The Meaning of MARS Retrograde
Mars is the planet associated with the Warrior archetype. It is therefore the planet we look to when we want to know about
Mars does not go retrograde very often. The Warrior only backpedals through the zodiac once every two years, for about ten weeks.
The underlying meaning is that energy is lacking for external activity, so a program that begins under Mars retrograde may fizzle quickly (gym membership, equipment costs, clothing, and other expenses may continue, however!)
So with Mars turning retrograde, we feel like we are paddling upstream.
Engines, anything made of iron, and cutting things are all ruled by Mars, so the retrograde period is not the best time to go buy a new set of kitchen knives, nor the electric sharpener for them. Surgeons are also associated with Mars, and the retrograde is considered a poor time for elective surgery. For that matter, it isn’t a good time to find a new barber. And clearly ~ this is NOT the time to get married...
Health problems from stress that’s internalized are also much more likely during this time.
That’s because when a planet is retrograde, its energy moves inwards. It isn’t a great time to externalize that energy in the world, but internally we become more in touch with the planet’s symbolic meaning. So it really is a very good time to find what it is you want with respect to Mars-related activity, even if waiting a bit is a good idea.
Mars is retrograde for slightly less than 2.2 months every 2 years. When a planet is retrograde, it does not work in its normal manner. One frequently needs to make changes or to work on an inner, psychological level before the planet can express itself outwardly.
Waiting is good because the intense internal energy may be somewhat transient. Our attention is brought to something, but that doesn’t mean we really want to act on it, at least not as a permanent change of direction in our lives. A new job can seem great, but impulsively jumping to a new career should probably be something that we consider more carefully than when under the influence of the retrograde.
Things don’t go as fast as we want them to during Mars retrograde.
The better use of this time is:
Mars represents strength— and this is time to gather your strength, and reinforce your position, rather than burn up your reserves.
Anything new that is postponed during Mars retrograde is probably for the better. Everyone will have less energy to work with during this period of time; remember that when you demand service or conditions to change immediately.
During this time, our approach to conflict, hostility, anger, assertiveness and taking action often requires rethinking, regrouping and reintegrating.
A big part of Mars' territory is populated naturally by anger and aggression. Under Mars retrograde, we may be confronted by issues involving these emotions, either within ourselves or through others. During the retrograde phase, we may be unusually sensitive to disagreement, conflict and power dynamics in the world around us. We might encounter a need to examine how we deal with aggression, and then integrate the powerful forces of human nature into our lives in some new way.
Anger, hostility, force, threat, displays of power, and other forms of aggression, naturally invoke a certain degree of fear, both in the person on the receiving end and possibly in the person expressing it.
The primary instinctive responses to fear are: Fight, Flight or Freeze.
Mars retrograde may challenge us to explore our less-used ways of dealing with anger and conflict.
Anger and its alter-egos:
However, if you start becoming accident prone, that could be a classic communication from your Higher Self to slow down and pay attention to what's in front of you, instead of rushing around trying to focus on something, somewhere or some-when else.
Alternatively, Mars retrograde might also pull the plug on your physical energy and turn your body into something resembling a slug that won't move. It may be trying to tell you something, like: slow down, take a break, be gentle with yourself (and others), recharge your batteries.
Low physical energy could also be a symptom of psychological depression, in which case it may help to check in with your deep, hidden or secret feelings to see what's lurking underneath the surface. In this case, you might be burying your anger or discouragement beneath hopelessness, cynicism, boredom or depression. Or, you could be experiencing grief, even from a loss long ago that was never fully resolved.
In the end, whatever you're "hearing" from your body, it's a good idea to listen to it and your intuition. If you find you're resisting or fighting against what it seems to be saying, then that's a really good place to start exploring what retrograde Mars is trying to show you.
When Mars is in its retrograde cycle, we are forced to re-assess our current projects, our approach to getting what we want, and our desire nature. Rather than directly asserting our desires, we tend towards introspection.
While Mars in direct motion is direct, straightforward, assertive, and aggressive, with Mars in retrograde motion, Mars energy is essentially turned inward–it’s internalized, intensified, personalized, and perhaps pressurized. We can be hesitant about taking action, second-guessing our instincts or our natural impulses rather than acting upon them. The way we react to situations under normal conditions doesn’t necessarily work for us now, or we don’t exactly trust our instincts.
