Feeling a bit sluggish as we move into the new year? Don’t blame it all on holiday excess. The engine of our initiative, Mars, turned retrograde on December 6th at 6 degrees of Leo. It has been in Leo since November 4th and moves back into Cancer January 7th.
When any planet turns retrograde, the focus shifts from the outer world to the inner. Mars is the go-getter, the energy of ambition and achievement, the one who works to manifest our desires, ready to take on the world and conquer obstacles. When it turns retrograde, we can feel frustrated, encounter setbacks, or simply lack the energy to achieve our goals. Worse yet, we can become self-critical, berate ourselves for not working harder, turn our aggression inward.
Unlike the outer planets, Mars only turns retrograde once every two years. As we enter a new year, filled with intentions to get fit, lose weight, start new projects, meet expectations, Mars asks us to take a pause and reconsider. It’s particularly important to follow his lead this time because he has been opposing Pluto in the early degrees of Aquarius. Not only that, Mars moved out of bounds on January 1st and will remain so until April 7th.
So what does that all mean and how do we honor this retrograde?
First let’s look at the under-acknowledged traits of Mars. We think of him as the God of War, aggressive, combative, ready to take umbrage and fight any opponent. That’s the Mars shadow side, defensive, touchy, filled with anger and resentment, the bully who’s ready to pick a fight and punish the world for his fear and pain, the abuser who throws his weight around, mistreats women, exploits minorities, all to prove his proud masculinity.
Mars is so much more though. He is the symbol of the Divine Masculine, the protector, the care-giver, the fulfiller of desires. He helps us stand up for ourselves, assert our individuality, set healthy boundaries, develop the courage to pursue our dreams, express our creativity and serve the highest good.
Mars in Leo
While Mars rules Aries and the Sun rules Leo, they are both Fire signs signifying passion and Spirit. Leo reinforces our need for self-expression, for individuation, originality, fun and play, and most of all strong heart energy. Leo helps us shine our original light, the Light we came in with. Leo strengthens our courage, building confidence to conquer our fears.
Think about how we experience fear. We withdraw, we contract to protect ourselves, we “make nice” to avoid conflict, we cower, we go silent for fear of offense or embarrassment. And all of that takes place deep within our psyche. Leo teaches us that when we are standing in our Light, when we are broadcasting from the heart, we need not fear. We can meet each moment, each challenge, with curiosity, confidence and excitement. We can express our true selves because that’s what we were meant to do. When our hearts are pure and loving, we are safe. When we are enthusiastic about exploring options, we are safe. When we are in the flow of our natural spirit, we bring our Light to the world.
Mars opposite Pluto
That sounds like a double threat, doesn’t it? There’s no arguing with Pluto. Yes, he’s the Lord of the Underworld, but what is the Underworld? The subconscious and unconscious parts of our psyche.
When Pluto was discovered in 1930, scientists were exploring the power of plutonium. Budding psychologists, however, were discovering our inner depths and seeking ways to access these subterranean realms of self. What a perfect metaphor for the dual sides of Pluto. On the one hand building bombs of aggression and destruction; on the other, seeking to understand the human psyche.
Yes, Pluto brings about destruction, not with malicious intent, but to fuel the engines of evolution. In the past 200,000 years, we have created a variety of civilizations, each one rising to power and glory only to fade away into artifacts. This is the evolutionary process. As the structures of civilization crumble, we are asked to consider new possibilities; take a look at what works and what doesn’t; what furthers our spiritual growth or holds us back; what outworn beliefs are standing in the way of progress. Most of all, where we went wrong.
This is a huge topic, one that will preoccupy our minds for the next 2600 years in the Age of Aquarius. How can we create a civilization of peace that works for everyone, not just the few? How long before we recognize our Oneness and realize that when we hurt one another, we hurt ourselves and damage the wellbeing of the Whole?
On the one hand, the idea of Oneness terrifies some because it represents the loss of individuality. Here’s a hint – we’ve already lost it. We’ve turned into worker bees, we’ve accepted the mythos of a patriarchal paradigm. Sprinkle a generous portion of greed and a belief in unlimited capitalism, and we have a dysfunctional society, divided into dominators, poverty-stricken sufferers, and the working class. Our limited beliefs are strangling the life out of our people as well as the very planet that supports us.
