Mars is retrograde from Oct 30 2022 to Jan 13, 2023, moving backwards from our perspective from 1° Gemini to 13° Taurus (sidereal signs).
Mars retrograde represents the strength we can regain by doing something we used to do. It's a time to tap into huge reserves of strength within, although we could just as easily find ourselves at a loss, as if our system cannot handle the extra energy with no obvious outlet. We must be patient as external delays redirect our attention inward. We must learn ways to direct the distorted energy through healthy channels.
Mars retrograde represents the strength we can regain by doing something we used to do. It's a time to tap into huge reserves of strength within, although we could just as easily find ourselves at a loss, as if our system cannot handle the extra energy with no obvious outlet. We must be patient as external delays redirect our attention inward. We must learn ways to direct the distorted energy through healthy channels.
Mars is in Taurus for most of its retrograde and this has its pitfalls, requiring more compromise than the planet of action is suited to. This sends us onto our back foot and second guessing ourselves. When we add Rahu's aspect from Aries, it adds complexity. The world is seeing this play out with complex resources and supply chain issues, while we each personally grapple with the need to compromise on even the basics.
Setbacks are likely in these things as Mars retrogrades from the end of October, but Mars' initial transit through Taurus has set the stage from Aug 10. Mars transits into its shadow from the beginning of September, moving beyond the point it must move back over. Shadow is absolutely an appropriate word in the case of this Mars retrograde, when we factor in Rahu's impact.
Whatever shady things we do now are likely to be redone later. And whatever we do, we must compromise something while doing it. This is the nature of Taurus and its ruler, Venus, which moves into its sign of debilitation from Sep 25 to Oct 18. This period reflects an underlying weakness, with the subsequent Mars retrograde asking us to backtrack on what we have already begun.
A concept astrologer Martin Schulman writes about in his book, Karmic Astrology: Retrogrades and Reincarnation, is what he refers to as three distinct phases of retrogrades. He highlights the three phases in relation to Mars as:
Phase 1: Jumping ahead of ourselves, attempting to live the future now,
Phase 2: In the process of living out the future, experiencing the feeling that we have already been there,
Phase 3: Repeating in mind the first phase, so we are actually reliving the looking forward to a future that has already occurred.
See if you can wrap your head around that last one! I'm more familiar with the dynamics involved in these three phases when it comes to Mars as I was born when Mars was retrograde. But you probably have at least one planet retrograde in your birth chart and know this in relation to that planet.
As Mars is my ruling planet, and because I am an astrologer, I am always writing about the future, which encapsulates this dynamic. In my mind, the future has already happened many times before it actually does, and because of this by the time it happens it's like I'm reliving it! I sometimes think back, looking forward to what has already happened, because I did not have that opportunity until after the fact. Warped, I know! But that is what a retrograde planet is like. The Sanskrit word for retrograde is Vakra, meaning 'warped', 'twisted'.
Someone with Mars retrograde from birth may be more familiar with the need to balance this sometimes impulsive energy, but they can also get easily triggered in a way that is familiar, especially for those in the compensating Phase 1 of the retrograde, e.g., feeling frustrated and reckless if things are not moving forward fast enough. Mostly though, I’ve noted that those who already have a retrograde planet in their birth chart are more able to handle the retrograde, as they’re more familiar with it. If you don't have a Mars retrograde from birth, it's likely to be a very new dynamic you haven't learned how to manage as yet.
I used to jump impulsively into things and then spend a lot of time regretting my actions, reimagining the past. But I am older and wiser now, and more familiar with this back and forth. We all do this to some degree, of course, it’s just that those with Mars retrograde do it more so. When Mars is retrograde in a natal chart, Schulman writes that the individual has "learned to sublimate, twist, deny, distort or negate the fulfilment of his physical needs unless the needs of his Spirit are met first". (Schulman, 1977). Mars retrograde can show us either being very impulsive or overly cautious. It can flip from one extreme to another.
