Mars went Retrograde at 8 degrees Sagittarius on April 17, 2016. He remains Retrograde until June 29, 2016. He will "clear his shadow" (move past the degree he went retrograde) August 23, 2016. As you can see, the actual retrograde is a 10 week cycle, but its influence will last more than 4 months. Mars Retrograde cycles happen about every 2 years. This year is especially potent due to many factors:
- The Full Blue Moon in Sagittarius May 21 was conjunct Mars. Mars can currently be seen glowing red-orange in the Southern sky (from my perspective here in the Eastern USA). To behold the Moon and Mars together was a glorious sight!
- Mars is at Perigee during this cycle, meaning he is at the point in his orbit that is closest to Earth. Not only that, but he is the closest he has been to Earth in 10 years!
- Mars is echoing Saturn's recent travels.
If any planet is fierce, it is Mars.
Mars represents the Masculine, inner and outer. The Warrior, the Leader, the Pioneer. Mars invigorates. He rules unrefined energy. Passion. Desire. Sex. Our ability to assert our individual will. Our instinct to chase, to go after what we want. He gives us drive. Gets us up in the morning. Inspires us. Sparks us. Lights a fire under our ass. Gets us to take action. Mars rules our behavior, our fight, and our gall. Wherever Mars is in your chart describes how you tend to act and what you default "do."
Mars is provocative. He pokes and prods. He penetrates. He is swift and direct. Mars can incite rage, frustration, anger, struggle, conflict, and outright war. Mars is a fire. An energy that burns within.
The same force that starts a war holds the key to Passion.
Authentic Desire. Strong Boundaries. Knowing what you want and what you don't want. And staking a claim.
Why do we fight wars? Because there is a struggle within. Within a country. Within a people. Within communities, relationships, and individuals.
The current state of the world cannot be justified. It cannot be accounted for. It does not make sense. No inhuman objectivist perspective or transcendent philosophy will satisfy my query around injustice and violence that exists on the planet today.
But one thing I have discovered. The struggle is an impetus for motion. The conflict that exists in the world today motivates me. To act. To create a lifestyle of reverence, of resistance towards the status quo. To fight for, and show up on behalf of, what I believe in every day.
Many people on this planet are sleeping. Many are sedated. Clients come to me with questions about their purpose in life. They feel disconnected from their desire. They don't know which path to take, because they don't know what they want. Their hunger is muted. Muffled by advertisements, overwhelm, or expectations of the family or surrounding social sphere.
What you seek is seeking you. - Rumi
Desire is a terrifying force.
Because deep down, we know we are master manifestors. We know that whatever we want, whatever is connected to our TRUE desire (not the desire of our parents, our government, our boss, our culture, our society...), we can get. And that is terrifying. Because if we get what we want, the longstanding struggle we've identified with will disappear. The identity we've created around our struggle will also disappear.
But what lies underneath is the Real You.
And there you are,
with the keys to life in your hands.
Incredulously wondering: can it really be this simple? This graceful? This full of ease? Are my actions so supported?
The answer is Yes.
Mars acts swiftly and directly. The speed at which your desires manifest can be instantaneous.
[After all, there is no time out in space. The planets do not deal with time-space limitations. As above, so below. The stars and planets above exist and operate like invisible organs within you.]
Soothe your human self. Trust that you can hold and care for what shows up. You can meet it. It might take letting go of old stories, judgements, interferences, and ways you have kept yourself small. But you can meet it.
You ARE it.
You literally ARE what you desire.
Do you feel guilty asking for what you want? Are you ashamed of your desires? Do they not "fit" some external or internal messaging about what you should want? Do you feel selfish and undeserving?
I've got news for you.
The only shame in your desire is not owning it.
Completely. Partially owning desire isn't gonna cut it.
Our hunger is intelligent. It doesn't go away until it is truly satisfied. When we fail to own our hunger, it will still express itself. But what you reach for to satisfy it could be the quick, temporary fix. This is called addiction. This is called numbing. This is also called suffering.
There is something underneath those actions that feels beyond your control. Something within those actions that keep you in a state of conflict. I would venture to guess part of your hunger isn't being owned.
Not only is it easy to repress our desires, but it is often encouraged. Sometimes our desires are handled roughly and forced into submission. We wonder why our jaws and hips clench. We wonder why we live in fear. But rather than go away, our desire nature remains and continues to speak to us. Continues to magnetically attract whatever it is able to attract within the constraints of repression.
We've all heard the old adage. Everything you Want is on the other side of fear.
But did you know this? Your capacity to obtain what you truly, naturally desire, is equal to the resistance that arises. Resistance is fertile. So if you've got a big old pile of fear, you've got an equal sized pile of reward waiting to be claimed on the other side.
Mars, the force of Desire, is a primal force. Uncivilized. Improper. Rough around the edges. Messy. Relentless. Uncompromising. Not a fan of constraint. Mars does not give a fuck about repression. Think of the Incredible Hulk busting out of his shirt. Your desire nature is going to bust out and go after what it wants in some way or another. Let's make his pathway clear. That's what this Mars Retrograde cycle is all about. Un-inhibiting yourself. Unleashing your true wants. Owning them and acting upon them.
