Mars Retrograde Opposite the Sun: the Full Moon of the Mars Cycle

Hey everyone. This is Adam Elenbaas from Nightlight Astrology. Today we're going to take a look at Mars Retrograde opposing the sun, which is something like the full moon of the Mars cycle. I'm going to show you why and unpack the different dimensions of the cycle and how you can identify them. And then we're going to look at five things to watch for given this Mars Sun opposition that we're experiencing this week. So that is our agenda for today.

 

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Okay, on that note, let's turn our attention to the real time clock, and we are going to start by tracking Mars's cycle and kind of going back in time. So what I'm going to do here is, first of all, I'm going to remove everything from our perspective, except for the sun and Mars, so that we can look back on the Sun Mars cycle and really understand it.

 

So you can see today, this is Tuesday January 14, that by tomorrow, Wednesday, January 15, the sun will be opposite Mars in the sign of cancer. So Capricorn cancer access, being highlighted. Of course, we know we just had our full moon yesterday in the sign of cancer. So the full moon also amplifying the tension across the Capricorn cancer access. We talked about that yesterday too.

 

Now this is something like the full moon of the Mars Retrograde cycle. But in order to really illustrate what I mean by that, I'm going to take this back in time so that we can go back to the start of Mars's cycle. Now, the start of the cycle between any planet, the Synodic Cycle between any planet, superior planet in the sun, begins when the sun conjoins that planet. This is something that we're going to see happening.

 

Here we go. So here is the conjunction between the sun and Mars that was taking place late November of 2023 so this was, you know, well, over more than a good more than a year ago. Right now, we were so it was, yeah, it was like November of 2023 so that, what is that like, a year in a couple months? So the conjunction between the two planets occurred in Scorpio.

 

Now, this conjunction occurs from the sun to Mars, because the sun is faster than Mars. That's the same for Jupiter and Saturn. And so Mars, Jupiter and Saturn's cycles all mirror one another in so far as they follow the same pattern. And so let's watch what happens after the sun conjoins Mars. And I'll break down the meanings of these here in a bit. But Sun conjoins Mars, and then the sun, being the faster moving planet, is going to move out in front of Mars, and once it gets about 15 degrees of separation, you're going to see that like right about here.

 

This was early January of 2024 about a year ago, Mars started appearing as the morning star. And we can see that that's the case, because if we advance this around the wheel, you're going to see that in the oops. Here we go. So there we are. So you'll see here that Mars is rising in the east prior to the sun, so Mars, rising in the east prior to the sun, as it appears, within an average distance of about 15 degrees from the sun, changes Mars into a morning star.

 

Now that phase will last a while, but the distance between the Sun and Mars will continue to grow as the sun is fast moving planet and keeps moving out farther and farther. Now I'm going to take this forward by weeks, because this will take a little while. So you'll see the distance keeps growing between them. You get more and more signs away from one another. And then what's interesting is when the sun gets into the position of a whole sign. Trine. So here you can see it can be by degree. It can be by whole sign. Once the sun gets into the trine with Mars after the conjunction, right around that time, we will see the superior planet, in this case, Mars stationing.

 

So here's Mars at five, Leo, late November, and you'll notice that just after that Trine is made, here we are in December 6, and Mars is stationing and then turning retrograde. So that's always the way you can identify when a planet, a superior planet, like Mars Jupiter or the or Saturn, is going to turn retrograde after the conjunction, when the sun gets to the first Trine, right around that time, you'll see the superior planet station and turn retrograde.

 

Now that retrogradation is going to continue, and the next major thing that happens in that retrogradation is the opposition with the sun. This is why I say that it's something like the full moon, because we're about halfway through the cycle between the two planets. So when this occurs, just like the moon opposite the sun is the full moon. This is something like the full moon moment of the retrograde cycle.

 

So now, if we continue to watch this play out after the separation occurs, the sun will keep humming along. And then notice here it's in the sign of Pisces. And it's in the sign of Pisces it is now, excuse me, in whole sign trine to Mars degree based Trine or whole sign, remember so as it's starting to make the Trine, notice that Mars is stationing. And this will happen again in the waning Trine, the second Trine of the cycle, after that full moon moment when Mars is ready to turn direct.

