What Mars Retrograde in Leo and Cancer Means for Your Zodiac Sign This Holiday Season
Dec. 6 to Feb. 23, Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer impacts your sign—expert astrologer tips inside
With one calendar year wrapping up and another on the horizon, chances are you’ve been feeling torn between reflecting on the past twelve months and musing about what the next twelve hold. But if it feels like you’re suddenly running against the tide when attempting to take care of business at the usual clip or your energy has taken a major dip, take heart: It may very well be attributed to Mars retrograde.
From Friday, December 6 to Sunday, February 23, Mars — which oversees motivation, drive, action, energy, aggression and sex — will move backward through the fixed fire sign Leo and cardinal water sign Cancer. For nearly three months, we’ll be required to meditate on how we’re framing and fueling our greatest ambitions, experiencing and expressing anger and pursuing our passions. And yes, just as with Mercury retrograde, you’re bound to face setbacks and slowdowns when it comes to Mars-ruled areas of life like self-motivation, building momentum on your goals and fulfilling your boldest desires. But unlike Mercury’s backspins, Mars retrogrades only happen every two years, or 26 months. (The last time Mars was retrograde was from October 30, 2022 to January 12, 2023 in the mutable air sign Gemini.) Given how infrequently they occur, Mars retrogrades present more rare opportunities — and yes, challenges. Here’s what to know to make the most of this unique astrological event.
What is Mars retrograde?
In astrology, Mars oversees ambition, aggression, passion, drive, motivation and energy. It’s the planet that fuels your loftiest goals and fight-or-flight reactions and colors how you go to bat for what you believe in as well as what fires you up in the first place. When Mars is moving forward, aka direct, you can assert yourself more openly and directly and make strides on your aspirations in a more concrete, external way. But every two years, for about two and a half months, the planet of action moves at a slower pace than usual before appearing to move backward from our vantage point on Earth. When this happens, aspects of life that fall under Mars’ purview are slowed, delayed and take on a more introspective tone. It might be tougher for you to express your aggravation when having a heart-to-heart with a loved one or you might be more prone to internalizing it and ending up with chronic headaches as a result of not talking through your anger. You could also feel like you’re up against one roadblock after the next when attempting to move the ball forward on your most industrious goals.
These stereotypical effects of Mars retrograde are frustrating, to be sure, but there is a greater purpose at play. By slowing down and reflecting on how you’re managing these aspects of your life, you can gain clarity and boost self-awareness. It could be the key to streamlining your routine so you have more time and energy once Mars moves forward or better understanding how you respond to stress within your relationships so you can come away from the transit feeling more centered and connected to your partner.
What is Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer?
In 2024-2025, Mars will move backward through Leo, the spotlight-loving, optimistic and supremely driven fixed fire sign, and Cancer, the sentimental, emotionally intelligent and innately nurturing cardinal water sign.
When Mars moves forward in Leo, which is ruled by the vitality-bolstering sun, we tend to be more action-oriented, self-assured and apt to dig our heels in on any game plan we’ve set in motion. And when it moves backward in Leo, you’ll be compelled to do self-work around how your confidence and self-expression dovetails with your drive and to consider ways in which more adaptability could support productivity.
When Mars is direct in Cancer, fluctuating emotions tend to go hand-in-hand with drive and motivation, and you might be a bit less direct — possibly even passive-aggressive — when sharing and pursuing your desires. And when it’s retrograde in the sign of the Crab, you might have a chance to address unhealed wounds related to your emotional well-being and family life.
2024-2025’s Mars retrograde in Leo requires reassessing how you’ve been taking care for yourself.
Because Leo is ruled by the sun, the brightest star in our solar system that oversees self-image, confidence and purpose, these are all themes that are bound to come up from December 6 to January 6 while Mars is retrograde in the fixed fire sign. Leo is one of the fiercest advocates of self-care, and Mars powers up whatever it comes in contact with, so over the course of the first month of this retrograde, you might be nudged to think about how you’re tending to your needs, owning your voice and standing up for your interests. You might even think about what limelight you’ve been wanting to step out into and how you can best chart a path there.
Just watch out for friction around January 3 when Mars will oppose Pluto in fellow fixed sign Aquarius, amplifying competition, power struggles and control issues.
2024-2025’s Mars retrograde in Cancer is a chance to strengthen your relationships with loved ones.
From January 6 to February 23, Mars’ retrograde in Cancer is an opportunity to consider how you’ve been exerting your energy to nurture your bonds with loved ones and home life. Addressing underlying anger or frustrations with family members can ultimately set the stage for more harmony.
At the same time, Mars’ backspin in Cancer can help you become even more aware of how you’re tending to your emotional well-being. Realizations that arise now could empower you to be more forthcoming about your needs, which, in turn, can lead to feeling seen and fulfilled.
Here, how Mars’ retrograde in Leo and Cancer will affect you based on your sign. (Be sure to read both your sun and your rising sign if you know it. If you don’t, you can find it in your birth chart or by using this CafeAstrology calculator.)
Aries

