LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ... START YOUR ENGINES !!!

 

MARS, the planet representing the urge to get what you want, sexual drive, initiative, courage, raw energy and desires, completed its RETROGRADE journey for 2022 today, January 12th, at 3:56 PM EST ... 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 was 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 had not been resolved in the past may have had the tendency of resurfacing during this period which yielded the awareness that the time had 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 retrograde could have brought 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 have occurred, as well as the termination of a long term goal as it may have become apparent that the effort was inappropriate for the long term ... also old wounds, hurts and frustrations may have arisen seemingly out of context but usually there was 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 couldn'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 begin to run into problems when it stations back into direct motion today, at some point during the next two years, or even when Mars takes its next retrograde journey in December, 2024 !!!




This Mars retrograde was completely in the sign of Gemini going from 25 degrees 36 minutes Gemini back to 8 degrees 7 minutes Gemini - the sign Mercury naturally rules !!! ... if you have had a natal chart done, you can look to where these degrees fall 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 25 degrees 36 minutes Aries and 8 degrees 7 minutes Gemini, 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 really unplugged your energy outlet - many of us may have had that feeling off and on during the entire Mars retrograde cycle and especially when Mercury joined the retrograde party beginning back on December 29th !!!




If you have any natal planets in the signs of Aries 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 ... Many would agree this Mars retrograde, with a Mercury retrograde completely embedded in it became especially challenging and frustrating - and Mercury isn't finished yet !!!

Since Mars was last retrograde from September 9th through November 14th, 2020, what actions were possibly begun then that now had to be readdressed, readjusted, reworked, or simply had run their course, ran out of "steam" and come to a necessary ending needing to be released, or concluded but not by our choice, in order to promote further personal and spiritual growth ??? ... and undoubtedly you may be readdressing some of these issues, including the issues encountered from September 9th of 2022 up until the retrograde period began on October 30th as Mars now moves forward over those degrees up until it exits its retrograde zone on March 15th !!! ... this Mars retrograde was most likely again to be an extremely challenging one as it occurred completely in the sign of Gemini, therefore associated with Mercury and we all know what a Mercury retrograde has the potential to produce on its own ... important to note that Mars has been in the sign of Gemini since August 20th as normally a Mars transit through a sign is usually about 6 weeks ... this Mars transit through Gemini will not be complete until March 25th, 2023 !!!

Mars retrograde energy had the potential to produce some unwanted action if it aspected 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 will find 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 to deal with, they probably abused the principles of aggression and personal initiative, and they are frequently in competition with themselves !!!

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 ... its keyword is identity ... the 1st 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 reputation, your physical body, your health, early childhood years, your approach to life, your worldly outlook, your appearance and the beginnings of all enterprises you undertake ... so there was the potential for issues to arise in these areas especially if some of the actions were taken during the last Mars retrograde or during the current Mars retrograde !!!




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 ... all of these areas were vulnerable to issues during the entire retrograde period as it is Mars which is in retrograde !!! ... In regards to health, the areas especially subject to issues during the entire retrograde are the head and face !!!

Mercury, which rules Gemini, is the natural ruler of the 3rd house which concerns side-by-side relationships and awareness ... the 3rd house shows your local environment in which you live, your brothers and sisters and all forms of communication - speaking, writing, and singing ... it indicates all means of transportation including short trips ... it shows the adaptability of your mind to learning and to new ideas, your ability to relate to your environment, and your taken for granted skills ... it represents the conscious and objective portion of your mind as well as your primary schooling ... all of these areas were subject to potential issues during this Mars retrograde !!! 

Mercury also rules the 6th house, via ruling Virgo, and is the house of substance and duty ... it governs your daily work and service, our health and nutrition and your habits ... it shows employment, employees, tenants, servants, pets and dependents ... it describes service given to others, routine matters your clothes and how you wear them, hygiene, interest in food and diet, sickness  and all conditions affecting your health ... the 6th house represents aunts and uncles, self-adjustment and your subconscious mind ... it is said that here work and health are linked together ... so potential could have arisen with issues with any of the aforementioned areas !!!