When Mars comes face to face with Pluto, this retrograde takes on cosmic significance. It asks all of us to pause, assess and reassess, ask ourselves “who am I?” What parts of me am I suppressing? What is blocking the shining of my Light? Pluto concerns issues of power and draws us into deep work to relieve ourselves of old baggage that drags us down, makes us feel helpless, victimized. Pluto’s goal is empowerment and in the sign of Aquarius, Pluto brings power back to the people.
The first step in changing the whole, is changing the individual. It all starts with us, letting go of the past to allow our true selves to emerge – the ones who came into this life with the strong desire and intention to serve humanity during its transformation.
Mars retrograde is opposing Pluto in Aquarius, the sign of humanity, reform, innovation, revisioning, forming a web of connectivity, working together to birth a new reality, based on a new paradigm, a new civilization that reflects our true values and our commitment to the Oversoul of our Collective.
The Dwarf Planets
We will examine Dwarf planets this year as they get activated, but I want to set a context. Shortly after the turn of a new millennium, in early 2000’s, a whole new “species” of planets began popping up on astronomer’s telescopes. By 2006 they had observed and discovered many new “dwarf” planets, out in the Kuiper Belt. The International Astronomical Union concluded that Pluto was one of these dwarfs and he was disqualified as a bonified member of our solar system.
This is interesting because the connotation is that Pluto somehow had lost significance. In reality, Pluto was the first of a whole new realm. Our Solar System is divided into rock planets which are the personal planets including Mercury, Venus and Mars. And Earth of course. The hard rock arena concludes with the astroid belt, a realm of multiple remnants of a former planet that occasionally escape to streak across our sky, sometimes crashing into Earth.
Jupiter and Saturn are gas “Giants,” huge bubbles of roiling gas. These two planets address our social and political reality. Saturn is the last of the visible planets that formed what we thought was the boundary of our solar system.
When telescopes were invented, however, Uranus was discovered and soon after Neptune and Pluto. Neptune and Uranus are also gas planets, but it turns out that Pluto represents a gateway to an even more expanded realm with a multitude of new objects that are slowly being documented. Astrologers are now trying to understand the metaphysical significance of each object.
It’s interesting to notice that as we progress further into outer space, manifested objects get lighter, less dense, smaller, more mysterious, made of ice that couldn’t survive proximity to our Sun. They would melt and vanish into effervescence. They are drawing us toward un-manifested realms. As we see further into space, we see the remnants of our past, the steps that led to our existence as well as the etheric nature of deep space, and the origin of life.
In my opinion, Pluto represents the portal to a new realm of consciousness. Furthermore, Pluto demands an entrance fee, a descent into our personal underworld where we confront our fears – phobias, threatening memories, dysfunctional behaviors or beliefs. We must face the illusion of ourselves before we can integrate the spiritual qualities and energy of the dwarfs. This realm seems to be even more personal than our inner planets. They operate from a new frequency and higher dimension. We need to clear toxins and blockages, to sustain our consciousness at a higher frequency. We must learn to stay connected with our depths, our souls, our higher selves.
This realm holds the keys to enlightened spiritual consciousness. These energies support our functioning in the 5th dimension, the home of our future civilization, should we choose it.
Mars Out of Bounds
Mars is retrograde. Pluto is pointing the way to our personal underworld. Enter Out of Bounds. What is that?
While we are orbiting the Sun, it appears to us that the Sun is orbiting us. Its path in our visual field moves north and south of the ecliptic which is the apparent mean path of the Sun. All the planets in our solar system move up and down through the mean ecliptic. A planet is out of bounds when it goes further than the fluctuation of the sun whose limit is 23 degrees. Beyond that is out of bounds.
There are several ways to interpret the metaphor of “out of bounds.” In football terms, It’s a foul. Play stops and they reboot, so to speak.
Out of bounds can also mean freedom from the restrictions of earthly life. We can be reckless and break the rules.
From another perspective, we can explore beyond what we know now. We have escaped gravity. We can fly higher, see a bigger picture from a distance, think new thoughts, discover alternatives, access solutions never considered before.
Out of Bounds speaks to the way we express our energy. Retrograde suggests we look deep within. In Leo it triggers passion, courage, a sense of leadership and innovation. We are free to think outside the box. We are free of our limitations. If we could just drop all he heaviness of Earth living and do whatever we really wanted, what would that look like? What if we got rid of the barriers to our Light? Seems like the sky’s the limit here.
