Mars Retrograde

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Author: Alison Price - Published: November 2024 Pluto Transits Change Lives Often astrology jogs along with not much happening. Moons come and go, the Sun trots thorough the signs in a predictable manner and Mercury and Venus follow suit. But now and then big...

Mars in Leo

Author: Arwynne O’Neill – Published: October 2024

Mars in Transit

Mars takes 685 days to go all the way around the zodiac, meaning it spends an average of 8 weeks in each sign, but that is wildly variable. It can spend as little as 6 or 7 weeks in a sign, or as long as several months, like the 2024-2025 transit. Mars enters Leo on November 3, 2024 and goes retrograde on December 6, while making an opposition to Pluto in Aquarius, which is a potentially volatile aspect.

Pluto is entering Aquarius for the last time on November 19, after a very long stay in the final degree of Capricorn and a couple of retrogrades since 2023. Try your best to avoid conflicts with others around December 6 because sparks could really fly and the effects could be lasting if tensions erupt into open aggression.

Mars will retrograde back into Cancer on January 6, and it will continue its retrograde movement until February 23, when it stations direct and moves back into Leo on April 18, where it will stay until June 17. So if you have Mars or any major planets in Leo or Cancer, you’ll want to take a note of those dates and the degree of your planets to see when they will be activated by the movements of Mars. These could be critical days for you.

Mars in the Birth Chart

The planet Mars can be in any house or sign because Mars’s orbit is outside the orbit of Earth. Unlike Mercury and Venus which, from our perspective on Earth, only ever travel a couple of signs away from the Sun. So for example, if you have a Virgo sun, you can only have Mercury in either Leo, Virgo or Libra, or one sign away.

Similarly, if you have the sun in Virgo, you can only ever have Venus two signs away at most, meaning Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra or Scorpio. But you could have Mars in any sign.

Mars is the planet of action of desire, activity, aggression and, as Alison Price likes to say, what gets you up off the couch. It also plays a significant role in relationships, along with Venus, as it describes the preferred style with which you go after what you want in relationships, career, exercise… and anything else that requires positive action and initiative.

For example, when Mars is in Aries, the sign that it rules (along with Scorpio), Mars is quintessentially independent, competitive, bold and fiery. Whereas Mars in, say, Cancer is not as naturally comfortable in such a watery, lunar sign.

Mars in Cancer tends to be highly emotional, maybe even passive-aggressive, and it may take a lot more to get the Mars in Cancer person fired up or moving. They may struggle with motivation, assertion, positive action. They may only be moved when their emotions are highly engaged, for better or worse.

More on MARS

Mars in Leo

If you have Mars in Leo here are some keywords that may resonate with you: dramatic, confident, expressive, dramatic, egotistical, possessive, jealous, competitive. This is definitely a drama king or queen placement.

They’re often driven to create or perform, and they have a high tolerance for risk. They tend to be idealistic but their anger erupts when they feel their pride has been injured or they’re not being respected. They can be self-righteous and egotistical but they always act from their heart.

They have a strong sense of right and wrong. They can be very ambitious, whether in their career or in their pursuit of love or the object of their desire, but since Leo is a fixed sign, their energy is more about perseverance than initiating change.

They tend to make good leaders because they have a natural empathy despite their ego. They know what it is to need respect and unless you’ve done something to cross them, they will naturally extend that respect to you.

They’re passionate and fiery but not as impulsive as Mars in Aries. In relationships, they can be very magnetic, authoritative and proud. If they’re kept happy by their partner, they can be among the most loyal of Mars placements, but if neglected they won’t hesitate to seek out the attention and admiration they require outside the relationship.

If their heart isn’t in something, whether it’s work or a relationship, it’s very hard for them to get fired up and motivated. Picture the male lion relaxed at the center of his pride, being fed by the female huntresses and lolling in the grass, satiated and regal. Now picture a solitary lion in a zoo; listless, bones protruding, hair matted, thousand-yard stare on his face. Is there anything sadder or more out of place?

If you have Mars in Leo and you feel like the lion in the zoo, some things that might boost your morale and motivation are:

Fall in love, passionately and completely. Devote your dramatic urges and desire for over the top self-expression to be fully focused on your object of desire.
Take up a competitive sport, preferably with an audience. Join an acting or improv class, learn an instrument, or talk to your boss about a promotion.
Stand up for someone who is being overlooked or not living up to their potential.
Teach others one of the many skills you’ve mastered; provide guidance, moral support and encouragement.

