Photo by Guy Bourdin, published in Vogue Paris, May 2017. This photo was published when Mars was in Gemini. Mars is associated with the color red. Of the body parts, Gemini rules the hands.
Click here to read my general musings on Mars in Gemini.
Mars entered Gemini on August 20th 2022 and will leave Gemini on March 25th 2023. In other words: Mars spends seven months in Gemini while the red planet usually only spends about two months in a zodiacal sign. This is because Mars will be retrograde in Gemini. Mars will be retrograde from October 30th until January 12th. These horoscopes are written for August 20th 2022 – March 25th 2023, most specifically the retrograde period.
The horoscopes are written for your rising sign. If you don’t know your rising sign, follow the instructions on this page to figure it out or book a consultation with me. You can also read the horoscope for your Sun sign for extra inspiration. But the horoscopes are primarily written for your rising sign.
The horoscopes are listed from Aries to Pisces.
Aries rising (Aries sun)
Dear Aries, when your ruler Mars slows down in the sky to station retrograde on October 30th (and later direct again on January 12th 2023) you may be feeling like you’re slowing down too. It may be rather frustrating, experiencing a lack of energy / drive / passion, without having a reasonable explanation. Know that it’s temporary. When Mars gains speed again, so will you. When a planets moves retrograde, the planet is retracing steps. And so you might feel like you’ll need to go back and change something; or maybe you’ll just feel the need to reflect on something.
There’s a good chance you’ll need to reassess the way you go about a 3rd house topic, or multiple 3rd house topics, since Gemini is on the 3rd house in your birth chart. As Mars makes his journey through Gemini, back and forth, you’re calendar is up for review and most specifically the items in your calendar that have to do with communication and/or writing projects/tasks, teaching and/or studying, daily rituals and maybe short distance travels or neighbourhood projects. There are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. You may feel like you need more hours and you need more days. There aren’t, you ain’t gonna get them. In the upcoming months you might need to cut some things out of the calendar, in order to not let your fire burn out.
But also, the upcoming months may prove to be an excellent time to get clear on the things that you love to do. What keeps the inner engine going? What sparks your passion? Which books, podcasts, community projects, yoga studio classes, pen pal connections, or what have you, make your mind buzz with excitement and your heart beat a little faster? If this horoscope supports you to cut the things from your calendar that feel like dead weight, and add things that get your Aries ass even hotter, than I’ve done my job. Do think things through though, I’m not advocating that you should quit your job without a back up plan. But I would like you to cut dead weight from your calendar if possible, and to add in the stuff that fuels your fire. Fire needs fuel, and an Aries needs lots of it.
Since this Mars retrograde takes place in the zodiacal sign that has to do with communication, learning and mental stimulation (Gemini) and your 3rd house which is the house of communication, writing, reading, studies and teaching; it wouldn’t surprise me if these topics are an area of increased frustration and or passion in the upcoming months. Just a piece of advice. Letter bombs are not ok. Unsolicited dick pics are also not ok. Angry text messages are only ok if the other person deserves them. But feel free to let your inner Mars go wild on rap songs, books and poetry. Who knows, you may indeed be the next Eminem.
Taurus rising (Taurus Sun)
Dear Taurus, as Mars makes his way, back and forth, through Gemini, he will assist you in cleaning up your resume and/or bank account. Gemini is on your 2nd house of livelihood; money; the talents, skills and knowledge that you own and may or may not monetise. The 2nd house is all about what you have (material, intellectual and spiritual) and more specifically ‘what you have, to support yourself’. The money to buy the bread, the skills to make a living, and – not to forget – that sense of self-worth that makes you go after the things you want and helps you to believe that you’re worthy of receiving.
It may sound nice to have a full and packed 2nd house. More money, the merrier… right? However, the more we carry in our backpack, the heavier it gets, the slower we will move, the more burdened we will feel. Too much confidence may make us fly like Icarus; trying to fly too high and getting burned by the Sun. Too many jobs may make us stressed out. Too much money usually turns people into assholes (which may be the reason that the 2nd house traditionally is seen as a bad or dark house). But too little of any… and it’s hard to live a happy life. We need money to be happy, but we don’t need a lot of it. We need work to make a living, but we don’t want to be buried in it. We need confidence to get shit done, but we don’t want to be carried away by it. Mars is here to cut away the bullshit and the excesses. On the flip side: Mars also comes with a dose of courage, passion and/or confidence for those who are in need of it.
