Mars retrograde 2024 – Exercise patience!

Get ready to exercise patience as Mars turns retrograde! It’s been in its retro shadow since 5 Oct, getting gradually slower and slower.  It stops and turns retro on Sat 7 Dec (AEST) at 6 degrees Leo.  Watch where you direct your energy, and try to finish up any projects you’re working on long before Mars turns retro.  Mars retro is characterized by a sense of getting nowhere fast, of projects stalling, of pushing sh*t uphill, leading to all kinds of frustration.  It’s been described as “driving with the brakes on” with all the heat friction that produces!

In the course of its retrograde journey, Mars will oppose Pluto twice more.  The first opposition was on 3 Nov when Mars was at 29 Cancer, but the next two will be with Mars in Leo (retrograde and then direct). So we will be revisiting the Mars-Pluto opposition, an aspect that conjures up images of fighting against the powers-that-be, but now with Mars in Leo the fighting is likely to be more open, more passionate and less constrained.

Any anger felt now is likely to be expressed dramatically (Mars in Leo) – but once Mars retros back into Cancer, it is likely to be expressed indirectly, if at all – in which case it is likely to fester in brooding resentment, or worse, make you depressed or physically ill.

So here’s an opportunity to develop some anger management strategies, like counting to ten, leaving the room till you’ve calmed down, then go for a walk , dig the garden or go to the gym – anything that gets you physically moving the energy!  Just remember it’s important to come back later and resolve the triggering situation from a place of calm objectivity.  Be mindful especially of any feelings of impatience, frustration, competitiveness, resentment …. they’re all Mars under different guises.

The key is to be patient, as life seems to thwart our every attempt at moving forwards.  Slow down, listen to the Universe and use the time wisely to review and redesign – it might not take much, maybe just a few tweaks here and there – but this is an opportunity to revisit your decisions and your actions.

Use this period wisely, and make sure you don’t blow a fuse!  The gift of retrograde Mars is learning patience … breathe!  Just take a breath and take the urgency (and stress!) out of the picture.  The likely outcome is that your final result will be an improved version of the original.

Mars is retrograde until Mon 24 Feb 2025 (AEST) when it turns direct again at 17 degrees Cancer.