Q. Do planets really go backwards?
No. But the illusion has tremendous power. Imagine driving down the highway and another car is in the process of passing you. For an instant or two you are likely to feel the sensation of your own car standing still – and then the sensation of moving backwards. That’s what happens when one planet passes another; the slower planet has the general effect and feeling of backward motion.
Q. What makes a Mars retrograde different from others, say Mercury retrograde?
For one thing it doesn’t happen as often as Mercury which tracks in reverse three times a year. With Mars, we experience its retro action just once every two years and a couple of months. So we lack experience in handling this kind of energy, and then even more seldom in a fire sign like this one. We forget what happened last time. It’s happening in Leo, so imagine trying to drag a lion backwards by it’s tail. There’s going to be quite a fuss. This is, after all the War planet.
Mars is the go-go-go planet and likes to go faster and faster. That makes a difference, too, in the irritability factor. Usually Mars races through a single sign in about two months, moving 2 degrees per day. You can’t walk across the room for a glass of water without using your in-born Mars energy. It’s the git-‘r-done planet, on temporary leave with permission to procrastinate.
And the entire retro period lasts a long time – 2-1/2 months this year. That’s in the middle of a 6+-month passage through Leo.
Q. Ok. So what’s the big deal about it happening in Leo?
Sign of Royalty, Loyalty, Child-like Pleasure and especially Competitive Games . . . any planet or luminary (Sun & Moon) in that sign insists on lots of attention, getting its own way and relating to others as though they were either loyal subjects, children or servants. It’s the sign with the Biggest Heart in the world. Leo really knows how to love. Usually.
Natural ruler of Aries, Mars loves being in all the fire signs which bring action and adventure with all the thrills and chills. And of course this planet loves to win, but is not known for being a good sport about losing or being held hostage at a long stop light.
Leo is the Fixed sign in Fire, and must deal with patience and fortitude to make things work. And if things go terribly wrong, Mars in Leo wants to fight it out. Then it goes retrograde and suddenly fighting doesn’t work at all. Play time is sometimes out of the question. And all the loyal subjects are way less likely to play along like they see the invisible crown and royal robes, too. The King of the Jungle is forced to wait it out just like the rest of us.
“Insisting” on forging ahead is like trying to push the river upstream with your bare hands. Makes for terribly difficult swimming or paddling, and the river maintains it’s own pace and direction like it doesn’t care. It doesn’t.
Q. What does it feel like and what’s likely to happen with Mars-Rx?
Those of us with personal planets in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius) will feel it from the inside-out, especially when Mars make a direct hit to the degree. All of us will get a good dose of this energy through the people around us. Frustrated anger is par for the course. We won’t get our own way. Depression is not uncommon. And it’s worth noting that un-expressed anger is one of the major causes of depression to begin with.
Remember this past Christmas? For most of us it felt like being slammed into a brick wall, face first. On a wider lens, that’s the day we had a thwarted, frustrated & failed terrorist on an American passenger flight. One thing about this particular Mars-Rx is that the good guys usually win by a landslide.
If you’re feeling like your life is in stagnation and no matter what you do you just can’t seem to accomplish what you want to do . . . if you the Hanged Man appears frequently in your Tarot readings (life suspended) . . . if you feel irritable and keep running into reasons to stand up for yourself and it’s easy to botch the job . . . that’s exactly how it feels. You’ll be witness to a lot of “bad moods” and other people’s anger expressed in childish ways. Felling grumpy and out of sorts comes from trying to push the river. Let’s not do that, ‘k?
For those of us looking for work, it's a frustrating process. The folks doing the hiring can't seem to get their act together enough to make a decision and act on it. The waiting game is stressful, no doubt. Just keep putting one foot ahead of ther other and don't give up. Even if someone else gets hired for the position you wanted, they're liable to change their mind and re-open that position when Mars turns direct in March.
Q. What’s the best way to handle this energy?
While Mars is retrograde, the only way to handle it successfully is with patience, especially through March 10th when it make the Stationary-Direct move, grinding its fiery combat boots into the universe while it make a long, slow about-face over several days. Don’t expect to feel anything like “normal” until April 20th when it picks up enough speed to move one degree every two days. We don’t make it completely out of the wood until June.
Develop, maintain and carefully supervise your sense of humor. If you’re laughing you’re winning. Make a deliberate effort to have some Fun, which is actually a spiritual quality we all need very much right now. Make it child-like fun – build another snowman if you still can; play a game with at least one other human being – play darts, pool, sports, cards or board games. Not a good time to isolate yourself with computer or video games. You’re gonna need more action than any screen can supply.
