September 8, 2020
Here we are, at the precipice of the second biggest astro-event of the year (the first was the Saturn-Pluto conjunction last January). Mars (the planet of drive, pure, vital energy, physicality, sex, passion, anger and forward-motion) has been in Aries, the sign that he rules, since late June. He loves to be in Aries, but boy oh BOY does he hate to slow down and station retrograde. Mars Retrograde only happens once every two years, so at least he is able to keep his suffering to a minimum. This Wednesday at 6:22 PM EST, he stations retrograde and begins to define what our next two months – through the election – might look like.
Know this about Mars Retrograde (and all retrogrades, in fact) retrograde planets are not literally going backwards. They only appear to because of where they are in their orbit, viewed from the earth. It’s all about our consciousness, which means we’re more in control of events than we think we are – so don’t give it up to fate. It’s about the way we respond to whatever comes into our orbit. And in the case of Mars Retrograde, it’s about controlling our rage without letting it control us. Conflict is likely – but most of it will be sourced from the things you are afraid to look at, or have been secretly angry about for longer than you want to admit.
Mars, when he’s at his best, is the most decisive of planets – unflinchingly so. He acts from muscle memory and desire when he’s not hindered. He does not overthink things. Think of the Ram, the glyph for Aries – there is an unbridled charge and fearlessness that reminds us of the raw clay of the Mars archetype. But when he’s retrograde, that instant synaptic instinct is muted and he flounders, wondering if he’s really strong enough. That’s how an animal turns from the hunter to the hunted – in that moment of hesitation. When he’s retrograde in Aries, Mars is even less self-confident. It’s a shorn Sampson situation all around: Mars just can’t get it up for anything when he’s retrograde in Aries – and that makes him angry.
This is prime time for toxic masculinity to rear its ugly head. Men who lack confidence in the best of circumstances could become even more angry and full of rage, spilling over into violence. The last thing I want to do is promote fear, but this is a worrisome cosmic configuration during election season, when an entire segment of the population is fueled by misogyny, white supremacy, and male rage – led by their MAGA hero, a man who is basically the archetype for these dangerous forces in our culture. The sunken Trump boats over Labor Day weekend are an excellent metaphor for what these men are feeling: weak, defeated and exposed. This is why they’re Big Mad.
No matter your gender, this is a great time to check in on the health of your own inner masculine. Do you feel like you’re about to pop off? Do you feel deflated and inert? Do you feel like you can get it all done?
Despite all this rage and the sense that we’re all just rats in a cage, there is hope on the horizon in the form of Jupiter stationing direct on Saturday night. The planet of luck, hope, optimism and Big Things has been in slow-motion for the last five months. This is a reminder that the year of our discontent is more than half-over, and although strife remains in the near horizon, we’re still moving forward to something better (perhaps in the form of Jupiter in Aquarius this December – which might equal a new president or a vaccine.)
