Astrology Class – Sun-Mars Cycles and Mars Retrograde Periods

by Robert Wilkinson

Now that the Sun is no longer opposing Mars, I’ve had people tell me they can feel the shift. No wonder! When these two power planets line up in opposition, something’s got to give!

What gives, of course, is Mars. The Sun is the giver of Light/Life, and no other planet supersedes the power of the Sun to illuminate. And in any tug of war, the Sun wins. No question there.

Now that the Sun is past the opposition to Mars, we should start to feel like things are speeding up, if only a little. While there is still a hard edge to the atmosphere thanks to the forming Grand Cross, from now on Mars picks up speed, and by mid-June we should all feel a sense of movement distinctively different than what we've experienced in April and May!

By studying the cycles of the Sun with Mars, we come to understand an entirely different “pulse” of action/non-action in our charts, where the focus will be during the months that cycle is in effect, and where the critical turning points in those cycles will be encountered. By looking at where the Sun conjuncts Mars, and when they’re in opposition due to the Mars retrograde effect, we can see where our points of focus are, where we’ll be slowing down for a few weeks to re-trace our steps, and where our points of new initiative can be seen.

So today, we take a look at past, present, and future in terms of when the Sun conjunct Mars sets a new 2 year period into motion, as well as when Mars retrograde killed the momentum and forced us all to re-work, re-do, un-do, or slow something down for a while before picking it back up again with renewed focus. Perhaps by seeing where the various Sun conjunct Mars degrees fell in your chart, you’ll understand how various areas of your life were shown new initiatives, new ways of pushing forward in life, or new things that had to be done in order to move some karma forward in those houses.

What follows are the Sun-Mars cycles for the past 16 years. See where the conjunctions fell in your chart, see where the Mars retrogrades and oppositions to the Sun fell, and you may understand how your Light and Initiatives intersected to push you in new directions, or at least, where you had to un-do some things, or put them on hold, in order to move forward later on. And of course, all of this must be considered in the light of other planetary transits over these zones, as well as how other planets’ stationary points aspected the critical Sun-Mars cyclic points.

Sun conjunct Mars July 2000 11 Cancer; Mars SRX May 2001 30 Sagittarius;
Sun opposition Mars June 2001 23 Gemini/Sag; Mars SD July 2001 16 Sagittarius.

Sun conjunct Mars August 2002 19 Leo; Mars SRX Jul 2003 11 Pisces;
Sun opposition Mars August 2003 6 Virgo/Pisces; Mars SD Sept 2003 1 Pisces.

Sun conjunct Mars Sept 2004 24 Virgo; Mars SRX Oct 2005 24 Taurus;
Sun opposition Mars Nov 2005 15 Scorpio/Taurus; Mars SD Dec 2005 9 Taurus.

Sun conjunct Mars October 2006 30 Libra; Mars SRX Nov 2007 13 Cancer;
Sun opposition Mars Dec 2007 3 Capricorn/Cancer; Mars SD Jan 2008 25 Gemini.

Sun conjunct Mars Dec 2008 15 Sagittarius; Mars SRX Dec 2009 20 Leo;
Sun opposition Mars Jan 2010 10 Aquarius/Leo; Mars SD Mar 2010 1 Leo.

Sun conjunct Mars Feb 2011 15 Aquarius; Mars SRX Jan 2012 24 Virgo;
Sun opposition Mars March 2012 14 Pisces/Virgo; Mars SD Apr 2012 4 Virgo.

Sun conjunct Mars Apr 2013 29 Aries; Mars SRX March 2014 28 Libra;
Sun opposition Mars Apr 2014 19 Aries/Libra; Mars SD May 2014 10 Libra.

Sun conjunct Mars June 2015 24 Gemini; Mars SRX Apr 2016 9 Sagittarius;
Sun opposition Mars May 2016 2 Gemini/Sag; Mars SD June 2016 24 Scorpio.

Sun conjunct Mars July 2017 5 Leo; Mars SRX June 2018 10 Aquarius;
Sun opposition Mars July 2018 5 Leo/Aquarius; Mars SD August 2018 29 Capricorn.

Of course, when Mars conjuncts our Sun, it begins a new two year cycle of Light/Life for us, just as when Mars conjuncts our Mars, we begin a new two year cycle of how we apply our Mars function in the world. And often we’ll see a jump in activity of the second of these after the first has been conjuncted.

In other words, if Mars conjuncts our Sun first, then we’ll see an uptick in activity when Mars conjuncts our Mars. If Mars conjuncts our Mars first, then we’ll see an uptick in activity when Mars conjuncts our Sun. And if you have a Sun opposed Mars in your natal chart, then when either the Sun or Mars conjuncts either of the poles of the opposition, it’s course correction and/or reset time!

So as we move through this time of slowed activity, preparing for the Great Fracturing, it could be that the Mars retrograde in Sagittarius and now Scorpio is exactly what we need to focus, integrate, or mitigate the potential of the T-square despite the generic friction. Now that it’s back in Scorpio, keep it focused, eliminate all you no longer need, get emotionally unstuck, and look at ways to regenerate wherever Mars is transiting in your chart.

© Copyright 2016 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Nic]

Thank you Robert.

Blessings be to all.

[bomega]

Thanks for this article.

Question: You say, "And in any tug of war, the Sun wins."

Is this with any planet? I have natal Sun opp. Saturn, and honestly it seems like Saturn always wins.

[Linda]

What could I possibly regenerate in the 12th house?

[Matt]

Hmm... I felt the feeling of stuck in the mud/lost in the weeds begin to subside once Mercury when direct.

How often are Mercury and Mars Rx during the same period? There have been instances of "tag team" Rxs, but I'm guessing it's infrequent we find them Rx at the same time.

[caliban]

Going back and forth over the above list of transits and the years, my natal mars rx now progressed direct, feels like I am taking care of unfinished business.