the mutual good and goals.  If we are experiencing Mars in Libra from an unconscious place, then we may encounter problems when our overt self-assertion and any manner of direct confrontation will not be well-received, and stifled and frustrated Mars that is not being consciously managed and feels it has no avenue of expression will begin to seep out passive-aggressively trying to figure out how to be heard in this strange environment that feels so restrictive and unreceptive to any expression of self.  

Another way to think of Mars in Libra energy is that Mars is the warrior, and Libra is the sign of peace, harmony, balance, justice, and fairness.  One expression of Mars in Libra would be defending the peace, and standing up for equality, fairness and justice.  But the expression of Mars through Libra still applies - Mars must think and strategize rather than act impulsively and rashly.  Mars must be willing to hear the other side of the argument and consider it or it will not get anywhere in this energetic dynamic. 

Pluto is about power, and as a force that brings transformation through destruction and creation, relentlessly unearthing the truth by showing us what is rotten, it tends to show us the shadow sides of things first, before gifting us with the magical healing of phoenix-style rebirth.  Pluto operates through destruction then creation - at its core is the alchemical transformation of energy itself.  Capricorn is the sign of authority, responsibility, discipline, rules, limits, and boundaries.  Power and authority expressing together as it is now with Pluto transiting Capricorn is heavy-weight astrology.  It is serious stuff.  

So, with this Mars-Pluto energy at work for the first part of this week, we can access magic by our willingness to simply stay aware.  We can experience miracles just by honoring a commitment to respond rather than react.  We can harness this powerful energy in our lives to create a completely new and supportive energy in our lives when we realize we have the opportunity in each and every moment to choose that, once we understand with which energies we are working.  

Remember the wisdom of the Sorcerer.  When Mars-Pluto energy is activated within us from a place of being emotionally triggered and we react rather than respond, we will act out the low version of those energies.  We will attack, retaliate, lash out, and lock into subversive control tactics and manipulative power plays.  And when we do that, we will invite that same energy to be used in retaliation to us.  This energetic dynamic can get very ugly very quickly, and it is so destructive, there can be no winners.  

If you feel this energy surge up within you, meet it with awareness and love, be willing to explore where it comes from, and know you have the power to choose a different path.  Even if it only means resisting the urge to engage or defend, backing away and putting things on pause if only for a few days until this strong energy subsides, it can bring an amazing shift.  Especially for these three days (and actually this applies through November 12th's full moon all the way to when Mercury in Scorpio turns direct on November 20th, because during this time information currently unknown is still being revealed to us), if we simply reroute this energy by refraining from engaging in any sort of conflict that arises and instead redirecting it into what we are for and what we wish to create and pursuing our desires and dreams, we can expect miracles.