Mars, Midwinter, and Motivation
Today is Tuesday, January 21st 2025.
It’s been a while since I’ve written much or worked seriously on my business or most anything for that matter…
Why?
I’ve been unmotivated.
The holidays hit, the weather got cold, and I found myself more and more tired. All I wanted to do was rest, relax, and enjoy life. Too much activity without enough rest was catching up with me, and I was feeling pretty depleted and worn out. Of course I still had to work, do chores, and stay on top of my obligations. So I decided to simplify things and take care of the bare minimum of obligations and emphasize rest and relaxation.
Can you relate? I hope you can, because whether you’re aware of it or not there is probably some level of a similar pattern going on in your life right now. The reasons for that are several; let’s examine them shall we?
First and most obviously, it is now midwinter in the northern hemisphere. It is the coldest time of year and the energy of living things draws inward to keep them warm and protect their vitals. This is perhaps most obvious in places where trees lose their leaves. It happens everywhere winter happens though, just to varying degrees according to the local climate.
Humans are no exception to this pattern in Nature. We may not feel it or be quite as affected by it because we have so much modern convenience. Conveniences like heated houses and cars, or food instantly available almost everywhere and at any time. It still affects us though, and accordingly it is natural to be unmotivated in midwinter. Midwinter is a time for deep rest, nourishment, and reflection. If we made an analogy between the cycle of a year and the cycle of a single day then midwinter would be the equivalent of midnight. Do most people feel motivated at midnight? No, they are at home resting in their bed. So by extension we might say that in an overall sense, this is a great period of time to “be in home at bed” getting deep rest.
The second reason you may feel unmotivated has to do with an astrological phenomenon known as Mars retrograde. During this time the planet Mars appears to be moving backwards in the sky relative to it’s normal course of motion. It’s similar to the more well known Mercury retrograde in that it has to do with going back and reviewing old things. There are important differences though:
It occurs much less frequently, roughly once every two years
It last much longer, about ~2 months versus 3 weeks for mercury
It relates to Martian themes rather than Mercurial themes
Mars is like a fire, and fire generally likes to blaze ahead rather than go back and review old things
So what are Martian themes? A quick summary would be:
Willpower and motivation
Grasping your desires through effort with your own hands
Taking action
Strength and vigor to accomplish tasks
Conflict
Digestion
The energy needed to rise in life and achieve high status
Mars retrograde means that you are currently experiencing a time when everything in your life connected to these themes feels a little wonky and off. Mars likes to take action and move forward, similar to a soldier acting on a superior’s orders. During Mars retrograde, it’s as if a bunch of unresolved loose ends have popped up that must be reviewed and addressed before major forward movement can be achieved towards your desired results.
To what degree you are experiencing this depends a great deal on your life specifically, and how prominent Martian themes are in your life. If you’d like to know more, I’d be happy to read your chart for you and explain in detail.
This Mars retrograde is particularly strong, because it started and ended in Cancer where Mars feels very unhappy. Mars in Cancer is like the soldier forced into the role of mother and caregiver, where he feels very awkward and out of place. This means that a lot of the “unresolved loose ends” I referred to early have to do with your relationship to home, tribe, and family. To food, comfort and safety. To how your intrinsic relating style and perception were shaped by your intimate home & family life growing up.
This could manifest in any number of different ways for different people, but if you look carefully and closely I’m certain that you will find evidence of review happening in your life related to these themes.
Mars retrograde wraps up around the end of February; until then I wish you happy resting. By then we’ll be knocking on the doors of spring and ready to switch gears.
