EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD !!!

Mars, the planet representing the urge to get what you want, sexual drive, initiative, courage, raw energy and desires, completed its RETROGRADE journey for 2014 yesterday, 5/19, at 9:31 PM EDT ... the purpose of a Mars retrograde ultimately is to evaluate what it is that motivates you and for you to determine if you are on the correct path to achieve your goal, and if you are doing what you should be doing to get there ... inside a Mars retrograde, it is time for all of us to adjust our actions and aggressive instincts to ensure that ones intent is accomplished effectively ... this often includes going back over previous actions and having to redo them or let them go in order to move forward ... also, old resentments and personal issues that haven't been resolved in the past have a tendency of resurfacing during this period which yields the awareness that the time has come to develop new strategies and approaches for dealing with issues, anger and learning assertiveness ... Mars takes a retrograde journey for about 9 - 10 weeks out of its 26 month cycle ... Mars was last retrograde from January 23rd, 2012 through April 13th, 2012 ...

Mars retrograde will bring issues of frustration or hostility to the surface we have deliberately suppressed due to their disruptive qualities which can cause forward movement in our lives to be temporarily delayed ... sudden reversals of interest and drive may occur, as well as the termination of a long term goal as it may become apparent that the effort is inappropriate for the long term ... also old wounds, hurts and frustrations may arise seemingly out of context but usually there is a purpose for this ... during a Mars retrograde it is usually a good idea NOT to undertake any new beginnings per contract or verbally since the energy often isn't there to carry it through ... now sometimes you can't just "sit tight" for nearly two and a half months, but there are good reasons, if at all possible, as the waiting may ultimately prove to be a blessing in the long run ... often things begun under a Mars retrograde will run into problems when it stations back into direct motion - that being May 19th, or at some point during the next two years, or even when Mars takes its next retrograde journey  - which will be in April of 2016 !!!

This Mars retrograde took place entirely in the sign of Libra - from 27 degrees of Libra back down to 9 degrees of Libra ... if you have had a natal chart done, you can look to where these degrees fell by house in order to see if  you had to rethink some kind of action you may have taken or where you might have encountered delays and frustrations and had to shift into a different direction in whatever area of life the house or houses rule where these degrees fell ... if you were born with your natal Sun between 9 degrees and 27 degrees of Libra, at some point Mars crossed back over your natal Sun and, among other things, there could have been a few days when you felt as if someone unplugged your energy outlet ... many of us may have had that feeling during the entire Mars retrograde cycle !!! ... and if you have any natal planets in the sign of Libra within these degrees you probably experienced some kind of energy produced in relation to the planet and the area of life in which house it is placed when Mars backed over that planet ... also Mars may have produced some action if it made an aspect to other planets in your natal chart regardless of sign but still within the same range of degrees ... as with Mercury retrograde periods, sometimes those born with Mars retrograde may have found this period more productive since they are already comfortable and have a better understanding of this backwards energy ... in a natal chart, those born with Mars retrograde are said to have actions in the current life that are recreations of the past, and they are also frequently in competition with themselves !!!

Libra naturally rules the 7th house of face-to-face relationships and that is where a lot of people may have encountered the greatest impact of this retrograde ... BUT WAIT ... haven't we already been dealing with that first in the Mercury retrograde 10/21 through 11/10, and then again during the Venus retrograde 12/21 through 1/31 ???  ... obviously the universe is calling our attention to something that we must take a long, honest look at to see what needs to change ... Mars is the third of the 3 personal planets - Mercury, Venus and Mars - to participate in what I referred to back on September 30th as the personal planet retrograde flip flop ... this sequence began on October 1st with Mercury entering its shadow point and will not conclude until July 21st when Mars exits its retrograde zone ... and we still have one more Mercury retrograde to go through before this sequence of retrogrades is complete ...

As the 7th house is the house that deals with business and marital partnerships, marriage, divorce, contracts, lawsuits, bargains, agreements, dealings with the public, open enemies, your cooperation or lack thereof with others as well as how you share with others, and bottom line - shows what you most lack in yourself , needless to say, issues may have arisen in these areas of your life as well !!!

Mars was last retrograde from January 23rd, 2012 through April 13th, 2012 in the sign of Virgo, and it made its last complete direct transit through the sign of Libra July 3rd through August 23rd, 2012 ... it is most likely that issues will arise in regards to actions taken during those periods ... what possibly was begun that had to be readdressed, readjusted, and reworked, or simply have run their course and come to a necessary ending needing to be released in order to promote further personal and spiritual growth ???