When anger is internalized, there can be some rather negative byproducts, such as tension, resentment, depression, apathy, and even some paranoia. On the other hand, it can also be personalized and made more intimate. Our goal during a Mars retrograde period should not be, however, to simply sit on our impulses or to squelch our enthusiasm. Rather, it should be to better understand our impulses, our survival instincts, our anger, our inner courage, and the ways we go about getting what we want from life.
The cosmos is asking us to look before we leap rather than throw ourselves into action, just for the time being.
We might require more rest than usual. Some of us are more accident-prone or illness-prone, almost as if the cosmos are forcing us to slow down if we haven’t listened to our natural impulses to take a break. It’s time for regrouping, and this is important on both physical and emotional levels.
When Mars is retrograde, it reaches an opposition aspect to the Sun yet is closest to the Earth. This suggests that a completely new perspective on our desires, anger, and motivations is possible during this ten-week cycle, particularly as we are closer to these things, and also through the pitting of our desires against our wills. We can more clearly see the differences between what we feel we should do and what we want to do, and this can lead to greater insight into how we’re managing our lives.
Rather than choosing direct and healthy expressions or outlets for frustrations:
Motives may be hard to discern for others’ actions during the retrograde. Remember that…
Using the constructive aspects of this transit, it is an excellent time to reinforce some aspect of our lives. This will be shown by the House position of the transit.
HOW TO HANDLE MARS RETROGRADE:
Live and Act on Your Instincts..
ALWAYS Be True To Yourself
And ~ Always Keep Your Sense Of Humor ! ! !
- assertiveness,
- aggression,
- determination,
- and action.
Mars does not go retrograde very often. The Warrior only backpedals through the zodiac once every two years, for about ten weeks.
The underlying meaning is that energy is lacking for external activity, so a program that begins under Mars retrograde may fizzle quickly (gym membership, equipment costs, clothing, and other expenses may continue, however!)
So with Mars turning retrograde, we feel like we are paddling upstream.
Engines, anything made of iron, and cutting things are all ruled by Mars, so the retrograde period is not the best time to go buy a new set of kitchen knives, nor the electric sharpener for them. Surgeons are also associated with Mars, and the retrograde is considered a poor time for elective surgery. For that matter, it isn’t a good time to find a new barber. And clearly ~ this is NOT the time to get married...
Health problems from stress that’s internalized are also much more likely during this time.
That’s because when a planet is retrograde, its energy moves inwards. It isn’t a great time to externalize that energy in the world, but internally we become more in touch with the planet’s symbolic meaning. So it really is a very good time to find what it is you want with respect to Mars-related activity, even if waiting a bit is a good idea.
Mars is retrograde for slightly less than 2.2 months every 2 years. When a planet is retrograde, it does not work in its normal manner. One frequently needs to make changes or to work on an inner, psychological level before the planet can express itself outwardly.
Waiting is good because the intense internal energy may be somewhat transient. Our attention is brought to something, but that doesn’t mean we really want to act on it, at least not as a permanent change of direction in our lives. A new job can seem great, but impulsively jumping to a new career should probably be something that we consider more carefully than when under the influence of the retrograde.
Things don’t go as fast as we want them to during Mars retrograde.
The better use of this time is:
- to wait,
- plan
- and accept compromises.
Mars represents strength— and this is time to gather your strength, and reinforce your position, rather than burn up your reserves.
Anything new that is postponed during Mars retrograde is probably for the better. Everyone will have less energy to work with during this period of time; remember that when you demand service or conditions to change immediately.
During this time, our approach to conflict, hostility, anger, assertiveness and taking action often requires rethinking, regrouping and reintegrating.
A big part of Mars' territory is populated naturally by anger and aggression. Under Mars retrograde, we may be confronted by issues involving these emotions, either within ourselves or through others. During the retrograde phase, we may be unusually sensitive to disagreement, conflict and power dynamics in the world around us. We might encounter a need to examine how we deal with aggression, and then integrate the powerful forces of human nature into our lives in some new way.
Anger, hostility, force, threat, displays of power, and other forms of aggression, naturally invoke a certain degree of fear, both in the person on the receiving end and possibly in the person expressing it.
The primary instinctive responses to fear are: Fight, Flight or Freeze.
- To Fight is to meet the challenge and move forward to defeat the threat; or alternatively, to impulsively lash out in rage or self-defense.
- The Flight response is to turn around and remove oneself from danger, either backing away carefully or running at a gallop.
