Mars is getting ready for his biennial retrograde dance with the Sun and entered his shadow on 5th October in Cancer. He goes retrograde on 6th December in Leo while opposite Pluto – an aspect that hangs around for months like a bad smell and will give us all a good (or bad) workout in the process…
The Mars retrograde cycle unfolds in five basic stages from the Sun trine Mars at the end of November 2024 to the closing trine in March next year. However, this cycle has a longer shadow period due to the eccentric orbit of Mars so it actually includes the Sun square Mars in October too. Here are the dates for your diary:
- Mars enters retrograde shadow on 5th October 2024 at 17° Cancer
- Sun square Mars on 14th October 2024 at 21° Libra/Cancer
- Sun trine Mars on 27th November 2024 at 5° Sagittarius/Leo
- Mars stations retrograde on 6th December 2024 at 6° Leo
- Sun opposite Mars retrograde on 16th January 2025 at 26° Capricorn/Cancer
- Mars stations direct on 24th February 2025 at 17° Cancer
- Sun trine Mars on 8th March 2025 at 17° Pisces/Cancer
- Sun square Mars on 21st April 2025 at 1° Taurus/Leo
- Mars leaves retrograde shadow 2nd May 2025 at 6° Leo
The full cycle actually started with the Sun Mars conjunction in November 2023 in Scorpio and will end with the next conjunction in January 2026 in Capricorn. This full cycle has ten stages and for more information on how to work with it, get your copy of the Mars Retrograde Workbook here!
The Mars Retrograde Workbook explains what happens at each stage of the cycle and how to make the most of the opportunity this transit represents. It also provides worksheets that you can use to prepare for when Mars goes retrograde and then track your experience along the way.
When Mars goes retrograde your energy turns inwards so you can reassess how you assert yourself and use your instinctual energy and willpower. This can trigger various problems, such as lethargy, confusion about your goals, anger management issues, accidents and the breakdown of machinery.
These issues may reach a peak when the Sun opposes Mars retrograde halfway through the cycle. This is when you’ll either have a breakthrough or meltdown depending on what you’ve been doing up to that point. If you’ve prepared well, you can make positive changes and come out smiling at the other end of the cycle. If not – well, you only have yourself to blame!
To complicate matters for this cycle, Mars will be in his fall in Cancer for an extended period of time which could make things more challenging in that area of your chart. Mars is in Cancer for 2 months in 2024 from 4th September to 4th November, and then another 3.5 months in 2025 from 6th January to 18th April 2025 – almost 6 months in total.
Mars in Cancer puts his energy into protecting his loved ones and creating security at home, but can be passive aggressive and moody when blocked or stressed. Your feelings and sensitivity could interfere with your ability to take effective action and this could trigger health issues and grumpiness. But you can also use your feelings and intuition to guide your actions with compassion for others.
Mars will also spend slightly longer in Leo than normal but not as long as in Cancer. Mars is in Leo for 2 months in 2024 from 4th November to 6th January 2025, and then another 2 months in 2025, after going direct, from 18th April to 17th June 2025 – 4 months in total.
Mars in Leo is more direct and dynamic so it may boost your energy and strengthen your will and desire for success. It may give you the courage to go after what you want and is great for creative projects and organising events. But you may need to be careful not to become overbearing and bossy, especially with the extra energy coming from Pluto.
The Mars Pluto opposition enters an 8-degree orb on 14th October 2024 and remains in orb until 22nd January 2025 through the entire first half of the retrograde cycle. Mars will go retrograde while opposite Pluto and then oppose the Sun while still opposite Pluto increasing the likelihood of extreme events. This period coincides with the US election process from voting to inauguration – assuming it even happens.
There are three exact alignments of Mars and Pluto: 3rd November 2024, 3rd January 2025, and 27th April 2025.
The first is when Mars is going direct at the end of Cancer and Pluto is still in Capricorn. Mars then slips into Leo while opposite Pluto the day before the election, and Pluto enters Aquarius for good two weeks later – no more Pluto in Capricorn for 248 years!
The next two alignments both happen between Leo and Aquarius, with Mars retrograde in January just before the peak of the cycle with the Sun, and the final one taking place when Mars is moving direct again.
Mars Pluto alignments are incredibly volatile and intense and can trigger power struggles and compulsive emotional reactions that easily get out of control. You could get yourself into a right old pickle if you overdo the aggression during this time – and world events could be hair-raising.
We could see extreme violence and power grabs around the world, including the use of draconian emergency powers, underhand or criminal actions and deep state shenanigans. Everybody will be hyped up and nobody will want to back down. There could also be extreme weather and power cuts or energy issues in some places.
The intensity of this energy could push many into uncompromising positions and anger could easily escalate into explosive rage, driven by the self-righteous fury and wounded pride of Leo. You may have to deal with the consequences of unconscious emotional patterns that trigger eruptions from the shadow that force you to change in some way.
At best you can use the Mars Pluto energies to make constructive changes to any area of your life that needs to be reformed or regenerated – although it may be focused more on the houses occupied by transiting Mars and Pluto. If you work with this energy, you could experience a profound transformation in your understanding of yourself and how you express your energy and willpower.
To get a feel for what might be coming during this retrograde cycle you may want to look back at the events and decisions you made in November 2023 when Mars was conjunct the Sun. This might give you clues to changes you need to make when Mars goes retrograde.
Mars is now in his shadow so anything you do from this point on could be open to change until Mars goes direct. Unforeseen setbacks or disruptions could force you to reconsider your goals or rethink what you’re doing. Even if your energy is currently flowing smoothly, that could change when Mars goes retrograde.
This cycle could be extra challenging because Mars isn’t happy in Cancer and if you’re prone to depression it could be especially nasty. Strengthen your support structures now and get a plan in place to deal with any extreme emotions that come up. With the opposition from Pluto any bad mood has the potential to turn extremely dark and could become vengeful and paranoid.
