Mars Retrograde in Gemini
One of the most anticipated cosmic events of the year has finally arrived. Mars, the archetypal God of War, is heading into retrograde motion on October 30th, all the way until January 13th, 2023. As such, tempers are likely to be more volatile and impulsive action needs to be avoided if we wish to make it through to the other side (mostly) unscathed.
Happening in the airy, intelligent and curious sign of Gemini, Mars will stir up this sign’s topics in such a way that they become problematic, delayed, frustrating and quite triggering. Gemini rules communication in all shapes, from emails, to instant messaging, basic conversation, emails and everything else imaginable. If you think this sounds like Mercury retrograde, you’re quite right – except, with this planet, it’s much stronger and much longer. Tension with siblings, neighbors and friends may also be a theme, and we’ll need to watch carefully what we say and how we say it.
Fortunately, Mars only goes retrograde every two years, with the last retrograde being in 2020, the previous one in 2018, then 2016 and so forth. The last time Mars was retrograde in Gemini was over 2007 and 2008, which revealed issues such as writer’s strikes, false rumors, global internet disruptions, mass flight cancellations and so on. With this in mind, we are collectively urged to exercise patience, check and double-check all details before rushing ahead and to take a moment to think before acting on an impulse.
There have been hints of this retrograde energy since September 3rd, when Mars entered his shadow phase. From this time, we may already have been experiencing powerful anxiety and chaotic shifts, and many of us may have felt an underlying confusion as to what’s next. It’s no surprise, then that, mythologically speaking, the horses that Mars rides into battle with are named ‘Deimos’ and ‘Phobos’ – meaning, panic and fear. So, if you’ve been feeling these difficult emotions, know that this is but a reflection of the collective cosmic energies at play. Breathwork, grounding into our bodies and exercising are all excellent ways to decrease the tension and find center again. Any kind of movement is medicine for anger – the medicine that we will all need to access for these next three months.
This time also works to ensure that we are on the right path, and if we’re not, we may need to take a detour so that we can get back on track. It probably won’t feel like it at the time, as the energy of chaos seems to rule during retrograde. But, in retrospect, we can look back and perhaps even be grateful for this whirlwind deviation from our usual trajectory. There are likely to be a few moments where we’ll have to sit with mistiness, brain fog or outright uncertainty, but within that space of not-knowing lies the power of surrender to the changes that our soul is likely crying out for.