Gemini is the sign of multiplicity. With Mars in Gemini you may need to juggle more projects, tasks and side jobs than you would like; taking up an extra job in order to get that bread on the table. Or on the contrary; in case you’re already juggling many projects and money making matters at the moment; he may just ‘force’ you to cut down on some of these. Rather excel at two jobs, instead of drowning in four. Making choices, saying no, it’s not always easy. Sometimes the universe does it for us. Mars is here to balance things out, and you may actually go back and forth between a shitload and a zero amount of work / money / the like. By the time Mars leaves Gemini and enters Cancer, things will have balanced out. The road to get there may just be a bit rocky.
As Mars makes his way through Gemini, you may experience a sense of worry about sustaining yourself. Remember that this transit lasts seven months, and you’ll not have a clear few of the end result in the beginning of it all. You may need to let go of certain possessions and you may learn that you’re far better able to sustain yourself with a backpack that’s not that heavy.
As much as Mars in Gemini may be about getting your financial administration in order, or those job contracts in line… It may as well be about your sense of self-worth. Mars in Gemini could give you some lessons in assertiveness, courage and self-esteem. Don’t let other people talk you down! And don’t talk yourself down!
Gemini Rising (Gemini Sun)
Dear Gemini, Mars will be making his way through your sign, back and forth, until late March 2023. Because Gemini is your rising sign, Mars will be on his journey through your 1st house of body, appearance, self and identity. In the upcoming months you may be experiencing highs and lows in energy, depending on Mars his position. Having Mars in your 1st house, for such an extensive period of time, and being retrograde, you’re challenged and invited to get clearity on your desires, passion and drive. What is it that you want out of life? Ohh damn, that’s a big question! Most often this question comes up in regards to career and/or love; but it doesn’t have to, it can be in regards to anything.
Mars in Gemini wants you to choose you. Mars in Gemini wants you to cut the shit out of your life that’s not in your best interest. Mars in Gemini wants you to go after and pursue the stuff that actually is in your interest. Mars in Gemini wants you to be brave, to stand up for yourself. Which isn’t always about standing up against someone, sometimes it’s actually standing up against ourselves. I’ve seen people cut addictions and becoming sober, while having a Mars transit in their 1st house; just to give an example.
As I wrote in my musings on Mars in Gemini (see the next article on the homepage), Mars likes to fuck and Mars likes to fight. Basically we’re talking about Eros and Thanatos here; the two forces that drive us according to the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. The fucking category isn’t just about sex. It’s about desire, passion, lust for life. The excitement that get’s us to work on the stuff that is important to us. What in life makes you orgasmic? I’m not talking about sex here (or not necessarily). What work projects, what leisure activities, which life goals; are worth the Martian pursuit? And what is it that pisses you off? What makes you angry? What makes you want to fight? Social injustice? Good! Go and march in a protest, pick up volunteer work, put your anger to use. Or are you angry about the small stuff? The neighbour’s dog that poops on your lawn? Grab your running shoes and run the anger away, grab your boxing gloves and hit the anger out; because with Mars in your 1st house, there’s this risk of lashing out while you better not. Mars in the 1st house may teach you about working with your inner Mars; the passion and the frustration, the lust and the anger, the desire and the aggression. We all have all of it in us; let’s not fool ourselves that we are saints.
While Mars is in Gemini, you may feel tempted to make impulsive decisions. If possible, think things through. But, this is not a time to hold yourself back or to keep yourself small. We all need to be our own hero, our own soldier, our own advocate at times.
Cancer rising (Cancer Sun)
Dear Cancer, as Mars makes his way through Gemini, he’s stirring up your unconscious realms and world of dreams, creating drama in the dark rooms and other dark places in mind and life. Mars tends to gain attention wherever he goes, usually because he creates conflict. Since Gemini is on your 12th house, that’s where your attention will need to go. I’m writing ‘need’ here on purpose. If you’re not working with Mars in your 12th house, he may not work in your favour. Let me tell you why.
