Sometimes you don’t see you’re sinking with the weight of their worries. You don’t notice the water rising around you. Not until your arms ache, your lungs waterlogged, and the waves start swallowing you whole. By the time you realize you’re drowning, you're too tired to save yourself. Mars Retrograde in 2024 - 2025 was never meant to be gentle.

Mars retrograde in 2024–2025 began on December 6, 2024, in Leo, a sign of fire and dominion, and concluded on February 24, 2025, in Cancer, where fire meets water, where impulse is met with intuition.

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024. That was the first strike. The moment the match was lit. The heat before the flame. You may not have noticed it then - Mars retrograde is slow, the kind of slow that creeps in, settles under your skin, makes a home in your bones before you realize you’ve been burning from the inside out.

Then, on January 6, Mars slid back into Cancer. That’s when the fire met water. Steam, scalding. A smothering heat, not the kind that warms, but the kind that suffocates. The arguments that start from nothing, the anger you can’t explain, the exhaustion that isn’t just physical but ancestral. Cancer is not Mars’ natural terrain. Mars fights forward; Cancer fights backwards, sideways, through closed doors and hushed voices. Passive aggression as a battle tactic. Defensiveness as a shield. The battlefield isn’t out there - it’s in here, in the heart, in the home, in the memories that don’t fade no matter how many times you tell yourself you’ve moved on.

 Mars in Cancer doesn’t fight to win, it fights to protect. But sometimes, that means protecting wounds that should have healed by now.

Mars stations direct on February 23 at 17° Cancer. That’s the break in the storm. Not the sun shining through, not yet. But the moment you realize you’re still standing. The moment you take a breath that doesn’t taste like smoke. What was the fight for? What were you defending? And more importantly - what happens when you stop?

The last time Mars was retrograde in Leo was Dec 20, 2009. Same stars, different times. The last time Mars was retrograde in Cancer? Nov 15, 2007, and Nov 28, 1992, - Feb 15, 1993. Some of you weren’t even here yet. But if you were, what was happening then? What was shaping you before you even knew you were being shaped?

Mars retrograde forces a settlement with the past, with the ways we fight, with the energy we waste on battles that no longer need to be fought. The good news? This isn’t forever. The bad news? The hard part isn’t over. Not yet. But you’ve made it this far. And that means something.

After two months of retrograde motion, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer on February 23. Since Mars entered retrograde in December 2024, we’ve been retracing our steps, examining where our energy has been drained, where old battles have left scars, where we’ve been clinging to outdated modes of defense. Mars in Cancer fights in a different way, it doesn’t charge forward, it protects. It defends. It moves through emotion rather than logic, acting from the gut rather than the mind. Cancer, ruled by the Moon, is the sign of the home, the past, and ancestral memory. Here, Mars does not wield its sword, but rather guards the gates of the heart, fights for safety, and defends emotional territory.

During the retrograde, we’ve been dragged back through old battlefields, forced to revisit wounds that never quite healed, to question whether our instincts to fight, flee, or fortify have been serving us. Where have we exhausted ourselves defending something no longer worth the fight? Where have we built walls that now trap us rather than protect us?

Cancer is cardinal water. It initiates, but it does so through feeling, through intuition, through deep undercurrents that move unseen until they surge forth. Mars in Cancer reminds us that not all battles are won through brute force. Some wars are won by knowing when to fight, when to retreat, and when to let the tide wash it all away.

Mars remains in its post-retrograde shadow until May 2, meaning we will be integrating these lessons for months to come. 

Aries & Aries Rising

The battle is no longer external, it is within the walls of your home, your heart, your past. Mars, your ruling planet, has forced you to reckon with deep emotional wounds, ancestral memories, and unresolved family patterns. The walls you have built for protection may now feel like a cage. The fires of Mars in Leo ignited creative energy and personal ambition, but as the retrograde shifted into Cancer, it demanded that you turn inward, into the domain of your foundations. Who are you when the applause dies down? What parts of you exist when no one is watching?

This retrograde has been a confrontation with your own history, with the ghosts of childhood, with the deep-seated fears that still pull at your actions. Now, as Mars stations direct, you regain your strength, but with new wisdom: not all fights are worth it, and sometimes the strongest move is retreating to heal. You must ask yourself what parts of the past are still directing your present actions. Look back to 2007, to 1990. What did you learn then that you can use now?

