Dear Friend and Reader:
If you’re noticing a little unusual tension in the air, consider that Mars is about to be retrograde. And not only that, it will be retrograde opposite Pluto, which is extremely rare.
True, we are in an unusual Mercury retrograde pattern at the same time, which I suggest is a time for cleaning up and wrapping up old tasks. Clear your desk. Get the filing done. Stay up all night if you have to, or get a teenager to help. You will feel better, and you will make discoveries. There’s often treasure in those unfiled stacks of paper. (More about the peak of the current Mercury retrograde in the new STARCAST.)
Mars retrograde is a different kind of critter, and requires special handling. Mars is a sharp, hot object. Its range spans from desire to motivation to attack to self-attack (guilt, resentment, etc.). The retrograde turns it inward, and to me that is primarily about a reassessment of desire.
Be gentle on yourself and be careful with what you want. It could end up producing a very different result than you intend. Aggression, ambition and overdone self-assertion need to be given a rest. Let things play out a little; if you have opponents or adversaries, just give them a little time to fuck up. Let them do the work for you.
If you want to work out issues or preserve sincere peace in your relationships, then be patient with people and with yourself. Give things time; there are many variables, and many unknowns. In total, Mars retrograde is fully over in early May. So, easy does it.
The Sham Controversy Over ‘Toxic Masculinity’
We are also due for a reassessment of masculinity. There is a major crisis going on, where I am starting to get the feeling that the only good masculinity is none at all. I guess men can be confined to watching “sissy hypno training” (feminization brainwashing porn) and wildly popular “cuckold porn” videos (another guy with a bigger dick fucks his wife, and he loves it).
But really? There is something distinctive in the human male psyche that is willing to walk into a fully-involved structure fire to conduct search and rescue. Not all men, but a lot of them. Women may do this, but exceedingly few.
Then there is the not-so-small matter of “toxic masculinity” that is up for a review during this retrograde. This term was created by one writer 40 years ago who had unresolved issues with his too-strict father. Had I been his editor, I would not have accepted that terminology.
I would have insisted on a rewrite to, “I am angry at my oppressive dad,” or something like that: I would have insisted on his personal ownership of his situation. All therapy requires this. You never know what one phrase in one obscure article can unleash.
Now “toxic masculinity” appears as a legitimate “thing” in a deeply stereotyped Super Bowl ad condemning all men, seemingly virtue signaling as marketing. Its targets include your sons, your husband or boyfriend, your dad, your brother, your uncle, your favorite cousin and your male buddies, all at once. (Funny you can sell male self-hatred during a football game, but the real game of advertising is to turn people against themselves: that’s where the big money is. Advertising has been making billions on the seeming gender divide forever.)
One commenter wrote:
“The backlash from this advert mainly stemmed from the fact that Gillette were completely hypocritical here. They still charged more for women’s razors even though they were the exact same as men, they were still running advertising that sexualized women, and they only released this ad to try and appeal to a current social movement. They only had dollar signs in their eyes when they released this ad, not a hint of sincerity.”
But note a little problem: The commenter, a man, does not say, “How dare they stereotype all men as smug, aggressive abusers.” Instead, he claims that Gillette abuses women by charging them more for making the product pink, and claims that their ads sexualize women (somehow more than they do themselves). Rather, he takes on the characterization of men as if it were somehow true.
The Fraudulent ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Scale + Fraudulent Hormones
According to a newly-published psychological scale of “toxic masculinity,” that concept now includes the desire to lift weights and not wanting to lose (as in, when playing a game; who, including women plays a game to lose?). Note, I know and trust both of the presenters in that video.
The “toxic masculinity” scale conflates ordinary masculinity with the hypothetical “toxic” kind, which is actually just being a jerk. I demolish this concept in the latest Planet Waves FM (see separate player below the main players)— and I am not done. But let’s move on.
Our society is having a real crisis about what it thinks masculinity is and is not; what if feels like and does not; what it smells like and does not.
