Copyright 2005 Eileen Nauman
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Email: docbones@gotsky.com
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WHAT DOES MARS RULE?

In order to ascertain what can happen when Mars goes retrograde, you must first understand what it rules:

1. The release of energy. Anabolic. The engine that 'drives' the car (and us). It is the 'gas.'
2. Our metabolism which burns off calories
3. Our thrust into Life and the world, our eagerness, our energy/vitality/passion to go out there and get things done
4. Being a leader and not afraid to make decisions
5. Making things "happen" and being pro-active
6. Creating a new chapter in our life (a job change, a move, a birth, a death, a gift, the end of something, the beginning of something by our decision making process).
7. Impulsiveness
8. Our courage
9. Driving force (toward a goal/idea/ideal/vision)
10. Our self-will (our ability to will ourselves in the direction we see ourselves going
11. Being adventurous
12. Being assertive (take charge, take the bull by the horns, getting personally involved in some thing)
13. Our desire
14. Out going energy (this is RIGHT sided energy--it is energy, like an arrow shot from a bow, that we send out into our world to make things change or "happen.")
15. Being rash
16. Aggression
17. Warlike nature/violent/combative/raging
18. Being angry, the ability to express our anger (either positively or negatively)
19. Inflammation/high, sudden fever/rashes/sudden infection/killer epidemic
20. Highly sexual; strong libido
21. Passionate (in an emotional sense) about your goals/ideas/dream and willing to throw yourself into it completely
22. Struggles within yourself; struggles/fighting with others/war of words or war of actions/resistance--standing one's ground and fighting for it
23. Executive ability--you can make decisions; no wavering; it's cut and dried
24. Our animal instinctual processes; being in touch with them, our sense of survival and making good decisions that keep us alive or safe
25. Injury around fire arms, fires, and machinery
26. Being forceful; pushing, bending, folding and creating your reality through your own desire/will/energy being focused
27. Our masculine energy (our RIGHT side of ourselves, regardless of our gender). Being in touch and integrating our masculine energy and using it when we need too (again, regardless of gender).

WHAT DOES MARS GOING RETROGRADE DO TO ALL OF THIS?

Basically, it pulls the plug on ALL of it. The first thing people experience, especially if the transit of Mars is either conjunct, square, inconjunct or opposite one of their natal planets in their astrology chart, is a LOSS OF ENERGY. It's very real. You can see this as Mars being the helium-filled balloon and the retrograde as a pin puncturing the balloon. All the "air" or 'fire" or "gas" (drive) goes out of the balloon and it deflates and falls listlessly to the earth. That is how you will feel. Let's look at what can happen to our Mars list:

1. Physical energy is not as available as before. Or, your energy is depleted quickly. You cannot do as much as you did before. You need to rest or nap more often in between jobs/tasks. Do so. No harm in this approach. Pacing is everything and the wise person DOES pace themselves through this 'coasting' period.

2. Energy needed to continue working toward your goal/dream/vision are put on "hold" or like an airplane in a circling pattern above an airport and can't land--at least not yet (until it goes direct 12.9.2005). Nothing works out for you. All the "steam" and stream of energy toward making things happen, dissolves mysteriously and quickly. Don't worry--behind the scenes the Cosmos is reordering your life for you. Have faith. It will all work out.

3. No matter how hard you try to PUSH, nothing will happen. It seems like everything is in stasis or is very sluggish or does not respond quickly or as usual to your energy or input that you place into the project. This is a great time to tie up a lot of loose ends; particularly filing, researching, detective type of work, education and learning--you finally have the time to focus without a lot of Life being hurled at you so that even multi-taskers feel inundated. Mars retrograde gives you the TIME you need to breathe, relax and get back into your center of balance.

4. This is the WORST time to start a new business, to start anything new, a new idea, trying to write a book, trying to pitch a new idea, because it simply will fritter away and deflate like a balloon with a leak in it. It just will go nowhere. Whatever was promised you in how much this business would make--it won't happen either. You may have problems hiring good employees or you have lackadaisical employees who waste their time and your money. NOT a good combo, is it? So, wait until January, 2006 if you really are serious about starting a new business, a new book idea, a new anything. It will be successful in 2006--but not at the end of 2005.

