Mars Retrograde In Gemini
On August 20, 2022 Mars entered the sign of Gemini where he will stay for approximately seven months. You may find that things seem to be speeding up in your life, in your actions, in your mind and in the words coming out of your mouth.
Let’s explore how to embrace this fast-paced period and avoid the need to say “oops” too many times.
The Cycle of Mars - Mars takes two years to complete his journey around the zodiac. Generally, he expresses his passion for action by moving quickly from one sign to the next spending 45 days or so in each sign.
But, once every two years he slows down and turns retrograde. Additionally, on occasion, a Mars retrograde period takes place in only one sign, which means that Mars spends an unusually long period of (about seven months) in the same sign (as we have right now).
From August 20, 2022 to March 25, 2023, Mars will be acting out in Gemini, including his once every two year retrograde period at the end of October 2022.
Since Mars is the planet of adventure, let’s embrace the theme “Carpe Diem” and explore the adventure of Mars in Gemini starting with Mars himself.
Mars
At his core, Mars is the planet that embodies the desire to take action on behalf of one’s self-interest. ‘Just Mars’ means that Mars is interested in himself: what he wants and the action he needs to take in order to get it.
All astrological energies have a spectrum of expression from positive to negative.
When negative, Mars has two manners of expressing his energy. Sometimes he is overly aggressive in his actions, which has the potential of creating difficulties, particularly in relationships. In these cases, Mars is so concerned with his needs that he lacks awareness, concern or empathy for the needs of others.
Another negative expression of Mars is the total opposite of the first. Sometimes he totally avoids taking action in order to keep others happy, but at the expense of avoiding his own needs and desires.
The negative expression of Mars
is either too much or too little action
that is all self-directed
When positive, Mars takes confident action and is assertive in achieving his goals. In this case, because he feels good about himself, he can take action while remaining aware of the other people in his life.
The positive expression of Mars
requires self-confidence & a sense of inner security
Let’s keep it moving and explore the sign of Gemini.
Gemini
In considering the sign of Gemini, we begin by noting it is ruled by Mercury. Mercury and Gemini are concerned with the mind and in particular, the practical mind. They are concerned with what you think and what you say so that you can express yourself effectively.
Like Mars, the sign of Gemini and its ruler Mercury also have a spectrum of expression from positive to negative.
When positive, you are curious about life and have the ability to gather ideas and information about a topic and express those ideas in a logical, practical and playful manner.
For example, Mercury rules the shop owner or salesperson who shares information about a product so that the customer can make a good decision and purchase the right product. The positive expression of Gemini includes the ability to listen and understand others. The salesperson who listens and understands what the customer wants is the salesperson who gets the sale.
When you are confident, you enter conversations
with the awareness that the perspectives of others
is central to achieving success.
The negative expression of Gemini is connected to Mercury’s rulership of liars and thieves, where information is used to manipulate the topic and confuse the listener. Mercury is very clever and he sees being clever as a game with little regard for how it impacts the other person.
Another negative expression of Gemini is when your mind is so scattered that you have a difficult time coming to a practical conclusion and are feeling confused yourself.
In our fast pace world, we are bombarded with information and ideas via a variety of communication channels and honing our Gemini functions is essential if we don’t want to get pulled in too many directions that are not deserving of our attention.
Now let’s combine the planet Mars with the sign of Gemini.
Mars In Gemini
At its core, Mars in Gemini can have a powerful impact on your body, mind and speech. The speed of the physically-oriented Mars combined with the active mind of Gemini create a perpetual motion machine: the “busy-body”, the “busy-mind” and the “motor mouth”.
The combination of Mars in Gemini results in a busy energy and again has a spectrum of expression from positive to negative related to our physical nature, our intellect and our relationships.
Physically, the positive expression is to be active and then consciously choose to slow down (versus staying constantly on high alert during this transit). Go for a walk, take a hike or play a round of golf or Frisbee golf. Then remember to set aside time to rest the body and mind. If you are a golfer, after you finish that final 18th hole and mark your score card, spend some time at the 19th hole with your fellow golfers and a glass of lemonade.
At home, consider relaxing with a good book in your favorite chair. If it feels right, lay back and listen to your favorite guided meditation. You have been active, now you can balance that actively with slowing down.
“The peaceful individual remains calm until he wants to work, then he swings into action; and as soon as he is through, he swings back to the centre of calmness. You must always be calm, like the pendulum that is still, but ready to swing into action whenever necessary.”
-Parmahansa Yogananda
The negative expression is when the “busy-body” embraces the to-do list that lasts the entire day and the “busy-mind” can’t stop thinking. In this case, the pendulum never swings back to calm. This gets in the way of getting a good night’s sleep and can become a habitual pattern that is difficult to alter.
Intellectually, the positive expression of Mars in Gemini is stimulating your mind by reading, attending a thought-provoking lecture or engaging in spirited conversation in which your perspective is stimulated to consider new possibilities.
The negative expression is finding yourself matching wits with others and engaging in intellectual duels. If you find yourself on Facebook responding to the same arguments over and over and deciding that now is the time to turn the volume up of your argument, louder is not better and you are not likely to change anyone’s mind, especially during this transit.
In relationships, be aware of how your communication style deepens friendships or creates irritation and animosity is helpful. This does not mean that every conversation is meant to result in complete agreement. But if you find yourself thinking, “Oops! Did I really just say that… again?” as a conversation turns sour, this is the negative expression of Mars in Gemini and some tempering may be supportive.
The positive expression of Mars in Gemini recognizes that it can be appropriate to set boundaries when topics arise that lead to confrontation (Mars is a good boundary enforcer). In some cases, you might decide that the boundary to not engage at all with a particular person is in order.
But, what happens when this all goes backward….
Mars Retrograde In Gemini
Mars’ time in Gemini is long because he will slow down and turn retrograde for about 10 weeks on October 31, 2022. He will turn direct again on January 12, 2023. '
In the process of Mars retracing his path,
he will pass over the degrees
from 8 Gemini to 25 Gemini three times.
If you have planets between 8 and 25 degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, Mars will aspect those planets in ways that are often challenging.
Mars will be conjunct planets in Gemini, squaring planets in Virgo and Pisces, and making an opposition to planets in Sagittarius.
Transits of Mars, especially conjunctions, squares and oppositions, often coincide with experiences of blockage that are irritating or frustrating or circumstances that result in moments of anger.
If you respond to times of blockage with patience and the flexibility to consider alternatives, you are embracing the positive aspect of these challenging Mars transits. Keep up the good work.
However, if you experience situations when irritation, frustration and anger arise, you are experiencing the negative aspect of these Mars transits. Mars turning retrograde provides an opportunity that happens only once every two years and it is an excellent time to practice alternative ways to respond when presented with obstacles.
The three times Mars make an aspect to these degrees provide a path to understanding and using your Mars more effectively.
The first time an aspect is energized, from September 4 to October 31, 2022, the theme that needs attention and development often arises. If you experience uncomfortable events in at work or in relationships, take note of what happened and consider how you might choose to engage differently.
The second time an aspect is energized occurs during the the retrograde motion between November 1, 2022 and January 12, 2023, you will have additional feedback regarding your adjustment.
When the third and final direct pass sometime between January 13 and March 17, 2023 takes place, it is like a report card on how you have embraced Mars in Gemini over the past 7 months. You get to take your final exam and assimilate what you have learned.
When Mars turns retrograde, he is more open both to moments of reflection and to considering new ways of taking action in life.
If you are interested in knowing how your chart is impacted by Mars in Gemini,
sign up for a Life and Transit Review.