We have just lived through Martian Summer, and are about to experience Venusian Autumn.

It would seem like for about half the population or more, this has been a particularly rough summer. We have some pieces to pick up, some damage to assess and repair, and maybe some issues to settle. Mars retrograde in Aquarius will help teach you who your true friends really are. Remember the people who showed up for you, who were loyal to you, and who treated you with respect. They are the real thing.

Mars stationed direct in Capricorn on Aug. 27, and in about a week (on the evening of Sept. 10), moves into Aquarius.

Mars is now retracing all of the degrees where it had been retrograde since June 26, which means (among other things) it will make the same aspects to your natal chart that it’s made twice previously. The first time was when Mars was moving direct in June, approaching the retrograde; the second was in July and August, when it was retrograde. This will not be a repeat, but a reframing of a similar image from a slightly different viewpoint.

Think of it this way: all the planets are in motion. Everything is in motion. Mars may be tracking through the same degrees of the zodiac where it was retrograde. But in truth, Mars is in a totally different place. And so is every other planet. Think of the zodiac as the compass on a ship. The compass doesn’t tell you where you are; it tells you which way you’re heading, and orients you in space. You have to use other tools to plot your location — namely, awareness.

Between now and Oct. 8, Mars will re-examine the degrees where it was retrograde this summer, and we will get a second look at people, places and events, from a different vantage point. Take this slowly and consciously — even somewhat cautiously. Retrace your steps, and notice what has changed. Pay attention to how the configuration and organization of people around you has changed. Notice your relationships to group entities, and to each individual within them.

Consider your confidence level and whether it has evolved through this process. Are you more or less capable of standing up to people, and to groups of people? Have you gained any skill at speaking your mind?

One thing that retrogrades of inner planets do is to contrast the past and the present. They also contrast inner and outer reality. Under an inner planet retrograde, particularly Venus or Mars, people from the past can show up; has that happened for you at all, and what do you notice about the relationship as it is now, as opposed to how it was way back when?

That’s a lot of questions. These are just some suggestions for claiming what you’ve learned from the Mars retrograde process. One last: are you any better able to express sexual needs and desires, now that you’ve gone through this process? Are you able to be more “out” than you were in the past? If not, you still have time to practice.

I’ve described this in more detail in tonight’s edition of Planet Waves FM. And I’ll also be recapping Mars retrograde and carefully assessing the forthcoming Venus retrograde in a project called Empathy-Pathos, the 2018 autumn reading. We are still offering the second-lowest price, just $57 for all 12 signs, which will increase in about 48 hours. The reading will be delivered in the month of September.

Thanks for tuning in.

It’s good to back with you.