Since Mars is going to retrograde in his home sign of Aries this year for a long transit during which time he will square the Cappy planets he mega-impacted in March, sending our normal lives hurtling into the stratosphere (and yes, this stratosphere could look something like the inside of a 100 year old center hall colonial with a leaky roof) - it seems like a good idea - knowing what we know now about what is unfolding this year - to take an early look at that.
So here we go - on June 27, 2020, Mars will move into his home sign of Aries for the first time in two years
(yes, even Mars is sent to his room this year).
Aries is the energy we incarnate through - it is us being born. Pushing our way into our very existence. Starting out all alone. It is our hero's journey. Our "I am".
In Aries, Mars is strong, willful, passionate, impulsive - and at his most Mars-y
(which is something like ballsy only more like BALLSY - I am talking bowling and not tennis here),
and because of his upcoming retrograde, he will be in Aries for THE REST OF THE YEAR.
Mars is the first planet outside our Earth's orbit. Our other inner/personal planets, Mercury and Venus are closer to the center, and, so, visually they travel with the Sun - they never get too far away - but Mars is a fellow who likes his independence.
He isn't constrained by the Sun in the same way Mercury and Venus are. Ruler of brave and independent Aries he does what he wants.
In Roman mythology, Mars was the son of Juno and Jupiter (in Greek mythology he was the God Ares). We think of Mars as the God of War, because he is, but his ancient role - as a fertility God and protector of crops and animals (herds), might be something for us to keep in mind as we talk about his upcoming retrograde.
In our natal chart Mars rules our natal Aries house and is influenced/and influences the sign and house he calls home. Mars is about our will, our ambition, our action, our passion, our physical self, our selfishness, our rage. His house placement and rulership lets us know what battles we are going to face in this lifetime - the spaces where, if we are not assertive and active (without being self-centered, irritable, impulsive, angry assholes), we will find ourselves steamrolled or in continued stress until we take action/stand up for ourselves/have COURAGE.
The last time Mars went retrograde was in June 2018
(in Aquarius - he moved back and forth over the South Node back then - this was that big summer when something might have ended/never got off the ground/didn't quite work out).
He won't be going over the South Node this time, thank goodness - the South Node will have moved on into Sagittarius, but he will be squaring that Cappy pile-up. Ouch!
My post from June 2018 during his last retrograde is HERE and included these words:
"Life is a chessboard (and a box of chocolate, too, of course) and this year we are being pushed and drop-kicked toward the positions we are most needed for a successful collective outcome in 2020. This year is the bridge year - this is why it feels like there is no ground beneath our feet! And yes, I realize there are no bridges on a chessboard (and no drop-kicking) - I need some help with these metaphors and my brain is not cooperating. Physically, mentally and emotionally - we are moving toward where we, and our energy level, needs to be. It can be exhausting, especially when we are dealing with the worn foundational issues we have ignored/procrastinated and the spaces where we have become super-glued to anything."
A couple important things will happen during Mars' visit to his old stomping ground.
He is, as we already said, going to station retrograde - so he (as us) will cover some of this territory THREE TIMES. And a retrograde Mars, isn't his usual self.
Pushy, world-centered activity tends to bite us in the butt when Mars is retrograde (this might not be true for people born when Mars was retrograde - they could get some kind of butt-bite-protection during retros), so, it's not the time to start a fight, the person who starts the fight will surely lose (or be the big learner if we look at it that way - which is why we won't always be able to stop ourselves from launching that grenade!).
If instead we turn our focus inside and allow our actions to flow from the passion initiated from that this will be a much easier/smoother transit for us personally.
AND, since Aries squares Capricorn, he is going to square Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn (because Saturn's retrograde is going to pull him back into Capricorn at precisely the right/wrong time) THREE TIMES. Sorry to keep shouting. I blame the cold weather.
We are going to talk through all of this as we move through it, but know this, coupled with a strong Eclipse season where things can flip around on us, means summer is NOT business as usual.
So, we will get to a certain point with something and need to go backward. We will have to re-do something, get to do things we missed doing the first time around - maybe experience second chances with opportunities/people/situations we missed. With Mars ruling our passion - this could be about rekindling an old passion. Life will not be all hand-washing and Netflix, I can promise you that.
Aries rules men, so expect men (maybe especially young men) to be out of sorts this summer with Mars moving backward (appearing to from our position on Earth).
Some of us who never hesitate will be hesitating (or pulling the trigger too soon) and others who normally need a push will be out there pushing. And again, this happening during a very tumultuous time, with the South Node moved into Sag and many people likely wedded to very entrenched beliefs, well, Mars retrograde in Aries could stir up some TROUBLE.
Mars kicked the pandemic up a notch when he connected with the Cappy planets in March. He will square the Cappy planets in August, September/October and December. Tension. Frustration. Blockage. These will all be needed and necessary, but could be stressful. So, this is a heads up. What house does Aries rule in your natal chart? What is the theme of that house?
The squares will roll out something like this:
MARS SQUARE SATURN - September 29th (Mars retrograde, Saturn direct) - Saturn definitely has the upper hand. We keep our cool and live to fight another day or we lose. This is unyielding - a denial of aggression/assertion. There is a "no" here. Roadblocks/limits/traditions serve a purpose - sometimes we need to go around, crash over or plow through them and sometimes they keep us from falling off the cliff. On the other hand, Saturn can win the battle and lose the war if he overplays his hand.
MARS SQUARE JUPITER - (in mythology this would be a son/father battle) August 4th (Mars direct, Jupiter retrograde), October 19th (Mars retrograde, Jupiter direct) - this is going to amplify the Mars/Saturn/Pluto stuff. We could overestimate/exaggerate our strength/power. Move too fast. Use too much force or maybe too little. Jupiter is going to amplify the August and October squares - but, keep in mind Jupiter's basic beneficial nature. He is protective. He gives us faith.