5. Where life seemed to be moving in rapid forward motion and things were happening and clicking right along--they won't now. They will slow down. As if in slow motion. But that's not to say it's bad--when things slow down, you get to sip more deeply from the well instead of just taking a quick gulp of water and speeding off. Take the time Mars is giving you and go DEEPER into whatever it is that holds your attention or responsibility. There is a reason for it and behind it, even if you or I don't know what it is at the time.

6. You will not have the "push", "shove" or "passion" you had before Mars went retrograde. The volume is turned down--way down. Your get-up-and-go, got-up-and-went....

7. Your usual spontaneity is going to go on the back burner and simmer. That's okay. You don't need to be the strong one all the time or the life of the party. Mars retrograde is giving you a chance to relax and just 'be' which is a terrific place to be. Mars gives us a 'time out' every twenty-two months. Consider it a 2.5 month long vacation from the general craziness of your life and its pace. I don't know about you, but I sure look forward to Mars going retrograde because it allows me to meditate more, go on walks, enjoy Nature and catch up on a lot of correspondence and other projects I simply didn't have time to complete.

8. Your "drive" is going to be cut back. Your "get-up-and-go" LEFT! So, switch to your INNER drive. We all have one, you know. How to reach it? Engage it? Easy. Meditate daily. Watch what happens. This is a terrific opportunity to go on your inner journey within yourself with amazing, healing and wonderful results--all thanks to Mars going retrograde!

9. You'll need more rest than usual. Chances are, you burned both ends of the candle, so this will give you the 'downtime' to catch up.

10. You'll need more sleep than usual. Those who usually have insomnia will sleep like babies during a Mars retrograde period. Another way to 'catch up.'

11. You will feel like the Hanged Man of the Tarot deck--hung by your feet, suspended in midair, dangling there and no way to get down or get out of it. Don't fight it....join it! Just understand the Cosmos is rearranging your energy so that your life is more parallel to where you are at this moment than before. Consider this "inventory" time at a store. It takes a lot of time and people to do inventory and that's what is happen behind the scenes for you right now. If you realize this and stop chaffing about seemingly feeling like in a vacuum (you aren't), you can HELP the Cosmos do the reordering even quicker, faster and with more depth. By getting out of the way and accepting on blind FAITH as well as meditating daily, you will reap huge benefits from this in the long term.

12. Your life will go into a kind of cocoon-like stasis. This is a waiting and developing period--not a pushing, shoving, let's-build-a-nation kind of time. Things like the war in Iraq will stall and seem to fall apart. The Economy is going to go into stasis. The leadership around the world will, too, but I'm more focused on the USA's Bush Administration. They too, are going to be hung out and seemingly go nowhere, too. Leadership by Bush will be "gone in sixty seconds", to borrow a movie title. And Americans don't like a rudderless ship leading the country.

13. You'll feel less inclined to fight, be combative or stand up to aggression. You may get a more live-and-let-live attitude during this time frame. This isn't so bad, after all. Diplomacy instead of getting into wars with lies. A better choice, I think. Remember, communication will win the day, not the Wild West attitude of the gun slinger shooting the bad guy.

14. Sexual drive may wane; don't worry--it will be back when Mars goes direct. Consider it a reproductive vacation. And don't sweat the small stuff. Love is by far, much more than sex. So this is an opportunity to enjoy your loved one on so many rich, textured levels, too. Get creative! Think outside the box. Do something that makes both you happy. For example, a box of Godiva chocolate as a gift that gives great pleasure. Flowers for your loved one. Keep thinking... you'll get all kinds of ways to create happiness.

15. Your energy will be held and contained; not outgoing as before. I call this 'paper bag time.' You feel like you're in a huge, invisible paper bag and nothing is going on schedule or right for you now. This is a perfect time to take up meditation, yoga or some benign, gentle and inward spiritual quest or learning.

16. Projects come to a crawl. Things that were supposed to get done, don't. This isn't a good time to take on a new project, either. It will fail--miserably. Wait and be patient until Mars turns direct. This is a great time to finish off old ideas and complete them. Say you have a book done but it needs editing? Garden needs clean up? Have a room half painted? Want to clean your carpet but didn't have time? You understand now what I mean.

17. Injury around fire arms, fire, and machinery are very likely around the retrograde and direct period. Any mechanical device can potentially break down around the time Mars go retrograde and direct. Be careful around knives, too--many people slice their fingers about this time, too. Dog bites, snake bites, bites by little critters occur now, too. Be cautious and look where you're walking or putting your hand or sitting. Do not buy any new machinery (dish washer, car, computer, etc.) because it will be a LEMON. Wait until January, 2006, to buy new stuff.

