At 2:15 am PST on November 24, Mars enters Sagittarius. 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 “cocooned” focused intensity of Fixed Water sign of Scorpio and now expresses it through the widely expansive sign of greater truths and futures of the adventurous Mutable Fire of Sagittarius. The transit of Mars in Sagittarius now activates all that was promised by Jupiter in Sagittarius and all the conjunctions made to that expansive planet during late 2018 through November 2019.

Sagittarius is where the remains of the “stripping down and purifying” energy of Scorpio now moves up and out, freed of obsolete things and considerations. Mars, having “gathered its energy” in its home sign of Scorpio by shredding forms to find essentials, is now set loose to renew all that was promised by the late 2018 Sun conjunct Jupiter at 4 Sag, Mercury retrograde conjunct Jupiter at 5 Sag, Mercury direct conjunct Jupiter at 10 Sag, and the 2019 conjunctions of Venus with Jupiter, the first at 17 Sag in January, and the last at 29 Sag in November.

Mars in Sagittarius is in its own 9th house relative to its rulership of Aries, and in its own 2nd house relative to its rulership of Scorpio. This offers us clues to its expression. Sagittarius is where we take the concentrated regenerative period in Scorpio and spring forward into the future, taking aim at whatever targets catch Mars’ eye. It also initiates new future directions to confirm the power it accumulated in Scorpio. Mars in this sign operates fast and loose, moving quickly to shed all from the past which it is no longer attached to.

Mars continues to speed up after its long retrograde in Gemini, and in Sagittarius activate any planets we have in Sagittarius and the house it’s transiting. Mars is now moving at about 43 minutes a day and is still gaining speed. This indicates we can now use transiting Mars energies in quick and precise ways.

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

We’re still expanding from its retrograde period in Gemini which began in late August 2022. It went forward to 26 Gemini in late October, and then retrograded back to 9 Gemini by January 2023, after which it resumed direct motion and stayed in that sign until late March, when it entered Cancer. It stayed in that sensitive sign of its “fall” until It entered Leo at the powerful Fixed T-square in late May, where it blazed a trail for this year’s long stay of the inner planets in that sign. It was in Virgo between mid-July and late August, when it entered Libra where it’s been till now.

Mars’ now gives our Aries and Scorpio sectors a Sagittarius emphasis. Its entry into Sagittarius throws the primary focus of activity in the house where we have the first 10 degrees of Sagittarius from now through December 8. From December 8 through December 21, the focus of activity will be in the house where we have the second 10 degrees of Sagittarius, followed by the focus on 21-30 Sagittarius from December 21 through January 4, when it enters Capricorn.

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 between July 2020 and January 2021. This cycle was re-set most recently from late May to July 4, 2022.)

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 January and February 2021. This cycle was re-set from July 4 to August 19, 2022.)

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 early March and late April 2021, and the last transit of Gemini re-set the energy anew 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 now.)

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 from December through late January 2022, and will re-set again 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 from late January through early March 2022, and will re-set again between early January and late February 2024.)

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 cycle was re-set from early March through mid-April 2022.)

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-May through late June 2020. This cycle was re-set from mid-April to late May 2022 .)

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-enters Aquarius again in January 2024, we have Mercury conjunct Pluto at 1 Aquarius in early February, followed by Mars and Venus both making conjunctions at that exact degree. 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 Sagittarius experience in the house(s) where we have that sign in our charts. During Mars’ transit of Sagittarius, it brings a Sagittarius backdrop to how Mars expresses itself, and will bring that sign energy to Venus when it transits Scorpio in December.

The main aspects from Mars to the outer planets show Mars makes a septile, semisquare, and novile to Pluto; it makes a tredecile, biseptile and square to Neptune; and makes a quadranovile, triseptile, quincunx, and biquintile to Uranus.

It begins its transit of Sagittarius with an immediate square to Saturn in early Pisces, described in the recent article on that subject. From there it makes a binovile in early middle December and a quintile around the time of the Solstice. Venus makes a novile, decile, and semisextile, and Mercury makes its second conjunction with Mars while retrograde at 25 Sagittarius toward the end of December.

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?

At this time, 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 closing in its cycles with the outer planets, making only waning aspects and thus bringing those old cycles to completion and renewing each between now and its conjunction with Uranus in Taurus in mid-July 2024.

Of course, that also means this year’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 Sagittarius, it activates the information Mercury brought us when it transited Sagittarius in November, and those activations will set the stage for further developments when Mercury goes stationary direct just a few days after its conjunction with Mars. With the other conjunctions to come, everything is moving into another compression of all the planets into a ever-narrowing span which will hit its closest angle in early 2024 after Venus conjuncts Pluto.

When Mars conjuncted Jupiter in Aries on May 29 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 will be re-activated by Mars in early May 2024, with collective implications when Saturn and Neptune transit 4 Aries in early 2026.

So in 2022, we got a sense of the promise of things to come when Mars transited Sagittarius, got a new look at what we are to do and how we are to do it during Mars in Capricorn, and a new engagement with multiple long wave Aquarian cycles. We moved through vast fogs of the collective consciousness where we had to bless a lot to move down the time stream in Pisces so we could embrace the important new initiatives of Mars conjunct Jupiter in Aries!

We secured the momentum in Taurus and found there were many ways to do things in Gemini, so much so we had to go forward, backward, and forward in that sign from August 2022 through March 2023. We then resumed our journey and found relative security and intimacy in Cancer, and then some play or enjoyment in Leo. We enjoyed the ongoing shared service with our Spiritual Brothers and Sisters in Virgo, and got to play the peacemaker, moderator, and the person who refines things to make them more pleasing when Mars was in Libra. Now that we’ve enjoyed the intensity, focus, and power of Mars in Scorpio, it’s time to break out of the cocoon and fly free!

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

© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson

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