Mars Retrograde: 1st October to 10th December 2005
Looking Back at Anger
Every two years Mars appears to loop backwards in the sky. This is its retrograde period, and it is a good time to 'look back at anger' rather than in anger, and to reflect upon what we have been doing with our will-power.
In your birth chart, whatever house Mars is traversing will be the area of life where you need to review these issues. Old frustrations may rear their heads once again, even if you thought you had thoroughly dealt with them already. Unfinished battles may heat up. Grievances and resentments may be inflamed. You may well feel very blocked, unmotivated or demotivated, burnt out, or conversely, full of rage.
It is time to call a truce to inner and outer battles, struggles, and strife, and to scratch beneath the surface in order to explore what the issues are really about (usually a fear of some sort, or a transgression of boundaries), and then to release them and find some peace. We must be prepared to go into a temporary state of suspended animation, rather than relentlessly perpetuating our battles, persecuting our enemies (and we are usually are our own worst enemy), and advancing our projects, and we need to go backwards temporarily so that we can go further forwards.
Dates and degrees
Technically, Mars will cease its apparent forward motion and begin its apparent backwards motion on 1st October 2005, however there are signs in politics as well as people's private lives that from mid-September the slowing down period has begun. In a similar fashion, it is expected to take until the middle of October to really get into the swing of the backwards motion through the Zodiac.
Mars will cease appearing to move backwards on 10th December, resuming its apparent forward motion on that date, however again the slowing motion may begin around a fortnight before that date, and the subsequent acceleration will take until around Christmas day.
The aspects Mars makes during this period will be important globally. For instance, when Mars stops its apparent motion on 1st October it will be exactly opposite Venus. This clearly points to global peace-versus-war issues being a hot topic at this time, moreso than usual.
So what does this retrograde period mean for you?
To find out, look at a copy of your birth chart (if you do not yet have a copy there are free online chart calculation services listed on the links page) and find 23 degrees of Taurus. Then find 8 degrees of Taurus. The house or houses between these degrees are those in which Mars will be moving backwards.
Interpreting Mars retro in your chart
Here is a quick guide to Mars' retrograde movement through the houses. The interpretations are paired because the issues are reflected in the 'mirror' of life through other people and opposite viewpoints. The few days either side of 7th November will highlight these polar viewpoints and the mirroring effect most strongly so that you can gain insight into the dynamics of your psyche, and alter what no longer contributes to your wholeness.
Actively work with this retrograde period; Mars is an active planet not a passive one, so a passive approach to self-change is not the way to get the best out of this time. Use it to catapult yourself onwards and upwards, even if that means grinding to a halt and putting activities on hold, or retreading ground already gone over, because that is part and parcel of the purpose and necessity of this time.
1st house/7th house Conflicts about what you want versus what other people want, your capacity and willingness to stand up for yourself and/or stand up for other people, win-win versus win-lose situations, being independent, being challenged by other people and by life, a straightforward highlighting of 'peace versus war' situations in your life, anger with other people, being on the receiving end of other people's anger
2nd house/8th house Conflicts about financial issues, possessions that belong to you versus those that belong to other people and where the dividing line is, similarly with assets, your values and what is important to you versus what is important to other people, what gives you a feeling of in/security and permanence/impermanence, issues of loss and control, grief and overpowerment, sexual anger
3rd house/9th house Your thoughts, ideas, opinions, data, versus the thoughts, ideas, opinions and data of others, things you have learned versus things they have learned, conflicts about how you communicate with people and how they communicate with you, things people have said to you that may annoy or cause pain and things you have said which may have done the same, things gone unsaid that may need to be confronted, conflicts around travel or movement or freedom, ideological battles, religious disagreements and 'angry gods' - projecting human anger and human conflicts onto divine beings or gurus, being angry with god or with teachers or the media
4th house/10th house Conflicts about where you belong, your place in the world and your capacity to feel at home, secure, safe and protected in it, your motivation and willingness to establish such a base of operation, other people's blocking of you achieving this, feeling attacked or protected from attack at home and 'out there', your willingness and ability to assert boundaries around your space and your respect/lack of respect for other people's boundaries around their space, anger about family life and/or career goals and achievements or lack thereof, anger at parents and bosses
5th house/11th house Social life issues and interactions, friends and enemies and unresolved conflicts between you, your creative energy and your capacity to liberate it and bring it to fruition, battles caused by egotism versus a more democratic way of operation, splitting off and going your own way versus building consensus, 'group-think' stifling individual self-expression, anger about favouritism, or being ignored or unloved, anger at children or lovers
6th house/12th house Upsets to daily routine that cause friction, work-related battles and disagreements, overworking and pushing yourself or others too hard on the job, health issues that have festering resentments and unexpressed rage at their origin, repression of spirit and vitality that needs to be released and brought to consciousness, conflicts about integrity, anger about being in body and/or not being able to escape undesirable circumstances, anger at work colleagues or healthcare professionals
Aspects to other planets
If Mars makes an aspect to another planet in your chart while it is retrograde, you are likely to resonate strongly wtih this retrograde motion. The house interpretations above will therefore probably be quite pronounced in your life at the time when the aspect is within orb. Because this is a more nuanced way of looking at the transit, you may want to consult a competent astrologer for more information about what this means for you.
