Mars is lastly stationing direct – hallelujah! – on February twenty fourth, at 17° Most cancers.
However till then, let’s take a while to evaluation what this transit has meant for us – let’s do a Mars RETROgrade RETROspective.
Retrograde and retrospective each share the basis retro – which comes from the Latin retro, which means “backward.”
So when a planet strikes backward (is retrograde) within the sky, it revisits the identical space of our chart that it initially handed by whereas direct. In a means, let’s imagine it replays or reenacts the previous.
This course of invitations a retrospective – an opportunity to revisit or re-live previous occasions and mirror on what they’ve taught us.
Everyone knows that retrogrades are occasions to evaluation and reassess – and wow, what a evaluation that was!
Mars went retrograde on December seventh, 2024, so we’re now virtually 10 weeks within the cycle. Here is the preliminary write-up about what to anticipate from this Mars retrograde cycle.
When you’ve got planets or angles between 17° Most cancers and 6° Leo, you have been much more affected – however all of us skilled this transit’s power in a roundabout way, as Mars revisited a particular sector (home) of our chart, bringing its themes into focus.
The spotlight of the Mars retrograde cycle in Leo-Most cancers was its ongoing opposition to Pluto, which remained lively for just about the entire period of the retrograde interval.
Mars-Pluto oppositions are catalysts for deep transformation.
They break our resistance to the outdated – to what can not maintain progress. And this doesn’t occur with no battle. It’s by the very act of preventing that we expertise revelations, breakthroughs, and, finally, progress.
The Mars Cycle And The Hero’s Journey
The Mars cycle mirrors the hero’s journey. The hero embarks on an journey, and the primary a part of this journey (the primary half of the cycle) builds momentum, testing braveness, power, and willpower.
Then, on the opposition (the turning level within the cycle), the hero faces their final problem – an encounter with the villain or a power that appears insurmountable.
That is the toughest process and the defining second of the journey.
To use the hero’s journey framework to our present Mars cycle – the Mars-Solar opposition was precise on January fifteenth, 2025.
Nonetheless, your complete Mars retrograde cycle carried this theme, given its opposition to Pluto.
The villain encounter is a metaphor for the unacknowledged facet of ourselves – the facet of us that’s labeled, for no matter purpose, as undesirable and subsequently stays buried in our unconscious.
As a result of it isn’t built-in into the wholeness of our being, it will get projected onto others. The deeper the projection, the extra intense the sentiments of frustration or resentment.
Put merely, the extra one thing or somebody bothers you, the deeper the wound or disowned trait inside you.
We’re mainly bothered as a result of we’ve these self-labeled ‘undesirable’ traits ourselves – and since we will’t settle for them, the best way our psyche finds a workaround is to externalize them, reacting strongly after we see them in others.
On this means, we get an opportunity to dip our toes into these shadow features and discover them not directly – with out having to face the full weight of acknowledging that it’s us, not them.
It is a protecting mechanism of the psyche, permitting our progress and self-awareness to unfold regularly, by interactions with others and the world.
To simply accept one’s ‘darkish’ facet is the best interior problem to beat – similar to within the hero’s journey, preventing the villain is probably the most troublesome process. But, it’s the battle we should face in our strategy of individuation to attain our biggest potential and reside a lifetime of success.
Mars Reverse Pluto – Management Points
Mars reverse Pluto brings up management points. All of us have management points, and up to a degree, that’s not a nasty factor. They permit us to take care of ourselves and our family members – to decorate warmly when it’s chilly so we don’t get hypothermia. To supervise our toddlers in order that they don’t get into bother.
Astrology itself could be seen as some of the refined makes an attempt to realize management – we need to study transits to “put together.” We analyze somebody’s chart to “know” how that individual is.
All good with that – to a degree. However there comes a time when these makes an attempt, whether or not acutely aware or unconscious, to manage our personal and others’ lives, do extra hurt than good.
They maintain us in a continuing state of fear. They stop us from rising and seeing the larger image. They make it troublesome to let go, to give up, and to easily belief, acknowledge, and align with the move of life.
Struggles come up when the 2 ‘realities’ – our actuality and the overarching actuality – conflict, when they aren’t in alignment.
Our actuality is symbolized by the planet Mars. The overarching actuality is symbolized by Pluto.
If Mars is our private will, Pluto, as the upper octave of Mars, is the collective will – the sum of all particular person wills that type a shared actuality.
We might consider a lion or a hyena as particular person Mars wills and the legislation of nature as Pluto. Lions hunt hyenas, hyenas hunt smaller animals, and so forth. Lions themselves are ultimately taken down by youthful lions, and thru this course of, equilibrium is maintained.
