At 8:33 am PDT on April 30, Mars enters Aries. What does this mean for all of us?

It means that how we generally “attack the problems of life,” or how we “take the initiative” leaves the mystical deep tides of Mutable Water in Pisces and now expresses it through the Cardinal Fire of its home sign of Aries! When it transited Capricorn and Aquarius in February it re-activated the numerous 2020 conjunctions in Capricorn and 1 Aquarius which launched the initial pulse of The Grand Mutation in December 2020. It now leaves the deep waters of Pisces where it made conjunctions with Saturn and Neptune, and it’s flame on as it moves into its natural home in Cardinal Fire!

It heralds what should be fairly rapid developments in the weeks to come. Cardinal Fire of Aries initiates activity of itself, without waiting around for permission or signals. So it’s definitely time to act on your own initiative! Whatever comes down while Mars transits early Aries will activate the promise of the Vernal (Spring) Equinox chart of March 19/20.

Mars in Aries is in its own 1st house relative to its rulership of Aries, and in its own 6th house relative to its rulership of Scorpio. This offers us clues to its expression.

Aries is where activity begins which sets an entire zodiacal cycle into motion. Aries is where we are free to act on our own initiative, where we can get a lot done quickly and efficiently. It’s also good for jumping into something, finding out quickly want it’s about, and then jumping out equally quickly! Just beware of impatience and a sense of urgency which may not be necessary.

Aries is where Scorpio finds quick and immediate adjustments in its expression, providing more of a sense of utility based in independent thinking and action. This gives us another Aries push, with Mars in a familiar Fire element in a natural initiating mode. Don’t act on every instinct, but also when opportunity knocks, seize the day!

Mars’ now gives our Aries and Scorpio sectors an Aries emphasis. Its entry into Aries throws the primary focus of activity in the house where we have the first 10 degrees of Aries from now through May 13. From May 13 through 26, the focus of activity will be in the house where we have the second 10 degrees of Aries, followed by the focus on 21-30 Aries from May 26 through June 8, when it enters Taurus.

Mars is now at maximum cruising speed around 46 minutes of motion per day while beginning to slow for its coming retrograde in Leo and Cancer at the end of this year into 2025. In Aries it will activate any planets we have in Aries and the house it’s transiting. If speed and boldness are required to jumpstart something or deal with something, Mars in Aries encourages us to “just do it!”

Mars’ Path To How We Got Here and Where We’re Going

We’re now closing in on the end of Mars’ retrograde cycle which began in January 2023 at 9 Gemini after its retrograde from 26 Gemini between late October and mid-January. It moved forward in Gemini through late March when it entered Cancer, staying there until it entered Leo at the powerful Fixed T-square in late May. It moved into Virgo mid-July, and into Libra in late August. It entered Scorpio in mid-October, entered Sagittarius in late November, entered Capricorn in early January, and Aquarius in mid-February.

Mars in Sagittarius (December) moved the remains of the “stripping down and purifying” energy of Scorpio up and out, freed of obsolete things and considerations. Mars in Capricorn (January through mid-February) organized the Sag realizations into practical forms of power which in Aquarius can be applied to a greater vision of a greater good for a greater number.

Mars in Aquarius renewed the “visionary organized activity” directly related to the “expansive structures” which began with the Grand Mutation at 1 Aquarius in December 2020, giving new impetus to that 20/200 year energy. It then moved through the deep waters of Pisces from the March Equinox to now, with only Aries, Taurus, and Gemini to go before it completes that cycle and moves into its next retrograde period!

The Mars Challenge For All Signs

When Mars was in Aries, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra, and fulfillment to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer. (This last happened from late May to July 4, 2022, and will be re-set again in May and the first 10 days of June 2024.)

While Mars was in Taurus, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo. (This last happened from July 4 to August 19, 2022, and will be re-set again between June 8 and July 20, 2024.)

While Mars was in Gemini, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius, and fulfillment to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo. (This happened between between late August 2022 and late March 2023.)

While Mars was in Cancer, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra. (This cycle was re-set and renewed between late March and late May 2023.)

While Mars was in Leo, it brings new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio. (This cycle was re-set between late May and July 9.)