The 12th house is the most hidden place in the birth chart, sometimes not even visible to oneself. The 12th house is the house of dreams, of the subconscious. It’s the place that we enter when we go to therapy, when we lay on the psychoanalyst’s couch. When we don’t tend to our inner conflict, the demons will at some point start to scream for our attention. That’s according to psychoanalysis at least. If we ignore our anger, our frustration, our pain, but also if we ignore our passion, our desire, our motivation for life, it will start to haunt us in our dreams. We enter the 12th house when we enter the therapist’s office; but also when we enter the yoga shala, the meditation retreat centre and other secluded places from the society we’re part of, like a country far away, a prison, or creative place like photography dark rooms or music studios (the light and sound from outside locked out). Where can we lock ourselves out from society? Where can we lock ourselves in?
While Mars makes his journey through Gemini, you may need to battle some inner or forgotten enemies. It’s not uncommon to be faced with inner demons while Mars makes such an extensive journey through ones 12th house. Which all sounds scary and dark and painful, though it really doesn’t need to be that harsh. Also, speaking from experience, it can actually be really empowering. Shadows are less scary things when you dare to confront them.
As mentioned, the 12th house is also a creative place. It’s the attic where the writer works on her book, it’s the dark room where the photographer develops his film, it’s the studio where the artist makes their album. This Mars retrograde journey through your 12th house could equally possible be about reconnecting with your creative fire, with your passion and desire. It’s not uncommon for people to neglect their creative desires because they feel like there’s no time for it (because of work or family obligations), because they feel like they are not good enough (most of us aren’t as gifted as Van Gogh), or because they are actually afraid of their own desire, passion and/or talent. So often we suppress our life force. So often we keep beautiful parts of ourselves hidden away. Mars in Gemini may be that calling for you, to not do that anymore. Mars in Gemini may call you to buy the paint and brushes, to put those first words on paper, to start envisioning that creative project. Every artist will tel you that their first project wasn’t a good piece and maybe even a failure. They will probably tell you that their first hundred projects weren’t good. It’s a frustrating process. That’s what retrogrades are about. And it’s through perseverance and thanks to frustration that you’ll learn and grow and flourish and eventually maybe conquer the world. How many of the greatest business we know started in garages and attics of parent’s houses? I wouldn’t be writing this horoscope on a Apple computer if two boys didn’t decide to start a business in a 12th house garage.
Leo rising (Leo Sun)
Dear Leo, Gemini is on your 11th house of friends, community, audiences, networks and good fortune, and Mars will be rearranging that house of yours in the upcoming months. In all honesty, this can show up in many different ways. And I think that of all twelve horoscopes, I find this one the most difficult one to write. The commonality between friends, community, audiences and networks is obvious; isn’t it? It’s people. More specifically, the groups of people you’re part of, standing in front of, performing for, teaching to, working with, having fun with; etcetera. What does ‘good fortune’ have to do with that? Most often good fortune comes to us through our connections. In an over stressed housing market in The Netherlands, I found my lovely studio apartment through a friend in my yoga community when Jupiter took a dip in my 11th house. That’s how Jupiter transits in the 11th house may work. What then about Mars transits in the 11th house? Jupiter is the greater benefic, the bringing of good fortune indeed. Mars is the lesser malefic, not so much the bringer of good fortune unfortunately.
There are times in life when social connections run smoothly, and there are times we need to put some energy and work into our relationships. As someone who works with groups of people (a rather challenging group; which is criminals) I know how differently group sessions can run. Teachers probably can attest to that. Sometimes your students, your criminals, or your whatever, are behaving themselves almost perfectly; as if Jupiter is making his appearance in your 11th house. Other days there’s a fight club going on in the classroom; like Mars is throwing a party in your 11th house. A flight club may be messy, it may also be exciting. This metaphor can actually teach us something about this Mars in Gemini in your 11th house transit. I know that some counselors struggle a lot with their men not behaving themselves in group sessions (but since when do we expect criminals to behave? the one reason they ended up in prison, is because they didn’t behave); which makes a Mars in the 11th house transit much more challenging to deal with. Personally, I like it when my men are not behaving like perfect students; it requires me to be alert and assertive, to think quickly on my feet (which is very Mars in Gemini). What one person may experience as stressful, another may experience as exciting. Ten years ago I would have been too timid for my job as a counselor in prison; I would have experienced it as stressful. Now I thrive on my little fight club. By which I’m trying to tell you: you can learn to cope with things, and nothing is set in stone.