There is no expression of pride and mentorship quite as genuine as that of Mars in Leo. When the Sun King shines his rays on you, it’s almost impossible not to feel warmed and expanded by their attention!

More on LEO

Mars in Leo in Relationships

According to Steven Arroyo’s excellent book, Person to Person Astrology, Mars in Leo has a fondness for living life to the fullest and delights in participating in group events, social rituals and robust, physical activities of all kinds. They usually have a big personality with a dramatic flair and a friendly nature, a knack for telling stories and jokes and an instinct for entertaining and encouraging others. They’re often good at sales professions and have a unique capacity to vitalize organizational efforts. They like to be in control.

Their overall tendencies are dramatic self-assertion, warmth expressiveness and abundant vitality and creative flair. They need to assert themselves dynamically and creatively, but may be seen as pushy or domineering and their physical and sexual energy is stimulated by attention and demonstrative generosity. They need to be complemented and appreciated for their sexual, physical or creative prowess.

Celebrities with Mars in Leo

Beyoncé, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, George Clooney, Hillary Clinton, Paul McCartney, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Cher, Frank Sinatra and Colin Farrell.

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Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Arwynne O’Neill works as a research astrologer in Vancouver, with a focus on delving into historical cycles and how they relate to societal transformations as influenced by the energies of the outer planets.

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Instagram @mspinkdotcom

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Mars in Gemini

Author: Arwynne O’Neill – Published: July 2024

Mars in Gemini

Today I’m going to be talking about Mars in Gemini. If you’re listening to this in summer of 2024, Mars is about to enter Gemini on July 20 and will stay there until September 4. Mars moves pretty quickly so it takes about two years to go all the way around the zodiac. Due to retrograde periods, it can spend as little as six weeks in a sign to as many as seven months! Last time Mars was in Gemini was from August 20, 2022 through March 25, 2023, but this is an unusually long time for Mars to stay in one sign. It retrograded in October 2022 but it stayed in Gemini the entire time, so that’s how it can sometimes be in one sign for a very long time.

Podcast Episode

Listen to the full podcast episode below.

Mars in Gemini by transit

When Mars transits through the airy, mutable, masculine (or positive) sign of Gemini, it is considerably less focused than in some other signs. As we might expect with any placement in Gemini, there’s an intellectual, chatty, indecisive and scattered energy. In the northern hemisphere, this might be perfect timing because we are going through the middle of summer and who wants to make fixed decisions and doggedly pursue ambitions when warm weather, beach vacations and weekend barbecues beckon?

That being said, Gemini is not a bad placement for Mars and although we may at times feel restless and indecisive, with our attentions pulled in many different directions, we’re just as likely to also feel alive with sparkling, effervescent and positive energy. We might feel like chatting up new and old friends, dancing late into the night, hosting a game night with or sing along, enjoy summer fun like fireworks, festivals and street fairs. Even solitary activities like getting engrossed in an exciting book, binging a new TV show or podcast, could be excellent uses of Mars in Gemini energy.

As Robert Hand says in his seminal book, Planets in Transit, Mars is a planet of energy and it specifically rules the energy that an individual uses to maintain themselves in the face of pressures from their environment. Mars is also connected with work and physical effort and its transits often signify days when you become very energetic and vigorous. So, as Mars transits through different signs you want to look at where you have significant placements in those signs in your chart. If you have the sun in Gemini or Gemini rising or, of course, if you have Mars in Gemini, this transit will energize your chart in a significant way.

You also want to look at what house Mars will be transiting for you while it goes through Gemini. If you have Gemini rising, Mars will be transiting your first house and it will light up your personality your self-expression your identity, your self-esteem, and it could give you a great boost of self-confidence or indicate a time when you are presenting yourself to the world and this could be a great time for you because you’ll find it easier to express yourself in your naturally effervescent Gemini fashion with Mars lighting up your first house. It could be a great time to meet new people or make a great impression on people who already know you, champion a cause that’s close to your heart or undertake a self makeover to present yourself or your ideas in an exciting new way.

You also want to look at any aspects that Mars will be making to planets in your chart. If you have any major placements in Sagittarius, Mars will be transiting opposite those planets while it’s in Gemini, so this could bring conflicts with people, opposition to your ideas, impediments and obstacles that suddenly come up, hindering your movements and thwarting your ambitions or aims.