Mercury, as previously mentioned on numerous occasions, rules Gemini and Virgo ... it rules reasoning, the mental and cerebral capacity, ability to communicate, intellect, awareness, dexterity, rationalization, transmission, words, opinion and sensory perceptions ... its action is quick, uncertain, volatile under normal circumstances ... it deals with travels especially short trips, brothers and sisters, children, clerking, speaking, writing, bookkeeping, secretaries, neighborhood activities, letters and mailings, means of transportation, trade and techniques ... all areas that were subject to potential issues during this retrograde period ... In regards to health Mercury rules the nervous system, brain, sight, hands and arms with these having had the potential for issues to arise !!! 

This Mars retrograde period could have ended up being even more intense and challenging once Mercury began its 4th and final retrograde period for 2022 on December 29th which lasts until January 18th, 2023, and therefore was completely embedded within the final 15 days of this Mars retrograde ... so did that just double the challenges and complicate matters even more ... what a way to start off a New Year !!!

ARIES born - this was your period to slow down and in some cases stop - WHICH YOU DO NOT LIKE TO DO AT ALL !!! - in order to review and rethink what had been going on in your life especially in regards to what may have transpired in your life since November 14th, 2020 when Mars, being your ruling planet, last stationed back into direct motion !!!

Even though Aries born individuals may have been more sensitive to the reversal of energy, we all may have experienced it or possibly witnessed it somewhere in our lives or others lives, and lights may now begin to come on in our heads as we may discover that perhaps we should either have waited a while longer before taking a particular course of action or possibly realizing we should have never taken that course of action to begin with in certain situations !!!




Mars remains in Gemini until March 25th - a transit it initially began back on August 20th, 2022 !!! ... Mars remains in direct motion until December 6th, 2024 when it begins its next retrograde journey, lasting until February 25th, 2025, which will be a dual sign retrograde period going from 6 degrees 10 minutes Leo back to 17 degrees Cancer ... Mars will exit its shadow point on March 15th !!!

For those of you born between October 31st and January 11th, you got this Mars retrograde energy somewhere in your astrological birthday chart - known as a solar return - for the whole year ahead ... however, those born on October 30th and January 12th may or may not have gotten this retrograde energy depending on the time of your solar return for the current year ... therefore some Scorpio born, all Sagittarius born and some Capricorn born definitely got the Mars retrograde energy in their solar return chart this year !!! ... below is what noted astrologer Mary Fortier Shea has to say about having Mars retrograde in the birthday chart - also known as the Solar Return:

"When Mars is retrograde in the solar return chart, the individual must work with the process of self-motivation. This is a good time to work on a long-term project, especially one involving the need to repeatedly push yourself  toward achievement. You are the motivating force. No one else can get you to move. It is very unlikely that you will be motivated by others since personal goals will seem more important than the conflicting goals of others. If you cannot motivate yourself or direct your energy in a useful manner, you will feel listless and tired. This is an extremely useful retro gradation for those who are goal-oriented; unfortunately, it can be a very counterproductive placement for those who are not.




The way you choose to handle anger is symbolized by Mars retrograde. Usually, there is a desire to avoid confrontation and conflict. You may be unable or unwilling to express anger outwardly. Furthermore, you might find it difficult to be openly aggressive or even assertive given the situations you are involved with. If this is so, you could resort to passive-aggressive behavior or manipulation if it seems impossible to deal with a present situation on a rational level. For example, if you are taking care of a cantankerous and senile relative, confrontation and rational discussion will not improve your relationship, but refusing to engage in conflicts and stressing the humor of the situation may. You can manipulate your way around the old coot with love and understanding in your heart. Having Mars retrograde in a solar return chart signals the need to reassess the appropriateness of anger and conflict in certain situations where it may actually be totally useless. It is not the answer to all situations and you can learn to use other tactics.




If you are involved in difficult circumstances, you may not defend yourself against the criticism of others. And  in fact, you could see yourself as responsible to some extent for the situations you are involved in. This is a time when you are more apt to get in touch with the role you, yourself, play in creating stress. You could blame yourself and be very self-critical of your own behavior. Positively, we can look upon this year as a time when you are more apt to see self-defeating situations and take corrective action. It is fairly common to realize the existence of at least one self-defeating situation or personality pattern during the year.