While Mars was in Virgo, it brings new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini. It puts the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius. This cycle was re-set between July 9 and late August.)

While Mars was in Libra, it brings new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn. (This cycle was re-set between mid-September and late October 2021, and was just re-set again between late August and mid-October.)

While Mars is in Scorpio, it brings new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius. (This cycle was re-set from mid-October and late November 2023.)

While Mars was in Sagittarius, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces. (This cycle was re-set between late November 2023 and early January 2024.)

While Mars was in Capricorn, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Capricorn, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Libra. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Cancer, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aries. (This cycle was re-set between early January and late February.)

While Mars was in Aquarius, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Aquarius, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Leo, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Taurus. (This last happened early March through mid-April 2022. This cycle was re-set from late February through now.)

While Mars was in Pisces, it brought new beginnings to those with Sun or Ascendant in Pisces, and new emergent developments to those with Sun or Ascendant in Sagittarius. It put the focus on relationships to those with Sun or Ascendant in Virgo, and fulfillment or public activity to those with Sun or Ascendant in Gemini. (This last happened from mid-April to late May 2022, and has just re-set between March 22 and April 30, 2024.)

Obviously within these transit spans there are other “phase relationships” between transiting Mars and all the planets in our charts, but to go into all of them would make this article a book. For example, Mars makes aspects to your other planets which are different than aspects to your Sun and Ascendant. All aspects, waxing and waning, fall within “The Whole Cycle” of each planet to every other planets and our Ascendant. You can find out more about the Whole Cycle in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend, linked below, where I explain the various phases in the planetary cycles in terms of the Whole Cycle for various generations.

What We Experience When Mars is in Each Sign

Mars in Aries teaches us how to act on our own initiative, not defer so much to others, and “working half-heartedly is not the way to accomplish much.” Mars in Taurus teaches us to “take pleasure in our work” as we learn to keep it simple and steady despite crosswinds, and Mars in Gemini teaches us adaptability because “there are many ways to get things done.” Mars in Cancer teaches us to “be watchful as we work,” acting with sensitivity, care, and caution.

Mars in Leo teaches us to “work with flair and style,” putting on the show as we accomplish things in inspired ways. This is a time to show our power and style when opportunities present themselves, and see how our command of energy can be expressed in creative ways. Mars in Virgo teaches us “All play and no work make for an ungrounded life.” Mars in Libra teaches us “All work with no socializing makes for an unsustainable life.” Mars in Scorpio teaches us “doing the wrong thing in the wrong way with the wrong people will never make us happy, so do the right thing and be happy!”

Mars in Sagittarius teaches us how to be a “stylish and bold Archer riding our Sacred Arrows to our dream,” as well as “scattered effort leaves us frustrated.” Mars in Capricorn teaches us “Work for the now, work for the future, work for all time.” Mars in Aquarius teaches us “As you strive for greater things, you make manifest a future ideal which will outlive you.” Mars in Pisces teaches us “to witness our common humanity as we struggle for clarity in a murky collective environment.”

Mars Set the Pattern of the New Age in 2020

Mars conjunction with Saturn at 1 Aquarius in March 2020 launched a totally future oriented period of human existence which began to take shape in a new 20 year Aquarian Era with Jupiter’s conjunction with Saturn on that same degree in December 2020. And here it’s important to note that this is the last transit of Saturn through Aquarius before we “slip across the edge of the Age” after 2050.

I explained how various Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto transits over the past 3 centuries each strengthened the advent of the Age of Aquarius in the article Uranus Awakened the Age of Aquarius, Neptune Dreamed It Into Collective Consciousness, and Pluto Will Sprout It Into Life, as well as why we are not yet fully into the Age of Aquarius yet, but will be in the third quarter of this century. Of course, living on the cusp of a Great Age means we will be dealing with the dying echoes of the Age of Pisces for some time to come, since many who were born under those dying assumptions will try to perpetuate them as long as they can.