 

Now So Mars stations turns direct, and now you're going to see that the distance between the planets is growing less as the sun is starting to catch up again. If we keep taking this forward, we're going to see that. Let me take it by weeks now we're going to see that the next conjunction will occur as the next major part of the cycle. So here is the sun. Here we go. So you can see that it's creeping along and making the conjunction by about January of 2026 so the next conjunction occurs 2026 this from conjunction all the way through the following conjunction is, you know, just like around three years.

 

So if we back this up, you know, one two. And let's go back just a little bit here, and you'll see November 2023, there's that conjunction. So again, yeah, it's, it's, oh, did I say three years? I think I meant a little over two. Let me see here, where was I? When? The where am I when? The sorry, guys, I just goofed up. All right, we'll back up a little bit. It's just at the beginning of 2026 so it's a little over two years, because I just added the because it happened at the very end of 2023 and then it happens the conjunction occurs with Mars and the Sun in Capricorn in January of 2026 so it's just a little over two years. I apologize. I think I said three years.

 

So anyway, that is the cycle. Now let's talk a little bit about the two major parts of the cycle, the conjunction and the opposition. So I'm going to go back to 2023 again, where we had in November, the two planets come together in a conjunction around mid to late November. And you could do some tracking here, if you wanted to, you could take a look back at November of 2023 especially. With respect to the topics of Mars, to really get a feel for what was going on.

 

One thing, for example, that I noticed when I looked at this and preparing this talk, is that this is the time that I was leaving the gym, that I was going to and starting training with a new coach, the training that I was starting to do with this new coach, basically launched under the conjunction and you will often find that it is specific to the house that it lands in in your chart. So you could look at the house of Scorpio around late November of 2023 look at the topics about how. Course, you can think about the topics of Mars in general, though, and the conjunction between the two planets acts as something like a seating where we see the energies of Mars and the Sun, sort of merging together and representing a starting place, or an inceptional place, the start or seeding of something new.

 

Sometimes it's relatively unconscious. We don't really know where it's going. We don't even really recognize the new impulse that's taking shape. Yet it's happening in the dark. Mars is invisible, and so there's a kind of seating at the heart of the sun that may take a while to play out. And we may not even recognize this particular moment in late November in a particularly, you know, in a really conscious manner, however, kind of gestating from and coming forth from this conjunction, what we're looking for is the seating of new things relative to Mars, or, again, the topics of the house.

 

So, for example, when you put the sun and Mars together, you have things like clarity and action. So clear a clear and distinct sense of direction or action, you have the sun, which often represents purpose and our heroic ambitions and desire to accomplish something. And then you have Mars, which is the willpower, the courage, the perseverance, even the risk taking, qualities that we might need to call upon, the courage to do something that we see as rooted in the light clarity and ideal images that the sun often brings forth.

So a seeding point for Mars in the sun will often point toward a clear, direct sense of action or purpose. Now, again, because Mars is in the dark at this point, it doesn't always appear instantly. For example, what I find interesting is it took me three or four weeks after this point to actually make the decision to leave the gym that I was working at and start with a new coach, even though it was right around this time that something happened for me personally that made me realize it was ready. I was ready for a change. So keep that in mind. Sometimes these seeding moments take a little while to actually kind of solidify in a more conscious manner.

 

The other thing that can happen is anything with respect to willpower, dignity, pride, individuality, strength, and insofar as we are trying to cultivate or work with those qualities within our own character or psychology, the seeding point can be really important for that ongoing psychological, spiritual, personal development. So another way of thinking about it.

 

Now, let's take a look at the opposition, also working with things like anger, frustration, how we handle conflicts, what kinds of conflicts are somehow important? These are all things to also watch for. All right, let's go back to the Real Time Clock, and let's take a look at this Full Moon moment that we are experiencing.

 

So we're going to see that by tomorrow, January 15, the two planets will be coming through the opposition. I will stretch this out just a little bit so you can see the actual moment. It's in the evening. So if you're like me, you're in Central Time. It's like between eight and 9pm January 15, Wednesday evening that the two are exactly opposite. But let's spread this out and give it about three degrees of separation or so, and we're going to see this takes us through Friday, January 17, where the full moon is really sort of in effect all week.