Maybe it’s all the artificial estrogen — that is, fraudulent, persistent estrogen — in the air we breathe and the food that we eat, which comes from plastics, flame-retardants, pesticides, and all forms of hazardous waste (these are called hormone disruptors). Maybe it’s the result of too much exposure to digital conditions, which neutralize sex and gender because nobody has a body on the internet
I propose a little editing to language. The word “patriarchy” really means “angry at my father.” The phrase “toxic masculinity” means “afraid of men” or “afraid of male sexual desire.” It’s an admission, not an accusation.
How bad is this crisis? I recently read an article in The New York Times about how to warn your teenage boy that he might be a rapist. I am difficult to offend. That is baldly offensive; it’s child abuse. Your son is not a “potential rapist.” He is most likely a decent young man who respects his peers and respects you.
If you want to help him relate to women better, invest in a copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves (the old ones are better) and answer his questions about women’s bodies and how to be a responsible lover. You can also share with them my essay About Sex for Young Men, and my article The Radical Notion that Men are People.
If you don’t want to talk to your son about women’s bodies, and answer their questions, perhaps look up a midwife in your area and see if she will do, it for a fee.
The Current Mars Retrograde Pattern
Mars is retrograde second least of all the planets, about 9.48 percent of all days, in total. The retrograde happens every two years. (Venus is retrograde 7.22 percent of the time; the much shorter Venus retrograde happens every 18 months. How do I know this? Clue: not from the internet, but now it’s here.)
For this retrograde, Mars is opposite Pluto. Those are two extremely potent forces, meeting face-to-face, with one of them turned inward. This cycle includes three Mars-Pluto oppositions: with Mars in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn from Nov. 3; and then with Mars retrograde in Leo and Pluto in Aquarius on Jan. 3; and then with Mars direct to Pluto in Aquarius on April 26.
This is a long process and it stretches out for a while. Mars will not be clear of its retrograde degrees until May 2, 2025 — amidst much other fanfare.
Mars retrograde happens every two years. Mars opposite Pluto happens every two years. They don’t usually happen at the same time. This week writing the Scorpio reading for The Awakening (called “We are Equal Beings”), I guessed this happened two or three times per century, and by golly I was right. Last night I did the work and found something similar in 2008, 1939, 1924, 1841 and 1841 (so, about two and a half times per century).
However, none of these come in the midst of a Pluto sign change. And none has ever happened in recent centuries with Pluto in Capricorn or Aquarius. So this is a new thing; a proof of concept.
Words of Caution About this Mars Retrograde
This Mars retrograde is a setup for alienation in relationships, including partnerships of all kinds. It will be easy to turn men against themselves, and to turn friendships, partnerships and marriages into adversarial situations. If that is not what you want, then the key is to slow down and be more reflective.
Aggressive action of any kind is likely to backfire. The opposition to Pluto is a little like the relationship between the detonator (Mars) and the bomb (Pluto). So be cool, and defuse situations early. Your pride or getting “dug in” could cost you a lot.
Mars opposite Pluto is good for focusing one’s determination. (I have it in my natal chart, Pisces to Virgo, and the benefit you get from that is my stop-at-nothing approach to journalism.)
Meanwhile, Mars retrograde ends in the sign Cancer, which is about mothers, mothering and taking care of the young. We are currently experiencing a torrent of multigenerational family issues coming in via the Family Hunger Game cluster in early Capricorn; Mars retrograde in Cancer will stir the pot. Much anger that is directed at father (socially acceptable) should be directed at mother (not so socially acceptable).
Note, much of the baggage we are dragging around belongs to our ancestors: parents, grandparents and so on. And much of that is compounded into seemingly intractable karma by the use of alcohol as a pain killer. Alcohol is a fantastic drug if you have one particular goal, which is to be emotionally unavailable. In the process, it does a good job of suppressing anger.
Otherwise, it shrinks your brain and slowly kills your liver and other organs. Mostly, though, it’s a form of systemic toxicity that kills families. It does this by suppressing anger, the main thing that Mars retrograde is suggesting that we get in touch with.
More on STARCAST above the weekly horoscope.
With love,
Your faithful astrologer,
