While we manage our lives during these weeks in the Eclipse spin cycle, let's shift gears a bit and take a look at Mars!
Mars, God of War - ruler of our masculine energy, our action, initiative, passion, self-assertion, anger, young men, the sign of Aries, your Aries natal house, the ancient ruler of Scorpio - stations retrograde on October 30, 2022 for the rest of the year. Mars stations retrograde about every two years for 2 to 2.5 months. His last retrograde was in 2020 in Aries and his last retrograde in Gemini was at the end of 2007 into the beginning of 2008. Now, Mars tells the story of the end of 2022.
Mars retrograde works its magic through three cycles:
1. Passing in a forward motion over the degrees 8-25 Gemini - this is when we are introduced to the POTENTIAL (September 3 - October 30, 2022)
2. Turning retrograde and moving backward over these same degrees – this is when we have to find our "RE-SOURCEFULNESS", we turn our attention inwards, what isn't working? (October 30, 2022- January 12, 2023)
3. Going ‘direct’ and moving forward AGAIN over these same degrees – this final phase is the period of INTEGRATION (January 12 - March 25, 2023)
Mars' backward movement (from our vantage point here on Earth) is associated with times our overt actions might not be as effective/sometimes peter out, anger backfires, passions and actions reverse course. It might impact our ambition, energy-level, motivation and libido. We might find ourselves dealing with unresolved conflicts and old efforts/projects/actions we had previously left dangling can be brought back to life. It's a time to be re-thinking the ways we deal with anger, the ways we go about getting what we want, the ways we assert ourselves, the ways we communicate, the ways we START. With Mars in quick witted Gemini, words are going to be very important as will Mercury's journey while Mars is retrograde.
This transit will likely be more challenging for people with planets/points in Gemini or the other mutable signs - Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces and people with natal squares and oppositions (and to some degree probably inconjuncts) between Mars and Mercury. And, of course for Aries and Scorpio risings, your ruler planet is moving backward, you will feel this. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, just different. I am a Scorpio rising and my motivation shot very high when Mars moved into Gemini in August, but as soon as he slowed to station (he has barely moved in weeks), I felt it slowly dissolve. The square to Neptune, which I have natally, too, didn't help!
Venus was retrograde in Gemini during the late spring and early summer of 2020. Venus reworked 5-21 degrees of Gemini and Mars is reworking 8-25 degrees Gemini, so almost the same degrees. Back then we had the North Node in Gemini, too. Like Mars, Venus also made multiple squares to Neptune and sextiles to Chiron. We were re-evaluating who/what we love, our changing values, our need for variety, and, of course dealing with Covid. I wrote about that HERE. That transit, and this upcoming one, takes us back to the Venus Star Point in the spring of 2012.
(at the end of the Gemini retrograde post I was writing about our somewhat insane 2012, specifically about our year with my schizophrenic brother-in-law David who was found dead last weekend, as the Moon moved over his natal Pluto/North Node exact conjunction, opposing his exact Chiron/South Node conjunction, then Eclipsed the Sun and his Neptune in Scorpio while Pluto sits/having just stationed on his Saturn. Little man who inspired so many to open their hearts, somewhat of a hobbit, has left a big hole in the world ...)
Sedna will move into Gemini next year for a 40 year stay, so the importance of Gemini as duality closes out over the next decades can't be overstated. Lots of positive and challenging 'progress'. I think maybe the most positive being the end of the feeling that something is missing. But, that's a post for another time - maybe while Mars is retrograde in Gemini!
We will continue to find ourselves doing things twice and/or two things at once. Our tribal/familial energy - his-story and her-story - visits us through the Mars retrograde, the Neptune/Chiron aspects and the Eclipse spin-cycle start point. We are pulled into circumstances similar to those of our ancestors (and our own past lives), so maybe we can choose differently this time, finish what they started, make the amends they needed to make, even earn the rewards they (or we in a past life) were denied.
OCTOBER 30, 2022 - Mars stations retro at 25 degrees Gemini
November 11, 2022 - Venus inconjuncts Mars
November 13, 2022 - Mercury inconjuncts Mars
November 15, 2022 - Sun inconjuncts Mars
November 19, 2022 - Mars retrograde squares Neptune retrograde (first was October 8)
November 28, 2022 - Mars retrograde trines Saturn (first was September 24)
November 29, 2022 - Mercury opposes Mars
December 2, 2022 - Venus opposes Mars
December 8, 2022 - Sun opposes Mars
December 14, 2022 - Mars sextiles Chiron (first was September 15)
December 15, 2022 - Mercury inconjuncts Mars
December 19, 2022 - Venus inconjuncts Mars
December 30, 2022 - Sun inconjuncts Mars
January 9, 2023 - Venus trines Mars
February 8, 2023 - Mars sextiles Chiron (third of three)
JANUARY 12, 2022 - Mars stations direct at 8 degrees Gemini
March 10, 2023 - Mars makes his final square to Neptune - what's left to lose?
