Mars Retrograde 2022-23
Mars turns retrograde on October 30 2022 at 25° Gemini
and returns to 8° Gemini on January 12, 2023
Mars was the god of war for the Romans and through the years war-like attributes became associated with planet Mars. In Astrology Mars has come to represent the aggressive principle. Fearless Mars is courageous, reckless and driven by passion. Mars indicates action generally, along with motivation, your “get up and go”. Mars is associated with physical energy, willpower, intense focus, determination, anger and all aggressive instincts. Mars also governs men and traditionally male dominated activities like sports, police, the military, war and testosterone driven male energy in general especially young men.
In your own birth chart Mars reveals how you go about getting what you want and need, your personal energy patterns and passion – your own distinctive style of moving through life. Mars in the birth chart for women also reveals the type of men you attract into your life and for men Mars indicates your male role models and the type of male friends you attract.
Mars takes around 2 years to travel the full zodiac wheel and once during this period appears to slow down and back up in orbit. In comparison, every other planet retrogrades every year (except Venus). When Mars turns retrograde it orbits closer to Earth and shines more brightly in the night sky making its influence stronger. Mars usually stays in a sign 6-8 weeks, but when retro it stays in a sign for around 7 months.
Like a cool vintage muscle car Mars drove into Gemini on 8/20 where he remains 7 long months until 3/23/2023. Mars is the planet of action, motivation, pure raw power and also strife and war.
On 10/30/22 Mars goes retrograde for the first time since 9/9/20. Mars retrogrades on 10/30 at 25° Gemini and stays retro 2 1/2 months until 1/12/23, reversing to 8° Gemini before moving direct again. Mars rules pioneering fire sign Aries and is the co-ruler of powerful water sign Scorpio so these two signs tend to be the most affected by Mars retrograde and people with Sun, rising sign or other significant planets at the degrees Mars retrogrades through need to be more aware of Mars retro effects too.
Mars has been retrograde in Gemini many times in the 20th and 21st centuries, however most of those times Mars retrograded through 2 signs. The last time Mars was retrograde in Gemini the full time was from Oct 28, 1943 through Jan 10, 1944 – in the midst of World War II. Gemini rules average people and think how many were affected by this major world war! Europe once again is facing war as the Ukrainian war spills thousands of evacuees into neighboring Eastern European countries and all of Europe and the US too is dealing with energy problems from Russian oil disruptions which they depended upon. Will Mars retrograde slow things down and tame this type of negativity, let us hope so!
Mars is all about action and energizes the sign in which he travels. Mars in air sign Gemini activates communication and other mental activities. Gemini is one of the most versatile and flexible of all signs. Gemini is extremely curious – the information gatherer with extraordinary multi-tasking ability, excellent communication skills and effortless wit. Gemini is a friendly sign and relates easily to others. Mars in Gemini is quick witted and crafty and knows how to use words to delight, and loves to have fun! Gemini/Mars is extremely talented, very social and is the master at lightening things up. Famous comedians are often born with a Gemini Mars like Steve Martin, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Damon Wayans and Kevin Hart. Mars in Gemini often breeds great writing talent too as Charlotte Bronte, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Erica Jong prove.
Mars in Gemini can also use their intelligence in sarcastic and snarky ways and is a dizzy juggler with way too many balls in the air. Testy-Warrior Mars can bring strife to the sign in which he travels. Gemini is the sign most closely connected to ‘the people’ – average folk, going about their daily lives. Gemini rules the media (the talking heads out there) and on the downside Mars in Gemini can whip people up with shallow platitudes urging them to do stupid things. This trait is definitely one to be aware of now!
When a planet is retrograde the energy is more internalized, and when active Mars reverses if not handled appropriately energy can back up and implode. Think of Mars retrograde as a classic muscle car speeding down the highway when suddenly the red engine light comes on. You’ve got to pull over to figure out what the situation is or risk engine failure. You need to slow down and pay attention to determine what needs to be done to get your energy moving again. It only becomes a problem if you ignore the indicator eventually causing major damage.