Any major placements you have in mutable signs will be affected by Mars transiting through Gemini as it will make hard aspects to all the mutable planets, including Virgo and Pisces which will receive squares from Mars in Gemini.

More on MARS
More on GEMINI

Mars in Gemini in the birth chart

As with any air sign, Mars in Gemini tends to have more mental energy and social activity associated with its martial tendencies. These people might be more the type to spar with you verbally then physically. They could be intellectually inexhaustible, pursuing higher education or gobbling up trivia like information junkies, memorizing movie quotes or song lyrics or sports statistics in order to repeat them at the ready anytime conversation turns to their topic of choice, or supplementing any pub trivia team with their sparkling, broad-based intellect.

These people love to exchange ideas and they’re motivated by communication, social and intellectual stimuli. They may be the type to go off on a political rant or some obscure tangent at the drop of a hat, or drone on about whatever personal topic fires their interest long past the point of exhausting others in the room. Used correctly, they could be excellent, engaging teachers or professors, journalists, radio hosts or podcasters, influencers, marketers or sales people.

Since Mars is one of the relationship planets, along with venus, we would look to Mars to find out what a person is like in relationships. Mars is the planet of desire and going after your object of affection, so people with Mars in Gemini will be the type who want to charm you with their wit, intellect, conversational moves and lofty ideas. Of course keeping their interest will be the real challenge. Mars in Gemini is not known for its ability to focus on one thing or one person for very long.

In Person to Person Astrology, Steven Arroyo says, “the essence of Mars in Gemini is that it asserts itself verbally, flexibly, cleverly, communicatively, through a variety of skills. The focus of one’s desire changes very quickly and often, easily diverted. Expresses a wide ranging friendliness, very good at making connections. Physical energy and sexual drive are affected by mentally stimulating conversations, images or curious new ideas, very open-minded.”

They may appear or behave especially youthful and embody a sort of ageless vitality and charm, flirting or putting on the charm for people of all ages and genders indiscriminately. This may be the guy who you dated just long enough to bring home to meet your parents one time and years later they still ask, “whatever happened to..?” He made an indelible impression and then flitted on to the next flower before you had a chance to make a real connection.

This is not to say they can’t commit. The wonderful thing about Mars in Gemini is that these people are genuinely interested in the thoughts and ideas of other people; they’re open-minded, curious and communicate well with their partners. If you make a lasting love connection with them, they could turn out to be a wonderfully stimulating and exciting partner for life, keeping you laughing well into old age, exploring new ideas and interests together long after other couples have settled into mutal silence.

Grant Lewi says, if you have Mars in Gemini, “you are rarely bored or boring, but you can wear yourself and others out by the ferocity of your attack on life. You are extraordinarily aware of the world around you, sense perceptions are acute, swift, probably accurate, and you are valuable in expressing what you take in. Energy flows naturally to the tongue; you are a better talker than listener. With any concentrated force, this position gains value, Without it, you scatter your energies.” He also cautions the Mars in Gemini individual to take care of their body as well as their mind. There is a danger of neglecting your physical well-being because you are so focused on mental pursuits.

Celebrities with Mars in Gemini

Al Pacino, Chris Evans, Martin Luther King Jr., Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, Jim Morrison, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Naomi Campbell, Mike Tyson and Dwayne Johnson.

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Mars Podcast Episodes

If you’ve enjoyed this topic, below are some more interesting podcast episodes about Mars.

Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Instagram @mspinkdotcom

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Mars in Taurus

Author: Arwynne O’Neill – Published: July 2024

Mars in Taurus

Mars in Taurus in the natal chart

Today we’re taking a deep dive into Mars in Taurus. Mars takes about two years to go around the Sun so it spends approximately two months in each sign, give or take the retrograde periods, so it can be a bit variable. Mars covers about half a degree per day so even if you don’t know what time you were born you will definitely have a very good idea of the exact degree of your Mars, which is nice.

I feel pretty qualified to talk about Mars in Taurus because that is where my Mars is, exactly opposite my ascendant in Scorpio give or take a few degrees. Mars is the planet of drive, ambition, physical activity, aggression, sexual conquest and the masculine drive to go after the object of your love or lust. By masculine of course we just mean active versus passive in the traditional archetypal sense. Everyone has Venus and Mars somewhere!

