Mars Retrograde In Leo and Cancer 2024-2025: The King is Dead, Long Live the King

The opening salvo of an eight-month-long battle began on October 4th, 2024, when Mars entered its shadow at 17 degrees Cancer. (In astrology, a planet’s shadow refers to the degrees it will cover three times during its retrograde cycle.) The warrior planet, eager for swift action and decisive strikes, will be forced to retrace its steps through the fiery heights of Leo and the emotionally charged waters of Cancer.

On November 4th, Mars enters Leo’s den, but stalls and reverses course on December 5th at 6 degrees Leo. From there, it retreats into Cancer on January 4th, 2025, before finally turning direct on February 22nd. Even after that, Mars will inch forward slowly, passing through the final degrees of Cancer before emerging from its shadow on May 2nd, 2025.

This extended period will be punctuated by three potent oppositions with Pluto—first in the final days before Pluto exits Capricorn for good, and twice more after it enters Aquarius. Long-simmering tensions will boil over, igniting personal and collective crises. This retrograde cycle promises to close Pluto’s 18-year dismantling of long-standing structures and usher in the first act of the strange 20-year space opera of Pluto in Aquarius.

Effects of Retrograde Motion on Mars: Frustration, Exhaustion, and the High Cost of Victory

Mars’ nature is to overcome resistance, typically favoring the shortest path to each objective, cutting through that which dares impede. But retrograde motion dulls Mars’ blade, turning decisive campaigns into demoralizing wars of attrition. Certainty dissolves, and victory slips out of reach. Each step forward meets resistance. The battlefield becomes a maze where strategies unravel, and frustration mounts as exhaustion sets in.

This retrograde will force us into tangled dilemmas. Personal conflicts will grow knottier, while collective struggles—already strained by years of institutional decay—become more complex. There will be no easy wins. Instead, this period will test our endurance, demanding patience and persistence in the face of uncertain outcomes.

Mars in Cancer, September 4th-November 4th, 2024: Trouble on the Homefront

From September 4th to November 4th, 2024, and again from January 4th to April 18th, 2025, Mars in Cancer strikes where we are most vulnerable. The peace-loving crab is backed into a corner, its claws now drawn, ready to defend against perceived threats. Unlike Mars in more aggressive signs, Cancer fights from behind its defenses, retreating and lashing out from its protective shell. Hostility simmers behind sullen faces, leaking out in the form of passive-aggressive jabs.

The domestic sphere becomes a minefield. Family dynamics, once carefully managed, unravel. Old wounds reopen from indirect barbs that cut deeper than swords. Mars in Cancer breeds emotional reactivity, and every perceived slight, real or imagined, feels like an attack on the carefully guarded fortress of the heart.

Mars in Cancer inflames tribalistic instincts. Close-knit groups turn inward, fiercely protecting their own, while reacting violently to perceived outsiders—or even insiders who threaten the status quo. Some may retreat into the safety of familiar structures only to find the wolf is waiting in grandma’s bed. Nations and communities may rupture and turn inward, driven by fears of economic scarcity, border insecurity, or racial and demographic issues. Emotional reactions to long-standing social and political tensions come to the fore, and the line between soldiers and non-combatants blurs. Mars stirs up anxiety, not just over individual security, but over the survival of those we call our kin.

Mars Opposes Pluto in Capricorn: The Sum of All Fears

On the eve of Pluto’s exit from Capricorn on November 18th, Mars offers the first installment of a trilogy of oppositions to Pluto in the final degrees of the sign. For 18 years, Pluto in Capricorn has revealed the hidden rot in our institutions, showing us just how fragile our systems truly are. The cracks have widened, and now the specters of collapse loom, stoking paranoia and eroding confidence in the structures that once promised order.

Now, Mars in Cancer lashes out at these specters, driven by fear and the instinct to protect against threats embedded within the very walls that surround us, the soil under our feet. Pluto is an implacable foe, impervious to emotional pleas or logic. A battle is looming, one that feels inevitable, even necessary, arising from forces that have been gathering strength for a long time. The foundations of our systems—economic, political, and social—and the fortresses we build around them will be tested. Some will hold, while others may crumble under the pressure or fall to enemies both within and without.

