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The two rulers of Scorpio, Mars the traditional ruler and Pluto the modern one, both station retrograde on the same day this year. Whilst Pluto has a yearly retrograde season, Mars only goes retrograde once every two years so it’s quite an event on its own but this time it also coincides with the beginning of the Pluto retrograde too.Mars will stop in his tracks at 8°54’ Sagittarius backtracking to enter Scorpio (his own sign) on the 28th of May, continuing his journey in reverse mode until he stations direct at 23°03’ Scorpio on the 29th June.
Mars is energy at its purest state, he’s passion, sexuality, drive, will, competitiveness and also anger and rage. Mars is the god of blood and war. Mars in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius adds optimism and great faith to the aforementioned qualities. Armed with self-righteousness he could become the Crusader in a battle, fighting for his beliefs or against other people’s beliefs being as he is here “full of moral outrage”.
Mars by transit may be considered as a trouble-maker by many, he certainly instigates us to take up new adventures that keep us from falling into inertia. When not expressed fully, he can also cause infections to our body and disputes in general.
When retrograde, matters related to the house of transit seem to slow down, new plans may backfire so it’s better not to initiate anything that would involve a lot of energy expenditure. We seem to lack the driving force to sufficiently get things going. This is due to the fact that the energy of Mars becomes temporarily diverted towards less worldly affairs. We are being asked to reflect upon previous actions which will give us the opportunity to re-channel our efforts in such a way as to find new ways of using our drive and energy. Upsets and tensions during these retrograde periods tell us that our energy is not properly aligned and that we need to direct our physical attention to what has been previously neglected or not brought to completion. Failing to attend to these matters could mean self-depletion and unproductiveness. Tempers could consequently often fly during this period as well as some of us feeling a sense of weariness and frustration.
However this retrograde period is excellent for the planning of projects or the finishing of tasks previously taken on, not yet completed and pertinent to the house it is transiting through (and the houses it rules in your natal theme). It may also be a good idea just to take a rest during this period thus saving your energy for the time when Mars finally turns direct.
Pluto has been in the sign of Capricorn since 2008 and this is his eighth retrograde period since then. He will station retrograde at 17°20’ on the 17th April and station direct at 14°55’ on 26th September this year.
Pluto is concerned with power, regeneration, survival, transformation, sex, obsession and possessiveness. Pluto is the god of the Underworld. Pluto in Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) is concerned with the deep-reaching transformation of social order, laws and hierarchies. He often works subtly (in our psyche) but always relentlessly and he can be an over-achiever, by using his power and persuasion for his own means, in this Saturn-ruled sign.
During a Pluto retrograde period, matters that were previously too painful to face may bubble up from our unconsciousness and we may meet these in the physical realm so that we are forced to deal with them. Pluto only forces us to confront and transform that which is in dire need of change. This period may also provide us with the opportunity to find some of latent sources of power inside ourselves and to harness them in an appropriate way. Pluto shows us the reality of our limitations and even more so since it moved into Capricorn. The retrograde period is really a huge invitation to become more fully aware of the resources that we hide in our inner depths. Failure to do this could lead to external events that puzzle and/or distress us as we take on the role of victim.
When these two deities turn inwards together they could really start to seethe with the result of all hell literally breaking loose on a mundane level. Religious beliefs have been at the forefront of world interest for several years now and the migrant crisis in Europe is reaching peak levels with governments being unable to agree about any type of long-term solution. Walls are being built to protect states by keeping people who hold other beliefs out. Doesn’t all this seem inherent to the energies of Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius and Pluto in Capricorn? What is brewing under the surface and reaching breaking point?
On a personal level, as well as the houses where these retrograde transits are occurring in your chart you should also look to the houses which are ruled by Mars and Pluto (Aries and Scorpio) and the relative planets or angles. The house, in your natal chart, with Scorpio on the cusp and any planets or angles there within also merit special attention. Scorpio is really being asked to dig deep inside itself over the next months since this could be a huge opportunity for growth if you’re willing to work on yourself.
When Mercury also turns retrograde on the 28th of April there will be 5 planets out of 10 in retrograde motion. Two of which of these are also the rulers of the signs that Mars and Pluto are presently transiting (Jupiter and Saturn).
Maybe this is just the Universe giving us all a fantastic opportunity to re-think (Mercury), re-structure (Saturn), re-plan (Mars), renovate (Pluto) and re-believe in ourselves (Jupiter) about where we are actually going and what we need to do to change paths to get where we would really like to be.
Over the next couple of months there will also be a transiting Grand Earth Trine involving Mercury (Taurus), Pluto (Capricorn) and Jupiter (Virgo). This could provide us with enough determination and method to reach our goals through the use of common sense and creative resourcefulness.
The Sabian symbol for 9° Sagittarius: “A mother leads her small child step by step up a steep stairway” A need in any social situation to assist the less evolved in their management of the problems which society requires its members to solve.
The Sabian symbol for 18° Capricorn: “The Union Jack flies from a British warship” The protection afforded to individuals and groups by powerful institutions in charge of maintaining order.
“You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you” E. Hoffer
What is happening in your life now? And how are you planning to navigate this retrograde period?
Bibliography
Rudhyar D. (1974) “An Astrological Mandala: the cycles of transformations and its 360 symbolic phases”. pp 215 and 240, Vintage Books Edition, Random House Inc., New York, USA
Tierney B. (1983) “Dynamics of Aspect Analysis”, Chapter 10, Retrograde Planets, pp 216-217, 249-252, CRCA Publications, Sebastopol, CA, USA
Image by Twilit Guardian
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