- To Freeze is to be the proverbial "deer in the headlights" that is paralyzed and overwhelmed by danger, although this response can also buy time to gather information, courage and adrenaline before instinct chooses a more proactive response.
Mars retrograde may challenge us to explore our less-used ways of dealing with anger and conflict.
- If we tend to freeze or take flight, for example, we may find the opportunity (and the courage) to mobilize our assertive and proactive nature.
- If we tend to launch an attack at the first sign of danger or competition, we might need to learn a more restrained or balanced way of protecting ourselves and defending our priorities.
Anger and its alter-egos:
- depression,
- fear,
- resentment
- and cynicism—are all common reactions to feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable. Learn to deal with these anger-reactions better and you'll be able to deal with Mars better.
However, if you start becoming accident prone, that could be a classic communication from your Higher Self to slow down and pay attention to what's in front of you, instead of rushing around trying to focus on something, somewhere or some-when else.
Alternatively, Mars retrograde might also pull the plug on your physical energy and turn your body into something resembling a slug that won't move. It may be trying to tell you something, like: slow down, take a break, be gentle with yourself (and others), recharge your batteries.
Low physical energy could also be a symptom of psychological depression, in which case it may help to check in with your deep, hidden or secret feelings to see what's lurking underneath the surface. In this case, you might be burying your anger or discouragement beneath hopelessness, cynicism, boredom or depression. Or, you could be experiencing grief, even from a loss long ago that was never fully resolved.
In the end, whatever you're "hearing" from your body, it's a good idea to listen to it and your intuition. If you find you're resisting or fighting against what it seems to be saying, then that's a really good place to start exploring what retrograde Mars is trying to show you.
When Mars is in its retrograde cycle, we are forced to re-assess our current projects, our approach to getting what we want, and our desire nature. Rather than directly asserting our desires, we tend towards introspection.
While Mars in direct motion is direct, straightforward, assertive, and aggressive, with Mars in retrograde motion, Mars energy is essentially turned inward–it’s internalized, intensified, personalized, and perhaps pressurized. We can be hesitant about taking action, second-guessing our instincts or our natural impulses rather than acting upon them. The way we react to situations under normal conditions doesn’t necessarily work for us now, or we don’t exactly trust our instincts.
When anger is internalized, there can be some rather negative byproducts, such as tension, resentment, depression, apathy, and even some paranoia. On the other hand, it can also be personalized and made more intimate. Our goal during a Mars retrograde period should not be, however, to simply sit on our impulses or to squelch our enthusiasm. Rather, it should be to better understand our impulses, our survival instincts, our anger, our inner courage, and the ways we go about getting what we want from life.
The cosmos is asking us to look before we leap rather than throw ourselves into action, just for the time being.
We might require more rest than usual. Some of us are more accident-prone or illness-prone, almost as if the cosmos are forcing us to slow down if we haven’t listened to our natural impulses to take a break. It’s time for regrouping, and this is important on both physical and emotional levels.
When Mars is retrograde, it reaches an opposition aspect to the Sun yet is closest to the Earth. This suggests that a completely new perspective on our desires, anger, and motivations is possible during this ten-week cycle, particularly as we are closer to these things, and also through the pitting of our desires against our wills. We can more clearly see the differences between what we feel we should do and what we want to do, and this can lead to greater insight into how we’re managing our lives.
Rather than choosing direct and healthy expressions or outlets for frustrations:
- we might resort to sneaky, indirect, or obtuse methods of going after what we want.
- If we push ahead impulsively, we run into problems, obstacles, and frustrations.
- The answer lies somewhere in between – slowing down, strategizing, and pacing ourselves until we really get into touch with our desires and goals. It is better not to commit to something important, mainly because we could discover that the goalposts can change more than once going forward. There is absolutely no reason to suspend your projects during a Mars retrograde period. Reworking and redefining current projects may be especially satisfying, and ultimately very rewarding.
Motives may be hard to discern for others’ actions during the retrograde. Remember that…
Using the constructive aspects of this transit, it is an excellent time to reinforce some aspect of our lives. This will be shown by the House position of the transit.
- In the 1st House, it is a time to work on one’s self-image with courses or activities that bestow confidence and courage.
- In the 2nd House, it is a time to make corrections or repairs in your financial situation. It should be a time of paying off debts and not a time for spending.
- In the 3rd House, it is a good time to end those subscriptions for magazines that you do not read. It is a good time for catching up on reading and studies— like those astrology books that you bought two years ago but never read.
