Mars has been traveling through Taurus since July of last year – a long time for fast moving Mars and the longest time Mars has traveled through Taurus since 1974. Mars turns retrograde only once every two years or so, and since Mars entered Taurus we saw two Mars retrograde periods where actions result more from internal stimuli and tend to be more hidden and less easily understood.

Taurus is a fixed earth sign: stubborn and placid and rooted in solid values and beliefs. Mars represents raw drive and aggression, and its journey through Taurus has in many ways made it difficult to move forward, and with Mars in Taurus we have seen opinions and ideas become more entrenched and less fluid.

Mars enters Gemini on Friday February 17 at 4:45 pm EST. Gemini is a mutable and highly verbal sign associated with matters of communication and experience. Gemini is able to try on different ideas and costumes in order to learn more about the ideas of others. Mars will remain in Gemini only until mid-April but hopefully we will be able to benefit from the much-needed lubrication that it potentially can bring to the difficult negotiations in the current global arena: with Iran, in the US Congress, in Israel.