It’s time to fasten your seatbelts, folks, because Mars will go retrograde in Gemini on October 30, 2022, and it will stay that way until January 12, 2023. When a planet goes retrograde, the natural tendencies of the planet can go a bit wonky.
For example, when Mercury is retrograde, communication, plans going smoothly, and technology being reliable can go sideways during this period. Similarly, you can think of Mars Retrograde in Gemini as being Mercury Retrograde on steroids. Keep in mind that Mercury is the ruler of Gemini and thus, with Mars Retrograde in Gemini, we can expect similar themes, but we also have to blend in the meaning of Mars into the mix. Mars rules passion, ambition, assertiveness, courage, sexuality, impatience, and anger.
Miscommunication, Conflict, and Anger
With this in mind, let’s first take a look at the various ways this energy can play out negatively. With Mars in Gemini, there can indeed be miscommunication issues that can quickly morph into a fiery conflict if we’re not careful. It’s not the actual misunderstanding that’s the issue. Instead, it’s how we respond that can cause problems. We may leap to inaccurate conclusions and thus potentially make something trivial into a heated argument. To make matters worse, Gemini represents how we communicate and thus, in the heat of the moment, we can potentially be harsh with our words.
Therefore, we’ll need to have a firm grip on our tempers and not launch into attack mode when someone upsets us. Hence, it’s probably a good idea to be a bit wary of information we receive during this period because it quite possible that we don’t know all the facts of the situation and/or we’re just taking things the wrong way.
Going in the opposite direction, some of us may not lash out, but instead just bite our tongues in the hopes that we can avoid conflict. Even though the intention here is good, it’s definitely not wise to do this long-term in an attempt to avoid any potential drama since Mars rules obsession. Holding on to bottled up anger will just eat away at us unless we eventually do communicate our thoughts and feelings. Otherwise, we could ironically end up erupting in anger at some point when frustration or resentment becomes too much to handle. Either way, we must speak our truth, but only when we’ve collected our thoughts and are in a much calmer headspace.
Scattered Thoughts, Confusion, and Leaping Before We Look
Normally, the transit of Mars through Gemini represents that our minds are sharper and thus we can process information more quickly. However, the retrograde period indicates the polar opposite. This is made even worse because Mars is making a challenging square aspect to Neptune until December 04th which can represent outright confusion due to misinformation, outright lies, or simply because we get our wires crossed in some way.
Hence, this is an indicator of the need to do research and to thoroughly and patiently think about potential strategies and solutions to problems or else we could find ourselves wasting time and energy going down a dead-end street. Part of the problem here is that this period can tempt us to be overly ambitious and thus try to juggle way too many things at once. Afterall, one of the many things that Mars represents is ambition while Gemini represents multi-tasking which normally means that we’re able to be overachievers with Mars in Gemini. The Mars Retrograde period, however, can have us foolishly going off half-cocked before we’ve seriously considered the wisest course of action. Therefore, we’ll need to tap the brakes if we’re feeling tempted to leap before we look and/or if we’re attempting to do too much.
Waning Ambition, Desire, and Libido
Since Mars rules ambition, passion, and desire, yet another issue that we may have to deal with is waning enthusiasm for goals that we normally enjoy working on. It’s quite possible that we will go through periods where we find it difficult to motivate ourselves to consistently take action when we need to be doing so.
We may also question the goals and/or the direction in life that we’re working towards due to waning interest or ambition. In addition, we may experience obstacles that slow us down which will definitely leave us feeling quite impatient and perhaps lost at times.
It’s also possible that this lack of desire can be experienced in a romantic relationship especially on a sexual level. We may go through periods where we’re simply disinterested in physical intimacy and/or our partner may be feeling that way. If so, don’t hit the panic button. This too shall pass.
Is There Anything Positive About This Transit?
Now let’s finally take a look at the positive potentials of Mars Retrograde in Gemini. First of all, this energy is actually quite ideal for taking action (Mars) with goals and/or strategies from the past that we either didn’t stick to or that didn’t work out the first time around. Now, we’re more likely to find success simply because we’ve gained more wisdom and experience from our previous attempt. Do you have a goal or a dream that still inspires you? If so, the universe could indeed be giving you a nudge that it’s time to try again.
Since the Achilles heel for Mars energy is impatience and anger issues, the Mars Retrograde period can be looked upon as an opportunity to resolve old hurts and wounds as we become more aware of the impact they have on the ‘buttons’ that trigger our most intense anger. Reviewing hurtful events from the past during this period can lead to healing as we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. The key here is to strive to see how the wound has in some way actually lead to spiritual, mental, and emotional growth for us that we now possess but perhaps took for granted.
Along the same lines, we may also have the opportunity to completely release hurt feelings and grudges from the past that have burdened us for way too long. The key with this one is that we must have a greater desire to be free from the pain than the need to be ‘right’ about whatever happened in the past. In other words, the desire to find inner peace must overcome the ego’s entitlement to its wounded feelings. Working upon a consistent mindfulness practice such as meditation, Tai Chi, or yoga can accelerate the process of finding inner peace and thus may be the greatest gift that this Mars Retrograde period has to offer us.
Last Thoughts
All of the Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) can expect to feel the more challenging aspects of this energy. This is true not only of your Sun Sign but also of the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars) to include your natal Moon, Ascendant, and Midheaven (cusp of 10th house). Obviously, Gemini energy will receive the greatest challenges and benefits (if the energy isn’t resisted). This Mars Retrograde transit will start at 25 degrees and end up at 08 degrees Gemini, so if you have your Ascendant, Midheaven, or inner planets within those degrees it is your time to work with this energy so that it can empower you to new levels of inner growth.
The Air Signs of Libra and Aquarius (excluding Gemini) will have the easiest and most beneficial blessings from this energy. Although the challenges mentioned above will probably appear at times for them, ultimately the journey through this period should present a much smoother ride for them. For these individuals, the universe is indeed blessing them with the more positive gifts of this planetary transit.
Lastly, those individuals with Mars Retrograde in their birth chart will most likely receive a boost of ambition, courage, and determination to push forward towards accomplishing their objectives in life because they’ll find it easier to surge forward during this Mars Retrograde period than most of us will.