Mars Retrograde Transit Meaning & Dates
Lim Kim, “Ult”, 2024
Mars retrograde happens once every two years or so, for about two and a half months at a time. Mars retrograde is a time when things move slowly and feel messy, we take alternate or indirect routes, and sometimes this is a stressful time. Old conflicts may come up and old annoyances may resurface, though it’s often much easier to resolve old conflicts while Mars is retrograde. This is also a good time to change directions, return to past objectives, rest, recalibrate, recharge, return to past joys, and plan future moves. By the end of a Mars retrograde period, we feel clearer on where we’re heading and can move forward in a much clearer and more directed manner.
What does Mars retrograde mean?
When any planet is retrograde, it is actually the closest to the Earth that it can physically be. This tells us that the idea that a retrograde planet is somehow weak, like a cell signal getting weaker as we move farther away from the tower, is wrong and illogical.
If anything, planets feel so strong while retrograde that their influence is overwhelming. Sometimes I describe this as being closer to a fire: the closer we are, the more we can feel the heat. When a planet is retrograde it’s as if we are (or are at least much closer to being) deeply immersed in the energy of that planet rather than being able to observe it only from the outside, for better and for worse. We are going deeper into them, seeing them from a different perspective, swimming in their depths, and even bringing them inside of us like we are breathing them in.
Mars is the planet of action, activity, conflict, vitality, zest for life, anger, aggression, passion, personal power, leadership, discomfort, stress, injury, impulse, sex (sex acts especially), and more. Mars is fast, hot, and sharp. Mars retrograde, sometimes written as Mars Rx, means that all of the things in Mars’ domain are turned inside out or inward, reassessed, deepened, and approached from different angles.
Mars retrogrades feel like the winter: quiet, dark, more still, like the day of the winter solstice (though this stillness can also result in unexpected burns and heatwaves). These are times when energy is lower and the earth is turned inward, shrinking back in the absence of the sun, and we are doing the same. Similar to wintertime, Mars retrograde is a time for rest, recharging and recuperation, not charging forth against the current or trying to force things. During this time, many people begin to recognize how burnt out we are, how much more rest we all need, and what rest actually consists of. If you are able to give yourself more rest and more space to drift in and out of different types of rest during Mars retrograde, do it. Keep in mind, too, that ‘rest’ does not only mean sleeping more and lounging about, though that is an important part of it too. Rest is also play, joy, and fun. Mars retrograde can be a great time to return to old joys — games, sports, kinds of exercise, or even sex acts that you haven’t done in a while.
Because Mars is traveling in a different direction during this time (or appears to be from our position on Earth, anyway), it may be easier to approach Martial things from different perspectives right now. While Mars is retrograde it’s often much easier to resolve old conflicts, right old wrongs, change directions, alter the ways we deal with conflict, take action in ways that are out of the ordinary, approach sex and desire differently, and make notable changes in life and to how we navigate life. When navigated with intention, Mars Rx can be calming and soothing for these Martial topics. Mars retrograde typically feels best when we focus on slowing down, reassessing our path, creating new battle plans, and resolving conflicts.
When is Mars retrograde?
Below is a chart of Mars retrograde from 1960-2037.
October 12th, 2037—December 23rd, 2037: Mars retrograde in Gemini/Taurus
August 15th, 2035—October 15th, 2035: Mars retrograde in Pisces
May 26th, 2033—August 1st, 2033: Mars retrograde in Capricorn/Sagittarius
March 29th, 2031—June 13th, 2031: Mars retrograde in Scorpio
February 14th, 2029—May 5th, 2029: Mars retrograde in Libra/Virgo
January 10th, 2027—April 1st, 2027: Mars retrograde in Virgo/Leo
December 6th, 2024—February 23rd, 2025: Mars retrograde in Leo/Cancer
October 30th, 2022—January 12th, 2023: Mars retrograde in Gemini
September 9th, 2020—November 14th, 2020: Mars retrograde in Aries
June 26, 2018—August 27th, 2018: Mars retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn
April 18th, 2016—June 29th, 2016: Mars retrograde in Sagittarius/Scorpio
March 1st, 2014—May 20th, 2014: Mars retrograde in Libra
January 24th, 2012—April 14th, 2012: Mars retrograde in Virgo
December 20th, 2009—March 10th, 2010: Mars retrograde in Leo
November 15th, 2007—January 30th, 2008: Mars retrograde in Cancer/Gemini
October 1st, 2005—December 10th, 2005: Mars retrograde in Taurus
July 29th, 2003—September 27th, 2003: Mars retrograde in Pisces
May 11th, 2001—July 19th, 2001: Mars retrograde in Sagittarius
March 18th, 1999—June 4th, 1999: Mars retrograde in Scorpio/Libra
February 6th, 1997—April 27th, 1997: Mars retrograde in Libra/Virgo
January 2nd, 1995—March 24th, 1995: Mars retrograde in Virgo/Leo
November 28th, 1992—February 15th, 1993: Mars retrograde in Cancer
October 20th, 1990—January 1st, 1991: Mars retrograde in Gemini/Taurus
August 26th, 1988—October 28th, 1988: Mars retrograde in Aries/Pisces
June 8th, 1986—August 12th, 1986: Mars retrograde in Capricorn
April 5th, 1984—June 19th, 1984: Mars retrograde in Scorpio
February 20th, 1982—May 11th, 1982: Mars retrograde in Libra
January 16th, 1980—April 6th, 1980: Mars retrograde in Virgo/Leo
December 12th, 1977—March 2nd, 1978: Mars retrograde in Leo/Cancer
November 6th, 1975—January 20th, 1976: Mars retrograde in Cancer/Gemini
September 19th, 1973—November 26th, 1973: Mars retrograde in Taurus/Aries
July 11th, 1971—September 9th, 1971: Mars retrograde in Aquarius
April 27th, 1969—July 8th, 1969: Mars retrograde in Sagittarius
March 8th, 1967—May 26th, 1967: Mars retrograde in Scorpio/Libra
January 28th, 1965—April 19th, 1965: Mars retrograde in Virgo
December 26th, 1962—March 16th, 1963: Mars retrograde in Leo
November 20th, 1960—February 6th, 1961: Mars retrograde in Cancer/Gemini