Preamble

In a Sphere + Sundry first, the write-up for Mars-Jupiter was generously penned by its electional architect, Austin Coppock, who also hand-mixed the Incense-Powder to spare its Mother over-exposure given her
~ delicate condition ~.

Thanks and appreciation to him, whose pen rides again! And what exquisite timing, as a new cohort for Austin’s Year 1 Fundamentals of Astrology program is being onboarded on Friday 12/15, and a handful of new downloadable lectures + workshops have been added to the website!

Talismans from the Mars-Jupiter election will be released in the coming months (the secret ingredient in Tony’s #sickgains post from Nov 2022!).

Without further ado…

Core Write-Up

The arrow is nocked, the bow pulled tight. Holding the tension without tension, the moment’s depth drowns chattering spirits. Clarity awaits the Kairos moment of release.

Loosed, mid-air the arrow becomes a hunting hound, chasing down and seeking its quarry across fields, forests and open streams, up mountains, and down rabbit-holes. In pursuit, single-minded desire traces a sigil pattern, its shape the great seal of accomplishment and success.

The Selected Moment

For this work, Mars was approached during the Day and Hour of Mars, in Aries, its home base and domicile, in the 10^th house, further reinforced by the co-presence of Jupiter in the Ram’s sign.

Dignified and strong in this chart, Mars looks down from the high ground with strategy and patience. No mere berserker, under Jupiter’s tutelage Mars becomes intelligent, judicious, and fit for command.

The Moon, key for the earthing of any celestial power, was also in Aries, immensely strengthened via conjunction with potent Jupiter. Though possessing a measure of light, the Moon in this chart is quite intentionally waning, as in Hellenistic texts, the waning Moon is thought to mitigate Mars’ excessive heat, which can easily scorch both body and psyche. This well-placed, temperate Moon also serves as ruler of the 1^st, granting the work an executive power in line with its purpose.

While Jupiter and the Moon share the 10^th with Mars, they do not do so as equal partners. Mars unambiguously leads the trio— in and through adversity, toward triumph, accomplishment, and then on to the next challenge.

Strength, Force, Power

It is important to differentiate the martial strength present in this operation from other flavors of red-planet potency. When Mars is “strong” (meaning that it is in one of his chosen signs and in an angular house) it becomes independent, competent, fearless, and forceful, but also impatient, ferocious, defensive, anti-social, and bloody-minded. The unalloyed Martial pulls everything into a combative framework. Everything’s a fight, everyone’s in competition.

Though the unmitigated Mars has a place in life’s arenas and battlegrounds, it can lead to adrenal burn out and scorched relationships. In order to prevent this, this series was created at a time when Jupiter was in prime position to aid, educate, and uplift Mars. A talented soldier refined and made suitable for command. 

An Imaginary Anecdote

The first time I immersed myself in Mars-Jupiter materia, I was moved to write a brief story in order to understand the qualities what I was experiencing.

Though some of you reading this are, quite understandably, not rabid fans of amateur military fiction, the passage below was how the character of this series first unfolded for me.

“In the first moments of the surprise attack, we were panicked. Running, frozen stiff, firing wildly, we were uncoordinated, incoherent, our actions wildly useless.

Then the commander appeared, simple and firm, and got everyone back in line. The moment did not call for heroics, it called for clarity. Sanity amidst the storm.

We found out later that the enemy’s surprise attacks that day had routed positions up and down the front— but not ours. Their weapons were fear, shock, and confusion, and when we proved invulnerable to those, they found themselves standing toe-to-toe with a strong, organized, and skillful opponent. We watched it dawn on them that they were not swooping in to finish off a scared rabbit, but had instead flown right into the jaws of a hunting hound. Each of us a tooth, together we chewed –efficiently, methodically— destroying their fighting capability and will.”

There is tremendous value in cutting through the internal fog of war, the red cloud of the fight/flight/freeze responses. Indeed, it is not the presence of overwhelming strength of arms, but rather the absence of confusion, which decides the outcome of many contests.

When this internal fog is parted, what is revealed one’s actual strengths. So often when challenged we lose sight of our real capacity. We focus on the daunting power of the obstacle, the danger the opponent poses, the terrible consequences of failure. Eyes full with this, we cannot see our own capability.

This is what Jupiter can do for Mars— clear the negative ideations that wreath and obscure challenges and conflicts. The challenge is still a challenge, but it is finite, and knowable, not a monster hallucinated against a backdrop of churning mist.

