The Fog of War: Astrology And Tarot Forecast – September 13th – 19th, 2021

By Nikki Harper | Guest Writer

The astrological energies this week are up, down and all over the place, but the most influential factor is the arrival of Mars in Libra on Tuesday. This drives us to see all sides to every possible story – but also to fight harder for the opinions we cherish. This creates a fog of confusion – it’s hard to fight your corner when you’re half convinced that the other side might be right after all. It pushes all the wrong buttons and infuriates us, often leading to passive-aggressive behaviour. We want to fight and we want to strike out, but in which direction, exactly, and towards what?

This fog of war feeling isn’t helped by the fact that it coincides with the annual Sun-Neptune opposition, which casts illusory shadows wherever we look. Neptune can be inspirational, magical and deeply spiritual, but when in battle with the Sun this planet tends instead to be deceitful, elusive and horribly difficult to pin down.

There is of course a more positive side to the Mars in Libra transit, which is that Mars can manifest through a drive for peace, mutual understanding and diplomacy, on the world stage as well as in our personal lives. This influence can be very beneficial for people who work in the arts or the creative industries too.

During Mars in Libra, physical aggression and posturing is toned down, so even the hardest nutter is likely to be more approachable and less likely to throw a fit. It’s all about mental combat instead, so opponents are outwitted on an intellectual basis rather than a physical one. This energy is great for debates and endless arguments, but the indecisive, easily-swayed streak within Libra still leads to the confusion and fog outlined above.

Thursday brings better news, when the Sun-Pluto trine prioritises common sense and a can-do approach to any problem rather than the subterfuge and fake passivity of earlier in the week. However, this relief is short-lived, because Friday’s Venus-Saturn square increases distance between “us” and “them”, de-personalising people we disagree with and adding angst and discord into even our closest relationships. Although this influence lingers only for 24 hours or so, it’s not a lot of fun, so there could be a tense weekend ahead.

Aries

Mars begins to transit your interpersonal zone, bringing great passion to your love life, but also an increased tendency to argument a huge need to “win” – rarely a positive factor in a personal relationship. Be careful this week that you’re not dominating your partner or sabotaging their chances. If you’re single, this influence pushes you to work harder to find a soul-mate, but that can be self-defeating. Instead, focus on being happy in your own skin.

Your tarot card this week: The Chariot

The imagery of being pulled in different directions is very apt for this week’s astrology. Strike a fine balance between doing what’s right for you personally versus what’s right for you as a couple (in your love life) or what’s right for you collectively (in a work-based team or a friendship set). You instinctively put your own needs first, but now is the time to steer carefully so that you don’t over-ride the wishes and feelings of others.

Taurus

Use this week’s energy to push for changes at work. If you have bright ideas, get them heard. If you’re working conditions aren’t right, stand up against that. If your colleagues aren’t carrying their weight, get that addressed. You naturally shy away from conflict but this week you’re being shown that sometimes, you do have to fight. The key is to do it quietly, calmly and without aggression. You’ll need to be careful not to come across as passive-aggressive instead, however. Be open about your intent.

Your tarot card this week: 4 of Swords

Not all of the changes you want to see can or will happen immediately. Set events in motion, but then be prepared to wait for the consequences to unfurl. Do not push the point or get stressed out in your impatience. You’re great at tenacity and staying power, so use that now. Sit on your hands if necessary, once you’ve set the ball rolling. You’ll be glad you did.

Gemini

It’s all to play for this week, with Mars riling up one of the boldest and most daring areas of your chart. Don’t be surprised if you feel extremely impulsive; in fact, you may struggle with impulse control. Risky behaviour is never far from your mind and you’re definitely driven to take a few chances, in all areas of life. There’s something to be said for this of course; it’s often better than just allowing life to steamroller you, but you’re not thinking as clearly as normal, so some of these risks are very uncalculated and potentially very loaded. Be careful.

