Intuitive Astrology: Mars Retrograde 2024-2025

Mars Retrograde begins on December 6, 2024, in the sign of Leo and ends on February 24, 2025, in the sign of Cancer.

Mars is the warrior planet, and as it travels through the underworld, bridging us between one calendar year and the next, we will be challenged to show up in a new armor.

Perhaps we have always moved through the world protecting our hearts in one way, well now, Mars Retrograde is here to tear down the barriers and help us to create a healthier, more open, and expressive form of being.

We will be challenged to shed our egos, release family trauma patterns, and identities that have been given to us since birth. We will be challenged to stand up for ourselves and to step into a truer, more authentic version of who we are.

Mars retrogrades the least out of all the planets in our solar system, so it makes sure that its impact is a lasting one!

This is a powerful time of transformation when it comes to our energy levels and what we are choosing to expend our time and effort on. This is a time to take inventory of how we are choosing to live our lives, and who we are choosing to show up as. We have a rare opportunity here to step into our more authentic selves and to open our hearts to something more aligned with our soul.

Mars Retrograde Cycle and Shadow Phase

Mars stations retrograde on December 6th, but seeds for this rare cosmic journey have been planted since October 5th, when Mars entered its shadow phase at 17 degrees of Cancer.

The shadow phase governs the length of time a planet takes to move through the degrees of retrograde. For example, in the case of Mars – it will station retrograde on December 6th at 6 degrees of Leo and will travel backward to 17 degrees of Cancer, ending its retrograde on February 24th. However, Mars first traveled across 17 degrees of Cancer back in early October and won’t return to 6 degrees of Leo, where it first started its retrograde journey, until May 2nd.

Essentially, while the retrograde only lasts from December 6, 2024 to February 24, 2025, we are working with this energy for much longer. This cycle from October 2024 to May 2025 is really what we want to look at in order to understand the whole picture.

Mars Retrograde in Leo

Mars begins its retrograde journey in the fire sign of Leo. Being a fiery planet itself, Mars feels at home in the sign of Leo. It is here that Mars can shine its bold, bright influence, allowing us to find the energy and stamina for the things that mean the most to us.

Mars Retrograde in Leo will shine a spotlight on our friendships and the people we are choosing to surround ourselves with. We may start to realize that certain people are not what they first seemed, or we may start to realize that we don’t wish to associate with certain groups anymore.

Our attitudes towards our creativity and how we choose to present ourselves may also be up for review. It is likely that on this journey, we will find a way to be more authentically ourselves and to celebrate the truth of who we really are.

Fakeness, ego, and masks will drop away, allowing us to see who we are and who surrounds us. This can be incredibly enlightening and help us to find a new confidence in our lives.

At the core, Mars in Leo wants us to be true to ourselves and to celebrate all of who we are. It wants the people we surround ourselves to be a reflection of that, and for our sense of self to flourish.

This can be a challenging and humbling time as we are forced to come to terms with some harsh truths or perhaps shed some egoic beliefs we have been holding about ourselves and others. But it is also an empowering time, where we can step into greater alignment with our soul and more of who we are destined to be.

Mars will Retrograde through Leo until January 6, 2025, before returning to Cancer.

Mars Retrograde in Cancer

Mars will remain in Cancer for the rest of its retrograde journey, and while we will feel the Mars in Leo themes also, Mars will spend the majority of its time in Cancer, making this our focus.

Mars in Cancer brings our attention to our home and family life. Cancer is also connected to how we care for others and ourselves. It is a mothering energy that can also trigger our relationship with our mother or other prominent females in our lives.

Issues around motherhood or our mother may present, or we may find ourselves struggling in some way when it comes to developments in our home and family life. Mars rules over our energy levels, so we may feel that some family situation is draining our energy or causing us to feel pulled in many directions.

It is likely that whatever Mars in Cancer manifestations we end up dealing with began back in early October when Mars first toured these degrees of the zodiac.

Mars Retrograde in Cancer may create tensions at home or can create a push-pull between our work life and our home life. We may feel stretched thin or that too much is being placed on our shoulders.

Just like the Mars in Leo lessons, Mars in Cancer is here to help us take inventory of what is truly important to us. Of course, for many of us, family is the most important thing, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to create some boundaries.

Mars retrograde through Cancer will be helping us to come to terms with how we are choosing to spend our time and what we are choosing to give our time to. It will help us to navigate family priorities while also maintaining connection with self.

Mars Retrograde in Cancer may also bring up deep heart wounds and where we long to be cared for. We may find ourselves focusing on what we need to feel safe and secure as we move through the world.

Mars remains in Cancer until April 18, so we are likely to be working with these themes until then. It is perhaps only at this point that we will be able to look back from our journey in October 2024, and truly understand how Mars Retrograde has guided us to unlock our hearts, heal our mother wounds, and create a healthier relationship with our family.