Mars in Gemini: A Bridge to 2023
The Bridge
On Saturday, August 20, Mars will move into Gemini where it will spend the next seven months. Typically Mars only hangs out in a sign for around six weeks, but due to its retrograde from October 30-January 12, its stay in one sign is dramatically lengthened.
This ingress builds a bridge from the astrology of this year into some of the significant astrology of 2023 and beyond.
The transit of Mars in Gemini takes us on an elevator ride where the top floor presents us with a completely new collective territory.
This is due to the fact that both Saturn, which spends roughly 3 years in each sign, and Pluto, which can spend anywhere from 12-31 years in a single sign, will **both** be changing signs in March of 2023, before Mars finishes up its stay in Gemini. So, by the time this is over, we’ll have already started trekking into some big new territory.
For all the Saturn in Aquarius friends out there, Mars in Gemini will see you out of your Saturn return, and for the Saturn in Pisces friends, this transit will usher you into it.
Mars Retrograde in Gemini
Mars retrogrades happen about every 2 years--our last being the 2020 Mars retrograde in Aries.
When any planet is retrograde, it means that from our perspective here on earth, the planet appears to be moving backward. Symbolically, this means that we can expect the planet to behave differently than we’re used to.
Mars keywords: energy, desire, drive, passion, action, inflammation, direction, conflict, motivation, heat, anger.
So, when Mars is retrograde, is distorts some of those Mars significations. For example, it’s common to find that motivation suddenly changes—maybe you find that you no longer have the drive you need to continue showing up to a certain engagement. Additionally, Mars retrograde can bring a lack of direction to whatever part of your chart it’s involved with.
Mars in Gemini is like a dancing flame: hot and always changing shape. Mischievous, squirrelly, hard to pin down. This energy is great for letting curiosity lead, but it’s not exactly great for focus and/or for honing one particular pursuit. Therefore, if you find yourself a little lost on how to proceed due to Mars’ backpedal, it could be helpful to engage a little of that Gemini curiosity to figure out what your next steps are going to be.
It’s natural to feel a little uncomfortable in this energy. It’s hard to not know where we’re going and what’s next, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s only natural to have a rest and refuel in order to keep going, and that is basically the gift that any retrograde period gives us. Not to mention, trying to figure it all out is probably not the best use of energy given this Mars retrograde will be in a sign based square with Neptune the entire time. Clarity isn’t exactly at the top of the priority list here.
Having Mars retrograde in a Mercurial sign, we might find some support in pulling our energy back around information intake and analysis. Perhaps we’ll be asked to reenter old conversations/conflicts and be supported in our efforts to mend.
Timeline of Events & How to Work with Them
Mars into Gemini → August 20
Mars enters shadow period → September 3 @ 8° 8”
Mars stations retrograde → October 30 @ 25° 37”
Mars stations direct → January 12 @ 8° 8”
Mars exits shadow period → March 16 @ 25° 37”
Mars into Cancer → March 25
To work with this timeline, first check to see what house contains Gemini in your chart. Note the topics associated with that house, and notice if anything new comes up in this area after Mars ingresses on the 20th.
Use this model to help you build a narrative arc:
1) At the beginning of the pre-shadow period (September 3), usually the initial crisis/lesson will be foreshadowed at this time.
2) By the time of the retrograde period itself (October 30-January 12), the rats nest will begin to unwind—whatever the thick of this Mars retrograde is going to be about for you should be active at this time. This is the time to pause for a minute to let the dust settle. This is not the time for clarity, but rather, to just ride it out and collect information.
3) Finally, when Mars stations direct (January 12), this is the time to start expecting clarity to reemerge. Answers, solutions, and new directions are likely to appear during this time.
Who’s going to be most affected by this?
People who have Mars as their activated timelord
If Mars is your activated timelord this year, this ingress and subsequent retrograde is probably some of the brunt of what your yearly lesson is going to be all about. It’s pretty unique to have your Mars year line up with a Mars retrograde, so the information has the potential to be potent. The instructions from the previous section for finding the narrative arc of the retrograde period are particularly applicable to you.
Aries and Scorpio risings
As an Aries or Scorpio rising, Mars is the planet that represents you. When your planetary avatar goes AWOL for several months, you’re probably going to feel that. It also means that Mars retrogrades are always going to be deeply personal to you. Aries risings will be bringing some part of themselves into their third house to learn the lessons of this retrograde while Scorpio risings will be bringing some part of themselves to their eighth house for further investigation.
Anyone with personal planets near 8° Gemini or 25° Gemini
When a planet stations either retrograde or direct on a natal planet, it draws extra attention and emphasis to this point in your chart. When a planet stations, it’s grinding to a halt to switch directions and as a result of this, it can end up spending several days camped out on one single degree. Whatever planet Mars makes contact with during either station will become extra important in decoding the lesson of this retrograde period.
Anyone with one of their angles (AC, DC, MC, IC) in Gemini, but especially those with Gemini AC
Having Mars retrograde through an angular house will surely be felt. This is an opportunity to majorly revise something to do with self, relationships, public image, or home and family.
Anyone with Mars in Gemini
This crowd will have the good fortune of having a seven month Mars return. Mars returns take place when Mars enters the sign of your natal Mars. Usually this return takes place over the course of six weeks, but due to the nature of this retrograde, this will be drawn out quite a bit. Mars returns signify a closing and an opening of new energetic chapters in our lives. Note whether or not you have a day chart vs a night chart. For folks with night charts, you may find this time to be particularly busy and productive, and for folks with day charts, this could end up producing some of the more fraying and inflammatory significations of Mars in Gemini.
Final Thoughts
If you’re old enough to recall, it could be worth looking back to January of 2008. That’s the last time we saw Mars retrograding in Gemini. You could either scope it to see if you can forecast any possible subject matter of the upcoming period, or you could look back after we get through this to see if any topics showed up in both instances. Sometimes over the course of a lifetime you’ll notice longer-form stories take place when you begin to piece things together in this way.