At the beginning of Virgo season, I was the most productive I've been all year. I could handle multiple work tasks at once, I didn't put off washing the dishes, I took better care of myself, and I felt unstoppable. But then Mars retrograde came on Sept. 9. Suddenly, everything felt overwhelming. I didn't feel as motivated to work and my apartment started looking like Gretchen's in You're the Worst.
You've likely heard of Mercury Retrograde before and dread its arrival, but Mars Retrograde is also prone to causing some trouble. So what does Mars retrograde actually mean?
To understand it better, BuzzFeed spoke to astrologer Adama Sesay, creator of LilithAstrology.com, to explain it all.
"Mars is the planet of action, how to get things done, our passion, how we do things. It's how you physically get things done and the amount of energy you have to get things done. It rules things like your temper, so people who have certain Mars get angrier than others. It also rules our sex drive," she explains.
mars retrograde said:
"That's Mars in general. Then Mars rules the signs Aries and Scorpio. When Mars was direct, prior to September 9th, it went retrograde, it was in its best position it can be in. People may have noticed. I definitely noticed, that I was really doing a lot, working hard. A lot of assignments came on me towards the end of the month when we were in the thick of that. People may have noticed that they wanted to take outward action to get things done. They may have been more aggressive. I mean, we saw a lot of aggression just in the media and just explosive things happening. That's really Mars and Aries. Aries is also a fire sign and this is a very intense placement."
If you've been feeling a slowdown in productivity, there's a reason for this. "In general, retrogrades in astrology turn the energy inward and the energy is focused on the inner being and the person, versus the exterior," clarifies Adama.
my two moods this Mars retrograde
"When you have Mars going retrograde, it focuses all the energy in size and inward. Anything that you want to get done taking a very intense approach about it, you may feel like you're just kind of spinning your wheels and just causing yourself more stress. You just kind of feel like things are moving slower and you can experience the slowdown of action in whatever area of life it's happening for you."
Adama gave a great tip on how to work with this lack of energy and not let it stop you from thriving at work. "Just in general, I've noticed when I don't try too hard to get things done, and I give myself breaks, and I take time to meditate, and I take time out for myself, I find that releasing that attachment to things getting done really helps during this time," she says.
And really, the slowdown isn't all that bad. It's a reminder to give ourselves a break. We need it after such a tough year! "This is the time to take to restore ourselves and rejuvenate ourselves. We've been through a lot this year and it's kind of the universe's path to take things easy and really look inward and focus on yourself," she explains.
If you're single, I know you're likely wondering how this will affect your love life. It's cuffing season and the pandemic somehow doesn't seem to have slowed down many from going back on the dating apps and trying to look for a special someone. Adama says that if you're a Libra or Aries, you'll feel the effects of Mars retrograde on your love life the most.
Adama also points out that romantically, all signs will be affected one way or another, but you can use this time to examine what you need in order to be happy.
One thing to look out for is that both Mars and Mercury will be in retrograde at the same time, starting Oct. 14 until Nov. 4. I know, I know – it sounds scary as hell. However, Adama says there's a silver lining. "When Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio, it's going to bring up some hidden things that some people don't want to deal with, and we're going to have to deal with them. It's going to dredge up some hidden truth in the collective, meaning in the world," she says.
Once both Mars and Mercury are in retrograde, it can feel very overwhelming, but Adama has some advice on how to survive through it. "Move with your body and make sure you're not over exhausting yourself, but try to launch as much as you can now, or do, or sign by because it's better for listing when mercury is retrograde and you can really use a Mercury Retrograde for and all the little small things that can happen. Like miscommunication."
