Mars Retrograde Opposite Pluto: 5 Things to Watch For

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Hey everyone. This is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology. Today we're going to take a look at Mars in Leo retrograde, opposing Pluto in Aquarius. These two planets got together a few months ago in an opposition, and we are going to now be looking at the second part of their connection.

Today, I'll also outline for you the final connection that will come after Mars has finished its retrograde and is back in direct motion again. So we'll kind of review the overall timeline of these three Mars-Pluto oppositions that are part of Mars's total cycle here with its retrograde. Then, I'll give you five things to watch for today, given the Mars-Pluto opposition. So that is our agenda for today.

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Alright, let's take a look at the real-time clock and refresh on the nature of this transit. Here we are on Thursday, January 2, and Mars is opposite Pluto. This retrograde transit has been applying for a little bit pretty closely because Mars turned retrograde around five degrees of Leo — five or six or more, correctly. So, the opposition here is forming today into tomorrow, January 2 and 3. We feel that opposition now.

That opposition will then be present all the way up until about January 6, when Mars retrogrades into the sign of Cancer. The opposition between Mars and Pluto can be felt in a lot of different ways. It is a transit that is very powerful. People often get quite freaked out by Mars-Pluto oppositions, understandably. There are some things to watch for that we'll talk about today that can be difficult, but this opposition can also be highly transformative and can really help us push through things we've been stuck with.

In terms of pushing through blocks — let's call them — it’s a good transit for that. Let’s look at the timeline, though. If we back this up a little bit, the opposition between these two planets, which came at the very last degrees of Cancer and Capricorn, happened about November 3. So you can see, here's the opposition we experienced at the very beginning of November. That opposition was in Cancer and Capricorn, so a little different sign signature here.

But now we see this retrograde opposition, and then, if we track this forward a little bit, Mars will be in Cancer retrograde all the way up until about late February — about the 23rd, when it stations direct. After it turns direct, Mars will come back through the sign of Cancer into Leo, and will make the opposition one last time around April 25-27. During those three days, Mars will be in a very tight opposition with Pluto once more.

So, this opposition that we're dealing with right now has a kind of echo point through direct motion in late April. We are going to keep that in mind, because there is likely going to be a connection between the events happening right now and the events of late April. So, keep that in mind.

Now, here are five things to watch for. By the way, you may notice my content is a little bit condensed and shorter this week. That’s because I’m just taking a moment to rest and reset myself for a new year of content. I usually tone it down a little bit during the first week of the year and try to rest a bit more. The kids are off from school, so I try to hang out with them a little more. More full-bodied content will return next week, just so everyone knows.

So, five things to watch for. The first thing that’s very Mars-Pluto is going to be power struggles and conflicts. This textbook Mars opposite Pluto gets into whose power is the most powerful. Who’s going to win? Some power struggles and conflicts are inevitable and necessary — faded and destined. They help us build things like confidence, develop boundaries, recover lost self-esteem, and help us say, “No, I’m not going to be a doormat.”

All of those empowering kinds of themes around Mars-Pluto can be a very good and healthy part of the kinds of conflicts and power struggles we encounter right now. But I don’t want to say it’s all bad. However, if you can avoid power struggles and conflicts because you see them coming — you see them brewing — you see yourself reacting and wanting to win, or you see yourself being triggered by someone else’s attitude or behavior, and you're like, “Ah, I’m going to flip out and get into a big fight with someone” — you don’t have to.

We can also imagine right now that some of us may have a choice, and some of us may not. Maybe it’s destined, but if you do have a choice, how do you want to handle conflict? Mars retrograde in the mix of this is a great opportunity for us to look at how we manage or handle conflict and just do it differently. I don’t have to do the same old thing. I don’t have to get into the same old conflicts I’ve gotten into before. Or I can handle a conflict differently. So watch for the theme of power struggles and conflicts, and think about how you want to engage with this moment if one is starting to appear.

Number two would be motivation and breakthroughs. When Mars opposite Pluto takes place during Mars retrograde, it could be that you are finding motivation or are able to move through something that has been stuck or blocked or sort of inert. Maybe you’re trying something new, or considering a different perspective, or taking up a new approach that allows you to gather momentum and create some new motivation.

Finding yourself breaking through something where you've been stuck previously, Mars-Pluto can be tremendously empowering. It’s like the pressure that forces something to move through a constrictive space, and it can be very eruptive and cathartic. Sometimes, people like to associate this kind of transit with something like the Tower card because it can feel destructive.

