It’s time I wrote about this! We are well within the shadow period now, and the energy is starting to heat up. Some of you might be wondering what on earth is going on and why there have been so many angry upsets and delays, especially if you have strong Aries or Scorpio in your chart (I do!)
When we think of Mars, we can call to mind our fire and flame and gumption- the ability to go for what we want. This is the “get shite done” kind of energy. Mars in Aries is in domicile- here the god of lust and war can live his life at full speed. It isn’t all about blood and sex, however, it is about achievement and the desire and ability to push through to our goals.
There’s a bit of a problem with our tendency to look at ego, pride and power as automatically bad things. Like anything else, these are aspects to our character that can get out of balance and start to rule our lives, if we are not careful. However, if we suppress these very human aspects of our character, they will absolutely not go away. If we do not rule our dark side, our powerful and passionate side- it will rule us.
Let’s look at anger, first. Anger can be a very valid response to a hurt that has been done. It is linked to that survival instinct that will get our backsides out of a burning car and it is that ability to outrun the hunter and defend one’s family campfire against the enemy.
However, this primal aggression feeds into our neural pathways in such a way that it can get out of control- hence the imagery of fire. Humans aren’t meant to act completely on instinct, we have more complex aspirations overlaid on our ancient survival needs. This fire by its very nature does not want to be tamed, but for our social survival it absolutely must be.
What happens when we drive anything underground or suppress it? It does not fade out of existence. When we take something out of the light of day and demonise it, we MAKE our devils! We get stuck in fears, and life won’t let us be afraid of things. Aries in particular doesn’t want us to be afraid of anything. Life has a way of insisting that we face the things that challenge us, until we master them. That is where retrogrades come into play!
With Mars Retrograde, we are led to confront our shadows that we have driven down to Hell in regards to vitality, sexuality, passion, aggression and acheivement. Things can start to go haywire and erratic as regards these areas of our life, and we are called to choose to respond more mindfully to them. Basically think of an underground fire that starts to break out on the surface now and again, with this time period being our chance to learn how to tame it altogether.
I see problems arising for people who push themselves too hard in the gym (I’m looking at myself here!) and anyone who suffers from impatience. Those who are not acknowledging their true sexual needs and desires may find events challenging themselves to tune in more respectfully to their sacred sexuality. Problems will pop up for eternal peacemakers and conflict-avoidant personalities as well. Also if you have Pluto in Libra, check your transits because Mars RX in domicile has a good chance of transiting your Pluto in detriment in opposition, and that can cause some interesting events for you!
Mars will be stationing RX on September 10 2020 (NZ time). The event chart shows the Virgo Sun in opposition to Neptune in Pisces. This definitely highlights a battle between truth and fear- what we wish was true and what is *actually* true. The ego is going to need to be refined through this process and it will be a process of elimination- people, obstacles, environments that are no longer healthy for us. Mars will also be conjunct Lilith and make the exact conjunction in retrograde, and I see this as a deep encounter with our own personal shadows and what makes us tick underneath the surface.
A square to Saturn on the 30th of September and then to Pluto on 10th of October leads us into a deep encounter with those pesky Capricorn heavyweights that have been calling us to make deep and meaningful change in our lives. There can be outbursts around these restrictions and those who have not yet learned to appreciate that change can’t be forced may find themselves getting more than they bargained for.
Mars will station direct again on the 14th of November, just ahead of the New Moon in Scorpio- which signals the green light to get started again and refresh our endeavours after a time period of erratic hesitancy.
I truly believe that the key to success is finding out what we actually want. A lot of the time we find ourselves stuck because what we are driving towards is not what suits us deep down inside. Mars Retrograde will help us open up those hidden vaults and look within to see what truly drives us, what we actually value- so we can go out and get it, and become truly happy. It will also help us be more balanced, as we address our vital energies and come to terms with the warrior within who only wants to claim what is truly his by right.
(All times and dates are in New Zealand time)
Green Lady Astrology 