Take Two: Mars in Gemini 2022 - 2023, Part 1

Mars entered Gemini on August 20, 2022, beginning an extended stay in the sign of the twins. Mars usually stomps through a sign in about six weeks, but when he retrogrades the timeline is greatly extended. This time around, he’ll stay in Gemini until March of 2023. We’ll have more to report as he begins, and then ends, his retrograde.

Mars in Gemini likes to get things done verbally, and we’ll see some heated conversations. As is typical of any planet in the dual sign, Mars can take both sides of the issue. Vacillation is one possible outcome, but so is outright deception and duplicity - a few tall tales are okay with the Cosmic Warrior, as long as it helps to accomplish his goals. 

A flexible approach to sexuality is also typical of Mars in Mercury’s home sign, and he likes variety, whether that means mixing things up with one partner or finding multiple partners. Don’t get too excited, though, as Mars retrogrades are considered a poor time to begin a new sexual relationship (although going back to an old one is fine).

Since he’s spending so long in the sign, Mars will make many connections as the inner planets move more swiftly around the zodiac. He’ll also make aspects to Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune - in fact, several times to each as he moves back and forth through the sign. That suggests that whatever happens early in his stay will be subject to refinement and revision over the coming months: take a tentative approach to whatever emerges before his station retrograde on October 31st.

The first connection Mars makes is a square to the Sun on August 27th, just before the new moon in Virgo. The quiet time of the lunar cycle could feel a little prickly, but Mars can help us to set new goals for the rest of the year.

Mars goes on to sextile Jupiter, who’s opposing Mercury, on September 1st. There’s good opportunities for communication and connection, but with both Mars and Mercury soon to be retrograding, we can expect that the full story is elusive. 

A square to partnership asteroid Juno on the 13th/14th suggests that there could be some tension between the Martial sex drive and the demands of our relationships. Venus is in the mix, too, opposing Juno (what we want and what we have may not jibe) before squaring Mars on the 16th.

That could signal some real relationship tensions around mid-month for some folks, although certainly not everyone will feel it. For those who do, be aware that a Sun-Neptune opposition at the same time could mean it’s too easy to make angels and demons out of ordinary people.

Mars takes a break for a couple of weeks, until September 28th, when he makes an easy trine to Saturn. For relationships and for everything, this is a productive aspect that can help us to multitask while maintaining focus. Alas, whatever we accomplish is challenged by the upcoming Mars retrograde, as well as Mercury’s pending station direct. We’ll likely get the next installment in late November, when the planets aspect again, but it could be next spring when the planets aspect again in Scorpio/Pisces that we get the final results of our actions.

Mid-October has a great deal of energy, as Pluto stations direct at the Aries Full Moon on the 8th/9th. In the midst of that powerful cosmic cocktail, Mars squares Neptune on the 12th, an aspect that tends to send folks off on crusades. Vulnerable relationships might be rocked by this strong but not necessarily realistic energy. A week later, on the 18th, Venus in Libra trines Mars, suggesting that an agreement can be brokered. However, just two days later the Goddess of Love squares Pluto, and power struggles could (re)emerge.

The end of October is a powderkeg, for relationships and everything else. Juno stations direc on the 25th, a day before the solar eclipse in Scorpio. Jupiter retrogrades back into Pisces on the 29th, and Mars stations to retrograde on the 30th. Mercury tries to help open lines of communication with a trine to Mars on the 26th, but a square to Pluto will present challenges. 

This is a good time to consider what you want and to observe the direction in which things are moving. Action might better wait for a more settled moment, although we might find ourselves wondering if the prevailing wisdom is “act in haste, repent at leisure” or “don’t get caught like a deer in the headlights”. 

We’ll cover the next installment of Mars’ journey through Gemini at the end of October.

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Image by Enrique Meseguer, Darksouls1, via Pixabay