Mars Stations Retrograde on
Astrologer OPA ’ s Quarterly Magazine V25-01 MARCH EQUINOX 2016 page 6
Mars RX
Mars Stations Retrograde on
Antares
by Baris Ilhan
Mars will be in retrograde motion from April 17 through June 29 2016 . This journey will start just before Mars conjoins the royal star Antares at 9 o Sagittarius . Hence this retrograde period will be colored ( flavored ) by Antares . According to Ebertin , Antares is an important star for military personnel . It conveys mental alertness ,
strategic ability and courage and makes dare-devils ... If associated with Mars , courage is said to become foolhardiness , leading to increased dangers . 1 Diana Rosenberg sees Antares prominent in events marking the great issues of humankind , especially intolerance , racism and human rights . 2
Mars will turn direct on June 29 , reaching the starting degree on August 22 , and two days later , conjoining Saturn at Antares . Robson says “ Antares with Mars is connected with quarrels with friends ... and fairly favorable for gain ”. With Saturn , it connects with “ many disappointments , loss through quarrels and legal affairs , trouble through enemies , many failures ,... unfavorable for domestic matters .” 3 From those explanations we can easily tell that the last week of August is very critical in terms of multinational war , racism and human rights , and we have 3.5 months to work on these issues and find some solutions , before it gets really destructive . Plus we shouldn ’ t forget that Mars-Saturn conjunction will make a square to Neptune ( oil ) at the same time . Let ’ s use this Neptune energy as compassion and unity instead of war for oil .
1 Fixed Stars and Their Interpretation , Ebertin-Hoffmann , p . 70 2 Fixed Stars Interview with Diana K . Rosenberg By Edith Hathaway 3 The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology , Vivian E . Robson , p . 138 Contact : barisilhan @ superonline . com R
Mars Retrograde in Real Life
by Julian Wise and Arlan Wise
T o be born under retrograde Mars is to think you misheard the starting gun at the beginning of life ’ s grand race and are hence perpetually behind the pack and out of sync . Where others seemingly charge forward , devoid of fear or hesitation , you stumble and tiptoe , uncertain of the path to success and suspicious that error and misfortune bedevil your every step . From an astrological perspective this makes sense ; the outward Mars energy is turned upon itself , leading to a sense of constant struggle and the eventual belief that everything wished for is either never going to happen or will arrive late , diminished , or riddled with flaws and disappointments . In time one can see that , rather than being a natal hex , retrograde Mars carries within it a valuable curriculum . It teaches the importance of patience , humility , and the ability to break long-term goals into small , manageable pieces that must be undertaken with diligence and attention to detail . Impatience , grandiosity , and inattention will never yield worthwhile results under this configuration ’ s stern , patient watch . However , when you accept the value of a diligent , one-step-at-a-time outlook , unconcerned with hypothetical big-picture tribulations , the rewards do come , causing one to understand that they could have been realized at any time but were rendered inaccessible due to dysfunctional cognitive patterns . It ’ s a slow-ripening lesson , but when it arrives it creates a paradigm shift with tremendous potential for personal and professional growth .
— JULIAN
Julian ’ s retrograde Mars is in Aquarius , in the eighth house , and conjunct the North Node . Mars rules the Midheaven indicating that the career rise will be a slow one . Mars is in square to a Moon in the fourth house-Jupiter in the fifth house conjunction in Scorpio . Instead of this aspect working out as anger towards mother , it functions with mother being the receptacle for hearing about the frustrations and delays . Mother becomes the grumble catcher .
After seventeen years of diligent yet creative work teaching in an elementary school , his Mars went direct by progression . This stationary Mars was sextile both Chiron who is in the tenth house and Uranus who is in the fourth house . At this change point in his life , he quit the job in the school and started his own business . He now owns a successful art gallery ( go to Island Images on Facebook ) with the underlying business model that art should be affordable to all . How very Aquarian .
Steven Forrest in Yesterday ’ s Sky , a book on the Nodes and their relation to reincarnation , states that a planet that conjuncts the North Node “ becomes part and parcel of the North Node . Attaining the highest reaches of its potential is the evolutionary goal .” When that planet is Mars , “ the person must experience his own power and courage ”. When that Mars is retrograde , the task is harder but the reward is greater .
— ARLAN , mother of Julian
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The Career
Astrologer OPA ’ s Quarterly Magazine V25-01 MARCH EQUINOX 2016 page 6