3 Things Mars And Mercury In Retrograde Can Teach You This Fall
Foreword by: Nikita Mehta
Article by: Natha Campanella
I feel like these days, every time we turn around, something is in retrograde. Mercury is in retrograde so I am about to get into a fight with my boyfriend and my computer will die. Mars is in retrograde, so does that mean I am going to be angry all the time?
Can I be honest? Before a few years ago, I didn’t really even understand this whole ‘retrograde’ phenomenon. I wanted to be an astronaught when I was younger so I had enough knowledge to know that there was no actual retrograde movement of planets in the solar system. Yet, every few months my yogi people would start fretting about mercury going into retrograde and the shadow period and I would just nod my head and fein understanding. Don’t lie, we’ve all done it.
There is nothing better than having a resident astrologer to explain all of the sextiles and squaring of planets, and of course what retrograde means for each planet. I met Natha Camanella via a free Mercury in retrograde workshop that she held a few months ago and ended up watching the replay 20+ times so that I could take meticulous notes. Even though the article below is based on retrogrades that ‘end’ on November 3rd, the information is priceless. Expect to see a lot more articles from this magical astrologer!
3 Things Mars and Mercury in Retrograde Can Teach You This Fall
By Natha Campanella
Most of us would like a guarantee that things will be good, even when life is a mystery.
But it’s not so easy to feel that trust, especially when our ego is busy distracting us with reminders of failure, admonitions to "behave", and stories about the way people judge us. Add to that any emotional stress that causes real-time suffering in the form of fear, anxiety and comparison.
True, we’re in a strange season of life right now- nothing is certain. We’re learning to navigate our wild world in new ways. Astrologically though, we have some support in the form of transits that help us become more self-aware and conscious of the things that impact our nervous systems.
Enter the retrograde transits of the planets Mars, and Mercury.
When you hear the word “retrograde” do you freak out? Meme culture has perpetuated the idea that when a planet goes retrograde all hell breaks loose, but that’s not exactly accurate.
When a planet goes retrograde, it appears to turn and begin moving backward in the sky. During these transits, life brings you situations and relationship dynamics that ask you to revisit, revise and re-think what you’ve been doing (in other words, you get to “go back” too). Retrograde periods can be incredibly enlightening and healing if you’re willing to see your behavior patterns that don’t feel good anymore.
Let’s talk about 3 things that retrograde Mars and Mercury are here to teach you about this fall:
1. How to have better boundaries
Mars is the planet of physical and sexual energy, decision making, anger and assertion/aggression. Mars goes retrograde September 28th- November 14th 2020, and it’s happening in the sign of Aries (the sign it rules) which heightens our reactivity. Aries is a fire sign that teaches us about our own strength. When we’re embodying the healthy side of Aries, we learn to be assertive, confident and loyal to ourselves. The distorted side can make us combative, aggressive and compulsive.
As a general rule, when Mars is in Retrograde, repressed anger will rise to the surface to be processed. If you’re curious about the origins of your anger, you’ll get insight into why you repressed it in the first place. Anger is often connected to our boundaries; we tend to repress our anger when we’re scared to say no, or we use anger to make a firm boundary.
While Mars is in retrograde, contemplate some of these questions:
With whom would I like to have more of a voice?
Where have my boundaries been crossed?
What would it take to feel more alive and vibrant in my life?
Do I feel like I am heard and respected?
Am I respecting my libido, sexual desire and sexual boundaries, in ways that feel good to me?
2. How to communicate more clearly and effectively
Mercury is a planet of the mind and the nervous system. It rules communication, human connection and perception. When it’s in Retrograde October 14th- November 3rd, you may begin to see poor communication habits, missed connections and skewed perceptions more clearly. Mercury begins the retrograde journey in Scorpio, but will go back into Libra, so you’ll feel the influence of both signs.
Scorpio is a mysterious water sign, associated with things you may prefer to keep hidden… like defense mechanisms, irrational fears and negative patterns. Ultimately, when a planet is in the sign of Scorpio, there’s a connection to secrets being revealed, and the truth coming out.
During the Scorpio part of this retrograde (October 14th- 27th), prepare for some relentlessly honest and possibly dramatic feedback, regarding the ways in which you open up (or clam up), listen (or refuse to hear), and work (or hardly work) to understand others.
While Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, explore whether any of these themes are relevant to your life:
Resentments. Things you’ve been mad about for a long time but have held in
Shared resources. Does someone owe you money? Are there debts you need to repay? Legal agreements you need to revise?
Insights. Clarity about people that show you the truth of who they really are
Sexual disempowerment. If it exists, how can you take your power back and advocate for what you want and need?
Secrets. Truths that are revealed and shared. Smoke and mirror situations become obvious
3. How to create more balance in your relationships
Libra is a partnership-oriented air sign. With Libra, you want to find balance in your partnerships; you want to keep the peace. This means you may have to come to terms with how to please yourself and your partner, and it may feel complicated.
When Mercury enters Libra, (October 29- November 3rd) the communication work shifts gears into relationship themes. This will give you the opportunity to look at your relationships in new ways.
What kinds of conversations are you “attracting”? Are they open and honest, or closed off and shut down?
There are 2 sides to every relationship story- are you seeing both, or just one?
Do your relationship feel balanced or unsteady?
The biggest thing to remember during powerful retrograde transits is that people or external circumstance may be the catalysts for your lessons, but you’re the student, and these things are here to enlighten you in some way (if you let them!).
Know that you may feel the energy of these transits for several weeks after they end, so try to be curious about what they’re showing you about your life, instead of resisting or feeling victim to them. If you can do that, you’ll be rewarded with profound awareness about how to navigate boundaries, communication and relationships more effectively.
