Periods of Stress and Astrology

There are times when we’re under a lot of stress in our lives, and it feels like we’re being put under way too much pressure. Sometimes the planets demand too much! Stress itself falls under the rulership of Mercury, Virgo, and the 6th house, so when you have hard aspects (conjunctions, squares, and oppositions) to your natal Mercury, a natal Virgo planet, or transit planets touring your natal 6th house, this can bring out some stress for you, but it can also be a good time to focus on ways of managing stress better to help yourself moving forward.

You can also feel more stress when you experience squares to your 3rd and 9th house cusps. Since the 3rd and 9th house cusps are on the same axis and exactly oppose one another, when one is squared by a transit or progressed planet, so is the other. The 3rd and 9th houses represent activity, and aspects to them tend to keep us busy, but sometimes, it’s TOO busy, and this can cause stress in our lives. The 3rd and 9th houses also govern the mind, so we may experience too much mental activity, the monkey mind that leads us to overthink and become anxious and stressed out. These aspects are important times to keep busy but not too much, and to have outlets for our minds so the mental energy has a way of being used that doesn’t make us worry ourselves into a frenzied state.

Conjunctions, squares, and oppositions by transit Saturn or Pluto can also bring on a lot of stress, especially to the natal Sun, Moon, Mercury, or 1st house cusp. With the Sun and Moon, it can feel deeply personal, and you may be struggling with some personal issues that you need to address. Until you do, you can continue to feel super stressed out. With Mercury, this again targets the mind, and can make you pessimistic, depressed, and have difficulty focusing on anything good. Some mental distractions may help, as well as trying to get better control over your mind and thoughts so you don’t get stuck in the bad thinking. When you find yourself focusing on the bad, get your mind on something else fast. The 1st house rules the self, and is on an axis with the 7th house which rules others, so the 1st house aspects can bring other people into play with your stress, and you may need to work on balance more than anything else.

When you’re feeling stressed out, it can be a good idea to look at your natal Moon to get ideas of how to make yourself feel better. The Moon rules what you need for emotional stability and security, and what can comfort you, so this can be very helpful. Focus on the sign and house location, and any planets conjunct your natal Moon to get ideas for how you can comfort and support yourself when you’re stressed, and work through the stressful periods. The more emotionally stable and secure you feel, the easier it can be to manage the stress and walk away from the hard transit without too many wounds.