Mars is finally stationing direct – hallelujah! – on February 24th, at 17° Cancer.
But until then, let’s take some time to review what this transit has meant for us – let’s do a Mars RETROgrade RETROspective.
Retrograde and retrospective both share the root retro – which comes from the Latin retro, meaning “backward.”
So when a planet moves backward (is retrograde) in the sky, it revisits the same area of our chart that it initially passed through while direct. In a way, we could say it replays or reenacts the past.
This process invites a retrospective – a chance to revisit or re-live past events and reflect on what they have taught us.
We all know that retrogrades are times to review and reassess – and wow, what a review that was!
Mars went retrograde on December 7th, 2025, so we’re now almost 10 weeks in the cycle. Here is the initial write-up about what to expect from this Mars retrograde cycle.
If you have planets or angles between 17° Cancer and 6° Leo, you were even more affected – but we all experienced this transit’s energy in some way, as Mars revisited a specific sector (house) of our chart, bringing its themes into focus.
The highlight of the Mars retrograde cycle in Leo-Cancer was its ongoing opposition to Pluto, which remained active for pretty much the whole duration of the retrograde period.
Mars-Pluto oppositions are catalysts for deep transformation.
They break our resistance to the old – to what can no longer sustain growth. And this doesn’t happen without a struggle. It’s through the very act of fighting that we experience revelations, breakthroughs, and, ultimately, growth.
The Mars Cycle And The Hero’s Journey
The Mars cycle mirrors the hero’s journey. The hero embarks on an adventure, and the first part of this journey (the first half of the cycle) builds momentum, testing courage, strength, and determination.
Then, at the opposition (the turning point in the cycle), the hero faces their ultimate challenge – an encounter with the villain or a force that seems insurmountable.
This is the hardest task and the defining moment of the journey.
To apply the hero’s journey framework to our current Mars cycle – the Mars-Sun opposition was exact on January 15th, 2025.
However, the entire Mars retrograde cycle carried this theme, given its opposition to Pluto.
The villain encounter is a metaphor for the unacknowledged side of ourselves – the side of us that is labeled, for whatever reason, as undesirable and therefore remains buried in our subconscious.
Because it is not integrated into the wholeness of our being, it gets projected onto others. The deeper the projection, the more intense the feelings of frustration or resentment.
Put simply, the more something or someone bothers you, the deeper the wound or disowned trait within you.
We’re basically bothered because we have those self-labeled ‘undesirable’ traits ourselves – and since we can’t accept them, the way our psyche finds a workaround is to externalize them, reacting strongly when we see them in others.
In this way, we get a chance to dip our toes into these shadow aspects and explore them indirectly – without having to face the full weight of acknowledging that it’s us, not them.
This is a protective mechanism of the psyche, allowing our growth and self-awareness to unfold gradually, through interactions with others and the world.
To accept one’s ‘dark’ side is the greatest inner challenge to overcome – just like in the hero’s journey, fighting the villain is the most difficult task. Yet, it’s the battle we must face in our process of individuation to achieve our greatest potential and live a life of fulfillment.
Mars Opposite Pluto – Control Issues
Mars opposite Pluto brings up control issues. We all have control issues, and up to a point, that’s not a bad thing. They allow us to look after ourselves and our loved ones – to dress warmly when it’s cold so we don’t get hypothermia. To supervise our toddlers so they don’t get into trouble.
Astrology itself can be seen as one of the most sophisticated attempts to gain control – we want to learn about transits to “prepare.” We analyze someone’s chart to “know” how that person is.
All good with that – to a point. But there comes a time when these attempts, whether conscious or unconscious, to control our own and others’ lives, do more harm than good.
They keep us in a constant state of worry. They prevent us from growing and seeing the bigger picture. They make it difficult to let go, to surrender, and to simply trust, acknowledge, and align with the flow of life.
Struggles arise when the two ‘realities’ – our reality and the overarching reality – clash, when they are not in alignment.
Our reality is symbolized by the planet Mars. The overarching reality is symbolized by Pluto.
If Mars is our personal will, Pluto, as the higher octave of Mars, is the collective will – the sum of all individual wills that form a shared reality.
