Mars, the planet of action, turns retrograde in the sign of Leo on December 20, 2009, just before the Winter Solstice on December 21. Mars is the energy that helps all of us go for it and express our desires. So when Mars travels retrograde; its excited, active energy becomes covert and calculated, its motives are hidden. When Mars is retrograde, everyone's thought patterns are more introspective and we tend to think about ways of acting on issues and concerns which relate to the sign involved.
Positively, Mars retrograde can give us a chance to think before acting; to assess our motives and aggressions before reacting; to find our inner demons and send them packing before they continue to interfere with our life.
Mars turns retrograde only once every two years and two months, but the effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which the retrograde happens. With Mars retrograde in Leo, people with Sun or Moon in Leo, or Leo rising, will be especially prone to such introspection. We will reconsider personal views and opinions about life, since it presents an opportunity to gain insight into unconscious motivations, the hidden motivations that cause us to act without thinking. Since Leo is a fixed Sign, the other fixed Signs, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius, will also feel the effects most keenly. Scorpio in particular is liable to conflict and headstrong behavior in the arena of career and public image, because Mars rules Scorpio.
Mars retro in Leo may generate an aggressive, egocentric mood, and those most affected may be inclined toward grandiose gestures and improbable schemes. Enthusiasm and inspiration, however, seem muted during this phase, as anxieties develop around image and ego-desires. This may not be the best time to start a new creative project, and if you do, you may abandon it or just lose energy for it when Mars stations direct. It is, however, a great time to complete long-term projects. Mars turns direct again on March 10, 2010, in the first degree of Leo.