- In the 4th House, it is a good time to make lists of necessary repairs/maintenance projects around the house and to reinforce your safety by replacing your smoke detector batteries. Activities may go on in your personal environment of which you are not readily aware.
- In the 5th House, it is a good time to be a spectator— take the kids to an amusement park (vent their pent up energy), give yourself some relaxation time at the movies or with some home videos, watch someone else get killed on the football field. Also, express yourself Creatively… have you been overlooking creative expression/projects???
- In the 6th House, reinforce your diet; focus on your overall health.. . Add nutrients that benefit the kidney-adrenal (adrenal supplement or Chinese energy herbs) and the iron content of the blood.
- In the 7th House, work on repressed anger and resentment issues in your relationships. Do not get into a fight— talk it out! And avoid “one upsey”… at all costs.
- In the 8th House, reinforce 8th House issues. If your house is insured for its 1970 value, bring it up-to-date. Pay off those credit cards. Curb any tendencies toward obsessive-compulsive behavior or action. It will only get you into trouble. Clean out closets; drawers; etc and donate and/or throw out the extra you discover…
- In the 9th House, it is a good time to study comparative philosophies. This would include history— studying the past to understand the present. Focus on Spiritual Teachings [i.e. Zen or Tibetan Buddhism; Tao Te Ching; Yoga; develop your Instincts].
- In the 10th House, this is a good time to find out why activities in your business/ job are not working and then reinforce the structures. If and where you are losing business, assess the problem.
- In the 11th House, it might be a better time to do things alone and not drain yourself through the energy of groups. Psychologically, it is a good time to assess if your current goals are really contributing to your happiness index!
- In the 12th House, solitude is beneficial. Meditation puts you in touch with your inner self. Spend more time in your garden.
HOW TO HANDLE MARS RETROGRADE:
- Transiting Mars retrograde is a time for thinking before acting. Fated events and repeating themes will reinforce which of your strong desires need more background work before being acted upon.
- When Mars is retrograde, it depletes the vitality so that it is never a time to initiate.
- Whoever initiates loses— a new project, a great love, an argument, a lawsuit, or an international war.
- With a new project, it will fizzle out and never really go anywhere.
- With a hot romance, it too fizzles and it rarely lasts more than 6 months…
- With an argument, the hostility will come back to haunt you later.
- In legal matters, stoke your opponent into initiating the lawsuit first. It will be etched in granite that they will lose.
- In an international war, whoever fires first will automatically lose or ultimately withdraw.
- Matters commenced while Mars is retrograde will be frustrated and plagued with disruptions until they finally fizzle out. At this time, people become irritated when activities do not run smoothly. The anger may disrupt indirectly and inappropriately— like getting a traffic ticket when you feel annoyed with your job.
- During this cycle, never buy anything mechanical unless it is heavily insured! Office machinery and computers easily break down.
- when Mars retrogrades through a House, something there needs a renewed effort, a renewal of activity, to be revitalized or, at least, strengthened through reinforcement. It is a time to direct your efforts toward reinforcing matters or a relationship in order to keep it vital or active. It is a time to lend strength to something or someone that you believe in.
- Work activities supported when Mars is retrograde are those associated with trouble-shooting, re-evaluating previously commenced projects and shoring up the weak areas, making hard-nosed cuts with the ineffective B eliminating parts of the projects with little cost-benefit, personnel cut-backs and possibly re-hiring individuals who may know how to make the project succeed. Never start anything new! Work with what has been previously commenced and make necessary improvements. Mars Retrograde is similar to Mercury Retrograde in many respects but Mars is associated with action, projects and the energy required to make something succeed. Mars is back-door politics rather than direct confrontations.
- Weather will be intense. More storms. Watch for tornadoes; hurricanes; major rain; floods; hail and increase in forest fires; more volcanoes erupt as well….
- Mars rules The Military. Expect More Bravado and Saber Rattling from major players.
- The Kitchen is an Argument Free Zone. To much hot liquid, spills make floor slippery; too many sharp knives. Keep band-aids handy. You are driving home and someone cuts you off and you get angry. You are still angry as you start chopping and dicing food for dinner. You are distracted. This is when you cut yourself. Be Careful. Have a supply of band-aids handy.
- NO WEDDINGS ! ! ! !
Live and Act on Your Instincts..
ALWAYS Be True To Yourself
And ~ Always Keep Your Sense Of Humor ! ! !