As Mars moves forward, it’s time to build something new, but you cannot build a stable structure on a fractured foundation. The work is not in endless battle, but in conscious reconstruction. Home, family, and your inner sense of belonging must be reforged. This is your moment to reclaim what has been taken, to nurture the fire within rather than setting it loose without direction.

Taurus & Taurus Rising

Mars has stirred something deep in you, a need to examine the roots of your stability. The fires of Mars in Leo burned through your foundations, demanding you acknowledge ancestral and familial patterns. Then, as Mars retreated into Cancer, the battlefield shifted into your mind - your thoughts, your communication, your voice. The things you left unsaid, the words that could never be spoken, the emotional debris that lingers in every interaction. This retrograde was a slow, smoldering confrontation with the way you process emotion, the way you hold onto pain through language, the ways you silence yourself to keep the peace.

Now, as Mars stations direct, you emerge with a sharper, more defined voice. The pressure of past conversations, the weight of unsaid truths, all of it is lifted. You no longer need to carry every emotional burden alone. Look back to 2007, to 1990, what stories were shaping your world then? What truths remained hidden? This time, you speak. You release. You move forward, carrying only the words that matter.

Gemini & Gemini Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, setting fire to your 3rd house of communication, thought patterns, and daily interactions. Maybe you felt it as frustration bubbling under the surface, conversations that felt like battles. Mars in Leo wanted you to speak with confidence, to own your voice, but retrograde motion turned that fire inward. It made you second-guess yourself. Every miscommunication felt like a fight waiting to happen. When Mars retrograded into Cancer, into your 2nd house of self-worth, money, and stability. That’s when the fire met water. The frustration turned financial, personal, deeply internal. The things you thought you had started to feel uncertain. But this was never about what you have. It was about what you deserve. Mars retrograde has been forcing you to look at the stories you tell yourself about your value. Are you underselling your skills? Are you playing small because it feels safer? Are you fighting for scraps when you should be demanding more?

On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the pressure shifts. The fog begins to clear. You’ll start to see where you’ve been holding yourself back, not just in money, but in confidence, in voice, in the belief that you have something worth saying. This isn’t just about getting what you want. It’s about knowing you deserve it.

ou’ve been here before - look back to 2007, to 1990. What was being restructured in your sense of worth? This time, let the past inform your strength, not define it.

Cancer & Cancer Rising

Mars began its retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, lighting the match in your 2nd house of security, self-worth, and finances. Maybe it started subtly - a feeling of frustration with what you have, what you earn, what you feel you deserve. A questioning of stability. A push to redefine your resources, not just in terms of money, but in terms of self-respect. Mars in Leo wanted you to take up space, demand more, claim your worth. But retrograde motion turned that fire inward, making you irritated, doubting yourself, wonder if what you were fighting for was even possible. Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 1st house of identity, body, and self-expression. That’s when the fire met water.

The frustration turned personal. The exhaustion hit deeper. This wasn’t just about what you have - it became about who you are. Mars retrograde in your 1st house is no small thing. It’s anger, suppressed emotions, angry with all the ways you’ve had to bite your tongue or put yourself second. Why am I so defensive? You’ve likely felt it in your body. The tension in your shoulders, a heaviness in your chest, the exhaustion of carrying things that were never yours to hold. On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the pressure begins to ease. But this isn’t just a release - it’s a shift. A chance to reclaim yourself. You don’t have to carry every fight home with you. You are a creator, a force, a fire that doesn’t have to burn itself out just to be seen.

Leo & Leo Rising

Mars went retrograde in your sign on December 6, 2024, igniting your 1st house of identity, self-expression, and physical energy. At first, it may have felt like a false start—like you were ready to charge forward, only to be met with resistance. Not all fights are external. Sometimes, the battle is within. Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 12th house of the subconscious, endings, and hidden fears. That’s when the real work began. The battlefield moved inward. Mars stirred ghosts, unresolved fears, restless dreams. The past started speaking - through memories, through patterns, through emotions that felt too big, too raw, too familiar.

Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The patterns. The same fears, the same wounds, the same crossroads. But this time, you don’t have to repeat them. This retrograde wasn’t about action. It was about recognition. About seeing yourself, your past, your cycles with fresh eyes.