18. This is a time to switch of Life outside yourself to a large degree and go inward (like a bear goes into hibernation to connect with its powerful dream life) and work on your inner "stuff."

19. Consider this period a time of outer, external calm so you can do homework on your inner self. It's an excellent time for therapy, for digging out deep, rooted patterns of harmful behavior that you've been carrying around like a good friend. Many aha's about one's self are made at this time.

20. Your instinctual, animal self may not be operating as keenly as before--so think two or three times before you commit yourself to anything. REALLY size it up, be patient and wait it out if it doesn't quite feel right to you.

21. Your masculine energy is going into hibernation. This is a good time to switch over to your feminine energy (the touchy, feely, blind-as-a-bat-yet-you-know-where-you're-going intuition, and use it. It will keep you out of trouble if you listen to it. If you're male; you probably will not, and you will hit a few brick walls as a result before you learn to pay more attention to that little feminine voice inside yourself. This is good news for all men who are overwhelmed with too much testosterone (which Mars rules) and it means its going on vacation...so, hopefully, less abuse, less aggression, less wars while it is in retrograde motion. A little peace, we hope. More sensitivity to others and less narcissism. More creative. More nurturing. Hey, life's good! Get a massage--the perfect thing to do now.

22. The outer world, all the demands on you, will ease up to a degree during this period. That's good news--it gives you time to catch up on a lot of loose ends (like filing...) that have been sitting around and begging for attention for months--so use this "quiet period" to mop up some messes you've been letting go for sometime.....

23. You are going to be more open and vulnerable to STRESS--so get out of the way of it, take care of yourself, get your downtime, nurture yourself and rest...if you don't, then....

24. Your immune system will be lowered during this period. You cannot take the normal stresses and demands life places on you. It's a good time to think about extra Vitamin C (3,000 mg daily) and pantothenic acid (250 mg a day) to feed your adrenal glands directly so they can juggle the stresses that you're not coping with as well as you usually do. Once the Mars retrograde period is over, stop taking the above vitamins. Your adrenals will go back online at that time without help.

25. Above all, this is a time of gestation; sort of like a pregnancy. There is much movement on the deep, inner structure of yourselves at a subconscious level. There is a reason why you are in "bag-time" and you're suspended and nothing seems to be working out like you thought or hoped it would. The internal energies that are now gestating within you need time to form and create the outer physical reality--which will come and introduce itself to you when Mars goes direct.

26. Most of all, during a Mars retrograde, have patience with yourself and others. Patience is the key to this period. If you do that, you'll kick back, lay in the hammock, watch the clouds scud by in the blue sky and be utilizing this energy properly.

SURVIVING MARS RETROGRADE--MORE POSITIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO DURING THIS PERIOD

It's pretty easy, really. You expect that you're not going to have all that energy you had before and you cut back accordingly. You also expect that nothing is going to go right in your life--either professionally or personally. There's going to be deviations, set backs, changes--and if you remain flexible and in touch with your inner feminine intuition, you'll get through this period just fine.

It is those who are rigid, controlling, stubborn or just plain stupid, who refuse to change their gait to the drummer's beat, which is beating a lot more slowly now, that get in real trouble with this retrograde.

A SURVIVAL CHECK LIST TO DO

1. YOGA CLASS? Look at beginning Yoga or some other low stress and healthy exercise. I can't say enough about Yoga because it influences our breathing, stretches us, calms us and cleans out our chakras, which is very important during this time.

2. READ A BOOK. Read a good book, like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, for example. This is a good time to see if you are in your "flow" and following your heart/passion, and this book will help you become aware of it. Or other great philosophical books, such as the Seat of the Soul, Emotional Intelligence or other self-help books that call to you or inspire you. Or, a flight of fiction with Lindsay McKenna (her latest book was Enemy Mine, HQN, May, 2005 or look for December, 2005 book: SILENT WITNESS, HQN) to 'check out' and be entertained for awhile.

3. TIME OUT! Take time out for yourself. Be alone. Be quiet. Go in. Do things that give you joy.

4. MEDITATION is a definite must during this period because Mars is now acting like an "inny" and not the "outy" that he usually is. All your energy, your focus, is being swung from your outer, external, 3rd dimensional world, to your INTERNAL world. It is there that you meet your teachers and guides, the spirits who love you despite yourself. This is a time to go in and listen to your inner voice, your heart and your desires... and to become (finally) aware of them and then to act upon them once Mars goes direct.