But I also think about a Mars-Pluto opposition as providing the opportunity for greater motivation and the intensity, perseverance, courage, and determination to break through in an area where we've been stuck. There’s an eruptive force of willpower, strength, confidence, and courage that can help us break through a place we’ve felt blocked, and that’s a great piece of a Mars-Pluto opposition.

We may also notice just eruptions of Mars energy. Suddenly, we feel hot, angry. Suddenly, we get a fever. Suddenly, there’s an agitation on our skin. You may just notice the hot, fiery qualities of Mars dealing with the feeling of not being able to do something. Retrogrades can frustrate a planet, so eruptions of Mars energy with Mars retrograde opposite Pluto could mean there’s an eruption of frustration. There’s an eruption of things impeding, blocking, and frustrating your will or path forward.

So watch for eruptions of Mars energy to appear. And the question again becomes, how do I manage, handle, or channel this in the right direction? Also, just forgive yourself.

If Mars energy erupts, it's kind of like, "tis the season." You know, it happens, and if it does, can I be kind to myself? Can I just allow for the okay that that came through? What can I learn from it? How would I do it differently next time? But don't beat yourself up too much if you suddenly deal with a wave of intense frustration or irritation, or if you're a little snippy. You know, that can happen under a transit like this.

Also, so too can the feeling of, "I'm going to start something new." Mars loves to initiate new things, new activities. It is inceptional in that regard. And so, the inceptional energy of Mars opposite Pluto can have you feeling ready for something. "I'm going to do something. I’m going to act and maybe start something." Mars loves to start things.

Number four would be personal versus collective tensions. Remember, we have the Leo-Aquarius axis activated for this, and that means the tension between these two places can be really intense. The collective energy of Pluto in Aquarius may have you feeling like you're getting squashed into a category rather than being seen as a person. Individuals can be seen in terms of the way they best benefit or harm a group, or a group could be seen as something that is a threat to an individual.

The tension between the personal tendencies of Leo and the collective tendencies of Aquarius may be in sharp conflict right now. How do you handle that conflict? Maybe you handle it differently because Mars is retrograde. There’s an opportunity to reflect and revisit the way you deal with collective pressures that are a reality for all of us, versus the way you carry yourself as an individual. So, watch for those tensions either way.

Number five would be revisions or healing around anger and fathers, in particular, with Mars Retrograde. I wonder about generational healing trauma from the past with respect to things like dads or authority figures. That’s a big part of Leo, of course, being the sign of the Sun, and also just anger in general.

I think most of us feel uncomfortable wielding anger because it burns us as much as it can burn other people. There’s a feeling like, "I better just not touch this." But anger is also something that we have to have a relationship with, and we have to know how to work with it in the right way. Mars Retrogrades are a great opportunity for us to reflect upon our relationship with anger, frustration, irritation, and also passion—all kinds of fiery energies that there’s an opportunity to refine our relationship with.

I’ll never forget Thich Nhat Hanh wrote a book about anger, and I read it at a time in my life when Saturn was opposing my natal Mars. I was going through a period where it just felt like, "Oh my gosh, I feel so agitated." Anyway, this was a particularly acute transit around that topic for me, because it was Mars. I remember reading his book about anger, and he talked about how there’s a tiger inside of you, and you have to develop a relationship with it.

If you starve it, if you don’t feed it, it gets meaner. So, there’s this weird way in which we need to understand the energy and have a right relationship with it. I couldn’t possibly tell you what that is, because I’m still working on it, you know? I’m sure we all are. But is this an opportunity where we can deepen our relationship with that energy and become wiser about it? We feel anger, but what do we feed it? How do we let it express? That’s important.

I even remember Mr. Rogers saying to little kids, "You must feel really angry right now, huh?" Just validating it. Like, if Mr. Rogers validates a child's anger, you know, what does that say about its existence? That it’s bad and should be done away with? That a kid should feel ashamed for feeling it? That doesn’t help my kids, I can tell you that. And it doesn’t help me. Even though I’m an adult, I still need to be able to validate the emotions I feel and work with them.

Starting with validation and acceptance goes a long way when it comes to difficult Mars transits. If we can accept what’s happening rather than immediately react against it in an oppositional struggle, then the nature of the struggle we have is just held differently. It doesn’t go away, but it’s held differently.

So anyway, things to consider. I hope you guys are having a nice start to your year. Thanks again for supporting the Kickstarter campaign. If you missed any of the sales and want to take advantage of them, head over to the Kickstarter through the website, nightlightastrology.com. You’ll see the 2025 Kickstarter link there.

Alright, have a great day, everyone. Bye.