 

So under the opposition, which is like a full moon, we see themes that are not totally, you know, they're not dissimilar from a full moon. The tension of opposites is often present at a full moon, because we reach a point of visible or creative manifestation or expression from the seeding point, and that means separation. One thing you could think about is there are several images that are all appropriate as like metaphors that come to mind.

 

For example, when a woman is initially pregnant, there's no signs of it, you can't tell when a woman is, like, fully pregnant, ready to go, you know. You can tell because her belly is full, you know. And so, you know, the very clear distinction that there is a mom and there is a baby, and they are two different things, and she is carrying the tension of those two different things in her body at the same time. And that's like the very like last, maybe the last month of pregnancy. You can see that, you know, so that's sort of like a full moon.

 

And a full moon, when it comes to karma, is sort of like there's this, there was this seed, and now it's grown into something full. But it has to differentiate. It has to come into being. It's ready to come into being. It's ready to be born, or to be made visible and manifest. And that carries a kind of tension. There's a kind of contractive pressure around the process of something manifesting that also has to separate, individuate or come apart from that which has held it and given it birth and shape.

 

So that kind of full moon moment, karmically speaking, you can also talk about as the tree that's now heavy with fruit. It's bearing fruit. You have to pluck the fruit off the tree. So there's something like a creative expression, a tension, a separation, all occurring at once. This is the process of creativity. So all karma really is, is choices that we make, and then actions and reactions and manifestations that blossom from choices and actions.

 

And we call this process fate, because it has an intelligence of its own that's very mysterious in the way that it plays out in the outcomes that are born from the seeds. And we study this in astrology, to be able to pick up on timelines of when certain kinds of actions and certain seeding points will manifest and so forth.

 

So for the sun Mars cycle, we're now at a point where, for example, there is maybe some healthy sense of individuating or individualizing that has happened relative that is happening relative to an earlier starting point. Again, you could trace it back to the late autumn of 2023 if you're in the northern hemisphere, this could result in things like reaching a peak point of creative accomplishment.

 

This could represent a moment where your creative direction that you took in the past, that you acted upon that clear sense of direction and purpose that you started following is reaching a point of greater manifestation and accomplishment at the same time, it can be a moment that results in sort of taking the fruit from a cycle and then having to individuate and go in a different direction.

 

So we're going to talk about five things to watch for now that can adequately represent this kind of karmic blossoming point for Mars and the Sun and both the tensions and creative expressions that come from it on an archetypal level. So let's turn now to five things to watch for.

 

First of all, the number one thing that can come up is remember that when Mars and the Sun come together, in some ways, we are trying to more clearly articulate and define our own direction and purpose. What is the clear path and actions that I want to take, and it can represent a seeding point with respect to what we want and how we're going to get it done.

 

It can also represent a starting point with respect to who or what we are allowing to act as guidance, leadership, direction or authority, with respect to our ambitions and path and life in general. And so at this moment, we may notice that conflicts with authority are arising as we are, perhaps more we're refining or reconsidering what we want or the direction that we're taking.

 

That halfway point of the cycle can represent a moment where we go, Okay, I've allowed myself to be led down a path in a certain direction, and now it is time to stop or change directions and split off from the voices of leadership, guidance, or the types of actions that have been, you know, dictating the course of my life right now.

 

So that can be a conflict with your own authority. It can be a conflict with other sources of authority. And there may be some need to defy or rebel or cut against or kind of work against the grain of something that has been like, like an a modus operandi, you know, like a program you've been running. There can also be a very clear sense of saying, thank you for what you've given me.

 

There's a great creative blossoming from, you know, like, if I'm thinking back to coaches, gym, programs, blah, blah, it's like, Oh, I've learned so much, and I'm taking a lot from it, and I'm going to even further refine and change courses or shift directions or something like that.

 

So we can also see that conflicts with authority or defiance may take place with respect to our own the roles that we play, for example, if you have any leadership responsibilities in the workplace, if you are a parent, or if you have a strategy that you've been implementing to try and get things done, you may find that this is a really important kind of crossroads for evaluating whether or not your strategy, your leadership qualities are working.

