MOVING FORWARD ONCE AGAIN WITH DRIVE, INITIATIVE AND COURAGE !!!

MARS, the planet representing the urge to get what you want, sexual drive, initiative, courage, raw energy and desires, completed its RETROGRADE journey for 2016 on Wednesday, June 29th, at 7:38 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 March 1st, 2014 - May 19th, 2014 completely in the sign of Libra ...


Mars retrograde brings 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 June 29th, or at some point during the next two years, or even when Mars takes its next retrograde journey  - which will begin in June of 2018 !!!


This Mars retrograde was a dual sign retrograde going from 8 degrees 54 minutes of Sagittarius back to 23 degrees 3 minutes Scorpio ... if you have had a natal chart done, you can look to where these degrees fell by house and/or houses 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 8 degrees 54 minutes Sagittarius and 23 degrees 3 minutes Scorpio, 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 signs of Sagittarius and Scorpio 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 ... Many would agree this Mars retrograde, with a Mercury retrograde completely embedded in it, was particularly brutal especially after it returned to the sign of Scorpio on May 27th for the final portion of its retrograde period !!!


As Mars was last retrograde from March 1st, 2014 through May 19th, 2014 in the sign of Libra it is most likely there could have been issues that arose specifically with actions taken during that period in addition to other issues that surfaced during this retrograde period ... and as Libra naturally rules the 7th house of face-to-face relationships dealing with business and marital partnerships, 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 particularly what you most lack about yourself, these would all be areas where issues may have arisen from the past retrograde period ... 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 ???


Mars spent the first 41 days of this retrograde period in the sign of Sagittarius in which it began its initial transit back on March 5th ... Sagittarius is the natural ruling sign on the 9th house which is considered to be the house of Life ... the 9th house represents the higher mind, the super conscious, the law, religion, science, ideals, higher learning, philosophy, psychology, profound mental study, ones dreams, ones visions, long distant travel, foreigners, foreign dealings, commerce, big business, imports and exports, the church as a spiritual factor, the clergy, in-laws, grandchildren, intuition, ethics, the public opinion in general, and the lessons we learn through living ... the ruling planet is Jupiter which rules wealth, leisure time, optimism, height, growth, morality, prosperity, indulgence, aspirations, sports, luck, hunting, fondness for animals, health and growth ... how many of you had issues or a combination of the above mentioned in your life while Mars was retrograde in
Sagittarius ???


Mars reentered the sign of Scorpio on May 27th where it spent the final 33 days of its retrograde period ... Scorpio is the natural ruling sign on the 8th house which is considered to be a house of Endings ... the 8th house represents the support you receive from other people - including financial, moral, spiritual, and physical ... it represents legacies, trusts, wills, taxes, insurance matters, secrets, sex, spiritual and physical regeneration, psychological rebirth, degeneration, death, occult matters, sleep, deep research, investigation, hidden assets, assets of partners, alimony, surgery and shows types of illness ... the ruling planet is Pluto which rules the underworld and that which is hidden from view including the unknown "worlds" within your submerged or subconscious self, conception, printing, the masses, waste, subversion, atomic power, crime, phobias, obsessions, slow growth, birth and death, isolation, coercion, disappearance, kidnapping, bacteria, viruses, generation.degeneration, that which is developed secretly or undercover, plumbing, dictatorships, and unpopular causes ... how many experienced issues in relation to these issues as Mars completed its retrograde journey for 2016 in the sign of Scorpio ??? ... Unfortunately I experienced this energy first hand as I lost my dear mother quite suddenly and unexpectedly about halfway through that period ...


Mars is the ruling planet of Aries which is the natural ruling sign on the 1st house, or Ascendant, which is considered a house of Life ... the first house represents your personality, your natural disposition and tendencies, your individuality and the way you express yourself, how people see you and the way you want others to see you, the way you "package" and "market" yourself, your physical body, your health, early childhood years, your approach to life, your worldly outlook, your appearance and the beginnings of all enterprises you under take ... to reiterate, Mars represents your animal nature, desires, sexual energies, assertiveness, force, power, construction, work, strife, competition, surgery and operations, weapons, war, accidents, inflammations, wounds, cuts, burns, scalds, violence, tools, iron and steel, actions that are sudden, self-assertive and disruptive actions, and energy that can be used destructively and angrily or with courage and strength ... how many experienced issues in these areas during the Mars retrograde ???


In regards to health, how many faced issues for the entire retrograde in the area of the external reproductive organs, head and face, for the first 41 days in regards to the hips, thighs and liver, and during the final 33 days in regards to the genital area, the elimination and reproductive systems ???



