Mars prepares to turn direct at 17 Cancer this Sunday, the culmination of a retrograde that began back on December 6. It’s been a second look at how we use our Mars — how we take action, how we express our desires, how we take the lead.
Life hasn’t stopped while Mars has been retrograde the last two and a half months, but it has required a personal work. Retrogrades are a yin phase of energy. Instead of pushing out, we pull in. We review and intuit instead of moving forward instinctively. Unlike Mercury, which turns retrograde every three months, Mars turns retrograde only every two years. (The last Mars Retrograde was October 30, 2022 to January 12, 2023.)
Mars, a “personal planet”, describes how we assert ourselves. We all have Mars somewhere in our astrology and we all have a history with our Mars, a history that may include the times we failed to stand up for ourselves or go after what we what or even used our Mars to take power over others, for example. Retrogrades pull at these past threads so that we can free ourselves from anything holding us back.
What’s unique about this retrograde is that Mars has been in an opposition to Pluto, a powerhouse dynamic that not only speaks to our personal relationship with Mars, but a need to completely reform and transform our Mars. Pluto has pulled out our hidden desires, unconscious fears, self-destructive tendencies, displaced rage, all so that we can make a spiritual alchemy, turning proverbial lead into gold.
There have been two Pluto oppositions so far, one on November 3, 2024 at 29 Cancer-Capricorn, and a second on January 3 at 1 Leo-Aquarius. A third will be on April 26 at 3 Leo-Aquarius, a reminder that the retrograde is part of a larger story playing out into early May.
With Mars Direct come February 23, the next few days may be a bit overly emotional. Mars is in Cancer, a sign where Mars’s actions and instincts may be clouded by the past, memories, or something unresolved. But Mars in Cancer can be a great protector and advocate when its energies are channeled positively.
If you are in AUSTRALIA or NZ, this forecast applies approximately for February 22-24, 2025.
Read More:
New Webinar: The Eclipses of March 2025
Webinar Replay: The Astrology of 2025
Mars in Cancer: Sign by Sign
Jupiter in Gemini: Sign by Sign
Saturn in Pisces: The Look Within
Saturn in Pisces: Sign by Sign
Astrology Webinars and Courses
Subscribe to My Mailing List
Book Your ConsultationPhoto by Cedric Letsch on Unsplash