Mars Stations & Venus RX
As I think about Venus going retrograde on March 1st, I reflect on how she will be retracing her steps just as Neptune moves into Aries—a once in a lifetime shift. And she will do this just days after Mars moves direct on February 23rd, stirring action, movement, and momentum. Yet amidst all this energy, Venus whispers: wait, what are you chasing? What is actually worth pursuing? Is this actually nourishing?
The quote that comes to mind is John O'Donohue’s: “The quality of our gaze determines what we come to see.” And Venus now asks us to shift our gaze inward—to examine not just what we are moving toward, but the quality of that movement, the quality of our desire, the quality of that passion in which we pursue those things.
Mars Direct: The Drive to Move Forward
Mars is the hunger, the reaching, the motion, the willpower. It stirs within us the need to act, to push forward, to claim our space. It brings with it the courage, the fire to fight for what we desire, and the momentum to break through stagnation. Mars, however, can be impulsive—jumping into action without deep reflection.
But as Venus retrogrades in Aries, she asks us to consider why. Venus in Aries is fire, independence, the willingness to stand boldly in our values. She reminds us that our relationships, art, and passion are not just about connection, but about the courage to bring our full selves into them.
So, as Mars drives us toward action, Venus urges us to pause and ask:
What is fueling my desire to move forward?
Am I acting out of impulse, or is my action rooted in deeper alignment with my values?
What is the quality of the passion and motivation behind my pursuits?
Am I showing up fully and authentically in the things I create and the relationships I nurture?
How have I been honoring my independence, my autonomy, and my right to desire, connect, and create as I am?
Venus Retrograde: A Closing Cycle
This is not just any retrograde—it is closing an eight-year cycle, a story that began in 2017. This is a time to reflect on where you were and where you are now in regard to Venusian matters: your relationships, your relationship to money, your relationship to your art and creative projects. What has shifted? What patterns were you stuck in? What patterns are you still stuck in? What patterns have you broken?
How have your relationships evolved or transformed?
What has changed in your approach to love and connection?
How has your relationship with money shifted—have you broken old cycles, or are there still limiting beliefs you’re holding onto?
How have your creative projects and artistic expression evolved over these eight years?
What lessons have repeated, and what new awareness do you now have that you didn’t before?
Venus, especially through Aries, reminds us that sovereignty matters. The richness of our lives, our relationships, our work, our art, our passion—it is not just about what we do, but the state in which we do it. This is about bringing our sovereignty, our soul, into what we are connecting with and checking in deeply on that alignment.
A Moment of Remembering
Perhaps this moment in time—as Venus goes retrograde until April and Mars stations direct—is a remembering. Mars will continue traveling through its shadow until May 1st, when its retrograde shadow period ends at six degrees Leo. So, as these energies shift, ask yourself:
What have you been incubating, tending, quietly breathing life into over the past eight years?
Where was your devotion then, and where is it now?
Because this is about what matters—what matters enough to shape the path ahead. And perhaps before honing in on Mars going direct, the question is not just Are you sure this is where you want to go?
A Final Reflection
Venus retrograde invites us to pause and ask: What do I truly love? What am I investing my energy into? Is this worth my devotion? Let action and intention move together so that what you create is rich in meaning, courage, and soul.
As Mars surges forward on February 23rd and Venus retraces her steps on March 1st, we are invited to recalibrate—to slow down in a world that pushes for more and instead ask: Where do I long for depth, for quality, for something that truly nourishes me?
Because Mars going direct does not mean we act recklessly—it means we act with clarity.
So, a final prompt to sit with: What in your life is asking for more quality and more soul?