With your ruling planet, go-getter Mars, retrograde in your romance and self-expression zone to start, you’ll benefit from less concrete game plans when pursuing creative endeavors and connecting with your nearest and dearest. Spontaneity and going with the flow is the key to thriving through what can be a frustrating period with your ruler moving at a slowed pace. And when Mars backs up into your family and home life sector, you’ll do well to be honest with yourself and loved ones about resentment or other fiery feelings you’ve been harboring. You can get clear on the root cause of any anger or emotional wounds and deal with them head-on once and for all.
Taurus

Mars moves backward through your home zone to start, inspiring you to be more conscious of grudges you’ve been holding against family members or emotional wounds that you’ve been putting off healing. Over the course of this retrograde, this bolstered awareness can help you to boost your inner peace as well as your bonds with loved ones. And when Mars moves back into your communication sector, you can reflect on how you’ve been exerting your social energy and spending time on learning experiences and even short-distance travel. This is your chance to figure out how to be more intentional with who you’re saying “yes” to, which can ultimately lead to personal growth and feeling even more connected.
Gemini

Last time Mars was retrograde, it moved backward through your sign, affecting your self-image, confidence and purpose. Now, it kicks off its retrograde in your communication sector, and you’ll be reassessing your platonic bonds, appetite for learning and how you tap into and utilize your buzziest energy. It may feel tougher to move forward on creative brainstorms with colleagues or plans with friends, but you’ll also gain perspective on which of these endeavors are truly worth your efforts. And as Mars retrogrades through your money zone, you can take stock of your financial aspirations and moneymaking projects, setting the stage for even greater success down the road.
Cancer

While Mars moves back through your income sector, your efforts to hit the gas on financial goals could be stymied, but there’s a silver lining: You can take a more intentional, steady approach that lays the groundwork for better results in the long-run. Consider whether you’re on track with how you’ve been defining a win or if there are ways in which you might just be spinning your wheels. Then, as the go-getter planet shifts back into your sign and self-image sector, you could be frustrated if passion projects aren’t moving ahead as quickly as you’d like. But slowing down and prioritizing opportunities to recharge could help you pinpoint helpful details and tweaks.
Leo

You could feel like you’re putting in twice as much effort to get half the results as usual when it comes to your passion projects once Mars’ retrograde begins in your sign and self-image zone. Obviously this could take a toll on your motivation and typically buoyant nature, but take heart that this slowdown sets you up for better understanding what you need to do to accomplish your most ambitious aspirations. In other words, you’ll be even better prepared to score the upshot you’re looking for. And when Mars backs up into your spirituality sector, you can explore just how well (or not) you’ve been carving out time for rest and rejuvenation. By tuning into your intuition, you can also pinpoint relationships or experiences that have been draining your mental and emotional energy.
Virgo

