Sun-Mars opposition: Explosive energy

 

 

Mars is the planet of action and aggression. When Mars is retrograde, we may feel stifled, as though our desires and aspirations are hard to ignite. Pushing matters forward will take extra effort and we may not feel up for the task. During the retrograde phase, the point at which Mars reaches an opposition to the Sun is regarded by astrologers as as a momentous event which colors the period around it. This occurs on Jan 16. (Consider an orb of a few days around this significant date). 

The opposition externalizes interior energy which has been gestating and cooking in the unconscious. The conflagration is especially spectacular if the Sun-Mars opposition is aspecting a natal planet or within orb of the angles. 

During the first half of the retrograde cycle much of the accumulated energy is banked, then brought to a head when one confronts past frustrations. Wherever Mars is transiting retrograde we are contacting deep seated and often disguised forms of rage, passion, heat, energy, raw libido and ambition. We might not be consciously aware of what is stirring deep within the psyche, but feelings, moods, events and circumstances that surface around the time of the transiting Sun-Mars opposition identify a specific area which needs to come to conscious awareness. Psychologically, it is necessary to expel the festering energy in order to become a more productive person. 

When the Sun-Mars opposition breaks the cycle midway, a noticeable turning-point results and the ensuing period is a time of reconsidering any new directions which have emerged in the first half. Should there have been no overt directional indicators in that time, the impact of the opposition can explode the status quo and a total re-evaluation of the course of action necessary to reclaim personal power may be required. 

The opposition point can be an explosive moment that clears the air or it may ignite a series of frustrations which will not abate until Mars turns direct again, exposing that which has been repressed.

Reference: 

Retrograde Planets: Erin Sullivan