Finding your true passion - Mars goes Retrograde - what does it mean for you?

Mars goes Retrograde from 24th January 2012 to 13th April 2012 at 3° - 23° Virgo
Time to reassess your goals, ambitions and desires.

Do you feel as though you are running around in lots of different directions and not getting much done?

Are you stuck in a job you hate?

Are you feeling directionless?

Chances are that during Mars retrograde, any frustrations you’ve been feeling in your work or your relationships will be highlighted and you won’t be able to ignore strong emotions of anger, fear and resentment any longer.

About every two years and two months, when Mars is closest to the earth, it goes retrograde. What does this mean?

Mars is all about your energy, your passion, your drive, your initiative. Wherever Mars is situated in your natal chart shows where you like to put your energy. For example, Mars is in my fourth house, so I enjoy putting energy into my business and I love working from home. I need a great deal of space or I can get into arguments with family and people close to me.

Some of you will have Mars retrograde natally. You probably come from a family in which no one knew how to express their anger. You may internalise your emotions, so that on the surface you appear calm, but inside you are boiling up with rage and resentments. Or you may use passive-aggressive behaviour to get your way rather than being honest and direct about what you are thinking and feeling. You will have to work very hard at learning how to express your anger and to feel safe with it. The house in which your Mars retrograde falls will show where you bottle up your emotions for days, months or even years, and then suddenly you explode and cut yourself off from the situation. You feel anger inside but don’t know how to release it.

You won’t be comfortable with direct confrontation preferring to work alone or indirectly. For example, you would do well as a coach where you are encouraging other peoples’ energies and passions.

I had a client with Mars retrograde in Libra who found it too hard to fire any of her employees. She hired an aggressive guy who loved to fire people and that’s his job. So she put someone in between who could handle confrontations for her.
You might be accident prone so that when you stub your toe on a wall, or trap your finger in a door, you release your anger through a sudden jolt of physical pain.
You might have addictions such as drinking, smoking or gambling in order to suppress your anger. You may complain a lot rather than do anything constructive about your problems. You may also have a lot of angry people around you who are reflecting your inner frustrations that you are unable to express.

The good news is that you will not have Mars retrograde forever as all the planets progress during our lifetime. I had a client with Mars retrograde and several other retrograde planets in his chart. When Mars turned direct in his chart, he stopped gambling, he got involved in twelve-step recovery, he ended an unhealthy relationship and began studying for a new career! His whole life turned around.

If you have Mars retrograde in your second house you may have a sabotage pattern in relation to money. I had a client who worked very hard, saved all his money and then one day had an argument with his wife and on the spur of the moment took out all the money from his savings account and blew it on a new car. Then he had to start saving up all over again.

I’ve known clients with Mars retrograde in the fourth house who get along with family members for years and then suddenly have a huge argument and never speak to them ever again.
Mars retrograde in the seventh house finds it difficult to express anger or strong emotions in a close relationship. A seemingly small trigger can end a long-term relationship overnight.

If you have Mars retrograde in your natal chart, you will probably have to work very hard at learning how to express your emotions, especially your anger. You may also have to dig deeply inside of yourself to find out what your true passions are. You may be more involved with other people and supporting their passions rather than focusing on your own. When Mars goes direct in your chart, the whole process becomes much easier.

Now, let’s move onto this Mars retrograde coming up towards the end of January and how it will affect us all in one way or another.

While Mars is retrograde, it’s important to look more deeply at the things that you want. Your energy will slow down forcing you to take a closer look at your priorities and your actions. You might be going from one thing to another mindlessly without a true direction that’s deeply fulfilling to you. It’s an opportunity to ensure that you’re pursuing the goals that really matter to you. Become aware of your short-term and long-term goals. Use this three month period to find out what you truly want and why.

Maybe you’re in a job where you’re working very hard, earning money, but not enjoying what you are doing as you only intended to stay in that particular job for a very short time. During this Mars retrograde you might make plans for a new direction in your career which is going to be more gratifying for you.
Whatever your current situation, Mars retrograde gives you an opportunity to regroup and to plan a new course of action, especially in the areas of life that are highlighted by its house placement in your chart.

You may need to turn to a trusted person that you can confide in to talk things through. For example a therapist, counsellor, mentor, friend, family member. It can be very helpful to process and understand what is happening to you and this can be difficult to do in isolation. Don’t let your pride or guilt get in the way of reaching out for help and support if you are having a hard time.

It’s a good time to examine your knee-jerk reactions to situations and people. Try to find healthy ways in which you can deal with anger and fear. Don’t be impatient, you won’t be able to unravel everything all at once. Progress comes in small steps and often you take a couple of steps forward and one or two back until it integrates with the deepest part of your being.

Mars can bring out all kinds of emotions: your desires, sexuality, passions, ambitions, drives – especially those that have been suppressed or undeveloped. Circumstances and interactions with other people may trigger these impulses to the surface. Although this probably won’t be a comfortable experience, it is a wonderful opportunity to work with these areas in a new way so you can heal, release and integrate buried emotions and ambitions.

Mars energy can be dangerous, after all it’s a Fire sign and it rules wars, warriors and conflict. Just like a real fire, it can be harmful and can wreak havoc in a short space of time when it’s out of control. It’s important to handle Mars energy with respect and with safety mechanisms in place. When it’s used wisely it can fire up great achievements and successes. If the energy of Mars is released suddenly and without a degree of control, the results can be damaging and destructive. If you release suppressed emotions too quickly this can create even more problems in your life. When Mars is retrograde, you have access to all of its potential and danger in ways that you might not normally allow into your life. The consequences can be exciting, inspiring, scary, disturbing, destructive, freeing or overwhelming. However, there is great potential for healing and for removing the obstacles that stand in the way of you and your desires.

If you find yourself becoming accident-prone, this Mars retrograde will likely force you to slow down and to pay attention to what’s in front of you instead of rushing around with a hundred different things on your mind. You may find that your energy is drained and you will have to slow down, take a break, be gentle with yourself and give yourself time to recharge your batteries.

Mars rules knives, sharp instruments, surgeons and scalpels. It’s not the best time to have elective surgery during a Mars retrograde. Emergency medicine is another matter, and of course you must seek medical help and if necessary undergo surgery in an emergency, but if you can avoid choosing to have surgery at this time it will probably to your advantage.

Mars is the planetary ruler of both Aries and Scorpio. The Aries part of Mars is easier to deal with in that you can take direct action when dealing with emotions. For example you might work off your passion, anger, frustrations on a physical level by going to the gym, taking a walk or going for a jog, cleaning the house, having sex – not necessarily in that order!

However the Scorpio part of Mars deals with the much deeper emotions that may need to come out. This aspect of Mars seeks to transform and heal a problem by digging underneath the surface and getting rid of hidden toxins. It works much more on the level of the psyche and may bring about a healing crisis where things get worse before they get better. It can take time and hard work before you start to see the benefits so don’t automatically assume that worsening circumstances mean that you are doing something wrong.

Make the most of this retrograde by researching and plotting your course of action, but don’t take serious action steps until Mars goes direct again.