Virgo & Virgo Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, stirring up your 12th house of the subconscious, endings, and hidden fears. This was not a battle fought in the open. It was one waged in the quiet corners of your mind, in sleepless nights, in memories that resurfaced without warning. But retrograde motion made it hard to see clearly. The fire burned, too much smoke in your eyes. Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 11th house of friendships, community, and future aspirations. The battlefield shifted. The tension, the frustration - suddenly, it wasn’t just internal anymore. You may have felt disconnected from your social circles, your people, questioning who truly supports you. Were you outgrowing certain relationships? Were your long-term goals starting to feel misaligned? Mars retrograde in the 11th house forces a reckoning with the future. Not just where you’re going, but who’s coming with you.

This retrograde wasn’t about rushing forward. It was about recognition. About seeing where your energy has been drained, where your heart has been divided, where your future has been clouded by old fears. Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The same themes, the same questions, the same crossroads. But this time, you get to choose differently.

Libra & Libra Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, igniting your 11th house of friendships, community, and future aspirations. It may have started with a shift in your social circles, a growing frustration with the people you once relied on. Mars in Leo wanted you to take charge, to assert your place in the larger scheme of things. But retrograde motion twisted that fire inward. Instead of action, there was hesitation. Instead of belonging, there was questioning.

Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 10th house of career, public image, and long-term goals. What started as frustration with your social world became something bigger - a deeper questioning of your path, your purpose, your place in the world. Were you fighting for a vision that no longer fit? Were you chasing a version of success that no longer felt like yours? Mars retrograde in the 10th house brings professional delays, leadership conflicts, and a crisis of ambition. It forces you to ask: Am I climbing the right ladder, or have I been following a path that isn’t mine? On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the tension starts to break. But clarity comes with responsibility. You see the truth now. You know where you’ve compromised too much. You know what’s no longer working.

This retrograde wasn’t about failure, it was about recognition. About seeing where your energy has been drained, where you’ve been chasing external validation instead of internal fulfillment. Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The same themes, the same doubts, the same pivotal decisions. But this time, you get to choose differently.

Scorpio & Scorpio Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, setting fire to your 10th house of career, ambition, and public standing. The battlefield was your future, your name, your position at the table. You moved forward, but the ground crumbled beneath your feet. Recognition felt elusive. The harder you pushed, the more resistance you met. Authority - your own, or someone else’s - became a site of conflict.

Mars retrogrades are tests of endurance, and this one dragged you into the long game. The harder you fought, the less ground you gained. Maybe it wasn’t about force. Maybe it was about clarity, about seeing which battles were worth fighting and which were simply distractions. Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 9th house of belief, expansion, and higher knowledge. What did you believe in? What had all this effort been leading toward? Was it enough to succeed, or did you need something more? A purpose, a guiding principle, a vision that made the struggle worthwhile? The long hours spent questioning everything were not wasted. They burned away illusions, stripped the false from the real. On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the way forward begins to reveal itself. Not as a grand conquest, not as a battle to be won, but as a path to be chosen. The dust settles, the truth remains.

Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The same choices, the same power struggles, the same hunger for meaning. But this time, you don’t have to walk the same road.

Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, igniting your 9th house of expansion, belief, and higher learning. The battlefield was your worldview—the philosophies you lived by, the stories you told yourself about what was possible. You may have started this journey certain of your path, confident in your direction. But then, the road curved. The map no longer made sense. The harder you pushed, the less things moved. Plans stalled. Big ideas lost momentum. Travel, education, or spiritual pursuits - areas that once felt limitless - became sites of frustration. Mars in Leo wanted you to fight for your vision. What do I actually believe in? And is it still enough to carry me forward? Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 8th house of transformation, intimacy, and shared resources. No longer about ideals, but about survival. About trust. About what’s hidden beneath the surface. Maybe the roadblock wasn’t external after all. Maybe the real confrontation was with yourself - with the fears you hadn’t faced, the debts (literal or emotional) still left unpaid.

The 8th house is a deep well. Mars retrograde here is uncomfortable. It forces you to sit with what you usually run from, power dynamics, control, endings, losses that never fully healed. You may have felt financially or emotionally vulnerable. You may have had to let go of something you once clung to tightly. This was not just about belief, but about surrendering the parts of you that no longer fit the future you’re trying to create. On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the weight begins to lift. The fog clears, revealing what’s left. The version of you that remains is stronger, not because you fought harder, but because you let go of what was never truly yours.

Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The same questions, the same shadows, the same crossroads. But this time, you get to choose differently.

Capricorn & Capricorn Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, setting fire to your 8th house of transformation, shared resources, intimacy, and power. Mars in Leo wanted you to claim your power, to take control of what you share with others - your money, your trust, your vulnerability. But retrograde motion pulled you inward instead. Suddenly, things felt stuck. Financial tensions. Emotional entanglements. Power struggles that exposed unspoken truths. The fire burned, but in a way that made you question who truly holds the power, in your relationships, in your financial world, in your ability to let go or hold on. Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 7th house of relationships, commitments, and one-on-one dynamics.

The frustration you felt within became conversations that had to be had, boundaries that had to be drawn, betrayals that couldn’t be ignored. Were you fighting for a connection that no longer fit? Were you trying to maintain control in a situation where surrender was the real answer? Mars retrograde in the 7th house forces you to confront the power dynamics in your relationships, not just romantic, but business, friendships, family.

Have you been holding onto something out of fear rather than love? Have you been mistaking loyalty for obligation? Have you been shrinking yourself to avoid conflict, or have you been fighting battles that aren’t even yours to fight? On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the power struggles begin to ease. But clarity comes at a cost: now that you see things for what they are, what will you do about it? This retrograde wasn’t about endings, but about recognition. About seeing the invisible contracts you’ve been abiding by, the roles you’ve been playing out of habit rather than truth.

Look back to 2007, to 1990, what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The same wounds, the same struggles, the same crossroads. But this time, you get to choose differently.

Aquarius & Aquarius Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, setting fire to your 7th house of relationships, partnerships, and one-on-one dynamics. Maybe you felt it as tension building in your closest connections - an unspoken frustration, a growing impatience. Mars in Leo wanted you to fight for what you wanted in love, in business, in any relationship that holds weight in your life. But retrograde motion reversed the momentum. Instead of clarity, there was confusion. Instead of resolution, resentment. The fire burned, but not in a way that pushed things forward, more like a slow, smoldering unrest, waiting to be acknowledged.

Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 6th house of work, routines, health, and daily responsibilities. The battlefield shifted. The conflicts weren’t just about them anymore. They became about you - your energy, your time, your well-being. Suddenly, the tension seeped into your day-to-day. The exhaustion wasn’t just emotional anymore; it was physical, mental, deeply ingrained. Mars retrograde in the 6th house forces you to examine the ways you’ve been running on empty. Overcommitting. Overextending. Giving too much to relationships, to work, to everything except yourself.

Have you been fighting battles in your mind, in your body, in your habits, without even realizing it? Have you been telling yourself that once this is over, I’ll rest, but the end never seems to come?

This retrograde wasn’t about action. It was about realization. About seeing where your balance has been thrown off, where resentment has built up, where exhaustion has become a way of life. On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and clarity begins to surface. You’ll start to feel the difference between obligation and devotion. Between effort and sacrifice. Between what you have to do and what you choose to do. What if the way forward isn’t through force, but through release?

Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The patterns are there. The echoes. The same themes, the same struggles, the same choices. But this time, you don’t have to repeat them. You don’t have to prove your worth through burnout. You don’t have to fight for relationships that drain you.

Pisces & Pisces Rising

Mars went retrograde in Leo on December 6, 2024, igniting your 6th house of work, routines, and well-being. The battlefield was your body, your schedule, the endless to-do lists that never seemed to end. At first, it may have felt like just another push to keep going, to keep proving, to keep grinding. But then, something shifted. The harder you pushed, the more resistance you met. Exhaustion settled in. Frustration built. The systems you relied on, your habits, your discipline, even your motivation.. began to break down. Mars in Leo wanted you to conquer your daily life, but retrograde motion forced you to ask: is this even working for me anymore? Then, on January 6, 2025, Mars slid back into Cancer, into your 5th house of creativity, pleasure, and self-expression. Have you been living for obligation rather than inspiration? Have you forgotten how to create just for the sake of it? Have you been waiting for permission to fully express yourself?

On February 23, Mars stations direct at 17° Cancer, and the spark begins to return. The fire that once felt smothered starts to breathe again. But this isn’t just about reigniting your passion, it’s about protecting it.

Look back to 2007, to 1990 - what was happening in your life then? The echoes are there. The same struggles, the same longing for freedom, the same choice between survival and expression. But this time, you get to choose differently.