Mars retrograde, at its worst manifestation, can have a self-destructive interpretation. It is possible that you will place yourself (through your own doing) in a situation that causes you difficulty or pain. You will have the ability to withdraw from the situation, but might choose to remain throughout the solar return year. This may sound like a horrible manifestation, but it is not necessarily so ... The house placement of Mars will relate to the self-defeating or self-destructive attitudes and may symbolize this negative behavior in relationships, career practices, financial responsibility, etc. If one concentrates on the issues, solutions can be found and there will be no need to remain in compromising situations."

Below is a "reminder" of what the energy of Mars in Gemini has the potential to produce :

As Mars usually represents fiery actions and Gemini is an Air sign, Mars has the potential to function extremely well and forcefully here ... and why ??? ... because AIR GIVES LIFE TO FIRE !!! ... in fact, it may work too well and too fast at times in Gemini ... Mars was last in Gemini from March 3rd through April 23rd, 2021... what was going on during that period in your life in regards to getting what you wanted, taking initiative, or even your sexual drive ???

A keyword for Mars in Gemini would certainly be "spontaneous" ... under this energy one is mentally active and naturally curious with a very restless mind and tongue ... one can assert themselves flexibly, cleverly, and with many talents ... verbal expression and learning is important ... in fact the desire to talk and communicate is so strong that one may talk incessantly and we may find ourselves thinking or perhaps forced to blurt out - SHUT UP ... unfortunately this is why gossip and rumors have the potential to spread like wildfire !!! ... in addition, having variety and being on the move is necessary ... energy flows very easily here into mental pursuits and/or skill with the hands ... there is often a display of great dexterity and manual skills ... there is a drive towards learning more, developing new skills and making additional connections between people and/or concepts and ideas ... there is usually versatility and adaptability but there is always the risk of being easily distracted as ones focus and desires change quickly and frequently or get completely lost being influenced by so much stimuli ... think of the phrase "ONCE IS ENOUGH" !!!

Personal identity is tied to ones thinking and communication or to ones manual skills ... sexual drive and physical energy are affected by what one sees, thinks, new ideas, and by conversations ... under this energy if someone is ever ticked off, you can forget about getting a word in at all !!! ... as for partnerships and sex, this energy frequently requires more than one partner for total fulfillment !!!

Mars in Gemini teaches us to learn how to get what we want through communicating on all levels ... it's the live wire ... it's touch and go ... in fact it is a real go-getter - quick to think, quick to act, and then quick to move on ... if you want to know something, it won't be too long before you simply go and ask ... the desire nature, the tongue and the nervous system are all wired together here ... attaining the object of ones desires and satisfying them is usually achieved quickly ... there is a need with Mars in Gemini to learn to slow down in order to see what is really happening in order to discover what it is your heart truly desires ... and this can be challenging as Mars energy, especially in this sign, DOES NOT like to slow down ... know anyone born under this planetary energy ??? ... I rest, so to speak, my case !!!

The contact ultimately to be made under this energy is with ones self - until you are able to concentrate your attention and learn to distinguish between what you want, what you have, and what you can't have, you will fall victim to your nervous system running in overdrive and dictating what you do ... these high strung energies need a constant outlet ... and when you run into someone who frustrates your energies, it becomes necessary to determine what it really is about that person that is driving you - up, down, forward, backward, wild or plain crazy - and you may ultimately discover it is something inside of YOU !!! ... the energy of Mars in Gemini can be expressed in the following ways :

POSITIVE: sharp-witted, humorous, stimulating, ingenious, dexterous, resourceful, adaptable, quick, agile, lively, mobile, eloquent, inquisitive, communicative, contact-maker, versatile mind, flexible, full of ideas, multi-talented

NEGATIVE: sharp-tongued, sarcastic, irreverent, argumentative, mischievous, meddlesome, unreliable, hasty, jumpy, unable to relax, restless, verbose, nosy, rambling, gets wired crossed, scatters thoughts, changeable, lacking in perseverance

GEMINI BORN - enjoy this extra long burst of get up and go, as if you really need it anyway, for roughly the next six weeks - be careful not to "incinerate" everyone else with this added "fired" up energy while it is engaged productively without influence from any other universal force of energy in play at the present time !!!

Mars is currently the only planet transiting through the sign of Gemini and given its highly driven energy here, that is probably enough for now ... Mars remains in Gemini until March 25th, 2023 !!!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES ... but somewhat cautiously as that pesky Mercury retrograde is still in play until January 18th!!! ... 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" !!!