Also remember the golden rule for Mars retrograde: Don’t initiate! With these energies in place, those who initiate could bring hell down on their heads.
On the other hand, you might need to take back your power and stand up for yourself if others are throwing their weight around. Don’t put up with bullies but get support and strengthen your position before taking action. Be extremely careful and don’t provoke unnecessary fights because it could backfire.
You can work constructively with this transit by checking in with yourself regularly to make sure your goals are in alignment with your values and what you want to achieve. Thankfully, Mars is also receiving harmonious aspects alongside the opposition from Pluto and these will provide support and positive encouragement.
The mini triangle between Uranus, Neptune and Pluto is being triggered so Mars also sextiles Uranus and trines Neptune. These aspects may bring sudden insights, surprises and new ideas that could offer a new perspective and provide solutions, as well as increasing your imagination, compassion and faith.
There’s also a square from Chiron that encourages healing and a stabilising trine from Saturn, as well as trines and oppositions from Venus and Mercury. In fact, there are lots of Grand Trines and Kites that are great for creative work and imagination and working towards productive goals that inspire and uplift.
However, the Saturn trine fades out in mid-October as the Mars Pluto opposition fades in and returns in January when the opposition fades out again. So Saturn may be more useful for getting organised and figuring out what to do as the retrograde period comes to an end.
There’s more information on these alignments in Astro Journal 2024 and Astro Journal 2025. The 2024 edition is now only $1.99 on Kindle and in my Payhip store.
The Mars Retrograde Workbook includes printable calendars with the dates for every Mars retrograde cycle up to 2030. These also list the aspects made by Mars to every other planet, except the Moon, so you can see how your energy may change during the cycle and plan accordingly. Get your copy of the Mars Retrograde Workbook here or click the image for more details.
Image: Protest
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Jessica Davidson 
Good morning Jessica Just wanted to share some very interesting info I came across recently when reading Edward Griffin’s book The Creature From Jekyll Island.
Griffin writes about a ‘think-tank study’ released right on the Uranus/Pluto conjunction in 1966. This report was called the Report From Iron Mountain. It actually became a book by Leonard Lewin. When the book came out there was (of course) a lot of denial but time has shown the report to be truth. The bottom line is the report was a study to figure out a substitute for war as a way to depopulate the planet & control the masses in order to increase government control under the guise of ‘disarmament’. Made me think of all those anti war protests during the Vietnam years. But get this – the emphasis was on disarmament of the US, not necessarily Russia & other countries. This disarmament campaign still rages. Just earlier this year some woman from the UN was in the US for ‘talks on disarmament’.
And guess what would come about as a result of disarming every country in the western world? An international military & police force! We know these as the UN ‘peacekeepers’ & the UN’s own police force. How many of these personnel are now infiltrated into all our western countries?
Griffin’s other book specifically on the UN is an insightful read too – The Fearful Master: A Second Look at The United Nations. In this book he goes right into naming the people who instigated the UN. Shockingly most of them were communist spies working inside the US government.
The conclusion of this ‘Report from Iron Mountain’ was to come up with an alternative fear (to replace the threat of war) in order to get the masses to comply. That new fear birthed the ‘save the planet from disaster’ campaign that now rages around the world, called ‘climate change’ & which we know is all BS.
We know the 1960’s were also the time of the feminist movement, emasculation of men & the ‘dumbing-down’ of the populace along with ramping up anti-war campaigns. And that was just in the west. Griffin goes into detail about the UN & its actions in the Congo in the early 1960’s – nasty stuff.
And now we have Uranus & Pluto in this trine with the sextile out to Neptune which, to me shows a furthering of their Iron Mountain plan. Astrologers seem to be ok mentioning the darker side of Pluto but I have also noticed hardly anyone mentions the nasty side of Uranus & Neptune – communism & socialism. And you don’t hear of anyone talking about the progressed chart of individuals let alone countries. Then again, I’ve lost touch with most astrologers these days. You seem to be the only one that doesn’t buy in to political correctness, or a focussing on the new dwarf planets more than anything else. I’m old school, what do I know – I lost touch with modern astrology years ago. hahahaa However, when doing some research on some of the new planets & looking for mundane events happening at their times of discovery, well… that opens a whole new can of worms.
Many of us now know the UN has become the international socialist/communist government controlling the world through all our governments. When the UN went public in Oct 1945, Saturn & Mars were conjunct at around 23/24degrees Cancer! Uranus was 17 Gemini. And the Uranus/Pluto conjunction in 1966 was 16/17 Virgo. The Sun/Mars conjunction in Nov ’23 was at 25 Scorpio & the eclipse last month was 25 Pisces. Be interesting to watch Saturn when it reaches 25 Pisces in April & just happens to trines Mars at the same time.
You just can’t make this stuff up can you.
Cheers Gail from Australia
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Something to watch, certainly…
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@gail taylor Democratic socialism is the most successful form of government, which is why nordic countries consistently perform at the top in every sector including economic, health, housing, education…you seem like a victim and perpetrator of fascist corporate propaganda and brainwashing. State communism is a failure, just like state capitalism. They are both fascist systems that claim to serve people but they only serve money and power for a few. Democratic socialism gets lumped in with communism because kleptocrats know how easily they can fool dumb people into supporting their endless wars for profit and satanic desire to destroy the fabric of human culture and relationships.
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I’ve got the three dates Mars is exactly opposite Pluto all with Mars in the 4th and Pluto in the 10th. Also my MC is at 26 Capricorn, so the Sun opposition Mars is on my MC/IC, Yikes! Guess my career/home-emotional life are going to get a workout. Thanks Jessica.
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