ARIES BORN - your period to slow down and review and reexamine - which you DO NOT like to do at all - what has and what is going on in your life since Mars is your ruling planet is finished for now ... LIBRA BORN - did you especially feel that rush of energy return that Mars bestows as it transits through your birth sign ??? ... Even though Aries born individuals as well as Libra born may have been more sensitive to this reversal of energy, we all experienced  it somewhere in our lives, and lights may begin to come on in our heads as we discover that perhaps we should have either waited a while longer before taking action or possibly never have taken a particular course of action to begin with in certain situations ...

Since Mars was last in Libra from July 3rd, 2012 through August 23rd, 2012, the question now becomes what was going on in your life regarding money - how you earn and spend it, assessing personal values, and dealing with partnerships and relationships both public and private back then ??? ... something may come up for review from that period as well as all the other possible issues that may have been involved during this particular Mars retrograde ... Mars remains in Libra until July 25th ... still a lot of work to do in regards to our financial situation, personal values, and partnerships and relationships both public and private !!! ... below is a reminder of what this energy is all about and how it may be affecting your life :

Mars in Libra is strategic, charming, generous, amiable, cooperative, persuasive, enjoys entertaining, sociable and very interested in new ideas ...  self-reliance is sometimes lacking here and one must learn to stand on their own ... here we have energy that is naturally people oriented and often learns through relating with others ... it can be highly competitive ... it is energy which makes one work on balancing opposites and therefore indecision can arise if you go overboard with the need to weigh and balance everything ... identity is tied in with interactions to others ... physical and sexual drive are strongly influenced by ones partner ... Mars in Libra can also propel one into a conflict of argument with someone else - and at times people are forced to agree with you just to end the discussion and shut you up !!! ... it can be sweet and smile a lot, but ultimately kill you with kindness ...

Mars is said to be in "detriment" in the sign of Libra as this is the sign directly opposite the one it rules which is Aries ... Mars is therefore like a guest in someone elses "house" and must conform to their rules !!! ... Normally air (Libra) gives life to fire (Mars), but for all of its energy here, Mars can get out of control rather quickly ... Mars sometimes has trouble operating in the sign of Libra because its need for direct action is limited by the need for approval and cooperation of others ... Mars here is the initiator of social activities and wants to be noticed and appreciated ... sometimes personal desires and ambitions can be confused with others ... aggressive and energetic partners are sought here ... this energy can produce great anger when principles of justice are violated even if the person is not the actual victim ...

The lesson of Mars in Libra is learning to get through how we relate ... its the social mover and shaker ... the drive to balance impulses ... a major challenge here is to get what you want but do so by fitting in with social values and emotional requirements ... one must learn to adjust needs and values to their desires ... desires here tend to spring from a feeling of wanting everyone to be in harmony and pull together ... ultimately the energy of Mars in Libra is the ability to be aware of and have the courage to express and live by your own moral convictions ... Mars in Libra is the transformer ... it likes togetherness, doing things in style, the social whirl, knowing ones own desires, and equal partnerships ... it dislikes injustice, being overly blunt, indecisiveness, being dominant or being dominated ... the energy of Mars in Libra can be expressed in the following ways:

POSITIVE: attentive lover, enthusiastic, skillful lover, gentle, fair, easygoing, diplomatic, co-operative, persuasive, binding, discreet, perceptive, idealistic, intuitive, principled, measured, polite, considerate, agreeable, sedate

NEGATIVE: fawning, idolizing, impersonal, tentative, bland, indecisive, insincere, misleading, devious, awkward, judgmental, unreal, unfeeling, self-limiting, inhibited, vulgar, selfish, impulsive

Mars will exit its current retrograde zone on July 15th when it returns to 3 degrees of Cancer, and remains in direct motion until April 17th, 2016 when it begins its next retrograde journey which will be a double sign retrograde from Sagittarius back into Scorpio ... but we are not out of the woods just yet and you have probably guessed why ... Mercury enters its next shadow point on Thursday, May 22nd in preparation for its second retrograde journey for 2014 which will occur from June 7th until July 1st ... all together now - GIVE US A BREAK UNIVERSE ... but it seldom does as the purpose of our journey through this life is to learn and grow both physically and spiritually ... the good news is that when Mercury stations direct on July 1st, the personal planet retrograde flip-flop sequence I spoke of, which began back on October 1st, 2013, will conclude with only Mercury and Mars having to move forward out of their respective retrograde zones ...

Nevertheless, the time you have been anxiously and restlessly waiting for has come - LADIES AND GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES !!! ... but be careful not to put the pedal to the metal and start going too far too fast just yet ... perhaps you might want to take some advice from Dorothy and her friends and simply "ease on down the road" !!!