Mars goes retrograde in Aries
September starts with a a beautiful, dreamy, electrifying Full Moon in Pisces on the 2nd - a real treat and a magical moment of inspiration and insight. However, Mars - strong in his own sign, Aries - has been causing unrest and general bad feeling since August. This month the tide turns. Mars goes retrograde on September 9th and all sorts of anger bubbles to the surface. At the same time, Jupiter (September 13th) and Saturn (September 29th) go direct, giving the reins back to the powers that be.
A maturing vision begins to take shape this month, at the same time calling for more definite steps to stem the tide of entropy and malcontent.
Mars Retrograde: Clean up your Act!
Mars goes retrograde 9 September - 13 November 2020. Retrograde Mars tends to bring a prolonged time of discord, bad feeling and general acting out.
Mars retrograde can also be an exhausting time, a time when you need to be a hero and tap into your innermost resources to accomplish a difficult task.
On a deeper level it’s natural forces pushing for change where entropy has reached its limits. You have no choice but to address a situation now.
Rioting, civil unrest and unruly behaviour are potential themes (c.f. angry reactions to lockdowns etc, the situation in the eastern Mediterranean). Mars retrograde can create bad feeling and anger that simply won’t be appeased. And that’s because it goes way way back. As Mars shines its baleful rays down on us (the planet is very bright and visible during his bi-annual retrograde phase) it brings old resentments, problems and disputes to the surface.
The worst we can do now is scatter our energy picking fights, reacting, snapping, bad-mouthing, complaining etc.
There’s almost an irrational self-destructive streak that comes with Mars retrograde - perhaps because it’s the simplest way to blindly end a bad situation and generate change.
But, knowing the nature of the times, it's perhaps better to take a more conscious approach. It’s time to go into where all the 'uglies' are, the cabinet of horrors, and do something about it. Time to work out old resentments, time to address what’s been limping along or festering for ages and turn things around. It’s not pleasant work. It’s not easy work. But someone’s gotta do it. We all do in fact.
Another experience of Mars retrograde is a sudden lethargy and lack of motivation. You simply can’t drum up any energy, even for things that you were super-excited about a minute ago!
If this happens, it’s because you need to address old demons stirring in the deep. Instead of spending the next few months bored or ornery, look at what’s trying to catch your eye. Clean up your act!
The Virgo New Moon and the Autumn Equinox
Shortly after Mars goes retrograde, Jupiter goes direct on the 13th and so the energy rises, peaks then crests from the 9th to the 13th.
Jupiter’s station around mid-September unleashes a ton of energy, a surge of hope and optimism. You’re not armed with a deeper, maturing vision that you are now ready to pursue.
Jupiter has been retrograde since mid-May, forcing hope and faith underground to find more appropriate channels. As a more mature outlook emerges this month, you can slowly renew your commitment to your biggest goals. Neptune also culminates on the 11th, opposing the Sun and bringing a powerful emotional high. The Neptune opposition is sure to illuminate deeper soul yearnings, illuminate any disappointments and help you see just how far along you are with your dreams.
This leads right into the Virgo New Moon on the 17th, a moment to think big and break your grand maturing vision into small manageable steps.
The Sun and Moon exactly trine Saturn and square the Lunar Nodes, and what you begin has staying power. The choices you now make are truly decisive. And any corrective steps are sure to make an impact.
The Autumn Equinox arrives on September 22nd amid tough negotiations thanks to Mercury. Within a week, on the 29th, Saturn goes direct square to renegade Mars. This brings us into the difficult themes of Autumn - the clash between rebellion and authority, desire and obligation, will and procedure, aggression and law. One way or another, the buck stops here.
There’s some bad feeling potentially by month’s end, spilling into October and November. But on a deeper level, this is an opportunity to address what doesn’t work and take definitive steps to correct it.
In essence we are witnessing the toppling of the old order - and sure, it’s not nice to be in the building as the wrecking ball hits. The thing is to find the courage, vision and staying power to build something good in its place.
As for the virus, known indicators seem to suggest that the final big news should come this November with the universal horror that’s gripped our media and imaginations beginning to wane from early 2021.