This pure equilibrium is Pluto. Pluto is the unquestionable actuality – the results of numerous micro-actions from all residing beings. Pluto is actuality – whether or not we like this actuality, or not.
Due to this fact, the objective of the Mars reverse Pluto transit is to align our private will (Mars) with this bigger, collective will (Pluto) by exploring the mechanism of projection (opposition).
After we fail to align these 2 realities, we endure, as a result of the collective will is all the time stronger – a mouse trying to struggle a lion is a dropping sport from the beginning.
But, this doesn’t imply we must always do nothing or hand over on life both. The hyena may not be capable of struggle the lion – however it could possibly adapt, outmaneuver, and discover power in its pack.
So, what can we do? We don’t all the time must agree with Pluto, the collective will. But, we will settle for it and discover our place inside it.
We will take a look at the place our energy lies, what’s the finest position we will play, whereas remaining true to ourselves on this collective actuality. Play to our strengths relatively than resist the inevitable. Transfer with the tide, relatively than in opposition to it.
It is a very troublesome course of as a result of we don’t naturally settle for the issues in life that don’t align with our interior Mars.
That’s why Mars reverse Pluto is among the most troublesome transits on the market. It’s the sort of transit that may drive us mad, make our blood boil, and even put us in harmful conditions, just because it triggers us a lot.
Nonetheless, if we perceive the upper objective of this transit – which, like all transit, is finally to assist us develop and enhance our lives – then we will use it as a catalyst for progress as an alternative of entering into circles and repeating the identical struggles with out decision.
The final days of the Mars retrograde cycle are a wonderful alternative to just do that.
Now it’s time to look again on the previous 10 weeks and mirror on what we’ve discovered, what we’ve resisted, and the way we will combine these classes transferring ahead.
Mars Retrograde Retrospective Workout routines
To mirror on this transit, listed below are 3 workout routines.
Train #1: Exploring Projection
First, record 3 individuals who you strongly dislike. These will not be essentially folks whose views don’t align with yours or folks you discover uninteresting. You need to discover individuals who provoke a visceral response – those that really get your blood boiling. That’s what we search for after we need to discover projection.
Subsequent, record the qualities you discover most despicable in them. Then, ask your self: Why do these qualities set off me so intensely? What’s the core purpose behind my response?
After which consider how these qualities would possibly, in a roundabout way, exist inside you.
Are you able to consider circumstances once you displayed the identical or related qualities or behaviors – maybe in a much less overt means, but nonetheless stemming from the identical dynamic? Or maybe you may even acknowledge a hidden want to be the sort of one who’s capable of show these qualities or behaviors – even in case you hate them.
What’s the larger objective right here? What does it reveal about your journey of individuation?
Train #2: Reviewing Mars Retrograde
Mirror on the previous 10 weeks of Mars retrograde and write down particular struggles, obstacles, occasions, interactions, or conditions you discovered notably troublesome.
What precisely made them so troublesome? Are you able to hint again moments the place you set up an unequal struggle? While you resisted an excessive amount of as an alternative of surrendering to the plain?
Or maybe once you held again and did nothing, though stepping barely exterior your consolation zone might have made a distinction?
What’s the larger objective of those obstacles and occasions, and what might be the subsequent finest plan of action transferring ahead?
Train #3: The Sailboat Retrospective
The sailboat retrospective is an train utilized in teaching and private improvement; we are going to adapt it to the Mars retrograde journey.
Think about your self as a sailboat navigating by the final 10 weeks of Mars retrograde. Your vacation spot represents the place you need to be, however alongside the best way, you’ve encountered each useful forces and obstacles.
There are 5 components to contemplate:
⛵ Boat: Represents you in your Mars retrograde journey
🏝️ Aim (Island): Your imaginative and prescient or goal
💨 Wind (Forces Serving to You): The strengths, motivations, and elements propelling you ahead
🪨 Rocks (Dangers & Challenges): The obstacles and risks which may trigger setbacks
⚓ Anchor (Issues Holding You Again): Inner or exterior limitations slowing progress
Now with Mars getting ready to show direct:
- Wow are you able to harness the wind (your strengths) and navigate across the rocks (your challenges)?
- What one key motion will you are taking now that Mars is transferring ahead once more?
- How will you lower the anchor of what’s holding you again?
When Mars (direct) ultimately opposes Pluto once more on April twenty seventh, 2025, you’ll then be outfitted to acknowledge the larger objective of this transit and use the friction of the opposition to propel your self one step nearer on the trail of your progress and objective.
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