Most people have a few retrograde planets in their natal chart. Retrogrades suggest that this planetary energy is internalized. The planets are restricted from full expression. However, their energy is still accessible, but it requires a conscious effort on your part. With time, things get better. Mars themes are usually important in your life.
Mars is the planet of action and energy. This planet depicts how you go after what you want. However, this ability is somewhat weakened if Mars is retrograde in your natal chart. It depends on your Mars sign how much this affects you. If your Mars is strong (such as an Aries or Capricorn Mars), it can cope with it better.
Mars represents aggression and fights in astrology, but the Mars retrograde natal placement suggests that you have the majority of your fights with yourself. People with this placement are very hard on themselves. With a Mars retrograde natal placement, your anger and aggression are turned inward. You often blame yourself for everything that happens. Setting healthy boundaries can be tricky for you as well.
You often feel blocked in life if your natal Mars is in retrograde. You might have to work harder for what you want than others around you. Mars retrograde can be quite frustrating, but if you learn how to work with it, it can turn into your powerhouse and help you achieve your goals.
Keep reading to learn more about the meaning of Mars retrograde in the natal chart!
Mars Retrograde Natal Meaning: How It Shapes You
Mars is a vital planet. It governs your self-defense mechanisms, willpower, drive, ambition, and assertiveness. Without Mars, there would be no fuel, no motivation to pursue your goals and get what you want. Mars helps you protect yourself.
In the natal chart, Mars in retrograde suggests that these instincts are weakened. Mars is held back in its external expression. It should be an expansive, dynamic energy but it’s internalized. Mars is all about going after your desires, but when it’s retrograde, this energy is somewhat blocked. There’s a tendency to get into your own way sometimes, but on the positive side, it comes with self-awareness and self-reflection.
People with this placement are cautious and reserved, but sometimes also hesitant and fearful. They like to think things through first before taking action. If your Mars is weak by sign, you might procrastinate as a coping mechanism or completely give up on some goals.
With this placement, you prefer a carefully planned strategy to hastiness. Sometimes it can take longer for you to achieve your goals, but with effort and self-awareness, you can still be very successful. Your strategy of going after things is to be slow but steady. This placement teaches you to be persistent and keep going even when it gets difficult. Willpower becomes very important with a Mars retrograde natal placement.
You often prefer to work alone than with others. Conflicts stress you out. You dislike direct confrontation. If you have a Mars retrograde natal placement, assertiveness is probably not easy for you, especially at a younger age (with time, it usually gets better). Depending on your Mars sign, you might overcompensate and be very aggressive and territorial, but it’s more common that people with a retrograde Mars don’t know how to stand up for themselves. Sometimes this placement suggests clashes with important male figures in your life, especially when young. Mars in retrograde can also suggest sexual blockages.
Expressing negative emotions in a healthy way is difficult with this placement. In many cases, you were not taught how to protect your boundaries. Being angry was often discouraged and you learned to bottle up your emotions. People with this placement often feel that they have to minimize themselves if they want to be accepted. Being aware of your needs can be difficult. As children, many people with a retrograde Mars were shunned or bullied.
You often struggle with self-confidence. This placement indicates insecurities about your personal power. You might not trust yourself that you are able to get things done and actually do a good job.
If you have a retrograde Mars in your birth chart, your energy levels might be a bit lower. You might be more sensitive than one would expect (both physically and emotionally). This placement asks you to be conscious of how you use your energy and focus. It’s important that Mars retrograde doesn’t stop you from achieving your goals: it’s just about instinctively applying a different strategy. Once you learn to tap into your power, you can accomplish really great things.
The house placement of your Mars and its aspects must also be taken into account when talking about a Mars retrograde natal placement. If Mars rules your ascendant or if you have important personal planets (the Sun and the Moon in particular) in Aries, you might feel the effects of Mars retrograde more intensely.
Read more: Mars in Houses
Retrograde planets are important in karmic astrology as well. Mars retrograde in the natal chart is associated with an incorrect use of aggression in the past.
How Do You Know if You Have Your Natal Mars in Retrograde?
You can find out which planets are retrograde in your natal chart very easily. In the natal chart, there is a letter R next to the planet. The Sun and the Moon are never retrograde.
Retrograde planets appear to be moving backward. This is of course not true in reality, just an illusion. In the picture below you can see why apparent retrograde motion happens:
Mars goes retrograde every two years. This planet’s orbit period is 687 days (which is 1.9 years). During this time, it spends 60 to 80 days in retrograde motion. While outer planets retrograde for months, for Mars, this period is quite short. This makes having Mars retrograde in your birth chart an important piece of information. The next Mars retrograde period is from December 6th, 2024 til February 24th, 2024.
From an astrological point of view, retrograde planets call for rethinking, revising, and redoing. Retrograde periods are about bringing unfinished business to an end, letting go of past hurt and fixing what can or needs to be fixed. These times are for slowing down and planning instead of rushing into new things. Once the retrograde period is over, you are supposed to be refreshed and ready to use the energy at full speed.
Meaning of Mars in Astrology
The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is one of the personal planets in astrology. Named after the god of war in Roman mythology, its energy is extremely masculine/yang and it rules (young) men. It embodies the archetype of the warrior. The Red Planet’s energy is very raw and dynamic.
Mars is associated with motivation, energy, the life force, desires, libido, lust, sex. Mars is hot-headed and action-oriented. Mars rules sports, physical activity, muscles. This planet is linked with accidents as well because of its hasty and fiery nature.
People with a strong Mars in their birth charts are courageous, active and ambitious, they often have good leadership skills. A healthy Mars suggests an assertive, an unhealthy Mars an aggressive person. A well-aspected Mars is associated with good vitality as well.
In the birth chart, your Mars sign tells how you pursue your desires, how you handle conflicts and it has to do with how you express your sexuality as well.
In the Zodiac, Mars rules Aries. It’s the co-ruler of Scorpio and it still rules it in traditional astrology.
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