Mars retro can mean things which were going full steam ahead get off track for a while or seem to dissipate altogether. They will come back though, and like the muscle car metaphor, if problems aren’t dealt with during the retro phase things do move forward again, but the problems continue too and can get worse!
We can see a trend for this current Mars retrograde in Gemini which occurs 5 days after Rishi Sunak became UK Prime Minister after Liz Truss suddenly resigned after only 50 days in office, and one week before the contentious US midterm elections. Average folks heads are spinning now, not knowing what’s going to happen next. Vladimir Putin’s continued lies about what Russian is doing in Ukraine along with the oil shortage situation and world wide inflation is certainly pushing people to the brink!
At the personal level, look at which house Gemini rules in your birth chart to sense what area of your life Mars retro will influence. Astrologer Elsa Elsa has an article which lists Mars retro effects by house – Mars In Gemini For 7 Months 2022-23: Dates & Effects By House
Mars retrograde in the birth chart needs interpretation because it can indicate different things, depending upon what sign and house it is in and how Mars relates to the rest of the planets in the birth chart (the aspects involved). For example Mars retrograde in the first house could indicate early life health problems held the person back from physical activity and if Mars is in a water sign (Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) it might mean emotional issues arising from this setback take a long time for the person to get over. But if Mars retro is in a fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) the person has more ability to bounce back and move forward more easily.
I like this article by astrologer Nadia Gilchrist Mars Retrograde in the Natal Chart: When Yang Energy Goes Yin Here is an excerpt: “Its energy is internalized. Think about what Mars stands for: moving forward, being aggressive, starting something. This is true no matter what sign it’s in. If there is an internal focus, you’re going to express its energy very differently. You’re rebelling, but it’s an internal rebellion. A common misconception is that Mars retrograde is weak. This is simply not true; its energy is redirected.”
Mars retro in the birth chart can also indicate a delayed start in life for any number of reasons such as having no male role model in early life so that getting in touch with traits like will power, the ability to initiate and learning how to handle aggressive instincts takes longer to achieve or is never actualized at all. And for a women it can mean their early male role models (or lack of any) gave them a fractured concept about men so they tend to choose inappropriate men to bond with along with all the problems that brings.
Mars retrograde can also mean the person’s timing is off kilter. They might hesitate to take a chance at something when the time is lined up for them, then when they finally do get up the nerve circumstances have changed so things don’t manifest for them. It could also be outer conditions delay them or get in the way. For example a young person is ready to leave for college, but a parent dies or gets an illness so the person feels the responsibility to stay home to help out and their education is put off and may not resume until much later if at all.
Having Mars retrograde does not mean lack of success however. Many famous people who have achieved much were born with Mars retro. Mozart, born with Mars retro in Cancer, was a child prodigy and musical genius for all time. Mikhail Baryshnilkov considered one of the greatest ballet performers ever, has Mars retrograde in Virgo, and basketball legend Michael Jordan has Mars, which rules sports, retro in Leo. Joan Crawford who is ranked as number ten among the greatest female stars of all time by The American Film Institute, was born with Mars retro in Libra which rules glamor and the arts. Judy Garland whose fame began in young age and is still known world wide as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz has Mars retrograde in Sagittarius. These famous examples let us know that Mars retrograde may actually help individuals dig deeper to find their inner passion and strength of purpose, and when they do, their achievements can be astounding!
Here is a list of other famous people born with Mars Retrograde from the Celebrity Astro Search Engine from Astro Seek. A great resource especially if you’d like to do your own research. One interesting thing I noticed when I listed these Mars retro people by sign, is that certain signs have many famous people born with Mars retrograde while others had few, like Taurus and Aquarius. Seems like a good subject to do some more research about, maybe while Mars is retro!
People tell me I’m from Mars all the time. ~ Joni Mitchell, born with Mars retrograde in Gemini.