Stand Up.
Step Out.
Put your nametag on that kitty and Claim It.
Mars Retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio
During this cycle, Mars travels from 8 degrees Sagittarius to 23 degrees Scorpio. What's interesting about this is Saturn recently traversed the same territory. Mars is retracing the steps that Saturn took from October 2014 to December 2015.
Retrograde periods commonly bring back people and themes from the past. Check into those dates. What were you doing then? Who were the men in your life? How was your sexuality being expressed? What were the desires you were putting a structure under at the time? Notice any echoes.
**Those with prominent Aries, Scorpio, and early-degree Sagittarius planets in their chart will be especially impacted by this transit.
Mars in Sagittarius wants Freedom. Authenticity. Its directive is Growth. It wants to be freely expressed on a wide, global scale. It seeks expansion.
Mars in Sagittarius wants Meaning. A belief system. A philosophy. Something to be hopeful and optimistic about. A spirited Mission. An alignment with Nature.
Conflict is opportunity for Growth and Gaining Knowledge.
Saturn in Sagittarius (since December 2015) has been weeding out false beliefs and putting a new structure in place, solidifying faith through a process of elimination and reinforcement. In order to act in alignment with our beliefs, our authentic self, and our spiritual directive, we are charged to eliminate psychological debris that obstructs our path.
On May 27, Mars Retrograde Enters Scorpio: Time to reckon with, root out, and transform deep ancestral patterns and trauma that inhibits or misdirects our sexual and creative power.
Friend and Astrologer Jane Fryer refers to this transit as a "psychic root canal."
Conflict is a means for Deep Transformation and Evolution.
Mars in Scorpio is all about Power. Where have you lost your power? Your innocence? Where has it been given away? What is standing in the way of you embodying empowerment?
Mars guarantees to bring some kind of heat, activity, or struggle into your life to activate your essential power.
Expect deep elimination and transformation regarding men, sexuality, reproduction, intimacy, projection, ghosts, entities, shared resources, inherited patterns and resources, secrets, desire, the unconscious, shadow, entrapment, entanglement, and IRS/government/tax issues.
This is a major opportunity to heal.
Heed this! If you choose to invest in therapy, energy work, shamanic work, surgery, trauma release, ancestral healing, expressing grief, astrology readings, occult wisdom, empowerment practices, etc. between May 27 and August 2nd, IT WILL BE WORTH EVERY PENNY.
Benefits will be lasting. I am more than happy to support you with a session. Contact Me to book.
Medicine work and physical cleansing are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Especially tend to the health of your colon, prostate, genitals, reproductive systems, liver, and gallbladder. If you have been considering a dietary cleanse or liver cleanse, now is a very supportive time. Ideal for purging the old in order to make room for the new.
Mars in Scorpio represents stepping into the unknown. Scorpio is the realm of darkness and death. It can feel like entering chaos. Behaviors stemming from obsession, addiction, strong emotional attachment, or other things beyond our conscious control, can come into play. In order to heal our desire nature, we must Surrender our Will to the Ultimate Will.
We all want this on some level.
Deep, Pure Surrender.
Intimacy with the Great Mystery.
Communion with the subterranean influence that lies beneath and within our deepest essence. Existence that goes beyond form or conscious understanding.
This is Orgasm.
Let Go and Let God.
Call yourself back from wherever you have been. Call in your angels. Your guides. Your protectors. Those beings perhaps unseen that offer creative loving energy and support. Ask that they assist you during this time. You stand on the shoulders of your ancestors and all who survived before you. Use prayer to ask for healing and transformation.
The power of Source is within you. You have a direct link to it. You have access to a power that can break niggling patterns and addictions. It can create final endings and real beginnings. Often it's about uncovering the unconscious root. Sometimes emotional material is stored in your body, in your cells, in your very DNA; whether or not it's from a trauma you experienced in this lifetime. It could be your mother's trauma. It could be your family 4 generations ago losing everything they owned. When it comes to light, rising from the depths of the unconscious, it is automatically transformed. It no longer has power over you.
Focus your personal will on the death and transformation of all that no longer serves, that you may rise again empowered to fulfill your mission. When Mars goes direct June 29th, permanent DNA repatterning will begin to take place. Allow it to support your most authentic expansion as Mars re-enters Sagittarius August 3, 2016. You will be back, and better than ever. Ready to take flight and rid yourself of the old context. Rewriting your story as Hero or Heroine.
We are in wild, rich, territory of opportunity. Healing our Root, Sacral, and Solar Plexus chakras is the name of the game. Enjoy the Ride. Own what you Want. Dive into your Deepest Desires.
And allow what you desire to chase, discover, and capture you. Sneak you off into the brush to be ravished for an eternal night. When morning dawns, you don the wings of an Angel. Stronger than ever before.