Just remember that the Capricorn cycles set into motion by Mars in March 2020 will have far reaching implications, some of which won’t be completed until 2053! We won’t have another Saturn conjunct Pluto for over 30 years, nor another Jupiter conjunct Pluto until early 2033. These Capricorn cycles will play out until the next transit of the outer planets over the conjunction points as a finish to what just began, and as prelude to the next cycles beginning then. (There will be an exact Sun conjunct Jupiter as both conjunct Pluto in February 2033 at the Angel Point at 15 Aquarius. That promises to be a much happier cycle than the current one!)

Of note is that just after Pluto re-entered Aquarius again in January 2024, we had Mercury conjunct Pluto at 1 Aquarius in early February, followed by Mars and Venus both making conjunctions at that exact degree on Feb 13 and 17 respectively. This will bring new power to the initial pulse launched at the Grand Mutation in December 2020.

Aspects in Play

We’re now going to experience a renewed Aries experience in the house(s) where we have that sign in our charts. During Mars’ transit of Aries it brings an Aries expression, and is its own final dispositor. It will make a conjunction with Chiron in May, resetting that long wave healing/mentoring cycles.

The main aspects from Mars to the outer planets show Mars makes a novile to the Sun followed by a powerful septile to Jupiter from the beginning of Aries. It then makes a sextile to Pluto, a semisquare to Uranus and then Jupiter in mid-month, followed by a novile from Venus and a septile to Pluto! It makes a semisquare from the Sun from mid-May to the beginning of June.

Venus semisquares Mars at the end of the month until it makes a septile around the time Mars enters Taurus. Mars finishes its stay in Aries making noviles with Mercury and Saturn.

As I’ve offered before, when Mars is within a degree of forming or separating while making a hard aspect with a planet, slow down and show deliberation and caution in how you use force. Hard aspects to/from Mars always require that we moderate or antidote impulsiveness and impatience.

What Do Mars Oppositions Teach Us?

Mars began a new cycle when it conjuncted the Sun at 26 Scorpio, and has passed all its oppositions to the outer planets until its next opposition to Pluto in November 2024. So it’s now opening its cycles with Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto while still closing in its cycles with Jupiter and Uranus. The Uranus cycle will be completed and a new one begun when Mars conjuncts Uranus in July and Jupiter in August. After that Mars begins to make and take oppositions beginning in November 2024 through January 2025.

Of course, that also means 2023’s many oppositions from Mars to the outer planets was extremely important. That phase began with Mars at 1 Leo making the first non-Lunar opposition to another planet with its opposition to Pluto in late May. It then made an opposition to Saturn in mid-July, Neptune in late August, with oppositions to Jupiter and Uranus in late October and early November.

Please remember that while they can be tense, those oppositions require us to use different spiritual planetary energies. All oppositions made by Mars externalize various types of wisdom, since the “Tension of Opposites” between the planetary expressions in the signs they’re in entirely determines the spiritual tests to learn and demonstrate.

As I noted in Chapter 2 in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend,

Mars' duality is Grace/Sin. This is the aspect of consciousness that shows whether our responses are manifesting error or truth, maladjustment or beauty. By our Martian function we force things before their time or confront abrasive, aggressive, or hostile energies in ourselves and others, and thus we learn how to sever what must be severed, and further what must be furthered, quickly and directly. (As an aside, the original meaning of “sin” had nothing to do with moral failure. It was an archery term meaning “to miss the mark,” or not hitting the center of a target. I use it here in that sense.)

Mars Links to the Past, Present, and Future

While Mars now initiates a new focus wherever we have Aries, it activates all that has been promised by this year’s Sun, Mercury, and Venus conjuncting Chiron. As Mars transits Aries, it will renew the themes of the Mars/Jupiter conjunction of May 2022.

When Mars conjuncted Jupiter in Aries on May 29, 2022 at 4 Aries, it began a new two year cycle of opportunity and expansion wherever that falls in our charts. That set the pace for the rapidly unfolding developments of Jupiter in Aries, which was active from late May through late October 2022, with a rapid return between late December and mid-May 2023. The Mars/Jupiter 4 Aries pulse is now about to be re-activated by Mars in early May 2024, with collective implications when Saturn and Neptune transit 4 Aries in early 2026.

This is going to activate our Aries sectors in a big way, so don’t hesitate. Figure out what you have to do to get it in gear and do that!

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson

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