As Mars makes his journey through Gemini, you may be forced to reflect on your alliances within your social life or possibly professional network. In case you’re someone who works with groups of people, who has a strong online presence, or who stands in front of audiences; this transit may actually be about your professional life and not be about your friendships / social life. Most generally though, having Mars making a retrograde journey through the 11th house, speaks about the rearrangement of social contracts. Certain friendships may ask for your investment. Certain friendships may not stand the test of time. Certain friendships may prove to be a battlefield. But also, fun, exciting and passionate friendships may enter your life (Mars may bring you party friends; not so much the shoulder to cry on). It may seem like you can’t rely on your friends or networks to provide you good fortune in the upcoming months. Though I would like to argue that things are probably not exactly as they seem. That rearrangement of your 11th house will probably prove in future times (when Mars has left the building) to be worthwhile. Not all friendships are supposed to last a lifetime; but the alliances that are truly fortunate, will probably stick around.
Virgo rising (Virgo Sun)
Dear Virgo, as Mars makes his way through Gemini, he will be turning your 10th house of vocation, career and public appearance into a battle field. I’m mostly kidding! Not completely though. There’s a good chance that if you encounter challenges and/or frustrations in your life in the upcoming months, it will be at the office or in regards to your career. Feeling held back from the things you want to do, struggling to achieve the goals that you want to achieve, office renovations that do turn the office into a temporary battlefield, job interviews that make you feel like you’re sweating hot sauce, it’s all possible. What’s it all good for? A bit of struggle may give you important insights about your love, passion and desire in regards to your career.
What is it that you want to be known for? What is it that you want to offer to the world? What legacy to do you want leave behind? How do you want to show up at the office? Where do you want your office to be and what should that office look like? If it feels like things are not going your way, see it as an invitation to learn rather than letting your inner Mars set the office on fire. Mars is connected to our passion, our drive, our lust for life. Mars needs to let his energy run free. It’s often when we can’t direct our Martian energy in a positive way, when we get frustrated or even angry (or if we ignore our inner Mars for too long, the fire burns out and we start to lose interest, passion and desire). Mars in Gemini may be all about being forced / challenged / invited to reflect on your business goals, resume layout and LinkedIn profile.
Mars is in Gemini until late March 2023, which means that you have plenty of time to figure out how you want to renovate the office and give your resume that makeover. Give yourself that time. Allow yourself to not know in what direction to go. Allow yourself to feel a little lost or frustrated. It’s totally okay to feel like you’re only tacking steps backwards. Taking steps backwards doesn’t mean that there isn’t progress, or that you’ll not move forward again. Sometimes we need to go back to a crossroad where we were before, and decide that it’s time for a different direction. The first route that we try isn’t always the right one. Good change the second road leads to a better place. If the first job isn’t it, try the second. If you get rejected after a job interview, consider it divine protection (I know you’ll probably not experience it that way, but trust me it is). In Spring 2023 things will probably have changed quite a bit when it comes to your career and/or public life. I hope the useless office appliances will be in the garbage at that point. I also hope you’ll have reconnected with your passion, excitement and drive for work.
Libra rising (Libra Sun)
Dear Libra, how and where are you investing your energy into your future? What are your hopes and dreams? What plans do you have for your future? And how are you working towards them? In the upcoming months you’ll learn all about the passion that keeps you going, the goals that call you, the desire that drives you, and the roadblocks that challenge you. What are you learning to get where you need to be? What skills are you gathering and what library of knowledge are you building? How is your future perspective changing, growing and evolving? As Mars makes his journey through Gemini, he’s rearranging the interior of your 9th house; which is the house of future plans and dreams, of higher knowledge, studies and learning, faraway travels and philosophy and religion.
One or more of these 9th house topics will ask for your attention, more specially energy and dedication. Expect both challenges / struggles and wins / gains. The library will be the battlefield of your Mars. It’s cool to be a nerd. It’s cool to geek out on research projects, studies and books that are fucking exciting (whether others get that or not). In case you’re a student, the classroom will be where you encounter your challenges and have your victories in the upcoming months. But no matter whether you already have a diploma or not; we all remain students of life until our very last day. As human beings we naturally have a future perspective; filled with hopes, dreams, fears, anxieties, plans, and the like.