We Are The Champions 

Champions are rarely the result of solitary genius. No great team without a great coach. No Mike Tyson without Cus D’Amato, no Daniel LaRusso without Nariyoshi Miyagi, no Easy Company without Dick Winters.

Champions arise from the synergistic dyad between competitor and coach. Mars the warrior and doer, Jupiter the guru, teacher, and guide. Though it is the heart of the champion which regularly garners praise, it is the training and mind of the champion that is responsible for success, and it is Jupiter’s excellence to facilitate development and clarify the mind.

Yet good coaching and fine training is not enough. The aspiring champion must do, and do well. This is not a Jupiter series, it is Mars materia, and the doing is the point. The coach is there to facilitate the athlete’s optimal performance. Jupiter is present to advise and assist Mars here, not replace him.

The results of this work are thus appropriate not only for the competitor, but also for the coach, the officer, the leader, and teacher.

That Dog

As I finished writing the short military vignette above, Kait came to report that a black dog had appeared. Though we see animals in the yard every day, this was the first dog. It was especially relevant, as I had been hemming and hawing about the “…right into the mouth of a hunting hound” line. I had vacillated between wolf, hound, and tiger before settling on the hound, as it was the only one of the three which combined ferocity with training. It was nice to see my choice confirmed a few minutes later with the dog’s appearance.

The dog has come to be an important key for my understanding of this series. While my experiments with it always began the clarification of mind and goals described above, what followed was a trance of tenacious goal-pursuit, like the hunger of fire for wood. Accomplishment not as a positive abstraction, but as food, as fuel— as a necessity. The hound loosed and on the hunt.

This sequence—first clarity, then victory— is a signature for this series. The bow drawn, held, and loosed. The tension required to select the perfect moment to cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war.

Uses and Abuses

Recommended uses for this material are: stoking the desire-to-act, fortifying tenacity and capacity, removing the noise from task-selection, and dissolving mental hindrances to action and accomplishment, such as fear, anxiety, concern and over-complication.

The emphasis on clear sight of objectives and obstacles makes this helpful for afflicted Mars positions in a way that most Martial works are not, as it does not simply strengthen the power of action, but is of specific aid in matters of judgement— when and why to take action, not simply how.

This series will ill-fit situations where there are no goals or tasks. Though the Jupiter influence gives a certain calm, it is still essentially mission-driven. Like a drawn bow, it needs to be pointed in a direction and released. Like any Martial magic, it is at odds with processes that are fundamentally gentle.   

Though remarkably temperate for Mars in Aries, the series still possesses heat. It is like a hot sauce which is mild at first, and even sweet, but builds with each bite. Excessive application will exacerbate anger and inspire overexertion.

Info Sheet + Syncs

Kaitlin again here! For a punchy explanation of the Mars-Jupiter series and what it can be used for, the Info Sheet that comes with each order has been posted here.

There are a couple of fun syncs to report as well, one being that the conjuration for this operation called to Mars as ‘Packmaster‘ (observed in Austin’s prayer excerpt below), which becomes especially interesting given the later hunting hound/ dog confirmation.

The second is that this election features a Gaja Kesari Yoga, which existing Clients may remember from the write-up for Regulus III: Heart of the Lion-Elephant.

An elephant carrying the Solar glyph appeared in a lens flare on the altar mat for Mars-Jupiter, with an arrow below pointing toward it. I believe this to be an early indicator of this series’ ability to lay the foundation for Solar work and the cultivation of healthy Masculine energies at large, since Aries holds the keys to the Sun’s Exaltation.

I anticipate many Clients will gain a cornucopia of ‘Yang’ benefits from engagement with this series that extend beyond the confines of the Martial and Jupiterian, into the Solar Sphere entire. Its energies serve as a training ground and priming influence for elemental Fire and the dignified and capable Masculine in ways that can benefit not only any individual who chooses to engage, but perhaps even — in anticipation of Neptune’s entry into the Ram’s domain, society at large.

Postamble

Photos will be added soon! I’m not posting them initially so the presentation is more of a surprise when the initial round of shipments arrive.

Note that if you’re on the lookout for something with less of an edge, or offerings befitting the scents and vibes of the winter season, Jupiter in Sagittarius II (especially Jup-Juice!) and Butter Ocean are both wonderful fits!