Retrograde planets are actually stronger in a way, as they are closer to Earth. But they are less able to fully express themselves. It can be too much for us to handle, and we shut down the impulse. Shutting down Mars has its problems. Burying our will to do something can lead to anger which we may bury even deeper if we are not comfortable with the feeling.
Even if we are able to channel it in a healthy way, other people are not comfortable with our anger and may try to shut us down. This is even more likely with Mars in Taurus. This dynamic happens early on in life, during the so-called ‘Mars years’, from ages 1 to 3, the ‘terrible twos’, when we are first shut down by adults around us who cannot handle our willful side.
Energy can spike or drop dramatically during Mars’ retrograde, where we find it difficult to keep things balanced. Add Rahu's influence from Aries and we are likely to experience this in more extreme ways. The markets and economy, relations and diplomacy - Taurus-type things - are likely to do the same.
Mars retrograde in Taurus is a great lesson in restraint, and a healthy, willful output of energy. It’s as if we are being wound up like a toy car, building energy that is ready to burst forth, and yet we do not have a clear surface to move forward, and can sometimes spiral and crash. Patience is required, and some sort of activity that allows us to vent some steam.
Mars in Taurus deals with problems through negotiation. All parties' needs must be considered.
Hold your Nerve
Mars rules the nerves according to Parashara. The phrase, 'to hold your nerve', is a Mars-type phrase. Mars represents strength, which is actually more to do with the nervous system than its impact on musculature, a Saturn-ruled tissue. The muscles are broken down in strength training, before they eventually repair. This is a Saturn-type thing. Mars, on teh other hand, is quicker. The nerves fire without us thinking about it and tell the muscles what to do. Likewise, our mouths can run off and say something we later regret.
If you are more reserved and thoughtful, you are unlikely to experience the kind of problems suggested by Mars retrograde in Taurus, although we all have to be mindful of being tested in some way. How else do we develop strength? However, if your impulsiveness has created problems for you in the past, this Mars transit is one to be mindful of. Use it to gain strength and courage to overcome something, but be willing to compromise.
You could spend the time between Oct 30 and Jan 13 redoing something, perhaps even reinventing yourself (Taurus rising), but certainly reworking this area of your life. This is a time to approach the areas of life shown by the house positions of Taurus (Aug 10 - Mar 12) and Gemini (Oct 15 - Nov 13) with caution, as you would with any new thing you are trying out, knowing you may make some mistakes at first.
Become a patron and read the rest, including for all signs.
Mars rules the nerves according to Parashara. The phrase, 'to hold your nerve', is a Mars-type phrase. Mars represents strength, which is actually more to do with the nervous system than its impact on musculature, a Saturn-ruled tissue. The muscles are broken down in strength training, before they eventually repair. This is a Saturn-type thing. Mars, on teh other hand, is quicker. The nerves fire without us thinking about it and tell the muscles what to do. Likewise, our mouths can run off and say something we later regret.
If you are more reserved and thoughtful, you are unlikely to experience the kind of problems suggested by Mars retrograde in Taurus, although we all have to be mindful of being tested in some way. How else do we develop strength? However, if your impulsiveness has created problems for you in the past, this Mars transit is one to be mindful of. Use it to gain strength and courage to overcome something, but be willing to compromise.
You could spend the time between Oct 30 and Jan 13 redoing something, perhaps even reinventing yourself (Taurus rising), but certainly reworking this area of your life. This is a time to approach the areas of life shown by the house positions of Taurus (Aug 10 - Mar 12) and Gemini (Oct 15 - Nov 13) with caution, as you would with any new thing you are trying out, knowing you may make some mistakes at first.
Become a patron and read the rest, including for all signs.
Om Tat Sat
Reference
Schulman, M. (1977) Karmic Astrology: Retrogrades and Reincarnation Vol. II, 1 edn., Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc..