Mars in Gemini questions your storyline and the plot that you have in mind. Every good book, every good movie, has a chapter or scene where it seems like things are not working out. Where it seems like the challenge is too big to overcome. Where it seems like the dream is impossible. Where it seems like everything is falling apart or blowing up. We need that. We need those chapters. Otherwise life would be too simple and easy, we wouldn’t be challenged to learn, grow and overcome. We humans need challenges, setbacks, twists and turns in our storylines. It makes a good and interesting story. It provides the right ingredients for personal development. Thank you Mars, for teaching us to be better, to do better, to win at life.
Dear Libra, whatever plan you have in mind for your future, keep going at it. In the upcoming months you will probably take steps forward and a few steps back; have the wind in your back en have the wind slowing you down. Don’t give up. Mars favours the brave, the persistent, the courageous, the soldiers.
Scorpio rising (Scorpio Sun)
Dear Scorpio, when your ruler Mars slows down in the sky to station retrograde on October 30th (and later direct again on January 12th 2023) you may be feeling like you’re slowing down too. It may be rather frustrating, experiencing a lack of energy / drive / passion, without having a reasonable explanation. Know that it’s temporary. When Mars gains speed again, so will you. When a planets moves retrograde, the planet is retracing steps. And so you might feel like you’ll need to go back and change something; or maybe you’ll just feel the need to reflect on something.
As Mars makes his journey through Gemini, back and forth, he makes his journey through the 8th house in your chart. The 8th house is a mixed bag of good stuff: shared resources / projects, death and mental suffering. Oh what a joy. Don’t worry, Mars is not going to drag you into his personal hell. The 8th house sounds way more scary than it actually is (and I can know, because I was born with both Mars and Saturn in my 8th house). You’re not doomed.
This long journey of Mars in Gemini may be symbolic for a psychological journey. A journey into your personal underworld. According to certain depth psychologists, we all have our inner Mars archetype hidden somewhere. We all have an inner soldier, warrior, hero, aggressor, dominator, pursuer, and the like. Mars is a very masculine archetype. Sometimes aggressive. Sometimes a defender. Almost always energetic. In my experience, especially women struggle to connect with their inner Mars in a healthy way. Often suppressing this energy, either killing it completely or having it come out, leash out, impulsively and aggressively after having it pushed down for too long. In the upcoming months you may feel invited or challenged to deal with your inner Mars. Or… someone else’s.
If it’s not your own psyche that provides your Mars a battleground, it may be the collaborations / shared projects that you have going on. Working with other people is not always easy. Mars is a solo flyer, he’s not naturally gifted at collaborating. However; Mars is also passionate, energetic and a hard worker. Martian energy can be put to great use in certain work or creative projects, rather than in arguments with co-workers. Partnerships may be a bit of a struggle, seeing eye to eye, coming to decisions in a democratic way. It is however also in partnerships where you have much to gain in the upcoming months. The way forward is probably through collaboration. Working together will bring you further than going at it alone.
Sagittarius rising (Sagittarius Sun)
Dear Sagittarius, if there’s anything you’ve felt stuck in; a relationship, a business, a work situation, or the like… Mars in Gemini may help you to get unstuck. As Mars makes his journey through Gemini, he’ll be helping or forcing you to rearrange your contracts and/or list of contacts. Gemini is on your 7th house of important relationships. Traditionally it’s the house of marriage and business partners (anyone with whom we sign a contract, to be committed). But honestly, important colleagues, best friends, enemies and frenemies, and also clients; you may all encounter them in the 7th house. To have a such an extensive Mars transit going on in your 7th house of relationships, is not necessarily easy. However, not easy doesn’t have to imply that it will be sad or painful.
Mars transits in the 7th house are known to bring separations. Sometimes but not always brought on by others, sometimes initiated by oneself. In the upcoming months you may decide to part ways with someone, because you don’t want to, or can, walk the same path anymore. Which may be in love, business or other type of connection. Mars transits in the 7th house can also come with clear cut realisations on important relationships. No one says you need to be business partners until retirement; you can stand up to your boss and ask for a more exciting position; and even marriage doesn’t mean until death do us part anymore. But, here’s someone speaking with the experience of divorce: breaking contracts is painful, even when you initiate it yourself.
