How to Work With Mars in Leo

There are seasons of life when we allow ourselves to be guided by our emotions, when we succumb to the ebb and flow of our feelings, where we retreat to protect that which is most vulnerable.

And there are seasons of life when, even while acknowledging our emotions, we don’t allow them to lead our actions. We show up consistently, rising like the Sun every day, even when the clouds are present and nobody can see us.

This week starts with that type of shift in energy as Mars, the warrior planet and the archetype of how we take action, moves from emotional waters of Cancer to the steadfast fire of Leo.

Mars represents our drive, motivation, and speaks to how we take action. In the same way that you might act differently depending on your setting and surrounding, the planets operate differently in different signs.

Each time a planet changes sign, it invites us to call on a different aspect of that archetype within us.

Here’s what to know about the shift in tone and what to expect from the coming months.

Mars in Cancer: Introspective and Defensive

Cancer is a cardinal water sign ruled by the moon. Mars in Cancer is private, inward looking, and introspective. It nourishes, cultivates, and seeks to protect itself from harm. It operates on defense.

Planets in Cancer focus to the past, to root systems. In Cancer, Mars is driven by feelings and emotions, which can be variable — just like the moon. Mars in Cancer represents motivation that can ebb and flow, like the tides or the cycles of the moon.

Mars in Leo: Expressive and Proactive

Mars in Leo is a completely different Mars, and it calls on us to access a different part of our action-taker archetype.

Leo is a fixed fire sign, the home of the Sun. The Sun shows up every day, regardless of feelings, and shines bright in the sky. Even if we can’t always see it, it’s there. It doesn’t worry about who or what is blocking it, because it knows its light shines through the clouds.

Mars in Leo is expressive, radiant, and performative. It’s outward looking and forward looking —think of how we look up towards the sky to see the Sun.

When I think of Mars in Leo, I think of the aphorism that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Mars in Leo is bold, courageous, brave, and proactive. It is willing to take the heat, to get into the line of fire.

This is a transit to revel in the freedom to be yourself, to act from a place of pride.

Leo is the sign often associated with actors, and Mars in Leo can bring a quality of showmanship and high drama. It makes a spectacle, a big deal of things.

Mars in Leo is also a signature of leadership. This transit invites us to access our courage and show the world who we are and what we are here to do.

Unlike a cardinal sign, which facilitates initiation of activities but doesn’t always have the wherewithal to see them through, Leo is the fixed sign of summer. When it knows what it wants, it goes after it with a single-minded pursuit that can be resolute — perhaps bordering on stubborn.

Just like the Sun, Mars in Leo is persistent and consistent. It will stay with a project through to completion.

Of course, some of this may feel out of sync this time around because this current Mars in Leo transit isn’t ordinary.

The Downsides of Mars in Leo

Sometimes Mars in Leo can be a little too much. This is a firey planet in a fixed fire sign — unlike the fire of Aries, which might start strong but flame out, Leo’s fire is unwavering.

Things can get a little hot. Anger can flare up. Tempers can boil over.

As astrologer Nadia Gilchrist points out, Mars in Leo can also be a transit of temper tantrums and even violence all done for the sake of others’ appreciation. Stubborn pride can keep you on the wrong track.

Mars Retrograde: Leo Back to Cancer

This time, Mars’ trip through Leo is a not as single-focused and direct as usual.

Mars won’t get one-third of the way through Leo before it stations retrograde in early December. What this means is that from our perspective, it will appear to move backward in the sky. It will retrograde back to the middle of Cancer before shifting directions again.

A retrograde invites us to retrace our steps and go back to something we were previously doing.

Practically speaking, what we start in these next few weeks with Mars in Leo might get put aside while we backtrack to a previous project.

We will revisit issues that have come up since the beginning of October, and then we’ll get a do-over on those projects before Mars comes back to Leo.

Expect to revisit and examine your motivations for actions you take over the next couple of months; you will have a chance to review them again in the spring.

How to Work with Mars in Leo

Mars in Leo invites us to harness the courage of our convictions, to take bold action with confidence — even when our action doesn’t feel like the “safe” choice.

Like the Sun, Mars in Leo encourages us to show up consistently and persistently — even when we don’t “feel like it.”

This is a time to let your authentic self be seen, to take proud ownership of your actions, and to lead by example.

Remember: The Sun doesn’t ask permission to shine, and neither should you.

Questions to Explore

• Where have I been dimming my light to make others comfortable?
• What battles are truly worth my energy and attention?
• Where am I called to lead rather than follow?
• How can I take more pride in my creative process?