Find a healthy way to express anger. Gloves and a punching bag in the garage works wonders. If you work out at a gym, while you’re using the equipment call to mind anything you’re still mad about. Mars is pulling up long repressed, never expressed, anger; some that you felt before you were 7 years old. Pump it out of your system once and for all as you exercise.
And be aware that with Mars retrograde, anger will gain expression one way or another. Those of us who are more comfortable avoiding confrontations and like to stuff it all way down deep won’t get it our way this time. If we succeed in refusing to feel and express any anger at all, we are becoming more and more vulnerable to accidents. Nothing life threatening mind you. But a misstep that sprains an ankle can really make your life stand still.
We’re playing with fire; like a dragon in a foul mood.
Q. So, what’s it good for? (There must be a pony in here somewhere!)
Mars in Leo holds sway over creativity – especially art, crafts, music, theater, etc. Get a project going. Something you can leave where it is and work on a little each day.
Better yet, with Mars doing the two-step backwards in Leo, get out one of those unfinished projects and finish it up – especially if it involves ripping out some stitches first. You’ll get it right this time. It’s ever so much harder beginning a new project of any kind. We don’t have that kind of forward motion right now. Se must stoop to conquer.
Spring cleaning is early this year. Give you home a reorganized clean slate. And put some elbow grease into it. Work up a sweat. While you’re at it, call to mind something you are still angry about whether it happened when you were 12, or 30 minutes ago.
Q. What about relationships?
The Warrior Planet Mars always has a lot to do with men and the male side of relationships; so if you are a man, love a man, work for a man, know a man or even pass one on the street be aware that most of them are dealing with a combination of confucion, frustration and barely concealed irritability.
Mars-Rx affects all of us to a degree, but men will feel and exhibit this energy more than the folks who are trying to relate to them including other men. Does that sound confusing? You're on the right page.
When the guys can't get any traction in their lives and all attempts at forward motion are greeted with one icy road after another, confusion sets in with a vengeance. All that confusion leads to frustration, hence the grumpy, grouchy, irritability. Also the shut-down silent sense of suspended animation, and the feeling that you just can't get your parterships up and running. And that's the situation.
So, let's all allow the left-brain, logical and heroic, positive male energy on the planet our benefit of our understanding, patience and sense of humor. The men in our lives are struggling with low self-confidence, loss of self-esteem, anger and -- pay attention now -- very low levels of passionate emotions. And we need to pace ourselves. Check out the dates at the end of all this.
Most of all, remember that we all have a "male side" to ourselves. Don't forget to be just as patient with yourself as you must be with your partner. It's a test that's all about the conflict between self-control and self-expression; between self-respect and picking your confrontations with care. Give yourself permission to procrastinate, especially with decisions that impact a precious relationship. What you decide and act on before March 10, you will reverse and perhaps compelled to apologize for by April Fool's Day.
Q. Anything else?
Patience, patience, patience. This is like being grounded at the airport while they de-ice the plane for a ridiculously long time. There is simply nothing you can do about it. So refocus and do something else with whatever is handy. Do be careful if you choose to sit out the whole retrograde at the bar. Alcohol tends to multiply and expand anger exponentially. Not a good idea to over-indulge particularly around the dates listed below.
Remember that this is a bi-annual event. You won’t get another chance to choose maturity, self-respect and good judgment over a childish temper tantrum for another couple of years or so. Find out what works best for you when your enthusiasm goes flat, your joi de vivre is doing chin-ups on a curbstone, your libido is all out of whack and everybody’s grumpy at work.
Do keep a Mars-Rx journal so you can refer to it the next time we go through all this which will be January 24 through April 14, 2012 – in Virgo, sign of the Virgin, details, work and (of all things), perfection. Mars has talents in earth signs, especially Virgo -- sign of work and service.
Your best weapons of self defense are a good sense of humor, regular time outs for a little harmless fun and walking a wide circle around folks who radiate anger at a distance. You can get through this with great stories to tell and a new sense of what standing up for yourself really means. Allowing others to vent their temper on you is missing the point; call a time out. There’s a big difference between losing one’s temper and simply expressing one’s anger and/or self-respect like one of the grown-ups. They can do it, and so can you.
Oh, yes you can!
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Stress Points:
Mars enters Leo Oct. 17, 2009 . . .
Turns retrograde Dec. 20, 2009
Turns direct March 10, 2010
Regains normal speed April 20, 2010
Achieves original Stationary-Rx point May 16-18, 2010
(Completes last degrees of Leo, entering Virgo June 8, 2010) Whew!!