Mars in Taurus in Love

In his excellent book Person to Person Astrology: Energy Factors in Love, Sex and Compatibility, Steven Arroyo says, “when Mars is found in Taurus, the aggressive urges are held under control but should never be underestimated, for they are powerfully stubborn and persistent.” This placement of Mars is rarely aggressive but people with Mars in Taurus are among the most willful, purposeful, obstinate beings in the world in terms of unrelenting pursuit of their goals and desires.

I always describe Mars in Taurus as the Ferdinand the Bull placement, from the well-known children’s story about the famous bull in Spain who was recruited to be in the bullfights but all he wanted to do was smell the roses, so he wasn’t much of a fighter.

Of course we all probably know some Taureans in our lives and they may not seem like very aggressive or angry people, but all it takes is the right instigation for their tempers to flare. It’s definitely more of a slow burn rather than fiery, since Taurus is an earth sign ruled by Venus and traditionally associated with comfort, wealth, good food, quality fabrics and the finer things in life.

Steven Arroyo goes on to say that the core qualities of Mars in Taurus are that “they assert themselves steadily, retentively, conservatively and stubbornly. Their initiative and drive are directed towards consolidation, productivity, comfort and enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. They often have a creative and/or artistic flair and their physical energy and sexual drive are influenced by a deep appreciation of the physical senses, which may lead them to complacency and laziness.”

He says both men and women with Mars and Taurus have strong, consistent sex drives and powerful sensual urges, and a strongly developed sense of touch. Although they lack the spark of Mars in a fire sign, they tend to be more cautious, not wanting to risk exposing themselves to ridicule. This is not generally a “make the first move” type of person (and I can personally attest to that LOL). But they are very sensual and very generous even if they don’t always like to communicate verbally about their own needs or the desires of their partners.

Grant Lewi, another OG astrologer from even before Stephen Arroyo’s time, said of Mars in Taurus that they are generally somewhat passive aggressive. They may not fight but they will wait you out and stubbornly refuse to give in until you consider their point of view. He says their motto is, “I don’t want to fight, let’s just do it my way.”

Mars in Taurus breaking a sweat

I can definitely see that in my personal life; not laziness, but a conservation of energy. I don’t like to be bored and I don’t like to sit around and do nothing, but my idea of nothing may be different from other people’s. That could involve mental pursuits or doing something crafty or creative with my hands. I like to sew and for a while I made jewelry. Maybe you like to fix or make things, or cook or work in the garden. These can be really satisfying pursuits for someone with Mars in Taurus.

Similarly, in my forms of exercise that I enjoy, I really prefer activities things that I can do more or less mindlessly. I’m not physically competitive and I hate counting reps or having to think too much about getting exercise for the sake of it. I much prefer activities that are fun, and if they can’t be fun, I want to be able to keep my mind off it completely by listening to audiobooks or podcasts. The last thing I want to do is go to a gym with a bunch of other people and wait my turn for the next machine or really have to think about my workout and focus on counting or doing a circuit of machines or how much weight I’m using for different exercises. I love roller skating outdoors, biking, disc golf and other things that I can either do with friends or more or less mindlessly, without having to think about the fact that I’m exercising!

Which is not to say everyone with Mars in Taurus is like that, of course, but there is something about a non-competitive, steady form of exercise that I think would be very appealing to anyone with a lot of Taurus energy. A lot of my friends who I do physical activities with have either Taurus sun or some personal planets in Taurus. There’s something about the Mars in any sign that attracts similar energies.

Mars in Taurus at work

Similarly, in terms of ambition at work, I’ve never been much of a “climb the corporate ladder” type . When I’m doing all my creative thinking and work behind the scenes, I prefer it to be kind of a solitary, steady pursuit, as opposed to being in a room brainstorming with other people or trying to come up with the next big idea. I’d rather be left alone to do what I do well and find ways to be excellent at those things, rather than strategizing some big picture or collaborating with a lot of people. Your mileage may vary! This is probably a combination of my Mars in Taurus and all my personal planets in Virgo. If you’re a Capricorn or Gemini with Mars in Taurus, it’s going to look very different.

Mars vs. Venus

With any Mars placement, in order to get the full picture you’re going to want to compare where you have your Venus. In my case I have Venus in Libra which of course is a masculine air sign compared with the feminine Earth sign of Taurus so they’re not compatible by element but they are both ruled by Venus. This makes Venus much stronger than Mars in my chart because it’s in the sign it rules, whereas Mars in Taurus is in its detriment (since Aries is one of its ruling planets).

