Navigating Mars Retrograde with Strength

The Strength card of the tarot has been on my mind all day, and it has everything to do with Mars retrograde, which is happening in a couple of days.  

Strength, VIII, Shadowscapes Tarot, Art by Stephanie Law

Mars retrograde is only about reviewing our relationship with our inner warrior and the divine masculine.  It is our opportunity to turn our attention inward and realign with our deepest desires and what drives us.  It is a chance to check-in with our assertiveness and our sense of self and boundaries.  

Mars retrograde is also a time when if we have hidden or repressed anger it will most likely surface.  (As part of realigning and being in right relationship with our passions, desires, motivations, assertiveness, sense of self, and boundaries.)  

The rule of thumb for Mars retrograde, since the warrior is backtracking, is no engaging.  However, when planets retrograde, it is precisely to review, so it is likely that situations are going to pop up to bring any areas that need work to our attention (i.e. triggers).  

The other thing is that Mars is strong in its own sign of Aries, and extra strong being there for six months, which is three times the norm.

On top of that, we already have a pretty volatile environment that's full of triggers to be doing this work in right now.  

This all suggests that we are going deep with this one.  Especially as Mars is going to be making a square to Mercury before it goes retrograde, and a square to Saturn as it stations direct, and it remains in the mix when Pluto stations direct and then makes a supportive aspect to the north node of the moon, which is our pathway forward.

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It's easy to talk about refraining from engaging when triggered, but in the heat of the moment, sometimes it can be impossible.  Sometimes even with the best intentions we make mistakes.  

(Mars likes action, and Mars retrograde likes strategy, so one good tactic here is to take strategic action:  have some go-to's in place for when things start getting heated - a favorite run, hike, or bike ride, a special place to go take a time-out, a punching bag....)

I just kept thinking of the Strength tarot card today.  

By what magic do we get that close to a lion?  What deep and centered calm is required to softly cover those around us with a blanket of reassuring calm as well?  Is it the same energy state people working with bees use?  

There is a certain state of being where we are so calm and grounded that it actually extends to those around us and helps them be in that place too.  Its a really beautiful thing.  What does it take for us to learn to access this?  How do we maintain that state of sweet neutrality as we navigate these next couple of months of tricky terrain?

When we get poked and things are feeling prickly and heated, how do we maintain our center, and stay present, and keep ourselves separate from whatever we are experiencing?  How do we keep from getting drawn into past painful experiences or future fears, and remain right here, right now, in love, forgiveness, and compassion?

Because this is where our strength is at.  This is how we tame that lion.  This is how we stay in our power.  And truly it is how we make the world a better place, and life a better experience.

​~Kasey

Notable Dates:  
*(9/10-10/14 will be the most intense time period of Mars Retrograde.)

​9/14:  Jupiter stations direct at 17 degrees Capricorn. (Stationed RX 5/12) This most likely will have had some element of personal/spiritual development and as Jupiter moves forward, we should be ready to do the same.

9/23:  Mercury enters RX shadow at 25 degrees Libra - on 10/14 it will station RX at 11 degrees Scorpio, making this its 3rd retrograde in a water sign of 2020 - the 1st was in Pisces in February and the 2nd was in Cancer in June.  (Mercury squares Mars RX tomorrow, so easy does it, be careful of interactions that escalate - this is air + fire - combustible, and Mars is RX so just walk away, don't engage and definitely don't stir shit. This also means Mars is leaving its mark on this Mercury RX, so proceed with caution - in Scorpio we will be diving deep.)

9/24:  Mars RX in Aries opposes Mercury in Libra, both at 26 degrees.

9/28: Saturn stations direct at 25 degrees Capricorn

9/28:  Mars RX in Aries squares Saturn in Capricorn, both at 25 degrees.

10/2-10/4:  Mars Rx in Aries squares Epona in Cancer, both at 24 degrees. (Epona is the Celtic horse goddess, like a female version of Jupiter, connected to Sagittarius, and also to the land itself and animals, here in Cancer, sign of the mother, ancestry, emotions, and the past, now squaring up to the retrograde warrior in Aries.)

10/4:  Pluto stations direct at 24 degrees Capricorn (Opposite Epona in Cancer; Pluto stationed RX on 4/25, but before that it had its first conjunction with Jupiter on 4/5, in square to Cybele in Libra and Eris in Aries - Cybele was a wild Anatolian goddess, Eris is a war goddess - on 4/5, there was a global mass meditation for healing and the Schumann Resonance spiked.  The 2nd Jupiter-Pluto conjunction was 6/30, and the 3rd will be 11/13, the same day Mars stations direct.)

10/5-10/7:  Mars RX in Aries sextiles the North Node of the moon in Gemini and trines the South Node of the moon in Sagittarius, all at 22 degrees.  These are supportive aspects - we may be getting insight into where we need to direct our passions (Mars) to move away from the past (South Node) and forward towards the future (North Node).

10/8-10/11:  Mars RX in Aries squares Pluto now direct in Capricorn, both at 22 degrees.  (Watch out for this one - beware power struggles and full on Mars RX protocol - no lashing out, no hostility, no mindless reacting, no instigating, no poking!)

10/14:  Mercury stations RX at 11 degrees Scorpio (direct 11/4 at 25 degrees Libra)

10/18-10/20:  Mars RX in Aries squares Jupiter now direct in Capricorn, both at 19 degrees.  

11/13:  Jupiter conjunct Pluto #3 of 3, at 22 degrees Capricorn, in square to Eris in Aries (#1 was 4/5, #2 was 6/30)

11/13:  Mars stations direct at 15 degrees Aries.