Mars Retrograde in Aries ♂ 2020

Artist: SnakeEye Art

Mars enters Aries: June 27, 2020

Mars Retrograde in Aries: Sep 9 – Nov 13, 2020

Mars enters Taurus: Jan 6, 2021 

COMIN IN HOT

***One day before Mars Retrograde right now (Sep 8) and the wind and fires are RAGING here in Oregon. Last night my brother and my partner’s brother were both evacuated from their homes. It looks apocalyptic outside. I woke up this morning to a blood red sky. The world is melting and burning. Mother Earth is responding to our violence against her. Hold on everybody, we are about to go through some serious shit.

Planets in retrograde are not spinning backwards – it is an optical illusion as seen from Earth due to the fact that planets travel at their own respective speeds around the sun. In astrology, this illusion manifests as a “backwards” functioning of the planetary roles. Click here to learn more about retrograde.

Mars turns retrograde for two months once every two years. We last experienced Mars Retrograde from June 26 – Aug 27, 2018 (in Capricorn & Aquarius). This next retrograde falls in cardinal fire sign Aries, the constellation ruled by Mars. We will begin to feel the retrograde as soon as July 25. The effects will continue as late as Jan 2, 2021, just four days before Mars finally moves on to earth sign Taurus.

There is a ton of uncertainty and confusion swirling around right now about what this fall is going to look like. It is not a coincidence that Mars Retrograde coincides with the madness. Mars is the planet of action. When he is retrograde, we don’t know how – or when, or where – to act. Do we send kids back to school? Do we re-open businesses? How are we going to vote? What is even happening?

What we are seeing now (in addition to the literal heat and fire ravaging the land) is chaos and violence created and perpetuated by white supremacist individuals and institutions. During Mars Retrograde, we all have to decide whether we’re going to join the revolution or just watch.

Mars/Aries rules the body and our most primal impulses. Part of this retrograde is about fostering a new relationship to our body. Mars Retrograde means physical recalibration. Food, sleep, exercise, health – all of these and more will be thrown off as we digest new changes that arise. Anything that has not been properly healed will resurface so ferociously that we will be forced to finally address it, heal it, and more importantly, acknowledge the non-physical origins of our pain. The physical body is the last stop. Imbalances in the outer, subtle levels of the aura percolate down to the body, crying out for love and attention. That is the power of Mars Retrograde: identifying the connection between body, mind, and spirit and the ways in which our emotional/spiritual work shows up in the body. This makes me think of the ACE trauma test – if you haven’t taken it, check it out. It’s online and free <3

Aries is restless, stubborn, independent, and hotheaded. Frustration and impatience bubble up quickly here. Please be careful around people who are already aggressive or competitive, as they are liable to be even more reckless at this time. The essence of Aries is feral and untamed, like a wild animal seized with fear. When this kind of energy passes through certain human beings, it turns them into mindless rage machines.

Mars Retrograde is a confusing transit, much like Mercury or Venus Retrograde. Give yourself time, if you can, to sit with your ideas. Wait before making any big moves. Lift your nose to the wind like a wolf – listen for the whispers. Honor the first day of Mars Retrograde with Aries Yoga. To find your personal Mars sign and whether this planet was retrograde when you were born, click here.

Dates to watch during the retrograde: Sep 24 (challenging), Sep 28 (harmonious), Sep 29 (challenging), Oct 9 (challenging), Oct 13 (challenging), Oct 18 (challenging), Nov 9 (challenging).

Dates to watch after the retrograde: Dec 10 (harmonious), Dec 14 (harmonious), Dec 23 (challenging).s