ARIES BORN - your period to slow down and review and reexamine - which you DO NOT like to do at all - has concluded and now it's time to see what has and what is going on in your life since the Mars retrograde is over ... SAGITTARIUS AND SCORPIO 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 Sagittarius and Scorpio 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 ...


Mars has now resumed forward motion to finally complete its transit through the sign of Scorpio which began back on January 3rd ... below is a reminder of what the energy of Mars in Scorpio can produce:

Mars in Scorpio produces energy that is EXTREMELY DRIVEN, and that would be a huge understatement !!! ... this energy can give one an increased confidence in ones own personal power, make one very intense, driven and confrontational, but also can make one sexy, compassionate and incisive ... there are apt to be strong desires, compulsions, and a need to thrive on challenges ... some desires may be achieved here only by transforming some intense emotions ... the urge to control others is great along with a susceptibility to becoming vengeful, resentment, and a lack of trust in others resulting if one goes too far ... there is great endurance with this energy as well as all-or-nothing tendencies ...


And the SEX DRIVE - CAN WE TALK ??? - is unbelievably pronounced when influenced by this energy ... there is an incredible amount of stamina bestowed ... most people born with natal Mars in Scorpio understand that sex is a natural bodily function and they can go at it all night long and the next morning pick up where they got off - oops, I guess I should rephrase that and say where the left off !!! - and start all over again unless of course something else is modifying this energy in their chart by natal placement or due to transits or progressions ... they also are usually not the least bit inhibited about talking about sex and some will be very experimental in their approach to satisfying this drive ... and at the very least these people will be very driven about something and/or someone ... the house placement at birth would give a good clue as to what it's all about ... for the rest of us, we will get a good clue about the drive of this transit depending on what area of life the house or houses rule where 30 degrees of Scorpio is found in your natal chart !!!

Mars in Scorpio can be very angry about something but you may never know it ... it will forgive but NEVER forget!!! ... it will eventually get retribution in some form but, since it has tenacity, it might not be right away ... this is the natural planning and plotting energy of the zodiac!!! ... Mars in Scorpio can make people a very dangerous enemy as they may hold grudges and nurse anger like steam in a pressure cooker until it explodes  and the effects can be disastrous ... there is also the extra ability to recover from physical strain here more so than any other placement ...

Mars is the "ancient" ruler of Scorpio ... after all, Pluto, the current ruler and also referred to as co-ruler, was not discovered until 1930 ... so this can be a very beneficial placement as Mars is very comfortable in this sign ... in fact many astrologers would agree that Mars is "dignified" in the sign of Scorpio ...


The tremendous emotional intensity here gives one relentless courage and a thoroughness in executing their direct intentions ... Mars in Scorpio can lead to the greatest level of spiritual achievement or to the lowest depths of moral degradation and destruction depending on how the energy is used ... while this energy can make one very secretive and not reveal their plans or actions without good reason, there is a need here to learn greater detachment and objectivity ...

Mars in Scorpio teaches us all about how we get what we want through our desires ... the powerful sense of survival and sexuality becomes intertwined here ... it gives one a kind of magnetic intensity that can illicit a response from others whether or not you are actually looking for it ... the inherent strength and power of Mars in Scorpio is the ability to heal or transform the environment in some way and this begins with your self-image ... there is absolutely no equal to this energy when it comes to pushing for changes and improvements where they are most needed whether its for personal evolution or the evolution of society ... the possible effects of Mars in Scorpio energy are as follows:

POSITIVE: charismatic, highly sexed, irresistible, emotionally rich, strong-willed, indestructible, forceful, courageous, thorough, exhaustive, determined, ambitious, probing, healing, discreet, perceptive, passionate, deep, powerful

NEGATIVE: megalomaniac, degrading, dissipated, resentful, stubborn, self-destructive, brutal, seething, cruel, exhausting, relentless, ruthless, prying, manipulative, devious, caustic, jealous, dark, cold-blooded, revengeful


Mars in Scorpio yields the potential to get a lot accomplished if it involves work that requires highly concentrated and disciplined energy ... and ultimately, who and/or what you may be driven towards pursuing in hopes of it ending with a "bang" may only wind up ending with a weak little whimper !!!



Mars remains in Scorpio until August 2nd when it will reenter the sign of Sagittarius to makes its complete transit through that sign ...Mars will exit its current retrograde zone on August 22nd when it returns to 8 degrees 54 minutes Sagittarius where it began this retrograde period, and remains in direct motion until June 26th, 2018 when it begins its next retrograde journey which will be another dual sign retrograde period going from Aquarius back into Capricorn ...

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES - which hopefully you have already done since June 29th !!! ... 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" !!!