We could think of a lion or a hyena as individual Mars wills and the law of nature as Pluto. Lions hunt hyenas, hyenas hunt smaller animals, and so on. Lions themselves are eventually taken down by younger lions, and through this process, equilibrium is maintained.
This natural equilibrium is Pluto. Pluto is the unquestionable reality – the result of countless micro-actions from all living beings. Pluto is reality – whether we like this reality, or not.
Therefore, the goal of the Mars opposite Pluto transit is to align our personal will (Mars) with this larger, collective will (Pluto) by exploring the mechanism of projection (opposition).
When we fail to align these 2 realities, we suffer, because the collective will is always stronger – a mouse attempting to fight a lion is a losing game from the start.
Yet, this doesn’t mean we should do nothing or give up on life either. The hyena might not be able to fight the lion – but it can adapt, outmaneuver, and find strength in its pack.
So, what can we do? We don’t always have to agree with Pluto, the collective will. Yet, we can accept it and find our place within it.
We can look at where our power lies, what is the best role we can play, while remaining true to ourselves in this collective reality. Play to our strengths rather than resist the inevitable. Move with the tide, rather than against it.
This is a very difficult process because we don’t naturally accept the things in life that don’t align with our inner Mars.
That’s why Mars opposite Pluto is one of the most difficult transits out there. It’s the kind of transit that can drive us mad, make our blood boil, and even put us in dangerous situations, simply because it triggers us so much.
However, if we understand the higher purpose of this transit – which, like any transit, is ultimately to help us grow and improve our lives – then we can use it as a catalyst for growth instead of going in circles and repeating the same struggles without resolution.
The last days of the Mars retrograde cycle are an excellent opportunity to do just that.
Now it’s time to look back at the past 10 weeks and reflect on what we’ve learned, what we’ve resisted, and how we can integrate these lessons moving forward.
Mars Retrograde Retrospective Exercises
To reflect on this transit, here are 3 exercises.
Exercise #1: Exploring Projection
First, list 3 people who you strongly dislike. These are not necessarily people whose views don’t align with yours or people you find uninteresting. You want to find people who provoke a visceral reaction – those who truly get your blood boiling. That’s what we look for when we want to explore projection.
Next, list the qualities you find most despicable in them. Then, ask yourself: Why do these qualities trigger me so intensely? What is the core reason behind my reaction?
And then think of how these qualities might, in some way, exist within you.
Can you think of circumstances when you displayed the same or similar qualities or behaviors – perhaps in a less overt way, yet still stemming from the same dynamic? Or perhaps you can even recognize a hidden desire to be the kind of person who’s able to display those qualities or behaviors – even if you hate them.
What is the higher purpose here? What does it reveal about your journey of individuation?
Exercise #2: Reviewing Mars Retrograde
Reflect on the past 10 weeks of Mars retrograde and write down specific struggles, obstacles, events, interactions, or situations you found particularly difficult.
What exactly made them so difficult? Can you trace back moments where you put up an unequal fight? When you resisted too much instead of surrendering to the obvious?
Or perhaps when you held back and did nothing, even though stepping slightly outside your comfort zone could have made a difference?
What is the higher purpose of these obstacles and events, and what could be the next best course of action moving forward?
Exercise #3: The Sailboat Retrospective
The sailboat retrospective is an exercise used in coaching and personal development; we will adapt it to the Mars retrograde journey.
Imagine yourself as a sailboat navigating through the last 10 weeks of Mars retrograde. Your destination represents where you want to be, but along the way, you’ve encountered both helpful forces and obstacles.
There are 5 elements to consider:
⛵ Boat: Represents you on your Mars retrograde journey
🏝️ Goal (Island): Your vision or objective
💨 Wind (Forces Helping You): The strengths, motivations, and factors propelling you forward
🪨 Rocks (Risks & Challenges): The obstacles and dangers that might cause setbacks
⚓ Anchor (Things Holding You Back): Internal or external limitations slowing progress
Now with Mars preparing to turn direct:
- Wow can you harness the wind (your strengths) and navigate around the rocks (your challenges)?
- What one key action will you take now that Mars is moving forward again?
- How can you cut the anchor of what’s holding you back?
When Mars (direct) eventually opposes Pluto again on April 27th, 2025, you will then be equipped to recognize the higher purpose of this transit and use the friction of the opposition to propel yourself one step closer on the path of your growth and purpose.
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