Mars close approach to earth

[Beardman]

In 2018, Mars will appear brightest from July 27 to July 30
Mars Close Approach is July 31, 2018

That is the point in Mars' orbit when it comes closest to Earth. Mars will be at a distance of 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers). Mars reaches its highest point around midnight -- about 35 degrees above the southern horizon, or one third of the distance between the horizon and overhead. Mars will be visible for much of the night.

By mid-August, Mars will become fainter as Mars and Earth travel farther away from each other in their orbits around the Sun.

Miss seeing Mars Close Approach in 2018? The next Mars Close Approach is Oct. 6, 2020.

Source: NASA

Mars Retrograde in Capricorn June 26 – August 27

During the afternoon of June 26, Mars begins a retrograde cycle at 16° Capricorn which will drag him back over ten degrees in the zodiac to 5° Capricorn on August 27. This retrograde motion will keep Mars in lockstep with Ketu, as described above in the section about the Mars and Ketu conjunction.

This brings a third planet into the retrograde club for a spell. Jupiter and Saturn are currently retrograde, with Jupiter resuming direct motion July 10 and Saturn resuming direct motion on September 9. With Mars going retrograde in tight conjunction with Ketu, a naturally retrograde mover, we are seeing a bit of tension being built up by too much reversal of behavior that comes from retrograde motion of planets.

Because of the Mars-Ketu combination, we will have extreme focus on the Cancer-Capricorn axis during this summer, especially with the help of Mercury who will be joining Rahu in Cancer. Adding the Sun and Moon into this, our eclipses come in July and August: partial solar eclipse July 12, total lunar eclipse July 27 and another partial solar eclipse August 11. We get a bonus eclipse this year, instead of a pair, we get a trio this summer.

All of this retrograde energy may feel like we are not gaining ground and forward progress is impossible. Indeed, this could be a time where it would a great struggle to begin new things. A more harmonious approach to being sandbagged by the planets in this way could be to let go of the need for brand new shiny pursuits in favor of digging in and making sense of what is already in front of us. We have a great opportunity to root out weakness, reinforce foundations, fertilize crops that are already in the ground and clean up the abundant messes that we find surrounding us.

This retrograde period of Mars represents two of the six months that we see him transiting through his exaltation sign. When Mars is exalted, we expect the best results from Mars, which is seeing power channelled into constructive projects rather than being spilled in anger or frustration. When Mars is exalted and retrograde at the same time, we must be vigilant about where we are directing our power, as Mars' best intentions for good could be twisted by the retrograde motion.

The other factor is that Ketu, the headless one, is known for causing mistakes and mishaps. This added to the firepower of Mars could be a recipe for disaster. When dealing with anything of great power during this time, please step back and double check all connections to ensure the safety of all involved. We are talking about machinery, equipment, boats, cars, fuel, resources and most importantly, fire. Keep your head on straight and don't risk adding intoxication into any situations in which you are responsible for managing power. Good advice for any time or any planetary configuration, but especially emphasized during this Mars retrograde period.

[Beardman]

All of this retrograde energy may feel like we are not gaining ground and forward progress is impossible. Indeed, this could be a time where it would a great struggle to begin new things.

 

 

We can make the above statement false by starting new beginnings with our freewill successfully, what say?

[Fish]