Retrograde Mars has aligned with Mercury: What threats does the Red Planet pose and why has it suddenly become so dangerous?

Retrograde Mars has joined retrograde Mercury.

Photo: Shutterstock.

A retrograde Mercury has been joined by retrograde Mars. In astrological circles, the mood is bordering on panic. What does this mean, and why have we never heard of retrograde Mars before? Is this a new phenomenon of nature?

IN A TANGLE

If we refer to the astrological calendar, we find that retrograde Mercury will last until December 15. The retrograde phase of Mars is longer; having started on December 6, it will remain with us until February 6.

In any case, it seems that the situation is quite intense: two significant planets are simultaneously in retrograde. But what does this really mean?

LOOP IN THE SKY

If you had astronomy classes in school (which were sometimes introduced and then canceled, so not everyone had them), you may remember the term "retrograde motion of a planet."

The patterns of stars in the sky form a consistent design. Stars rise and set, but the sky as a whole remains intact. The figure of the Big Dipper, for instance, remains unchanged, moving as a whole.

Planets, however, behave differently. They move against the backdrop of stars. Today Mars is in Taurus, and in a month, it will be in Gemini. Planets traverse the Zodiac, which is a "belt" of 12 constellations where the Sun, Moon, and planets can be found. The thing is, in space, the orbits of the planets, including Earth, lie in a single plane. The projection of this plane onto our visible sky is the Zodiac. Thus, the observed path of the Sun among the stars (understanding that stars are not visible during the day, yet they exist) is the projection of Earth’s orbit.

Typically, planets move almost in a straight line. From Earth's perspective, it appears as if they are moving from right to left. However, sometimes they suddenly stop, reverse direction, and then move forward again, creating a loop. This occurs over days and weeks. Standing under the starry sky, you won’t notice a planet’s movement in a single night. But by plotting its position on a star map (an exercise accessible to a school student), you will quickly realize the changes.

This loop is referred to as "retrograde motion" in Western tradition, while in Russian astronomical tradition, it is called "backward movement." Our astrologers adopted the Western terminology. Therefore, it may seem that they refer to different concepts, but they are indeed the same.

In essence, retrograde motion occurs when a planet creates a loop in the sky. But where does this loop come from?

TRAIN ARRIVAL

To understand this once and for all, it is crucial to grasp that we observe a planet's motion from Earth, which is also moving. Thus, the apparent motion of a planet among the stars is a combination of two actual motions of planets in space.

Imagine you are an alien, observing the Solar System from the outside. Mentally elevate yourself above its plane.

You will see that Earth is closer to the Sun than Mars and moves along its orbit faster. If Earth completes a full revolution in a year, Mars does so in two years.

As Earth catches up with Mars, they align, creating a straight line connecting Mars, Earth, and the Sun. At this moment, it appears as though Mars is stopping in the sky and creating a loop.

This is akin to riding in a speeding train. Another train is traveling on a different track, moving slower. You observe it through the window. As you catch up to it, your speeds equalize for a moment, and it appears as if the train has stopped. You can easily see through the windows who is drinking tea and who is just lounging on the bench. But you continue your journey, leaving the train behind.

Planets behave in a similar manner.

What about Mercury? It is, in fact, faster than Earth. Mercury orbits the Sun in just 88 days. So, it is not Earth that catches up to and overtakes Mercury; rather, Mercury overtakes Earth. That's the only difference.

This means that retrograde Mars occurs every year, whenever Earth catches up to and overtakes Mars. Retrograde Mercury occurs more frequently since several Mercurial years fit into one Earth year.

WHERE'S THE NOISE?

Now we know that retrograde Mars, like retrograde Mercury, is a natural, periodically recurring phenomenon caused by pure geometry (and illusion). Planets themselves do not change direction; it only appears that way.

But what about astrology? Perhaps these cycles actually determine something, influence something?

And importantly, why are we hearing about retrograde Mars for the first time? That’s the most intriguing question.

In classical astrology, little attention was ever given to the retrograde (backward) motion of planets. The first astrologers, in ancient times, were astronomers themselves. They understood the heavens well and would not have thought to make a fuss over an ordinary phenomenon. The only exception was a treatise by British mystic William Lilly (17th century), which mentioned something about the malevolence of retrograde Mercury. However, this treatise was hardly read.

In the 20th century, astrology became part of popular culture. Starting in the 1930s, horoscopes began appearing in newspapers, which the astrologers of that time protested against. It is clear that mass-market astrologers, who studied the subject on the fly, were rediscovering long-known concepts and were quite surprised by them.

In February 2013, a housewife and blogger from New York, Bettina Frankel, made a historic post online: "The day did not go well. Retrograde Mercury is to blame." The post caught the attention of pop diva Taylor Swift, who is mega-popular in the West. While speaking at the MTV awards the following year in 2014, she stated: "Everything is going wrong, the microphones are breaking – it’s retrograde Mercury." Swift's speech turned into memes, and it took off from there.

But everything eventually becomes tiresome, including retrograde Mercury. The mass consciousness craves new fuel. And this year, the "fuel" has become retrograde Mars. Who came up with this – it’s hard to say. There are no bright figures like Taylor Swift. It seems to be a collective phenomenon without a specific individual.

CATCH THE HIGHER RHYTHMS

Thus, we are dealing with a phenomenon of popular culture rather than "scientific" astrology, so all the advice flooding social networks should be viewed as pop culture, which has little to do with astrology.

Predictably, it is said that Mars is a malevolent planet, and retrograde Mars is even worse. The logic is clear: retrograde Mercury is bad, so retrograde Mars must also be bad. However, in "high" astrology, retrograde motion tends to weaken the planet's properties. Thus, retrograde Mars should lose its malevolence. Well, what kind of logic is that?

Western mass-market astrology has developed a quasi-language, understandable only to those accustomed to breathing prana and catching vibrations. Here’s a typical example: "Instead of expressing ourselves externally in the world, we find ourselves turning inward and creating space to observe our rhythms and desires. This fiery planet in retrograde asks us to realign with our truth. So that we ensure our desires, creations, directions, and how we express and share ourselves stem from that truth."

Well, that’s fine. Looking inward is never a bad idea. So, we’ll keep looking until February. Just don’t forget to go to work. Otherwise, you might get too lost in your own beauty.

REHABILITATION OF ASTROLOGY?

We have clearly drawn a line between "high" astrology and mass astrology several times. We did this intentionally.

Old astrology is a massive collection of empirical observations. A planet there corresponds to certain events on Earth. In these observations, attempts were made to find patterns. Perhaps they succeeded. The enduring nature of astrological tradition, which has persisted for millennia, suggests that it works in some way.

Commercial astrology is a quasi-knowledge, a quasi-art, created for amusement. We read horoscopes (or not), but we don’t necessarily follow them. Well, because we don’t take it that seriously.

Modern science unexpectedly finds facts that may rehabilitate ancient astrology. Astrologers see patterns but cannot explain them. Classical science, which knew only gravity as a classical force, mocked astrologers. Today’s science understands dark matter, dark energy, neutrinos, and