by Robert Wilkinson
At 1:35 am PDT June 17, Mars enters Virgo. 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 flair of the Fixed Fire of Leo and now expresses it through the Mutable Earth of Virgo. This will help us be more practical and detail oriented in our initiatives, with the ability to take our creative inspiration and “make it real.” While Mars in Leo is dynamic and expressive, Mars in Virgo is more meticulous and does things according to plan.
Mars continues to speed up after its long retrograde in Cancer and early Leo, and in Virgo anticipates what we’ll experience in September and October when the inner planets transit that sign. Mars in Mutable Virgo is very efficient, not very spontaneous, and is usually highly prepared for any detail.
We’re now at the beginning of the new Mars retrograde cycle which began in February 2025 at 18 Cancer after its retrograde from 7 Leo between early December and late February. Mars is now moving at about 34 minutes a day and continues to speed up. By the time it leaves Virgo in early August it’ll move at 37 minutes a day and still be gaining speed. This indicates a gradual speeding up of our ability to use the transiting Mars energies in precise ways.
Mars conjunct Jupiter in Gemini in mid-August 2024 was its last conjunction with an outer planet until January 2026. It set a number of diverse cycles into motion in 2024 when we experienced Mars conjunct Pluto at 1 Aquarius in February, Mars conjunct Saturn at 15 Pisces in April, Mars conjunct Neptune at 29 Pisces in April, and Mars conjunct Uranus at 27 Taurus on July 15. Each of these, along with Mars conjunct Jupiter at 17 Gemini set two year cycles of spiritual transformation into motion wherever they fell in our charts.
Water (Cancer) and Fire (Leo) are elements integral to Mars’ nature, so Mars is comfortable in those signs, even if it doesn’t grow that much in Cancer. Mars does very well in the Mutable Earth of Virgo, as Mars is exalted in the Earth sign of Capricorn but more flexible because it’s in a Mutable sign.
Mars in Virgo is in its own 6th house relative to its rulership of Aries, and in its own 11th house relative to its rulership of Scorpio. This offers us clues to its expression. Virgo is where the Aries part of Mars expresses itself quickly and efficiently, getting things done as it shows its practical side. Virgo is the goal of Scorpio, as the intensity of Scorpio desires to achieve maximum efficiency while being aware of every detail in what it’s called to do.
Mars now gives our Aries and Scorpio sectors a Virgo emphasis. Its entry into Virgo throws the primary focus of activity in the house where we have the first 10 degrees of Virgo from now through July 4. From July 4 through 21, the focus of activity will be in the house where we have the second 10 degrees of Virgo, followed by the focus on 21-30 Virgo from July 21 through August 6, when it enters Libra.
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 from April 30 through June 8/9, 2024.)
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 between June 9 and July 20, 2024.)
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 last happened between July 20 and September 3, 2024.)
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 began when Mars first entered Cancer on September 4, It transited the entire sign and then entered Leo for the first time on November 3, 2024. Mars went RX and re-entered Cancer on January 5, went stationary direct in late February at 18 Cancer, and stayed in Cancer until April 18, 2025.)
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 activities to those with Sun or Ascendant in Scorpio. (Mars entered Leo on November 3, 2024, reached 7 Leo and went retrograde on December 6, and remained in Leo RX until January 5, 2025 when it re-entered Cancer. It then re-entered Leo in direct motion on April 18, where it’s been until now when it enters Virgo on June 17, 2025)
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 happens between June 17 and August 6, 2025.)
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 late August and mid-October 2023 with the next one coming between August 6 and September 22, 2025.)
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 with the next one coming between September 22 and November 4.)
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 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 between early January and mid 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 February 12 through March 22.)
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 just re-set between March 22 and April 30, 2024.)
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 Do Mars Oppositions Teach Us?
The Sun conjunction with Mars began a new cycle at 26 Scorpio in November 2023, and went through 3 oppositions with Pluto between October 2024 and late April 2025. It’s now moving forward to its next set of oppositions to Saturn and Neptune in early Aries in August, followed by its opposition to Uranus in November. So while it’s in a closing phase with Pluto through late January 2026, it’s still opening its cycles with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
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.)
From Here We Move On
Mars now initiates a new focus wherever we have Virgo, and further develops all the other conjunction cycles it set into motion in 2024. Of special note was its transit of late Taurus in July 2024 as it activated the April Jupiter conjunction with Uranus at 22 Taurus, promising a new time, new way, and new day for everyone.
This is going to activate our V irgo sectors in a big way, so get things in motion and you might be surprised at how much you get done. Try not to get aggravated about little details or inconsistencies, and try to allow for imperfections (even those you know you’ll have to try to correct.) When in doubt, show divine discernment, knowing the priority of things and what’s core vs what’s peripheral.
Looking Back - 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 was 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-entered Aquarius again in January 2024, we had Mercury conjunct Pluto at 1 Aquarius in early February, followed by Mars and Venus both making conjunctions at that exact degree on Feb 13 and 17 respectively. This are bringing new power to the initial pulse launched at the Grand Mutation in December 2020.
Copyright © 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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