Mars Goes Retrograde; Harness power from within
There is an innate wildness within all of us. A way of moving, a pulse, that silently draws us forward. An instinctive knowing that seemingly, inexplicably draws us along our path. It knows what it knows. Birds and butterflies migrate thousands of miles using this instinct. This inherent soul’s call will not be tamed and put in an appropriate box simply because our ‘logic’ demands it. When we futilely attempt to cage ourselves it erupts in some version of soul sickness.
Tomorrow, Friday, December 6, at 3:33 pm PST/6:33 pm EST, Mars goes retrograde in the sign of Leo. On a certain level, all retrogrades are about retracing our steps. Think of it metaphorically: in retrogradation, a planet is moving back over territory it has already crossed before it stations and turns direction once again, moving forward. But to understand Mars specifically and how you personally might harness this energy, you have to understand his basic essence.
Lately, as Mars prepared to slow down and shift direction, I have found myself in deep contemplation about the role Mars has to play in terms of our instinctual nature. In our natal charts, Mars is connected to the wild creature, the part of us that both hunts and defends our boundaries. Fundamentally, Mars is about the action of desire. He is about both how we desire and how we fulfill our desires. In other words, Mars is about going after what we want. When it comes down to it, what we desire and how we go about fulfilling those desires is the ultimate trial of the evolution of consciousness.
We can’t have true inspiration without Mars. When we are truly inspired, we are set in motion.
I have an Aries ascendant which makes Mars the ruler of my chart. Sometimes, particularly when I was younger, it truly was a case of ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’ As I have evolved, matured and more and more understand what soulful embodied listening is comprised of, I have learned, for the most part, to pick my battles more carefully.
Representing our inner warrior, Mars, both by sign and house placement, points us in the direction of where and how we are developing courage over the course of this lifetime. It illuminates what motivates us on a core level.
Mars shows us what we are stimulated by. The things that turn us on. The houses it falls into within our chart indicate the area of life where we can most get in touch with this basic energy. The sign shows us the flavors, both of our own expression and what we find exciting. When we tap into it, we tap into our own life force.
Mars is where we look for a fight. It’s how we challenge ourselves and others. It pushes our knowledge of how and why we conquer. Mars's aggression is not aggression for its own sake but is deeply rooted in the necessity to assess and test strength and power. It’s why our sexual encounters can devolve into war games. Wherever Mars is involved, we must remain conscious of our use of our own power. Mars is how we penetrate in all kinds of ways, and we have to be certain that the intrusion is welcome.
When I think about my own life or the lives of my students or clients, Mars always reminds me of the search for the Holy Grail. He asks us, What truly is worth fighting for? What is worth expending time and energy on? What battles should we simply walk away from? This is the heart of a true quest. No surprise that the root of the word courage is from the Latin ‘cor’ meaning heart. At its core, when we come from our heart we are being courageous.
When Mars’s spiritual side is activated, it becomes a vehicle for higher powers and allows us to use those higher powers in daily activities.
The difference between a bully or thug and someone on an inspired mission is the awareness and intention behind their actions. This can’t be attributed to just one planet or point in a chart but when the desire is clear and a decision is made, Mars is the one that goes out and takes action on behalf of the rest of the chart.
The key to harnessing the power of Mars lies in both knowing what is truly valuable to us and then having the courage to align (make an inner alliance) with those values. This is also the key to using the Mars retrograde.
But…just like Mercury in his retrograde persona, we can find ourselves bumping into things. Mars, who mythically was known as Mars, the God of War (think martial law) likes to move fast, to rush in, and during a retrograde, we need to slow down so that we can respond versus react. If we aren’t aware, the dark side of our instinctual nature can kick in, and we can find ourselves erupting at the slightest provocation. Who among us doesn't have moments where someone says or does the wrong thing, and something arises within, and it takes over? My Mars is in my third house, and now I tend to write long emails arguing my point. This has proved valuable because it gives me time to slow myself down, take a breath, and recalibrate before I use words as weapons.
Mars only retrogrades every two years, so the duration of this retrograde is much longer than a Mercury retrograde, approximately 80 days. And for the first 10 days of this cycle, Mercury is also retrograde. Practice taking your time as you move through your day. I will post more about this period during the cycle, but for now, look for activities that move you into your body: walking, painting, dancing, singing, tennis, or anything athletic. Mars is an archetype of action and needs to move.