5. COUNSELING. Or you could title this: anger management course or "Who's Pushing My Buttons and Why?" This is a great time to seek counseling. Whether you go to a therapist, seek out a minister/priest, or some other professional, you should. Anger, when unexpressed, twists in us and hurts us. Anger inappropriately expressed always hurts others and that's not what you really want. I would also suggest contacting Rosemarie Brown, MSW, who is a "Coach" and has been trained to help put people in touch with their most important elements of themselves and get on with life in a positive fashion. You can reach her at: cyberrose@sedona.net. Coaching is a life-changing technique and I'm sure Rosemarie can help you to help yourself. You can visit her website as well at: http://www.rosemariebrown.com

6. SWIMMING AND WATER. Ah yes! Taurus people don't really love the water, but they do love the earth and gardening. So, take up gardening even if it's buying a potted plan to care and water in your home. For Scorpios, who are a water sign and who dearly love the liquid: what better time to sign up for a course in swimming at your local spa than now? Do take advantage of the water during this period because water is always healing for you. If you don't have a nearby pool, then think of a nice bath with your favorite bath salts or oils and luxuriate in it--treat yourself kindly and well. And Taurus, you're the soul of texture. Massage is one of the most basic preventative maintenance things you can do for yourself--so schedule massage once a week if you can.

7. CARE OF YOUR SOUL. Getting a soul recovery and extraction--no better time than now, believe me. We have all lost pieces of our spirit in this lifetime and many times, anger is a big red flag of loss. You can go to: http://www.medicinegarden.com/SRE/SRE_Faculty.html

8. ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELING. Getting your astrology natal chart read by a professional can definitely help shed light on your chaotic life if you are being influenced by this transit. Athena's (athena@topica.com/metaphysical and alternative healing list) professional astrologer, Rosemarie Brown is available at: starrose@sedona.net and her website: http://www.rosemariebrown.com. Shedding light into the dark areas of your life is always helpful and Rosemarie is one of the best! Another great astrologer we recommend is: Grace Verte of California. Just contact her at: GraceVerte@Netsedona.com.

9. MEDICAL ASTROLOGY TO SUPPORT GOOD HEALTH. If you have health concerns, should be looked into. We have several fine medical astrologers available: Gail Carswell at rockdoc@mindspring.com, Michael Foltz at solardoc@mindspring.com. They also have a website: http:www.owlswebnest.com. And Rosemarie Brown at cyberrose@sedona.net, is also a trained medical astrologer. Find out what you're dealing with and learn how to turn this into a positive, healing experience.

10. Check up with your medical doctor or health practitioner. July is a great time for this! If you have nagging symptoms....do not delay on this--get thee to your doctor and have the appropriate tests run to look at them. If you don't; this could backfire on you and we don't want that, do we?

11. FLOWER and GEM ESSENCES. These are gentle healers that can help a person to heal themselves. Just go to: http://www.medicinegarden.com and point/click on Medicine Garden Store and choose Flower Essences from the drop down menu. You'll see gorgeous photos of your favorite flowers, as well as useful information that might help you in some positive way!

12. LEARNING TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. I can't emphasize enough that this Mars retrograde period is about going within and healing yourself on whatever level needs tending. Be kind to yourself! Do little things for yourself daily...things that make you happy or give you pleasure. Look for ways to take the stress off yourself.

13. PLANNING ON A NEW JOB IN THE FUTURE? WANT TO MOVE TO ANOTHER PART OF THE COUNTRY? Astrology can help! Gail Carswell at rockdoc@mindspring.com, Michael Foltz at solardoc@mindspring.com can investigate the right place and right time for a career move or a move to another city/state. They also have a website: http:www.owlswebnest.com.

14. NUMEROLOGY AND YOU. If you don't like astrology then consider Numerology to do all the above for you. Karen David is world renown as a numerologist. Check her out at: http://www.kdmystic.net/NewFiles/AboutKaren'sConsultations.html
or email her at: KDMystic@aol.com. She can make a big, positive difference in your life.

With all these "tools" at our disposal, you can make the retrograde of Mars a smooth transition from the outer world into your bright, creative and educational inner world!

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | QUESTION AND ANSWERS