http://astrobuss.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/song-of-mars/

The most significant characteristic of this Mars Retrograde Period is it’s entanglement with Jupiter and the Uranus-Pluto Square.

Retrogrades, Repeating Events, and the Can-Opener:  Remember that when a planet entangles with another during a Retrograde Period, it usually makes the same angle with the other planet three times.  The first event we’ve called the “Can-Opener” because it pops the lid off of some drama we’ve been keeping in the basement, usually catching us off guard and throwing us out of our comfort zone.

The Can-Opener is usually the meat of an issue.  The other two recurrences are much less memorable, unless we’re in the habit of counting our Blessings, of course.  In this case, the Exposition or second pass for all three Cycles – Mars-Uranus, Mars-Pluto, and Mars-Jupiter – occurred at the same time, in April.  How was that for you?

The Exposition and Confidence-Builder:  The second pass we’ve called the “Exposition” because the same drama recurs, but this time it unfolds more slowly, giving us the opportunity to practice our skills at dealing with it.  The third time is the “Confidence-Builder,” because now when the drama comes back we deal with it pretty easily, having extended our comfort zone by learning and practicing new skills.

Responsibility:  All this assumes that we’ve taken Responsibility for it at the Can-Opener, or at least during the Exposition (often we’re too off-guard at the Can-Opener to be present with Responsibility.  That’s not Blame, that’s the willingness and ability to Respond, as opposed to being the Victim of the drama.  The longer we delay taking Responsibility, the more adamant is the Universe at rubbing our face in the issue.

Stations:  Between each of these three events the offending planet is Stationary.  That is, the soon-to-be-Retrograde planet passes the other one once going forward (Can-Opener), then it Stations and turns Retrograde, then it backs up and passes the second time going backward (Exposition), then it Stations and turns Direct again, before finally crossing the entangled planet for the third time (Confidence-Builder).  And as we’ve said, the offending planet is strongest when it’s Stationary.

Pictures at an Exposition:  So we might see the Exposition itself as occurring in three stages, once at the Retrograde Station, again at the second crossing, and finally at the Direct Station.  That gives us five events, and five is the number of Learning.

So just what is it we’re likely to be learning here?

The Mars-Uranus Can-Opener occurred around Christmas (2013).  It was an Opposition, a minor culmination of the Mars-Uranus Cycle that began in March 2013 at 9 of Aries, “A Crystal gazer: The development of an inner realization of organic wholeness.”

Sabian Symbols:  In the same way that each astrological Sign has a flavor or meaning, each degree of the zodiac, all 360 of them, has it’s own flavor!  The flavor or deep meaning of an individual degree is called its Sabian Symbol.  We put it in quotes and italics, and often amend it with Dane Rudhyar’s expansion on it from his book An Astrological Mandala.

Is there a part of yourself that’s been brewing for a little over a year, that has to do with integrating various parts of your Life, and that allows you to bring more of your Passion into the pursuit of your Deepest Desires?  Or at least a strengthening drive to seek your Passion or Follow your Joy?  Maybe some issue or decision or process that was lit up last Christmas?  You could easily have breakthroughs here.

The Mars-Pluto entanglement here is a Waning Square.  Its Can-Opener was during the last few days of 2013, and this Cycle began in late November 2012, at 9 of Capricorn, “An Angel carrying a harp: The revelation of the spiritual meaning and purpose at the core of any life situation.”  Mars-Pluto usually doesn’t screw around, so this sounds like it’s right out of Pi’s playbook around Responsibility.

Squares – the Motivators:  A Square between two planets – when one is a quarter of the way round the loop from the other – I’m sure you know by now if you’ve been reading for long, is an Angle symbolizing Mastery through Challenge.  The Waning Square is the time of debriefing, for reviewing what we’ve experienced and learned, so we can be sure to take it with us when we leave.  The Waxing Square is when a Cycle’s Song gets into the elevators, or the Energy becomes permanent.  Prior to the Waxing Square, the Song was mostly in the background.

Remember Northern Winter Solstice 2012, when the Mayan Calendar ended and Pi replaced Gaia as the Goddess inhabiting the Earth?  Seems like only yesterday, right?  Whoa, no way.  That was lifetimes ago in subjective time.  Can you detect a qualitative difference in your own Life?  This is a real good time to Pay Attention to what’s Changed, what hasn’t Changed, and what still need to Change.

The Mars-Jupiter Cycle began in July 2013, and hit the Can-Opener of its Waxing Square in January of this year.  The Initiation was at 6 of Cancer, “Game Birds feathering their nests: An instinctual dedication of self to new forms of life.”

There are new stages of your Life being born here.  Do you feel them?  Are they part of your own Intention, or are they being forced upon you?  Are you Resisting?  (It’s futile, y’know.) 

Meanwhile, Mars has also been dancing with Vesta, Ceres, and the North Node.  Mars came sashaying right up to all three of them in late February, but stopped a few degrees shy of overtaking them, as they all turned Retrograde at one big party around March 1.  In July, once Mars gathers momentum again, it will overtake these three and Initiate new Cycles.  So there are a number of Energies that are fading into history here.  Probably wouldn’t hurt to talk more about those too, as we’ll be Intuiting those Futures too here at the Mars Station.  But we’ll do that later; for now…