Mars transits often signify a mix of following one’s own desire or passion, and experiencing pain / separation. It’s also not uncommon to face rejection after an act of assertiveness. Not everyone will like it when you stand up for yourself. Does this mean that you shouldn’t ask for that promotion? No. If Mars is here to teach us something, it’s to be courageous and shoot the arrows at the targets we desire. As The Archer you are born to aim and shoot. It doesn’t matter if you miss the target. That’s how you learn to shoot better. There’s always tomorrow. A Sagittarius moves forward in life by taking leaps of faith. If Faith belongs to any zodiacal sign, it’s Sagittarius for sure. Have faith that any rejection is divine protection, that any closed door means that another one will open, that any ending will bring a new beginning. Have faith that any desire is worth exploring. New chapters with blank pages may seem scary, but the ending is always unknown in the beginning. Every adventure needs both fear and faith, otherwise the story wouldn’t be exciting. And as a Sagittarius you need excitement, I know you do.
Whatever uncertainty or confusion you need to battle in the upcoming months, have faith that you will figure it out. Because Mars in Gemini may come with confusion, about the targets that you want to aim at. Maybe you don’t know what you desire. Maybe your target seems out of reach. Maybe you desire multiple targets and you’ll be forced to shoot your arrow at only one. Whatever your unique circumstances… Remember that you have half a year, if not more, to rearrange that contact list of yours, there’s no rush. And quite possibly, it will figure itself out by itself in due time. Try to be honest with yourself though, about your needs, boundaries, desires, etcetera as much as possible. The people that are truly meant for you, will accept your boundaries and your pursuits and cheer you on as you go on your adventures.
Capricorn rising (Capricorn Sun)
Dear Capricorn, as Mars makes his journey through Gemini, he’s rearranging your 6th house. The 6th house in the birth chart is a house that gives home to several topics in life: work and service, health and small pets (to give you a limited list). Most likely, Mars in Gemini will be about only one of these topics (but it is possible that this transit is about multiple topics). In this horoscope I’ll share with you how Mars in Gemini may express itself in life in regards to these three topics.
While Mars makes his journey, back and forth, through Gemini, you may experience some challenges in the office. Which can be anything like extra projects showing up on your desk and dealing with stress, conflicts with co-workers or bosses, or worst case scenario: getting fired. The challenge may also be much more internal; you figuring out how to direct your passion when it comes to career, figuring out what projects you want to invest your energy in, applying to jobs that you feel excited about. The hot red planet is as much about energy, passion and excitement as it is about conflict and struggle. And sometimes, more often than not actually, it takes a while to figure out where and how to direct our energy and passion. While Mars is retrograde, you may experience a dip in energy when it comes to work, or question marks surrounding your passion at work. In case this period of time is frustrating, know that it is temporary.
Things actually may run smoothly at the office and continue to run smooth. Maybe even so smooth, or exciting, or so well; that you totally forget about your private life. Feeling so passionate about work, or so stressed about the to do list, you may forget to cook healthy dinners and live on take-out. Balance is verb; balancing is an act. Balance is something we continuously need to aim for, work at. And health requires it. While Mars makes his journey through Gemini, you may find that you want or need to change your routines, in order to feel energised. You’re human, you’re not a workhorse (even though you’re a Capricorn; there’s more to life than work dear Goat); you need sleep, food, downtime and relaxation. Feeling healthy, balanced, nourished, also requires work. It requires attending to the self instead of attending the office. You may get a reminder or two about that, in the next several months. There will probably never be enough hours in a day, days in a week, to do all the things you want to do. That’s just how it is. Be kind to yourself dear Capricorn.
Lastly, in case you’re a small animal owner / caretaker (which means, cats, dogs, other usual pets; it’s only the big animals like elephants and such that are not included in the 6th house), Mars in Gemini may reflect some ‘animal issues’. A pet having health issues, and it taking a while to figure out exactly what is going on, might cause some expensive veterinarian bills. Or this time period may be about making decisions when it comes to your pets, or having/not having pets. Let this horoscope not freak you out, fearing the worst about your furry friend. Not all Capricorn rising’s pets are about to die. Really, don’t freak out. Just know that in case your animal suddenly has a weird rash or something, you can blame Mars for it.