MARCH 15, 2023 - Mars reaches 26 degrees Gemini, starts walking new ground
MARCH 25, 2023 - Mars enters Cancer and makes final trine to Saturn - this one Cancer/Pisces
So, what can we see? We can see our actions/anger/initiative will be adjusting (those repeating inconjuncts), somewhat unsatisfying, require give and take. We will have our second Mars/Neptune square which can be confusing/tiring, dilute our energy and efforts BUT if we can channel Neptune and use that energy for our imaginative or spiritual or healing efforts the squares can be VERY EFFECTIVE. Remember Mars can't beat Neptune, so don't try to power through this - if you need a break, take it. The Mars trine Saturn at the end of November will help stabilize our backward efforts/re-workings and they will harmonize with authority/rules/the future/groups. That is quickly followed by a series of oppositions as the personal planets move through Sagittarius. The Sag/Gemini axis is about the big picture vs the details, our beliefs vs the facts, the forest vs the trees, etc - as we get closer and look at the charts to see what else is going on, we will get a clearer picture of what is happening - but, almost certainly our efforts are meeting some challenges from outside ourselves. Then more adjusting as the inconjuncts return - this time with the planets moving through serious/sober Capricorn which could pull authority, rules, our career, limits, paternal stories, etc, into the mix. Just before Mars stations direct he makes a smooth trine to Venus in Aquarius. This looks like our relationships/money/values and self-esteem now working with the airy, detached, future-focused, group-centric, individualistic energy of Aquarius are in a smooth flow with our revised Mars. Our new man meets the woman of the future. Then after his direct station we will have one more Mars/Saturn to firm things up and one more Mars/Neptune to ignite our imagination or exhaust us!
Mars also has a repeating aspect with healer Chiron (in Aries). This one is a sextile, so an opportunity if we take some kind of action with it - fire/air - so maybe through brave words or new ideas, speaking up for ourselves, being more independent minded - this kind of thing. This could also be about healing with our masculine energy/with men. Mars rules Aries, so this will be even more opportunistic.
It is not a coincidence Mars will finally leave Gemini (after a few months) the same month Saturn leaves Aquarius (after two and a half years) and Pluto leaves Capricorn (after about 15 years).
March 2023 is BIG, folks.
Mars retrograde in Gemini is good for:
1. learning to find our voice without arguing/without aggression - and, yes, this will very likely come through dealing with the consequences of our arguments/aggression
2. figuring out why we force ourselves to do things/why we push ourselves
3. figuring out why we are afraid to do things, afraid to get angry/deal with anger
4. redirecting our vision because we are un-motivated by what we are currently doing
5. learning how to handle conflict/negotiate from an assertive (not aggressive) position
6. revising routines that lack passion/are boring
7. with those squares to Neptune - learning to see ourselves as worthy of rest, letting go and letting God, re-igniting our spirituality/our imagination/creativity, dealing with ancestral/past life stories
8. re-vising commerce, re-visiting old commercial ideas
9. re-vising relations with siblings/local community/cousins, etc
10. re-vising our writing, communication, tech
11. re-doing our natal Gemini house themes which are:
GEMINI RISING - 1st house Gemini - our identity, actually our heroic quest for identity
TAURUS RISING - 2nd house Gemini - our values, our resources, our money, our self-esteem
ARIES RISING (and the collective influence) - 3rd house Gemini - communication, information, writing, doing multiple things at once, siblings, community, tech devices, transportation, commerce,
PISCES RISING - 4th house Gemini - our roots, home, family, our security, mother
AQUARIUS RISING - 5th house Gemini - self-expression, creativity, romance, children
CAPRICORN RISING 6h house Gemini - our daily work, our health, our service, our pets
SAGITTARIUS RISING - 7th house Gemini - partnerships, other people
SCORPIO RISING - 8th house Gemini - merging/purging, other people's resources, taxes, inheritance, secrets, life/death, sex
LIBRA RISING - 9th house Gemini - travel, higher education, publishing, religion, our beliefs
VIRGO RISING - 10th house Gemini - profession, career, goals, reputation, public life, father
LEO RISING - 11th house Gemini - the goals that bring us into connection with others, friendships, causes, networks
CANCER RISING - 12th house Gemini - things done last, things forgotten and put away, imagination, healing, spirit
With a retrograde Mars in Gemini, this could be like the Mercury retrograde of the decade, so it will be a good time to:
1. double check communication, think before speaking/writing/hitting send
2. keep a cool head, words can be used as weapons
3. back up files
4. be careful driving/take care of your vehicle
5. don't rush into new things too quickly, let things play out a bit before deciding, etc
6. find some mindfulness/relaxation tools if you are prone to anxiety/monkey mind/over-thinking
7. slow down, we could be more accident prone
8. Mars rules our strength and vitality, and Gemini rules our hands, arms, shoulders, lungs, so take care of yourself
9. hot Mars in airy Gemini speaks of needing to stay hydrated/wet
And while Mars is in Gemini (and he has been since August) it will pay off to pay attention to what Mercury - ruler of Gemini - is doing:
October 30th - as Mars stations, Mercury will be in Scorpio, so mutual reception with Mars and inconjunct Neptune. Think of it like this - Mars gets to Scorpio - our passion/our fire, etc - through Gemini - by being versatile/flexible, doing two things at once or things twice, dealing with Gemini things, etc. He will be inconjunct Neptune so some adjustments with our illusions, energy levels, health imagination, spirit, healing.
November 17th - Mercury moves into Sagittarius and starts applying to his opposition to Mars (arguments, resentments, clash of ideology)
December 6th - Mercury moves into Capricorn (things get sober/serious)
December 29th, Mercury stations retrograde at 24 Cappy (Mars will be applying to his inconjunct to the Sun, will be challenging while both Mars and Mercury are retrograde as we start the New Year)
January 18th - Mercury stations direct at 8 degrees Cappy (Mars will be direct a few days earlier, so both will be strong/still at the same time)
I hope something here is helpful.
I think before we dive into the next Eclipse, the gnarly one on election day here in the U.S. - we will step back and look at the recent Venus Star Point (the future of relationships) in its own post. All this Mars/Mercury is making me want to talk about Venus, and she is pretty important right now, too.
I've stayed away from the collective stuff in this post, but Mars retrograde in Gemini is quite volatile/dangerous/divisive - things will surely be rocking and rolling.
xo all
artwork by the talented Fintan Magee
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