 

And so, how am I leading, how am I parenting, what strategies am I using and is it time to abandon? Some of them question, some of them allow some of them to bear their fruit and then set them down and try something different. So a reflection, a moment of reflection upon how we lead, how we parent, how we act, what strategy we use, how we attack something, you know, that kind of thing.

 

Now, there's a very specific way in which Mars, opposite the sun can represent deaths or challenges to father figures or leaders or CEOs or any kind of solar figures. This could be a health crisis for a father. This could be a father recognizing their limits and deciding they're ready to retire. This could be any number of things that represent an inflection point that usually is going to be like a healing crisis or a moment of challenge or difficulty, sometimes for leaders or father figures.

 

How you lead, why you lead, where you're what the direction of your leadership is going in as a parent, or in specifically, specifically here, like fathers, there can also be questions about the you know, Mars can be conflict, violence and competition, dealing with competitive fathers, dealing with narcissistic father figures, dealing with, you know, direct clashes with your father, that can be a real thing, and sometimes even health crises, or even if a father is ready to leave their body and move on to the next part of their soul's journey that can occur under such transits as well, just like sun opposite Saturn, a point of challenge or revision to plans or actions.

 

Kind of mentioned this already, but there's a way in which Mars and the Sun are always cooperating to plan out the sort of military strategy of our ambitions, our desires, our goals, are the competitive action oriented side of us, and this can be a point of challenge, revision, reflection with respect to plans, actions, strategies, approaches to things in general. Is this effective? Is it working? Am I getting what I want? Is it leading to where I want to go? What is ineffective, what is sort of weak sauce? This isn't working, you know, and why?

 

And then number five would be impediments, frustrations and direct challenges. Let's just say that the sun represents a nice, smooth course.

The sun rises, it culminates, and it sets. What a beautiful, you know, easy, sort of repetitive, predictable thing, the sun rising and setting. But within that clear course that in the sun also a source of life. You know, we associate things like the spirit and breath and vitality with the rhythm of the sun, with the easy flow of the sun.

 

When it meets in an opposition with Mars, we're talking about the challenges, frustrations, impediments, hurdles, difficulties, obstacles, the agitations, aggravations, the competitions, the power struggles that may come up somehow within us or with other people that feel like makes us feel like our path or our way forward is being thwarted or blocked.

 

And there's, you know, usually, a feeling of frustration, how, how am I supposed to move around this or deal with this or work with this challenge that's come up? And the creativity needed, the higher mindedness needed to be charitable and to somehow open our arms and accept that impediments arise and the ingenuity that we need to work around them can also be described by this kind of opposition.

 

People who are born with this opposition, for example, are often people who have overcome incredible challenges and who have dealt or worked through frustrations of the ego or of purpose and have learned to cultivate the right relationship with willpower, usually through different kinds of difficult feelings, like not being noticed or not being taken seriously, or maybe being domineering or thinking that you're more important than you are, and having to go through experience of humility without losing your sense of importance, right?

 

So all of those kinds of tensions and challenges can be depicted by Sun opposite Mars in a natal chart, but these are the kinds of impediments or frustrations to ego, will, purpose, action, direction that can come up and temporarily be very agitating. At the same time again, when we sort of accommodate, and we say, okay, reality includes this, and I have to find room in my heart to and stay curious and open and humble and accepting and loving the we meet the challenge with some kind of joy and acceptance.

 

It shifts everything, and often the impediment, it is a part of a greater process of manifestation, which is also reflected by this kind of full moon moment. So remember those things, because it can be a challenging transit at times.

 

I'm going to leave it there and hope that this serves you well. If you would like to attend this week's webinar, be sure to check out the Live Events page. We're going to talk about Saturn Neptune and Aries, major transit. That's this year and next year, conjunct, the conjunction between those two planets.

 

We're going to talk about what's happened under the previous three, two or three Saturn Neptune conjunctions, what to watch for, and what kinds of things are going to be coming up for us personally with this conjunction. So I hope to see you there, and we'll be back again tomorrow, see you later. Everyone, bye.