MARS RETROGRADES:

On Wednesday September 9^th at 6:22 P.M. EDT until November 13^th at 7:36 P.M. EST this very important transit begins. Mars only retrogrades once every 2 years because of its proximity to Earth’s orbit. But when it does it has a powerful effect. This retrograde will last about 2 months and because of God’s comedic temperament, in an era of unbridled anger, frustration and combativeness it keeps Mars in Aries, the sign of its rulership for more than 6 month, having first entered in late June and not exiting until early January. So what does all of this mean?

Well, for one thing when a planet is in retrograde its energy tends to be internalized more than usual, and what that planet represents can be difficult to express in the outside world. Mars is all about ego, energy, testosterone, and yes, battles. It is, after all, the god of war, and as our nation gears up for the contest that will decide its future we may find that the outward fighting may be less obvious. This doesn’t mean that the two sides have found peace and are now willing to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. Rather it implies that much of the nastiness may be more insidious, hidden and underhanded. The animosity may actually be growing; just on the inside. In any case, you can certainly expect that we are entering the final throws of an unimagined national battle that will be contentious until the very end. And with Mars in retrograde caution is called for. Many people are angry now. Between Covid-19, the economy, wildfires, hurricanes, giant hornets, your mother-in-law, when will we get a break? And all of that tension is taking its toll.

In our personal lives this will be a time when it may be more difficult to release that pent up stress. This can be quite frustrating and many people will be irritated and if they can’t find a means of expressing their rage, may act out in a rash manner. When we can expunge built up tension it may be boisterous but usually is less dangerous than holding it all in. This is why they say that shouters don’t tend to get ulcers or heart attacks. I don’t know if that’s actually true but the point is well taken. If you scream and shout and the person you live with takes all of that in, you may be a “carrier”. You won’t get the ulcer, they will. So while Mars is in retrograde it’s important to find ways of letting go on a personal as well as a collective level. Don’t hold all of that bile in. Exercise, do hard physical labor, or just get in touch with your inner lunatic and own up to any anger you are feeling. With the financial, political and racial situation in America being what it is, most of us are frightened and tense. Of course we can’t run through the streets shouting at everyone. They tend to lock you up if you act that way. But we also can’t pretend everything is honky-dory. The derisiveness, fear and angst are very real and need a release valve. Keep in mind that your neighbor, spouse or fellow Starbuck’s customer may be feeling just as uptight as you. Give everyone some space and try not to take the bait. As I said earlier it can be difficult now to express Mars’ energy outwardly. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t real and quite powerful. Be compassionate and try to understand that we are all in this together. And no matter what your situation may be, the person next to you has problems too. Besides, when Mars is running backwards whoever is the aggressor tends to lose.