What we need right now is original thinking that’s connected to the wisdom of our hearts. Logic can only take us so far. Our nation needs it. Our world is suffering without it. We feel disempowered by the movie we’re watching – all the greed for power and wealth – once again the despot’s dream of conquering the world. In this case, buying it up.
What dream would we rather live in?
Mars in Cancer
Cancer and Leo are very different energies and address different areas of our lives. Leo is lending us the courage to leave the Cancer nest of family and the familiar. Leo in many ways is about having the courage to be ourselves. I see it as the energy of individuation – the personal hero/heroine emerges.
As Mars moves back into Cancer we will revisit the conditioning from our past. How timely that the South Node moves into Virgo, the analyzer. The two energies can support our liberation from the values and beliefs of the past, the do’s and taboos, the outworn chains of suffering.
Family issues will emerge. The pain and suffering of the inner child will come up. It can be an emotional time, and that’s okay. So much wisdom gets lost when we deny our emotions. We lose our life force when we suppress them. It’s time to feel, because the feelings will lead us to the thoughts, the dictates, the incidents that created the beliefs that warped our thinking. The work is challenging because Cancer carries the energies of safety and security. We feel safe believing what we believe. We close ourselves up within the cocoon of habit. We get a false sense of safety when nothing changes.
2025 Year of Change
Change is inevitable, however, and 2025 will demonstrate that. All of the Outer Planets are making transitions into new signs. These planets move slowly so they hang out in signs for quite a while. Pluto moved back and forth between Capricorn and Aquarius for the last two years, finally leaving Capricorn behind last November and moving permanently into Aquarius for the next 20 years. It does seem that Pluto left a huge dump behind for us to clean up.
I don’t have space to go into it now, but here’s a brief preview. Uranus is moving into Gemini the first time on July 7th. Neptune will enter Aries on March 30th, a big event on the World Point. Sedna in her 11,400 year cycle waffled between Taurus and Gemini for two years before taking up an extended residence of 40 years in the air sign of duality. The Nodal Axis shifts signs as well.
Nodal Sign Shift
The Nodes of the Moon are the points at which the Moon intersects the ecliptic moving either north or south. It’s where the orbits of Earth and Moon connect with the Sun. We can think of body, soul and spirit coming together forming an energy vortex that works on our psyche. Wherever the Nodes are transiting, they’re picking up information and exploring options in the North, completing old business and making peace with the past in the South.
For the last 18 ½ months they have been working their way backwards through Aries and Libra, the South Node asking us to resolve relationship issues; the North Node asking “Who Am I?”
On January 11th, they will enter Virgo and Pisces. The South Node in Virgo will activate our discernment, support our attention to the small details of our past. Virgo is the sign of self-awareness. The South Node is asking us to make an assessment of our overall health. This is the year to clear up our thinking. We have entered a technological age of uncertainty. Perhaps we should call it the realm of not-knowing. With AI improving to the point that it is becoming indistinguishable from the original, how do we know what’s true?
Activate Virgo and learn. The key is to combine both sides of our brain – to analyze, but also intuit; to reason, but also consult the wisdom of the heart and the messages from our bodies to reach a conclusion, keeping our minds open and willing to consider new possibilities.
The North Node in Pisces is asking us to let go of the past, live in the present, explore the options before us, find our way back onto our Soul’s intended path. In Pisces we can dream of the future, imagine the ideal, shore up our connection with our inner guides. The North Node and Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, come together on February 6th – a great time to dream a new way of being.
Eris Stationary Direct
On the very day that the Nodes shift signs, January 11, Eris turns direct. Eris is the sister of Mars, a Feminine Warrior who fights for the underdog, for inclusion and celebration of diversity. Eris, like so many goddesses, fights for justice, equality, and the right to be different.
Eris operates through chaos. What matters is our response to it. We could struggle to find meaning, or keep up, or resist it, become resentful and obsessed with it and try to fix it; in other words control it. Or we could honor her values and find ways to integrate them into our being and behavior. Eris is helping to prepare us for the Aquarian Age, another big topic we will address this year.
Next month both Jupiter and Mars turn direct and Mercury enters its retrograde shadow at the New Moon in Pisces. We’ll look at these archetypal energies then.
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