Retrograding Mars

Retrograding Mars - Frustrated Energy

"Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does."

— Margaret Atwood
The Penelopiad

The Moon wanes in light all week but there is an unusually high level of energy to distribute coming off of last Wednesday's Leo Full Moon (5:53 AM PST 24° Leo/Aquarius). Mars is slowing down all week, adding extra 'fuel to the fire', as it prepares to turn direct next Monday. We face a number of emotional 'squalls of impatience' throughout the week. Frustrated energy is one of the significant 'hallmarks' of a retrograding Mars. Once direct next week, the forward motion of Mars will bring the release of pent-up energy, to be seen in the drawing of boundaries — or perhaps defensive battle lines. Pallas moves into Aquarius at the beginning of the week, heading towards a conjunction with Pluto which will complete on Monday of next week. Pallas helps to create a philosophical context for the emotion and impatience that we need to manage this week. Pallas helps us to lock in important, transformational progress and gain some stability in the ongoing process. Superior knowledge, detachment and objectivity are fostered by the Pallas-Pluto interaction in Aquarius. Nonetheless, there is an extraordinary amount of unstable, nervous energy which can only be effectively handled with intuition. The feeling that we are on 'unfamiliar ground' is inescapable. The Sun's arrival in Pisces on Tuesday provides just the dose of intuitive guidance that is needed — but impatience and unfocused aggressiveness will definitely make intuitive guidance much more difficult to access. The Pisces Sun also increases the emotional stakes and brings the potential for some hesitation, second-guessing, and uncertainty along with the intuitive insights. The intuitive insights, as well as the impatience that we see this week will fold directly into next Thursday's Pisces New Moon (4:44 PM PST 9° Pisces). This week's progress is chaotic, haphazard, and uneven. However, by midweek, we can begin to see opportunities to take the 'first steps' towards the implementation of long term plans. A great deal of capacity and hidden strength is stimulated by the extended Mars-Saturn trine which is providing the long-term planning ability that we can begin to see empowered this week.

A broad capacity for detachment creates incredible opportunities on Sunday. However, the personal stakes feel a bit too high, creating significant discomfort that may lead to aggressive, self-destructive outbursts. Monday's atmosphere is quite unpredictable. We are likely to feel as though we are on unfamiliar ground, suggesting the need for some caution. Tuesday's environment is extremely active, offering tremendous capacity to pull information from deep within us. Intuition offers important guidance if we are able to manage the unstable, nervous energy that is both sharpening our insight and challenging our focus. We have the ability to pull together a wealth of new information, insights, and 'destiny driven' exposure on Wednesday. The most significant pitfall in the environment is impatience. The doors are opened wide for exciting expansion of new ideas and bold initiatives on Thursday. There is also plenty of room to take 'first steps' based on long-term planning, along with a feeling of empowerment. Impatience can get us in trouble on Friday. We need to check our facts carefully in order to sort out any misleading information. A moody confusion permeates Saturday's atmosphere. Aggressive impatience may surface but, for the most part, we're likely to need to spend most of our energy just maintaining our balance.