When: December 6th, 2024 – February 23rd, 2025
What: Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer
Takeaway: When Mars is retrograde in Leo and Cancer, fussiness is on the rise, and we can experience slowdowns in our creative pursuits and ambitious endeavors. Avoid lashing out when you feel competitive or undercutting others with moody one-liners when you’re annoyed. Instead, interrogate your triggers, and use this info to help you cultivate a clearer relationship with your anger, desire, self-advocacy, and personal power.
The go-getter planet hits rewind
On December 6th, Mars stations retrograde in Leo, prompting us to review, rework, and reassess our relationship with aggression and drive. The go-getter planet is tied to our vitality, our creative instincts, our ability to fight the good fight when necessary, and our willingness to take decisive action. When Mars is out of whack, however, we may lash out, assert ourselves too much or too little, or sever bonds prematurely rather than work toward a compromise. And with Mars looping back in this passionate fire sign, we’re also tasked with learning how to unleash our radiant gifts and share our special talents sustainably and respectfully.
Rework your radiance
Leo is known as the zodiac’s superstar, always seeking a spotlight and a stage. But red carpets and photo ops aren’t all that matter to the celestial lion. This fixed fire sign is associated with the physical heart, which is a clue to its deeper significance. Leo has an instinct for lavishly offering its bountiful treasures — whether they include artistic inspiration, material resources, or uplifting words — to other people and to the altar of life itself. When we have a healthy connection to the Leo archetype, we can celebrate our own generosity and permit others to revel in the abundance in their lives, without shame or apology.
When Mars appears to travel in reverse, it invites us to re-explore our relationship with frustration and force. And when this confrontational planet turns around in this theatrical sign, it nudges us to investigate the areas of our lives where we’re either too overbearing or too timid in our self-expression. Where do we grab the literal or figurative mic too hastily, and where are we secretly yearning to command attention with greater courage and fanfare? Throughout this retrograde period, take note of any situations or circumstances that leave you feeling disregarded by your peers or envious of their success. Prickles of annoyance pinpoint where your self-confidence could use some TLC.
If you feel blocked or ignored during this time, surrender to slo-mo mode. It’s aggravating when momentum stalls or positive feedback isn’t streaming in, but there’s plenty of wisdom and self-knowledge to glean in these dry spells. Revisit your projects and make sure they still feel resonant. If you don’t have enough energy to do them justice, rest. And if the fire in your belly is bringing you to a boil, seek constructive — and fun — outlets to release the steam.
Find clarity in your frustration
Pressure builds to a breaking point around January 2nd, 2025, when Mars squares off with Pluto, the planet of power and underworld journeys. This is a potent moment for clarifying what’s blocking you from sharing your uniqueness and letting yourself be witnessed. However, this awareness may arrive through arguments, ego clashes, or sudden obstacles arising on your path to glory. If your best-laid plans seem overshadowed by others’ showboating or thwarted altogether by the cosmos, temporarily lay down your sword. Humility isn’t about denying the validity of your dreams; it’s about getting calm and still enough to open yourself to guidance outside your current scope of understanding. Journal about the roots of your frustration and the core of your desires in the situation at hand. Are you trying to win battles and slay dragons just for your own benefit, or are you fighting for the greater good? Recommitting to your deepest aims will help you exit any tense scenarios without sacrificing your dignity or losing your sense of direction.
Don’t scuttle away from conflict
On January 6th, retrograde Mars scoots back into Cancer. There’s a reason this cardinal water sign’s mascot is a tough-shelled, soft-bellied crustacean: Cancer is innately concerned with emotional protection. So grab your tissues — and your list of simmering resentments.
This phase of Mars’ retrograde encourages us to dig deeper into our relationship with anger and drive — and to reflect on any patterns we developed in childhood or learned from early caregivers. How were you taught to express annoyance when you were growing up? Did you have space to vent freely, or were you pressured to bottle up your outrage? Were you permitted to assert your preferences, or are you still struggling to advocate for yourself? Check up on your own metaphorical crab shell and consider whether it needs any patching. When you experience heightened irritability, inquire within. If your feistiness signals that a boundary has been breached, seek the tools required to repair it.
Just as real-life crabs tend to scuttle sideways, we might also be more inclined to dodge conflict during Cancerian transits. But when we’re not proactive about airing our frustrations, they’re more likely to leak out in unproductive ways. Think: bouts of passive-aggression or pouting as punishment. If you catch yourself internally seething or suddenly throwing a mini-tantrum, ask yourself whether you’ve actually taken the time to communicate your feelings openly and directly before acting out. It can be challenging to articulate difficult emotions in a way that honors both yourself and others. Give yourself grace if you don’t yet possess this skill — then commit to learning and practicing it.
Meanwhile, if housekeeping, hearth-tending, or caretaking matters are particularly burdensome or arduous during this period, take it easy. Eventually, your momentum will resurge. For now, leave the messy junk drawers as they are and pass the tea, please.
8 ways to work with this Mars retrograde
Here are some tips for making the most of this transit and navigating the trickier moments of this Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer:
Learn as much as you can about conflict resolution, accountability, and repair.
Pause. Take deep breaths when frustration or competitiveness is on the rise. Celebrate the value of your own contributions, even if they sometimes go unacknowledged. Assess what’s more enlivening at the moment: claiming more attention for your offerings or giving others room to shine. Strike a balance between acting as the main character and being a passive audience member.
Meditate on your own or with the guided meditations in the CHANI app. Reflect on all the ways you can work with anger instead of feeling at the mercy of its whims.
Choose your battles wisely. Mars retrograde is a time to burrow inward, so a private journaling sesh will feel much more cathartic than picking fights with others.
Make art out of your irritation. Collage your jealousy. Write odes to your resentment. Dress up as your rage. You can alchemize annoyance by engaging with it artistically.
Check your boundaries. Do you have them? Do you need them? Have you articulated them to others? When your outer defenses are faulty or unclear, you’re more likely to get overwhelmed and lash out.
Self-advocate. No one else will know what you need or what you’re feeling if you don’t openly communicate your experience. Practice expressing your preferences in ways that are clear and firm but also compassionate and considerate.
Discover how this retrograde will impact you by checking out your reading for October – December 2024 in the “This Year” section of the CHANI app home page.
Looking for more intel? Read your daily horoscope:
Aries | Taurus | Gemini | Cancer | Leo | Virgo | Libra
Scorpio | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces
Then download the CHANI app on iOS or Android for additional horoscopes, meditations, affirmations, readings for the current Moon phase and sign, and more.
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