STARFIRE

March 2010

March 2010- Don’t Bet on Mars in March
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Don't Bet on Mars in March

Have you been angry this winter? Anxious? Annoyed with other people and even more annoyed with yourself?

Blame Mars. Mars has been retrograde since December and won’t make its direct station until March 10th. It’s always a long 80 days, but this year has been more intense than usual. When Mars is retrograde in water or earth signs, people tend to contain the energy. When Mars is retrograde in Leo, it may be internal work, but it gets expressed in the outer world, too.

Fire is radiating energy, and Mars in Leo is strong fire. Mars is a fiery planet all by itself. It’s both the ancient and the modern ruler of Aries. By its own nature, Mars initiates action, motivates it, gets things moving. Leo is sustaining fire energy, so Mars has more lasting effect in Leo than it would have in its own sign.

With 80 days to move backward through a sign, Mars began the retrograde period at 19 Leo and will end at 0 Leo. The retrograde movement covers two-thirds of the Leo degrees and formed hard aspects with any planet in the first twenty degrees of Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. In the background, Mars retrograde formed more harmonious aspects with planets in the first twenty degrees of Aries and Sagittarius. Harmonious is a relative term, of course; we’re talking about the harmony of a special ops warrior at parade rest, not the harmony of an old dog asleep by the fire.

Mars retrograde in Leo had the power to break through powerful denial. Some people responded with production action and others suffered from anxiety. I’ve said, "It’s Mars; it’ll be better in March." so many times the words feel like a litany. It’s my response to almost every disaster now.

That may be a lie.

Mars went out of bounds http://www.mandala.be/declination/pamela.htm February 21st and will stay out of bounds until March 13th. When Mars makes its direct station on March 10th, it will be exuberantly, erratically and unpredictably acting out. Tiger Woods is a superb example of the positive and negative effects of Mars out of bound: Unexcelled as an athlete and also prone to excesses in other ways.

What can we expect when Mars goes direct?

Massive action, as Tony Robbins would say. Learn your lessons, plot your new direction and be ready to take huge steps forward, letting the out of bounds energy propel you forward.

Road rage. It’s the New Mexico response to Mars messes, and the rest of the country should be driving carefully too. Some accidents will be about overconfidence, including the overconfidence of drunk drivers. It’s a probable time for suicidal chases and gunfire on the highway.

Personal violence and domestic violence.

Athletic excellence, just in time for the last week of the Olympics.

Straight talk. Mars will be too expressive and too explosive as it goes direct to hide feelings behind polite denials. Don’t start a verbal argument you don’t want to finish. Don’t be shocked by anything you hear. Expect the fog to clear around personal relationships; just don’t predict whether you’ll love or hate the outcome.

Congress and legislatures will plow through the work that’s stymied them in the earlier part of the session. Word will fly and tempers will flare, but decisions will get made.

The best outcome of Mars direct would look like this: We’ve all spent 80 days facing ourselves and our past and learning. We’ve cleaned up the past, uncluttered the present and prepared to move forward. On March 10th, we’ll begin taking courageous action that will exceed our previous best records and set new standards for ourselves, our relationships, and our careers.

As a nation, we’ll face our inadequacies and take action to create a foundation for the generations that follow us. We’ll cut spending (personally and publicly), pay debts and get back to creating solutions instead of buying them.

And all of that is possible.

None of it is predictable. You just can’t tell with an out of bounds planet. But it’s good to know the possibility is there.

Mary O’Gara, Ph.D.