Your tarot card this week: The Wheel of Fortune

When you spin the wheel, you simply cannot know what you’re going to get. You might win big, but then you’re driven to spin again, and this time, you lose everything. Alternatively, you might lose out first time round, but if you had the courage to spin again….who knows? This card is a reminder that everything changes. All the time. The only constant is that you won’t be in the same place in the future as you are now – so how much are you willing to gamble on an upswing rather than a downturn?

Cancer

If you’re hoping to move home or looking to sort out a domestic issue, Mars’ change of signs this week will be hugely helpful. Within your emotional family life, however, this influence brings discord, arguments, resentment and lingering feuds. Try to nip that in the bud by giving everyone the chance to have their say. Yes, that will be fiery, and it will hurt, but these thing are better out in the open than left to fester behind a charade of family life as usual. Don’t be afraid to either hear or say the hard stuff.

Your tarot card this week: The Star

This card is a healing influence and ties in with the underlying discord at home. Stop covering things up or pretending they haven’t happened; the way to heal is to be open and honest with one another, to discuss, to forgive, and to move on collectively. Take this card as a sign of hope; if things have been tough, they will soon get better. However, in order for that to happen, emotional honesty is essential.

Leo

This looks sure to be a very busy week for you, and with so much on your plate it’s easy to get frazzled, especially if you think other people aren’t pulling their weight. Try to get organized if you can, and remember that there’s a difference between “important” and “urgent”. Strategise accordingly. At work or within your family, pay attention to the way your words are coming across. You may be aiming for calm, strong leadership during this hectic period, but what your family or colleagues are hearing may translate as ‘psycho boss with an ego issue’.  Do you need to communicate more softly?

Your tarot card this week: The Knight of Cups

Your own mood affects and influences the moods of those closest to you. How you handle your own emotions this week will affect others, so you have a responsibility to stay calm and measured. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues, seek professional help for your own sake as well as out of kindness and respect towards those around you. You deserve to be well, and they deserve it too.

Virgo

The arrival of Mars in your money zone would typically be a positive thing, driving you forwards in business or employment and helping you to maximise your income and minimise your outgoings. The initial confusion surrounding this Mars transit is likely to throw you off balance, however, especially if you and your partner disagree about finances. It’s important to stay calm and to understand that you don’t have to make a decision instantly. Avoid impulsive reactions regarding money, and don’t agree to anything you haven’t thoroughly checked out.

Your tarot card this week: Six of Pentacles

Is it time to readjust your materialistic way of thinking? If you’re reading this, you almost certainly have “enough”. You have a wealth of tangible and intangible blessings in your life, and yet you constantly seek more. This card is a reminder that you have more already, much more, than many. Instead of chasing dollar signs, share your abundance with others. That doesn’t mean you necessarily have to give money away – far from it, but think about sharing your ideas, your experience, your expertise, maybe by volunteering to mentor someone.

Libra

Mars transiting through you sign boosts your personal power significantly and you’ll hopefully feel energized, enthusiastic and very positive this week. Ironically, since this week’s energies create decision-making difficulties for other signs, you’ll also feel much more decisive than normal, and less fearful of making the wrong choice. Armed with this new-found confidence, make some final decisions in areas of life where you have been dithering. Pick a path, and stick to it. Don’t look back. You have all the tools you need to move forwards now.

Your tarot card this week: 3 of Cups

Time for a party? If you don’t have anything particular to celebrate this week, celebrate life itself! This card encourages you to be joyful and to show gratitude and appreciation for all the good things in your life. It’s also an excellent time to share happiness with others – remember, happiness is a choice, and by embodying it, you can also inspire it in others. Other people’s happiness is not your responsibility, but if you can boost it, why wouldn’t you?

Scorpio

Craving some quiet time? The arrival of Mars in your spiritual zone is something of an enigma, at once pushing you to retreat into your own world yet at the same time pushing you to experience spiritual connection with others. It’s important that you have the right tribe around you this week, as you’ll want to feel comfortable discussing your spiritual experiences. Spend time alone too, journaling, practicing divination, dreaming, writing, meditating. There are answers in the cosmos for you this week, but accessing those answers requires you to first free your higher self.