Mars in Taurus celebrities

Some famous people with Mars in Taurus include Bruce Willis, Charlize Theron, Christian Bale, Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Cavill, Robert De Niro, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Kanye West, Tom Cruise, JFK, Jennifer Lawrence, Muhammed Ali

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Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Instagram @mspinkdotcom

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Mars Conjoined Neptune

This is a Guest Post from Arwynne O’Neill, research astrologer and the co-host of the Starzology Astrology podcast.

Mars conjunct Neptune in Transit

When Mars transits your natal Neptune, which happens once every two years approximately, the effect is about being motivated to either impact the world through your creativity or through your empathy.

It can blur the boundaries of your ambition, infusing your motivation with empathy and vulnerability and blurring the boundaries between yourself and others, or in can infuse your Mars energy with a diffuse glow of glamour, imagination, vulnerability and a quality of unreality.

Not a great time to try to accomplish fixed goals where you know the end in sight. Instead, it’s a good time to forge ahead and go where the wind takes you. The effect will last for a couple of week or so on either side of the exact conjunction.

Robert Hand says when transiting Neptune conjuncts your Mars, you could be subject to discouragement and malaise. Your energy level is low and it’s hard to accomplish anything in your own interest. You may be more vulnerable to infections, so be careful taking any foreign substances, even prescriptions because the effects can be unpredictable.

You can also be dishonest or devious without meaning to, thus damaging your reputation and the trust you may have built up with others, which can do lasting damage.

Mars conjunct Neptune in the Natal Chart

People with Neptune conjunct Mars in their charts tend to be idealistic, principled, penetrating and passionate. You’re inclined to overstep other people’s boundaries in pursuit of your own goals or your own desire to merge or connect. Neptune can either elevate Mars and be used as the impetus to make the world better through ideals put into action or it can dissipate Mars’ ambition into sentimentality and overcompensation or over-emotionality, in relationships and otherwise.

A difficulty in knowing where your boundaries end and others’ begin is common with this aspect. You can either be a torch of inspiration for others or you can overpower them with your zealotry. People with this aspect can be amazing symbols for a cause or goal, blazing a trail where others fear to tread, but it can be dangerous as well because these energies mix like fire and water… or oil and some explosive compound. Your success will largely depend on how strong Mars is in your chart and what other aspects it makes.

People with this aspect need to know their “why,” to have a realm where they can be evangelists or spiritual warriors. Being able to follow your ideals as a champion is important. But it’s also important to have a strong moral compass or you can get caught up in the wrong kinds of causes, devolve into illusion, paranoia or mania and use the sheer force of your charisma and the power of your belief to bring others down the road to ruin with you.

If you’re interested in Neptune or if you have Neptune aspects in your chart, an excellent book is Liz Greene’s The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption. She’s a brilliant psychological astrologer from the middle of the 20th century who was very popular in the ’80s and ’90s when I was learning astrology, and it’s well worth a read if you’re interested in advanced mythological studies of astrology. In it, she says “Mars-Neptune aspects, like Dionysus, can be a seducer but sometimes as a collective we need to be seduced. This longing lies at the core of religious worship, as well as the catharsis of a musical or theatrical performance.”

She goes on to say, “The dilemma lies in the integrity of the goal and how it is pursued. Mars’ innately self-centered desires, when diluted with Neptunian waters, must include others if the individual’s needs are to be fulfilled. [Otherwise,] aggression may be masked by apparent docility and the rage which lurks beneath the surface may become the chief factor behind drug and alcohol addictions, which reflect anger and vengeance against life as much as the desire to escape.

When a well-lit channel cannot be found for Mars-Neptune’s romantic heroism–political, military, scientific, artistic–may be sought in darker waters. Mars-Neptune may also elect, like Charles Manson, who had the exact conjunction, to play the anti-hero who destroys himself and others rather than endure the dreariness of a decent but unglamorous life.”

Mars Conjunct Neptune: Celebrity Examples

Lady Gaga (in Capricorn)
Jennifer Lopez (in Scorpio/Sagittarius)
John Lennon (in Virgo/Libra)
Yoki Ono (in Virgo)
Ryan Gosling (in Sagittarius)
Napoleon (in Virgo)
Charles Manson (in Virgo)
Bill Clinton (in Libra)
Richard Branson (in Libra)

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Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Instagram @mspinkdotcom

If you enjoyed this post, you may like some more astrology related articles from our blog.

New Year Astro Biz Energy Reset

When working as an astrology practitioner, it is important to manage your energy expenditure every day to optimize your content creation.

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