MARS SQUARE PLUTO - This time we get an extra hit. August 13th (Mars direct, Pluto retrograde), October 9th (Mars retrograde, Pluto direct) and December 23rd (both direct) - Mars is powerful in his home sign and Pluto is, well Pluto is Pluto. Expect intense competition and unbridled ambition. Manipulations. Obsessions. Jealousy. Physical power struggles. Excisions/surgical procedures. Our power could be challenged or we could be the one doing the calling out. If we are "waked" this is the time to think about why this situation is "triggering" us. If we are repressing anger/passion/strong urges - here's where the lid comes off. We could be mad (Mars) at the truth (Pluto). We could be battling (Mars) for power/control (Pluto). We don't want to be ruthless or under-handed, but we might have to stand up for ourselves. Avoid unnecessary run ins with the boss/authority because THEY WILL WIN. If we are the boss/authority then avoid making other people feel threatened because WE WILL LOSE in the long run. And we are playing a long game here. Keep this in mind. Mars/Pluto is like a bully aspect, but it is also about having the courage to SURVIVE.
As that final square unwinds itself by January 2021, the ground will have been scorched and there will be no going back. Very deep issues have been challenged. Something, at least sort of put to bed.
The sheets will undoubtedly be in a sweaty pile though
(that whole rising from our death beds thing this year).
Now during all these squares Mars is going to be conjunct his sister Eris. She is our angry outsider energy, the terrorist energy, the whistle-blower, the loose cannon, but she is really about challenging us to adapt/transform - so we will have to see how she factors in during these transits. Again this year the need to bring everyone to the table.
(Eris has a discovery story that amazingly matches her mythological personality. The astronomer who discovered her first wanted to name her Xena. When he learned that was a made up TV thing, he then wanted to name her Persephone (after Ceres daughter, but that name was taken by an asteroid), and so apparently determined to name what he thought would be the 10th planet after a strong female, he settled on Eris.
THEN instead of announcing her as our 10th planet, the astronomy community decided to just demote Pluto - demote PLUTO?! - and call Eris, Pluto and Ceres dwarf planets. If we think about the Eris myth - about her being the angry outsider treated unfairly and enacting her revenge - we can see how this series of events - her being the name third chosen, not being granted planetary status and finally pulling Pluto down with her - while pulling up Ceres - exactly describes her mythology!)
It's hard to say what this will mean with the virus, our financial situation, the political divisions, protests, etc, but it almost certainly means none of these problems are going to go down easy.
Most of us have very deep soul memories of abandonment, lack of roots, not being able to take care of ourselves, being an outsider, dying alone, power struggles with authority or through being the authority, terrifying endings, death anxiety.
There is a need now to confront these energies. This is all being triggered. We have postponed this confrontation for lifetimes and now face the impossibility of running away from this stuff. There is nowhere to run. Keep in mind the big picture - we are building a bold new world, the fear that keeps us riveted in place will not be allowed to be part of this new structure.
BIG moves (by authority, by us stepping into our responsibilities for ourselves and for the group as our karma with trauma plays itself out) are coming in this chapter.
The good news and there is ALOT - Mars moves into Aries and sextiles Saturn (while he is still in Aquarius), AND he sextiles Jupiter and Pluto in the preceding days (from Pisces/Capricorn), so they all start out with their groove on in mid to late June - in harmony.
Obviously they have their differences later on, but starting out in an opportunistic position is good news. Also Mars will have multiple sextiles with the North Node in Gemini - choices, ideas - lots of options and opportunities.
Life is changing. The only way to work something into the collective experience is to squeeze it down into our personal lives. So, yes, we are - should we survive the pressure and I am guessing most of us will - the lemons turning into the lemonade. Cue the red solo cup.
Mars will station retrograde on September 9th at 28 degrees Aries. He will get all the way back to 15 degrees on November 15th.
So, 15-28 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - are Mars retrograde hot spots. People with planets in here will be feeling the heat of this the strongest.
Keep in mind Mars transits are FAST. This passionate/intense/maybe angry/maybe ambitious energy will interact with our natal planet for a couple days and then unwind BUT because of the retrograde this will happen THREE times so provide more of a lasting and substantial impact.
Although squares are kind of irresolvable - just due to their basic natures being so different - squares are problem solving aspects. They require evolution. They are uncomfortable because we are set up to crave what is familiar, but moving through the challenges/surviving the challenges/evolving - always makes us stronger.
The squares will weed out the weak responses we are collectively and personally enabling between those Aries and Capricorn energies.
We have to keep in mind we don't really want either side to actually win - one side left drawn and quartered actually hurts both sides. We need the residual stress/the restlessness. These energies always need some unfinished business.
Forewarned is forearmed. especially since we are talking about Mars.
That's one of the goodies we get from our mundane astrology musings.
So, for example, if you are a Scorpio rising just knowing Mars is going to spend an inordinate amount of time in your 6th house later in the year - house of health - would mean this is a good time, right now, to put extra energy into being healthy (and I guess this is a bad example because we are all doing that!). Also, since this is the house of work and our daily activities (and pets) - plan on giving Mars something to do here to keep him busy at the end of June and through the rest of the year. We can't plan for everything, and we wouldn't want to anyway, but we can learn to work with this stuff and go with the flow.
The squares will challenge all of us. Personally and collectively. Mars in Aries for such a long time means we will all be working with our initiative, our passion, our anger! Long, hot summer? A big YES.
I will add to this post as we move along and have a better view of what all this means!
xo all
next up part VI - Venus retrograde in Gemini - this one comes sooner than the Mars retro but with his squares I wanted to take a look at that first
photo by the amazing alltelleringet
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