Famous People born with Mars Retrograde
In Aries
O’Henry
Elia Kazan
Bernie Sanders
Peter Coyote
Otis Redding
Paul Simon
Art Garfunkel
Tom Fogerty
Anne Rice
Chubby Checker
Anne Tyler
Cass Elliot
Sally Kirkland
Anne Seymour
Eddie Steeples
In Taurus:
Bram Stoker
Louisa May Alcott
Leon Trotsky
Chuck Berry
Richard Crenna
Louise Hay
Lee Grant
Jamie Lee Curtis
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Neve Campbell
In Gemini
Ludwig van Beethovan
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Virginia Woolf
Martin Luther King, Jr
Ben Kingsley
Sam Sheppard
Joni Mitchell
Billie Jean King
Tim Robbins
Jim Morrison
Viggo Morgensteen
In Cancer
Mozart
William S. Burroughs
Noam Chomsky
Mikhail Gorbachev
David Lynch
Dolly Parton
Diane Keaton
Kenneth Branagh
JuliannaeMoore
Wayne Gretzky
Daryl Hannah
Ashton Kutcher
Tara Reid
In Leo
Benjamin Disraeli
James Dean
Robert Duvall
Rip Torn
Boris Yeltzin
James Earl Jones
Claire Bloom
Eckhart Tolle
Dianne Wiest
Billy Crystal
James Taylor
Jennifer O’Neill
Steven Tyler
Bernadette Peters
Michael Jordan
Seal
In Virgo
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
Rasputin
Clarke Gable
William Holden
Bing Crosby
Betty Ford
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Michael Caine
Phillip Roth
Kim Novak
Barbara Hersey
Yoko Ono
Nina Simone
Alice Cooper
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Robert Downey junior
Martin Lawrence
Sarah Jessica Parker
Chelsea Clinton
Christina Ricci
Zooey Deschanel
In Libra
Sigmund Freud
Irving Berlin
Pope John Paul II
Joan Crawford
Ida Lapino
Anais Nin
Peggy Lee
Dudley Moore
Eric von Daniken
Cybill Shepherd
Peter Gabriel
Karen Carpenter
Bobby McFerrin
Tim McGraw
Seth Rogen
Kirsten Dunst
In Scorpio
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Henry Fonda
Robert Penn Warren
Ravi Shankar
Morgan Freeman
Colleen McCullough
Sally Kellerman
Waylon Jennings
Liam Neeson
David Byrne
Mary McDonnell
Steven Seagal
Marilu Henner
David Icke
Mark Zuckerburg
Emily Beecham
Sophia Turner
In Sagittarius
Czar Nicholas I
Ho Chi Minh
Stan Laurel
Judy Garland
George Talei
Roger Zelazney
Saddam Hussein
Christopher Lee
Bill Blass
Pierre Cardin
George Carlin
Jack Nicholson
Angela Merkel
Hugo Chavez
Cate Blanchette
Steffi Graff
Anne Heche
Ricky Scaggs
Ice Cube
Peter Dinklage
Wes Anderson
In Capricorn
Thomas Mann
Annie Oakley
Robert Heinlein
Frida Kahlo
Barbara Stanwyck
Wes Craven
Peter Bogdanvich
George Hamilton
Ginger Baker
Valerie Harper
Kathleen Turner
Sonja Sotamayor
Freddie Prinze
Jim Belushi
Shia Lebeau
Lindsey Lohan
Cody Lightening
Elijah Kelley
Mary-Kate Olsen
Kellie Pickler
In Aquarius
Haile Selassie
Mae West
Lauren Bacall
Buddy Hackett
Martin Freeman
Allison Krauss
David Arquette
Jason Loesenstein
In Pisces
Art Tatum
James Baldwin
Carroll O’Connor
Fess Parker
Phyllis Shafly
Theresa May
Linda Hamilton
Kim Cattrall
Debbie Boone
Adam Arkin
Maren Jensen
Gary Cole
David Copperfield
Tsai Ing-wen
Quvenzhané Wallis