The UK, Tony Blair, and George Bush
UK
The last time Mars was retrograde in 2003, the UK as a whole reviewed its use of anger, force, and will-power by holding the Hutton Inquiry about the death of David Kelly. The UK is again likely to be participating in this retrograde period of Mars because the national chart is triggered by Mars during this time, and so is the Prime Minister's chart. In short, it is time the UK re-examined its use of force and strong-arm tactics both domestically and abroad.
In the UK's chart, Mars is at 12 degrees of Taurus. Transiting Mars will move backwards across this degree on 17th-18th November, which means that this is the UK's Mars Return. The combination of the Mars Return with a Mars retrograde period suggests that the UK is going to experience this as an important developmental period.
Mars will in fact cease its apparent motion in exact square to the UK's Saturn on 1st October, and this aspect will remain within orb for about a week or so either side of that date. This symbolises a challenging time for the government and for UK corporations. On 27th-28th October Mars will oppose the UK's Neptune, and passive-aggressive issues are likely to come to the fore. This transit symbolises a need for impetus in peace processes. On 3rd November Mars will square the UK's Venus, and this is a time for getting to grips with the nation's 'peace versus war' issues at home and overseas. The UK needs to redirect its energies to peace at this time, especially given its relative failure with the current Neptune transit to the national Venus. Interestingly, if we map this UK transit onto the Earth, Mars and Venus run through Iran, showing clearly that the UK must sort out its conflicts with Iran and bring outstanding issues to a peaceful resolution.
Tony Blair
For Tony Blair the same significance of this Mars retrograde period applies. Tony's Sun is at 15 degrees of Taurus, and Mars will transit this degree on 6th November. Mars will also aspect Tony's Pluto on 20th-21st October, perhaps resulting in a fairly significant power-struggle or conflict, and his Moon on 18th November, perhaps resulting in some kind of emotional or domestic conflagration, upset, or outburst. Given these three transits, it is almost unthinkable that Blair is in for anything other than a rough ride in the next two months. He is also more likely to be in the mood to give other people a rougher ride than usual during this time.
George Bush
For George Bush, the apparent cessation of Martian motion on 1st October takes place in exact square to his Venus, highlighting the need to make peace with his foes. On 10th December when Mars appears to stop moving again, it will be in exact square to George's Mercury-Pluto conjunction. If he handles this wisely we could see some profound honesty that clears the air and ushers in a fresh start. If not, the likelihood is aggressive words, refusal to listen, and resistance to inquiry.
Mars Retrograde Data:
1st Oct 2005 22:04 GMT Mars turns Retrograde at 23 Taurus 22
7th Nov 2005 7:57 GMT Centre of retro cycle - greatest illumination of issues
10th Dec 2005 4:04 GMT Mars turns Direct at 8 Taurus 14
Related article: Hutton Inquiry - this article discusses dates of the 2003 Mars retrograde period in relation to the key dates of the UK's Hutton Inquiry. Click here to read it.
This article was written & published on 23rd September 2005
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