Mars Retrograde: Find Your Fire
On June 26th, Mars joins Saturn, Jupiter , Neptune and Pluto in retrograde motion, heating up the summer and our energy. He’ll be retrograde for two months, covering the Eclipse Season and the majority of our summer, affecting our Full Moons and our capacity to let go. Of all the planets spinning backwards in our sky, Mars is the one to be the most aware of- even more so than the dreaded Mercury retrograde (which begins next month).
Mars is known as the planet of war, but really he is the planet of will. He brings us the energy of passion, fueling our love for life. He puts the sparkle in our eye and the grin on our face. He’s the feeling we get when starting a new adventure where the potential for anything to happen is limitless. His energy is exhilarating -excitement mixed with fear, always reminding us of the spontaneity of life.
We each have Mars somewhere in our birth chart, located in a certain house and zodiac sign. It is here, he gives us our mission. Should we accept it, he’ll lead us to our soul’s destiny - the journey we are here to complete. For Mars gives us the power to do what we need to do, when we need to do it. He represents the abundance of freedom. If we allow him, Mars can show us how to manifest our life’s mission. Our confirmation of this, being our sense of fulfillment and enjoyment in our lives.
So why is Mars known for war and aggression? Because if we choose to ignore our willpower and our mission, we are left with frustration. Not living the life our soul needs, causes pent up feelings of anger, disappointment and resentment. When we ignore our Mars, he rebels and his rebellion can feel explosive in our energy. We become reactive, jealous of others and are quick to fly off the proverbial handle.
Mars retrograde illuminates how we are working with our internal Mars energy. Are we utilizing it to listen and act on our soul’s wishes? Or are we ignoring it? If we are out of alignment with our Mars, this retrograde will increase our reactivity and our frustration. It will exaggerate all the negative vibrations brought to us by Mars. We will either become absorbed by it, or we will break. In breaking we will be forced to embrace the adventure of our life, but it will not be an easy path.
There, of course, is another alternative to either feeling crazy for two months or breaking down- it is to feel into our passion and align our life with it. If we are truly listening to our instinct on how to design our world, Mars retrograde will be a powerful time to gain even more clarity. The key is too not get frustrated or react when life feels challenging. Instead use adversity to bring a new perspective on what motivates you. Channel your anger into moving you forward. Mars’ energy is potent, it can be harnessed to give you courage where needed, direction when you feel lost and stamina to complete what you’ve started. Feel these things internally during this retrograde period and allow the energy to accelerate your path, instead of leading you in circles looking for it. that you can’t find it. Mars reminds us that our intuition is the only guiding light we need. Heed that little voice within and trust yourself this retrograde period. You’ll find the way.
Helpful tips during Mars Retrograde:
- Pause, think before acting.
- Exercise, but not overly excessive. Move your energy especially if you feel frustrated.
- Watch out for heated arguments. If you need to have a conversation with your partner make sure you enter it in peace.
- Practice cooling yoga, like Yin or Hatha and cooling breath work, like Sitali pranayama.
- Find what motivates you. Experiment and open your mind to new energies.
- Complete unfinished tasks.
- Flow, don’t force. Trust the timing of your life.
Art via Rebecca Reitz
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