Any way but forwards
The first half of 2012 is a rambling path of retrograde planets,with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto all seeming to move backwards through the night sky in the next few months. This is not a time to take big steps forwards, but to look back, look within, to let time shift around us and see what lessons the past brings to the present. It's a time to look for the roots of things, to find out where the pattern began and how many times we have been through it before, to look at the circles and spirals we turn ourselves in.
The backwards march began this week, with Mars going retrograde in Virgo on January 24th. It will keep tracking back until April, so for the next few months our enthusiasms, passions and desires may seem thwarted or simply rather lacklustre. Mars is a particularly awkward planet to find retrograde, symbolising as it does the forward thrust of our energy. This is an energy which is directed outwards, now being forced to go within. So we may be tempted to passive aggression, instead of facing conflicts head on. We may feel lethargic and lacking in get up and go, especially if you have strong Virgo energy or if Mars is especially prominent in your chart.
But of course, all of these energies can be used positively, as long as we maintain our awareness of them. When Mars energy is directed within, we find ourselves re-examining our motivations, reviewing our experiences, pondering our habitual ways of acting and how well these serve us. In the natal chart, Mars is said to be in the service of the Sun, meaning that the willpower of Mars is what enables us to move forward on our solar quest, whatever that may be. So Mars retrograde is a time to see where our willpower is directed, and whether or not this serves our higher goals. Are we focusing our energy in ways that fulfil us, or do we just act out of habit because we don't really know what we want?
For me, Mars retrograde in Virgo is manifesting as an urge to de-clutter, to organise the house better. I've been re-examining the last few boxes which have been left since we moved last year, reviewing the things I said would only be kept if we turned out to use them. So there has been some freecycling, which I find a particularly good way to get energy moving. Our long neglected ice cream maker went to a woman who has long made her own vegan ice cream, until her own ice cream maker wore out. Our bread maker, ignored since we discovered that the bread my partner makes by hand is better, was collected by a woman whose daughter is entering Junior Masterchef. Not only have we shifted pockets of stagnant energy in our own house, we have given positive impetus to the projects of others. We have also been re-examining our health and what we eat, in true Virgo style. Suddenly changes I have been reluctant to make for months are actually happening. Imbolc is just around the corner - Mars retrograde in Virgo is adding impetus and willpower to the purification energy the season brings.
Update 8/2/12: In the spirit of Mars retrograde, I've been reviewing my exercise routine, and have a guest post at the Little Green Blog about my experiences.
The backwards march began this week, with Mars going retrograde in Virgo on January 24th. It will keep tracking back until April, so for the next few months our enthusiasms, passions and desires may seem thwarted or simply rather lacklustre. Mars is a particularly awkward planet to find retrograde, symbolising as it does the forward thrust of our energy. This is an energy which is directed outwards, now being forced to go within. So we may be tempted to passive aggression, instead of facing conflicts head on. We may feel lethargic and lacking in get up and go, especially if you have strong Virgo energy or if Mars is especially prominent in your chart.
 |
For me, Mars retrograde in Virgo is manifesting as an urge to de-clutter, to organise the house better. I've been re-examining the last few boxes which have been left since we moved last year, reviewing the things I said would only be kept if we turned out to use them. So there has been some freecycling, which I find a particularly good way to get energy moving. Our long neglected ice cream maker went to a woman who has long made her own vegan ice cream, until her own ice cream maker wore out. Our bread maker, ignored since we discovered that the bread my partner makes by hand is better, was collected by a woman whose daughter is entering Junior Masterchef. Not only have we shifted pockets of stagnant energy in our own house, we have given positive impetus to the projects of others. We have also been re-examining our health and what we eat, in true Virgo style. Suddenly changes I have been reluctant to make for months are actually happening. Imbolc is just around the corner - Mars retrograde in Virgo is adding impetus and willpower to the purification energy the season brings.
Update 8/2/12: In the spirit of Mars retrograde, I've been reviewing my exercise routine, and have a guest post at the Little Green Blog about my experiences.