Your tarot card this week: King of Swords

This card represents clarity, clear thinking, rationality and logic. It urges you to discern real from fake, particularly if you are trusting in a spiritual guru of any kind. More, it urges you to be your own guru. Rationality and logic are not alien to spiritual experiences and it is possible to be deeply spiritual while also being rational. Don’t be gullible, and don’t be drawn in by people who claim to have all the answers. The louder they shout, likely the more clueless they actually are.

Sagittarius

You’re feeling a strong connection to the planet and to your fellow travellers this week, with Mars driving you to create connections, bonds and shared common purpose with those around you. Frustratingly, of course, not everyone is on your wavelength, and Mars may urge you to cut ties with someone who is holding you back. If you do this with an open heart and with no malice, you will be stronger for it. You have a vision of the future; follow your drive towards that vision, collecting like-minded souls along the way.

Your tarot card this week: Ace of Wands

A new direction for you is starting to fall into place this week. You can see great potential ahead, but you’re not quite there yet. Seek inspiration in whatever way works for you; it’s important that you don’t get discouraged if results don’t come as quickly as you think they should. You’re on the right path. Follow that vision, that dream, that goal, come what may. The more open your mind, the more likely that you’ll also find extra opportunities you might otherwise have missed.

Capricorn

Mars now transits the very top of your chart, the area connected with ambitions, careers and status. This is very motivating, but the emotional fog of the week may make you second guess your career choices or fret over decisions made long ago. Your challenge is to harness the positive energy of Mars to drive you forwards, without allowing its emotional baggage to cloud your positivity. This week’s vibes may also find you thrust into the spotlight before you were ready for it. As scary as this may be, trust that it’s happened for a reason and embrace it as the opportunity it is.

Your tarot card this week: 5 of Cups

Forgive yourself for whatever happened in the past. You did the best you could with the information, tools and personality you had at the time. Release yourself from guilt, regret, resentment and what-iffery. Too much focus on the past at the moment has you overlooking the blessings which are currently all around you – and the opportunities you have now to create a fulfilling life ahead. Lift your head, clear your eyes and focus your gaze firmly on the future.

Aquarius

Restless? Well, aren’t you always? But this week in particular, with Mars changing signs, you’re likely to feel hemmed in, trapped, grounded and otherwise unable to stretch your legs and your mind. Travel if you can, but remember that fog of confusion – check details very carefully in any arrangements you make. If you can’t or don’t want to travel, indulge your restlessness with plenty of physical exercise, to calm your jittery stomach, and plenty of mental exercise too. Do something intellectually challenging – the tougher the better.

Your tarot card this week: 8 of Swords

You’re not trapped. It’s an illusion of your own making. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and instead seek the exit. Positive thinking will help, as you have become emotionally caught up in a cycle of negativity. You need a mind shift, a new point of view, a new perspective – that’s all. Once you find that, perhaps through meditation or through plenty of time outdoors in nature, you’ll see that your path ahead is clear after all.

Pisces

This week’s cosmic vibes are difficult for you, emotionally and psychologically. You may feel paralysed by fear or anxiety, not realising that you’re inadvertently making your own situation worse by giving in to these fears. Seek comfort and support from those who love you the most, and from professionals if needed. Mars drives unhealthy addictions, nightmares, worst-case thinking and indeed some self-loathing for you at the moment, and these things are not easy to escape. Hang on in there; you’re stronger than you think and wiser than you know.

Your tarot card this week: The Hermit

All of the wisdom you need, you already have. Calm your emotions this week by tapping into your inner knowledge, your intuition and your psychic knowledge. Spend some time alone, connecting with your divine spark in whatever way suits you best. A lack of self-care recently has plunged you into despair, but you know how to fix this. Prioritise your own wellbeing, especially emotionally and mentally. You have the answers.

About the Author

Nikki Harper is a spiritualist writer, astrologer, and Wake Up World’s editor.