Aquarius rising (Aquarius Sun)
Dear Aquarius, as Mars makes his way through Gemini, he’s moving back and forth in the 5th house in your birth chart. The 5th house is said to be the domain of Venus, not exactly a place where Mars feels at home. However… let’s not forget that Venus and Mars are lovers, and they do work well together in the bedroom. Romance and sex are 5th house topics, as is creativity. Mars is better at making war than he’s at making love, but his penetrating force can be rather enjoyable when the setting is right. Mars in Gemini will have an archetypal story to tell about romance and / or creativity in your life.
Creativity is not just about creating art, music or books. We can pour our creativity into anything. Whenever we create, we are creative. The food we cook, the projects at work we invest in; these can also be creative outlets. And with our creative projects the question often arises: am I creating this for an audience or for my own pleasure? Who’s going to enjoy the fruits of my labor? Am I making offerings to the world, creating a piece of art for humanity to enjoy? Or am I making myself the best chocolate cake ever, not sharing a piece with anyone. Both are totally okay of course. But you might wonder in the upcoming weeks, who am I doing this creative work for? And am I enjoying the process of creating? Writer blocks are challenges to overcome. Creative frustration offers the needed friction to grow and to liberate oneself. Venusian creativity flows with ease, like a flower blooming. Martian creativity comes with blood, sweat and tears and challenges one to grow as an artist. Again, art is not just about paintings and songs. We all are artists. First and foremost artists of our own lives.
If it’s not your art atelier that is turned into a battlefield in the upcoming months, it may in fact be your bedroom. Venusian love is easy; it’s the love at first sight with the happy wedding fairytale ending. Martian love is the type of love that comes with lots of pleasure and lots of pain. Great sex, the best orgasms, followed by an STI. You may find yourself entailed in a rather passionate love story in the upcoming months, one with ups and downs. Or you may find yourself rather frustrated with your love life, determined to make changes, going in pursuit of prince or princess charming. Whatever your rollercoaster ride will be like, enjoy the ride and make sure you use condoms (and protection against dicks and douchebags in general).
Pisces rising (Pisces Sun)
Dear Pisces, as Mars makes his way back and forth through Gemini, he will be rearranging your living room and basement. Gemini is on the 4th house in your birth chart, which is the area of the birth chart that is all about home, housings, roots, foundations, parents, ancestry and private life. It’s the place ‘where we come from’ and it’s the place ‘where we retreat’. The 4th house is the basement, as in where all the stuff is that we rather not show in society but prefer to keep private. It’s the basement, as in that’s where the old photo albums are kept with the photo’s of our childhood, the stories of our grandparents, the family history. It’s the place of our foundations as in ‘where we were born’ but also as in ‘the foundations that we build’. It’s not just the family we were born into, but also the family that we choose. It’s not just the house that we grew up in, but also the house that we are building for ourselves. It’s the physical, material and psychological foundations of our lives. And Mars is about to set that house on fire…
I’m kidding and I’m not kidding. Mars will most probably not really set your house on fire, but it might get heated in your living space (yes, even now when gas prices are sky rocketing and you’re probably not going to use the heater that much this winter). Annoying roommates may be a thing. Your partner leaving their dirty socks everywhere may frustrate you more than ever. An actual renovation of your living space may be happening. Home and house is supposed to be a peaceful place. In the upcoming months, you may not experience it as peaceful as you would like it to be. Do note that Mars will be In Gemini until late March 2023, moving back and forth. The rockiest part of this rollercoaster is probably during the retrograde period. The renovation of your living room will be done when Spring comes. Be patient. Take a walk outside if things get too heated inside.
If it’s not your actual house that is the current battlefield of your life; Mars in Gemini may want you to demolish some psychological foundations. Every now and then there’s a period in life where we are forced to look back at the past and the traumas that are part of it. Every now and then we need to take a look at the demons that we’ve swept under the rug. Mars in Gemini may be all about cleaning the floor under the rug. It’s not a pleasant thing to do. Mars transits usually aren’t pleasant… But it’s a good, healthy and sometimes even necessary thing to do.
We are all shaped by our past. Our current situation is defined by our past, shaped by decisions and actions of our (grand)parents and of ourselves. The future isn’t fixed though, but we are definitely heading in a certain direction. In what direction are you heading? And how does that feel? If you want to change your direction, you may want to rewrite the past. Facts can’t be changed, but the way we look at and feel about our past definitely shapes the way we go about life and thus shapes our future. Mars in Gemini may support you in cleaning the messes that of the past. Not necessarily a fun thing, but it’s oh so damn liberating!