This moment marks the climactic end of Pluto’s slow, irradiating grind through the underworld of Capricorn. The mutants bred in the shadow of Pluto’s transit will rise now, staking their claim in the world above. It is the swan song of an era defined by scarcity, isolation, and the corruption of a world built by those who came before us. And it is a reckoning, one that will force us to face both the harsh realities and paranoid fantasies of the world we’ve been living in, and to confront the question: What remains of the old world, and what will we build on top of its ruins?

Mars in Leo, November 4th, 2024-January 4th, 2025: The Battle for the Throne

As Mars marches into Leo on November 4th, the battlefield shifts from the inner sanctum to the public stage. Leo, the sign of pride and visibility, sets Mars’ burning gaze toward a place in the limelight. Conflicts erupt, but with the direct motion slows to a crawl, ambition flares only to be thwarted, and pride-driven conflicts lead to humiliating downfalls.

Mars in Leo doesn’t fight in the dark—it demands attention. This retrograde will intensify public and political conflicts, volatized by bold power plays and bold all-or-nothing gambits. Many will feel compelled to defend their hard-won reputations, while others may withdraw from the harsh glare of public scrutiny. Competition over our increasingly short attention spans will be fierce. Be on guard against overstimulation and labels which promise more than the package delivers.

Collectively, this retrograde coincides with escalating political battles, where leadership struggles become public spectacles, and displays of force are used to intimidate competitors back into the dark. Disputes over claims to positions of authority are likely to devolve into ugly, protracted bare-knuckle brawls. The U.S. presidential election, already marked by divisiveness and thinly vailed threats of violence, will be a source of conflict which may extend well beyond the ballot box. 

In Leo, Mars fights for the Crown, but may mistake its golden luster for the Kingdom itself.

Pluto Enters Aquarius November 18th, 2024: A Strange New World

As Pluto re-enters Aquarius on November 18th, 2024, Mars in Leo will be in opposition, setting the stage for a dramatic opening act to this two-decade long epoch. Mars in Leo fights for control of the center stage, but Pluto in Aquarius heralds a period haunted by phantasms born on the fringe creeping into mainstream consciousness.

Fear of the future take on new dimensions. Cyber warfare, rogue AI, and the erosion of centralized power will become dominant themes, with Pluto in Aquarius awakening collective anxieties long slumbering below the surface. Mars in Leo’s demand for personal power and representation will clash with Aquarian visions of overturning the status-quo, pushing us into a chaotic, unpredictable phase of societal evolution.

This is the beginning of an era where the lines between past and future, ideals and reality, marginalized and mainstream become blurred. The rules are changing, and this period will force a confrontation with our fears about the shape of things to come.

Mars Re-enters Cancer January 4th, 2025: That Old Familiar Sting

On January 4th, 2025, Mars retreats back into Cancer, reigniting the emotional tensions that marked the beginning of its retrograde cycle. The focus shifts once again to the home, the heart, and the inner sanctum of our personal lives. An uneasy atmosphere of hostility pervades as tempers flare and we wrestle with whether to confront the tension or ride out the storm.

This phase demands thoughtful self-reflection. Conflicts will feel deeply personal, rooted in old wounds and long-standing patterns. It’s a time to reassess boundaries and navigate sensitive dynamics with care. The challenge here is to protect what we love without falling back into defensive, self-defeating habits.

Mars Stations Direct February 22nd, 2025: Once More into the Breach

On February 22nd, Mars stations direct at 17 degrees Cancer. The fog of confusion begins to lift, but the battlefield remains scarred. Progress will be slow at first, as we recalibrate and integrate the lessons learned. This is not a time for rash decisions—it’s a moment to reflect on the cost of the battles fought, and on the strength it will take to move forward.

Navigating Mars Retrograde 2024-2025: Picking Your Battles

As Mars retraces its steps through Leo and Cancer, it asks us to reconsider what is truly worth fighting for. Are we clinging to outdated power structures, or are we ready to step into an uncertain future?

Not every battle deserves our blood, sweat, and tears. Whether on personal or political fronts, this retrograde will ask us to look inward and ask: What are we protecting, and is a willingness to fight even appropriate?

As Mars leaves its shadow on May 2nd, 2025, the war drums may thunder on different fronts, but they will not fall silent. The battles of pride, protection, and representation will leave their mark, but they will also have cleared the way for something new. Pluto’s long journey through Aquarius will require us to learn, adapt, and question the old rules. While we can and should learn from the past, we can never return to it. Tread carefully into this strange new world, but step into it, nonetheless. The world moves on with or without us.