Note: This article was originally written and posted on my old site on April 16, 2016.
We've all heard of planetary retrogrades; in fact, the phenomenon of Mercury retrograde is pretty well known by the general public, because it happens several times per year and its effects are rather obvious. Mars retrograde only happens once every two years, the least often out of all the planets, and the effects are a bit more subtle.
After all, when was the last time you heard someone say, "That darn Mars Retrograde is at it again?"
When a planet retrogrades, we use this time best by reviewing how we do what that planet represents in the sector of our lives that the planet is transiting. For example, we review our desires, how we take action, and how we assert ourselves when Mars is retrograde. If this occurs in your natal fourth house, how you take action in the home may come under review, or possibly how you assert yourself around your parents.
Here are a few tips for dealing with Mars Retrograde:
You're going to feel tired at first.
This isn't surprising, considering that Mars is the planet of energy and drive. In the week or so before and after the Mars station, we're going to feel collectively less energetic. Luckily, we won't feel that way the entire time - just around the stations, both retrograde and around the time Mars prepares to move direct. Energy levels during the rest of the time should be near normal, unless Mars is making a stressful aspect to one of your natal planets or angles.
Avoid instigating.
The planet of aggression isn't functioning as normal during the retrograde period. Therefore, people who start conflict of any sort - anything from a simple argument to a lawsuit or even countries instigating war - are very unlikely to win. Right now, just be passive, even if that's difficult to do. Why? Besides the fact that aggressive action during Mars retrograde is going to come back to bite you, now is the time when you should be reviewing how you assert yourself.
Don't start anything new if you can help it.
I say "if you can help it" because sometimes we don't have a choice when we start things. It actually is okay if you start a new enterprise, however chances are it will not go as planned. Things will get off to a very slow start, changes will need to be made, and things will probably not turn out the way you planned it. This is because we're in a time when we're supposed to review what has already been started. So in this respect, Mars Rx is very much like Mercury Rx, where Mars is action and Mercury is communication.
Here are some specifics on the current Mars retrograde:
Stations retrograde at 9 degrees, 13 minutes Aquarius
5:04pm EDT (21:13 GMT), June 26, 2018
Stations direct at 28 degrees, 36 minutes Capricorn
10:04am EDT (14:38 GMT), August 27, 2018
It's advisable to wait until Mars has moved forward at a decent speed after the retrograde before all Mars-related things return to 100% of normal. The shadow period (where a planet returns to the place it retrograded at) ends on August 21, but by then Mercury will be getting ready to turn around again. Late July to the first couple of weeks in August will be good enough to start moving forward with something new. Autumn 2016 will see the energies improve vastly.
Additional discussions about the current planetary transits will be posted on my Facebook page. Feel free to drop by and join the discussion with any questions or comments you may have.
And don't forget, we are all in this together. The more we work together through these times, the better!
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