Mars retrograde impacts your spirituality sector to start, so you’ll do well to consider how you’ve been tapping into your inner voice and allowing it to guide you. You tend to be in your head more often than not, so this transit could be truly beneficial for helping you strike more of a balance between what you know to be true rationally and what you intuit. When Mars backs up into your networking and long-term wishes sector, you can take stock of how you’ve been asserting yourself when it comes to group projects and in your relationships with friends and colleagues. As much as you may want to be a team player, you may want to step up how you’re sharing your thoughts and opinions in order to feel seen and appreciated for what you bring to the table.
Libra

Your MO is to be endlessly social, and you’re eager to maintain a harmonious tone with friends, but during this Mars retrograde, which falls in your networking zone, you’ll do well to be more vocal about what’s on your mind when putting your nose to the grindstone on group efforts. In turn, you’ll feel more appreciated for your contributions, and the empowering effect could also benefit your long-term wishes. As Mars backs up into your career sector, you can take a microscope to how you’ve been opting to claim positions of authority or to take on more responsibility. You could end up reframing how you’re defining success altogether or land on a brilliant new approach to pursuing your professional goals.
Scorpio

Because Mars is retrograde in your career zone to start, you’ll feel compelled to think about how you’ve been attempting to make strides professionally. You could be aggravated that your efforts haven’t warranted the results you’ve been envisioning and determine that it’s time to take a bold step toward realizing your goals. Of course, it may feel impossible to get the ball rolling during the retrograde itself, but mapping out where you want to go from here and how you plan to get there can be truly productive and gratifying. As Mars backs up into your adventure and higher learning sector, you’ll gain greater awareness of your gut impulses, wanderlust and desires to broaden your horizons, which could lead to a new strategy for making your wildest dreams a reality.
Sagittarius

You might feel like it’s time to tune into and trust your instincts so that you can get more of what you want out of life, Sag, thanks to Mercury retrograde in your sign and self-image zone, and now, Mars retrograde in your adventure and higher learning sector. You may feel frustrated and stuck because whether you’ve wanted to book a long-distance trip or work with a mentor to explore new skill sets or philosophies, it feels like wrenches are constantly being thrown in your plans. But this transit nudges you to make the pursuit of personal growth your focus, so any setbacks you face now could ultimately result in feeling accomplished. And as Mars backs up into your intimacy sector, you could have a lightbulb moment around what you need to feel secure, emotionally and financially, with a significant other or loved one.
Capricorn

Go-getter Mars’ retrograde is happening in your intimacy and joint resources zone to start, calling attention to money matters that you’re dealing with alongside a significant other or loved one. You can reassess whether you’re both pulling your weight or if the strategy you’ve been sticking to is really delivering the endgame you’ve been vying for. This is also a fantastic time for asserting your needs in the bedroom. As Mars retrogrades back into your partnership zone, you can address any ongoing disagreements with your partner, a family member, a dear friend or a colleague. Thinking about how you fight and go to bat for your beliefs and desires — and how that might need to evolve — is just as important as tending to any actual conflicts themselves.
Aquarius

With Mars retrograde in your partnership zone first, you’ll be reflecting on how you manage head-butting in your one-on-one relationships. You might take note of the fact that you’re often repeating the same problematic patterns within certain dynamics, there’s a lack of reciprocity that requires tackling or you’d do well to share your needs more often. Either way, becoming more aware of the underlying reality can lead you to feeling more fulfilled in your bonds. And when Mars backs up into your wellness and health zone, you’ll be able to take a step back and determine whether your daily hustle and fitness routine is really working for you and supporting your bigger picture goals.
Pisces

Mars’ retrograde activates your wellness and routine zone to start, encouraging you to think about how you’ve been exerting your energy on a daily basis. You might find that you could streamline your commitments and come away feeling like you have more room to breathe and you’re just as — or even more — productive. This is also a wonderful transit for reimagining how you’re regularly nurturing your physical, emotional and mental well-being. And when Mars backs up into your romance and self-expression zone, you might be frustrated if it feels like you can’t pour your emotions into a creative outlet or connect with your nearest and dearest as readily as usual. You can trust your heart to lead you toward a solution that feels right intuitively.
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