Planet Mars has an intriguing retrograde coming up. On December 6, the red planet, currently in the sign of Leo, will pause before apparently backtracking across the sky. When planets “turn retrograde,” they don’t actually change direction. It’s an optical illusion due to where the planet is in its orbit. Symbolically, retrograde planets express themselves more erratically and with less coordination. They also emphasize specific time frames; a planet will appear to traverse a portion of the sky, go backwards over that same patch, and then resume its forward motion for a third pass over the same section. Retrogrades are a time of deep study of a particular curriculum.
Mars is associated with the assertion of will, how we pursue our desires, and all acts of individuation. It’s the planet responsible for how we hew our way through the world and differentiate ourselves from others. Traditionally, it’s the planet of war, aggression, and conflict, but this expression most commonly shows itself in the face of oppression. It’s also the planet that astrologers study to ascertain a person’s relationship with anger and sexuality. All of the hot, agitating, and adrenalized feelings that put us in motion and inspire us †adto be active players in the contests of life can be attributed to Mars.
What happens when the planet of initiative and drive shifts gears and throws itself into reverse? Conventional wisdom would have us thinking that it might become mellower, unsure of what it wants, or frustrated. These are definitely possibilities, but it’s also just as likely to go rogue—or become ravenous and tyrannical. As with all retrogrades, the planet’s attributes are amplified, but the experiences are dependent on the individuals or events expressing them. Retrogrades are a refining process. We can think of this time as an opportunity to revisit how well or poorly we have advocated for ourselves in the past. How do we process anger? What’s our relationship with the urges to dominate and separate?
One of the things that makes this retrograde particularly complex is that it travels through two signs. From December 6 to January 6, 2025, Mars retreats through Leo, then it continues to backstroke through watery Cancer until February 23, 2025. After that, it resumes forward motion over the same ground it covered for the third and final time. Leo and Cancer are distinctly different in character, and Mars has varying degrees of ease in each sign. Mars is comfortable in expressive and individualistic Leo. It can put its skills to work in an uncomplicated way. Plenty of energy is available to create objects, images, and events that bear one’s unique signature. There’s lots of fuel for sustaining positions of leadership, making dramatic presentations of feeling, and heartily enjoying oneself. A fiery planet like Mars has affinity with the fixed fire sign of Leo. On a bad day this combination can look like self aggrandizement, social climbing, and profound ego sensitivities.
In Cancer, Mars is a stranger in a strange land. One of Mars’s principal archetypes is “the warrior,” and in nurturing, receptive, Cancer, its expression can be quite awkward. It’s not that this placement is useless, it just takes some creativity and adjustment to find itself. When Mars enters the domain of Cancer, it can’t access its preferred resources as quickly. Gone are the swords and blowtorches, and in their stead, comfort foods and cozy blankets. When Mars finds its footing in Cancer, it can be a great defender of the vulnerable and advocate on the behalf of women, children, and the home-front. It can mobilize its energies to build fortresses, gardens, and sanctuaries. Mars in Cancer could adopt the role of a relentless provider of comforts, aggressive caretaker, or the one who dissents from a tradition. On a bad day, Mars in Cancer is a moody adolescent who weaponizes their emotions or the one who brings violence into the domestic sphere.
The most glaring signature of this Mars retrograde process, is its meetings with the lord of death and rebirth, Pluto, on January 3 and April 26, 2025. Mars in Leo will confront Pluto in Aquarius by opposition, urging us to dig deep for hidden sources of power. These two meetings stem from a first encounter in November 2024 when Mars was in Cancer and Pluto was in Capricorn. By working with this Mars retrograde process, we’ll be more able to refine the wielding and surrendering of our power and how we respond to perceived enemies.
Can you please cite the scientific studies you used as sources?